I have had a simular problem with the wife. , The wife and i go out to eat together, We both order together. but a few times the waiter has brought my meal before the wife's, I sit there waiting for the wife's meal to be brought but it does not arrive i just sit and sit, waiters come up to the wife and ask is there a problem with the meal, I say yes its cold now because its bad manners to start to eat before your wife, that usually gets a few stupid looks from the Thai waiters and i make them take the meal back because its cold. Is it me .

its you

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

good post

why dont you ask your wife why this happens?

Hey Costas, I can relate to you exactly on this one.

Every time I have been out with either my wife or my kids, those in the shops or in restaurants just don`t want to deal with me except when the time comes to hand over the money. The same if I take a member of my family to pay a bill, in the bank, post office or wherever, it is always the same, even if I speak Thai.

I think it`s mostly a case of that they are shy of farangs, they are not sure how to deal with us. There have been times when I have entered a store and once the staff cop their eyes on me, they all start scattering in opposite directions. When I have approached staff to ask for something, usually there is a look of horror on their faces. Quite funny actually.

These days if I go out to purchase something, or have an inquiry to make at the bank and so on, I usually go alone, this way the staff have to deal with me. But as in your experience at the restaurant, I have become used to that now, it doesn`t bother me in the least and just let my wife or family who are with me get on with it.

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

How was he bashing Thailand?

You anti-Thai bashing fellas sure are sensitive.

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

How was he bashing Thailand?

You anti-Thai bashing fellas sure are sensitive.

the thai basher defenders sure are INsensitive!

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

How was he bashing Thailand?

You anti-Thai bashing fellas sure are sensitive.

the thai basher defenders sure are INsensitive!

Costas, she is terrified that you may give her a tip. She learned in school of beware of Greeks bearing Gifts and knows she will have bad luck if you give her a tip.

Next time you go to the restaurant, roll in on a wooden horse waving a toy sword and have your wife tell them it's an old Greek custom to counteract the bad luck of accepting a tip from you. After that she will be able to hand you back your change without fear.

What happened to in rome do as the romans do

There is a fruit vendor I've been buying from for years here.

He was busier than usual but I got in line.

A group of Thais came up and got in front of me, I sincerely think I was literally invisible to this group.

I wasn't going to fight but the vendor didn't react either (I might have made an issue of it if I thought he cared as he's the boss there).

From a business POV, weird, as I just walked away ... not worth the wait.

These things happen here, and yes of course it is a kind of racism. You can't fight it, you can't change the "culture" here on how so many Thais view (or don't view) foreigners. Either accept it as part of the deal of living here or make yourself crazy about it.

Oh well!

I think Asians tend to swarm rather than wait in lines. This used to occur to me even more back in the US. Whenever a large group of Asians were in my local Kroger's, they would often push and swarm to the front of, say, the discount milk (odd, as I thought Asians tended towards lactose intolerance). My reaction, then, was to just walk away and wait for the swarm to move off. Honestly, it happens a lot less in Thailand than it did with Vietnamese back in Texas.

Two scenarios.

Usually in a restaurant it is no problem as the change is left on a small platter or inside a wallet.

Almost everywhere else they give or try to give change to the woman I am with unless she is standing some short distance away. Rarely do they offer it to me first.

As CharlieH says... ATMs only give, they do not receive

Besides, what is yours is hers and what is hers is hers too

There is a fruit vendor I've been buying from for years here.

He was busier than usual but I got in line.

A group of Thais came up and got in front of me, I sincerely think I was literally invisible to this group.

I wasn't going to fight but the vendor didn't react either (I might have made an issue of it if I thought he cared as he's the boss there).

From a business POV, weird, as I just walked away ... not worth the wait.

These things happen here, and yes of course it is a kind of racism. You can't fight it, you can't change the "culture" here on how so many Thais view (or don't view) foreigners. Either accept it as part of the deal of living here or make yourself crazy about it.

Oh well!

I don't let them cut in front of me. I can be an <deleted> too.

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

I'd say that, in common with many of us, Costas' family life is "forcing" him to live here,although "forcing" isn't really the correct word. Maybe he's spent years rolling over on his belly and accepting all this sort of sh1t from Thais and is now beginning to come to the end of his tolerance of such stupid behaviour. I know that's the route I'm taking here these days.

