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February 10, 2026Thais way of doing things
Through my retirement travels in beautiful Thailand, I must admit its very fun to see and learn some of the Thai customs. Much of it has to do with practicality, but also the void of having to be judged; reasonably, it’s all about comfort and simply just enjoying life:
1. The wiping of clean cutlery
It’s common to see a couple sit down at a restaurant and almost immediately (most cases the lady) will wipe all the cutlery “clean” and then pass it to all their guests.
2. Motorbikes with 3-5 passengers
It’s a common sight to see three (3) or more passengers on a motorbike. My record was seeing five (5) people.
3. Shower before bed
Thai people always shower before bedtime.
4. Thais don’t say “no”
In many cases one has to learn to read between the lines when asking a yes/ no question. Artfully Thais seem to rarely say no, and if they do, they’ll say so in a very creatively way. Case in point – a policeman observed me about to drive up a one way street. Instead of yelling at me “No”, he craftily said “driving that way is not good for your health”.
Also, it’s quite common to not receive an email reply if the answer is no.
5. Being late is being Thai
At first this just drove me nuts, if you say 6:00 but you mean 6:20 why not just say 6:20. Living in Thailand one just simply grows to accept this custom, and in many ways it’s stress free not having to be exact or worrying about punctuality.
6. Leaving shoes outside
When entering a building it’s customary to always take off ones shoes, even students at schools. Walking in with your shoes on is considered extremely disrespectful. Another case in points – I visited a police station on a very remote island in Thailand, and while confronting the officer he immediately looked down to see my shoes in disgust.
7. No Knife
Knifes are not available at restaurants with the exception of serving steak. Thais eat with a spoon and fork and yes cut with their spoon or fork.
8. Go on Red at Crosswalks
When the pedestrians have cleared the crosswalk and the light is still red you go (at least how I’ve observed it for the past years). Really I thought this makes good sense, why not it’s more efficient to go plus the task of getting the people from one side to the other is done. Drive on!
9. Ask for the Bill
In restaurants you’ll never be presented with a bill unless you ask. Again thinking more about this, it’s very respectful. Giving someone a bill before asking also sends the underlying message that we’d like you to leave. Again a very respectful custom.
10. Reply with an Emoji
It’s always fun to get an emoji from friends and family, but the Thais also use emoji’s with work related messaging. I love that! A very fun way of doing business.
More Thai customs
Thais always wai in cases of wrong doings.
Loud voices is also a form of being disrespectful. Soft voices only.
It’s common to see women working at construction sites.
Sandals are worn by over 80% of the people.