The Asian economic collapse that began in Thailand in July 1997 has promoted two prominent responses - utterly different, and utterly predictable. One is that “the West knows best,” that Asia has stumbled because it failed to absorb enough of Euro-American capitalism, democracy, and the individualistic ideas that support them. Others insist that the very suddenness of the reversal points to the opposite conclusion, that the wholesale consumption of foreign funds and value systems led to greed, blindness, and a breakdown in the moral balance and social control Asian societies thrive on. This is a debate about culture, and one which can never be fairly resolved on Western terms alone. Wondering into Thai Culture explores what these and many other issues mean from a Thai point of view. Newcomers and tourists will encounter nuggets of information and insight that may help make their stay more interesting and enjoyable. Those who have lived here a few years already may profit from explanations of Thai behavior and attitudes that constantly baffle them. Long-term residents of the Kingdom will find plenty of matter intended to provoke their laughter, tears, sneers, or even vehement agreement. People who have never come to Thailand, and possibly never will, might still want to know how it feels to have a wholly different outlook on life. And Thais too should read this book, if only as a first step on the path of self-knowledge that they, and all of us, must climb.