Thai Culture 101

I started compiling this information not long after I got here and the list has been growing ever since. I wanted to have more of this in my normal posts but I really didn't know how to fit it in.  So instead you get a summary of the Thai Culture in one big post - a la Megan Anton.  I thought it was fitting to post it this week since I have been here for just over seven weeks and I have about seven to go. So here is my take on the Thai culture - smack dab in the middle of my adventure.  Some of this information is common knowledge in Thailand, some I have learned from the experts and some is just my humble opinion.

Religion
Religion is extremely important here.  The country is 95% Buddhist and you don't have to look far to see signs of it. It is said that Bangkok alone has between 400 and 500 temples.  Religion is taught in school, morning prayers are said at assembly every morning and many times there is a small temple on the grounds.  Buddhism in Thailand is influenced by traditional beliefs regarding natural and ancestral spirits.  Offerings of food and water are presented to keep these spirits happy.  Many Thai households own 'spirit houses', a small ornate and colorful house where they believe the household spirits live.  If these spirits aren't happy then it is believed they will inhabit the larger house and cause chaos.  You can find these spirit houses outside of almost every Thai home as well as in public places, where people make public offerings.  Monks are high in the hierarchy of Thai society and demand their own religious protocol.  Thai monks are forbidden to physical contact with women, so therefore women are expected to make way for passing monks to make sure that contact does not accidentally occur.  When making offerings, women place donations at the feet of the monks since directly handing things to the monk is not allowed. 

King
If religion is number one in Thailand, then the king is number two. Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932 and the current king, King Bhumibol Adulyadej or King Rama IX was corrinated in 1946, making him the longest ruling monarch in the world.  The king is well loved and respected through out the country and you can see his picture and flag just about everywhere.   But take this information with a grain of salt for it is a crime to disrespect the king in anyway.  People are still punished for criticizing the king. It is also rude to step on any Thai currency that has fallen on the ground, since the king appears on all money.

Attitude 
As in many Asian cultures, the notion of face is very important in Thailand.  Thai people generally don't show emotion and one should be careful to place blame or do anything to cause another person loose face.  It is very important to stay calm and avoid conflict.  Disagreements and disputes are often settled with a smile and the phrase ‘Mai Pen Rai’ meaning ‘it’s nothing’ or ‘it doesn’t matter.’ This reflects the disposition towards minimizing any arguments whatsoever. The idea of individuality is virtually unknown here.  The society as a whole is more important than the individual members and it is best to follow the crowd.  Children are never taught the phrase 'just be yourself' and 'everybody is special.'  Rather prefer not to stand out from everybody else. 

Head & Feet 
A very important social norm here is the respect shown to a persons head.  It is the highest part of the body and therefor should be respected.  It is rude to touch somebodies head, especially strangers.  (This is a tough one, especially working with children)  It is also considered rude to place your feet above another persons head, mostly because the feet are seen as the least important and dirtiest part of the body.   One should never point with their feet or move anything with them.  You should also never step over people, books or food.  General rule of thumb is to avoid showing the bottoms of your feet to anybody.  (It's harder than it sounds.  I'm always putting my feet on chairs while I'm sitting down or crossing my legs so one foot is flapping around.)

Respect
If the culture of Thailand had to be summed up in one word, for me it would be respect.  Children are taught at a very young age to respect their elders and how to perform a wai, the traditional Thai greeting.  When walking past adults or strangers, children will lower their heads or bend down a little bit.  It is considered very rude to walk proudly past somebody or stand over someone.

