Showing soles of feet

[Thian]

Yesterday we were eating in a nice airconditioned restaurant. At the table next to us was a goodlooking educated Thai couple having dinner as well.

 

The lady of them had put one leg under the other and left her shoe on the floor, her bare footsole was aimed at me all the time that we've been eating. I asked my wife if that wasn't very offending to us but she acted like "don't dare to mention it".

 

Other times while eating in restaurants i even have seen Thai who put  both bare feet on a chair at their dinnertable and i had to look at their soles all the time.

 

The other day i wanted to buy something in a store and asked the owner how much it costed. He didn't understand what i wanted to buy so i aimed at it with my foot (wearing shoes) to get a warning from him that i should never do that in Thailand. It was considered very unpollite by Thai he assured me.  (yes he could speak good english and i'm a regular customer of him).

 

So how does it work??  I also see Thai putting bare feet on chairs at airports, skytrain, the gym and so on.

 

Are they just lowclass people or do i miss some information??

[Kwasaki]

You poor sole. 

[amykat]

I did something about the same one time.  I was at a walking street market.  My hands were full of shopping bags.  The items I was looking at were in the street ...foot level.  My friend didn't understand what one I was interested in, so I lifted my foot a few inches and pointed at it slightly and she slapped my leg down and told me off.  I also never got a real explanation about what was so terrible about that as I wasn't pointing at a person, a religious item, etc.  And as I said, the items where in laying in the street near my feet.  That was over 10 years ago, but I haven't done it again.

[Peterw42]

Its nothing to do with the soles of your feet, its pointing with your feet. I am always getting in trouble for it.

Bare feet on a chair etc, is not so bad, its pointing with your foot.

Another one you will notice is underwear is always hung lower than clothes on the washing line.

[Kinnock]

I thought it was two different issues related to feet, depending on if you have outdoor shoes on or not?

 

1. Pointing with feet is considered rude - or pointing your bare feet directly at people when sitting. 
2. Showing the dirty soles of your shoes is rude - as who wants to see the street dirt all over the soles of your shoes

So if you've taken off your shoes in a restaurant, then tucking your feet in is OK - even if the soles happen to be on show.

But if you've taken off your shoes in someone's house or in a temple, then be careful how you place your feet, especially if (like me) you can't sit cross legged on the floor for more than 10 minutes without losing all feeling below the waist.

 

And if you still have outdoor shoes on - then putting your feet up on the frame behind the tuk-tuk driver is not good, or sitting with your (shoed) feet up on a chair is also not good.

[BEVUP]

It's not the soles

It is about high & low

Eg ; Your hands were made for pointing not your feet

       Books were made to hold & read not stand on to gain a few inches

       Never  hop aver a person where your feet will go over their head

       Dont sit on a pillow its for your head when sleeping

Ect Ect Ect

[Thian]

1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

Its nothing to do with the soles of your feet, its pointing with your feet. I am always getting in trouble for it.

Bare feet on a chair etc, is not so bad, its pointing with your foot.

Another one you will notice is underwear is always hung lower than clothes on the washing line.

 

I have neighbours in the moobaan who do laundry in the weekend. To dry it they have a rack on wheels which they drive onto the street right infront of the house of the other neighbours (over the middle of the street) and it's full of underwear. 

Their own neighbours have their house for sale so what will a customer think if he sees that rack full of underwear on the middle of the street?  I allready made fun about it to them but they keep on doing it.

They want their underwear to catch sunshine that's why they do it. For me it's very rude but hey i'm just a stupid fallang.

 

 

 

 

[Thian]

1 hour ago, BEVUP said:

It's not the soles

It is about high & low

Eg ; Your hands were made for pointing not your feet

       Books were made to hold & read not stand on to gain a few inches

       Never  hop aver a person where your feet will go over their head

       Dont sit on a pillow its for your head when sleeping

Ect Ect Ect

 

I see, so it's about high and low...

I have a nice couch for sitting but our guests (Thai) like to sit on the floor with their back against the sofa. Then they push the sofa against the steel windowbars so the leather gets damaged. Also they let their kids jump on the sofa and even when they tell her to stop it the kid won't listen at all and keeps on jumping. It's a lazyboy so it really annoys me...

 

Also the lazyboy recliner, they like to sit on it with 2 or 3 people together, it's not designed for that and the rocking mechanism will damage from it. I told them about it but next time they do it again.

