Category: Thai Society/Culture

I just finished reading Narrative of a Residence in Siam, a book written by a chap named Fred Arthur Neale in the 1850s. It was, in a word, excellent. The author voices many opinions about Thailand that I can relate to 150 years later, and was a skilled writer.
Actually, the full name of the book is Narrative of a Residence at the Capital of the Kingdom of Siam; With a Description of The Manners, Customs, and Laws of the Modern Siamese by Fred Arthur Neale, Formerly in the Service of his Siamese Majesty; Author of “Eight Years in Syria, Palestine, and Asia Minor.”
It was originally published in 1852 and the version I found at Nam’s university library is the second reprint, which was retypeset as well. For a paperback, this book is gorgeous:


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One of the many passages that struck a chord (although these are not the author’s own words, he is quoting another):
SIAMESE LOVE OF GAMBLING
The Siamese love gaming to such an excess as to ruin themselves and lose their liberty, or that of their children; for, in this country, whoever has not wherewith to satisfy his creditor, sells his children to discharge his debt; and if this is insufficient, he himself becomes a slave.
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I can’t recommend this book to people interested in the history and culture of Thailand enough; if you want a taste, it seems that Cornell has a complete scan of the book online although their servers are a bit slow at the moment.

This week is the final week for both my regular and weekend classes; the last final for my last class is tomorrow and I just threw a pretty good one together.
I will make a rather blanket statement here and say that Thai students are pretty bad cheaters. Not only is cheating rampant, it’s so rampant that I suspect it must be ignored or even allowed by some of their other teachers*, hence the students are quite bad at it.
I was a pretty good cheater when I went to school(which is not to say I cheated a lot, just that I never got caught – except once when my dad busted me with a “borrowed copy” of a Teacher’s Book for pre-calc in high school), so I know what I’m talking about. And (hold on, let me get on my high horse here) since I’m here to give these kids a well-rounded education, I basically throw down the gauntlet by telling them: I don’t care if you cheat. Cheat all you want. But don’t get caught. It will end badly for you.
To date, I’ve caught two.
They’ve never been seen or heard from again (I sent them to the cornfield, yo).
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*Not only do I suspect it; a teacher was apparently found to have helped a large number of students cheat last term… and wasn’t fired.

From one of my student’s speeches this year: “I much prefer the wide open rice fields and simple homes of my country village to the confusion and chaos of Bangkok, where the skyline is broken up by ugly skycrappers.”
…Another proud graduate of the School of Justin.

…and I can’t take them back, so I might as well make them public:
“If you make my wife cry again, I’ll make you cry.” * **
So this is what it feels like to be Jack Bauer…
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* This offer expires never.
** Get yours while supplies last!

I saw a two-ton water buffalo almost get hit by a speeding two-ton pickup this afternoon. I couldn’t help but wonder who would have walked away from an accident like that. Maybe Luke Cage. Of course, if Luke Cage drove in Thailand, he’d be getting out of the car every five minutes to smash the shit out of people who cut him off, suddenly decided to pull a U-turn in the middle of the street, or some other unthinkably dangerous shit. Homeboy would be poppin’ off like firecrackers, yo.

Note: It seems that John Singleton is making a Power Man movie called “Luke Cage”. (The gem on that page: “This plot synopsis is empty.”)