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Adjusting to Local Customs - Clothing


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I am sure that most of you are familiar with the fact that thai men wear long trousers as soon as they step out of the perimeter of their village.

It is not "polite" to be wearing shorts.

And although I try to observe local customs this is one I definitely don`t. Unless of course I am off for the Wat, temple fair, immigration, police station or other official stuff.

Long trousers are very uncomfortable in this climate and they make me sweat like a pig, besides they inevitably gets messy within the first hour I wear them. Dragging along 3-4 pair of long trousers almost means doubling the amount of luggage I carry around.

I can live with showering at night outside of the house in a confined room wearing the ridiculous Phak Hama or Sarong although there is absolutely nobody around and it is totally dark.

I`ll never forget the first time I arrived at my mother-in-law`s house in a remote Isaan village. I arrived with my future wife from BKK and I`d just bought a tailored suit. She suggested I put on the suit before stepping of the bus to make a good impression. Geez!! It was in the beginning of march with almost 40 degree Centigrade. The sun was shining relentlessly and there had not been a drop of rain for months. Everything looked incredibly dusty and run down and the dozens of kids running all over the place were all bare-footed and dressed in clothes I can only describe as very "inventive".

All the village dwellers were lying around on the bamboo shaffold under their houses dressed only in their wrap-around-cloth chatting, drinking or just waiting to pass on to another existence or so it seemed to me anyway.

And my future wife wanted me to dress up as if I were attending a Paris fashion show. I`d be the laughing stock of the entire village. Well, I might as well have because I immediately got everybody`s attention anyway and I was quickly introduced to the infamous Law Khaow.

Thank God I didn`t put on the suit on that occasion that would probably have been the last of it.

Sorry I guess, I kinda got carried away here, but my point or rather my question goes like this:

How far do you go to adjust to local customs?

Do you eat the fermented fish Pla Rah, Pla Daek or Pla Dip while smiling and saying: Serp Laai Elee.

Do you put a handful of Phrik Kee Nuu or mouse shit pepper in your Som Tham?

Do you join the village dwellers when the happy lot goes out to hunt Tjakkatjan (cicade), Tjakkataen (Grasshopper) Norn (Larvae) or Khai Mod Daeng, (Eggs from the red ants), Maeng Dtaa (Giant Rice Water Bug), Maeng Kee Dtao (literally Turtle Shit Insect) etc.?

Do you walk around in a Phak Hama/Sarong while at home?

Do you sit on the floor all the time while eating, chatting, watching TV etc.?

Do you go to the temple offering incense and lotus buds to the shrine?

Do you go to see a monk to make him bless your bike? Or a Mor Duu (fortune teller) to have him predict your future?

Do you fire off fire crackers in order to win the lottery? Or offer groceries in buckets to the local monastery for the same reason?

Do you go to see a brahmin priest before erecting a house?

How far do you go? tongue.gif" border="0

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I can eat Tjakkataen and Norn(Larvae of bee),but i leave other insects to Budha.

I can even eat raw,bloody liver of Kwai and drink Lau Dong Jaa (that red staff me and my palls call petrol).

I can wear phaakapma in the evening at Mae Thaos home.

And I like to sit on the floor and take Mekhong while listening crickets.

blush.gif" border="0tongue.gif" border="0

[ March 05, 2002: Message edited by: PhaJaNa ]

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quote:

Originally posted by Hua Nguu:

"I am sure that most of you are familiar with the fact that thai men wear long trousers as soon as they step out of the perimeter of their village."

**Yeah, but I've seen quite a few lately that will wear shorts like some us farang do. Most do wear the long pants though. Especially when going into the "Big" cities.

"It is not "polite" to be wearing shorts.

**Yeah, but excuse my french, sometimes I too say Fuck politeness. It's too damned hot!

"And although I try to observe local customs this is one I definitely don`t. Unless of course I am off for the Wat, temple fair, immigration, police station or other official stuff."

**Me too. Same places you mention.

"Long trousers are very uncomfortable in this climate and they make me sweat like a pig, besides they inevitably gets messy within the first hour I wear them. Dragging along 3-4 pair of long trousers almost means doubling the amount of luggage I carry around."

