[1] Thailand's culture has a distinguished reputation especially when it comes to Thai people's manners. Many may question when and how Thai culture was established. In my opinion, the book called “The Courtesies Of Gentle People” written in 1912 by Pia Malakun, probably is one piece of the puzzle that can tell where and how Thai people’s manners and cultures came from. “The Courtesies Of Gentle People” ‘s content is simple, it tells you how to behave gently to be a gentle person. This book has had a huge impact on Thailand in many aspects till the present day which I will describe in the next paragraphs.
[2] Some of you might observe or recognize that Thai people have unique customs of how to behave example, young people need to be the first to pay respect to seniors or people of a higher rank. Another example, In Thai society, when you do some action that considers good Thai people will tell you do not wish for something in return for the good that you just did.
[3] In “The Courtesies of Gentle People” one of the rules in the book state that “The younger person or the lesser rank pay respect to the elder or the higher rank first”. As you can see, there is a resemblance between the content of this book and the example I gave in paragraph 2. Even though this statement was written over a century ago, its effect still lasts among Thai society till the present day.
[4] As I described earlier how the content in this book is still in effect nowadays. As a Thai person, I do personally believe that most people behave according to the book contents without a feeling of enforcement or even thinking about the book itself. The book has created a normalization among Thai society about how Thai citizens should behave if they want to be good people in society. Undoubtedly, individuals who disagreed or do not want to act like what the book says will get a judgment from Thai society that their actions are wrong. Moreover, they might get branded as uncivilized people.
[5] On the one hand, this book has helped built and shape Thai people in so many ways. It would be difficult to imagine what Thailand would be like if this book doesn’t exist. Many articles in this book teach us how to be respectful, considerate, kind, and polite. Those habits of Thais become well known, especially from travelers around the world who feel welcome when they visit Thailand which makes some of them want to come back again. Therefore, the benefits of this book are not only the cultural part it also has effects on the Hospitality and industry too.
[6] On the other hand, in recent years, Thai Society has moved toward the right for everyone to have equality. Even though this book might provide us with decent advice on how to be polite in Thai society, it still contains a lot of outdated content. For example, “The gentleman greets a lady first” While this might seem like a proper idea, I consider this content to be patriarchal and create inequality between genders because I believed that everyone in every gender should get treated similarly.
[7] From my experience, even nowadays when I visited my grandparents, my family always told me to pay respect to my grandmother first, so I believed the sentence that I quote from the book in paragraph six is still working as I can still see this action in the present period.
The relationship between Thainess and “The Courtesies of Gentle People” book.
[8] In “The Courtesies of Gentle People” there are a lot of passages that say the gentle people should be patient. Therefore, lots of Thai culture and food in Thailand are very delicately made or done as being patients become a characteristic of Thai people. For example, Thai snacks like Moo Sarong or Steamed Rice Dumpling, both require time and many ingredients which are rarely found in other cultures.
[9] Moreover, Thainess has a lot involved with the monarchy since the king is the head of the country. Lots of cultures have been influenced by the royal palace, remarkably food. Lots of menus in Thailand were invented by the mistress in the palace because the lady in each palace wants to impress the king with the food as much as they can also to get recognized by the king or queen or member of the royal family.
[10] Another topic I consider is vital to bring up to discuss after reading this book is the social system in Thailand. Many articles in this book include respect towards the people in the higher class in Thailand society, for example in paragraph 3. This is one of the customs in Thailand that people still follow nowadays, especially in the military and the royal family. Thai citizen usually pays a lot of respect to the Royal Family as Thai citizen consider the Royal Family to be in a higher class of Thailand society than a normal citizen. As a matter of fact, Thai people believe that if you work in the government, you will have more stability in your life. Therefore, the one who got an opportunity to work in the government will sometimes consider being in the higher class due to the stability and the connection.
[11] Thailand in 1912 (Siam at that time) was full of many ethnic groups all over each region of the country. Thailand ruled by King Rama 6 at that time also welcomes immigrants from all over the world. So, it is reasonable to assume that Siam society during that era would be chaotic and unorganized due to the arrival and existence of different groups of people in the country. From my perspective, one of this book's purposes is probably to create a peaceful and organized society in that era.
[12] To be concluded, many parts of Thainess are resembled “The Courtesies of Gentle People” book. Thai citizens believe that good people or polite people should act according to the traditions that have been done for a long time. Moreover, some topics can be similarly seen in the book and Thainess, for example, social class, patriarchy, and seniority. Those are the signals that there is a relationship between Thainess and The Courtesies of Gentle People in some aspects of culture.
Adaptation of Thainess in the Hospitality industry.
[13] As I will be working in the hospitality industry in the future, I found that this book has a lot of advantages to learn from. Many messages in “The Courtesies of Gentle People” book is about being a polite, gentle, and respectful person which we all know that those characteristics are very important in the services field. In this type of career, we always need a service mind, and it is not the sense that everyone has. However. Thainess has many involved with people behavior, it teaches us to respect other people, teach us to behave gentle, teach us to think about others, all these examples are an essential personality that I think the one who works in this the hospitality field should have.
