why do they like to sit on floor

[opalred]

i have a house i built/with every thing in it /tables and chairs / yet for past 12 yrs living with wife she will eat on the floor /and every one comes around sit and eat around the food on the floor\my wife is not from the mountain villages and highly educated //why cheers

[KannikaP]

No idea, but mine is the same.

[steven100]

because they are like an old guy set in his ways,  never to change.  My dad had newspaper cuts/squares on wire in the toilet, brylcream on every shelve,  a meat safe hanging on the back porch which he used up until his heart death. Water bottle in the fridge was a 60's milk bottle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[3NUMBAS]

my dtr squats on the chair cant sit on it

[JackGats]

I've read that being seated for too long on a seat is bad for your internal organs and/or blood circulation. There may be some health benefit to squatting.

[recom273]

I buy 2 sofas and I paint the walls white. Yet, when work friends of the wife visit (usually their husbands) visit, they  sit on the floor in front of the door, blocking access, leaning against the wall. 
 

When I ask them to sit down they do this stupid head bob and give a stupid grin. 
 

 

[1FinickyOne]

That's just how it is... a table and chairs is a waste of money. 

[Stocky]

Quote

why do they like to sit on floor

Why do you like to sit in a chair?
An equally stupid question.

[Bluespunk]

Well, what do you know...I'm ''they''...

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

No idea, but mine is the same.

And mine.

[sirineou]

Quote

why do they like to sit on floor

A better question is, why don't you?

[pgrahmm]

We have a family breakfast at the dining room table in the morning..... After that it's pretty much an open style for the rest of the day.....

However, if they have something to watch on TV, they park right there on the floor in front of the TV; eat, and watch their soap opera.....

The wife is a uni grad that had 17 years management - working for an international company (Nissan)....#1 daughter is 2nd year university & other daughter in high school.....

The kicker here is the in-laws are farm/ranch folks.....No degrees or advanced employment or education.... Salt of the earth....

They have a big table with chairs in their kitchen that they use for meals.....

 

My guess is they are taught to squat at schools, at temples, gatherings from a young age....I remember visiting a school in rural Ang Thong and their meeting/lunch room was nothing but a big empty room, the kids sat/ate/visited on the floor...

Undoubtedly, many did at home also....

It's become ingrained into their existence & very natural for them....

Just as sitting in chairs, couches, lazy boys, bar stools has been ingrained in us (as we evolved from trees also as mentioned by a previous poster).....

In short - it's an ingrained trait....

I can't see one any worse than the other.... It's not my nature to look down on, or pick at others....

Right now my oldest daughter is sitting at our kitchen table eating.....

[OneMoreFarang]

33 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

No idea, but mine is the same.

And mine.

My one is different! She sits on a chair on the table together with me.

 

But for our new apartment she requested an area of free flor. Just in case the family visits and they all want to sit on the floor. I think I have to think hard if it is a smart idea to follow her request.

[OneMoreFarang]

It seems in restaurants they sit just like we do.

Or maybe I didn't visit any real Thai restaurants with floor only until now. TiT

[Kinnock]

In our new house, designed by my wife, we have two sitting rooms with large L shaped sofas and coffee tables in front, plus a dedicated dining room with a dining table and chairs ...... and yet we eat sitting on the floor ????

 

At least we have lots of floor cushions, and the coffee tables are the right height for low-flying dining.

 

After seeing the original post, I asked her why, and she said it feels more relaxed on the floor, and everyone is the same height when on the floor.

 

Also - a typical Thai meal plus beers is way too big for a normal sized dining table ...... all those dishes!

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

Like many thing, it comes down to culture. Many us ask "why?" I'm sure the average response would be, "why not?"

 

Wife's response: in an average Thai household, table and chairs are for elderly. Younger people usually sit on the floor. btw: there's we never run out of seat if we sit on the floor:) we eat on the floor, we sleep on the floor, we prepare food to cook on the floor. Siting on floor become habits for us Thais, so yes it's part of our culture.

[ThaiPauly]

All my Thai visitors/family sit at the table.

 

I think that they think I may be offended if they sat on the floor

[jvs]

Usually  also cooler on the floor.

Works great for sleeping as well.

 

[Moonlover]

Well I think the first and most important comment is - they can!