**Hahaha! Yes, I agree totally!

"I can live with showering at night outside of the house in a confined room wearing the ridiculous Phak Hama or Sarong although there is absolutely nobody around and it is totally dark."

**Haha! Luckily my Thai family had indoor plumbing! Well, sorta.

"I`ll never forget the first time I arrived at my mother-in-law`s house in a remote Isaan village."

**Me too! Indelibly etched in my memories! Mama was pissed at me for some percieved slight where she thought I made her lose face. It all had to do with a first time meeting party I had set up for Mama and close family. Was away elsewhere that day with the the GF and friends. Our mini-van had a serious breakdown and we ended up not being able to get home to the party. Even the mini-van driver could not convince her silly ass that this wasn't an intentional slight. Swore she'd cut me up with a butcher knife if I ever stepped foot in her house! Now she loves me too much. :-)

"I arrived with my future wife from BKK and I`d just bought a tailored suit. She suggested I put on the suit before stepping of the bus to make a good impression. Geez!! It was in the beginning of march with almost 40 degree Centigrade. The sun was shining relentlessly and there had not been a drop of rain for months."

**Hahahaha! Loved this one! Your fiance really wanted you to give a good impression!

Everything looked incredibly dusty and run down and the dozens of kids running all over the place were all bare-footed and dressed in clothes I can only describe as very "inventive".

**Inventive. Great way of putting it! I've seen kids in the village wearing an old t-shirt as a hat for protection from the sun.

"All the village dwellers were lying around on the bamboo shaffold under their houses dressed only in their wrap-around-cloth chatting, drinking or just waiting to pass on to another existence or so it seemed to me anyway."

**Yep. I sometimes want to nudge the old folks lying on the bamboo shelf, just to see if they are still alive!

"And my future wife wanted me to dress up as if I were attending a Paris fashion show. I`d be the laughing stock of the entire village."

**Don't know if you'd be the laughingstock of the village, but for us farang it would seem inapropriate. How'd the fiance take your refusal to do so?

"Well, I might as well have because I immediately got everybody`s attention anyway and I was quickly introduced to the infamous Law Khaow."

**Ooooooooo. Nasty stuff don't you think?

"Thank God I didn`t put on the suit on that occasion that would probably have been the last of it."

**Yeah, and not a dry cleaners in sight for kilometers! :-)

"How far do you go to adjust to local customs?"

**Truthfully, about as far as I can stand it. I suppose I could do more.

"Do you eat the fermented fish Pla Rah, Pla Daek or Pla Dip while smiling and saying: Serp Laai Elee."

**Nope!

"Do you put a handful of Phrik Kee Nuu or mouse shit pepper in your Som Tham?"

**yeah, right! No friggin' way! Learned my lesson a long time ago with those mouse shit peppers. Now I might take one and chop it into tiny pieces and add it in the food.

"Do you join the village dwellers when the happy lot goes out to hunt Tjakkatjan (cicade), Tjakkataen (Grasshopper) Norn (Larvae) or Khai Mod Daeng, (Eggs from the red ants), Maeng Dtaa (Giant Rice Water Bug), Maeng Kee Dtao (literally Turtle Shit Insect) etc.?"

**Not yet, but I'll do so when the opportunity comes around. Sounds like fun......maybe.

"Do you walk around in a Phak Hama/Sarong while at home?"

**Actualy yeah, up in the village I do. Sometimes just shorts though.

"Do you sit on the floor all the time while eating, chatting, watching TV etc.?"

**Not for long periods. Ocassionally. Have a couch/sofa and a kitchen table with chairs. Two of the first things I bought after buying the bed! :-) And I've always been offered a chair to sit on whenever in other's homes there.

"Do you go to the temple offering incense and lotus buds to the shrine?"

