How to politely refuse to shake hands?

[JoeThePoster]

In bars without soap, I just clean my hands in the peanut bowls. The salt helps get rid of all germs.

Edited August 14, 2014 by JoeThePoster

[CWMcMurray]

When the hand is offered , just tell them you have had a bit of a cold, better not shake hands as you don't want to get them sick...

[harrry]

When the hand is offered , just tell them you have had a bit of a cold, better not shake hands as you don't want to get them sick...

Or say that you would shake hands but the bum gun was not working in the last toilet.

[pomchop]

In bars without soap, I just clean my hands in the peanut bowls. The salt helps get rid of all germs.

I remember, but wish I could forget, once sitting in a bar in pattaya...there was a guy sitting there who kept picking his nose and scratching his nether regions all the while eating peanuts from the bowl....when he finally left, the gal behind the bar took the uneaten peanuts and dumped the bowl right back into the main peanut container to be distributed to future customers.

[ggt]

It is rude to just flat out say sorry i don't shake hands...but I can be talked into exchanging body fluids...

[smotherb]

A small container of the aforementioned hand sanitizer.

Something people should be using regularly anyways.

just douse your hands with a shot of Tequila

[Thakkar]

As the other fellow puts out his hand, I snap my feet together, salute and introduce myself as, "Major Thakkar, retired, Special Forces, Black Ops, MI6."

Not only do I not have to shake their hands, I don't have to talk to them as they will proceed to sit quite a distance from me, sometimes, another bar.

T

[pomchop]

As the other fellow puts out his hand, I snap my feet together, salute and introduce myself as, "Major Thakkar, retired, Special Forces, Black Ops, MI6."

Not only do I not have to shake their hands, I don't have to talk to them as they will proceed to sit quite a distance from me, sometimes, another bar.

T

Best solution yet.

[GarryP]

Howard Hughes ? Could the increase in colds be due to not shaking hands? As you come into less and less contact with germs, bacteria and virus by refusing to shake hands you are losing your immunity, making you more susceptible to the more common varieties of bugs.

Perhaps, one way to stop the offering of the hand would be to spit in your palm whenever a hand is offered for a shake. The offeror is very likely to withdraw his hand from the offeree if you do so.

[1FinickyOne]

Just before you are about to return a handshake gesture, back off a step and fake a huge sneeze into your hands… then look at your hands, look as if you are looking for a place to wipe them… if that doesn't work and the guy still wants to shake hands with you, note who it is and don't ever go near the peron again.

Edited August 14, 2014 by kenk24

[blazes]

Wearing a Hannibal Lecter mask should do it all right. Plus a joke about just having had a friend for dinner.

[Paulzed]

If you are a germaphobe, just think that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger.

I agree lots of dirty toilets and ass wiping going on with no toilet paper in Thailand and no soap to wash your hands.

[ThaidDown]

i presume a kiss on the cheek is not the answer either .

No, I believe that dropping your shorts in public for 'a kiss on the cheek' is unacceptable.

However, I have been told that in some bars it is encouraged if not compulsory. ( Note I'm not allowed to visit that type of bar, the tracking anklet 'beeps', so that's only conjecture.)

[Damaz6052]

What happens when you receive change after a purchase? Money is generally very dirty!!! If you haven't lived in LOS for long. It will take a while for your immunity to adapt to local conditions.

[nithisa78]

stay home. make new friends.

[antsrule]

When people go to shake my hand I simply wai them and say with a smile "it's an Ebola thing, get used to it"

[Suradit69]

As anyone who has been around Thailand knows it is fairly rare to find hot water

Doubt you'd ever want to use water hot enough to kill bacteria.

A little creative use of theatrical make-up would probably greatly reduce the number of people wanting to shake your hand.

[belg]

make sure ur hands are clearly dirty & sticky, they will avoid... lol

just wai ... say you embrace the thainess

getting sick, when almost nobody covers their mought while coughing, sneezing, ...

where waitresses fear no shame or chasing the buggers in their nose or picking their faces before / after you order or bring the food ...

and that is not only in low/medium scale eating places

where you see kitchen personell leaving the toilet after a fierce dump and not washing hands...

welcome to ... thainess

[Ridler]

Go home, stay indoors and wrap yourself in cotton wool,you poor soul.

[slipperylobster]

Some Western Habits die hard...and are pretty goofy. Shaking hands has to be one of the best ways to transmit diseases and infections. Filthy habit, we have there.

[ResandePohm]

A simple Thai Wai will do

I agree

Seems people forget that "When in Rome do as the Romans do". We are not in Falangland so a simple Wai is polite and quite sufficient.

[slipperylobster]

Several times I have held out a hand, after being introduced to another farang. Almost without fail, they purposefully would not return the shake. Perhaps my New York accent turned them off. They then make unacceptable first remarks like...........I hate Americans, and Obama is not a good President...or some irrelevant garbage that justifies not returning a handshake. Just hilarious.

As if shaking my hand would imbibe some kind of bad karma or turn their Red, White and Blue.

[waynposs]

If you are worried about shaking hands that might be dirty, don't handle currency that is guaranteed to be. Hands occasionally get washed, notes never do. You never know where they've been, but you can be guaranteed that they are the dirtiest thing you will ever handle.

[realenglish1]

Just tell them your long lost cousin came back from Africa and was just admitted to a hospital with a HIGH temperature. Tell them you are sorry for being

late but you just came from seeing him. Then offer your hand to shake and see who wants to

Edited August 14, 2014 by realenglish1

[tifino]

a simple blow-your-nose with your handkerchief - which Thais in my closer circle seem to abhor. The only time allowed to blowone's nose is if you have a throwaway paper tissue, and if you are sitting through the hottest of chilli dishes - where I've missus declare that stuff coming out of nose after chilli is "clean, not a cold"

there's always the fall back in declaring you are in the monk-hood - that'll keep hands away

[VintageTQ]

I think everyone is completely missing the point here.

Shaking someones hand who might be dirty or have germs etc will not pass anything onto yourself unless your own personal hygiene is bad.

Just avoid touching your own face, picking your nose, sticking your fingers in your mouth, and you can shake all the dirty hands you want.

Wash your hands when you get back home and you will be just fine

Edited August 14, 2014 by VintageTQ

[harrry]

Europeans seem to want to shake hands much more often than Australians where shaking hands is only really done at very formal introductions.

[lostmebike]

Why do you feel inclined to shake hands with the sorts you meet in bars anyway?

[honcho]

harden up! shake hands

[lostmebike]

..and for those of you suggesting 'wai-ing' other farangs ... yeah right. I can't think of anything that looks so stupid other than farangs speaking 'T-English' of course