As far as I remember, Costas lives in the Ban Phai, the next town to me, and it's certainly not some "remote village".

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

WOW, that's a bit harsh ! I for one agree with the OP & am interested in the comments the post receives.

Maybe you should go back to bed & get out on the right side ?

Cheers..... Mal.

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

I'd say that, in common with many of us, Costas' family life is "forcing" him to live here,although "forcing" isn't really the correct word. Maybe he's spent years rolling over on his belly and accepting all this sort of sh1t from Thais and is now beginning to come to the end of his tolerance of such stupid behaviour. I know that's the route I'm taking here these days.

As far as I remember, Costas lives in the Ban Phai, the next town to me, and it's certainly not some "remote village".

lol! living your life in a society whose behaviour you consider stupid and constantlty complaining and reacting to it! what a life!! lol

Weird. They give me my change.

In fact, sometimes they even give me the change when it was my wife that paid.

Only coz there afraid you'll belt em with your infamous brolly.

Same idiot stuff all the time, and the most surprising, it comes from people that have been living in Thailand for some time now. Dont you ever learn anything....You are just coach-potatoes and do not understand a thing arround you... Gedt upm, get out and try at least to open up your eyes and put on your listening-ears for God Sake.

It is not at all that bad. Even if we westerners sees it as bad manners and all different words to use for it, thai doesn´t see it at all that way. TRY to read something else into the situations that occurs.

Costas 2008 - If the personal turned to a child instead of you, that is on you, not the other way arround. You gave the impression of NOT speaking thai, and NOT being the leader of the pack!! Take command for God sake and DO something more than sit there and complain...

Jumping line.... we do not exist, that is pure bullshit from people that dont understand a shit about their surroundings... Havent you noticed..... They jump the line on their own as much as they do it on us...... THEY DO NOT HAVE LINES/QUES HERE IN THAILAND.,....

Look what you have done now.. make me upset...apologize is in order I guess..

Glegolo.

Same idiot stuff all the time, and the most surprising, it comes from people that have been living in Thailand for some time now. Dont you ever learn anything....You are just coach-potatoes and do not understand a thing arround you... Gedt upm, get out and try at least to open up your eyes and put on your listening-ears for God Sake.

It is not at all that bad. Even if we westerners sees it as bad manners and all different words to use for it, thai doesn´t see it at all that way. TRY to read something else into the situations that occurs.

Costas 2008 - If the personal turned to a child instead of you, that is on you, not the other way arround. You gave the impression of NOT speaking thai, and NOT being the leader of the pack!! Take command for God sake and DO something more than sit there and complain...

Jumping line.... we do not exist, that is pure bullshit from people that dont understand a shit about their surroundings... Havent you noticed..... They jump the line on their own as much as they do it on us...... THEY DO NOT HAVE LINES/QUES HERE IN THAILAND.,....

Look what you have done now.. make me upset...apologize is in order I guess..

Glegolo.

these guys were whingers where they came from and whingers now.

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

I'd say that, in common with many of us, Costas' family life is "forcing" him to live here,although "forcing" isn't really the correct word. Maybe he's spent years rolling over on his belly and accepting all this sort of sh1t from Thais and is now beginning to come to the end of his tolerance of such stupid behaviour. I know that's the route I'm taking here these days.

As far as I remember, Costas lives in the Ban Phai, the next town to me, and it's certainly not some "remote village".

lol! living your life in a society whose behaviour you consider stupid and constantlty complaining and reacting to it! what a life!! lol

Should I understand that taking issue with ignorance & rudeness isn't allowed now in the AYJAYDEE world? Sorry, but I try very hard not to give offence to anybody - Thai or other nationality - and expect similar consideration from them and will often comment on rude behaviour, as will my wife to a lesser extent. What's wrong with that? I'd expect similar reactions from Thai people if they considered me rude and have sometimes been on the receiving end, especially in my early days here. If Thai folks are allowed to comment on what they might see as my rudeness then I'm allowed to do the same.

