greedisgood Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Maybe farang never understand :: http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/dec/52.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markle Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 The question is do they want to understand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Cow Jai Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 "...Thai workers are likely to feel kreng jai towards those of higher rank, and work efficiency may be hindered by a Thai feeling too kreng jai to impose on a superior..." Oh brother, is this the truest thing I haver ever read! Sometimes the Thai's will not bring problems (that definately need fixing) to your attention - because they feel it imposes on you and your schedule. This aspect of Kreng Jai, although ironically born out of consideration for others, is my biggest single complaint of Thai people in the workplace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straycat Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Another interesting part from that article: ------------------ 4. Consideration for Foreigners (Distance: boundaries unknown) The interviewees also said they felt kreng jai towards foreigners because they were an unknown quantity. This distance led to what they described as ?consideration?, which involved the avoidance of imposition because boundaries were unknown. Some of those unclear boundaries related to language, and Manop said he knew it was okay to be direct with the native-speaker teachers, but he was not always confident about how to say things appropriately in English. Other unclear boundaries resulted from a lack of intimacy. Jantima (29), a production manager, described the sense of distance when dealing with Western colleagues: ?we don?t know them at all, what they think, what they want?, and explained this was why she felt she had to be more careful when dealing with them. ------------------ That might explain why some Thais look like they're going to pee in their pants when you approach them, although they're working at an information desk, western cuisine restaurant & or any other place where personal interaction, even with westerners, is required. Or why waiters 9.9 times out 10 hand over the bill to my girlfriend although it's clear I'm the one to pay and I asked for the bill in Thai! :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jitagawn Posted December 22, 2002 Report Share Posted December 22, 2002 "Or why waiters 9.9 times out 10 hand over the bill to my girlfriend although it's clear I'm the one to pay and I asked for the bill in Thai! " Yes this is truly annoying but it happens so frequently that somehow one just expects it. The Thais on the other hand fully expect the Farangs to not be able to speak Thai and since we are outsiders they are more comfortable speaking"with one of their own" I have found that after you speak a few sentances well they start to grin and it is fine AFTER they realize your Thai is fluent. But then next come the questions.. HOW LONG YOU STAY THAILAND? YOU HAVE THAI LADY? etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted December 22, 2002 Report Share Posted December 22, 2002 A lot of foreigners are able to speak a few words of thai. You know like hello, how are you, goodby, how much? etc. All travel guide books recommend learning a few words, because the "thais appreciate that very much" They don`t really have any communication skills besides from this, but of course they like to use the little they can. So I`ve often noticed how thais working in a restaurant get to hear a farang ask for the bill in thai. However, that is practically the only word the farang knows. So if they waiter has a question or a remark to the farang he is often met with blank stares of incomprehension. Having tried that a couple of times next time he`ll automatically assume until proven otherwise that the farang is not really capable of speaking thai at all and thus he`ll hand the bill over to his fellow countryman. I have found that after you speak a few sentances well they start to grin and it is fine AFTER they realize your Thai is fluent. But then next come the questions..HOW LONG YOU STAY THAILAND? YOU HAVE THAI LADY? I am not sure if I understand you correctly, but after they realize your thai is fluent, they speak to you in english? :: Not that that couldn`t happen, some thais are pretty proud to speak english and will take every opportunity to practice with a foreigner and thus prefer to speak english even though you speak thai well. Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeng bireley Posted December 23, 2002 Report Share Posted December 23, 2002 II would guess that the waiter/waitress would give the bill to the person who did the actual ordering, the girl ? and most likely also given to the girl so she can read through and check it. Why else give it to the girl shes obviously not the one whos going to pay the bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straycat Posted December 23, 2002 Report Share Posted December 23, 2002 I find the way Thai waiters hand over the bill extremely annoying. It's an excellent oppurtunity for a tiny wee bit of interaction with a farang -- but, no, in general, no way in hell, they'll do it... Anyhow, my 'favourite' question from Thais: HOW MUCH YOU PAY? (and points at shoes, shirt, vehicle, jewellery or what ever) In my country it's 'mai supaap' (not polite) to ask someone what they've paid for stuff. Apparantly, not so in Thailand. This is also very annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasmine Posted December 24, 2002 Report Share Posted December 24, 2002 Hi, [color:"red"] HOW MUCH YOU PAY? (and points at shoes, shirt, vehicle, jewellery or what ever) In my country it's 'mai supaap' (not polite) to ask someone what they've paid for stuff. Apparantly, not so in Thailand. This is also very annoying. [/color] Straycat, in Thailand, those questions are considered an "ice breaker", just like we talk about weather here in the West. I know that those questions will not be asked with the Thais if these people realize the "class" differences (not intend to soud like a snob here). another question is "Pai nai?" which my husband finds it annoying, me too at times, but I just point a direction and mumble something. I have learned that to ask the price here in the USA is to re-word the sentence and I usually get the answers. "Kreng jai" is more of saving face behaviour in many context, however it can also means respect. Here, in the States, the Asians are believed to be non-aggressive and many believe that we cannot be leaders because the way most Asians are too circumspect or careful to bring problem to light. I don't know exactly why, one is for fear of authority is for sure. I had one employee with a PhD from Mainland China, who would not contradict anyone if they were wrong. We lost 2 weeks time in a Year 2000 project because of this annoying habit for even though he knew we were going to the wrong direction, we did not speak up!!! Then, there is people like me who can become "too aggressive" and I am trying to improve it. Most of my friends already told me that I cannot work in Thailand :: Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greedisgood Posted December 25, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2002 j., "Most of my friends already told me that I cannot work in Thailand" I sent this link to my language teacher in the US. She is a Chula grad but has been in the US for 20 years now. Her reply: Bu**Sh*t. She hated it. She cannot stand how some of her friends in the workplace (fellow Thai ex-pats) will not stand up and speak up I have told her many times she could never go back home to work. :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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