Thai people are very shy.
Some western friends of ours met up with two young tour guides. University students in their final year earning some pocket money to help with their college fees. The girls knew some local places of interest which were not well publicised, and took them there. It had been a long day. Surely, they must be thirsty. “What would you like to drink?”
Both of them declined. Even asking what their favourite drink was got no reaction from them.
Our friends asked the restaurant owner how they could get them to accept a well-earned drink.
“Guess”, he said. His answer was spot on. The deep-rooted Thai concept of greng jai, not wanting to be too forward or excessively pushy, was so strong that they would not ask for a drink. The only solution was to get some glasses of coke or other light refreshment, which is what they did. The two youngsters accepted that, but they would have died of thirst before asking.
The visitors were learning fast how cultural differences between Westerners and Thais can be fascinating but not always easy to get a grip of.
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