**Sometimes. I have, and do on the big holy/holidays. But I usually beg off, feeling the fact that I usually payed for the stuff the wife is offering to the temple I've made my contribution. Hopefully Buddha doesn't mind. :-) I've gotten around a lot of that by explaining that firstly I'm Catholic and the Pope (big boss monk)

might frown on my extra-religious activites. Hahaha! Also she knows I'm not religious, so she only pushes it when she feels it might cause her and her family some sort of loss of face. This ruse isn't used often, and I appreciate her not getting upset about my non-religious attitude. She's a pretty strict Buddhist, although not crazy about it. Like I've pointed out to her...."Hey there are guys here in the village who ARE Buddhist, and they don't go. I'm not, and don't have to either. She does seem very happy when I do go to these hings. Always good to keep the little lady happy most times.

"Do you go to see a monk to make him bless your bike?"

**The family has. I haven't.

"Or a Mor Duu (fortune teller) to have him predict your future?"

**You know, I've never done this, and actually want to one day. Just to see what they say. Could be good for a laugh.

"Do you fire off fire crackers in order to win the lottery?"

**No, and never seen this either yet. Superstitions tend to vary from village to village. Ths may not be one our village practices. Sounds fun though. Does your ladies village speak Lao or Khmer?

"Or offer groceries in buckets to the local monastery for the same reason?"

**On a small scale sometimes. I think it depends on the holiday.

"Do you go to see a brahmin priest before erecting a house?"

**She did. We do have the ubiquitous spirit house out front. Remind me to tell you a funny story I have about this if you'd care to hear it. This post is getting longer than I intended!

"How far do you go?"

**About as far as I feel is necessary to keep her happy. Or until it makes me uncomfortable.

Cent

tongue.gif" border="0

Good and interesting post Hua Nguu. Reminded me of a lot of stuff I never really think about that much anymore. Thanks.

Cent

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quote:

Originally posted by PhaJaNa:

[QB]I can eat Tjakkataen and Norn(Larvae of bee),but i leave other insects to Budha.

I can even eat raw,bloody liver of Kwai and drink Lau Dong Jaa (that red staff me and my palls call petrol).

I can wear phaakapma in the evening at Mae Thaos home.

And I like to sit on the floor and take Mekhong while listening crickets.

blush.gif" border="0tongue.gif" border="0

QB]

Adding "Seua Sip Et Dtua" (11 tigers) to the Lau Khao sure makes the stuff go down easier and without causing lasting damages to your interior organs.

Petrol? Great name. Is seems as if this stuff is what makes the world go around in some places.

Hua Nguu

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"I`ll never forget the first time I arrived at my mother-in-law`s house in a remote Isaan village."

**Me too! Indelibly etched in my memories! Mama was pissed at me for some percieved slight where she thought I made her lose face. It all had to do with a first time meeting party I had set up for Mama and close family. Was away elsewhere that day with the the GF and friends. Our mini-van had a serious breakdown and we ended up not being able to get home to the party. Even the mini-van driver could not convince her silly ass that this wasn't an intentional slight. Swore she'd cut me up with a butcher knife if I ever stepped foot in her house! Now she loves me too much. :-)

Glad you managed to settle things with mother-in-law. We sure want mother-in-law to be happy. In my family Mama is Big Boss while Papa takes care of "spirituous matters".

 

"All the village dwellers were lying around on the bamboo shaffold under their houses dressed only in their wrap-around-cloth chatting, drinking or just waiting to pass on to another existence or so it seemed to me anyway."

**Yep. I sometimes want to nudge the old folks lying on the bamboo shelf, just to see if they are still alive!

I guess a handful of bangers could either lead to an answer to that question OR speed up the passing into another existence. smile.gif" border="0

"And my future wife wanted me to dress up as if I were attending a Paris fashion show. I`d be the laughing stock of the entire village."

**Don't know if you'd be the laughingstock of the village, but for us farang it would seem inapropriate. How'd the fiance take your refusal to do so?

I believe she quickly understood that this issue was not up for discussion.

Besides from this little rebellion I`d say she got her way in all other situations for the next couple of days. But that was okay with me afterall it turned into our wedding.

"Well, I might as well have because I immediately got everybody`s attention anyway and I was quickly introduced to the infamous Law Khaow."

**Ooooooooo. Nasty stuff don't you think?

I do indeed. And it is always drunk on the rocks, warm in a huge beer glass. Sure doesn`t make me appreciate it more.

