SINGAPORE: The Facebook page My Thailand does not spare any punches, and a recent one humorously aimed at Singaporean tourists “Currently ‘Auditing’ the Night Market” landed pretty squarely.
Instead of getting offended, however, many Singaporeans who read the post laughed right along, saying that the observations, however painful, were on point.
The post starts with “You didn’t need to tell us you’re from Singapore, Jason. We heard the complaints from three blocks away.”
It goes on to say how some visitors from Singapore loudly comment on how low Thailand’s prices are in comparison to somewhere like, say, Orchard Road.
“You have been standing in front of this Mango Sticky Rice stall for five minutes, performing high-volume mental mathematics for an audience that didn’t ask for it,” the post reads, going on to say that this type of tourist treats the “entire country like a giant clearance sale at Uniqlo.”
Ouch.
The post author added that while the prices make Singaporeans happy, their disdain for the difference in sanitation or hygiene is obvious—giving the example of a Singaporean at a boat noodle shop wiping down “the table, the spoon, the chopsticks, the rim of the bowl, and probably your own friend’s hands” with wet wipes for a full 10 minutes.
“You looked at the stray dog sleeping in the corner with the same level of horror you’d reserve for a radioactive leak. You wiped the plastic stool three times before sitting down, and even then, you hovered slightly, afraid to make full contact with ‘Thai germs.’”
Double ouch.
They then went on to call Singaporeans who expect the chope culture of reserving spots at eateries with tissue packets in Bangkok’s busy food courts.
“You want the street food prices of a developing nation, but you demand the sterile, air-conditioned perfection of Marina Bay Sands,” the author continued, going on to poke fun at Singaporean tourists who complain uneven foot paths, the humidity, ice that isn’t certified as pure, and hold “a portable electric fan to your face like it’s a life-support system, complaining that Bangkok isn’t ‘organized’ enough.”
More ouch.
The post reminded these tourists that they aren’t in Singapore anymore but in Thailand, which they described as “a glorious, messy, chaotic country.”
Those who are “terrified” of dust, sweat, or even a little chaos can go back home, spend $25 on chicken rice, and “enjoy it in a silence so sterile you can hear your own bank account draining.”
It ends with: “Otherwise, put the wet wipes away, sit on the sticky stool, and just eat the noodles.”
The post has been shared over 300 times and has gotten more than 450 comments, with a lot of netizens saying it hit the bullseye.
“Singaporean here! Thanks for the laughs, and I apologize for our cheapo tourists,” wrote one.
“As a Singaporean, I approved this post. Spot on and hilarious indeed,” wrote another.
Meanwhile, a non-Singaporean called it “well observed,” and added, “When I lived in Singapore and went to food courts, I thought the packets of tissues were complimentary. So I’d plonk myself down, eat the food, and use the free tissues. Complete ignorance on my part. Locals would return and reinvent internal combustion.”
If you want to read how the person behind the MyThailand page skewers visitors from all over the world, check them out here. /TISG
