Thainess

[bobo42]

I don't pretend to be Thai, but I have adopted some local customs out of politemess. What's wrong with that? I would expect any foreigner living in my home country to generally do the same. What's wrong with a bit of comformance for the sake of good will to your host country?

Hmm... lets see, I think most of my "Thainess" is really pretty painless.

I occationally go to temple with my wife, we will kneel and light joss sticks and wai the buddha, and say a short prayer. Even though my wife knows I don't have the same beliefs she does, I have no problem paying my respect to the local custom. Were I a Christian, I would expect a Buddhist to offer of some similar level of respect and/or participation if I inveted them to attend some Christian ritual.

I do have a small Buddha statue in the house on a high shelf. He generally doesn't get in the way, and seems pleasant, so I don't have a problem with that. We don't have a spirit house, as we are in a rental, but I wouldn't have a problem if we did.

But even though I don't have a problem with some of the small superstitious trappings of my host country, I have to admit that I may have gone too far. When I have a beer, it is sometime a Chang, or even a Leo. I eat pad krapow. And kao man gai... O cruel fate, how could I be so blind as to eat plain chicken and rice from a roadside cart? Please, please, ThaiVisa help me to be rid of this terrible curse of Thainess! What can I do to be more like a farang again? See there it is, I said "farang" - I meant foreigner,or expat, yeah that's what I meant. See how I'm slipping into this deadly abyss of Thainess! Oh you wise men of un-Thainess, please throw me a line and save me from the deadly folly of kao man gai!

[Showbags]

I forgot I have 2 ammulets hanging from my rear vis mirror.

Think they saved me 2 days ago.

Wonder how much I could sell em for.

[Munger]

No, it doesn't because all other cultures lie about something or another... You just have to ask the right agency - lie that to which Snowden was employed in who would say, no we are not listening in to your phone conversations. No we are not spying on your prime minister, no we are not listening to the phone conversations of his holy father the pope... No, it doesn't.

Does regularly lying my ass off count as a clear sign of integration into the Thai society?

Chill out "toybits", why so sensitive ? You have more replys on this thread defending thais than "Berkshire"

[Kangawallafox]

I told several lies this week,despite getting caught red handed I denied it.

My thai ness is way up.

[Ulic]

I take it you mean Land Of Smiles, Thainess not the Don't Thai to me Thainess.

I am still loving life here living the dream, but fully realize not everything is perfect or safe.

But I also realize things are not perfect anywhere so I accept things as they are and enjoy

life as best I can.

[mumjokmok]

I think there should be a test course available somewhere that earns you a little UV tattoo on your ear or a chip. "What's his Thainess level sir, is he marked?". Bp bbpbbbp bing. "Wow he's a six Daeng, don't give him any crap". Presents passport. "Afternoon sir, welcome to Thailand, so you like those fried ants eh. Have a nice day". Stamp- ba bommmp.

What would the criteria be?

Do you know the difference between plarah, pla jom and goong jom? Do you eat fried pla som and like it? What about dam kluay, hard unripe bananas pounded in a mortal, like a som tam but with more extreme flavour. What about maeng da, the steamed big water beetle with the blue cheese goo in its butt. What about kai maeng da talay, the horseshoe crab?

I sometimes sit on my hands silently in aggravation from watching the news. I prefer not to tell someone something if it's going to piss them off but I struggle with another thing called Whiteness and my conciense eventually gets the better of me. I can explain to a taxi driver in the language of Thainess where to go if I know where I'm going but I can't converse with the guy about much other than saying which guys in Man U are "soot yort loey". None of that stuff gets you very far...

If I was to pick a colour tshirt for farang on this issue it would be 18% gray scale, we must define our own Thainess if we are gonna use it on them.

Or maybe it's like me going to Japan and doing something really rude and offensive unwittingly and when someone confronts me I go "Uh, I'm Australian". And then they say " is that your Thainess? ".

[benalibina]

Just experienced, unfortunately, a negative part of thainess. Talking with my wife on the phone, who stays in Patong and.....when asked her what work she does she blatantly lied. She told me again that kids are ok with her family whilst having no parents. She working as......told me she has no idea about what she will do later with kids. Education not really matters to her. Fatherlove....well she loves them 2 she said. After 2 threats to hang up the phone....she used control again and hung up. No normal conversation possible. Her motherly love means to take the father out of the kids life....family family.

Sorry to share this....but its my experience.

[Tchooptip]

About som tam : it's not really down to how often you eat it, but more to how much chili you like to have in it !

Chili...a joke, pfff ! I guess you mean it is more to how much fermented crabs you like to have in it

[Thai at Heart]

Whilst there are many things about Thai culture and the whole "Thainess" thing which really annoy me, I am gradually learning to be more tolerant and respect the fact that I am in their country and need to make allowances and even show respect in some cases rather than sticking to my western views of what is considered socially incorrect or just plain unethical.

I no longer toot the horn when getting cut off in traffic or nearly taken out by a pickup truck coming through a red light. I don't get upset with the double pricing or being referred to as "farang" and I argue less with the wife and now have adopted a policy of discussing any "arguments" about 3 days after the event so as to enable some reasonability to prevail as opposed to the buffalo like objections I get in the heat of the moment.

We will NEVER be Thai,... we can conform. comply and tolerate,.. or we can also pretend to be more Thai than we really are or ever could be but at least we can be more respectful and tolerant and that in itself garners reciprocal respect and just makes the living here all that more pleasant!

Waiing is fair enough, not pointing your foot ok.

But conforming?,,what's the point. Thais dont like it when you become conversant in thainess anyway. khon dtang chaat rule!!!

[thai4me]

Can I play? I just got a bangkaew.

[Somsrisonphimai]

Just experienced, unfortunately, a negative part of thainess. Talking with my wife on the phone, who stays in Patong and.....when asked her what work she does she blatantly lied. She told me again that kids are ok with her family whilst having no parents. She working as......told me she has no idea about what she will do later with kids. Education not really matters to her. Fatherlove....well she loves them 2 she said. After 2 threats to hang up the phone....she used control again and hung up. No normal conversation possible. Her motherly love means to take the father out of the kids life....family family.

Sorry to share this....but its my experience.

Sorry to hear that, but how come you don't have them with you? Every country has that same negativity you are referring. I thought Thainess is only applied to the good things from consideration to submission.

[tim armstrong]

draftvader, it was a metal walking stick - the kind that hikers use

[DrTuner]

Thainess.. ah yes, it holds all what I truly never want to learn from the Thais.