 

"Thank God I didn`t put on the suit on that occasion that would probably have been the last of it."

**Yeah, and not a dry cleaners in sight for kilometers! :-)

"How far do you go to adjust to local customs?"

**Truthfully, about as far as I can stand it. I suppose I could do more.

I would describe my own limits in a similar way. I sure could do more, but why bother? After all I am a foreigner and will always remain a foreigner even if I would be staying 40 years in this village. And as a foreigner I stand out anyway. As long as I don`t seriously offend anyone I shall retain my "farang peculiarities".

"Do you eat the fermented fish Pla Rah, Pla Daek or Pla Dip while smiling and saying: Serp Laai Elee."

**Nope!

Me neither. As soon as the smell of decaying fish and crab enters my nostrils I am done for.

"Do you put a handful of Phrik Kee Nuu or mouse shit pepper in your Som Tham?"

**yeah, right! No friggin' way! Learned my lesson a long time ago with those mouse shit peppers. Now I might take one and chop it into tiny pieces and add it in the food.

Sound like sound advice to me. A lot of these hard core chili addict suffer from stomach ulcer, but has it to do with the chillies? No Sir!

"Do you join the village dwellers when the happy lot goes out to hunt Tjakkatjan (cicade), Tjakkataen (Grasshopper) Norn (Larvae) or Khai Mod Daeng, (Eggs from the red ants), Maeng Dtaa (Giant Rice Water Bug), Maeng Kee Dtao (literally Turtle Shit Insect) etc.?"

**Not yet, but I'll do so when the opportunity comes around. Sounds like fun......maybe.

Hahaha.

Well it sure is fun to go hunt cicadas. You will be equipped with a 20" bamboo pole fitted with a plastic bag on a round frame at the end. In the plastic bag is a handful of cotton that prevents the poor critters from escaping.

Now you have to actually find or rather spot them in the trees. Normally you will have no problems *finding* them as they have a tendency to give themselves away (if you know what I mean), but actually spotting them is another matter.

As soon as you get them in the plastic bag they are trapped in the cotton.

I put my cicadas in my money belt and pretty soon it became rather merry. Back in the house we fried them in oil and they were quite good tasted a lot like chips.

"Do you walk around in a Phak Hama/Sarong while at home?"

**Actualy yeah, up in the village I do. Sometimes just shorts though.

I never wear them. I vividly recall a foreigner wearing them on a boat trip to Koh Lipe in Satun Province. He was on his way down the latter and a sudden puff of wind reveiled all there was to be reveiled to the immense amusement of everybody - thais and farangs alike.

"Do you sit on the floor all the time while eating, chatting, watching TV etc.?"

**Not for long periods. Ocassionally. Have a couch/sofa and a kitchen table with chairs. Two of the first things I bought after buying the bed! :-) And I've always been offered a chair to sit on whenever in other's homes there.

Well, I can only say that you are smarter than me. We don`t have beds, nor furniture. So we sit and sleep on the floor. Now I am rather skinny so that makes my poor butt hurt. At one occasions I took my pillow and sat on that. What a relief! Oops. Major Fuck up. Pillows are meant to rest your head on not to place your skinny butt. So from that day on this particular pillow was all mine.

"Do you go to the temple offering incense and lotus buds to the shrine?"

**Sometimes. I have, and do on the big holy/holidays. But I usually beg off, feeling the fact that I usually payed for the stuff the wife is offering to the temple I've made my contribution. Hopefully Buddha doesn't mind. :-) I've gotten around a lot of that by explaining that firstly I'm Catholic and the Pope (big boss monk)

might frown on my extra-religious activites. Hahaha! Also she knows I'm not religious, so she only pushes it when she feels it might cause her and her family some sort of loss of face. This ruse isn't used often, and I appreciate her not getting upset about my non-religious attitude. She's a pretty strict Buddhist, although not crazy about it. Like I've pointed out to her...."Hey there are guys here in the village who ARE Buddhist, and they don't go. I'm not, and don't have to either. She does seem very happy when I do go to these hings. Always good to keep the little lady happy most times.

