How Do You Reply?

[tigerfish]

so is it at all important to you, when asked whilst staying in the los how your reply is perceived.

take my situation for example, in most cases through out a average normal day out here, i will get asked at least once where i come from.

a perfectly harmless question you may think, and in most cases yes.

the problem i have is it can make the whole scenario and impossible one, if the person asking doesnt quite understand what you are trying to explain to them.

o.k. so im from england,

ah you from the u.k?

no, im english.

ah you like man utd, david beckham.

no, i cant stand man utd and i think beckhams a overated <deleted>.

why, you english or not?

yes, im english, but i come from london and i support arsenal, very far from manchester.

ah, so you must like spurs or chelsea. they from london wright.

and it goes on for a litlle while longer, and most of the time its just fun to see their reaction. no harm done.

so you can kind of see where im coming from, but what about those of you who are from different parts of the british isles i.e scotland, wales and n.ireland. does it get annoying now and again being labelled as a brit, or even worse english or do you take it with a pinch of salt, smile and move on. is it imporatant to you that the person asking the question understands the concept of your reply.

the same could be asked for those of you from the states, canada and mexico. do you state what part you are from or just say north or central america. can it get your goat up when canada being one of the largest countries in the world, gets tagged along with being that part of the u.s.a.

same question to those of you from oz and new zealand, i know the difference between the two, especially when it comes down to the bitter rivalry that is played out on a rugby pitch. but do the thais?

are you shy about answering because of what your country has done in the past, or are you a proud patriot.

as a nation of people, thais are very proud of their king and country and all that goes with it. so when the tables are turned is it important to you that they understand where you are from, when asked.

just one other small thing, for those of you who have children out here with a thai partner. is it or is it going to be important to you to have your children know where and learn about where dad/ mum comes from?

Edited March 7, 2010 by tigerfish

[WinnieTheKhwai]

How Do You Reply?, when asked, where do you come from.

"Foodland."

Then wait for the quarter to drop (if ever).

To be honest though a large part is just making conversation. I usually ask Thais the same especially when I have the feeling they're not local to the place where I am. That's just what you do in small talk. Also there's a very good chance I've visited the place they're from, so usually I can find nice things to say about the place.

Edited March 7, 2010 by WinnieTheKhwai

[IanForbes]

Oh my GAWD, not an ARSENAL fan! But, I'll forgive you that little peccadillo.

I just tell them the truth. "I'm from Canada"... even though I'm often mistaken for American. I just take that insult lightly. Us Canadians are too polite to let it bother us.

[garyh]

"a perfectly harmful question you may think, and in most cases yes"

I have never been harmed by a question.

[PhilHarries]

Well I do come from Wales but, a little surprisingly, many people here in Viet Nam not only have heard of Wales but know where it is. That may of course be courtesy of Ryan Giggs but it even extends to folk with no interest in football. Their knowledge of the world is even more surprising given their years of isolation.

Fortunately I do follow Manchester United so don't have the problems with lack of knowledge of the less fashionable clubs. However I am surprised that Thais don't know Arsenal as they are very well up on Premier League football even if they haven't a clue where the UK is on a world map.

No, I am not shy about telling people where I am from. I am not one of these "world citizen" dreamers and, like you, probably get asked the question on average once a day.

These days though I usually answer the question with "Quan hai" (District 2) which elicits a puzzled look then a chuckle before I go on to explain that I'm originally from the UK, Wales specifically.

Patience is required to foster a greater understanding amongst those we meet as to the extent and make up of the world.

The real fun comes on my occasional visits to the UK if I ever get asked where I am from especially by people conducting surveys as your address/location is usually the last question they come to. The last one was in Tescos where I dutifully answered all the questions but when it came to my address I offered to write it down. Poor girl, didn't even know where T.P. Ho Chi Minh was, nor Sai Gon, and only a very vague idea of Viet Nam. So it's not just the Thais.

[toptuan]

How Do You Reply?, when asked, where do you come from.

To separate me from the tourist crowd, with a twinkle in my eye, I always give the name of my local village and province in Thailand. Things seem to always go better after that. The touts and money boys/girls drift away, and the genuinely friendly Thais come out of the woodwork. Of course, after that come the next obvious questions: "Are you married?" "How much money do you make?" etc. etc.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I think the money question is on the decline.. That used to be the third or fourth question in any small talk conversation.. I rarely encounter it these days. The truthful answer however remains "Not enough!"

[doggie888888]

Question: hey hansum man, where you come from?

Answer: the exchange rate is 30baht = 1 aussie dollar

[slapout]

My first answer is T. Padad, Chiang Mai, as above poster noted, this gets rid of the touts, panhandlers etc, those that continue in this light will normally get the correct answer, depending on the mood of both of us.

[mizzi39]

If a Thai is asking: Amereeka!

