I answer in Spanish. "Ola, senor, como esta' usted? Muy bien, gracias. Pienso que su bue se cayo' en la caca." The last sentence roughly says, " I think your buffalo just fell into the manure."

Unfortuately I say things like that in spanish when I don't intend to (and Thai, and French, and...)

cv

...... Hungarian?)

Well, perhaps Thailand just isn't for you. Boo summed it up pretty well in one of the first posts; they're damned if they do and damned if they don't (talk to you / be friendly, etc.)

> I'd smile and tell him 'Pom puut passa Thai mai dee'

Minor nit-pick: Don't use 'mai dee' for anything. Just say 'mai dai' or 'mai pen' or 'mai khoy kaeng' or some such. I think the blunt 'mai dee' is WAY over-used by foreigners in Thailand, for a word that isn't all that pleasant. (And especially not in this case: what phrase are you left with when the first words 'pom puut' or even 'pom puut passa' aren't pronounced right or understood right or heard at all?

I hate this situation, and I think a lot of it has to do with the “courage” that a little drink gives people.

I can appreciate how uncomfortable this can make a person – as I have found myself in this situation. Traveling in unfamiliar surrounding, no friends/relatives/ or other forms of support close at hand. Being approached by someone that is drunk and may or may not have good intentions. – This can be an uncomfortable situation regardless of the nationality of the drunk individual – as we all know drink can increase the chances of physical reactions. Add to this the language/ culture barrier and it can be very unnerving. One does not want to offend, but you also want to try and remove yourself from that uncomfortable situation.

It has been my experience that telling the person that I speak little or no Thai does very little to effect the situation. If you move they may take offense, and if you just sit there an ignore them they may take offense.

When I have seen my wife in a comparable situation she basically tells them to bugger off, and generally this takes her using several versions of “bugger off” – going from polite to the no-so-polite forms. As a farang with very limited Thai speaking skills this is not an option for me (until my Thai skills improve dramatically).

As far as the damned if they do damned if they don’t issue. There are certainly situations/opportunities that are better suited to offering the olive branch of friendship other than when one is fully loaded?