Farang hubbies bring social changes in Issan

[izzix]

[quote]


CROSS-CULTURAL MARRIAGES
Foreign husbands bring big changes to Isaan

KHON KAEN: -- Somtam is out and hamburgers are in as more Northeast women adopt husbands' customs, according to a survey of the cultural impact of increasing Thai-Westerner marriages

Many Thai women in the Northeast who have married foreigners are now keener on eating pizzas and hamburgers than somtam and prefer celebrating Western holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day to traditional Thai holidays, a Khon Kaen University study has found.

Cross-cultural marriages have caused major social changes in the Northeast, including less family participation in community activities, the study - released yesterday - said.

A mix of various aspects of the two cultures was on the rise, the study found. It cited the example of many Thai wives now being keener on eating Western food and almost forgetting somtam - the region's popular papaya salad dish.

The head of the study, Asst Prof Supawatanakorn Wongtha-nawasu of the university's Faculty of Nursing, said her team interviewed 231 Thai wives in Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Roi Et and found that foreign son-in-laws had caused the community-oriented Northeasterners to become the more individualistic and give less attention to social interaction.

Cross-cultural couples had less interaction with neighbours because foreign husbands faced language and cultural obstacles, while the wives tried to adjust by becoming "farang" rather than helping their husbands to be more 'Thai', Supawatanakorn said.

Thai culture in these families was thus overshadowed by Western culture, with the families' own consent, due to the pride of having foreign sons-in-law, she said.

The researchers also found most wives interviewed were either not interested or less enthusiastic about traditional Thai holidays - such as Buddhist Lent and Makha Bucha Day - compared with Western holidays like Christmas Day or Valentine's Day.

"In some Khon Kaen villages, with dozens of women marrying farangs, Christmas Day is no different from the movies with real traditional Christmas celebrations, while many Northeastern festivals were forgotten," the academic said.

On the other hand, many foreign husbands enjoyed celebrating the Songkran festival but did not understand the tradition and meaning behind it, she said.

The wives still ate somtam, which they grew up eating, but also ate pizza, hamburgers or fried chicken as a symbol of their adjustment to Western culture.

Many ended up eating both local and Western dishes, while their husbands found it harder to adjust to local food and stuck more to Western food.

Supawatanakorn said that since the wives found it more convenient to cook once for all family members including their husbands, Northeastern food - especially somtam with fermented fish - had gradually disappeared from their meals, she said.

The study found that most Northeastern Thai women married to foreigners were over 30, with an average age of 35, and had education below secondary level. More than 70 per cent had previously wed and divorced Thai husbands and most had one child from the first marriage.

Supawatanakorn said most wives saw their cross-cultural marriage as turning over a new leaf.

The average age of farang husbands was 50, and most came from Germany, Britain and Scandinavia. A fourth of those over 60 had brought their retirement funds to settle down with Thai wives who took care of them, Supawatanakorn said.

The foreign husbands had an average income of Bt60,000 a month, but most of their wives didn't know their husband's work or educational background. The wives were mainly interested in whether their husbands had enough money to support the family, she said.

The study also found that Isaan families whose members had married foreigners had changed their views on choosing spouses. From the traditional practice of parents choosing spouses for their children, the decision is now made by the individual and is based mainly on economic security. Some women agreed to marry foreigners they had never met before the wedding day as they felt that if the man had money, the villagers would eventually accept and respect them.

With the obvious increase in wealth of wives married to farang, due to their husbands' financial support, some 90 per cent of residents surveyed said they wanted their daughters to marry foreigners, Supawatanakorn said.

Some girls told the researchers they were prepared to fly overseas to marry a foreigner when they grew up.

Cross-cultural marriages were also supported by the older generation as these couples took care of their own children instead of placing the burden on the grandparents, or could afford nannies.

However, the cross-cultural marriage weakened the children's language skills as parents spoke to them in a mix of Thai and English, which confused the kids and made them less fluent in the Thai language, she said.

