Southeast Asia attracts millions of tourists with its exotic landscapes, rich culture and diverse cuisine. But behind popular tourist perceptions lies a daily reality that often turns out to be quite different from what Europeans expect. Four intriguing observations about life in the region are shared by journalist Natalia Kopilova, who has lived in Thailand and Malaysia for more than four years, in an article for the Russian edition of Lifehacker.
One of her biggest discoveries is how strongly the European perspective shapes our ideas about world history and culture. Schools and universities on the Old Continent traditionally devote more attention to European events and authors, while the history and literature of Asia often remain in the background.
This difference becomes particularly noticeable in conversations with local people. For example, World War II is viewed from a different historical perspective in Asian countries, where events in the Pacific region occupy a central place in education.
Another surprise is that Europe is far less important to the daily lives of Asians than Europeans sometimes assume. Many people in Thailand and Malaysia do not follow European political developments and know individual countries mainly through general notions and stereotypes. This does not mean, however, that they lack curiosity – interest often emerges when a person forms a personal relationship with foreigners.
It is also particularly curious to observe that Europeans, too, can look almost alike to people from other parts of the world. Kopilova recounts how local residents sometimes found it difficult to tell her and a friend apart, despite the obvious differences in their appearance.
A similar phenomenon is known in psychology as the own-race effect, or the tendency to recognise faces from one’s own group more accurately. People generally distinguish more easily between faces they have been familiar with from an early age, while greater interaction with members of other groups can improve this ability.
The fourth discovery debunks one of the most widespread stereotypes about Asian cuisine – that all locals love spicy food. Although spicy dishes are characteristic of many regional cuisines, individual preferences vary considerably.
The journalist says that on numerous occasions her local acquaintances preferred restaurants serving entirely non-spicy dishes. This shows that even highly recognisable culinary traditions do not necessarily determine every person’s taste.
Observations from Thailand and Malaysia are a reminder that cultural stereotypes often do not match reality. Living in another country not only allows us to discover unfamiliar traditions, but also to rethink our own ideas about the world.
And sometimes the most interesting discovery turns out to be that people from different continents have far more in common than we assume – including a tendency to form mistaken ideas about one another.