Thai asks "do you live in Thailand?": Chai. Tell them the province.

Asked by a westerner: US! Non US citizens will sometimes proceed to give their opinion on US policy. I politely remove myself thinking for the sake of argument I should have said Canada.

[PeaceBlondie]

I remain puzzled by Brits who insist they're English. And care about soccer clubs and ales. I insist I'm from Texas ,

[tigerfish]

I remain puzzled by Brits who insist they're English. And care about soccer clubs and ales. I insist I'm from Texas ,

hope youre stiil around in a few hours to moderate. you may have just opened up a whole can of worms.

Edited March 7, 2010 by tigerfish

[PeaceBlondie]

Nope. I'm riding into town for the day.

[MiG16]

i come from london and i support arsenal,

on that basis alone Im letting this topic run

[Loz]

Being English is not a sin. Its not a nationality either. We are English if we come from England. Our nationality is British but if that was not the question, what is the problem with the correct answer.

ps. I have more interest in naval fluff than in football.

[gmac]

I remain puzzled by Brits who insist they're English. And care about soccer clubs and ales. I insist I'm from Texas ,

I think you'll find that in the opinion of many of us English Brits beer and football are about all that is left of our country that the politicians and bankers haven't ruined.........and both are still cheaper and better to watch here in Thailand despite the exchange rate!

[Hardback]

I always say "Tong Mae"

[Loz]

To answer the OP. the correct answer for me is, "Korat".

If asked in Korat, I tell them the moobaan.

then I ask where they from, if they are married, what there job is? Do they have kids? what school do they go to? Can they eat bland food?

You can't imagine how many thais think I am a superb conversationalist!

[OxfordWill]

You're all taking this "life" thing faaaar too seriously.

[Travel2003]

Wow, I never thought about that.

Now Im glad Im not from UK (I mean England).

Never thought a simple question it would create that much hazzle.

[carmine]

I remain puzzled by Brits who insist they're English. And care about soccer clubs and ales. I insist I'm from Texas ,

I am born in England and i m English....and the puzzle is.....?

[Mosha]

I am English, everyone and their dog can become British. I also remember when a Briton was a member of the original Celtic Inhabitants.

[Jingthing]

To Thais I usually say America. To westerners I usually say the U.S. Sometimes if I am annoyed I will say Jomtien to Thais. BTW, quite often Thais do not really believe me when I say America, and they ask were you born there, where are you really from? Not sure how to take that, just reporting my experience.

[rak sa_ngop]

I usually reply " Daao Angkaan" or planet Mars. Easy to remember becuase Tuesday is wan angkaan i.e. Mars day.

This usually annoys them so not always a good idea.

[somtampet]

I am British and live in England,very simple realy,especialy as my passport says i am British.

I also like proper football not this non contact sport that wenger is trying to advocate.

[somtampet]

I usually reply " Daao Angkaan" or planet Mars. Easy to remember becuase Tuesday is wan angkaan i.e. Mars day.

This usually annoys them so not always a good idea.

Why do you have to say that when someone asks you a perfectly decent question and maybe interested in you.

CRAZY

[tooninthai]

I tell them I am English. No problems with that and very rarely misunderstood.

Thai people do seem to relate where in the UK by football teams. I tell the Newcastle and they understand that quickly too.

If they ask about Man Utd, they often (in fun) get an expletive in reply and it is taken in jest too.

People are curious. I went to the local market for months on my own, buying my groceries before I took the g/f along a few times too. When I was away for a few days the g/f went to the market alone and almost every stall holder I buy from spoke to her wanting to know where I am from and where we met and all sorts of trivial information.

There was no malice intended. Mainly they wanted to know what sort of 'Farang' went to the market on his own so often as so many Farang seem to have a Thai woman in tow to do the buying for them, or they only ever see foreigners at BigC, Makro or wherever.

I like to think they look at different foreigners in different ways and they judge us on our attitude and how we conduct ourselves. If you are polite they judge the rest of our fellow countrymen in the same light until some idiot comes along and causes problems. Then they tend to balance the idiots against the more sensible, polite ones amongst us and realise we are not all as bad as some.

[mahtin]

I have more interest in naval fluff than in football.

You like Jennie Wrens?

[Thaddeus]

How Do You Reply?, when asked, where do you come from.

I have two stock answers.

"Me white man, come from big metal bird in sky"

or

"I was born in the wagon of a travelling show"

[a2396]

Oh my GAWD, not an ARSENAL fan! But, I'll forgive you that little peccadillo.

I just tell them the truth. "I'm from Canada"... even though I'm often mistaken for American. I just take that insult lightly. Us Canadians are too polite to let it bother us.

Good answer - Je suis Canadien. Parlez-vous? The OP's mistake is getting into to many details. Forget the geography lesson on UK place names.