Shake Hands With These Guys?

[huggybear]

"Hello mate" and out goes the hand for a handshake.

"Hello laddie" as he tries to guess your nationality, out comes the offered hand for a shake.

We're all familiar with these tailor salesmen, yes? Indians, Bangladeshis, Nepalese.

As I understand it, Indians and Bangladeshis (not sure about Nepalese) eat with only one hand as they wipe with the other.

Can someone clue me in on which hand is the eating hand and which the wiping, and that hand that is offered by the salesman, which one is that, the eating hand or the wiping hand?

[dingdongrb]

"Hello mate" and out goes the hand for a handshake.

"Hello laddie" as he tries to guess your nationality, out comes the offered hand for a shake.

We're all familiar with these tailor salesmen, yes? Indians, Bangladeshis, Nepalese.

As I understand it, Indians and Bangladeshis (not sure about Nepalese) eat with only one hand as they wipe with the other.

Can someone clue me in on which hand is the eating hand and which the wiping, and that hand that is offered by the salesman, which one is that, the eating hand or the wiping hand?

Typically the darker and smelly one is not the 'eating hand'...... (NOTE: The word 'typically')

[phaethon]

Under Islam, the left hand is used by a person to clean up filth, wash himself after going to the bathroom, and other similar activities. The right hand is used for clean practices like eating and shaking hands. Many other cultures, especially where eating with fingers is common, have similar rules.

Oh and I don't shake hands with street scum, why the hel_l would I?

[toptuan]

And you've made it to 987 posts with this kind of drivel? Just ask to sniff their proffered hand first.

[Samuian]

Under Islam, the left hand is used by a person to clean up filth, wash himself after going to the bathroom, and other similar activities. The right hand is used for clean practices like eating and shaking hands. Many other cultures, especially where eating with fingers is common, have similar rules.

And the handshake NOT a common greeting!

Which I consider the most unhygienic form of greeting there is in the world!

I try to avoid it with a friendly "Hellooooo!" and a nod.

I think it was a BBC program where a pub was shown where all the contamination was made visible through some special agent combined with UV light.... the bowls with the peanuts on the bar... AND the Handles for the draught beer...

[Arthur88]

I sincerely doubt OP's motives to start such topic. Perhaps he's hoping it will turn into hate thread against certain religious group.

Mods, better close this thread and slap warning on this idiot.

[PhilHarries]

First to answer the OP. I never shake hands with any of these salesmen not for any hygene or racial consideration. They are not my friends nor colleagues nor even aquaintances. I have not been formally introduced to them and, at the actual moment of greeting, I have no business dealings with them. I have no desires to enter into any discussion with them let alone actually purchase anything from them. Therefore they don't exist, just like time share touts, un-hailed taxis and their touts and a myriad of other unwanted hawkers and associated flotsam and jetsam. I just blank them and walk on past not letting them wind me up. They may think me rude but, quite frankly, I don't give a dam_n (to paraphrase a movie line).

Secondly regarding the hygene question. I don't understand why people are so funny about contact with other folk. During each and every day your hands make contact with surfaces that are home to many more bacteria than even unwashed hands (within reason). Door handles, handrails, utensils, furniture etc are all contacts where you have absolutely no idea who or what else has been there before you. They recently did a survey of computer keyboards in the UK and were appalled by the levels of contamination and types of bacteria they found. If this bothers you the solution is simple, just wash your hands regularly and especially thoroughly before handling food or cooking/eating utensils.

btw until about twenty years ago although you were legally entitled to a clean glass with every fresh drink in a pub many places didn't bother unless you specifically asked. We still drank in pubs and we survived but nowadays by law they have to give you a clean glass every time.

As for the bowls of peanuts I used to eat the peanuts put out at the beer bars in Thailand. Until, that is, I saw a particularly shabby character scoop a handfull out and leave the rest. The girl collected the remainder and put them back in the large tin from which they were originally scooped. Now I do draw the line at that and now gracefully decline the nuts.

[phaethon]

And the handshake NOT a common greeting!

Well, it's an interesting and fortuitous combination of an 'Eastern' (eating with fingers) and Western (greeting by shaking hands) custom. Both utilize the right (majority dominant) hand. Makes you wonder which would have won out in a clash of cultures if, say, the left hand had been designated for handshaking by Westerners.

Like you I am reluctant to shake hands with people, especially (ironically?) strangers. Sometimes on a hospital intensive care ward a new doctor will wander in without washing it's hands, be introduced to me and hold out one of it's filthy mitts for shaking. If I'm in a good mood they usually get away with being told to put it away because I don't know where it's been. (parents [on neonatal units] need to be handled more diplomatically, but they actually grasp the reasoning quicker than the quacks do)

[phaethon]

During each and every day your hands make contact with surfaces ...

True.

Q: After you have washed and dried your hands in a public toilet what's the first thing you do?

A: Open the toilet door to get out using the handle used by every other user, mostly non-hand-washers, of that toilet.

Having said that, I used a toilet in a Borders bookshop in Florida once where there was a sign over the basin saying "Staff Must Wash Hands". I waited for ages but no staff came in to wash my hands for me, so I had to leave unwashed

[huggybear]

I sincerely doubt OP's motives to start such topic. Perhaps he's hoping it will turn into hate thread against certain religious group.

Mods, better close this thread and slap warning on this idiot.

and for your post #8, newbie, you have made an incorrect assumption, cried foul, and whined to the moderators (BTW, calling me an idiot is against Forum rules, but I won't cry to the mods). How about something to add instead? Or how about you start an interesting thread for post #9?

