Shopping dress standards.

Post by **muscle** » December 20, 2006, 4:34 pm

I tried polite and professional with my encounter and it did not work. Val is much more diplomatic than I am and it may work for him. So many farang see this whole country as "the beach" that they have no sense of propriety.

Post by **Roadman** » December 20, 2006, 4:38 pm

My thai family accept my use of a fork to put food in my mouth as very normal and correct.
Any issues in regard to how each culture use cutlery were put to bed and left there after we had our very first family meal together. After it I pointed out to my future wife that I was offended by my impact on the thai behavior observed of selecting food from shared dishes with cutlery or chopsticks that the user were putting food into their mouth with. I explained to my wife that I would be distressed to pass on my falang diseases

by forking through their food after having said fork in my mouth. At all meals since serving spoons if not supplied are immediately requested and used by all, and I use my fork correctly as I was taught within my culture.

Post by **Coot** » December 20, 2006, 9:31 pm

Nice one,make them change to fit in with you in THEIR country.

Post by **john2005** » December 20, 2006, 11:07 pm

The horrified look on my mother in laws face when i was going to use a fork "farang" style let me know that it is not acceptable in my wife's family.
The majority of farang are ignorant of the offense caused as they are married to ex bar girls and fork etiquette is the last thing on their list of refinements.The only thing they do try and embellish is the girl's past and so you end up with the same old story i have heard a hundred times where they met at the GF/wife's noodle stand in Bangkok/Udon and fell in love.How they conversed when the man speaks no Thai and the noodle girl no English never enters the story.

Post by **muscle** » December 20, 2006, 11:09 pm

Roadman wrote:My thai family accept my use of a fork to put food in my mouth as very normal and correct.
Any issues in regard to how each culture use cutlery were put to bed and left there after we had our very first family meal together. After it I pointed out to my future wife that I was offended by my impact on the thai behavior observed of selecting food from shared dishes with cutlery or chopsticks that the user were putting food into their mouth with. I explained to my wife that I would be distressed to pass on my falang diseases by forking through their food after having said fork in my mouth. At all meals since serving spoons if not supplied are immediately requested and used by all, and I use my fork correctly as I was taught within my culture.

You have a valid cultural point there but you may be compromising your own immune system. Americans especially, get sick in other countries because they have not built up a natural immunity to local "bugs" (and not in the insect sense). America is a very sterile culture as is most of Western Europe. I have traveled and lived extensivly in South America, Africa, Eastern Europe and SW Asia with some experience in SE Asia. The only time I got deathly ill was when I ate at the airport franchise cafe in Kenya and got dystentary. I feel safer eating off the push carts on Soi Zero in BKK than I do at BK. The European philosophy is that you develop a resistsnce by exposure which is very different from the American philosophy of "kill all bacteria".

Post by **Coot** » January 11, 2007, 10:19 pm

john2005 wrote:The only thing they do try and embellish is the girl's past and so you end up with the same old story i have heard a hundred times where they met at the GF/wife's noodle stand in Bangkok/Udon and fell in love.How they conversed when the man speaks no Thai and the noodle girl no English never enters the story.

You're not wrong there mate.Seems like every other day i meet a farang in Nong Khai whose wife was a Bangkok noodle seller.When the wife asks a few questions they soon come unstuck and confess to having worked in a bar.No self respecting thai lady would go near a fat,old farang,even a noodle seller.

laphanphon · Post by **laphanphon** » January 12, 2007, 9:51 am

i'm going to have to disagree, have met and lived with a few thai ladies, besides just playing single, and only one has worked in a bar.

Post by **jetdoc** » January 12, 2007, 10:00 am

Just my take--If you find yourself in the company of a gold digger---what difference does it make if she worked in a bar or if you met in church, or for that matter if she is a virgin or not. I guess I just don't understand this preoccupation with this good girl, bad girl nonsense.

Post by **Mainer** » January 12, 2007, 10:29 am

Coot wrote:No self respecting thai lady would go near a fat,old farang,even a noodle seller.

Perhaps you should be careful what you say on here. There are a few of those "self respecting thai ladies" reading this, that would love to give you an attitude adjustment.

I feel you are definately way out of line with that statement, Coot.

Post by **Doc** » January 12, 2007, 11:04 am

Coot wrote:No self respecting thai lady would go near a fat,old farang,even a noodle seller.

Hmmmm... Let me see now... I'm fat. I'm old. I've been with many self respecting Thai ladies...

jetdoc wrote:Just my take--If you find yourself in the company of a gold digger---what difference does it make if she worked in a bar or if you met in church

Technically - aren't we all "gold diggers" to one degree or another? We all want something from another person... Gold doesn't necessarily have to be that shiny stuff that people wear...

Post by **arjay** » January 12, 2007, 11:08 am

Ah, but LA, you're not fat or old!!!

You can't generalise about such things. I'm sure Coot realises that. Some people like fat partners, because they find them more cuddly. Some like older partners, because they view them as being more stable, less likely to be "butterflies", etc etc!!

Though not many farangs sell noodles!!

Post by **arjay** » January 12, 2007, 11:15 am

Doc wrote:Hmmmm... Let me see now... I'm fat. I'm old. I've been with many self respecting Thai ladies...

Hmm, perhaps they were all short-sighted Doc!

Doc wrote:Technically - aren't we all "gold diggers" to one degree or another? We all want something from another person... Gold doesn't necessarily have to be that shiny stuff that people wear...

Doc, you're getting very philosophical lately!! That's so very true.

Post by **Mainer** » January 12, 2007, 11:29 am

Doc wrote:Gold doesn't necessarily have to be that shiny stuff that people wear...

Oh that is a good one, Doc..

Perhaps some of us don't glitter from the outside?

Post by **Doug** » January 12, 2007, 12:44 pm

Sorry guys. I'm losing the thread here.
Was it the noodle seller. the ex bar girl or the fat old farang that was shirtless/topless?