I have always been slightly baffled by Thailand’s long running love affair with menthol and camphor inhalers. Years ago you used to see people everywhere walking around with those little stick inhalers jammed up their nostrils. Often they would just leave them hanging there unattended like an ornamental piece of nose jewelry. Some of them even had that double barrel design so you could apparently ventilate both sides of your brain at the same time. Back then it was a common sight to see a Thai bloke hanging out of the window of one of those green Bangkok buses, traffic not moving, diesel fumes everywhere, and there he was with an inhaler stuffed up his nose like it was the last line of defense against the apocalypse.

Fast forward a couple of decades and Thailand seems to have upgraded the technology. Now the inhalers come in these little civilized canisters with a screw cap and a wide opening. Inside there is a mesh pouch filled with some mysterious mix of herbs, menthol, camphor, and whatever else they have thrown into the pot. You unscrew the lid, take a deep sniff, and apparently all is well with the universe again. People in the West normally use them when they have a cold, when their sinuses are blocked, or maybe when they feel dizzy, but in Thailand they seem to be everywhere all the time.

What I find humorous is how often you see them lying around, left behind in random places. On a table in a cafe. On a bench somewhere. At the gym next to a treadmill. By a sink in a public bathroom. It often looks like someone absent mindedly set it down after a quick nasal tune up and buggered off. The whole obsession seems slightly ridiculous to an outsider, but maybe they are onto something the rest of us have not unlocked yet. Either that, or Thailand has quietly become the world capital of recreational menthol inhalation and nobody bothered to inform the rest of the planet. 😄

And lets not forget the traditional Thai "sniff kiss" - now that had to be mentioned 😄

Anyone ever been on the receiving end of one of those ?

Just now, CharlieH said:

And lets not forget the traditional Thai "sniff kiss" - now that had to be mentioned 😄

https://www.thailandblog.nl/wp-content/uploads/snuif-kus-2-720x486.jpg

That is true Charlie. The old Thai "Hawm Gahm" embrace. Love that!

I always carry one of those little green colored HongThai inhalers just in case you suddenly get a whiff of something unpleasant. Last thing you would ever want to be forced to sniff in Thailand is a Harrisfart. Good thing he's still locked down in his mum's basement in Brisbane... At least for the moment he is.

3 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Anyone ever been on the receiving end of one of those ?

Yes. It means she really likes you.

Yadom is the name. Can't stand the stuff myself.

2 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

Yes. It means she really likes you.

Maybe... Unless perhaps she has something else on her mind.

Who in their right mind would downvote this nicely worded op? Very poignant. Don’t see it so much nowadays though as the current gen doesn’t seem to have enough time to indulge… too busy on their F phones!

7 hours ago, CharlieH said:

And lets not forget the traditional Thai "sniff kiss" - now that had to be mentioned 😄

https://www.thailandblog.nl/wp-content/uploads/snuif-kus-2-720x486.jpg

Anyone ever been on the receiving end of one of those ?

Oh, yes indeed. The sniff kiss is a sure-thing a Thai girl is into you.

8 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

have always been slightly baffled by Thailand’s long running love affair with menthol and camphor inhalers.

You have it completely wrong.

What you seem to not know is that....

Thai lovers sniff.

They do not kiss.

They sniff, instead.

So, I guess you know not that much about Thai culture, apparently.

2 hours ago, BilllyGOAT said:

Maybe... Unless perhaps she has something else on her mind.

The sniff 'n' swipe move… the execution of which requires expert, well-honed skills.

21 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

You have it completely wrong.

What you seem to not know is that....

Thai lovers sniff.

They do not kiss.

They sniff, instead.

So, I guess you know not that much about Thai culture, apparently.

Lol. You do not have the faintest clue what Thai lovers do in private.

14 minutes ago, BilllyGOAT said:

Lol. You do not have the faintest clue what Thai lovers do in private.

I am no peeping Tom, if that is what you mean.

I really can't stand Toms, anyway.

6 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I am no peeping Tom, if that is what you mean.

I really can't stand Toms, anyway.

I say it would be even better if you didn't make a peep at all on AN.

Just now, BilllyGOAT said:

I say it would be even better if you didn't make a peep at all on AN.

I am fully aware of your preferences.

But, I am still doing my best to encourage you to change your opinion of me.

Such an uphill battle, I have never faced.

Even more arduous than rolling a giant boulder, uphill, by the way.

56 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I am fully aware of your preferences.

But, I am still doing my best to encourage you to change your opinion of me.

Such an uphill battle, I have never faced.

Even more arduous than rolling a giant boulder, uphill, by the way.

Try rolling yourself a spliff instead. It will probably do you a world of good. Far better solution than the cocktail of bipolar and antidepressant meds you are on now.