[thaiwanderer]

I thought they were burmese and pretended to be neplaese?

Anyhow, I never speak to men I do not know who approach pretending to be 'my friend', let alone shake their hands.

[tw25rw]

I wonder if these people who eat with the right and wipe with the left can go a whole day without their hands touching each other?

[zorro1]

Im not worried about the handshake germ its just that they are limp and almost slippery, gives me the creeps

[dingdongrb]

During each and every day your hands make contact with surfaces ...

True.

Q: After you have washed and dried your hands in a public toilet what's the first thing you do?

A: Open the toilet door to get out using the handle used by every other user, mostly non-hand-washers, of that toilet.

Having said that, I used a toilet in a Borders bookshop in Florida once where there was a sign over the basin saying "Staff Must Wash Hands". I waited for ages but no staff came in to wash my hands for me, so I had to leave unwashed

Wrong! The first thing you touch, unless it's one of those new automatic facets is the handle to turn off the water... Yes the same handle that you and thousands before you have touched before washing your hands (You touched it to turn it on, didn't you?).

[dingdongrb]

Im not worried about the handshake germ its just that they are limp and almost slippery, gives me the creeps

What flips me out is when during the handshake they take their middle finger and slightly caress your palm....

[logbags]

Well if people completely stopped buying stuff off these people they would disappear. Go to the markets in Cherng Talay or Rawai and you can get most of the same stuff for half the price anyway. Avoid O-top market and anywhere on the beach road.

I bought a 2 bandanas off a Muslim girl at Surin beach. They were 50 baht each. She sold them to other farangs for 150 baht which is 200% more. I could get them at the market for 30 baht.

Its like the bar fine, there was never such a thing as a bar fine in Phuket until people imported it from elsewhere. I never go to bars often but when I do all I hear is how bad business is. I always ask the owner the same question. Would you drink here??

Unless the baht crashes in the next 2 weeks I'll be on boiled rice and fish sauce with a soda water the way the Aussie dollar is going

[Swanky]

Good grief, that's something a sleazy guy would do to a girl.

My family greetings consist of embraces and kisses on both chheks a la The Godfather. If you can stand that a handshake is nothing.

Sorry did something didn't quote, I mean the handshake with the palm tickling thing, ugh.

[zorro1]

"Unless the baht crashes in the next 2 weeks I'll be on boiled rice and fish sauce with a soda water the way the Aussie dollar is going "

mate you may have to skip the fish sauce soon trust me

[zorro1]

Im not worried about the handshake germ its just that they are limp and almost slippery, gives me the creeps

What flips me out is when during the handshake they take their middle finger and slightly caress your palm....

stop teasing

[Swanky]

Are you on the right thread Zorro?

[zorro1]

Probably not, trying to multi task and not good at it. Where was I???

[dingdongrb]

Where was I???

....tickling my palm....

[Swanky]

'Probably not, trying to multi task and not good at it. Where was I???'

You mean multislack?

Can anyone explain how to quote?

[logbags]

mate you may have to skip the fish sauce soon trust me

Well how a country that has no working Government and is run by a bunch of crooks can have a currency higher than ours is a mystery.

The U.S is the cause of all this but their currency remains strong. Lehman brothers crashing was the start of the slide but the boss paid himself over 700 million. I need a job like that dam_n it

We think Thaksin was a crook but he is small time compared to these bankers. My dollar is worth 30% less than it was against the baht 1 month ago. Feel like cancelling my trip but have paid for the ticket already. I might be out mugging farangs on the Laem Sing hill the way it's going.

Is there any boy wonder Billy Whiz type economic guru on this forum who can explain why Thailand's economy has not ground to a halt? I mean riots, killings and government house beieng taken over by protesters and the baht is still 34 against the U.S $.

High season might be ok but come February I think things will be tough. I actually work at the airport in Melbourne Australia and it has been very quiet of late. I think the two week package tourists will go as they must or lose their dosh.

My 3 months may turn into 6 weeks if the dollar crashes anymore .

[Swanky]

What does Melbourne airport and the Aussie dollar have to do with handshakes? A bit of a leap even for me.

[dingdongrb]

What does Melbourne airport and the Aussie dollar have to do with handshakes? A bit of a leap even for me.

I think he has his hand up his arse looking for his declining dollar and whilst working at the airport is shaking everyone's hand that is coming in with high hopes of a handout or at least some sympathy.

[phaethon]

Wrong! The first thing you touch, unless it's one of those new automatic facets is the handle to turn off the water... Yes the same handle that you and thousands before you have touched before washing your hands (You touched it to turn it on, didn't you?).

Nope. Most facilities in the UK have self-closing taps, press once and then they stop after a few seconds. At St Mary's we have IR sensors operating the taps.

[phaethon]

What flips me out is when during the handshake they take their middle finger and slightly caress your palm....

They're Masons !

[dingdongrb]

Wrong! The first thing you touch, unless it's one of those new automatic facets is the handle to turn off the water... Yes the same handle that you and thousands before you have touched before washing your hands (You touched it to turn it on, didn't you?).

Nope. Most facilities in the UK have self-closing taps, press once and then they stop after a few seconds. At St Mary's we have IR sensors operating the taps.

[zorro1]

What does Melbourne airport and the Aussie dollar have to do with handshakes? A bit of a leap even for me.

Simple. A Melbourne tourist leaves the airport with the Aussie dollar and the man with the slimy hand shake and the caressing middle finger takes it.

were you serious about how to quote?