Pick Your Own Definition

Longtime expats here inevitably develop pet theories about the differences between Thailand and wherever home used to be. A Brit I met on a Siam Society trip earlier this month likes to talk about what he terms the respect continuum.

His idea is that Easterners and Westerners often find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to privacy and tolerance. For example, it’s not unusual here for a late night party to intrude on others’ personal space—loud music after hours doesn’t lead to calling the police, as it might in the West. The Thai attitude in this case is live and let live.

This fellow calls that attitude disrespectful. But he also knows that Thais mean no disrespect when they engage in community fun that compromises others’ “rights,” such as the water throwing that happens every year at Songkran. He might even admit that being alone here is rare, and considered something to be avoided if possible.

Furthermore, he admires what he feels is a high acceptance in Thailand of people who are different from the norm. He says Thais are much more willing than Europeans to show consideration to gays, different religions, foreigners, and so on. As Aretha sang:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me

Gotta Start Somewhere

Jip’s caregivers are trying to eat healthier. I have to smile listening to them talk about it. Right under their noses is somebody who always gets her 5 to 9 daily servings of fruits and veggies, who loads up on fiber every morning, keeps her total fat intake way under a third of her total calories, and regularly eats sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Jip could pretty much write the handbook on nutrition.

Yet for her caregivers, turning over a new dietary leaf means daily doses of chlorophyll liquid supplement. According to the label on the bottle, chlorophyll is a good “odor neutralizer.”

(To be fair: lots of Thai people have fallen into poor eating habits over the past couple of decades. Especially in urban Thailand, fast foods and suspicious snacks are much more readily available than during my first trip here in 1986, when I recall the opening of a Dunkin Donuts shop being a huge deal. Back then, more people ate more like Jip does now. Today, Ministry of Public Health Ministry people always tell our office that while they appreciate the U.S. assistance with infectious diseases, their bigger concerns are diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer.)