Am I the only one who got in trouble for showing the soles of my feet in Thailand?

I was in Bangkok about five years ago, having a drink with a local colleague, and I sat with my ankle on my knee. He immediately asked me to put my foot down because pointing your foot at someone, or showing the bottom of your shoe, is a big insult there. I never even thought about it before that trip. Has anyone else had a simple body language thing cause a major cultural clash?

3 comments

3 Comments

carr.jana2mo ago

Oh man, that's nothing. I once gave a thumbs up in Greece and got a look that could melt steel. Turns out it's pretty much like telling someone to get lost. I felt like such a tourist. You just never know what's normal at home is a fight starter somewhere else. My personal rule now is to just keep my hands in my pockets.

emmah512mo ago

Seriously, that's so true. I made the "okay" sign in Brazil once and learned it's a huge insult there. It's wild how something so small can cause such a mess. My hands stay put now too.

ericfox25d ago

Wait, the thumbs up is actually a bad thing over there? That's wild, I always thought that was the universal sign for everything's good.