That I`ll definitely ditto.

"Do you fire off fire crackers in order to win the lottery?"

**No, and never seen this either yet. Superstitions tend to vary from village to village. Ths may not be one our village practices. Sounds fun though. Does your ladies village speak Lao or Khmer?

They are Lao with some local dialects as well: Puutai and Njaw.

"Or offer groceries in buckets to the local monastery for the same reason?"

**On a small scale sometimes. I think it depends on the holiday.

"Do you go to see a brahmin priest before erecting a house?"

**She did. We do have the ubiquitous spirit house out front. Remind me to tell you a funny story I have about this if you'd care to hear it. This post is getting longer than I intended!

Mine too. That is why I`ve snipped it a bit.

I would love to hear your story about the spirit house.

**Good and interesting post Hua Nguu. Reminded me of a lot of stuff I never really think about that much anymore.

Watch it! You are on the edge of going completely native. Next thing you will be buying yourself a pair of limegreen flipflops, carry the bus fare in your ear and grow long hair on your moles laugh.gif" border="0

Hua Nguu

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Hi,

Regarding shorts/long pants, I *always* wear long pants, even in the 'village' (big word for 5 houses in the middle of some rice fields smile.gif" border="0 ). Reason is not so much politeness, but rather that I do not like shorts.

In the village the shirt comes off quickly though, as do the shoes/socks. Same at home, virtually never wear a shirt in the house.

"Do you eat the fermented fish Pla Rah, Pla Daek or Pla Dip while smiling and saying: Serp Laai Elee.

Do you put a handful of Phrik Kee Nuu or mouse shit pepper in your Som Tham?

Do you join the village dwellers when the happy lot goes out to hunt Tjakkatjan (cicade), Tjakkataen (Grasshopper) Norn (Larvae) or Khai Mod Daeng, (Eggs from the red ants), Maeng Dtaa (Giant Rice Water Bug), Maeng Kee Dtao (literally Turtle Shit Insect) etc.?

Do you walk around in a Phak Hama/Sarong while at home?"

All no.

"Do you sit on the floor all the time while eating, chatting, watching TV etc.?"

Certainly not all the time, but yes, this happens fairly regularly.

"Do you go to the temple offering incense and lotus buds to the shrine?"

Depends on the occassion. I never go alone, but if my wife goes, I usually join.

And, yes, I do join in waiing the monk / giving alms / receiving the blessing. I don't repeat the chants though.

"Do you go to see a monk to make him bless your bike? Or a Mor Duu (fortune teller) to have him predict your future?"

Most certainly not. I am not at all superstitious and think that Mor Duu are a waste of time. They do fascinate me though.

"Do you fire off fire crackers in order to win the lottery? Or offer groceries in buckets to the local monastery for the same reason?

Do you go to see a brahmin priest before erecting a house?"

Again, all no.

Sanuk!

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quote:

Originally posted by Hua Nguu:

Do you eat the fermented fish Pla Rah, Pla Daek or Pla Dip while smiling and saying: Serp Laai Elee.

Do you put a handful of Phrik Kee Nuu or mouse shit pepper in your Som Tham?

Do you join the village dwellers when the happy lot goes out to hunt Tjakkatjan (cicade), Tjakkataen (Grasshopper) Norn (Larvae) or Khai Mod Daeng, (Eggs from the red ants), Maeng Dtaa (Giant Rice Water Bug), Maeng Kee Dtao (literally Turtle Shit Insect) etc.?

Do you walk around in a Phak Hama/Sarong while at home?

Do you sit on the floor all the time while eating, chatting, watching TV etc.?

Do you go to the temple offering incense and lotus buds to the shrine?

Do you go to see a monk to make him bless your bike? Or a Mor Duu (fortune teller) to have him predict your future?

Do you fire off fire crackers in order to win the lottery? Or offer groceries in buckets to the local monastery for the same reason?

Do you go to see a brahmin priest before erecting a house?

How far do you go?
tongue.gif" border="0

Of all the above I do absolutely nothing.As doesn't my GF BTW

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