I recently found an interesting article in the 24 July 1952 Siam Rath Weekly Review about a young white American woman attempting to date in 1950s Thailand. Identified only as “ingénue,” she talks about how hard it is to find a man as an intelligent and witty woman. Despite being told “lurid stories of their evil ways” brought on by the hot climate, the writer still sees Thai men as good potential love matches.

She tells us that although “young Siamese men seem eager enough” when they first meet her, they quickly become incredibly nervous and find an excuse to leave the conversation only to “grin sheepishly across the room” for the rest of the evening.

On the other hand, many of the older men she meets at parties and social events are the “I’m-old-enough-to be your father” types and expected her to act as a little girl with few opinions.

In the end, the author finds that both young and older men want to be flattered and feed as if they were “mentally deficient and had an insatiable appetite.” Not a pretty picture.