Cultural anthropology
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Comparing Western Mafias with Thailand and Singapore. Thailand’s layback attitude, mai pen rai, is conducive to the creation and maintenance of mafias. Thais believe it is wrong to challenge the mafias that exist here. They want to avoid any conflict with their “betters”, the élite, and the government. For that reason, most Thais generally accept government…
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Today’s short story in the Beyond the Bamboo Curtain series of Thailand topics. Readers will see that Thais have a strong sense of being born Free, and the importance of Thailand’s hierarchical feudal structure. “Freedom to Spit” was a term Carol Hollinger used in her excellent book, Mai Pen Rai Means Never Mind. Still a classic best-seller on…
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When Nok and Duangjai bought their dream home, they didn’t realise a paint-spraying company was about to build a spraying unit next to their land. This true short story in the Beyond the Bamboo Curtain series explains how they dealt with the problem. Even a light breeze can carry the unpleasant smell of paint into…
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How unforeseen events can force a change of plan Because there’s much I need to do in the house, in the garden, and for my writing, I always plan a schedule for the week ahead—then watch it wobble, warp, or wither by morning. When asked by a journalist why his government promises weren’t being kept…
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Today, we look Behind the Bamboo Curtain at why so many Thais believe in ghosts and the supernatural. Many foreigners have questioned whether Thais are Buddhists or ancestor-worshippers. Chai, one of Ying’s friends, died today. He was only 42. She got a phone call at 7 o’clock from a work colleague. News travels with nimble…
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Don’t worry about the technical term projected vilification—today’s episode in the Behind the Bamboo Curtain series describes Suda’s fury when her husband hit her dog, and how she dealt with it. I was surprised some weeks ago when I read a post on Suda’s Facebook page, just beneath a picture of her son’s pet. Today…
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Does Thailand accept second-best? Is there too much mai pen rai here? “Beyond the Bamboo Curtain” takes a look in today’s post. Why the tools we rely on often fall short—and what that says about global tech hierarchies I drive a Mazda. The quality is okay, but I was stunned to find that the same…
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Look Behind the Bamboo Curtain and you’ll often be surprised by what you find. Things are seldom what they seem in Thailand. The carpenter had left some papers on top of a corner cabinet he’d almost finished building. He’d put away his tools, cleaned where he’d been working, and was making ready to go home.…
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Today’s entry in the Beyond the Bamboo Curtain series strikes a different note from recent stories. I hope readers enjoy. Listen for the sounds of Thailand when you visit or stay here. Particularly in rural Thailand. The sounds tell stories that sights alone cannot. Have I missed any sounds out? Let me know in the…
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When I had a problem with Chamnaan’s poor building work, I suggested what I thought was a reasonable price for the work completed and the cost of rectification. I agreed the figure with Chamnaan in front of the pooyaibaan, the village headman. You can’t complain publicly about a bad builder or his poor workmanship in…