Living in a bubble.
Just read your weekly column regarding assimilation in LOS. I thought I'd mention that I know several expats doing a similar thing here and around Asia. I've been here a long time, have few if any local friends, no language skills (or any intention of learning, to be frank), do not watch or read local TV or any media, eat western 99.8% of the time, and generally live in a bubble maintaining a western lifestyle in Asia as far as possible, by choice. So it's not just expats in Thailand. More specifically though, your last sentence asks why Westerners based in Thailand appear to keep assimilation 'off the menu'. I venture to say that there is a (perhaps subconscious) realization that no matter what farang do and despite all the efforts, formidable in some cases, that it is inherently known that we are never going to be truly accepted there. Add to that the obvious climate of corruption, paranoia, xenophobia, and just plain outdated and distorted thinking none of which will change in our lifetime, why would anyone actually *want* to truly and voluntarily assimilate into such a society?