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November 03, 2004
Sa-wàt dee
The Thai Language
http://www.into-asia.com/thai_language/
Sa-wàt dee is the general all purpose greeting in Thailand, the English distinctions of "Good morning", "Good afternoon" etc.. do exist but are almost never used. It's also almost always followed by kráp (for a man) or kâ (for a woman) to be polite.
Today I ate with my friend in the Thai restaurant Sa-wàt dee, downtown Saint Paul. It was very good. I enjoyed it. The soup was very good! I have never looked at the Thai Language before, and I was curious about the name of the restaurant so I searched the internet and found this great link. I think Sa-wàt dee is a beautiful welcoming name for a restaurant. If I know what it means when I go there.
While we were there my friend struck up a conversation with the waitress in the Thai language. He is Hmong, but also speaks a little Thai. It was really nice, because she was really happy to speak with him and we all enjoyed talking about Thailand and where she was from. In the process we gained a new friend and enjoyed our food.
I think languages are a beautiful way to connect with other people also. Sometimes it just takes a friendly, all-purpose greeting.
Posted by carl1236 at November 3, 2004 11:03 PM | Love your Neighbor