11/27/07
I just hung up on my short phone call to a Thai client, Khun Sawat. I made an appointment with him for tomorrow's immigration service. I will be his interpreter to help him with legal issues. His last sentence was, "oh ho, I will see a beautiful woman tomorrow." I stopped and took a deep breath. "I am opposite to what you will call, "beautiful," I said. "You have a sweet voice, you must be beautiful," he insisted. " I am not," I declined.
This is an irritating conversation that I haven't heard in a while, probably 2-3 years since I have been away from Thailand. Hearing this kind of dialogue bothers me now.
Those kinds of comments are considered "pood len," in Thai or "just joking" in English. Thais love to do this no matter how formal the context might seem to be; we can always make things "light." We want to make sure that we feel totally comfortable and relaxed when we meet. We want to create a friendly environment. Sometimes, we forget that "pood len" leads to a disaster, not joy.
I was finishing up my last bowl of spicy Thai ramen. On the table, there is my favorite Thai seasoning, fish sauce, and also several boxes of muslie on the table. It is hard to believe that I am stepping in and out of the Thai and American world every day.
Do I belong to the fish sauce community or am I more comfortable with muslie?
What do I actually feel when I heard the comment from Khun Sawat? What does beauty mean?
I have yet to discover many things.
TAN
I just hung up on my short phone call to a Thai client, Khun Sawat. I made an appointment with him for tomorrow's immigration service. I will be his interpreter to help him with legal issues. His last sentence was, "oh ho, I will see a beautiful woman tomorrow." I stopped and took a deep breath. "I am opposite to what you will call, "beautiful," I said. "You have a sweet voice, you must be beautiful," he insisted. " I am not," I declined.
This is an irritating conversation that I haven't heard in a while, probably 2-3 years since I have been away from Thailand. Hearing this kind of dialogue bothers me now.
Those kinds of comments are considered "pood len," in Thai or "just joking" in English. Thais love to do this no matter how formal the context might seem to be; we can always make things "light." We want to make sure that we feel totally comfortable and relaxed when we meet. We want to create a friendly environment. Sometimes, we forget that "pood len" leads to a disaster, not joy.
I was finishing up my last bowl of spicy Thai ramen. On the table, there is my favorite Thai seasoning, fish sauce, and also several boxes of muslie on the table. It is hard to believe that I am stepping in and out of the Thai and American world every day.
Do I belong to the fish sauce community or am I more comfortable with muslie?
What do I actually feel when I heard the comment from Khun Sawat? What does beauty mean?
I have yet to discover many things.
TAN