Happened to me often as well. I usually raised out my hand first when the bill/change comes. It's frustrating but I learnt to let it not bother me anymore.

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

I'd say that, in common with many of us, Costas' family life is "forcing" him to live here,although "forcing" isn't really the correct word. Maybe he's spent years rolling over on his belly and accepting all this sort of sh1t from Thais and is now beginning to come to the end of his tolerance of such stupid behaviour. I know that's the route I'm taking here these days.

As far as I remember, Costas lives in the Ban Phai, the next town to me, and it's certainly not some "remote village".

lol! living your life in a society whose behaviour you consider stupid and constantlty complaining and reacting to it! what a life!! lol

Should I understand that taking issue with ignorance & rudeness isn't allowed now in the AYJAYDEE world? Sorry, but I try very hard not to give offence to anybody - Thai or other nationality - and expect similar consideration from them and will often comment on rude behaviour, as will my wife to a lesser extent. What's wrong with that? I'd expect similar reactions from Thai people if they considered me rude and have sometimes been on the receiving end, especially in my early days here. If Thai folks are allowed to comment on what they might see as my rudeness then I'm allowed to do the same.

lol! i love watching TV thai bashers assume everything they dont understand (and it is a huge amount) can be written off as rudeness and ignorance!! and then to live in a constant state of irritation over these invented slights is just unbelievable! what a miserable way to live!!

Costas, try his

Bill comes and is handed to your wife ... she checks the bill and then passes it to you ... you ask her something in English about the bill and she replies in English (or Thai)... you pass the bill back to her and she pays ... when the change goes back to her she then hands it to you.

Costas, try his

Bill comes and is handed to your wife ... she checks the bill and then passes it to you ... you ask her something in English about the bill and she replies in English (or Thai)... you pass the bill back to her and she pays ... when the change goes back to her she then hands it to you.

then where does the opportunity for outrage fit in?

It's about 50/50 with us.....the wife handles the budget and if we eat out and about she pays and usually gets handed the change - but not always.....when I pay it's about 60/40 me......

No big deal -

I've only had two times when someone went in front of me in a line - the clerk made him wait & took me.....I let the lady go ahead.....

Lines-- You jut step back in front of them

Very few Thai food stalls have heat lamps. I like the ones that cook the food as it is ordered instead of scooping out of a large pot. They could keep the first dish in the kitchen until the second (or more) are finished but it will still be cold.

The change-- I don't seem to have that problem but Thais are often shy dealing with farangs.

In the US they shame you by asking 'do you want your change back?'.

RE: OP - Used to experience something similar in Japan many moons ago. Usually they feel they can't communicate with you and are scared to try. A bit of fluency seems to straighten it out.

As for the being invisible, a simple kor-tot na khrub or kor-tot khrub usually makes your presence known.

There is a fruit vendor I've been buying from for years here.

He was busier than usual but I got in line.

A group of Thais came up and got in front of me, I sincerely think I was literally invisible to this group.

I wasn't going to fight but the vendor didn't react either (I might have made an issue of it if I thought he cared as he's the boss there).

From a business POV, weird, as I just walked away ... not worth the wait.

These things happen here, and yes of course it is a kind of racism. You can't fight it, you can't change the "culture" here on how so many Thais view (or don't view) foreigners. Either accept it as part of the deal of living here or make yourself crazy about it.

Oh well!

If you don't like the way they do business go back to hellas land, no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to live in some remote village. Nearly all your posts involve bashing Thailand, Greece has some great villages, what is the reason that forces you to stay in Thailand?

Maybe he's been living here for a long time, maybe he has family here. What about you, how long have you lived here, do you have a family here?.

Costas, try his

Bill comes and is handed to your wife ... she checks the bill and then passes it to you ... you ask her something in English about the bill and she replies in English (or Thai)... you pass the bill back to her and she pays ... when the change goes back to her she then hands it to you.

then where does the opportunity for outrage fit in?

I see no comments on being outraged in the OP, he is just commentating on his experiences with changed being handed back. Whatever happened to free speech?.

In the US they shame you by asking 'do you want your change back?'.

I have never been asked that in the U.S. I have, however, withheld a tip when the service was beyond terrible and been berated by a waiter for it!