 

How many of you can sit, squat or kneel on the floor for any length of time in comfort and then just as easily get up again without any difficulty whatsoever?

 

Asians have been sitting like this for countless generations. It comes completely naturally to them and is indeed the natural way. IMO we are the ones that are at odds.

 

@Kinnock makes a good point as well. I've never sat at a dining table in Thailand that is big enough to accommodate all the dishes and plates.

 

And finally, guess what. It's also great for your health, especially your posture. There are numerous web sites that will attest to that.

[JayClay]

20 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It seems in restaurants they sit just like we do.

Or maybe I didn't visit any real Thai restaurants with floor only until now. TiT

Yes they sometimes sit, on teeny tiny chairs with no backs. There are definitely also restaurants where they sit on the floor but those are more "trendy" Thai style places.

 

6 minutes ago, jvs said:

Usually  also cooler on the floor.

Works great for sleeping as well.

 

And a fantastic way to induce heamoroids for those unlucky enough not to have them yet!

[pasathai]

its cooler

[bbko]

I like this response from an older thread on the same subject; There's more of a communal feel to sitting around on the floor, close together and sharing the food. You don't get quite the same "bonding" (if I can call it that) when you sit around a table. Don't drink wine while sitting on the floor, though. Some <deleted> always kicks over the bottle or glass, and usually it's me shifting about all the time.

 

[mfd101]

On the once every couple of months I visit the family farm they throw on a BBQ for the 10-20 family members present. If it's raining we sit inside the house we built for MIL, nice and cool on the tiles and I have a low plastic chair to sit on.

 

If it's fine we all sit outside on mats on the ground, the concrete BBQs nearby, the plastic chair for me, and a small concrete table & plastic chairs for MIL & PIL (5 & 3 years older than me). And the farm dogs join us for the meal.

 

All works nicely. Very relaxed. Perfect for life in the tropics.

 

When the family members arrive to mow our lawns (currently once a fortnight) they sit outside on the verandahs as we feed & water them through the day.

[jak2002003]

I am British. I have always preferred to sit  on the floor when relaxing, watching TV, etc since I was a kid. 

 

Of course, formal or more family style meals I sat on a chair at the table. 

 

Now I am 45 and still prefer to sit on the floor.  It's more comfortable and natural for me than sitting on a chair or sofa for a length of time.  

 

I did this many many years before I even came to Thailand. 

 

I don't get why some people think it's an issue to sit on the floor at home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ramrod711]

10 hours ago, Kinnock said:

In our new house, designed by my wife, we have two sitting rooms with large L shaped sofas and coffee tables in front, plus a dedicated dining room with a dining table and chairs ...... and yet we eat sitting on the floor ????

 

At least we have lots of floor cushions, and the coffee tables are the right height for low-flying dining.

 

After seeing the original post, I asked her why, and she said it feels more relaxed on the floor, and everyone is the same height when on the floor.

 

Also - a typical Thai meal plus beers is way too big for a normal sized dining table ...... all those dishes!

everyone is the same height when on the floor. That makes the most sense to me.

[ramrod711]

10 hours ago, HappyGoLuckyLife said:

Wife's response: in an average Thai household, table and chairs are for elderly. Younger people usually sit on the floor.

This also makes sense to me.

[tonray]

8 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

I am British. I have always preferred to sit  on the floor when relaxing

That simply won't work for high tea. I'm going to see if your'e even in the social register

[MrBrad]

11 minutes ago, ramrod711 said:

everyone is the same height when on the floor. That makes the most sense to me.

C'mon now.  The distance from the top of the head to the butt is the same whether sitting on a chair or on the floor.

[mfd101]

27 minutes ago, MrBrad said:

C'mon now.  The distance from the top of the head to the butt is the same whether sitting on a chair or on the floor.

Yes but most of the difference in people's height comes from short vs long LEGS.

[Kinnock]

10 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

Yes but most of the difference in people's height comes from short vs long LEGS.

Yes, plus the big differences in height created by different heights of chairs.  A typical Western whole family gathering has some people on the sofa, some on dining chairs, some in armchairs, some on bean-bags, some on kitchen stools.  This would need complex orchestration for a Thai family gathering.  But all sitting on the floor is simple.