Bangkok Social: Conversations That Matter at Aristotle's Cafe

Greg talks to Hassan Ghiassi, the creator and organizer
of Aristotle's Cafe, a Bangkok group
that focuses on meetups that involve discussions and debates on
questions voted on by the participants themselves. 


Firstly, Aristotle's Cafe is a format, and the location is
not fixed. At the beginning of each meetup, the attendees submit
questions and then vote on what to discuss. But does the same
format work equally well in different cities and cultures? Greg
raises issues from his own experience about difficult people
dominating discussions, as well as cultural issues involving Thai
people supposedly being 'shy.' Have now worry, Hassan says, his
long experience running the 'cafe' in several different countries
have shown him that most participants - including Thais - often
shed their reluctance to express opinions in the right
environment. 


But AC isn't just for youngins! Hassan says that the group
gets all types - older farangs yearning for English language
contacts, Thais wanting to improve their English, and people
trying to network and make friends. The one thing they all seem
to have in common is the desire to make real connections. Hassan
also stresses that since topics are not announced ahead of time,
you never know what will be discussed other than that the most
popular topics are typically current and relevant to whatever is
going on in the world at that time. 


No doubt Aristotle's Cafe is one of the many Bangkok
subcultures that make this city the best in the world for
expats! 


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