Up to you

[snotface]

I hate being called 'papa' by Thai boys. I know it's meant politely (usually) but it has two glaring defects 1) it reminds me of my chronological age when in my own mind, against all the boring daily evidence, I still feel late-20s, possibly on a bad day early-30s 2) it makes me feel far too respectable - I didn't go to all the trouble of moving out to Thailand to live a louche, decadent life only to be labelled a stuffy, conventional paterfamilias.

The other one I dislike is 'thank you'. Obviously not when it's said sincerely. I'm referring to the occasions when I might be passing a bar or massage parlour and respond to the entreaties to enter with a few words of excuse or an apologetic smile, only to have a drawn-out 'thank you' dripping with sarcasm follow me down the soi. It might be my imagination but this comment seems to have become more common over the years.