Culture can cover such a varied amount of topics, be it history, dress, language or religion, but let’s touch on a much more fun and less serious cultural topic: social habits. Although it is still a
serious issue, let’s take it just the way it’s meant to be taken, light-heartedly.
Foreigners living in a country such as Thailand should be aware of our cultural differences, some may offend, and some we may often see as ridiculous. But we also have our own social habits which some may also be offended by or see as ridiculous. But, there are some that we should
be able to be light-hearted about and not be offended by, as all they are, are cultural differences.
As to not offend any Thai readers who may be reading this, let’s start with Western social habits.
We from the Western world see picking the nose and picking at spots as a private thing.
We usually do these things within the confines of a bathroom.
However, when it comes to digging out a chunk of meat stuck between our teeth, we dig away for all to see, even if we were sitting in a topnotch restaurant.
This is very different for Thais, in fact, it’s completely the opposite.
We all must have seen how Thai people cover their mouths when they need to remove that nuisance piece of food from their teeth. But we all must have witnessed how the digging out of that crusty one from the nose or the squeezing of that face ruining dimple can be done so openly in public.
In fact, is that not what mirrors on motorbikes were invented for?
Now some might take offence to seeing a young man sitting on his souped-up noise-making machine having a good old dig at his nose.
But why should they, it’s a Thai social habit.
Some may take offence to seeing a foreigner picking away at his teeth after a fantastic meal.
Why should they, it’s a Western social habit.Culture, wherever you may be in the world, is all
about differences. Enjoy them.