Cultural anthropology
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Beyond the Bamboo Curtain. Today’s short true story of life in Thailand. There are many dogs on the rural roads of Thailand. Most Thais have dogs roaming in the garden or in the nearby soi (lane). They may be caged or chained at night. Only a few Thais treat their dogs as pets. They generally…
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An example of Thai workmanship from the Beyond the Bamboo Curtain series. Had some builders around last week to build some gates to stop the dogs wandering off. They did a good job erecting the posts firmly in position and upright. The welding on the gate frames had been carefully done. Most Thai workers miss…
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An unusual post in the Behind the Bamboo Curtain series. From years of observation—and conversations with fellow anthropologists steeped in Thai society—I’ve come to a curious conclusion: Most Thais tend to think and act just one step ahead. Not two. Not three. Just one. That’s not to say strategic thinking is absent. I’m sure there are Thai…
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Behind the Bamboo Curtain. Another true story in this series. Our soi is a tight squeeze — just a single narrow track — so we couldn’t get the car out once the police parked their vehicle outside our neighbour’s house. And you never ask armed cops, anywhere on earth, to move their car. They park…
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You’ll see odd things sometimes Behind the Bamboo Curtain. You’ll notice businesses and government departments moving their employees around at short notice. The Thai élite are paranoid that their senior staff will find ways of cheating them. On the other hand, they can sometimes be very caring. Benjawan had been taking a lot of time…
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Beyond the Bamboo Curtain How the owner of a Thai massage parlour is dealing with a police raid on her bar—and the arrest of some of the girls. (The image above is a stock photo, not related to this news item)(A massage shop owner in Prachuap Khiri Khan has accused police officers of raping one…
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What do readers think of today’s episode of Behind the Bamboo Curtain. We’d all like to know your views in the comment box below. Today, Sunantaa told me that Kitaloo, her one year old puppy, had been killed in a road accident. He had escaped from their fenced garden. Unusually for a Thai, she was…
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2 Pattaya Foreigners Fighting While two farangs were brawling outside a bar in Pattaya, the girlfriend of one of the men tried to intervene and break up the fight. 2 Pattaya Foreigners fighting get distracted A couple of Thai women saw this, one seemed to be trying to separate the men while the other, dressed…
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Beyond the Bamboo Curtain: Quality and Cheating in Thailand. All these posts are true and verified. Collected my brush cutter from the repairer today. I’d returned it for an oil leak and starting issues three weeks ago. One week later, same problem. Today, they said they’d finally sorted out the issue. Still wouldn’t start. I…
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Beyond The Bamboo CurtainThis popular series often compares Thai with other cultures. I hope readers find this interesting. Thais enjoy many kinds of witty humour. Wordplay, clever turns, and playful tricks amuse them. They like subtle and deadpan humour. Sarcasm is best avoided — it’s too cutting for their taste. It’s the Greek word for…