3 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Who in their right mind would downvote this nicely worded op?

It was Ted. I witnessed the crime.

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

The sniff 'n' swipe move… the execution of which requires expert, well-honed skills.

Practice makes perfect. In Thailand you often get a rub and tug with it.

Good topic rooted by two F's again!

5 minutes ago, BilllyGOAT said:

Practice makes perfect. In Thailand you often get a rub and tug with it.

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I am fully aware of your preferences.

But, I am still doing my best to encourage you to change your opinion of me.

Such an uphill battle, I have never faced.

Even more arduous than rolling a giant boulder, uphill, by the way.

4 hours ago, BilllyGOAT said:

When I see em doing this, I like to walk past and crop dust.

8 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

Yadom is the name. Can't stand the stuff myself.

The higher quality ones are in a small jar not a tube. The tube ones are not good. Yadom yadom yadom!

My wife has one that has a nasy smell, not menthol.

7 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

You have it completely wrong.

What you seem to not know is that....

Thai lovers sniff.

They do not kiss.

They sniff, instead.

So, I guess you know not that much about Thai culture, apparently.

I have it on good authority that they often, Buddha forbid, partake in fornication on occasion too. The sniff-kiss thing is more a risqué public endeavour, sort of on par with the Western lovers’ rather classless act of pecking/snogging in public. Ordinary Thais would never even dare sniff a face in public back in the day. If you’re seeing it now, where are you and who are they? 🙂

7 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I am no peeping Tom, if that is what you mean.

I really can't stand Toms, anyway.

Nowt wrong with Toms. Thailand has the best of them. That almost androgynous look (with all the relevant natural parts) that you know you really shouldn’t but is a massive thrill when you do 😜

35 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

If you’re seeing it now, where are you and who are they?

Thailand.

Thai people.

A few years ago I was walking around the market with my wife and an old

aunt , my aunt was feeling faint ,maybe from the Sun, I had walked

away from them ,only to find about 6 people offering her menthol

sniffers when i returned ...

regards worgeordie

On 3/11/2026 at 8:34 PM, SoCal1990 said:

I have always been slightly baffled by Thailand’s long running love affair with menthol and camphor inhalers. Years ago you used to see people everywhere walking around with those little stick inhalers jammed up their nostrils. Often they would just leave them hanging there unattended like an ornamental piece of nose jewelry. Some of them even had that double barrel design so you could apparently ventilate both sides of your brain at the same time. Back then it was a common sight to see a Thai bloke hanging out of the window of one of those green Bangkok buses, traffic not moving, diesel fumes everywhere, and there he was with an inhaler stuffed up his nose like it was the last line of defense against the apocalypse.

Fast forward a couple of decades and Thailand seems to have upgraded the technology. Now the inhalers come in these little civilized canisters with a screw cap and a wide opening. Inside there is a mesh pouch filled with some mysterious mix of herbs, menthol, camphor, and whatever else they have thrown into the pot. You unscrew the lid, take a deep sniff, and apparently all is well with the universe again. People in the West normally use them when they have a cold, when their sinuses are blocked, or maybe when they feel dizzy, but in Thailand they seem to be everywhere all the time.

What I find humorous is how often you see them lying around, left behind in random places. On a table in a cafe. On a bench somewhere. At the gym next to a treadmill. By a sink in a public bathroom. It often looks like someone absent mindedly set it down after a quick nasal tune up and buggered off. The whole obsession seems slightly ridiculous to an outsider, but maybe they are onto something the rest of us have not unlocked yet. Either that, or Thailand has quietly become the world capital of recreational menthol inhalation and nobody bothered to inform the rest of the planet. 😄

take your pick ...

smell the never ending foul smelling sewers/drains/canals in addition to the nasty black exhast from the diesel vehicles plus the PM pollution

or if you live near a open air market or chicken farm/pig farm .... or look like a weiner walking around with an inhaler stuffed in your beak.

and as far as on the romance side... if you can get past the smell, "you got it licked "

On 3/12/2026 at 6:06 AM, GammaGlobulin said:

I am fully aware of your preferences.

But, I am still doing my best to encourage you to change your opinion of me.

Such an uphill battle, I have never faced.

Even more arduous than rolling a giant boulder, uphill, by the way.

Might I suggest you get a much bigger boulder? That way you will be out of our hair for much longer periods.

At least it's not this freak:

https://people.com/butt-sniffing-bandit-arrested-again-less-than-one-month-after-prior-incident-11796537

23 hours ago, stubuzz said:

My wife has one that has a nasy smell, not menthol.

23 hours ago, stubuzz said:

My wife has one that has a nasy smell, not menthol.

23 hours ago, stubuzz said:

My wife has one that has a nasy smell, not menthol.

What part of your wife are you referring to?