Why Do Expats Wear Socks In Thailand

[MrsMills]

This has been troubling me so much for years, I can't sleep at night thinking about it.

I know ThaiVisa can provide the enlightenment I seek on this matter.

I wear socks sometimes, do you ?

Edited March 20, 2011 by MrsMills

[Slip]

Oh God -, not again...

Edited March 20, 2011 by Slip

[whybother]

Only when I wear shorts.

[Jingthing]

Not with sandals. Dorky is the word that comes to mind when seeing that. I think these customs vary among different nationals and age groups.

[MrsMills]

Oh God -, not again...

Shuddup ya miserable git !

[slapout]

Socks have a multitude of practical uses.

1. keep your feet warm when its cool

2. cover the need for a pedicure

3. good gag material (stuff a sock in it)

4. worn over the head during commission of crimes, etc

5. place a bar of soap inside and instant weapon

6. keeps feet clean when someone neglects house keeping.

7. Can double as mittens

8. great for a polish rag

9. favorite storage/carry all for youngsters and us to sometimes.

10. and the list can go on

[NanLaew]

Old Scottish (my granny anyway) cure for a sore throat is to wrap a sweaty sock around one's neck at night before going to sleep.

Now is THAT why some call rather disparagingly call the Jockinese a 'sweaty sock'?

Personally, I stopped wearing socks around the same time I gave up underwear. I was working on a crew in the Saudi desert, maybe a couple dozen expats. I was complaining about the dobie boy losing socks and underpants in the wash where they would turn up a few days later or getting someone elses kit in your laundry. There was a cockney engineer who was renowned for his ill fitting jeans (imagine serious butt crack here) who commented that he didn't care and would wear whatever came back from the laundry, regardless if it was his or not. The thought of his huge skidmarks was the clincher in the decision to go commando from then on.

[smokie36]

Business tennis golf football etc. they might come in handy otherwise why would anyone bother?

Oops I forgot the Germans...silly me!

[Jingthing]

Socks have a multitude of practical uses.

...

Onanist cleanup rag?

A good reason NOT to wear.

[Tonto21]

Please if you wear shocks and sandals, (at the same time) make sure you go large, you might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb! The shocks should be of the ankle type, polyester, best are suite sock, any color so long as they pulled up as high as they can go up the calf and clash with; a, the sandals and b, the shorts. Everyone who considers this a bold fashion statement may wish to enhance this look that say’s “I’m available, I’m all alone” with a “mullet” haircut.

There are many combinations, still not sure? Pop down to Pattaya, and hang about beach road for a bit…There are more Russian blokes cracking the good taste barrier every day. Guy’s if this is you…please don’t stop, good for you I say, you never fail to put a smile on my face.

[smokie36]

Please if you wear shocks and sandals, (at the same time) make sure you go large, you might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb! The shocks should be of the ankle type, polyester, best are suite sock, any color so long as they pulled up as high as they can go up the calf and clash with; a, the sandals and b, the shorts. Everyone who considers this a bold fashion statement may wish to enhance this look that say's "I'm available, I'm all alone" with a "mullet" haircut.

There are many combinations, still not sure? Pop down to Pattaya, and hang about beach road for a bit…There are more Russian blokes cracking the good taste barrier every day. Guy's if this is you…please don't stop, good for you I say, you never fail to put a smile on my face.

For a more edgy and trendsetting look in the evenings one of the socks should have a hole in with a big toe poking out.

Especially appreciated by the Friday night crowd on Thonglor.

[Thaddeus]

Where else am I going to keep my sgian-dubh.

[pjclark1]

Stops your feet getting dirty, and in the dry season now, the roads are filthy

Stops the skin on your feet drying out and your heels cracking

Stops your trainers soaking up all the sweat and stinking

Stops all the creatures biting the shit out of your feet and ankles

enough?

[473geo]

Those of you who think socks and sandals, flipflops etc are unusual are out of touch, women are wearing these combinations more and more throughout Thailand. In fact dirty exposed bare feet, would I expect these days, be a bit of a turn off, for both sexes.

[IanForbes]

Old Scottish (my granny anyway) cure for a sore throat is to wrap a sweaty sock around one's neck at night before going to sleep.

Now is THAT why some call rather disparagingly call the Jockinese a 'sweaty sock'?

Personally, I stopped wearing socks around the same time I gave up underwear. I was working on a crew in the Saudi desert, maybe a couple dozen expats. I was complaining about the dobie boy losing socks and underpants in the wash where they would turn up a few days later or getting someone elses kit in your laundry. There was a cockney engineer who was renowned for his ill fitting jeans (imagine serious butt crack here) who commented that he didn't care and would wear whatever came back from the laundry, regardless if it was his or not. The thought of his huge skidmarks was the clincher in the decision to go commando from then on.

Great story, Nanlaew.

When packing for Thailand, and wanting to bring my video camera as well as my SLR and compact Pentax, I didn't want to bring three separate camera bags, so I stuffed the video camera into one of my bigger socks and packed all three cameras together.

I am sure glad I had my socks earlier this week when the temperature dropped to 14 degrees here in Chiang Mai.

