Originally Posted by
Peter4
And, if you are Negro, Asian, East Indian, Arab, or a woman of any race, the following won't much apply to you, either. ...
I'll assume the people you will meet are sophisticated business people with experience in Western countries, or at least, they watch Western movies and TV. ...
If they don't reach out to shake hands, don't you do it.
They may not know quite how to respond. ...
When you get to Thailand look around: people who are socially dominant, even in just the setting of a business meeting, rarely smile.
Smiling is a sign of submission, as well as a form of greeting. ...
In Thailand, direct eye contact is considered rude.
In some cases, direct eye contact is considered an invitation to a fight and will generate a response of hostility, ...
Quite often I read your posts and find myself wondering if you're really living in the same country as I lived and worked in.
You make it sound like Thailand is populated by inscrutable and irritable kung-fu ninjas out to cheat you in every way they can, and who will chop you to pieces with meat cleavers if you hold your pinky at the wrong angle. I, and I'll dare presume most of the regulars here on this forum, find Thais a pleasant, easy-going bunch who like to joke around and have fun, and who are mostly quite tolerant of the little social boo-boos of us farangs. (How many countries are there in this world that would tolerate a circus like Patpong for years on end?) Following your recommendation to sit in a meet with a perma-frown on your face and a gaze fixed firmly on the papers in front of you will make seem intimidating, and while this might be appropriate if your daughter has been kidnapped and you're negotiating the ransom, it's
not going to make you any friends or build a future business relationship.