Thai culture is also very polite.  When speaking with others, especially strangers, Thais will always add Kha (females) or Krap (males) to the end of the sentence.  After a few exchanges the Kha/Krap is dropped and the conversation carries on.   Sometimes it is used to say 'yes' or agree with somebody; or to mean 'this one please' when pointing at something.  There is no translation for it and it is strictly for politeness. (My boss at my school in Bangkok would often use it even when she spoke English.  I often heard her say "Good Morning Kha")

Beauty
Appearance is very important to the Thais, especially women.  They take pride in their appearance and will go to great lengths to keep their skin out of the sun.  Women often wear removable sleeves when in direct sunlight, and guard their face with umbrellas, newspapers, large hats or whatever they can find. (although this does seem to help with the heat somewhat)  They even go so far as to whiten their skin.  Almost all beauty product come with some sort of whitening agent in them, and I mean all beauty products.  Lotions, sunscreens, face wash, body wash, even deodorants have whiteners.  I have to spend extra time in the beauty department reading labels to make sure I don't accidentally buy something with a whitener in it.  I'm not comfortable bleaching my skin mostly because it's not good for you, but also because I feel like I am pale enough already and I don't need lotions to make me any more pale.  Frankly I'd like to try to get less pale while I'm here if I can.  

Food & Drink
Thai food is notoriously spicy and full of robust flavors, and with over 40 different ethnic groups- Thai food is extremely varied with many different ingredients and preparations throughout the country.   They use a variety of spices such as lime, garlic, lemongrass, basil, cilantro, as well as various types of chilies and curry pastes.  Pork, shrimp, tofu, sausage and chicken are the most common 'meats' in any dish.  It is very rare to find beef here as Buddhists don't believe in eating anything bigger than yourself.  Staples include eggs, rice, and noodles. Vegetables include eggplant, potato, cucumber, tomato, pumpkin, morning glory and bean sprouts.  Thai fruit includes your well known apples, bananas, pineapples and grapes as well as rose apples, guavas, mangoes, limes, coconuts and many many others.

Pork fried rice; red curry soup with chicken, vegetables, and white rice; a spicy papaya salad called Som Tam which features tomatoes, garlic, chili, cucumber and long slivers of papaya; Pad Thai, a fried noddle dish with bean sprouts, egg, cilantro, lime, fish sauce and peanuts are all among my favorite Thai dishes. 

In my opinion, Thai iced tea and coffee are the best there around.  The Thais make a mean iced tea, brewed from strong black tea and sweetened with condensed milk.  Thai iced coffee is brewed using strong black coffee and sweetened with sugar, heavy cream and quickly poured over ice.  Both are sweet, cold and cheap and feel amazing in the sweltering Thai sun.  God bless the Thais!

One of the best parts of eating in Thailand is the condiments.  A variety of sauces and spices are served with each meal such as sugar, sweet chili sauce, dried chili flakes and nam pla (literally means chili water) consisting of fish sauce, garlic, lime juice and chopped chilies.

Thai food is eaten with a spoon in your dominant hand and fork in the other. The fork is used to push food onto the spoon, which is really an efficient system for shoveling tasty Thai food into you mouth.  Chopsticks are only used for noodle dishes or soups.  It is almost impossible to find a knife. 

It is impossible to sum up variety and diversity of any culture's cuisine, especially Thailand.  I have left lots of important things out, (street food, desserts, fried foods, alcohol, I could go on) but this is just small sample of what I have found to be my favorite. 


Other Random Facts: 
Family is very important, as reflected in the language.  There are 4 words for aunt and 4 words for uncle alone, depending on whether it is your mother or fathers older or younger sibling. 

When beckoning people or hailing a cab never gesture with your palm up, rather with your palm down, palm up is reserved for dogs. 

In the Buddhist calender it is the year 2555, but calendars with include both years.  The number 5 in Thai is pronounced 'ha' so sometimes this year is referred to as the laughing year.  Likewise, when Thai's need to shorthand laughing on Facebook or Skype chat, instead of writing 'hahaha' they write 5555.  Kinda cute huh?

Wednesdays are considered to be unlucky in Thailand.  You are advised not to get your hair cut, get married or buy a lottery ticket on Wednesdays.  In the country many shops are only open for half the day or completely closed.  (I'm not quite sure why but I think it has something to do with odd numbers being unlucky) All days of the week carry a significance, with their own color, moon and God and the day of the week you were born on is said to have an influence on your personality and your lucky days and colors.