Things that drive you mad in Thailand part 86

**Bangkok Phil** · 27th May 2011 18:07

Originally Posted by keekwai

In Health & Safety "unconscious" Thailand?

The FDA dept is actually very strict here.

**Classic-Chassis** · 28th May 2011 11:35

Anyway, enough crap.
I'll tell you something that does my nut in. Why do the cops decide to randomly block off U-turns on major roads for no apparent good reason?
Only to unblock it when you've finally sussed out where you can now turn round without going half way to Pattaya?

Giving me a knife and fork in KFC get on my tits as well. Especially if it's busy and all the patrons are trying their hardest to scrape the last bit of chicken of a bone with an instrument they're not used to using.
Then look at you funnily because you decide to eat it with your fingers? Why don't they have "Finger licking good" chicken here?

**keekwai** · 28th May 2011 11:38

It's the "Thai Way"

**Thaitanium** · 28th May 2011 11:43

Originally Posted by Classic-Chassis

Why don't they have "Finger licking good" chicken here?

Thais, and more so, Chinese, have a cultural stigma attached to putting ones hands in ones mouth...although inserting ones finger 2nd knuckle deep into ones nose passes unnoticed...

**Classic-Chassis** · 28th May 2011 11:46

Westeners wearing fisherman pants, flip flops and a vest whilst shopping in Central Chitlom or any other decent shopping centre bug the crap out of me. (So it's not just Thais that are thoughtless).

---Update---

Originally Posted by Thaitanium

inserting ones finger 2nd knuckle deep into ones nose passes unnoticed...

That is exactly the habit i couldn't think of whist writing.

**keekwai** · 28th May 2011 11:51

Originally Posted by Thaitanium

Thais ...... have a cultural stigma attached to putting ones hands in ones mouth

What about the sticky rice and somtam connoisseurs?

Oh .. you must mean the Thai/Chinese HiSo Bangkokians.

**crew** · 28th May 2011 11:53

Originally Posted by Classic-Chassis

Westeners wearing fisherman pants, flip flops and a vest whilst shopping in Central Chitlom or any other decent shopping centre bug the crap out of me.

we get loads of russians without so much as a vest on. topless at central mall...fuck right off you fucking twat.

**Thaitanium** · 28th May 2011 11:53

Originally Posted by keekwai

Don't say that to the sticky rice and somtam connoisseurs.

You ever see a Thai lick their fingers after eating either?

**andrewn** · 28th May 2011 11:53

I don't think this is a trivial issue at all. Someone with an allergy, for example -- whether to nuts, soy, crustaceans, or anything else -- needs to be able to read labels. As a fairly strict vegetarian (but with no actual allergies), I certainly like to be able to read them.

And the frustration is not that they apply Thai labels; that's common sense. It's that the put the Thai labels directly over the English labels. Even at Carrefour (now, sadly, Big C), where a lot of the European products listed ingredients in multiple languages, they'd cover the English with Thai but leave Estonian or whatever completely unobscured. I always had to do my best to decipher the French.

A couple of years ago, I tried to buy a nutritional supplement at the pharmacy outside of the Tops in Silom Complex, but a Thai ingredient label covered the gram count. All I wanted to know was how much of the product was in the container, but they wouldn't let me remove the label. Their solution was to show me entirely different products in entirely different packaging and point to "200 grams," "300 grams," or whatever. Not much help. I had to go elsewhere.

**keekwai** · 28th May 2011 11:59

Originally Posted by Thaitanium

You ever see a Thai lick their fingers after eating either?

No .. Only sucking them.

---Update---

Originally Posted by andrewn

I don't think this is a trivial issue at all. Someone with an allergy, for example -- whether to nuts, soy, crustaceans, or anything else -- needs to be able to read labels.

If your life depends on it ... learn to read. Or just buy fresh meat, fruit and veges and skip the preprepared, preservative ridden tinned and packet crap. Simple.

**Idid** · 28th May 2011 12:05

Originally Posted by andrewn

A couple of years ago, I tried to buy a nutritional supplement at the pharmacy outside of the Tops in Silom Complex, but a Thai ingredient label covered the gram count. All I wanted to know was how much of the product was in the container, but they wouldn't let me remove the label. Their solution was to show me entirely different products in entirely different packaging and point to "200 grams," "300 grams," or whatever. Not much help. I had to go elsewhere.

Oh stop moaning you fucking git. Just go elsewhere (yes it is possible) or buy it and hope for the best. It won't kill you.

**andrewn** · 28th May 2011 12:18

Originally Posted by Idid

Oh stop moaning you fucking git. Just go elsewhere (yes it is possible) or buy it and hope for the best. It won't kill you.

Why the belligerence? Of course it won't kill me, and I did go elsewhere. The thread is about annoyances, right?

**keekwai** · 28th May 2011 12:27

Originally Posted by andrewn

The thread is about annoyances, right?

Legitimate ones. But that's OK. Even the OP was a petty example.

**andrewn** · 28th May 2011 12:32

Originally Posted by keekwai

OK .. If you are a long time resident here and learning to read Thai labels is too much of a struggle ... how about just learning a minimum of spoken Thai and asking an assistant what the label says. If one cannot even manage that ... I'm afraid you're a social cripple.

Even if I thought I were going to spend the rest of my life in Thailand, I don't know that I'd ever try to learn written Thai. I'm just not sure that the benefits would justify the costs.

As far as asking Thai staff, I have done that, in cases where there was no English label at all. Again, the issue here is that perfectly good English labels are needlessly concealed by Thai labels that could just as well be placed less obtrusively. I'm not sure why calling the situation "annoying" is controversial, unless some of you are just spoiling for a fight.