Thai talk

I've never been much for small talk.  I'm not good at it, it's usually not interesting and I just find it full of silly, obvious statements that would be better left unsaid (I'm also just not good with words in general, but that's something for another time).  Of course I've always participated in it with everyone, because that's what you're supposed to do, and it'd be weird if I didn't.  The thing about small talk in Thailand is that there's always three or four questions I know I'm going to be asked by almost everyone I encounter during the day.

Bpai nai - or in Issan dialect: bpai sai or bpai iiyang (where are you going)?  Most of the time I get this question when I'm riding my bike somewhere, so I've perfected my short responses that usually indicate I'm going to a school, the market, home, or just riding for fun/exercise. Once I arrive somewhere it leads to the obvious following question...

Bpai nai maa (where are you coming from)? This can sometimes spur questions about what I did at this place I'm coming from, but instead is usually just followed with another one of the standard questions...

Gin laao ru yang (did you eat already)? Regardless of the answer, I'm usually offered fruit, kanomes, or full meals and everyone insists I eat more.  Or if I did eat already, they'll follow up with the other question...

Gin cow gap arai (what did you eat with your rice)?  It's not a meal unless it's rice, so if you've just eaten a meal then you've eaten something with rice and they want to know what that something was.  In the past month I've stopped eating rice for breakfast and have replaced it with yogurt and oatmeal, so my answer becomes much more confusing to most people and I'm pretty sure they're concerned that I'm not getting sufficient nutrients for my first meal of the day because I'm not eating rice.  

If I said I didn't get a little annoyed sometimes answering these questions over and over and over again every single day, I would be lying.  But instead I've realized that this is part of my life here - like talking about the weather in America - not something that's intellectually stimulating or something I necessarily enjoy, but something that can help cultivate growing relationships and can lead to discussions about things other than what I've already eaten each day.  So if I come back to America and ask you what you ate for breakfast/lunch/dinner, indulge me...then we can move on to the weather.