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Taking A Gtg Anywhere Near A Nightlife Precinct ..


gobbledonk

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Agree, with Thais and traditional Lao, everyone has their place in society and as long as the correct behaviour and protocol is observed then things run smoothly and everyone is polite.

It must be getting to me as well, it really bugs me when I'm showing some tourist around and they start throwing wais at checkout girls and waitresses.

 

1069829-Clipart-Snobbish-Man-With-His-Nose-In-The-Air-Royalty-Free-Vector-Illustration.jpg

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The Wai thing is an interesting one for me - it was one of the first questions I asked when I got here. Whilst I dont Wai checkout chicks (wtf ?), I do see the 'dont wai service people' dictum as being straight out of the 'Feudal Society Handbook'. Whenever someone wais me, I always make the effort to smile and nod my head in acknowledgement instead of ignoring them - that might be a pathetic gesture to some, but to me it says 'hey, I dont know the etiquette, but I appreciate your courtesy'. Getting it wrong - hands at the wrong elevation, for example, when greeting a junior - would only cement the opinion that I am a silly Farang.

 

(I almost collided with a group of chocolate-crazed Japanese schoolgirls in a supermarket in Cairns a few years back, and responded with the only Japanese I know - Oneigashimasu !. The ensuing flurry of Japanese (presumably their own apology) and deep bowing stunned me - I thought that went out sometime in the 80s)

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View a wai as similar to a military salute. The junior wais (salutes) the senior first. I have never bought into the "don't wai servants" nonsense. I will always acknowledge a wai in some fashion, if only a nod or a smile. Not to do so shows you to be an uncouth buffoon (which most of these "experts" tend to be).

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View a wai as similar to a military salute. The junior wais (salutes) the senior first. I have never bought into the "don't wai servants" nonsense. I will always acknowledge a wai in some fashion, if only a nod or a smile. Not to do so shows you to be an uncouth buffoon (which most of these "experts" tend to be).

 

i have no idea of the wai system and do get concerned with what to do when i am wai'd which is by everyone everyday whilst in thailand.

therefore i will say thank-you(in thai)in the way i was told it was pronounced and smile and nod my head in recognition of the other persons respect for me.

but as i have mainly spent time over the years in tourist places the locals don't seem to expect some sort of thank-you from the tourist.

but respect in your own way of doing so is paramount and important to me.

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As someone once put it to me, everyone in Thailand is either superior or inferior to everyone else. There is no equality. Coming from NZ, an egalitarian place, this takes some getting used to.

 

So as a Farang, you will have travelled to Thailand. That makes you richer than most of the Thais you will encounter. Smaller, chest high wais, can be returned to those who you are not sure about.

 

Smiles and nods to the inferior group.

 

Forehead high wais, for Royalty, Monks, most uniformed people and rich cunts.

 

This is just what I was told, I make no warranty as to the accuracy or appropriateness of this information.

 

If you want to make your bar girl laugh in the morning, put her panties on yer head and give her a wai. This works a lot of the time. When it doesn't, be prepared for a lesson in culture :)

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Forehead high wais, for Royalty, Monks, most uniformed people and rich cunts.

 

 

And her parents, although it was more nose than forehead - that really does evoke images of royalty, and there is no way I'm extending that level of deference to the boys in brown, short of a trip to the lockup where I will prostrate myself in front of them, crying like a baby and begging their forgiveness. :clown:

 

(10 minutes of acute embarrassment vs several days in a cell with 60 men : I'll go with the red face, thanks)

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I can't remember the last time I gave anyone a forehead high wai - probably decades ago to the abbott of a temple. I have worked with a few royals - generally didn't wai them at all. We smiled at each other or shook hands. The few times I've been within wai-ing range of the top royals, we all just bowed to them. Of course, Takky would expect you to prostrate yourself.

 

p.s. Fortunately, my occupation automatically put me in a "superior" position in 90% of situations. That was a relief!

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