Seven Local Quirks Even Thais Can’t Get Over

As someone who was born and raised in Thailand, I’ve noticed there seem to be Thailand-only behaviours by my fellow countrymen that still baffle me.

Am I alone on this? I don’t think so. Here are seven example of “Thai-ness” we Thais ought to do away with. Seriously.

Sacred Ponds?

When you come across a small pond at a temple or in a field, the most sensible thing to do is to leave it be (or maybe Instagram it if it looks pretty). But some Thais are quick to proclaim it a source of holy water that can cure all illnesses. They readily gather around the murky water to fill up their bottles with it and take it home with them like some kind of sacred souvenir. This sadly puts back science by light years. You don’t need the health officers to tell you not to drink from an unsanitary source of water either. Most importantly, it’s 2017!

Don’t give me that “If you don’t believe it. Don’t disrespect it.” Forget about being PC. I’ll call this stupid because it is!

Fallen Freebies

They say don’t kick someone when they are down. I say don’t steal from a truck when it’s down either. While I’m sure your average Thai understands the concept of theft, there’s something about things falling from an overturned truck that make some forget.

You’re taking stuff that doesn’t belong to you. It doesn’t matter if it’s on a shelf or scattered on a road.

Overuse of ‘khon Thai’

You may have already heard these following two phrase — “Khon Thais are second to none in this world” and “Khon Thais can also do that!”. They are often used in stories or headlines about Thai people who’ve accomplished something great or won an international award or recognition. It may sound al- right on the first read but on a second read, you’ll know that it just doesn’t make sense.

First, greatness belong to the individuals who are talented and work hard to get to where they are. It isn’t a collective effort. How can one person’s accomplishment become a reflection of an entire population? Also, doesn’t the first phrase imply we’re in some kind of competition with other countries to be the world’s best? The second one inadvertently sounds like we’re inherently inferior. Just chill.

Indiscriminate Wai-ing

Save our gesture of respect to people or icons worthy of respect. Don’t you find it weird that we offer the same gesture to our parents or Buddha images as we do to a banana tree with a weird shape or a dead calf born with two heads?

Wat Dogs and Cats

It’s such a contradiction. Buddhists go to temples to make merit and gain some enlightenment. We also agree that temples are scared sites. Then, how come some also go there to dump unwanted pets and incur themselves bad karma? Doesn’t doing so double the bad karma for them?

Accidents Waiting to Happen

Sometimes you can’t help but marvel at the skill it takes for Thais to pile things up so high at the back of a pickup. On the other hand, you may also have been unfortunate enough to have been stuck in traffic behind a pickup carrying long metal rods that could technically impale you should the driver abruptly break.

Pooches in Peril

You may take your dog for a walk but some take them on a motorcycle ride. Of course, it’s all fun and cute to see a dog sitting on the same seat with its human. That is until it gets flattened into roadkill.