Khon Kaen and Udon have lots of cool cafes now but mostly empty. One cafe had chicken nuggets and chips for 120 baht as their main dish. No proper desserts or pad thai or fried ice. No customers 2 days in a row we walked past. Another cafe had upmarket seats but no real food to buy. No customers while we drank coffee. The locals go to malls and night markets instead.
Thailand is little different from 25 years ago. The main changes are large malls. You must be a newbie. The buses, roads and trains in the country are the same. Same markets and temples.
People living in 1957 were happier than people are today – and happiness levels have not reached those levels in the intervening 60 years, according to research.
https://www.mentalhealthtoday.co.uk/people-were-happier-in-1957-than-today-according-to-research
My Jewish friend went to Thailand no issues. Dresses casual. Maga caps be more risky if near farangs. Most Thais don't even know what a Jewish person typically looks like or is. Pai is a tourist ghetto and nothing like real Thailand.