 

Or they put their purses/bags on my leather lazyboy, i don't like that but warning them doesn't help at all.

 

When people sit on the floor i always step over them with my size 13. I'm very tall so it's easy for me, they have never told me to not do that.

 

When i'm eating in a restaurant i don't like to see soles of feet, clean or not for me they are all dirty.

 

In the skytrain i also see Thai with their bare feet on the chairs and even picking their feet between the toe's...after that they pick their nose again or squeeze a pimple...brrrrr.

 

Also some shops (like my motobike dealer) want their customers to take their shoe's off when entering the showroom. I always forget it and also think it's dirty to walk there on bare feet.  Their dogs also walk there and also don't take their shoe's off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[manfredtillmann]

i heard about this 'feet pointing' on other farang forums before.

but - if you sit cross - legged, like all my family does - you inevitably show your soles or point your feet at someone next to you.

try to keep them close to you or, if you can't do the cross legged under - tuck, point them to the outside of the mat you are sitting on. to me, a much more important issue is to not elevate yourself above others. if everyone sits on the mat, you HAVE to do, too. don't get a stool or a chair, no matter how uncomfortable you are or how much every one pressures you.

sitting 'above' is reserved for the unmentionable.

if it gets beyond your comfort level, pretend you a re 'ihm' and leave.

 

Edited August 18, 2016 by manfredtillmann
spelling error

[Toknarok]

25 minutes ago, manfredtillmann said:

i heard about this 'feet pointing' on other farang forums before.

but - if you sit cross - legged, like all my family does - you inevitably show your soles or point your feet at someone next to you.

try to keep them close to you or, if you can't do the cross legged under - tuck, point them to the outside of the mat you are sitting on. to me, a much more important issue is to not elevate yourself above others. if everyone sits on the mat, you HAVE to do, too. don't get a stool or a chair, no matter how uncomfortable you are or how much every one pressures you.

sitting 'above' is reserved for the unmentionable.

if it gets beyond your comfort level, pretend you a re 'ihm' and leave.

 

      Sorry can't agree with you on this. I'm tall 6'3" and have great difficulty sitting on the ground whether it be crossed legged or with my legs sideways. On numerous occasions my hosts have realised that I'm not comfortable in that position, and a chair or stool has been brought out for me to sit on. No big deal at all.

[KittenKong]

37 minutes ago, Thian said:

 

I see, so it's about high and low...

I have a nice couch for sitting but our guests (Thai) like to sit on the floor with their back against the sofa. Then they push the sofa against the steel windowbars so the leather gets damaged. Also they let their kids jump on the sofa and even when they tell her to stop it the kid won't listen at all and keeps on jumping. It's a lazyboy so it really annoys me...

 

Also the lazyboy recliner, they like to sit on it with 2 or 3 people together, it's not designed for that and the rocking mechanism will damage from it. I told them about it but next time they do it again.

 

Or they put their purses/bags on my leather lazyboy, i don't like that but warning them doesn't help at all.

 

I admire your restraint. If it was my house the whole lot of them would be out of the front door without their feet ever touching the ground.

[BudRight]

The rules for foreigners are not the same as they are for Thais. It's a "do as I say, not as I do" culture.

 

Examples:

 

1. Shouting is rude (everyone but you can shout)

 

2. Pointing feet is rude (still happens)

 

3. Swearing is rude (everyone but you swears) 

 

You ever get it from forum members when it comes to following Thai law (which Thais plainly have no respect for).

[manfredtillmann]

14 hours ago, Toknarok said:

      Sorry can't agree with you on this. I'm tall 6'3" and have great difficulty sitting on the ground whether it be crossed legged or with my legs sideways. On numerous occasions my hosts have realised that I'm not comfortable in that position, and a chair or stool has been brought out for me to sit on. No big deal at all.

i am 6'3" or 190cm tall, too. get chairs offered often but don't accept them. the more often i sit on the floor the easier it gets. i eat with everyone, no one has to look up (too much) and i don't have to look down upon anyone (just a little). to me it's a matter of courtesy and a small discomfort is a small price to pay for that. but as long as no one is offended i suppose it does not matter, either way.

[dick dasterdly]

I gather pointing with your foot is rude, but then again pointing with your finger is also rude?  We learn not to point with our foot, but not using the finger/hand is more difficult!

