givenall Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I've been a critic of the use of the phrase "The Land of Smiles" to describe Thailand for quite a while.From the time I got off the plane at Suvarnabhumi five years ago, the first thing I met was "grumpy" -- i.e., Immigration. Then off to my hotel to meet, "grumpy" -- hotel clerk. Then off to a restaurant to meet, "grumpy" -- waitress. Those who weren't "grumpy" were generally hustling: Tuk tuk drivers (where you go), bargirsl (hello handsome man), taxi drivers (I love farangs and somtum), upscale any-store (you buy, mai?) The service industry, that which I interface with on a day-to-day basis, is full of examples of pathetically poor customer service. I guess as a Farang, I thought this was targeted toward me. Wrong. Five years later, I live in a small rural between Lamphun and Lampang. As far as I know, I'm the only farang in the mountain valley that I live in. I also spend time in Chiang Mai and Lamphun. What I still see is certain lapses in customer service: restaurant workers seldom smile, but not just to me, to their Thai customers too. Tuk tuk drivers hustle me with the "fake" smile, but tuk tuk drivers hustle Thais with the "fake" smile too. Upscale stores and salons smile at anyone with the potential of lining their pockets -- smiles for hire. So where is this elusive "Land of Smiles?" It's out in the middle of nowhere and it's in the middle of the cities. It's in the villages. Maybe it's in the inter-city communities too. It's in the fabric of the community. It's in the families. It is here! If you can integrate yourself into a community, you will see it. If you take the time to learn the language and communicate, you will see it. It is there! You need to know where to look. So comments fellow Farang: Where do you find Smiles in "The Land of Smiles" mai? No it's Land of scams Sent from my ST18a using Thaivisa Connect App Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jawnie Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 "Land of Smiles". One of the most successful marketing slogans of all time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h90 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Nonsense thread, every day at work me and my colleagues smile all the time, actually have a good laugh many days, at my local bar the regulars always smile, as for me local 7-11, well you may have a point ! At my work, the staff have sometimes good fun, but they don't run around with a smile all the day. Often they are pretty annoyed, when there are 3 things at the same time to do, or when one is very busy and the others don't help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notmyself Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Smiling yourself and speaking some Thai really brings out the smiles. Correct, and i live in a tourist island; when i am in a good mood and i smile, i get plenty of smiles back.. ...When i go back for the yearly visit to homecountry, i have to be careful with strangers, someone seem to take my smile as an insult ... Yep to both comments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrya Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Smile is just a smile. Smiling doesn't necesseraly mean a gesture of goodwill. You never know what's hidden under the skin. But, if people smile at me, I smile back and also I smile at others whenever appropriate. As it has been said before, "Land of smile" is a brilliant marketing slogan, whoever invented it has made billions of baht income for the "Land of Smiles". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennedy Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Yes garrya, lets make everything about money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 The art is reading a smile, whether in LOS or anywhere else. When me and the mrs went to Pattaya for my BigMac fix, we walked around, now can still see this girl who called out, ''You want massage'' ? l replied ''Bor kup'', she said to her friends ''asshol_e''. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carry Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Lots of smiles...it's the backstabbing part that kills me sometimes really... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravip Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I guess I have to learn to smile first before I complain about grumpy Thais. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Lots of smiles...it's the backstabbing part that kills me sometimes really... yep, think most who live there life with eyes open have to deal or should deal with that, but we must be brave enough to delete it and move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenSnapper Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 More smiles and friendlyness in any neighbouring country. Thailand is just so-so. Still better than grumpy farangland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chonburiram Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 The new girl at the shop who I buy my beer is smiling like there is no tomorrow - without her ears, she would just smile around her head; it' s such a BIG smile that I thought for myself she could be the ambassador of The Land Of Smiles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellodolly Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 The smile, in Thai culture, means something very different to the meaning in western culture. It is not surprising that Thai people who deal with westerners do not smile. Would you? Probably more truth in that than most people believe. Let's face it most of us came here with preconceived ideas and when we found out that wasn't the way things worked proceeded to try to change the people we deal with. I see smiles everywhere I go if I make a effort to be a part of. I don't believe in wasting my time or theirs by trying to make them what they aren't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacktrip Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 What's weird about the smiles imo is that i rarely get them unless i smile first. so they seem more like a polite response then genuine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancealot Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 same shit, different day on thai visa. how many times can "you people" have the same conversation? Another day tomorrow. Very interesting observation but, so? You answered your own question already. It's about talking and talking is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff1 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Out riding the bike daily I get smiles from complete strangers in rural villages. It's probably because I smile a lot myself, unlike many other Farang that I come across when I'm out shopping. If you took all the Thai's out of Thailand and just left the Farang's, it would be renamed 'Land of miserable gits' ! This I agree with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJP Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 No, it's the same as the rest of the world. Sent from my MotoA953 using Thaivisa Connect App Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balo Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Its better with a fake smile than no smiles. Just stay away from the tourist areas. My local neighbours always smile when I see them, so I have to smile back. Or else I would feel uncomfortable..