Thai attitude to fat people

[Bigdogfarang]

I am certainly not overly fat, not in the American sense - but it's safe to say my glory years in terms of sveltness are behind me... I wanted to share a few experiences of being a portly gentleman in thailand and see if anyone has any other funny instances.

 

my first experience was at lopburi train station when I was much younger -

a wizened old thai man shuffled up to me and just started rubbing my belly. And then called his two friends over to show them his find - this was all quite bemusing it culminated with them leading me to an area of the station with some industrial scales and were encouraging me to get on to see how many kilos I was!

 

the second one has happened countless times when getting motorbike taxis and negotiating they would rub my belly and suggest I should pay more .. this I guess is coupled with thailand charging more for tshirts the larger they are which I guess makes sense in a way 

 

the third one didn't happen to me but is a favourite of mine I was staying at a hotel and a fat lad and his mrs walked past reception the girl started giggling and pointed at them and said when baby come? They look bemused and the woman said no I'm not pregnant. To which she still giggling said no him he look like have baby... he went absolutely  ballistic was brilliant.

 

they are certainly not shy about openly commenting on your weight .. anyone else care to share ?

[473geo]

Thai I know have no hesitation in accepting or giving such a comment. Quite refreshing really.

My very lightweight niece shows many photos on Facebook of lovely food she consumes, after seeing one gigantic ice cream portion I jokingly commented she would soon be 100kgs....the response....not me you fat  

 

I have come to accept I am 'big' in Thailand and yes a couple or 3kgs above an ideal weight!! However have avoided the 'pregnant' shape so far thankfully!!

[swissie]

Once they stop calling you "sexy-men" or "hansum-man" and start rubbing your belly instead, you know you are fat.

Don't be shy, this calls for an immediate and fierce "Counter-Attack": "Ten years ago, I see no fat Thai-Lady", now even you are fat". Since this is probably true, by stating this, it will give you "Negotiating-Power".

Perhaps helpful to read a book titled "The Art of a Deal" by a certain Donald J. Trump.
Cheers.

[akdraw]

I have very deep skin yet the lady's still call me "hansum-man". Never had a Thai person say anything negative about my weight to my face. Then again I don't speak Thai.

[Chou Anou]

22 minutes ago, akdraw said:

I have very deep skin yet the lady's still call me "hansum-man". Never had a Thai person say anything negative about my weight to my face. Then again I don't speak Thai.

Yeah, they would say it to your face even if you spoke Thai and they knew it...they have no filters in that area, the Thais.

[Jdiddy]

Cant be any worse then my attitude to falang female tourist trash

[ksamuiguy]

As you get older (over65) a few kg extra are good for you. Get sick of have injury best to have the extra back up to use in fighting what ever the problem is.

 

Interesting look it up slightly overweight as you get older good, obese no.

Seems the majority of (people) that die here seem to be unusually skinny by western standards.

When I had Dingi Fever that extra weight sure helped in my recovery time.

 

 

[rijb]

10 hours ago, Bigdogfarang said:

I am certainly not overly fat, not in the American sense

Fat is fat.  It doesn't have a passport.

[Peterw42]

Being overweight in Thailand doesnt seem to carry the same stigma as the west. There appears to be some fat Thai actors who trade on it, they appear in advertisments and the kaaa-boouing slapstick shows. 

Thai people seem to comment on being fat in the same way as being tall etc.

Pum Pui loosely translates to chubby and cute.

[helloagain]

Well bigdogfarang the next time it happens tell them you have 120kgs to push it in with. Or remind them they are a small race therefore their penis is small as well. Think they might wish they were bigger

[Juan B Tong]

Lots of fat Thais.  

[Jimbo2014]

Dont fool yourself guys.  Fat is not considered highly desirable in Thailand.  Fit guys are seen as hansom and skinny as a starved chicken leg is beautiful for girls but that is also changing now to include athletic.  Beauty is skin deep.  Usually the girl rubbing your tummy who you are buying a drink for is thinking of Sukollawat Kanarot or another famous thai actor.  However if you are in the service areas and keep the money flowing they will call you whatever you want  

[manhood]

Yeah just what's with these more and more fat thais, especially the youngsters now!!!!!!!!!

