AdvertisementThailandThis Week in AsiaLifestyle & CultureThai funeral ‘food court’ blunder: tourists looking for buffet attend wake
The tourists who were served food by a family at the funeral were impressed with the kindness of the people in Thailand
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP
Foreign tourists mistaking a funeral for an open air food court were given a taste of Thai hospitality when the hosts served them a meal anyway.
In two posts uploaded on social media, Charantorn Chaloemkiad, an ethnic Chinese Thai who was at his family’s funeral, shared how the tourists innocently gatecrashed the funeral in the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat over the weekend thinking that it was part of a buffet.
According to Charantorn, long tables had been set up to serve funeral goers. In Thailand, it is customary to provide food and refreshments at a funeral to thank guests for paying their respects and make merit on behalf of the deceased.Advertisement
However, as the event was held near a night market, tourists kept turning up looking for food.
“It was evening and we were receiving guests. Then, two foreigners came in. I looked over and saw them. When they sat down, I asked if they thought this was a food court. They said yes. They said they came from the market nearby, which is next to a restaurant owned by the younger brother of the deceased. They thought it was that restaurant,” Charantorn told Thairath newspaper on Tuesday.
Advertisement
“When we told them it wasn’t a restaurant or food court, they were shocked. They apologised and asked if they could stay. We said yes. The deceased’s sister brought them drinks like iced tea, iced milk and fried dough sticks. They ate for a while and then left.”
It happened again the next day.
AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8×0.9×1.0x1.1×1.2×1.5×1.75x1.00x
