25 replies to this topic

[WannaGo]

I'm curious about how Thais use the word "farang" to refer to Westerners. When you guys hear it used, is it a neutral term that just indicates someone is foreign, or does it carry an insult, the way "gaijin" does in Japan and "gweilo" does in China?

[Wino]

I feel farang is more of a neutral word to describe a white-skinned foreigner. I would think, in some situations, it could be seen as a put-down. I do not speak more than a few words of Thai and so I am no expert.

[patong]

Yes, I agree with Wino. I don't think that the word Farang has any insult intended. I believe it first came from a Thai pronunciation of 'francais'. Yes, I just Goggled frang and it's well described in Wikipedia. Here is the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farang

[lvdkeyes]

The interesting thing is "farang" is also the Thai word for guava.

[Wino]

lvdkeyes, on 26 October 2009 - 06:42 AM, said:

The interesting thing is "farang" is also the Thai word for guava.

Why is that interesting? I have read that the fruit was brought to Thailand by Portuguese traders, therefore the people called the fruit farang. Do you think that is a positive, negative or neutral?

[lvdkeyes]

It is neutral.

[Beer Chang]

I agree neutral.

And Thais calling men of African heritage "chocolate man" is merely descriptive, not been to be offensive.

[WannaGo]

lvdkeyes, on 26 October 2009 - 06:42 AM, said:

The interesting thing is "farang" is also the Thai word for guava.

Wonder if it has anything to do with Western men being shaped like guava...narrow at the top, wide at the bottom.

Interesting that the term is used neutrally. I know that some Asian countries aren't necessarily fond of white foreigners. I was reading somewhere the other day that there are clubs/restaurants in Japan that only allow Japanese customers and will block non-Japanese at the door.

[lvdkeyes]

I have been to Japan and I was not allowed into certain places because I am white and I was told that point blank.

[Wino]

lvdkeyes, on 27 October 2009 - 12:28 AM, said:

I have been to Japan and I was not allowed into certain places because I am white and I was told that point blank.

What an awful feeling to be rejected because of the color of your skin. You can empathize with the black man in the Deep South during the civil rights struggle.

[Wino]

The only time I take offense at the farang word is when a Thai that has been introduced to me (knows my name or should know it) continues to use farang instead of my name.

[finebyme]

In the Philippines, we greet Americans using "Hey, Joe" or "Hey, man". We refer to them as "kano", which is taken from the word Amerikano. We have this thing of being overly excited about foreigners. We would even dare converse with them using our crooked version of the English language, and not ashamed of it.

[lvdkeyes]

I worked with a pinoy nurse who had failed her state boards exams. The psyche test is what got her. I talked to her about it and she said the test used American slang which she didn't always understand. I asked her for an example. She said the question was; "You are the nurse and your patient says to you,"I am at the end of my rope." What would you say to the patient?" She said, "All I could picture was a man holding on to the end of a rope. What the hell was I supposed to say?"

[Thaifan]

I have lived in many Asian countries and have never felt farang is used in an offensive way here in Thailand but agree that is not the case in HongKong, China and Japan. The only time I came across being turned away in Japan was in gay establishments where some places are reserved for 'sticky rice' so I wasn't offended.

[eleothegreat]

finebyme, on 27 October 2009 - 07:53 AM, said:

In the Philippines, we greet Americans using "Hey, Joe" or "Hey, man". We refer to them as "kano", which is taken from the word Amerikano. We have this thing of being overly excited about foreigners. We would even dare converse with them using our crooked version of the English language, and not ashamed of it.

Yes, I hate it when I hear people in the streets call out to foreigners passing by. Even if they don't know the person they'd shout out, "Hey Joe!" (taken from the Tv series GI Joe). But I think that it's usually the lower class, especially men who hang out in the streets who do this.

[Wino]

eleothegreat, on 06 November 2009 - 04:21 AM, said:

Yes, I hate it when I hear people in the streets call out to foreigners passing by. Even if they don't know the person they'd shout out, "Hey Joe!" (taken from the Tv series GI Joe). But I think that it's usually the lower class, especially men who hang out in the streets who do this.

Although some may resent being called "Hey, Joe" by a stranger, I would try to look at it in the best light and not take it as an insult.

[WannaGo]

Thaifan, on 06 November 2009 - 02:24 AM, said:

...some places are reserved for 'sticky rice'...

What does this term mean?

[Wino]

Sticky rice means asians that prefer asian partners, or Thais that prefer Thai partners.

[WannaGo]

Wino, on 09 November 2009 - 01:19 AM, said:

Sticky rice means asians that prefer asian partners, or Thais that prefer Thai partners.

LOL...that's pretty cute.

[Wino]

The other side of sticky rice would be sticky potato, farangs that only like farangs.