[14] Moreover, Thainess has its uniqueness, therefore, if I had a chance to work in a hotel domestically or internationally, it would be a pleasure for me to share this idea with guests for both Thai and Foreign customers. For instance, Thai cuisine which is a part of Thainess is a very popular cuisine around the world so it would be an uplift in experience if I can explain to the client the history behind each dish from what I learned in Thainess. Not only for the food but there are also other many parts of Thainess that I think will be beneficial in the hospitality industry Tradition in Thailand are unique. For example, the way we pay respect to others or as we called “Wai”. This action cannot be found anywhere else in the world so when guests visited Thailand, they feel special by the gesture that they have never seen before.
[15] As I talked earlier about the class system and the seniority system in Thailand, I describe them negatively. However, when looking at the work system in the hospitality field I believed that those seniority and class systems could be beneficial and even make me feel easily adapt to the hotel management environment. We know that the management system in hotels is the pyramid one, every staff reports to the general manager. Therefore, understanding the seniority system would help me easily respect and adapt to the chain of command.
[16] To summarized, Thainess is an important part of Thai society because it is based on what Thai societies are about from our food to our beliefs. In “The Courtesies of Gentle People” book there are many parts that help build the characteristics of Thainess and some of it is still lasting till these days. Although, some of the aspects in Thainess can consider being obsolete and in contradiction of what the younger generation believes in, it is still significant to realize the benefits of it which can be used to adapt in the work environment, particularly in the Hospitality sector.
[1] Thailand's
culture
has a distinguished reputation
especially
when it
comes
to Thai
people
's manners.
Many may
question when and how Thai
culture
was established
. In my opinion, the
book
called “The Courtesies Of
Gentle
People”
written in 1912 by
Pia
Malakun
,
probably
is one piece of the puzzle that can
tell
where and how Thai
people’s
manners and
cultures
came from. “The Courtesies Of
Gentle
People”
‘s
content
is simple, it
tells
you how to
behave
gently
to be a
gentle
person
. This
book
has had a huge impact on Thailand in
many
aspects till the present day which I will
describe
in the
next
paragraphs.
[2]
Some
of you
might
observe or recognize that Thai
people
have unique customs of how to
behave
example
, young
people
need to be the
first
to
pay
respect
to seniors or
people
of a higher rank. Another
example
, In Thai
society
, when you do
some
action
that
considers
good
Thai
people
will
tell
you do not wish for something in return for the
good
that you
just
did.
[3] In “The Courtesies of
Gentle
People”
one of the
rules
in the
book
state that “The younger
person
or the lesser rank
pay
respect
to the elder or the higher rank
first”
. As you can
see
, there is a resemblance between the
content
of this
book
and the
example
I gave in
paragraph
2.
Even though
this statement
was written
over a century ago, its effect
still
lasts among Thai
society
till the present day.
[4] As I
described
earlier how the
content
in this
book
is
still
in effect nowadays. As a Thai
person
, I do
personally
believe
that most
people
behave
according to the
book
contents without a feeling of enforcement or even thinking about the
book
itself. The
book
has created a normalization among Thai
society
about how Thai
citizens
should
behave
if they
want
to be
good
people
in
society
.
Undoubtedly
, individuals
who
disagreed or do not
want
to act like what the
book
says will
get
a judgment from Thai
society
that their actions are
wrong
.
Moreover
, they
might
get
branded as uncivilized
people.
[5]
On the one hand, this
book
has
helped
built and shape Thai
people
in
so
many
ways. It would be difficult to imagine what Thailand would be like if this
book
doesn’t exist.
Many
articles in this
book
teach
us how to be respectful, considerate, kind, and
polite
. Those habits of Thais become well known,
especially
from travelers around the
world
who
feel welcome when they visit Thailand which
makes
some
of them
want
to
come
back again.
Therefore
, the benefits of this
book
are not
only
the cultural
part
it
also
has effects on the
Hospitality
and
industry
too.
[6] On the
other
hand, in recent years, Thai
Society
has
moved
toward the right for everyone to have equality.
Even though
this
book
might
provide us with decent advice on how to be
polite
in Thai
society
, it
still
contains a
lot
of outdated
content
. For
example
, “The gentleman greets a lady
first”
While this
might
seem like a proper
idea
, I
consider
this
content
to be patriarchal and create inequality between genders
because
I believed that everyone in every gender should
get
treated
similarly
.
[7] From my experience, even nowadays when I visited my grandparents, my
family
always
told
me to
pay
respect
to my grandmother
first
,
so
I believed the sentence that I quote from the
book
in
paragraph
six is
still
working as I can
still
see
this
action
in the present period.
The relationship between
Thainess
and “The Courtesies of
Gentle
People”
book.
[8] In “The Courtesies of
Gentle
People”
there are a
lot
of passages that say the
gentle
people
should be patient.
