Thailand Taboos: How To Avoid Getting Kicked Out Of The Kingdom [Season 2 Episode 53]

It's generally considered bad form to use curse words in the
land of peace, order, and smiles that is Thailand. And when a
farang uses native Thai bad language, it's a bit more culturally
insensitive. Just like Greg learned this week. But that's not what
we're talking about today. Thai taboos are the topic
of today's show, a topic we're all too familiar with. Hey, it
happens, and we're not doing it on purpose. In this episode, we'll
share our personal experiences of things NOT to do during your time
in the kingdom. And not just the easy stuff to avoid, like touching
strangers on the head (seriously, who does this?), failing to stand
quietly when the national anthem plays every day on public
transport terminals, not taking off shoes when going inside
someone's house or condo, or committing lese
majeste. Clearly you should not do those
things. On the program today, we'll cover some lesser
known taboos, like:


Being careless with your money (Not spending-wise, as
visitors are encouraged to be non-thrifty, but how the bills
are treated)


Pounding postage stamps


Tapping gogo dancers with your foot


Stepping over the dead or those pretending to be dead
(true story, bro)


Picking your teeth (noses are OK)


Gesture to a human like you'd gesture to an animal


Smuggling Buddha out of the country (please ignore all
the vendors trying to sell you Buddha memorabilia, we
guess?)


Being in public with your naughty bits exposed to the
world


Raising your voice when you get angry (and you will get
angry)

The reverse is also true, because some of what we
Westerners think of as taboo are perfectly fine here. Things
like


Using rather direct terms to describe body size, level of
hirsute-ness, and skin tone


Asking direct questions about income level, age, or other
private (from our perspective) affairs


… and more

Love, Loathe, or Leave It's not a taboo
that prohibits you from buying booze or beer from 2:00 pm to 5:00
pm or from midnight to 11:00 am. It's the law that does that, and
it's enforced at every 7-11 or grocery store. So if you're in the
mood for a beer in the afternoon or just want to prep for a party
later that night, you might want to plan ahead. Find out how we
feel about this handy law when you listen. (Though you will not be
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the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand,
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