Things Newbies Might Not Know about Thai customs

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I think that's so funny! Do Thais say anything at all - like "sleep well" or "happy dreams"?

Nope, they just go to bed.

[Guest RichLB]

Ah, and speaking of going to bed, I'm reminded of another difference. It is not unusual for we in the West to give first time visitors to our homes a tour of our residences. I've been told and noticed that Thais do the same - but NEVER the bedroom. Supposedly it's considered rude for someone to venture into that room while merely a social guest.

[Guest Patexpat]

That's because no matter what they do, it is the person's responsibility behind them to avoid an accident and it's also their fault if there is one.

 

Actually this is true certainly in the UK - it is the responsibility of the person behind to maintain safe stopping distances etc.

 

Difference of course is that there is no concept of 'safe' stopping distances here!

[Gaybutton]

Difference of course is that there is no concept of 'safe' stopping distances here!

Part of that problem is due to the fact that other than private lessons, there is no kind of driver education in Thailand at all unless, of course, you consider cops stopping motorcycles a form of driver education. No surprise to me, each province seems to have its own set of regulations as to what a driver's license applicant has to do in order to obtain a license. In many cases, even if the applicant fails whatever tests are given, a few hundred baht later all of a sudden he's passed the tests after all.

 

The licensing office for Pattaya at least does not accept bribes that I'm aware of, but new Thai applicants have to sit through a two hour driving education movie and pass a written test in order to obtain the license. That's it. That's the driver's education in Pattaya. A two hour movie. And people wonder why so many drivers in Thailand give a whole new meaning to the word "incompetent."

[pong]

1. re food/eating together, be it at a home or in a restaurant:

you eat with the spoon, use the fork as ''knife'' for western use, and there will be no knife. The ''middle spoon'' is used for getting food from the communal plates onto your own plate-use it only for that purpose. yes, it is polite to leave somehting in either-otherwise this would mean the host or servings were scroungy.

2.a wai is always initiated by the lower in rank-and as farang you are in 99.99999% higher in status-certainly over a child (except if it were the child of someone very high up-highly unlikely to ever happen to you). Thus this makes wai-ing a child pretty ridiculous. If you are unfamiliair with Thai customs-do not wai back-but acknowledge it, with a nod, smile or whatever. Small toddlers get trained in doing it from before year 1-simply praise them when they are attempting to by their parents for being ''a nice boy/girl''.

3.in a shop (small) the shopkeeper thanks you for custom-and not you, as a customer, him/her for getting a profit out of you.

4.yes, in general all those nice, polite (showing you were not eductated properly if not done) greetings, goodnights, etc. are superfluous in a family. Hotel-staff usually get trained in using it in the hotel-schools.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

An interesting thing about the wai -The only time a monk will wai is to another monk who has been a monk longer than he has regardless of age. Monks do not even wai the King, rather the King will wai a monk.

[Guest fountainhall]

a wai is always initiated by the lower in rank-and as farang you are in 99.99999% higher in status-certainly over a child (except if it were the child of someone very high up-highly unlikely to ever happen to you)

Well! I think maybe you underestimate the importance of some posters on this Board - or should that be 'self-importance' And before someone jumps down my throat, I don't exclude myself from that generality!

[MrBill]

It's also considered good form to wear long pants when entering places of worship, but again the degree to which that is enforced or cared about is quite variable. But entering a place of worship in shorts and a tank top is definitely frowned upon at best.

On my first trip to LOS I was advised to wear a long-sleeve shirt when visiting temples. My visit was in April when it was excruciatingly hot and humid, so I had my sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up to mid-forearm. As I was entering Wat Po, one of the Thai workers there motioned me to roll the sleeves down and rebutton them before going in.

 

I got the impression that they were making more of an issue with foreign visitors to the temples as I noticed many Thais in short sleeves.

[MrBill]

An interesting thing about the wai -The only time a monk will wai is to another monk who has been a monk longer than he has regardless of age. Monks do not even wai the King, rather the King will wai a monk.

 

Aniother one I was told was that women should never touch or offer anything directly to a monk; it should be given to a man to give. AND, despite your preferred handedness, things should be offered to a Thai only with the right hand, as the left hand is used for more personal business, or so I was advised by a Thai guy.

[Gaybutton]

As I was entering Wat Po, one of the Thai workers there motioned me to roll the sleeves down and rebutton them before going in.

I've been to Wat Po several times. I don't even have any long sleeve shirts. I was not stopped or questioned by anyone. I think what happened in your case was not whether you were wearing a long or short sleeve shirt. I think they didn't like the rolled up sleeves.

 

Aniother one I was told was that women should never touch or offer anything directly to a monk; it should be given to a man to give.

Yes, that's absolutely right. I'm embarrassed we overlooked that one until now because that's one of the most important of all. Even on airplanes I've noticed that when food is being served, if a male cabin steward is not present on the flight, but a monk is, then the female cabin stewards always ask a male passenger to give the monk his food. I didn't spot how it works when it's time to take the food tray from the monk, but I imagine a male passenger would again be recruited. And there is no way a monk will be seated next to a female passenger. They pre-board monks and they try to seat them alone, without any other passengers occupying the adjacent seats.

