If Farang is a fruit...?

Question

Yes, I know it is a fruit, but the point I find interesting is that though they do not use the term negatively, in a culture that values being polite - it is actually kind of rude and thai will admit that too if confronted...And no, it really is no big deal nor does it bother me much.. It is simply one of many contradictions here.. it is rude to be talking about someone behind their back thinking they will not understand - yes, I speak Thai and for those who do not - a friend on line at 7-11 heard a woman tell her son, if you don't stop crying the farang will hit you.. to which he turned and told the boy, this is not true. I will not hit you.. So, if the people are talking abt the fruit in the mkt - why do I almost never hear them saying "sapporot, sapporot, sapporot" behind my back? Thanks for all prior response and let me know of any other contradictions that you find?

Maybe below is the only one who got the question.. Everyone has experienced prejudice - - this is not a ? abt that - though the examples below are one shot deals and if you walk through a mkt with a farang you are guaranteed to hear it over and over.. all the time.. But, it is a question abt contradictions and I would like to know of others that you see - - I really do not have any big thing abt being called a farang, the word does not bother me - being talked abt behind my back by people who profess to be champions at being polite.. that is more to the point of contradiction -

Answer 1

I understand your feeling of contradictions. Thais are generally very polite people, and you would expect tactfulness as part of that politeness but no, they would tell you in your face that you've put on weight/ you don't look good/what happen to your haircut/ you look fat etc but in a sense, they mean it in a kind way, like they noticed you, but it sure didn't feel kind to me.

Also, given how a HUGE majority of them are Buddhist, and there are 5 mandates of Buddhism that EVERYONE is expected to follow as a normal human being (as opposed to the 200 over mandates a monk is to observe), it seems like quite a few are easily broken.
1. Do not steal. (do you know how many time I had my motorbike helmets stolen while parked at a public location???? Not to mention anything I left within reach to the outside world inside my balcony. All stolen!!)
2. Do not lie. (do you know how many friends of mine are married to unfaithful husbands who have lovers outside and are lying to their faces about it???)
3. Do not over-indulge in alcohol. (once again, Thai men and Thai whisky are best friends.)
4. Do not over-indulge in sex or have unnatural sex. (like once again, there is a third gender here in Thailand, cut and pre-cut included, and maybe this is a sex capital of Asia??)
5. Do not do harm to others. (Do I have to mention all the youthful fights, the drunken brawls, the jealous fits etc?)

Answer 2

I understands your frustrations. But trust me, we, Thai, never want to insult anyone. Some Thai still perceived foreigners esp. the one with red, yellow and brown heads as someone with higher status. Whenever a Thai walks in with a foreigner to a business meeting, it is always perceived that the foreigner is the boss/decision maker when in fact, the boss is the Thai.

About your incident with a lady at 7-11, please don't think too much. It can happen to anyone not only to a foreigner. She just use you to scare her son because you might be the only one there or she knows that her kids will definitely scare of you. And about being a butt of a joke or gossip-prone among Thai, I agree that it is rude and that noone regardless of nationality should be treated that way. However, I think this sort of incidence can happen in every society/ country esp. when you are the stranger in a foreign country. I was educated in an international school and I recall being called a "Mongoloid" and being laughed at by American and European Students. Well, it was something I had to live with since one will automaticly become a strange or an outlaw if one don't speak the so-called universal language.

Lastly, the origin of the word "Farang" doesn't come from the fact that foreigners look like farang (guava). Thai started using the word back hundred years ago durinf King Narai era when the first group of foreigners who came to Siam were the French. French called themselves "Francais". So, the Thai derived the word to "Farang Ses" and refer a foreigner as a "Farang". Comprende?

Answer 3

Thai people take not creating inconveniences for other people very seriously. This is good. Why is it then that when I make an appointment a Thai person can easily be 1 or 2 hours late. It will be shrugged off with a "there was a traffic jam" or "the bus was late". Wasting an hour or two of my time is inconvenient for me and it would be much more considerate (kind) if they were on time. Making someone wait (the result of which is not planning ahead - everyone knows traffic is bad) doesn't seem to be considered as making an inconvenience where is some other countries - hec, all other countries - it would be considered very inconsiderate.

Answer 4

If you are as old as I am, you will recall that an insult in the US in the 1960s was to call someone a "fruit". Maybe this is where it came from!

Seriously, "farang" is generally only a mild insult. Most countries need a slang term for referring to other people. I can think of a lot worse than "farang"!

Answer 5

Jackie is right about a thai that is mistaken as an employee and a Farang as a boss. In 2005 I contacted a business broker in Thailand to see a business for sale during my visit there. The broker who's a Farang drove me to the place and showed me around. Since I was interested in the business, so I carried a notebook with me to note down information during the visit and some of my observations of the place so I can discuss it with my husband in the US. (Note: I'm thai) One of the business' employees asked me in Thai before we left, if the "Farang" boss would be interested in hiring the current employees if he buys the place. I was confused for a minute and then it came to me that she thought the broker was the potential business buyer and I was his secretary or a broker. In my opinion, a foreigner especially one with caucasian features and well dressed is well accepted and much respected than a thai. Another incident was during our family vacation in Thailand 4 years ago, I was mistaken as a maid or nanny. My son has an oriental features except for his pink skin and he was called 'Farang' just like my husband. I also was referred as "Chinese" in the US during a Disney World vacaton in Florida by a group of American adults and kids in a ride's waiting line. My husband then turned around and educated them that I'm not Chinese and yes I have an asian heritage but I'm an American just like them. As for me, I didn't think of correcting them but just thought that they're so ignorant and thought that I didn't undertand English because of my look. So don't mind being called a 'farang' there in Thailand just as I don't mind being called "chinese" during my school years and till these days in the US.

Answer 6

farang (foreiner) is from "francais" or "france" 'cause in the old time we contacted a lot with french people.

take it easy.
not be serious about what u faced and will face.
normally thai people don't mean to rude with u. thai is very good sense of humour,thai love to joke about eveything,and of course sometime is too much and a kind of sick joke. but indeed they don't want to be rude.

when i'm out of my country, i got the same problem (well,not really the same,but similar) ,or maybe more than what u get now.
i'm thai,thai girl. of course people in another country alway talk that thai girls are sexy and most of thai girl are prostitute. some time some guy act very rude and nasty with me 'cause they think that all thai girls is very easy for sex.

u see what a really rude that i got. but i don't pay attention much. 'cause i know that who i am,i'm not what they think.
so i just ignore them and thier very dirty jokes. then look for another better thing while my trip.

Answer 7

I guess the example in the 7-11 may not be indicative of the tHai being rude. I used to wear uniform and in public, mother with kid will usually use me as an example to scare their kids into obedience, which sometimes I comply

I guess as foreigners tend to be of bigger build, it will be convenient to use to scare their kids with!

I understand your feeling of contradiction in an Asian country. Frankly, being Asian, I do note this happening in Chinese culture, even Malay, with regards to foreigner. It is just a subject of interest and of course the embarassment that follows when the locals realise that the foreigners understand their language!

Envy? Most probably, and also a good conversation topic!

I believe this happens in many countries, not only in Thailand.

Answer 8

Spanky don't sweat the small stuff. We do have a few farang fruits here in thailand.

Answer 9

"Farang" is a generic Thai word for someone of European ancestry, so basically it's Thai slang for white people.