Breaking Down The Thai Smile [Season 2, Episode 65]

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You've probably heard of "the Thai smile", or know that
Thailand is referred to as "the Land of Smiles". Both of those
phrases are well-earned, but that whole smiling thing is more
than something done just in the hospitality space. For many
Thais, smiling in a situation is a default reaction, even when
the experience they are smiling at is a negative one.


Like when a dog almost eats a small child and the owner's
reaction is to smile it off. Oh, and that's not a hypothetical.
It happened to Greg's kid. Or when a Thai driver almost hits a
pedestrian and just smiles and waves. Also not hypothetical, as
our special guest Ed Knuth (filling in for Evo Terra this week)
will tell you.


But what looks like a blow-off really isn't. It's a
cultural difference, and those of us who've been here a while
learn to self-correct our immediate emotional response when we
encounter the Thai smile. Or at least, we try to. It's hard to
break those old social contracts in favor or new ones.


Is smiling at everything just another example of Thais
being nice, often to a fault? Is it about saving face or avoiding
confrontation? Or just the ramifications of a successful ad
campaign? Greg and Ed will share more than a few of their
thoughts and experiences gathered over the collective 33 years
they've lived in Thailand.


Speaking of living here for a long time, how do you feel
about the "unboxing" that takes in the store when you buy damn
near anything with an electrical plug in Thailand? Is that
something you love, loath… or do you hate it so much you're ready
to leave Thailand? Listen in to find out how we feel, and share
your thoughts with us.


Special thanks to Paul Johnston, who's deep love of
Meatloaf led him to a life of … tires? OK. Paul and the other ~50
people who support us on Patreon -- is
getting this show early. You can, too.


Thanks for listening. Say nice things to Ed about his guest
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