Kin Khao?

Feb 11, 2002: Kin Khao. It means "have you eaten?" (lit. "eat rice"). An expression shared with (or maybe originating from) China, it underscores the importance of food in the the society. And rice.

Today was business as usual, sort of: got the bus, no problem. Arrived early (as usual). We spent more time in class on the "getting more information" phrases like "How do you say that in Thai" ("Nii puut paasaah thay riakwaa aray krap?" ("this speak language Thai method what, please*?"), so that I can ask questions, maybe even get useful answers, make mistakes and learn. I found a good phrasebook Saturday, not that a phrase book is what a language learner needs (it's more Tourist focused), but it has a good vocabulary, words in English, transliterated, and in Thai script, and it uses the transliteration system that my Teacher uses. Oh, and cheap too! And pocket-sized. All in all an excellent find, even if I had to walk hours in the the sun on the hottest day so far this year... 

Meanwhile back to the rice-eating (I'll try to make this brief; I'm hungry now). Went to Heifer as usual but before lunch this time, stopping at the post office to mail some things off. They're farang friendly, especially when you can spout a modicum of Thai with them. Farang dii! Goood Foreigner. Went out to lunch. Twenty-two baht for noodles with pork & fish balls. Ok, I like fish balls. Just about 50c. 

The remaining Heifer staffers are headed for Bangkok (by bus, 13 hours overnight) then on a study tour to various stops in the center of Thailand. I get a week+ with nothing scheduled for my afternoons, plus I have a vacation scheduled starting next Friday. Around 3 in the afternoon, Village Headmen (about 15 of 'em) from all over northern Thailand start converging on the office. They're dressed in quite the array of clothes, from western to one guy wearing ankle-height culottes (something between a dress and shorts).  It was bizarre. I mean, I'm in a business office, and all  of a sudden the Sioux, Apache, Nabnassett, Lakota and Navaho Chiefs all arrive at the local Denny's, in their tribe's ceremonial costumes. It was a Kodak moment, alas it would have been a bit rude (and I didn't have my camera). 

Each time somebody new came in it was time to wai in, so to speak. The wai (actually pronounced "why") is the Thai version of a handshake (although they did some of that too) — and I feel at my most foreign around it. To wai or not? There are subtleties to it (how high you place your hands (in a prayer-like position), how deep you bow your head). They don't expect it from farang, yet its so universal to their society. Imagine you go into an office and everybody but one person shakes hands with you. What do you think about that person? I nod, try to look other than bewildered.

To bring thematic closure to this page, the first thing my Heifer colleague says to the visitors after "hello" is... kin khao? The Villagers have probably spent several hours traveling, and not on the best of roads. A few wash up in the office. But everybody is hungry.The office has some snacks, coffee etc. Soon gone.

*krap (ka, for women) doesn't literally mean "please'. It's an honorific. Think of it like "sir" or ma'am.