The Land Of The Good Enough

One common theme that I've noticed throughout Thailand is that NOTHING is perfect. Everything is a little crooked, a little off, not quite straight etc. Where Canada is the "Land of the perfect", Thailand is the "Land of the Good Enough". The Thai workmanship stops when it is functional, not when it's perfect or beautiful. If it works...good enough.

Coming from a country where everything is done "right", it sometimes gets frustrating at the workmanship of the tradesmen. It's like they finish it good enough so it won't break while they're still there, and it will last just long enough so that if/when it breaks, there will be some question as to whose fault it is (and they will absolve themselves of blame). The same goes for the manufacturers. It will work long enough for you to get it home. Or things like the plastic will be so cheap and brittle that any slight mistreatment and the thing shatters.

The Thai wiring may look like a web spun by a giant drunk spider, but it works, so they leave it. The light switch might be upsidedown, and in the far corner of the room (or even better, in the next room over), but it turns the light on so that's good enough.

You can NEVER assume that two adjacent rooms will be at the same floor level. Way too often there will be a subtle, unmarked, 2" step. Not enough to see, but enough to trip over. Sometimes the floor level will change within the same room, so you must always be alert to this. On staircases, top stair or bottom stair (or both) will be a different hight than all the others. Like no one bothered to do the math to make all the stairs even. Sometimes you will get stairs unusually narrow and/or steep. Unsafe for sure, but it gets you from one level to the other, so what's your problem? It works, good enough.

The only place where they don't say "Good Enough" is with their cars. All the cars and pickups are perfect and they wash and wax them. There are very few "beaters" that I've seen (except for commercial vehicles). Strange.