Thailand Fever review in ThailandConnect Magazine

Discussion of Thai-Western relationships and the book, "Thailand Fever."
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Chris Pirazzi
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Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 2:10 am

Thailand Fever review in ThailandConnect Magazine

Post by Chris Pirazzi » Thu Jun 23, 2005 3:59 pm

This review comes from the June 2005 issue of ThailandConnect magazine (thailandconnect.com):

Ed note [from ThailandConnect editors]: We’ve been hearing a growing number of positive comments regarding the unfortutunately titled book "Thailand Fever." Authors Chris Pirazzi and Khun Vitida Vasant seem to have produced a noteworthy volume of cross-cultural differences and possible solutions to bridge the gap. Covering the staples of Sex, Money, Family, Face and more, from BOTH perspectives. The best part of all is the DUAL language presentation (English on the left page, repeated in Thai on the right page) which allows for ease of communication between both readers at the same time. So, if you or your partner are having misunderstandings regarding money, love, culture or general relationship issues, this may be a must read for you both. Expat "EasyB" swears this book has greatly enhanced his cross cultural relationship and kindly provided us with the following review:
Thailand Fever Review—courtesy of EasyB

Somewhere between the thrill and tragedy of the Farang–Thai relationship lies the improbable middle ground of reality; the mundane, hard work of surviving for the long haul. That’s where Thailand Fever by Chris Pirazzi and Vitida Vasant comes in. The ill chosen title might lead one to suspect another exploitation of the dark underbelly of Thailand’s dating scene but nothing could be further from the truth. Thailand Fever is actually a down to earth practical guide to Farang–Thai relationships that seeks to enlighten the couple through a shared understanding their respective cultures.

Marshall McLuhan said "We don’t know who discovered water but we know it wasn’t a fish." And so it is with our basic values such as the Western drive for independence and individualism as contrasted to the Thai desire for interdependence and social structure. Or the Farang man striving through critical argument for the singular truth of any matter where as his Thai girlfriend hopes if they can both save face by letting the matter be.

Thailand Fever didn’t make me more Thai or my girlfriend more Western. The magic of our cross-cultural relationship is still very much alive but now there’s a shared map for this uncharted land. While a book such as this must by necessity speak in generalizations Thailand Fever manages to do so without being condescending or overly simplistic. Laid-out with English and Thai on opposing pages it encourages a shared experience. Step by step you walk through the bigger cultural values and ultimately to the nitty-gritty of money, marriage and in-laws. As my girlfriend said, "now I know that we are different; you are Farang and I am Thai, I understand you better." It seems so obvious now.

Thailand Fever isn’t a panacea but it’s a very helpful, informative and well-written primer for the Farang–Thai relationship and I can’t imagine one that wouldn’t benefit from a shared reading.

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