What this means in practice, is that you shouldn’t disrespect the sanctity of the top of someone’s head by touching it, and, you shouldn’t show the soles of your feet to others as this too is disrespectful. While the top of the head is sacred the feet are considered the dirtiest part of the body. The second issue at play relates to the symbolic role of the body in Thai culture. This sentence was eventually reduced to 35 years.Ģ. In 2017, for example, an individual was imprisoned for 70 years for criticising the King on Facebook. Not only is the royal family an important part of Thai culture but showing any type of disrespect can result in imprisonment in Thailand. When you first go to Thailand, you can’t help but notice the respect that Thais have for the royal family as pictures of the King are proudly displayed in most homes and establishments.

The royal family are an important part of Thai culture and identity. Let’s look at the first issue which relates to the royal family. People were clearly angry with him, so he quickly grabbed his things and left without paying.ġ. The restaurant owner refused to touch his money. Some of the Thai diners got up from their seats and gestured for him to leave. He then started gesticulating to other people within the restaurant and voicing his upset. When he went to pay, he reached into his shoe to retrieve his money.Īs he handed the money over in payment, the restaurant owner, became very angry and started shouting at Victor. Later that day, he visited his first Thai restaurant to try the food. It was uncomfortable but, he thought it was better to be safe than sorry. He thought that a money belt might be too conspicuous, so he decided that the best place to keep his money safe was by placing it inside his shoe, under his foot.

As such, he was really concerned about keeping his money safe. Travelling on a budget, he arranged to stay in an area known for pickpocketing. Well, then we’re going to tell you a true story about a young French student called Victor who travelled to Thailand. Have you heard the story about the French student keeping money in his shoe?

Social faux pas meaning