How Thick is Your Bubble? Piercing the Thai/Expat Barrier [S7.E60]

Following a great suggestion from listener Kelly, Greg and Ed
discuss the 'expat bubble,' the tendency for expats (and
tourists) to primarily spend time with foreigners, rather than
experience the same Bangkok that the majority of Thais are
experiencing. Kelly noted that on her recent solo travels in
Bangkok, she often found truly Thai markets that were very cheap
with delicious food but also that she was the only Westerner
there. Certain other cheap food courts, such as those in Big C,
would have a more mixed customer base. What gives?


Greg and Ed do their best to untangle the mystery. Perhaps the
'super-Thai' markets appeared too dirty to anyone but long-term
expats, with tiny plastic chairs sitting among random detritus,
food apparently kept sitting out too long, and the potential of
random vermin running across your feet. Or could it be the
expected lack of English and the social awkwardness of
functioning among Thai who might not be used to tourists and
foreigners? This certainly kept Greg from experiencing 'real'
Thailand during his first wasted half-year in Chiang Mai. The
boys note that a lot of what's going on might just boil down to
personality type. Some of us expats and tourists are just
naturally more adventurous and willing to put up with some
embarrassment in order to try something new. While others stick
to the predictable path, if not Starbucks or McDonald's, then a
'Thai' food court in a clean, international mall.


In the end, Greg and Ed make the case for reminding yourself that
perhaps 80% of Thais in Bangkok rarely interact with foreigners,
and it's their lives that actually constitute the 'real'
Thailand. So if you want to experience something really new and
different and not just safe, it's probably worth giving some of
those crowded, hot and grimy markets a go. At the very least,
you'll save money and eat well! :)


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