This article about how to behave while visiting Thailand was published today in an Aussie newspaper,

what a pile laughable misguided prescriptions of what is Thailand is all about... 

https://www.escape.com.au/destinations/asia/thailand/never-break-this-spoon-rule-in-thailand/image-gallery/7d9fdb8b7880c59079d3b769b2a3b355

I laughed at '66 deaths per death' the usual copied outdated nonsense, right about the roads though

Yeah, that is pretty low grade writing. Paul Ewart will soon be one of death-deaths if he look left crossing the street in Thailand.

 

66 deaths per death. So, make sure to look left, right, and then repeat, 

Oh I don't know (wiggles head from side to side), I learnt a few things I've been doing wrong. And a few things I can try out. 

Actually the rouble with generalisations is that they are non-specific

Little bit concerned about this:

 

".......perfect for bumming around on a beach"

 

????

 

 

 

 

I think this is a pretty reasonable summary for a first time tourist.... 

 

I’m not so sure what’s laughable, the advice provided is pretty decent, much of it is common sense and known by most who’ve lived here any length of time - newbies may not know much of these items and would be well served to read a little background. 

 

Another piece of advice would be to ‘avoid the advice of tainted expats’ who’ll have you believing that ‘if a taxi is in an accident its the farang passengers fault because if the farang wasn’t there neither would the taxi’  or other golden droplets of barstool dumbflookery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I dont know whats laughable.

 

He is writing to aussies who basically havent been to thailand.

 

Seems to be quite sound advice to me. Which parts were wrong and laughable?

So what is the

"Thai equivalent of Red Bull"?

Actually, I agreed with most of those points.

A bit general, but good for first time tourists.

So did I.

16 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Another piece of advice would be to ‘avoid the advice of tainted expats’ who’ll have you believing that ‘if a taxi is in an accident its the farang passengers fault because if the farang wasn’t there neither would the taxi’  or other golden droplets of barstool dumbflookery.

Right. The OP doesn't like the article because he wants to hear the golden droplets of barstool dumbflookery he pumps out himself.

Believe me, thongs will be your footwear staples in Thailand. Not only are they perfect for bumming around on a beach and chilling out poolside, but they’ll also come in handy when visiting local temples and homes. As in many Asian cultures, removing your shoes before entering a structure is the go in Thailand. With thongs, you can do this in a flash.

 

This has got to be the best "joke" of all.  First, there are two types of thongs, those for the feet, which he mentions, and those which are to cover the mid section of females.  It is then stated that thongs are good for BUMMING around the beach, but then they can be removed easily when visiting homes. etc.  That should produce either horror or hilarity depending on the location where and in front of whom they are removed.  Finally, it is said they are removable in very quick time.  There is nothing to them so they can be taken off rapidly.

 

The best is that when some ex-pats have read something written by a Thai, usually a reporter, many of them have posted on TVF - you can't make that up.  Well, the same applies in this article presumably written by an Aussie.

'nuf sed.

1 hour ago, loong said:

So what is the

"Thai equivalent of Red Bull"?

Krating Daeng?

The buckets of booze bit. ' After just one you will be politic '.   Is this talking complete bow locks or politics which is the same ?

On 6/19/2020 at 7:09 AM, Isaan Alan said:

Oh I don't know (wiggles head from side to side), I learnt a few things I've been doing wrong. And a few things I can try out. 

Actually the rouble with generalisations is that they are non-specific

That's the problem with roubles.????

3 hours ago, loong said:

So what is the

"Thai equivalent of Red Bull"?

 

1 hour ago, ratcatcher said:

Krating Daeng?

That wasn't a serious question.

There is no "Thai equivalent" of Red Bull because Red Bull is Thai.

On 6/19/2020 at 6:19 AM, ExpatOilWorker said:

Yeah, that is pretty low grade writing. Paul Ewart will soon be one of death-deaths if he look left crossing the street in Thailand.

 

66 deaths per death. So, make sure to look left, right, and then repeat, 

Yes indeed, very laughable. Look left.... By the way Patong is NOT in Bangkok. Patpong is... Patong is in P.....

