Shake hands on it… on second thoughts

Iwas at a recent gathering with friends in Bangkok where the customary handshakes were replaced by a variety of awkward fist bumps, elbow nudges, foot-shakes, waving of arms and other silly ways of saying “hello”. But there were definitely no nose-to-nose greetings. Not shaking hands with your closest friends is probably the most noticeable example of how the Covid19 crisis has affected everyday life. Even Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has let it be known that she will not be shaking hands with anyone “for the foreseeable future”.

Of course in Thailand the wai is the traditional form of greeting which does not involve any physical interaction. It is graceful element of Thai culture, but more of that later.

The handshake has been the traditional mode of greeting in most western societies for centuries. Shaking someone’s sweaty palm admittedly does not sound that appealing, but the handshake has become so accepted that refusing to shake hands is looked upon as an insult.

Politicians must rank as the biggest hand-shakers in the world. A good firm handshake always goes down well with the electorate, though George Washington much preferred a polite bow. One of the most famous hand-shakers was US President Theodore Roosevelt. On New Year’s Day in 1907 he invited “all citizens who are sober, washed and free of bodily advertising” to meet him at the White House. In the space of three hours he is said to have shaken the hands of 8,510 people, or roughly 45 a minute.

Since then leaders from countries across the world have regularly shaken hands, sometimes with people they actually loathe. The US even has a National Handshake Day on June 25, which one suspects might be a trifle subdued this year.

Nixon and Elvis

One of the most iconic White House photographs was that of President Richard Nixon shaking the hands of Elvis Presley on Dec 20, 1971, during which the president told the singer “I’m on your side” in reference to the fight against drugs and also sharing a dislike of the Beatles. Apparently that photo is still the most requested at the US National Archives. After the photo Elvis unexpectedly gave Nixon a big hug which reportedly left the president “all shook up”.

Only two months later Nixon would be making one of the most historic handshakes ever, when he met Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung in Beijing.

Wais and wherefores

There is a probably not a foreign resident in Thailand who hasn’t experienced the awkward situation of giving a wai to a Thai person who is at the same time trying to shake your hand — that’s classic East meeting West. In light of the current crisis perhaps the wai or the Indian namaste should be adopted by everyone. The wai is a respectful greeting and there is no reason why the world shouldn’t embrace it. There are reports that Thai students in the UK are encouraging Brits to use the wai as an alternative form of greeting during the current crisis.

The wai is not as straightforward as it may look and there is a subtle etiquette as to when a wai is appropriate or not. Years ago at the office I was politely admonished by a Thai colleague when I offered a wai to a new young employee before she had time to wai me.

One thing I have learned is that if you anticipate a situation in which you might be required to wai, make sure you are not holding anything. In my early days at a Post party, the chairman approached unexpectedly and I hurriedly tried to wai while clutching a bottle of beer. The clumsy movement prompted froth to pour out of the bottle, spraying colleagues, but fortunately not the chairman.

The dap

The most complicated handshake I came across was the dap, a greeting first witnessed among the Afro-American GIs based in Thailand during the Vietnam war. In Nakhon Phanom a soul brother tried to teach me the dap, but I was all fingers and thumbs. In the end he gave up and we resorted to shaking hands with the American adding a friendly “Right On!” It was the same era when the dance known as the “bump” became popular and I was equally inept at that.

Perhaps the most widely used alternative to the handshake is the fist bump which has been used in sport for years. It apparently originated from boxers touching gloves at the start of a fight.

Hat-trick

In ancient times, even before my day, gentlemen acknowledged one another by tipping their hats. It extended to cowboys. In the movies you could see polite cowboys like Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers tipping their hats when they met ladies. John Wayne was particularly accomplished at the art of hat tipping, accompanied by a greeting of “Howdy Ma’am” in his familiar drawl.

Strangely enough, there was a brief time when Thai men and women were ordered to wear Western-style hats. It was just before World War II when Plaek Phibunsongkhram was prime minister. He apparently felt that Western attire would make people look more modern and he particularly encouraged the wearing of bowler hats, not the most practical headwear in the tropical heat. Fortunately the hat-wearing was so impractical that, like most fads, it soon fizzled out.