How to Shop (and Not Shop) Like a Thai in Bangkok

RSVP to the big I Love Podcasting In Bangkok meetup #2 on Nov 29th! How will you celebrate the season this year? No, we're not talking about Christmas. We're talking about the Thai government's annual shopping stimulus program, this time called "Shop For The Nation" for 2017. It started on Saturday, November the 11th, and it runs through December the 3rd. We'll cover this program in detail (and maybe poke just a wee bit of fun at it) as we give you all the details so you can get up to ฿15,000 off your taxable income next year. Yes, Bangkok expats pay taxes. At least our two families pay taxes. We're not talking to you freeloaders out there. Get a job.Sticking with the shopping theme, every expat eventually starts assimilating into the culture. You have to buy stuff in your new country, and your own personal history influences the things you buy. Some of your everyday purchases will seem odd to any of your friends and family back home. And some things you hunt down to buy locally would make some of your natural born citizen neighbors wonder just why the heck anyone would want that. We put our own purchases to the test, discussing the most and the least Thai things the each of us has purchased while we've lived here, and exactly what our friends -- both local and back home -- probably think about those purchases. Ane we'll even give you the answers: The most Thai things we own are a Buddha shelf and Thai pillows, and the least Thai things we own are licorice and a top sheet. If those answers make no sense, give the show a listen as we good-naturedly (?) poke each other for our answers.

Love, Loathe, or Leave

If you think our choices of products in this episode stink, just shove a stick of camphor up your nose. That's the plastic tube or tub you see people sniffing as you go about your day in Thailand. What's that all about? Why do they do it? And what do we think about it? Listen in and find out.

We Love Our Supporters!

Before we recorded this episode, we recorded an entire episode about Evo's recent trip to Indonesia and just why he might be slurring his words tonight. You can get that full episode when you join dozens of other people who help us keep the show free of annoying by supporting us on Patreon. Today, you'll hear about one of our favorite patrons, Sion, and his amazing career as a nude model. Come to think if it, he'll probably be amazed by the story too.

Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your Life?

If it's your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it's a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We'd love to hear from you! You can add our official LINE account, comment on a post or send us a message via our Facebook page, tweet to us @bangkokpodcast, or simply via the contact form on our website. You may also be interested in Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness, and you can see way too much of Evo's face on Instagram. If you're really new, the Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by Greg Jorgensen and Evo Terra. Together the have over 20 years expat experience in Bangkok, and are self-certified experts in living in the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!)