I honestly don't travel in social circles in Thailand filled with people who would pay attention to such things. My wife's family is Isaan and they barely know how to use silverware let alone chopsticks. Which is not to say they are unmannerly. I am quite clumsy myself when it comes to balling up my sticky rice and dipping it without making an absolute mess of everything ????

9 minutes ago, loong said:

 

That wasn't a serious question.

There is no "Thai equivalent" of Red Bull because Red Bull is Thai.

I am sure with your knowledge, that you realize that the name Red Bull was created by Dieter Mateschitz when he collaborated with Chaleo Yoovidhya , backin 1982, who developed Krathing Daeng here in Thailand. The original Thai formula for Krathing Daeng was reformulated by Mateschitz for western Tastes. Like all good things it's now owned by Unilever.

That could be a whole new tourist attraction. Watching the girls taking off their thongs before entering temples..........

11 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

That could be a whole new tourist attraction. Watching the girls taking off their thongs before entering temples..........

I thought things were skimpy drawers but also footwear. Time for a google.

3 hours ago, toofarnorth said:

The buckets of booze bit. ' After just one you will be politic '.   Is this talking complete bow locks or politics which is the same ?

He meant paralytic.

On 6/19/2020 at 5:13 PM, Sujo said:

I dont know whats laughable.

 

He is writing to aussies who basically havent been to thailand.

 

Seems to be quite sound advice to me. Which parts were wrong and laughable?

I agree. It's not that bad, but has some errors. 

 

The first bit about using the spoon is correct, but no one would be offended by it. Nobody cares about that.  Not sure why the writer thinks it should come first. A little perspective would be helpful. Eating with your fork is not on a par with, say, disrespecting the Buddha. 

 

I'm mystified why these articles always warn against pointing with a foot. Yes, that's impolite, but they nearly always fail to clearly state that showing the soles of the feet is the real offense. 

 

The bit about going around wai'ing people who want to sell you something is nonsense, unless you want to look like a total noob. There's a lot more to it than gaining the good graces of fruit vendors. Whether to wai first depends on age, position, and social status. 

 

Lastly, forgive me for going grammar police, but in my opinion, anyone making a living by writing in English should know that an apostrophe is used to form possessives. More than once, the author tacked on an 's' as if forming plurals. 

I also thought it was a reasonable article. What did the OP find laughable apart from the grammar?
One more to add;
If you drop a banknote, don't stamp on it to stop it from blowing away......you're actually stamping on the face of the king.

On 6/19/2020 at 4:53 PM, richard_smith237 said:

I think this is a pretty reasonable summary for a first time tourist.... 

 

I’m not so sure what’s laughable, the advice provided is pretty decent, much of it is common sense and known by most who’ve lived here any length of time - newbies may not know much of these items and would be well served to read a little background.

I agree with Richard. Although, it's obviously geared for the tourist, us old timers ought to improve our own behavior. I don't agree with him just pushing the thong flip-flops. There are other flip-flop slippers that do not require the divider between the toes.

41 minutes ago, Alidiver said:

One more to add;
If you drop a banknote, don't stamp on it to stop it from blowing away......you're actually stamping on the face of the king.

 

Been there - got the t-shirt , in the Kanchanaburi train station

I don't understand what the OP is on about, the advice sounds quite sensible to me.

Some of this advice looks as if it has been written by a 20 year old backpacker for other first time backpackers.

 

For example, Tuk-tuks are only use by tourists. Not really true. There are rows of them all over the place well away from anywhere a tourists would step foot in. We use them every time we go BigC supermarket shopping to bring all our bags home. There is a row of them outside our condo building near the MRT entrance. The Thais do seem to prefer the motorbike taxis but when they have a lot to carry tuk-tuks are the obvious choice.

 

Quite a few other items in that article are silly if not inaccurate.

Not ONLY this article, many foreigners' writings about Thailand (and some other countries) are laughable. I guess, the social media has given birth to zillions of Keyboard Experts in every field!

Nothing wrong with this article whatsoever. What was there to laugh about ?