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Gifts for parents?


drogon

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drogon said:

I would like to know what gifts are apreciated for a first time meeting with thai parents?

 

thx for the info (and no I will not offer a new house)

 

Don?t bring anything and be sure to leave whatever western concepts back where you came from. These are people with which you have nothing in common and have no idea of what their lives have been like. One thing for sure, they don?t bring a bottle of wine when they come to dinner at friend?s house. Sit there, smile, when your gf ask for money, sit there smile and give it to her. Have you practiced your squat toilet skills? How about a cold splash shower? Have you ever been around 20 people with whom you cannot communicate with? How long have you sat through a conversation of which you have not understood a word? 1 hour? 8 Hours? 2 days? If you think your gf is going to do a lot a translating for you, you better rethink.

I again say, don?t bring anything but your cash. Anything else, you will only be upset at what you perceive as lack of appreciation.

TH

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No I am lucky I just visit the mother -> parents divorced a long time ago and she is "close" to her mother only.

(read: she takes care of her mother and that is all)

 

And she already warned me that "mom" likes to talk about anything and everything during hours........

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TH, I could not have said it any better myself.

 

Drogon, if you can't speak Thai and the MIL can read then get her one of those palm top translation devices (think it's called a talking dic)

 

You'll inadvertantly be buying yourself something.

 

Personally, i'd recommend not going until your no longer cunt struck...

 

Fatty.

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MaiSabai said:

good advice TH especially if this is the typical low end farmer family ;)

 

yeah 2 days is probably max time I can do these days in those visits with silence & home rolled cigs :cover:

 

often we forget that not every family is poor and not every TG works on a bar.

So a present must be suitable to the status of the family. But the most important thing you can bring to her family is to be able to speak thai with her parents.

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2 days is my limit as well, then I start to get bored out of my mind. These days the missus can outlast me with only one day, then we need to get out of there.

Considering drogon is paying a visit to the MIL only, definitely forget about liquor, some freeloader will wash it down within the hour anyway, consider bringing dried squid, dried fish, canned fish or any delicacy involving sea food. I have yet to see an isan village dweller not going nuts over presents containing sea food.

Preferably not local products, meaning product available in the general area in which they live, but instead hard to get stuff from the south etc.

 

 

cheers

hua nguu

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Mentors said:

often we forget that not every family is poor and not every TG works on a bar.

So a present must be suitable to the status of the family. But the most important thing you can bring to her family is to be able to speak thai with her parents.

 

Well said. And points worth remembering. Bravo!

 

My former Thai language teacher- a Chula grad from a solidly affluent family- affirmed as much when she related her parents perennial remorse with their Japanese daughter-in-law, who ten years and two grandkids later, still thinks it silly to learn the language.

 

I posted earlier in this thread about a Suntaraporn VCD set I gave recently as a gift (to another middle class family). Well, I took it as the ultimate compliment when my Thai friends sister [who lives at home with the parents] had her convey to me her annoyance at my gift. Seems the parents were listening to it nearly continuously, thereby annoying her to no end. ::

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