It being the period of Chinese New Year, I watched an entertaining program on the telly today about a popular English celebrity’s travels round China. During my 5 years living in Thailand I never had an opportunity to visit China and I wish that I had. But watching this program I was captivated by how very different it was to my own British experience and yearned to understand it more. Indeed the scene of people taking communal exercise in a Beijing park reminded me of mornings jogging around Lumpini and watching the many groups enjoying tai chi or aerobics.

I come from a background of belief that travel is an opportunity to learn about and understand new and different things in foreign lands. The fact of difference is interesting, exciting and in many cases beautiful. It doesn’t change my personal attachment to Britishness to embrace aspects of a different culture and language when I am far from home. And in any case I start from an understanding that no country, my own included, is perfect. So picking holes in foreign ways can tend in my view to be rather narrow minded and jingoistic. Johnny foreigner and all that.

But I found the style and tone of the commentary on this particular TV show grating, truth be told. The celebrity seemed intent on accentuating the alien otherness of China. Cringing flamboyantly when presented with a donkey’s penis at dinner or trying jokingly to get Chinese people to answer indiscrete questions at a Communist commune. And I must admit that it reminded me of the way that many westerners act in Thailand. So it makes me ask, do farangs try to understand Thai and Asian custom and culture?

I hear my fellow countrymen bemoan the unwillingness of immigrants to assimilate and adapt to British ways. But do we British try to adapt when we are abroad? Or do we, like folk from western allied countries, simply compare and contrast through our supposedly first world reference point, judge other countries accordingly and try to change them to fit our putatively perfect model?

Some of the comments that I hear and read from foreigners - who claim to have lived in Thailand for several years - highlights this point nicely.

“Your system isn’t democratic.” “Thai people bury their heads in the sand and ignore the real problems facing their country.” “I can’t get on with the Thai language - it just sounds like white noise.” “Thais are so corrupt and don’t like us foreigners.” “Thai journalists are stupid and don‘t ask intelligent questions.” “Why do traditional Thai girls have to ask family’s permission to have a boyfriend?” “Got any fish and chips? Can’t eat the local muck.” “What’s wrong with healthy debate and criticising people openly if they are wrong?” “Thai workers are lazy.” “Why can’t we talk about the future of the monarchy?”

And when I hear many comments like this I think “do they really get it?“. I will not try to claim that Thailand is perfect and I would be less likely to claim that China is, but then I wouldn‘t claim the UK is either.

The difference is that in my own country I have a democratic right to try to change things in an active way expressing my views stridently as is my right as a British man. A foreigner living in Thailand can hope at best to try to influence things with which they don’t agree, either by voting with their feet or by getting to know the country and people well enough to be in a position to have their quiet voices heard. And in the process of understanding the country better they might well learn some aspects of the local experience and practice which they could usefully apply back at home.