chonabot Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 We are currently having our house built in Isaan - and living with my wife's aunt in the next plot of land. A few days ago the builders were in stitches when they saw me ( a Man ) during the ironing on her porch. The general consensus was that a man would not do a woman's work. When I asked - in my basic Thai - what makes a man ?( in their eyes ) I was told that a man smokes, drinks, plays cards, has affairs, fights and generally runs a mile where housework is concerned. I explained that I didn't smoke - had a few fights in my younger days - but drinking and cards I could do quite happily. Last night I joined them in a game of cards - a few could play poker - and drank Lao Kao with them - had a lot of fun. This morning - with hangovers - they continued to build our house and I made them cups of tea - this time no issues If I am to live happily here I think this is the way to address our differences. ps I'm meeting one of their sisters later..... j/k 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mijan24 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 (edited) Chonobot nice to read a nice story - down to earth and although they will still think that silly farang down the road etc In my view they will think it with a degree of respect. Be wary of the sister your scheduled to meet might be a steward(ess)from the newly launched airways recruited for your initiation to the "Rural High Club" Edited December 17, 2011 by mijan24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apetley Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I remember years ago when I first stayed at my wife to be's house a small crowd of the neighbouring ladies gathered at the door to watch me ironing my own shirts. They were gobsmacked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chonabot Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 I remember years ago when I first stayed at my wife to be's house a small crowd of the neighbouring ladies gathered at the door to watch me ironing my own shirts. They were gobsmacked! Snap - maybe that's why I have been relocated to the back of the house today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Croc Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I've been ironing, shopping, cooking and cleaning since I was 12, despite being married/defacto 3 times over the years. Now I'm retired in Thailand I expect to never have to do these chores again! It's people like you who bugger it up for the rest of us!! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chonabot Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 I've been ironing, shopping, cooking and cleaning since I was 12, despite being married/defacto 3 times over the years. Now I'm retired in Thailand I expect to never have to do these chores again! It's people like you who bugger it up for the rest of us!! :lol: Hey Ol Croc - you still owe me for fixing that Football compo all those years ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Croc Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I've been ironing, shopping, cooking and cleaning since I was 12, despite being married/defacto 3 times over the years. Now I'm retired in Thailand I expect to never have to do these chores again! It's people like you who bugger it up for the rest of us!! :lol: Hey Ol Croc - you still owe me for fixing that Football compo all those years ago Pity there wasn't any prize money! You've been quiet on the forum for a while? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chonabot Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 I've been ironing, shopping, cooking and cleaning since I was 12, despite being married/defacto 3 times over the years. Now I'm retired in Thailand I expect to never have to do these chores again! It's people like you who bugger it up for the rest of us!! :lol: Hey Ol Croc - you still owe me for fixing that Football compo all those years ago Pity there wasn't any prize money! You've been quiet on the forum for a while? Yep - had a 5 year ironing assignment in Guam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bermondburi Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 reminds me of when my first kid was borm and I had an audience of women watch me clean his bum and change his nappy. They were amazed when my wife told them that YES she actually left me on my own with the baby and he hadn't died. Kids stuff I do , but ironing ? Come on mate, that is what women are for , and the cooking cleaning etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiG16 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Now it all makes sense. Your team are too busy ironing, don't show up for practice, and end up where they are? <runs> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundman Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I don't see what's wrong with ironing. About 4 years ago, at around 10am on a Sunday morning I was happily ironing away, slugging back a can of Leo, when a policeman came knocking at the door wrapping up some previous business. Guy nearly pissed his pants seeing a white, hairy farang in only jocks, ironing (IIRC a dress or something of the wife's), while holding a tinny and watching Tom & Jerry. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiG16 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Ok. There we go. People tend to ask me for list of what I want in a man From now on I'm adding: Someone that will iron my clothes (preferably not with a beer in the other hand as my dress tend to cause 100 times the price of a beer can!!!) Ohhh wait.... Fine yeh maybe he can have a beer. He spills on the dress I get two new dresses. Haha. And ofcourse always need shoes to match 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 When I met my husband he ironed, cooked, cleaned & generally looked after himself. I now do all the ironing & cleaning but he still cooks & when we had our son he was quite able to change nappies, bathe & do all the bottle cleaning & feeding without my supervision. Called being a grown up isn't it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huayrat Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Just the norm for us x soldiers... been doing it since i joined at the age of 16 and still wouldnt trust a woman to iron my clothes..I dont like Tram lines in my shirts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chonabot Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 Now it all makes sense. Your team are too busy ironing, don't show up for practice, and end up where they are? <runs> I'd settle for 4th ps bring your laundry next month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mijan24 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Just the norm for us x soldiers... been doing it since i joined at the age of 16 and still wouldnt trust a woman to iron my clothes..I dont like Tram lines in my shirts Huayrat I used to have the same hangup but now at 65 have mellowed and the wash iron lady does a great job. Solved the tramlines by having them iron the pants flat and wear very few dress shits these days. Can still remember coming here to work back in 1982 at a place called MTTS -We hoteled it at the Asia at DoD expense of course big big room with two full size beds very firm mattresses. Here is the punch line Used one of the beds as my ironing board. It took no time at all and I am sure every one of the room ladies knew I was doing my own washing and ironing they used to make a point of visiting under some pretex checking linen or something to watch the maestreo in action never thought much about it until I read your post 555. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 When I met my husband he ironed, cooked, cleaned & generally looked after himself. I now do all the ironing & cleaning but he still cooks & when we had our son he was quite able to change nappies, bathe & do all the bottle cleaning & feeding without my supervision. Called being a grown up isn't it? Eeeeeeeeeeeeer, NO. Times are a changing but not for the better. Mum is mum and dad is dad. But l am old school and the times arrrrrrrrrrrre a changing eh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lannarebirth Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiG16 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 ps bring your laundry next month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnniey Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I knew a guy once whose wife let him do the laundry and ironing. His wife used to lie in bed until noon in the 5 million baht house he built - pathetic. If your Thai wife doesn't do herself, or gets a maid to do it, it speaks volumes about what she thinks of you and the type of woman she is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chard Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Just the norm for us x soldiers... been doing it since i joined at the age of 16 and still wouldnt trust a woman to iron my clothes..I dont like Tram lines in my shirts Snap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiG16 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Johnniey I think you shouldn't be too quick to pass judgment or make conclusions about someone you don't know He shared one very small aspect of his life. You don't know what his wife does And this discussion is about the difference is what's the norm amongst male in different parts of the world It is possible to talk about what men do or do not do, without turning it into an attack on women. Any other attempt to do that, by anyone, will come with more than a polite reminder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4.real Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Reminds me of Dennis Thatcher's reply when some donut reporter asked him who wore the trousers in his house.. ..'I wear the trousers.................And I wash them..and I iron them...' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bifftastic Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 When I'm in Thailand I always busy myself around the house, picking up litter, sweeping the driveway etc. On at least two occasions, mothers have passed by the house with their small (male) children in tow, they stopped, smiled at me and made sure their boys had a good look at a man taking care of his house. When my wife lived at her sister's house, she did the whole family's washing every day. Her two nephews are 19 and 21. I asked them why they didn't do their own washing (I've done mine since I was about 12 years old). Oh how they laughed! After two days of their washing being left in their rooms, it turns out that it wasn't so funny! I've always looked after myself, it's something that I regard as normal. Why should family members be treated like servants? When my wife visited me here in London, we shared all the jobs around the house, why would it be any different? Why play the 'gender role game' ? I have a male friend here who struggles to use a microwave! If his girlfriend isn't around, he eats out. I couldn't live with that level of dependency on another person just for the basics in life, it seems weird to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chonabot Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 (edited) I knew a guy once whose wife let him do the laundry and ironing. His wife used to lie in bed until noon in the 5 million baht house he built - pathetic. If your Thai wife doesn't do herself, or gets a maid to do it, it speaks volumes about what she thinks of you and the type of woman she is. How old are you ? My 'Thai wife' or 'wife' as I like to call her, is busy helping my Auntie harvest fruit, buying the materials for our house, looking after 3 under 5 cousins, cooking and doing the other household chores that I am too macho to undertake. It's your viewpoint that is pathetic Did your Father allow your Mother to act as his domestic slave? ps she would reply herself but doesn't have time to indulge on online pastimes.. Edited December 18, 2011 by chonabot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaiIand Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 men ironing? it's against nature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hedonist44 Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Ok. There we go. People tend to ask me for list of what I want in a man From now on I'm adding: Someone that will iron my clothes (preferably not with a beer in the other hand as my dress tend to cause 100 times the price of a beer can!!!) Ohhh wait.... Fine yeh maybe he can have a beer. He spills on the dress I get two new dresses. Haha. And ofcourse always need shoes to match Sounds perfectly reasonable to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelmann Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 I knew a guy once whose wife let him do the laundry and ironing. His wife used to lie in bed until noon in the 5 million baht house he built - pathetic. If your Thai wife doesn't do herself, or gets a maid to do it, it speaks volumes about what she thinks of you and the type of woman she is. Oh Sh1t my wife lets me do the ironing, cleaning .washing, food shopping etc she doesnt get up until about 9am the selfish cow then works until about 11pm, she only earms 250k a month though!! Now you've got me worried do i need to get rid of her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JurgenG Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 When I met my husband he ironed, cooked, cleaned & generally looked after himself. I now do all the ironing & cleaning but he still cooks & when we had our son he was quite able to change nappies, bathe & do all the bottle cleaning & feeding without my supervision. Called being a grown up isn't it? Without supervision ? I really like these anonymous forum where people are allowed to brag without reserve . Even if it's true (and I honestly really doubt it) never say that in front of his friends, it's a sure way to embarass him. My friends caught me one time ironing my shirt in my pyjama, they called me Mrs Doubtfire for more than a month. And the jokes ... Such an humiliating experience, never again ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiG16 Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 I know lots of men who iron And / or cook Less common in Asia perhaps But a normal thing in the west. No? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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