 

I also gather that a Thai will not be offended by seeing the sole of your foot - as long as its not deliberately pointed at them.  Deliberately is the point here.

 

Many years ago as a tourist (even though I'd read the guide books about not stamping on a bht note that had been dropped), I stamped on a bht note that I'd dropped .  A local noticed, and his 'daggers' look and shake of the head was a lesson that will not be forgotten.

[kannot]

lets face it.its all a  load of crap, cultural religious nonsense and totally harmless, if you point your foot at someone what "really" happens.............answer is nothing , its not like their head will explode or the filth off  the street will leap from your feet and devour them.

Higher lower oh my goodness.... I live on a  hill am I better than people under me I mean my feet are higher than them all the time, how about when Im on a plane, just nonsense.

Too much of this nonsense in ALL countries of the world.

[chrisinth]

18 hours ago, manfredtillmann said:

i heard about this 'feet pointing' on other farang forums before.

but - if you sit cross - legged, like all my family does - you inevitably show your soles or point your feet at someone next to you.

try to keep them close to you or, if you can't do the cross legged under - tuck, point them to the outside of the mat you are sitting on. to me, a much more important issue is to not elevate yourself above others. if everyone sits on the mat, you HAVE to do, too. don't get a stool or a chair, no matter how uncomfortable you are or how much every one pressures you.

sitting 'above' is reserved for the unmentionable.

if it gets beyond your comfort level, pretend you a re 'ihm' and leave.

 

 

Come on now, all it takes is a little bit of practice not to offend.............................

 

 

 

 

[NickJ]

Bet there aren't that many Thais with a foot fetish.

[sipi]

I don't thing splashing your feet or underarms or butt in any culture is appreciated. 

The nose-pointing takes a bit of getting used to.

[dick dasterdly]

53 minutes ago, sipi said:

I don't thing splashing your feet or underarms or butt in any culture is appreciated. 

The nose-pointing takes a bit of getting used to.

Where did underarms come into it?? 

 

Showing soles of feet is fine, as long as you're not deliberately showing them at someone else.

[sipi]

3 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Where did underarms come into it?? 

 

Showing soles of feet is fine, as long as you're not deliberately showing them at someone else.

So pointing your smelly feet at a fellow passenger on the Piccadilly line is ok?

[kannot]

3 hours ago, sipi said:

So pointing your smelly feet at a fellow passenger on the Piccadilly line is ok?

how close would they have to be to offend, i mean what range do your smelly feet take effect?

[thaibeachlovers]

 I asked my wife if that wasn't very offending to us but she acted like "don't dare to mention it".

 

I have learned from my wife that culture is very important, but only when she wants it to be, like when the nephew is being a %^%$^$% and she doesn't want to deal with it, or she wants me to give money for something that she wants .

[dick dasterdly]

22 hours ago, sipi said:

So pointing your smelly feet at a fellow passenger on the Piccadilly line is ok?

I thought we were talking about what is and is not acceptable in Thailand?

[maxtingtong]

I found sometimes they are more stricts about respecting cultural rules towards aliens than between them. Same for rude language

[gandalf12]

The sole of the foot being the lowest place of the body is considered an insult to point it at someone else or use it to point out something. The head is the highest part of the body hence the reason you do not touch a person's head

[SOTIRIOS]

.....welcome to their country......but not really.....

[Davehappen]

Just had this discussion with the misses, showing the sole of the foot when sitting is no problem, pointing with the foot, shoed or not is a big no no.

 

[manfredtillmann]

40 minutes ago, gandalf12 said:

The sole of the foot being the lowest place of the body is considered an insult to point it at someone else or use it to point out something. The head is the highest part of the body hence the reason you do not touch a person's head

in all reality, there is no way you can 'point' the soles of your feet at anyone.

you can show them or face them, but to be able to 'point' you need something 'pointy'. like your toes.

this is just another over emphasized topic that might mean stuff to farangs but f.a. to thais. i think, anyway...

 

[Enoon]

The wickedness of various parts of the body is also communicable.

 

If you sit on one of those colourful box shaped pillows (which will necessitate the utilisation of the a**e/b**t region of your anatomy) the evil of that area will then be transmitted to the head of whoever next uses the pillow.

 

Beware.

Edited August 20, 2016 by Enoon

[Jools]

Seems to be a function of class and age to some extent. Educated younger people who are not connected to the ruling  class do not seem to have much interest in old Thai customs.