The children's English skills were limited to basic daily communication due to the parents' limited educational background or a less stimulating social environment.

In areas with many farang residents there was the phenomenon of shops putting up signs for their goods in Thai and English and of English being spoken between vendors and husbands, Supawatanakorn said.

-- The Nation 2006-11-17

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[muscle]

Good thing they did not ask my wife about that. She would have told them that if the farang wanted farang food, he could cook it himself. We have been married three years and I rarely eat anything but local food and ped ped enough that the cafe people get a good laugh. I am pi ba farang. Who would want hamburgers and pizza with what you can get here?
I am 53, the wife is 28. I am retired military. The worst mistake I made was living in DC for a year with her before I retired. It has taken nearly a year back here to get it out of her system and make her a normal Issan girl again.
Farang...adapt. It is for your own good.

[Bandung_Dero]

Who would want hamburgers and pizza with what you can get here? -------------------- Farang...adapt. It is for your own good.

There's an olde saying - "You can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink." After 6 years up here it's still Thai food in moderation but mainly farang. During our visits to Brisbane my Mum taught TW to make great stews, pasta dishes and the like. AND today I'm off to our weekly Sunday lunch at the 5 Bells Bar - Roast meat and gravey, 7 different veg, Yorkshire pudding and a good laugh.

Papiah Pok Pok

[BKKSTAN]

I really lucky,my wife cooks very good and likes cooking and I have no problems with spicey food,Actually prefer it!We eat 90% of our meals at home because of this.Most falang food resturants don't appeal to me because they seem to have the English food taste of no spices.
Our food costs are relatively high anyway because my wife trims,bones and is very selective in washing and culling vegatables!
I tell her that she would go broke very fast if she was in the Thailand resturant business as she is not fast and ''wastes'' much that most resturants would use in their meals.But I love it.
I feel a little sorry for the expats that can't eat spicey food!They are willing missing out in the food area of their life,confined to hit and miss falang menu items in resturants.
Of course some expats like to cook for themselves and a few have wives that have learned to cook to their tastes at home!Still,I feel very lucky!
I remember how happy my wife was that I eat everything she cooks.Maybe that is one of the reasons she was willing to date me,as I had been a customer of her cooking for over a year before going out with her,although she cooked many different dishes at home than she did at the store.
When we first lived together ,she would cook something that I never ate before.usually very spicey,and she would watch my reaction as I ate it.Then ,when I kept eating it or said good,she would beam that fantastic smile that always attracted me to her! Few minutes later we would be making love.I remember thinking''is this what they mean when they say,the way to a mans heart is through his stomach?''

[Mainer]

"WHO" wrote that nonsense? Someone who is reporting on a 'study', I see that.

1. I don't beleive

the cross-cultural marriage weakened the children's language. skills

They still get plenty of Thai in their life, and they will learn another language, and their jobs and lives can be much better. For a study pertaining to the results of children growing up in this situation, it takes years. I wonder how long this study took...?

I do know of a young man, maybe 25, who is a product of a cross-cultural marriage and he owns 3 hotels in Thailand. He speaks excellent English as well as Thai.

And another Thai man who is the best entrapeneur I have run across in Thailand. He is into everything. And it is because he can speak English and Thai. He is a hustler and works constantly both for Thais and farang. Not lazy. He will be very sucessful, I think.

Show me a Thai lady, who is living in Thailand, and has forsaken Somtam for her farang husband, and I will show you a unhappy lady. Maybe she hides it in the closet? What's that 'pok-pok' sound, I hear?

I have been the questionee in several studies by studends doing their homework. After answering the questions, I walk away saying, "what was that?" One question was, "do you like farang food or Thai food". I said "both". They didn't have a box to check for that one.

I have no plans this afternoon, I think I will do a 'study'.

The above are my opinions only. And no matter what, I do enjoy the forum. Thanks.

