Do Thais Have Hobbies?

[Dupont]

Lots of Thai people at the gym / swimming baths near me. The missus enjoys reading, music, yoga, cooking, etc.

My staff at work enjoy football, golf, off-roading, amateur radio, even stamp collecting, etc. etc. They keep themselves busy after work with mostly healthy pastimes.

Most Thais are a lot more "social" in their hobbies / activities than Westerners, and less drawn to solitary activity.

I too find the same when I go swimming and to the Gym.

Also seen model airplane flying clubs, theres a 4 x 4 off road club, mountain bike club, motor cross club and I see many Thais walking and jogging in the evening round lakes, excercise parks, open spaces, on quiet roads and beaches etc.

They (Thais) live very full lives outside the bar and entertainment areas. Its a job, not a life and like all jobs, a full life is possible away from this area.

That said, I know lots of "bar girls" (that really is a disgusting phrase designed as an insult in my opinion) who love crocheting, jigsaws, dominoes, learning english, dancing, yoga, fashion, cycling, handicrafts (flower making, arranging, cooking for pleasure (NOT FOR ME!!).

Having fun, giggling, taking the piss and laughing seem to be involved in most of them as well. Good on them.

Edited February 9, 2007 by Dupont

[t.s]

... I know lots of "bar girls" (that really is a disgusting phrase designed as an insult in my opinion)

why? how is it different from saying the motorcycle guy from up the street, or the ice cream man, or the fruit lady? the words have no judgment implied by anyone other than yourself. besides what term would youy prefer? whores?

Back on topic, there are also car restoration clubs ie VW beetles and busses, scooter clubs for vespa riders, fish keeping andaquaria etc...

there are also people who actively pursue language. i have known many Thais who avidly watch videos and dvds in their pursuit to speak a more natural fluent english

i find it odd that the OP would not be able look around himself and see that thai people are actually people with intrests and lives. that with sufficient leisure and money, most cultures develop intrests beyond survival.

[Pakboong]

My GF loves to golf but the hobby she likes best and most clearly suited for is Farang Fishing.

[Prudent_rabbit]

When we interview Candidates, specifically testing their Enlish Language Skills, we allways ask about Hobbies, statistically 90% of our candidates are females, number 1 hobby....Hot Yoga!!!

Also get a lot more now, doing Golf and SCUBA.

[Couthy]

Hobbies?.

Work mob - Snooker and drinking whiskey then driving home without wiping anyone out.

(Bangkok space invaders).

Ms C - Books - Thai, English, German: She'd read the print off the back of the cornflakes packet.

And knitting. And nagging me to let her eat three times a day in Fuji.

Guy next door fixes t.v.'s for a hobby (really).

Girl across the way makes those lovely cushions that sit in the back windows of taxis:

She gives them away for materials costs.

K. Oat grows orchids.

Fishing seems popular, but that's part of the eating thing I suppose.

[tijnebijn]

Thai's look at us like ,why farang always have to be busy with something.

Some things ,about the way of life style they have we can learn something from.

The first thing is not to be in a hurry.Maybe not hurrying make them not in a hurry to not feeling that bored.

Spending quality time seems to prefer them,oke it is different than some of us will see that.Thais for sure not need any hobbies apart from what they do allready,and I agree with this cause I do not need a hobby as well,cause I am enough happy how I spend my time anyway,if you feel bored quick ,maybe that's why you need hobby's....tell me,who know's??

[Jockstar]

Sleeping, eating, ######ing and eating

[Maizefarmer]

Besides ripping each other off at every oppurtunity ? ....... er, sorry thats surely not true, but I have a bunch of them that fly radio control helicopters and jet planes on my land that cost more than the cars they drive - and they crash them on a regular basis. One guy flew his model jet into a cow once (by accident). The cow survived but the model jet was a Baht300 000 + complete wreck.

Yup, they do have hobbies ............

[geronimo]

Lots of Thai Guys go fishing!!!!!!

[kmart]

Besides ripping each other off at every oppurtunity ? ....... er, sorry thats surely not true, but I have a bunch of them that fly radio control helicopters and jet planes on my land that cost more than the cars they drive - and they crash them on a regular basis. e]

"Get orf moi laaaaand!" are you Farmer Palmer?

[Smilodon]

I guess there is not much in the way of hot rodding, building scale models, or paintballing?

[Scott]

Most of the "bar girl" cum wive/lovers have hobbies, but all of them seem to center around creative ways of relieving farangs of their money!

[meme]

No one has mentioned birds yet!!

