"Hey!! I was first!!!"

[gawguy]

Okay...I am pretty thick-skinned, but this was a topper!

 

I was in a little Thai restaurant / market where they have open serving pans of food. The workers were serving other customers while I was waiting. A Thai girl came up behind me and as the first free worker came towards me, a hand shot out from behind me and pointed at the dish I wanted, which was running low.

 

Without a flinch the worker took the order with me standing between her and the pointer.

 

I need some new language:

 

"Hey!! I was here first."

 

and then to the girl that I could only give a dirty look to while she was getting my food, I would like to say,

 

"How can you be so fucking rude!?"

 

(I was reading "Culture Shock Singapore" and this is a phenomenon there as well. There is a word for it that means 'fear of not getting the best' or something. They did an education program to combat it, but of course it didn't really work.)

 

I guess I need the answer in transliteration because I'm not getting Thai characters now. Eventually I'll need the Thai script too.

 

GG

[markle]

"kor tort pom ma gon'(Excuse me I came first) is a start but I wouldn't bother saying anything to the girl, no point losing face by causing a confrontation.

[Guest]

I'd be like "Hey, mai mii marayaat reu ngai? Ror gorn di!"

 

If you wanted to say "wait your turn," literally, then you'd probably say something like "ror taa khun," or "mai chai taa khorng khun" (it's not your turn).

 

the word for "rude" in Thai is "yaab khaai," but it doesn't always refer to behavior. To be honest, this kind of behavior is sometimes normal in Thailand (outside of western style esablishments, like ordering at McDonald's). Perhaps you haven't yet noticed that lines don't always have much value. Sometimes when ordering food, you just gotta blurt out your order, cuz some of the people standing at the front of the line haven't made up their mind yet. Nevertheless, I know how you feel. It's happend to me before too. "mai mii marayaat reu? mai sangeet phom gamlan ror yuu reu?"

 

A word of warning, some Thais will bite back if you decide to have a go at them like this, but don't let that stop you from your duty.

[Guest]

this kind of behavior is sometimes normal in Thailand (outside of western style esablishments, like ordering at McDonald's)

 

Guess you don't get out to McDonalds much. I'd say the only time I haven't run into it is if the line is cordoned like at banks and theatres. Probably one of those things thai's do that they have no idea how rude and upsetting it is to foreigners. We have our moments too. I remember the story about the guy who got 2 days in the slammer for getting his picture while standing on a Buddha.

[markle]

Beach said:

the word for "rude" in Thai is "yaab khaai,"

'yaab kai' is closer to the 'obscene' or 'vulgar' end of spectrum of 'rude' rather than simple lack of manners.'mai mi/rai marayart' would suffice.

 

A word of warning, some Thais will bite back if you decide to have a go at them like this, but don't let that stop you from your duty.

of course if you really want to get the message across you could say "Po, Mae mai sung son rue ngai?"

[Guest]

of course if you really want to get the message across you could say "Po, Mae mai sung son rue ngai?"

 

I'm not so familiar with your version of "phaasaa karaoke," but I guess you are saying ¾èÃáÃèäÃèÊÑè§ÊùËÃ×Ãä§, and those could be considered fightin' words, depending on who you say it to, so please be careful.

[markle]

I'm not so familiar with your version of "phaasaa karaoke,"

 

Oh my version of pasa karaOK changes daily, depending on the mood I'm in and who I'm talking to. Amazing enough I find that it is no more confusing than any of the other versions out there.

[Guest]

"Perhaps you haven't yet noticed that lines don't always have much value."

 

When in Thailand do they? I've never seen a Thai use the idea of a line before! Look at traffic, movies, vendors,list is longer then Suk...

 

SB

[Guest]

markle said:

"kor tort pom ma gon'(Excuse me I came first) is a start but I wouldn't bother saying anything to the girl, no point losing face by causing a confrontation.

 

 

dunno, but generally the person who looses the face in such a situation is the one who is asked to step back. i very often use that expression, in some extreme cases i say it a lot less polite as well. the situation is that the other part is retreating with a red face, bent head, while everybody around me grins.

if i don't say anything i will lose face.

 

 

 

 

 

if one wants to be really rude (no garantees if one uses that ):

"OY! goo ma gon! mueng mei dong tad na!"

 

but remember - saying that means real trouble, that is the worst sort of gutter thai (and you better look like a thug as well, because the chances are that you might have to back up what you say...). ::

[Guest]

SkiBum said:

 

When in Thailand do they? I've never seen a Thai use the idea of a line before! Look at traffic, movies, vendors,list is longer then Suk...

 

SB

 

 

a generalisation which does not stand up to reality. you got, as in every place in the world, all sorts of people here - ones who are very polite, and others which aren't.

yes, i do see thais who do use lines very often, as well as people not giving a fuck.

 

and basically, if you look at the skytrain stations today, especially siam station, you will see thais lining up now extremely well, while often some farang does not seem to get the concept of the lines there, as happened a few days ago when i was getting in the train.