Max and Shitty

Thais are very fond of their nicknames. Since most of their real names are 27 letters long (and unpronounceable to the western tongue) it is not surprising that they shorten them to names like Pig, Ball, Beer and Gun (BANG!) Leave it to us to find the two nicknames certain to draw a raised eyebrow during introductions… Keeks is actually a variation of Kiki, a name that carried over from her days as a pole dancer in the hopes that it would be easier for the students to pronounce than her real name. In Thai, when pronounced in the middle tone, Kiki (or kee-kee), actually means “shitty.” Mac is a more common nickname, interpreted by the Thai ear to be “Max”, since Thais tend to substitute the sound ‘x’ with the letter ‘k’. Thus introductions often elicit the response, “Oh, same same boy Thailand!” or, as was the case this past weekend, “That name my dog.” Either they get over this oddity (realizing she is not, in fact, a Thai boy), ask for Mac’s real name or give her a new one, such as Ma keu-a tet (tomato) or Som Tum (papaya salad, bok-bok!)