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The real way to say something tastes good in Thai Posted by palmisano on Jun 13, 2011
When we go out to eat, or eat over at a friend’s place, often times we’ll be asked ‘how is the food?’ If the food tastes good, the answer is easy. But what if it doesn’t and you find yourself in a moral battle between honesty and politeness? How do you respond to this question…
Losing Face Posted by palmisano on Jun 11, 2011
The concept of ‘losing face’ and ‘saving face’ (เสียหน้า sia5 naa3) will take you years to get used to, particular because western culture frowns upon it. But if you are going to keep your mental sanity from the constant attacks of cultural shock, and wish to truly integrate yourself into Thai society, you must both…
The Way of the Wai Posted by palmisano on Jun 2, 2011
I’m will assume that my readers know what the Wai is, the motion where you clasp your hands in a praying motion to say ‘hello’. At least, that’s what you are told when you first come to Thailand. However that’s very much an oversimplification, to the point of being almost completely wrong. It’s actual a…
Thai Body Language, Part 2 Posted by palmisano on May 29, 2011
Learn Thai body language.
Thai Body Language, Part 1 Posted by palmisano on May 25, 2011
Learn about Thai body language.
How to read/write in Karaoke Posted by palmisano on May 22, 2011
What is karaoke? Is it standing up in front of a crowded room poorly singing a song on the video screen? Well, yes, but it has another meaning as well. In Thailand, karaoke is also those seemingly random English letters at the bottom of the Thai music video.
Mai Bpen Rai Posted by palmisano on May 20, 2011
This is another beginner article. I’d like to talk about the phrase ไม่เป็นไร (mai3 bpen1 rai1). If you do not know this phrase already, you should. There are several ways to translate it, such as ‘no big deal’, ‘whatever’, ‘no problemo’, ‘thanks, anyways’, ‘no sweat’, etc.