[StivRichardOff]

Hi Barrie,
From experience, I have learnt that, very often, the thought of taking a gift is more important than the gift itself. Whatever you choose to take will be appreciated. It does not have to be expensive.

[dserbokim]

A box of chocolate or high end sweet will do.Thai like sweet thing.

[Psymoussy]

Barrie, wait for some more opinions before you decide!

[AngelinaLip]

Hello:

This is my first time on this side of the forums.

I have been invited to a social gathering by the local Thai Community Association.

As the group is small, it is being held in someone's house.

I appreciate their kindness and I would like to know if a small gift would be appropriate.

Can anyone comment, and perhaps suggest what the gift should be?

I would prefer it to be appropriate to the Thai culture.

Thanks,

Barrie

[CarmenSanches]

Always bring something for the host,like a bottle of wine wrapped in a furoshiki, its not expensive but it gives a very good impression,an example you see here:
http://homepage2.nifty.com/furoshiki...20yomiuri.html
I think this will help you very well
greetings

[Immampdah]

I have brought gifts but only to take with me to Thailand so is different if they are in the same country, like Paul said a gift unique to you or your country is very nice, and I know for sure it is much more appreciated than what happened to Paul.....I know this probably doesnt apply to you now but I went down the lines of making a wall mounted picture of areas scenic and nice to my area which is very exotic to a Thai person and the reciever was very happy probably the drinks option suggested by igotnotime is better in this scenario

[AngelinaLip]

Thanks once again !

I was hoping for something more symbolic, but with the hosts living in Canada, that makes things a little more difficult. They have probably learned more about Canadian culture than I have.


I think I'll go for the drink thing, and from Ivor's insight, I'll choose something I like.


Cheers!

Barrie

PS: Is it just me or has the forum just gone through a personality change? I'm getting some strange animated borders and the smilies aren't clickable anymore. Hmmmmm....

[AngelinaLip]

IGotNoTime:

Once again, more good insight, and good timing too!

The gathering is tomorrow night.

Sorry about your server problems. My question was more than curiosity. I have just done some major upgrades and was worried something had gone terribly wrong and I had Redmond plague.

Cheers!

áºÃÕè

[cokLoolioli]

I will try to reply in reverse...

The forums have not officially had anything done to them, nor have they unofficially. They are indeed causing major server issues. It even has played it's fair part in causing the server to overheat at various times recently. These errors you see are just part of the lack of required resources the server needs and we see many more errors as the traffic increases. There are some steps in motion to get this problem resolved, but no major decisions have been made on anything yet. Though it is something that will soon need to be addressed.

Good choice on the drink matter. Evidently the Thai people in the UK do their 'gatherings' differently than they do in North America. I have many friends in the Leamington area near Windsor, and there gatherings are as I mentioned above.

The average gifts are presented in Thailand and anywhere else in the world I guess really. But simply at a social gathering it is a gift to be used at the gathering itself. The fact that they use it at the gathering on the same day of the gathering is in itself their unspoken way of showing appreciation for your thoughts.

Again I emphasize - This is for a regular get together style gathering. Some would say Party? If the gathering has a purpose that is more than the average excuse for a party you will need to bring money in an envelope. Even at house warmings & weddings money is presented, not gifts. I guess it is because it is so expensive to live here. You could offer very nice artwork, cutlery knives camcorders anything. But when you get to the house you will see a table with a pile of envelopes, not boxes.

[DOWNLOADnowADOBEphotoSHOP]

I believe some thing cheap and some thing they will actually use or even better, absolutely nothing as I should have done in my experience. I bort my Thai girlfriend at the time in 2002 a genuine kangaroo skin Koala teddy for US$80.00 some thing I thought at the time was uniquely Australian and some thing you could not get in Thailand, well about a week after I gave it to her she said it was to expensive and a waist of money, I think she would have preferred the money, any way after that date, I never bort her any thing again in disappointment to her attitude.

[cokLoolioli]

In the West we do not often bring "gifts" to the household. If it is simply a social gathering carry your load and bring some Heineken or Corona. If they are older than you take a nice $45 bottle of Hennesey.

However, if the social gathering has anything to do with a birth, graduation or wedding you would do best putting $25 into an unmarked envelope and handing it to your host as soon as you walk in smiling.

This is the way most "gatherings" are done in the West by the Thai. I am quite certain they will show more appreciation than Paul's girlfriend. Too don't forget, when they offer you a drink it is considered offensive and often a bad oman to refuse, especially since the drink is coming from yourself in a sense.