Thai Etiquette

[SCOTTIEDAM]

Last week had a customer of the wife's come by to look at a dress my wife was making for her. The wife was down by one of the fishponds and I was in my office working, but this Thai lady just walked into the house, didn't ring the bell, knock on the door, just walked in !!
I heard a noise and went to investigate, found her and another girl in my house. I asked them please wait outside for my wife, I called the wife and asked if it was normal for Thai's to just walk into peoples homes, she said it was, she was family.
Turns out she was a friend, of a friend, who knew one of her aunts, but she was Thai, so it as OK !!! TOTAL nonsense !!

Has this ever happened to you ?

[tamada]

Ahhh, grasshopper...

[Laan Yaa Mo]

This not quite the same, but a Thai family about three blocks away from our place leaves their gate open in the morning for me to enter their place with my dog. Their dog usually emerges a few minutes later to play together with mine and they race around their house. In fact, the two dogs had a puppy together New Year's Eve. Nevertheless, I was surprised that they would leave their gate open for me every day. This has been going on since early May.

[FrazeeDK]

never had any such thing happen, not with Thai friends or even family.. With the exception of some close family, everyone waits at the gate to be brought in..

[Laan Yaa Mo]

I should have said that they leave the gate unlocked, I have to open it myself. A few times both parents have gone to work, and only the daughter (15 years old) is at home, and sometimes she gets up when we are there, and sometimes doesn't. Normally, one of the parents gets up 5-20 minutes after I have opened their gate.

[tamada]

The only "visitors" that wait outside our gate are the postie and the food and lazada delivery people. The sliding gate is closed but not locked and friends and neighbours, including Yai's card-playing pals, come and go at their leisure. I sometimes get shouty when anybody leaves the gate open which was often. However, with recent tales of neighbourhood thefts like bikes being nicked from front yards, Mrs tam is shouting at the lazy buggers now which is good, as I don't have a work permit.

[sometimewoodworker]

Has this ever happened to you ?

It would have but once we had our gate installed SWMBO keeps it shut (it is opened with a motor) there is also a small pedestrian gate and once again SWMBO keeps it locked, though she is very social she doesn’t allow anyone not specifically invited to come in, if she did we wouldn’t have any fruit or bamboo shoots for our own use as the garden would be stripped bare.
There is no concept of conservation of other people’s property, so take everything and sell what you don’t use, or drink all the beer in someone else’s fridge because they can refill it later or buy more. This is a completely different mindset to a European one.

[tamada]

My Lao ex-wife's step brothers and sisters from Korat would visit us in Pattaya frequently and empty my booze cabinet. The ex- finally got fed up and refilled the original bottles with various, careful blends of Mekhong, Saeng Som, Regency, lao khao and the like. I wouldn't say they couldn't tell the difference and they never made us lose face by suggesting we were doing the fake refill thing but they did stop visiting.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

I lived for six years in a Chiang Mai rice farming village in the late '70s and mid-80s, Mae Jong, and now I am living in middle-class Khon Kaen suburbia and have never witnessed any of the garden and booze raiding or just walking into the house without invitation mentioned here. I am not saying that it doesn't happen or that it is not a tradition, I just haven't experienced or witnessed it.

[rick]

Not into the house, but not uncommon to see people in the garden collecting Starfruit, banana leaves and vegetables. Rarely happens now as 3 houses on the extended plot and gate kept closed. When i first came their was not even fences or walls.I think most were relatives/neighbours but still disconcerting.

[tamada]

Old Isaan saying, "Mi casa es tu casa."

[deankham]

Some our our thai friends will barge straight into the house without even knocking or ringing the bell. The dog normally greets them and alerts us someone has arrived!

We actually do the same with a few of our close friends but only when we are expected, but out of courtesy give the door a ratta-tatt-tatt before entering. If they are busy when we arrive I will happily help myself to a beer out of their fridge to not stop them from what they are doing.

[Stantheman]

No problem at our house as wife keeps gate closed and can only open with automatic opener or through the small personal gate which is closed. Friends either call first or give a shout out when they come by.