 

I've also seen that in the mornings, when the monks are going about seeking food for their begging bowls and other offerings, if a female wishes to give something to the monk, but a male is not present, she will put whatever she is offering into some sort of container. The monk will take it from the container, but never directly from her.

[Bob]

I've never heard of the long-sleeve shirt requirement either; however, it is proper protocol and respectful to wear a collared shirt (verus a tee-shirt)in a temple.

[kokopelli]

 

8. The feet are not used for anything but walking or standing. Again, it is considered rude to point at something or move something with your feet.

 

This is a real big NO NO. At a bar yesterday, a farang across from me put his foot on the table near my drink and my bf immediately moved my drink to the far side of the table. Actually not just a Thai rudeness but very rude in any culture.

[MrBill]

Yes, that's absolutely right. I'm embarrassed we overlooked that one until now because that's one of the most important of all.

Hey, every once in a while even a relative newbie can get one right I was also told never to point directly at someone as in pointing/calling to your waiter for the check bin. I was told that the preferred method of calling to someone is to extend the arm, point the fingers down toward the ground and wiggle them (like making a fingers do the walking motion)as you call to the person. A Thai guide told me that one.

[Gaybutton]

A Thai guide told me that one.

Your guide told you right. That's one of the first ones I learned during my first trip to Thailand.

 

I also took a guided tour of the more famous temples in Bangkok during my first trip. Of course, every two minutes we're putting on shoes, taking them off, putting them on, and so on. I asked the guide to explain the tradition of removing one's shoes when entering a temple or a home. I expected to receive a lecture about significance of feet, matters of respect, religious rites, and so on. Well, I received no such lecture. What I did receive in response to my question about why shoes must be removed was, "Keep floor clean."

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Regarding hand gestures - In the west when we want to motion for a person to come to us we do it with our palms upward, while Thais do it with palms downward. Some Westerners, Italians for sure, wave good bye by holding their hand up with their palm facing the person and wiggle their fingers up and down. Do this to a Thai and he/she will think you want them to come to you.

[Gaybutton]

Do this to a Thai and he/she will think you want them to come to you.

Well, if it happens to be the right boy, I can think of worse mistakes to make . . .

[Guest lvdkeyes]

If you are trying to say goodbye......

[Guest RichLB]

Okay, one more to keep the thread going. When living with a Thai do not be surprised that they will keep food stuff uncovered and outside the refrigerator when storing it. After 12 years of living together I've finally convinced my bf to at least cover the stuff, but I've just given up getting it stored in the fridge.

[Guest fountainhall]

When living with a Thai do not be surprised that they will keep food stuff uncovered and outside the refrigerator when storing it.

How on earth to you keep away ants and other bugs?

[Guest RichLB]

How on earth to you keep away ants and other bugs?

Luckily we now live in a high rise condo so that hasn't been a problem. But when we lived in a house, I was amazed that the creepy crawlies stayed away from the stuff. Seems they have the same reaction to cha om and ga pee (spelling?) as I do and won't touch it.

[pong]

cha om and ga pee (spelling?)

That would mostly be written as kapi- yes, same-same as in Bangkapi, a well-known BKK-suburb. Food-left-overs that are certain to get the ''mot=ants'' on them, with sugar, will be placed on/in another plate with water. Remember-storing out of a fridge had to be done with all that food till very, very recently. In the countryuside, where most people think electric ios so costly, fridges are still a kind of status-symbol and mainly used to cool water.

[Gaybutton]

I've just given up getting it stored in the fridge.

I had the same problem when I was living with a boyfriend. My solution was simple. I told him any food I find stored on a shelf instead of properly stored in the refrigerator will be thrown out. And that's exactly what I did. He didn't like it, but after I threw it out anyway a few times he finally got the message.

[MrBill]

This really doesn't fall into the classification of Thai Customs but it is one I continually shake my head at-- A boy comes to my room, takes off his shirt, wraps a towel around his waist, removes first his pants then his undershorts (never reverse the order), flops on the bed and the towel flies open! What's the deal with that towel

[Guest gorcum]

We all have wondered bout the towel thing, you can have wild sex followed by showering together and as soon as it is finished towel gets wrapped round the waist.

 

I think it comes from having lived with many people in close quarters. Many Thai people try on clothes or changes anywhere without showing anything, always covered up. Many Thai families sleep in the same room change in the same room.

 

When I went swimming in national stadium many mothers would enter the male change room to help their young children and everyone was covered while changing and no one blinked an eye

[Guest painai]

I hate it when you're trying to pee in a public restroom and the cleaning woman is in there at the same time. Seems like the worst is at Tuk Com. I think some of the women would rather go in the men's rather than the women's. It takes the cake when you see the cleaning women putting on makeup at the mirror or talking on a cell phone, while in the men's restroom.