Therefore
,
lots
of Thai
culture
and
food
in Thailand are
very
delicately
made or done as being patients become a characteristic of Thai
people
. For
example
, Thai snacks like Moo Sarong or Steamed Rice Dumpling, both require
time
and
many
ingredients which are rarely found in
other
cultures.
[9]
Moreover
,
Thainess
has a
lot
involved with the monarchy since the
king
is the head of the country.
Lots
of
cultures
have
been influenced
by the
royal
palace,
remarkably
food
.
Lots
of menus in Thailand
were invented
by the mistress in the palace
because
the lady in each palace
wants
to impress the
king
with the
food
as much as they can
also
to
get
recognized by the
king
or queen or member of the
royal
family.
[10] Another topic I
consider
is vital to bring up to discuss after reading this
book
is the social
system
in Thailand.
Many
articles in this
book
include
respect
towards the
people
in the higher
class
in Thailand
society
, for
example
in
paragraph
3. This is one of the customs in Thailand that
people
still
follow nowadays,
especially
in the military and the
royal
family
. Thai
citizen
usually
pays
a
lot
of
respect
to the
Royal
Family
as Thai
citizen
consider
the
Royal
Family
to be in a higher
class
of Thailand
society
than a normal
citizen
. As a matter of fact, Thai
people
believe
that if you
work
in the
government
, you will have more stability in your life.
Therefore
, the one
who
got
an opportunity to
work
in the
government
will
sometimes
consider
being in the higher
class
due to the stability and the connection.
[11] Thailand in 1912 (Siam at that
time)
was full of
many
ethnic groups all over each region of the country. Thailand ruled by
King
Rama 6 at that
time
also
welcomes immigrants from all over the
world
.
So
, it is reasonable to assume that Siam
society
during that era would be chaotic and unorganized due to the arrival and existence of
different
groups of
people
in the country. From my perspective, one of this book's purposes is
probably
to create a peaceful and organized
society
in that era.
[12] To
be concluded
,
many
parts
of
Thainess
are resembled
“The Courtesies of
Gentle
People”
book
. Thai
citizens
believe
that
good
people
or
polite
people
should act according to the traditions that have
been done
for a long
time
.
Moreover
,
some
topics can be
similarly
seen
in the
book
and
Thainess
, for
example
, social
class
, patriarchy, and
seniority
. Those are the signals that there is a relationship between
Thainess
and The Courtesies of
Gentle
People
in
some
aspects of culture.
Adaptation of
Thainess
in the
Hospitality
industry.
[13]
As I will be working in the
hospitality
industry
in the future, I found that this
book
has a
lot
of advantages to learn from.
Many
messages in “The Courtesies of
Gentle
People”
book
is about being a
polite
,
gentle
, and respectful
person
which we all know that those characteristics are
very
important
in the services field. In this type of career, we always need a service mind, and it is not the sense that everyone has.
However
.
Thainess
has
many
involved with
people
behavior, it
teaches
us to
respect
other
people
,
teach
us to
behave
gentle
,
teach
us to
think
about others, all these
examples
are an essential personality that I
think
the one
who
works in this the
hospitality
field should have.
[14]
Moreover
,
Thainess
has its uniqueness,
therefore
, if I had a chance to
work
in a hotel
domestically
or
internationally
, it would be a pleasure for me to share this
idea
with guests for both Thai and Foreign customers.
For instance
, Thai cuisine which is a
part
of
Thainess
is a
very
popular cuisine around the
world
so
it would be an uplift in experience if I can
explain
to the client the history behind each dish from what I learned in
Thainess
. Not
only
for the
food
but
there are
also
other
many
parts
of
Thainess
that I
think
will be beneficial in the
hospitality
industry
Tradition in Thailand are unique. For
example
, the way we
pay
respect
to others or as we called “
Wai
”. This
action
cannot
be found
anywhere else in the
world
so
when guests visited Thailand, they feel special by the gesture that they have never
seen
before
.
[15] As I talked earlier about the
class
system
and the
seniority
system
in Thailand, I
describe
them
negatively
.
However
, when looking at the
work
system
in the
hospitality
field I believed that those
seniority
and
class
systems
could be beneficial and even
make
me feel
easily
adapt to the hotel management environment. We know that the management
system
in hotels is the pyramid one, every staff reports to the general manager.
Therefore
, understanding the
seniority
system
would
help
me
easily
respect
and adapt to the chain of command.
[16] To summarized,
Thainess
is an
important
part
of Thai
society
because
it
is based
on what Thai
societies
are about from our
food
to our beliefs. In “The Courtesies of
Gentle
People”
book
there are
many
parts
that
help
build the characteristics of
Thainess
and
some
of it is
still
lasting till these days. Although,
some of the
aspects in
Thainess
can
consider
being obsolete and in contradiction of what the younger generation
believes
in, it is
still
significant to realize the benefits of it which can be
used
to adapt in the
work
environment,
particularly
in the
Hospitality
sector.