CultureShock! Thailand

Culture Shock!

by Robert Cooper

CultureShock! Thailand is the complete guide for those who wish to make sense of the fascinating, manifold and often contradictory aspects of this ancient kingdom. Can you tell your tom yum goong from your tom kha kai? Do Buddhist monks eat meat? Why do Thais all seem to call each other “Khun”? When introduced to someone, do you shake hands, wai or do both? What is Buddhist Lent? What is a farang to make of the famous Thai Smile? Whether you’re in Bangkok for business, Hua Hin to soak up the sun, or on a retreat at a forest wat to find inner peace, get the most out of your stay with this essential guide written by an old hand to the intriguing mass of contradictions that is Thailand – the country with so much that is often both calming yet infuriating, passionate yet passive, and chaotic yet beautiful.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Cultural, Asia

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Bro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read the updated version. It was so helpful. I think this book will help you get a feel for the culture. It is a hard one to figure out, but this will help you avoid some of the pitfalls that foreigners fall into most often. There are other books they recommend if you want to know more, but this is a good start. If you plan to visit Thailand you should take some time to figure out where you are going and how you should act.

[Bro · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUST READ or read one like it if you are coming to Thailand. You will fail to make the right impression no matter what you think when you leave. It is not the impression you think you leave that is as important as the one you actually leave. Thais won't tell you what you did wrong, but you will not need them to tell you if you do proper research.

[Andhika Padmawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how the author wrote this book without prejudice. He told what it takes to see Thai people from their perspective. I read this book as a preparation for my trip to Bangkok.

[Jovanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good into guide if you don't know anything about Thai customs and etiquette because the author outlines EVERY aspect of Thai life from a foreign perspective. That said the book feels alittle outdated at times and reads like a yellow phone book from the 80s.

[Mutiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book way earlier before I came to thai and studied thai language. It would've helped me much understanding what I should and should not do.

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Cultureshock Thailand by Robert Cooper et al which is an excellent book which I bought from Amazon. This book is part of the Cultureshock series which is a travel but focuses more on etiquette and customs than tourist attractions. This book is around 350 pages so is a reasonable length. Most people in Thailand follow the Buddhist religion with small amounts being Muslim & Christian. Bangkok is the capital city of a country that is about the size of France with 62 million people. It has a royal family and is the only country in the region not to have been colonized by one of the westernized nations. It has had self government since the 13th century. It's interesting that in the 50's and 60's Thailand was seen as being the industrial powerhouse of Asia with Japan largely going by unnoticed at that time. If you are visiting they say bring as little as possible except for specialist items like any special medication because you can buy almost anything cheaper in Thailand and it has a huge manufacturing base. Thais tend to smile a lot and often will give you a little smile and a nod instead of saying thank you. It's there custom and you will find although they tend to be polite they aren't as talkative as westerners. In Thailand they also have something called a wai which it is safest to reserve for monks and people much older than you. It's similar to a man bowing or a woman curtzeying to the Queen in Britain. I think basically you put your hands together and bow. You must be careful not to do it to people who consider themselves of a lower station than you like street vendors or servants as they will be embarrassed. Men in Thailand are also more pal like than in the west and will think nothing of going down the street linking arms. Much to many westerners amusement. Few westerners will need to rent a car in this country and if you do have to you can get a chauffer driven one reasonably priced. The roads especially in Bangkok tend to be horrendous. It's also expensive if you have an accident. There are taxis which charge a set price per mile or kilometre. Tuk tuk's are small open taxi's where you negotiate a price and at least in theory should be cheaper than a taxi. There is also bus and train networks. There are also motorcycle taxi's where you must wear a helmet by law and they will often take you down a major road for a set fee and are especially common in Bangkok. I really enjoyed reading this book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

[Susie]

Just finished reading this again in preparation for the team this summer and for working in a different area of the country. It's full of great reminders and great tips for what we will encounter especially outside of the city. I always come away with more understanding, and it's interesting to the different things that stand out to me each time I read it. I know I will be faced with a lot of these more "traditional" customs and traditions of the Thai people as they're more common outside of Bangkok and some other major cities.

[Giddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series, and am sad they are no longer being updated. While I am extremely unlikely to ever go to Thailand, I'm always interested in the way cultures other than my own, navigate the vicissitudes of life. I got interested in Thai culture because of watching some Thai tv series. I've found that reading this has helped make sense of some plot twists I found completely baffling. (OF course some things continue to be baffling.) I'm sure much has changed since the book was written. IF anyone knows of a similar series, I'd love some recommendations.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems like it did a good job of doing what it was supposed to do, which is prepare the average Westerner for life in Thailand. I guess the real evaluation will be done when we get there. Though I feel it did a good job, and I doubt I could find a better book to do that, it wasn't a very enjoyable book to read...I'd rather have learned about Thailand from someone whose perspective was a little closer to mine.

[Bro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read for understanding culture in Thailand. Before a visit, business and especially relationships here you need to read thsi informative book to HELP avoid misunderstandings. You will still have them, but you may understand a little more this way. Duane Gardner is also great about relationships and business across culture.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is helpful (after vising Thailand many times I finally decided to educate myself more). However , I would have liked it more if there information was more practival and less poetic as some parts could have been much shorter. It would be also good to have more updated information as some hints seem to be from the 60's.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to this book, I would probably not make laughable farang mistakes. This made me more interested to see the place (in a few days). Note that this is not a language book. You can pick up a few terms here but this book will not tell you what you will say exactly for common situations but it will give you good advice on how to act.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning about my new place of residence is always a good plan. I used the "Culture Shock! France" book many years ago and really liked that as well.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Culture shock of Thailand is full of great information about Thailand and thai people and about their lives. Very interesting!!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read that turned out to be quite helpful in Thailand.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good for someone relocated to Thailand. OK for visiting. Interesting, either way.

[Jimmy J. Crantz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a part of my preparation for studying in Thailand, so I want to emphasise before this review that I have not yet actually been there (though I have daily interaction with thai people).

I think I actually got a mild culture shock just from reading the book. Some concepts were explained in a way that I felt gave a stereotypical image of the thai people - but after a few days of reflection, I could sort of shift perspective to see concepts such as non-confrontation, jai yen yen, or house spirits as aspects of culture rather than traits controlling individuals.

I learned alot, and I really enjoyed the cultural quiz at the end of the book. Some things will be valuable to return to and reread (like how pronouns differ with status), or things to keep in mind when visiting a wat.