And, when I first get back to Thailand after a summer (?) in Canada my tootsies are a bit tender. Wearing rubber soled sandals in hot weather is a sure way to gain blisters if you walk as much as I do. I can get around that by wearing socks for a while until my feet toughen up.

Good topic, Mrs Mills. Lets see if we can keep it going as long as the one on shorts.

[BuckarooBanzai]

[Tonto21]

Stops your feet getting dirty, and in the dry season now, the roads are filthy

Stops the skin on your feet drying out and your heels cracking

Stops your trainers soaking up all the sweat and stinking

Stops all the creatures biting the shit out of your feet and ankles

enough?

Fair doo’s “pjclark1”………Socks bless em, have their place, one you missed.........Keeping your mint Imperials in, and yes dare I say it with trainers, (that’s, short, short socks) and they better be the sport type! Not some polyester “lounge lizard” ankle suite sock.

Back to “socks and sandals” The best combo I’ve ever seen was on some academic type, sat drinking tea, puffing away on his pipe in a café. The look; Blue cord shorts, (kiddy fiddling short) black sandals, They were a cross between the ever popular, Reebok shit kicker and the Hebrew sprinter, (nice)and flesh, (thats tan) colored ankle socks, they were such a close color match with his skin tone, that from a distance of 5 feet or more he looked like he had “action man feet” no toes. Now that was a look not many could get away with.

[jazzbo]

Edited March 20, 2011 by jazzbo

[james24]

I'm wearing a pair now, Chiang Mai feels like London at the moment

[JPPR2]

Please if you wear shocks and sandals, (at the same time) make sure you go large, you might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb! The shocks should be of the ankle type, polyester, best are suite sock, any color so long as they pulled up as high as they can go up the calf and clash with; a, the sandals and b, the shorts. Everyone who considers this a bold fashion statement may wish to enhance this look that say's "I'm available, I'm all alone" with a "mullet" haircut.

There are many combinations, still not sure? Pop down to Pattaya, and hang about beach road for a bit…There are more Russian blokes cracking the good taste barrier every day. Guy's if this is you…please don't stop, good for you I say, you never fail to put a smile on my face.

YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER EVER wear socks and sandals unless you want to be referred to by a host of names and laughed at. It is one of the top 2 or 3 dress dork things I see here in Thailand. I only see it with foreigners. In fact saw a gaggle of them today down near Siam.....I really laugh at the guys who wear crew socks up to their knees....

This dress up skill ranks right up there with big gutted a$$hats wearing Chang Beer tank tops with a sun burn to match. But that's another topic for the forum later...

[onnut]

Socks have a multitude of practical uses.

1. keep your feet warm when its cool

2. cover the need for a pedicure

3. good gag material (stuff a sock in it)

4. worn over the head during commission of crimes, etc

5. place a bar of soap inside and instant weapon

6. keeps feet clean when someone neglects house keeping.

7. Can double as mittens

8. great for a polish rag

9. favorite storage/carry all for youngsters and us to sometimes.

10. and the list can go on

Very handy when you can't find a tissue! :-0

[Jingthing]

Very handy when you can't find a tissue! :-0

Post 9 redux?

[somtampet]

beggars belief,u are equal to the wearing shorts imbecile.What sort of life do u have,have you had mental problems in the past,do u suffer from depression.

[Beetlejuice]

I usually wear only a pair of socks and nothing else when I go shopping in my local area.

No one takes any notice because they all know I’m a bit mental.

[gotlost]

I do not like sandals.

[Tonto21]

beggars belief,u are equal to the wearing shorts imbecile.What sort of life do u have,have you had mental problems in the past,do u suffer from depression.

Sorry somtampet, I just don’t get it! Take another deep breath and give it another stab a! It may be me, I am only on my first Sangsom.

[Tod Daniels]

beggars belief,u are equal to the wearing shorts imbecile.What sort of life do u have,have you had mental problems in the past,do u suffer from depression.

Sorry somtampet, I just don’t get it! Take another deep breath and give it another stab a! It may be me, I am only on my first Sangsom.

Don't feel too bad ;

I'm on my second แบน (baaen^M) of SangSom (แสงโสม), that's the small flat bottles not to be confused with a กลม (glohm^M) or the big round bottles (fifths), and I still can't understand a single word of it!!

Oh, and BACK ON TOPIC: I wear sox here because I wear either Doc Martin boots or shoes. However on the rare occasion when I wear sandals I DO NOT wear sox! Sox and sandals just don’t go together, no matter how you slice it!

I also prefer to give a pass to the "official" and seemingly "mandatory" dress code I see most older foreign males wearing here; either a Singha, Chang or Red Bull singlet (muscle shirt), cargo shorts and 40baht sandals.

Then again I've got over 120 different KISS t-shirts and wear one with Levis every day, so go figure!!

[Slip]

I apologise Mrs Mills. This thread is beating those others into a cocked hat!

Oh and for the record I wear black smart sandals with black socks (and trousers/pants- sorry that's a different thread), when I'm teaching: All the easier to remove at the door. Surely sandals with socks of the same colour and longs/pants/trousers aren't even that noticeable?

[MSingh]

Shuddup ya miserable git !

I like you Mrs Mills, my kind of Fella undoubtedly..

[surayu]

With such a strong sun, it's one of the best ways to protect your ears getting sunburned