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Bender Posted July 18, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted July 18, 2012 Ask burmese people if thailand is the land of smile... Back home, somebody smiling means that he is happy/nice people/good mood... in thailand their smile have a total different meaning. You can take it like a grimace or a tension/contortion of their face. That why many foreigner are fooled by their "mask". 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajw1982 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 OP seems angry. Do you smile? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman34014 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 What's weird about the smiles imo is that i rarely get them unless i smile first. so they seem more like a polite response then genuine. If you look anything like your photo, your lucky to get any response !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simple1 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) Ask burmese people if thailand is the land of smile... Back home, somebody smiling means that he is happy/nice people/good mood... in thailand their smile have a total different meaning. You can take it like a grimace or a tension/contortion of their face. That why many foreigner are fooled by their "mask". I had a problem with a Thai neighbour, so I asked someone in my Thai family how to deal with the issue. He said smile each time you see him so if you want to take revenge he won't think it's you; said it's Thai style! So I said but Thai's also smile with their eyes, response was foreigners don't understand Thai smiles... Edited July 19, 2012 by simple1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daftpunker Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Everywhere, except in places for tourists. Your spot on.It really depends on who you hang about with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 What's weird about the smiles imo is that i rarely get them unless i smile first. so they seem more like a polite response then genuine. If you look anything like your photo, your lucky to get any response !! What about your own avatar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSixpack Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 All is relative anyway. Compared to, say, Vietnam or Japan, Thailand is definitely LOS. You really notice the difference after you travel to those countries. You can argue that people are generally more sincere there than here--but that isn't the topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchguest Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Back home, somebody smiling means that he is happy/nice people/good mood... in thailand their smile have a total different meaning. You can take it like a grimace or a tension/contortion of their face. That why many foreigner are fooled by their "mask". What about the Jimmy Carters and Barack Obamas of this world? I think they have a problem turning the smile off when they go to sleep as there faces must be in a cramp-like state. But it sells well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenSnapper Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 All is relative anyway. Compared to, say, Vietnam or Japan, Thailand is definitely LOS. You really notice the difference after you travel to those countries. You can argue that people are generally more sincere there than here--but that isn't the topic. Both, Vietnam and Japan, have much more friendly people in general. I'm always shocked when I return to BKK and see all the grumpy attitudes here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkshire Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 All is relative anyway. Compared to, say, Vietnam or Japan, Thailand is definitely LOS. You really notice the difference after you travel to those countries. You can argue that people are generally more sincere there than here--but that isn't the topic. Both, Vietnam and Japan, have much more friendly people in general. I'm always shocked when I return to BKK and see all the grumpy attitudes here. You can't be serious. The Japanese are absolutely not friendlier people than the Thais. They're not bad people, just not friendly. I lived in Japan a few years, so know a little bit about those folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenSnapper Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 All is relative anyway. Compared to, say, Vietnam or Japan, Thailand is definitely LOS. You really notice the difference after you travel to those countries. You can argue that people are generally more sincere there than here--but that isn't the topic. Both, Vietnam and Japan, have much more friendly people in general. I'm always shocked when I return to BKK and see all the grumpy attitudes here. You can't be serious. The Japanese are absolutely not friendlier people than the Thais. They're not bad people, just not friendly. I lived in Japan a few years, so know a little bit about those folks. I lived in all three countries for several years too. The highest a*hole factor has Thailand. There are friendly people here, but a considerable amount of unfriendlyness. Not only towards farang, but also towards Thais. My GF is constantly annoyed here too. Outside of Bangkok and outside the tourist centers it is far better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Ask burmese people if thailand is the land of smile... Back home, somebody smiling means that he is happy/nice people/good mood... in thailand their smile have a total different meaning. You can take it like a grimace or a tension/contortion of their face. That why many foreigner are fooled by their "mask". I had a problem with a Thai neighbour, so I asked someone in my Thai family how to deal with the issue. He said smile each time you see him so if you want to take revenge he won't think it's you; said it's Thai style! So I said but Thai's also smile with their eyes, response was foreigners don't understand Thai smiles... Spot on. And also even thai people dont see their country as the land of smile. In all these years that i have riding the subway, i dont see people more smiling here than anywhere else. Its just a pure myth from looney foreigner, who dont have thai friend, canot speak the language perpetuated over and over again. . Thai people are human being, they are not immune from pain, sickness, bad luck, emotional distress.... They do suffer also, they dont smile all time long. It would be completely weird. I did talk with many thai friend about this famous smile. Here their answer: _a thai friend told me he doesnt smile as people will think he is a simple mind, or crazy. _a thai friend, a girl, told me she doesnt smile to local stranger as they would take it like sexual offer, and she will find getting raped... _a thai friend told me if you want to avoid weird local people coming to you, just dont smile. No smile == no problem in the future. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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