[catman20]

people in glass house !! i work out a bit and keep in pretty good shape for my age i cant believe how many very fat middle age Thai women i see on a day to day basis, they repulse me.

[Kadilo]

Pum Pui loosely translates to chubby and cute.

Fat


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[Kadilo]

Yeah just what's with these more and more fat thais, especially the youngsters now!!!!!!!!!

Western influence of fast food is a factor I'm sure.


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[spidermike007]

I find the same thing, sometimes. Especially amongst the ladies. They like to make fun of my small gut. I tell them in thai, that I am five months pregnant. It cracks them up. I find if you just go along with the joke, it is all just lighthearted fun. As many of us know, most Thai people love to joke and play. For me, it is water off a ducks back. I have thick skin, and I care not one iota what people think of me, so this kind of thing means nothing to me.

 

And besides, there is a huge population of fat people in Thailand now. Even a decade ago, there were far fewer obese people. It is what I refer to as the 7/11 diet. They are really plumping up, as a nation. Let them joke around. Who cares?

 

A man is capable of taking a joke. Do not be like Trump. Be a real man, with thick skin. 

[Kadilo]

 

 

"A man is capable of taking a joke. Do not be like Trump. Be a real man, with thick skin. "

 

 

Nice diversion. :)

 

 

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[RichardColeman]

Certainly more KG's of flesh sitting behind the bars these days. Finding a slim one is like trying to find a 7/11 with out a resident dog !

[Dakhar]

 

I am portly, but so is my sister-in-law.

 

Once I was sitting down for dinner, eating some carbs (can't remember exactly what it was).   The sister in law said...   "Falang eat "x" that is why he is fat."   I said, "Yes you are right, but why are you fat?"      

 

 

She hasn't commented about my physique after that.

[Proboscis]

2 hours ago, rijb said:

Fat is fat.  It doesn't have a passport.

Mine does - otherwise I would have left it behind in Europe.

 

But seriously folks, one of the reasons some of us are here is that no one ever singles you out for special negative treatment in Thailand because you have a belly or are fat. The rubbing of the belly is found in many Asian countries and is done because it is considered lucky (I think that this comes from a Chinese minor deity, what some people call 'Fat Buddha' although it is not a Buddha).

 

Now that you are far away from the land where you grew up and where children kill themselves over putting on a few extra pounds, why not embrace the change in attitude and let people be what they are. If fat people "repulse" you as one earlier commentator put it, no one is forcing you to be intimate with fat people so get over it.

[dotpoom]

Jealously......and appear to be doing their best to catch upup... (God bless 'em)

[tryasimight]

An old mate of mine, a railway worker, used to say (when referring to his gut)  'You can't drive a nine inch spike with a tack hammer".

[InMyShadow]

op is playing down his chubiness by saying not in the American sense

 

if your getting comments from thais then your a fat bastard. end of story !!!

[Destiny1990]

Beeing fat means for some uneducated people that ur rich.

Edited August 20, 2017 by Destiny1990

[InMyShadow]

Just now, Destiny1990 said:

Fat means for some uneducated people that ur rich.

who cares what hillbillies think.

[Bangkok Barry]

My wife is always going on about the size of my stomach. I choose to not remind her that she has also added 15-20 kilos since we married 26 years ago. Better that way.

[Destiny1990]

3 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

My wife is always going on about the size of my stomach. I choose to not remind her that she has also added 15-20 kilos since we married 26 years ago. Better that way.

Indeed they very seldom seem to loose weight after marying a farang?

[swissbie]

2 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Fat


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No, chubby is a good translation, fat is rather like "ouen", they even use words like "thoum", meaning barrel. Don't teach Thais that let driving their 10 years old kids a bike is a bad idea, they won't like it, but no problem to tell them that they are fat as (whatever) ..

[GreasyFingers]

One of the exs and I spent most of the on the beach where you would see all shapes and sizes. As there were other thais with us they liked to joke about the fat people but the best desciption she made was "farang gin kwai" about a particular protrubing stomach.