The Valuable Working With The Thais Lesson I Learned From A Cookie

A humble crumble homemade cookie, perhaps, is all it takes to a successful working relationships with the Thais.

I learned a humble lesson, from a local Thai property agent yesterday. I have been meeting many Thai property agents in the past few weeks, but this particular agent, seemed to have that “Thai-way of working” in her pocket.

  

 
She greeted me yesterday, with a piece of homemade cookie. Mind you, she got a stash of that, all individually wrapped up in cute (Rilakumma) cookie wrapper. And she gave these little yummies to the owner, the tenant (someone she had to trouble to open the door for us), juristic office, yada, yada. Just like a Thai-Santa Claus.

Whether is is really homemade is irrelevant.

Whether it is delicious is irrelevant.

It is the act itself. And the thinking behind it. And it shows me how to crack the elusive Thai society. How many farangs (foreigners) have problems working with the Thais, and bang their heads on the wall everyday?

Mind you, back home, we also practice gift giving .. I also bought snacks for my team members on a regular basis. But somehow, it never crossed my mind to come prepare with goodies, to be used for my daily works (like the property agent). Tenants in the condo that I stay here in Bangkok, also buy snacks for condo staff. Is this also a common practice in Malaysia? Or is this more of a Thai-way?

Give, and ye shall receive.