Asian cultures are often very different from western ones and many foreigners make some horribly embarrassing mistakes as a result of these disparities. Even those who read up in their guidebook about the do’s and don’ts in a particular destination only grasp the general concept and not necessarily all of the nuances. Beyond the standard differences between east and west, such as greetings (the handshake vs a bow or wai) some are much more subtle and can lead to some awkward situations.

Welcome to a special edition of Talk Travel Asia, Foreigner Faux Pas and Cultural Clumsiness in Asia. I'm Trevor Ranges and this is one of two episodes that TTA is doing as a crossover series with the hosts of Bangkok Podcast. My guest host today, I've known for as long as I have been living in Asia, having been neighbors when I first moved to Bangkok and then housemates for several years, and therefore both have experienced our share of foreigner faux pas, Ed Knuth.