Dear Hillary,

I read your column every week and enjoy your comments to your posters. You have a great sense of humor! I must be in a small minority however, because I don’t have anything to complain about. I am married to a Thai angel who is everything I ever dreamed of. I met her online, and when I first started writing to her she said “I am not a bar girl! If that’s what you’re looking for, get lost!” I had a feeling right then, that I was heading in the right direction. After reading so many sad stories from other farang gents, I feel really blessed! My wife is a tenured school teacher in a government school. She is attractive, intelligient (sic), good with money, a great cook and a passionate lover! Needless to say, her parents drove a hard bargain when it came to negotiating the sin sot, but she was worth every baht. We’re getting ready to build a little house in Selaphum and I’m looking forward to many wonderful years with my little angel and her sweet family as well. I hope my letter offers a little hope to those fellas who are wondering if there really is someone out there for them.

David

Dear David,

It is indeed nice to read of successful marriages between foreigners and Thais, as I generally only hear of the disasters. So your wife is a school teacher, I see. Get her to go over some spellings for you each morning, my Petal. It is “intelligent” not “intelligient”. Yes, you can find your soul mate through on-line dating, but you must be very careful and not commit to anything before meeting your angel. That reminds me of the book by Mike Smith called Bangkok Angel. Worth a read by all foreigners who are wondering about mixed marriages. By the way, actually I am against the concept of the sin sot, unless there is a similar return if the marriage fails. A wife is not a commodity to be bought, sold or traded.

Dear Hillary!

First of all, I love your column. But I wonder why you do not show a photo of yourself in the column? I heard by the grapewine (sic), that you are only an alias for Iain Corness! Hm... He has the same style in writing, and he has shown a slightly split personality, the Doctor, the Gourmet (Ms Terry Diner). I have also heard from Australian friends, that the doctor loves champagne and chocolates. Time to come out from the closet? But whoever you are, your column is worth more than the total price for the Pattaya Mail, and I wish you the best of luck!

Mr. Lelle

Dear Mr Lelle,

First of all, thank you for your contribution to the column and your request for a photo of me. I’m sorry to disappoint you, Petal, but my image is not one that you would keep under your pillow. Well, not since the accident, anyway. I have spoken to Dr. Iain and he said to tell you he does admit to writing the medical column and the motoring column and also the Dining Out column under the pseudonym of Miss Terry Diner (say it quickly), but he does not admit to being Hillary. He did say that his friends in Australia also know it is not champagne they drink down there, but sparkling wines produced by the Methode Champenoise. And while on the fizz bottles, please note for the future it is “grapevine” not “grapewine”. Too much “grapewine” makes people think they are great detectives! Keep trying my Petal. Keep trying.

Dear Hillary,

About a year ago I set up home with a Thai girl. Her family comes from the north east and I have been up there and met them, and they seemed nice enough farming folks. They accepted me but I always felt a little left out at the family gatherings as they can only speak Thai and my girl had to translate all the time. For this reason, and because I am busy at work, I have not been back up there, though my girl does go up frequently. Is this the usual way for families behave? If it is, I will say nothing, but she will often go back for two or three days, the last being the end of Buddhist Lent. Have I anything to worry about?

The Worrier

Dear Worrier,

You may have lots to worry about, or nothing at all. Are you worrying because you think she is not going back to the family rice paddy? I am reading between the lines here. It is very usual for daughters to go home and pay respects to their family, and often contribute financially as well. Does your lady have children there that are being looked after by her Mama? Honestly, Petal, it sounds very normal to me. Caring and following the family principles will carry over to you as well, if you allow her to follow her traditions. In the meantime you can always see your doctor for some anti-worrying pills!