My bf lovesss the birds (the feathered variety), showering his birds, sunning his birds, taking his best bird over to fight (when really all they do is sing and flap their wings!) at his friends houses with their birds, buying birds, selling birds, going to bird shows etc etc. When he is in Korea or Canada with out his birds he spends much time looking at the different kinds of birds there..If I have to look at one more bird on one more telephone wire I am going to.....Ah well at least it is innocent enough. He also loves collecting, trading and wearing the Buddhist amulets. A lot of other Thai guys I know like going camping in the mountains and hunting. The MIL gardens a lot, makes brooms out of plastic, wood and tin cans, also makes pillows. The other women seem to busy cooking, working, kids etc.

[TRIPxCORE]

I am going to massively generalise now but I don't think that thai women do hobbies (in the same vien as men do) just as none of the western women I know do, they are probably like a lot of women, just too bloody busy or liek to spend their time in out with friends. This is all from people I know only.

This is the same as my experience. I have never met one Thai woman with a hobby. I tired to tell my wife about hobbies one time and she looked at me like I was crazy. She badly needs to get a hobby too. With her free time she wants to only shop and spend money. She HATES sitting at home.

[Galong]

Nose picking used to be the top hobby but in recent years, surpassed by trying to get on the Skytrain before passengers get off.

Very popular.

Dude, good one!!! Thanks for that

Fishing seems to be popular, though I don't know if it's a hobby or done for food. Some has to be a hobby I'd think. Me Mrs fishes all the time and she doesn't need to fish for food.

What about popping zits while waiting at red lights?

What about running red lights?

What aboot riding side-by-side on motorbikes so that they can talk... while cars and trucks line up behind them waiting for them to move the *&^ over? That seems like a hobby.

[coldcrush]

Of course they do:

- Eating.

- Gossiping.

- Reading cartoons.

- Eating snacks.

- Watching TV.

- Bathing.

- Eating outside.

- Going shopping.

- Eating.

Did I mention eating?

I notice you say "reading cartoons" as my Wife never reads, a Buddha book once!

Why do you never see Thai people on trains reading, the odd one in Bangkok and thats it. Some of the younger generation of students I taught seemed a little more interested in reading, however the majority could not care a less.

Edited February 9, 2007 by lopburiguy

[ilyushin]

Thai hobbies ( just joking)

- eating, sleeping, talking on the cell, bad driving, putting stickers on their cars, etc...

My hobbies are at the moment.

- aircraft and ship model building

- house designs, technology and home improvements

- racing

- target practice ( small arms)

- consuming icy cold mind benders

- collecting gold objects

- GA flying

Edited February 9, 2007 by ilyushin

[coldcrush]

Not as much time for it these days, but I try to continue some hobbies.

- aircraft and ship model building

- house designs, technology and home improvements

- racing

- target practice ( small arms)

- consuming icy cold mind benders

- collecting gold objects

- GA flying

are you architect?

[ilyushin]

Not as much time for it these days, but I try to continue some hobbies.

- aircraft and ship model building

- house designs, technology and home improvements

- racing

- target practice ( small arms)

- consuming icy cold mind benders

- collecting gold objects

- GA flying

are you architect?

No, but I have a hobby or project to build nice affordable homes so I keep looking for methods.

[thaibebop]

I am going to massively generalise now but I don't think that thai women do hobbies (in the same vien as men do) just as none of the western women I know do, they are probably like a lot of women, just too bloody busy or liek to spend their time in out with friends. This is all from people I know only.

This is the same as my experience. I have never met one Thai woman with a hobby. I tired to tell my wife about hobbies one time and she looked at me like I was crazy. She badly needs to get a hobby too. With her free time she wants to only shop and spend money. She HATES sitting at home.

I think that is her hobby. I know that's my wife's hobby. She has no interest in reading or sports or really anything buut finding a deal.

[dukkha]

AN ARCHITECT SOUNDS BETTER....

Not as much time for it these days, but I try to continue some hobbies.

- aircraft and ship model building

- house designs, technology and home improvements

- racing

- target practice ( small arms)

- consuming icy cold mind benders

- collecting gold objects

- GA flying

are you architect?

[ollyrosee]

outside the big cities there is not much hobbyists . maybe fishing if there is a water with fish. mostly its just eating drinking and shopping at the mall .weaving a fish trap or weaving nipa hut roofing sections.

then some karaoki and BarBQ .its mostly sitting around on their asses really . badmington is popular .

[Smilodon]

Most of the "bar girl" cum wive/lovers have hobbies, but all of them seem to center around creative ways of relieving farangs of their money!

Hobby or career?

