Reverse Culture Shock?

[snotface]

The humour in northern Europe is very much based on irony and sarcasm, which Thai people don't get at all.

Yes, irony and sarcasm tend to crash into the rocks of Thai literal-mindedness, particularly among the less-educated. I try not to use sarcasm at all, since it is usually perceived as plain aggression and hatefulness. Even the mildest form of irony can backfire as well. I have a good Thai friend Dton, who works in a Bangkok bar but comes to visit me in Pattaya quite often. We were sitting at Dick's Cafe in Jomtien one time and I was telling him how much he resembled a waiter there. The waiter wasn't at work that evening and I found myself exaggerating the resemblance mischievously. As we walked away after our meal I looked at Dton in mock puzzlement and said, 'Are you Dton or the waiter?' I can't believe any Westerner would have failed to realise at once that I was joking, but poor old Dton cried out in anguish, 'I am Dton!' 'I know, I know,' I had to reply tamely.

I don't mean to suggest that Thais are lacking in humour though. On the contrary, I find them to be one of the most delightfully humorous peoples in the world when it comes to appreciating life's absurdities.