Signs that you have been living in Thailand for a very long time, or how Thai culture can permeate an expat after years in the land of smiles.
An article by Veena Thoopkrajae, Thai PBS World newspaper.
Things are very different from when you first arrived in Thailand.
At the time, you were wondering about the quirks of your lifestyle and experiencing culture shock at the local myths and superstitions.
By now, you may have started to blend in with the local population, unknowingly picking up their habits or ideas, in other words, Thai culture in general.
The 'new you' is giving off many signs, so let's look at the main ones that show you've probably been in the land of smiles for far too long...
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1. You take off your shoes before entering any house or building
Without fail, when you enter a house, the first thing you do without being asked is to take off your shoes.
Okay, taking off your shoes is also a custom in some northern European countries, but here you wear slippers.
Here you will walk barefoot or with your socks on.
See : Do's and don'ts in Thailand, the things you need to know
2. You do not hesitate to wipe your mouth and face with toilet paper
Remember being surprised or perhaps shocked to see toilet paper on the dining table when you first arrived in Thailand?
Those were the days.
Today, you take it for granted, because you have understood that this paper is good for wiping up anything and everything.
See also : Water jet or toilet paper, which is better for your bottom?
3. You are a master at ordering Somtam
You fell in love with this spicy papaya salad, one of the staples here, and first asked a Thai friend how to order it to avoid burning your mouth with those chillies.
No matter how well your friend taught you, it was inevitable that you would not get the right level of spice.
But you have learned from your past mistakes and are now able to tell a salesperson that you want some kind of kindergarten Somtam, which means one chilli or none at all because the 'fire' is already there in the mortar.
See : Som Tam, the famous spicy green papaya salad
4. You put seasonings in every dish, including chilli powder on your pizza
At first you were puzzled by the little jars of sugar, vinegar and chilli on the table in any noodle restaurant.
But now you automatically grab them when your bowl of noodles is served.
You have become like a Thai who cannot eat without these seasonings!
Once you start putting a drop (or a few drops) of vinegar and sugar in your noodles, there is no turning back.
The seasoning habit has also spread to Western dishes, such as pizza, and you sprinkle chilli powder on your pizza, leaving your non-Thai friends speechless.
5. You put ice in your beer and wine
Photo: Thai Dating Advice Tips
You don't care what the brewmasters would say, but in the heat and humidity of Thailand, you always put ice cubes in your beer glass to keep your drink cool.
Will it affect the taste?
Maybe, but we heard that local beer brands like Singha or Chang were carefully created to taste good with a little ice.
And if you're a wine lover, you think there's nothing wrong with a glass of chilled red wine or putting an ice cube in a glass too!
6. You prefer to sit indoors at any time of the day
In Europe, it is chic and elegant to sit in the sun in a café, but here in Thailand, indoor seating is considered more luxurious.
Even when the sun has gone down, you don't sit outside.
Why try to be chic when sitting inside offers the comfort of air conditioning?
7. You always plan where to eat and what to eat next, even immediately after finishing a meal
Chicken satay skewers. Photo: Huahom
This is what Thais always do: they plan the next meal as soon as they have finished eating.
If you have been in Thailand for too long, you may also have "unconsciously" adopted this habit.
8. You always watch out for a motorbike taxi on a pavement
Walking in Thailand, and more specifically in BangkokThis is not the same as walking down a street in Europe or in any city where traffic is limited to the road.
By now you have learned that the pavement is not reserved for you or any other pedestrian, as motorcyclists take this space as their "fast lane" during rush hour or even during normal hours.
Although there is a fine, nobody really takes it seriously.
Motorcyclists always take the footpath as their common path.
9. You prefer to take a motorbike taxi or Grab taxi to a destination rather than walk a short distance
Why walk when the pavements in Thailand, mostly occupied by street vendors, are not pedestrian friendly and, as we mentioned, you have to watch out for motorbikes coming at you from all directions?
Long-time expats know that a motorbike taxi or Grab taxi is a more convenient way to get to a destination, even if it is only a few hundred metres away.
10. You classify people according to their political position
While the United States has Democrats and Republicans, Thailand used to use colours to describe political trends.
"He's a yellow T-shirt or she's a red T-shirt" was a common comment.
Today, the Red Shirts (a group mainly loyal to the Pheu Thai party and Thaksin Shinawatra and his clan) are the only ones to have retained their name, with the conservative and right-wing groups colloquially referred to as the Salim and the liberal and anti-establishment group called the 3-kips (three digits).
If you understand these terms and have started to group your friends in the same way, you are a full member of the Thailand club.
11. You argue vehemently if your non-Thai friends say that Thailand is not a democratic country
You can complain about many aspects of Thailand, but if some of your foreign friends or newcomers say that Thailand is not democratic, you will feel somewhat obliged to explain the complexity of Thai-style democracy.
If they don't stop, you will give them the example of Singapore and shut them up by comparing Thailand to countries like Myanmar or Cambodia.
12. You start to become slightly 'religious' in all superstitions
You used to be surprised when you saw someone decorating a big tree and worshipping it with many offerings, or a friend telling you that he/she dressed according to the lucky colours of each day, according to his/her astrological sign.
See : In Thailand there is a colour for each day of the week
Maybe the Thais would sometimes say to you "don't do that, because you might anger a spirit" and you would roll your eyes.
These days you have started to follow them unconsciously, unconsciously paying homage to a large tree near your office and doing a "wai". if you pass a house of the spirits.
Oh... and you've just changed your mobile phone number to one with more auspicious digits.
Source: Thai PBS World
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