[Beaming]

'when farang say "thai people", so often it means "bar girl"." <==== such a frog in coconut shell...

Q: Do Thais Have Hobbies?, And if so, what are they?

Ans: My hobbies are embroidery, reading, paiting, cooking, baking and lots more to say.

[Pawpcorn]

Of course they do:

- Eating.

- Gossiping.

- Reading cartoons.

- Eating snacks.

- Watching TV.

- Bathing.

- Eating outside.

- Going shopping.

- Eating.

Did I mention eating?

I notice you say "reading cartoons" as my Wife never reads, a Buddha book once!

Why do you never see Thai people on trains reading, the odd one in Bangkok and thats it. Some of the younger generation of students I taught seemed a little more interested in reading, however the majority could not care a less.

Well, just my luck... tomorrow I have to teach 4 classes of 4th graders ENGLISH about hobbies... arggggg....

I'm cutting and pasting our user contributions.... got it... eating, talking, sleeping, gossiping, ummmm.... can't include the ADULT hobbies, of course!

I've got a 10 minute archive film from the thirties about US Soap Box Derbies... and they have a 2 second segment at the beginning showing boys shooting marbles... I HAVE seen my thai students doing THAT in my classroom... so I guess shooting marbles constitutes a hobby... yes??? Odd thing about where IS the line of delineation between sports and hobbies??? I think I'll have to move the line a bit, in this lesson, to include sports, God help me.

[Heng]

I think one issue is that most foreigners (not all of course) don't have much contact with Thais who have the means (timewise and money wise) to have hobbies. Not to say that there aren't plenty of well to do locals who spend much of their spare time in entertainment venues either though.

[Pawpcorn]

Of course they do:

- Eating.

- Gossiping.

- Reading cartoons.

- Eating snacks.

- Watching TV.

- Bathing.

- Eating outside.

- Going shopping.

- Eating.

Did I mention eating?

I notice you say "reading cartoons" as my Wife never reads, a Buddha book once!

Why do you never see Thai people on trains reading, the odd one in Bangkok and thats it. Some of the younger generation of students I taught seemed a little more interested in reading, however the majority could not care a less.

Well, just my luck... tomorrow I have to teach 4 classes of 4th graders ENGLISH about hobbies... arggggg....

I'm cutting and pasting our user contributions.... got it... eating, talking, sleeping, gossiping, ummmm.... can't include the ADULT hobbies, of course!

I've got a 10 minute archive film from the thirties about US Soap Box Derbies... and they have a 2 second segment at the beginning showing boys shooting marbles... I HAVE seen my thai students doing THAT in my classroom... so I guess shooting marbles constitutes a hobby... yes??? Odd thing about where IS the line of delineation between sports and hobbies??? I think I'll have to move the line a bit, in this lesson, to include sports, God help me.

Hmmm... I have to appologize; I think I passed judgement a little too fast... NOW I've had a chance to read ALL the posts here... and I was actually pretty impressed with the variety of items mentioned! I built a pretty impressive spreadsheet that will do wonderfully tommorow in class...

But I have to agree with many posters, that disposable income in almost non-existant in the majorities of Thai lives, and exhaustion after the 12 hour work day DOES make sleep a pretty attractive pastime. It's certainly true in my case, as a farang teacher, working 6 days a week, usually for 12 hours...

I think HOBBIES are often passed on, generation to generation, which may be another reason why many of the kids today have few hobbies... nothing (of interest to the current generation) to pass down, in many cases... just a thought...

[Mid]

I think one issue is that most foreigners (not all of course) don't have much contact with Thais who have the means (timewise and money wise) to have hobbies. Not to say that there aren't plenty of well to do locals who spend much of their spare time in entertainment venues either though.

one of the rare times we agree

there are normal people here with stamp collections , coin collections , chess clubs add on infirnitum ( you spell it without looking it up ! )

actually I find the question a little ...........................

[jetjock]

I think one issue is that most foreigners (not all of course) don't have much contact with Thais who have the means (timewise and money wise) to have hobbies. Not to say that there aren't plenty of well to do locals who spend much of their spare time in entertainment venues either though.

Spot on. Most hobbies take time and money which many unfortunately many poor working Thai's have little of either. My Thai wife does not have that problem and her list of daily hobbies includes, swimming, tennis, beach volleyball, working out at health club, reading novels, writing her blog, pistol shooting at the range, hiking and biking and the list could go on. I forget to mention eating but of course that is the same hobby shared by all 46 kg. Thai girls.

[Globeliner]

when farang say "thai people", so often it means "bar girl".

Uhhhhhhhhh???