Cultural Gaffs.....

[Luckydog]

When I first came here many years ago now, my first GF took me back to her place for Lunch.

To my horror the poor souls had no table and chairs. Too poor, I thought, to buy them. So went out and

ordered a nice table and six chairs to be sent there.........next day I went to Lunch again. The table and chairs were still in their packing and the girls were still eating on the floor.....of course!

You can't change them. I now live in a nice complex where Thais buy beautifully furnished houses for 2/3mil and every night they sit on the ground in the drive, to have Dinner.

I hate sitting on the ground to eat. Not my bag at all........

You ever made a Cultural Gaff over here?

[terry57]

When I first came here many years ago now, my first GF took me back to her place for Lunch.

To my horror the poor souls had no table and chairs. Too poor, I thought, to buy them. So went out and

ordered a nice table and six chairs to be sent there.........next day I went to Lunch again. The table and chairs were still in their packing and the girls were still eating on the floor.....of course!

You can't change them. I now live in a nice complex where Thais buy beautifully furnished houses for 2/3mil and every night they sit on the ground in the drive, to have Dinner.

I hate sitting on the ground to eat. Not my bag at all........

You ever made a Cultural Gaff over here?

yes, i made a cracker blue one day luckydog, and i must say im not to proud of it.

i woke up one morning with a hangover that would kill 58 soi dogs and jessuss i was crook.

anyway, i put me undies on the outside of my daks and headed off down rambuttri street without realising what i had done.

crickys mate, every bugger was laughing and pointing at me and i didnt crack on to it till i went to the dunny.

now thats got to be a cultural gaff aint it.

i certainly had a gaff in the dunny thats for sure.

thank you very much.

[markwhite]

You ever made a Cultural Gaff over here?

The first time I came here was on holiday a few years ago. I'd read a guidebook and had an idea of the etiquette and tried to bear it in mind as I did my thing.

This included a boat trip out snorkelling somewhere. I was taken by minibus to the jetty and told to find a snorkel and a pair of flippers to fit. So I took my shoes off and placed them somewhere convenient, then sat down half-cheeked on a table and tried on the flippers. These being fine, I stood up and wondered why local guides around were gawping more than a little. Then I saw I'd been sat on the table with the curly legs where they had a picture of the king with the incense burning and the rest of it, so I'd been giving him a good old mooning while I sat there. But then I had to take my shoes off the table from in front of the picture where I'd first put them...

But once it was done, it was done. I didn't seem to get any more adverse reaction from anyone, other than myself feeling a bit silly.

[leisurely]

On our very first day here I dropped my purse and coins rolled out, I did what most westerners would do and put out my foot and stopped some coins (Kings head + feet is not good it would seem). The in Mcdonalds I started smoking a ciggy and using the little ketchup trays as an ashtray. Yikes. The manager soon put me right. Both happened in seacon square and to this day I don't go there often