[BKKSTAN]

"WHO" wrote that nonsense? Someone who is reporting on a 'study', I see that.

1. I don't beleive
Quote:
the cross-cultural marriage weakened the children's language. skills

I stand in agreement with your opinion,Mainer

[BobHelm]

Personally I usually eat Thai food at home & Falang food when in Udon.
Agree Stan that British food can be pretty bland, but sometimes my stomach welcomes bland. In the UK my diet mainly constited of spicy stews & curries in the winter & salad in the summer, so I guess eating Issan wasn't a huge change for me.
Mainer. Agree that the answer to any study depends on how you select the questions & possible answers to those (and how you select the participants I guess). But at least someone is trying to see what impact the influx of Falang into the area is having, maybe that, in itself, is a good thing

[Prenders88]

I also agree with Mainer, about the language.

I'd like to add my wifes Thai friends all prefer Thai food to Western, there is no way they would give up Som Tam Pla-ra pu. Never!! They even get out the straw mat and sit on the floor, Pok....Pok....Pok.....

Britain finest universities could also do a thesis on the English who are losing their culture because they eat Chinese/Thai/Indian Takeaways, to Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding or Fish and Chips.

I don't know if I should laugh or cry, change Farang for Jew and you would think this survey was written by Adolf Hitler.

Utter Xenophopia.

[muscle]

Who would want hamburgers and pizza with what you can get here? -------------------- Farang...adapt. It is for your own good.

There's an olde saying - "You can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink." After 6 years up here it's still Thai food in moderation but mainly farang. During our visits to Brisbane my Mum taught TW to make great stews, pasta dishes and the like. AND today I'm off to our weekly Sunday lunch at the 5 Bells Bar - Roast meat and gravey, 7 different veg, Yorkshire pudding and a good laugh.

Papiah Pok Pok

True, and you can lead a ***** to culture but you can't make her think.
I still stop in to Harry's for the odd hamburger and fries but it is as much for the atmosphere as it is for the food.
I am cheap and would rather go native to save $. 30 years in the military taught me that much. Everybody's stomach has it's limits. some of the Lao/Issan/Thai foods I can not handle but I try everything. Paying nearly $3 US for a small jar of peanut butter is a waste to me although I love the stuff.
Different strokes.

[Mainer]

Skippy peanut butter is now $4 (140 baht) at today's exchange rate, at Tops. I buy 1 per week. Frugality has it's limits. I can do without meat but not p/b.

[oldfield]

What a load of bol.locks that article is. They must have just interviewed a few Thai women. I don't know anyone who lives like that in Udon.

[banpaeng]

Gee I may not agree with everything in the article but for the most part it is spot on. There are always exception to a rule and I agree that you can make survey question to get an answer you desire, however I have seen exactly what is said in the article.

That is my opinion. You are entitled to yours.

[Bandung_Dero]

You can take the girl out of Isaan but can you take Isaan out of the girl?



Papiah Pok Pok being prepared in my Perth kitchen March 2001.

[muscle]

Skippy peanut butter is now $4 (140 baht) at today's exchange rate, at Tops. I buy 1 per week. Frugality has it's limits. I can do without meat but not p/b.

I understand completely. One a week is the ration here also. In Lao, I was making my own. Peanuts there are cheap. A little peanut oil, a few minutes in the blender, some salt and just as good (or close) as Skippy. Peanuts are surprisingly expensive here.

I will dig up some pix of the Mrs making her Som Tam on the kitchen floor in DC and in Germany. Her green curry dishes used to get remarks from the Indian men on our floor in DC. Very envious. Their wives had stopped cooking. All they could make was reservations.
We had a buddy with a Vietnamese cafe down the street in Wuerzburg who used to help her out with ingredients for her favorite foods and in DC, no problem with the Eden Center/Little Saigon so close.
Very glad to be back here. Just hope we can stay.