Western guests mistook the funeral for a restaurant and were invited to eat by the homeowner

On January 31, Mr. Charantorn Chareomkiad posted a video recording the scene of a number of foreign guests entering his family’s funeral in Khanom district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province (Southern Thailand), mistaking this place for a restaurant.

In the video, two Western tourists sit at a table for visitors, and a Thai woman serves water. In the back, Mr. Charantorn joked: “Ask them if they think this is a buffet?”, then laughed as the members continued to invite guests to eat.

The funeral was held near the night market, right at the time the homeowner was preparing dinner to serve guests according to local customs. When informed that this is not a place that sells food, the tourists were surprised, immediately apologized and politely asked if they could sit down or not. The deceased’s family agreed, serving familiar dishes at community funerals such as Thai milk tea, pink milk and pa thong ko (fried dough cake).

According to Thai custom, families often prepare food and drinks for funeral guests as a way to express thanks and create merit for the deceased.

On February 2, a similar situation occurred when three Dutch brothers entered the same funeral, continued to mistake this place for a food court and asked to buy drinks. When they learned that this was a funeral, they were surprised, but the family still welcomed them and invited them to eat five plates and bowls of food, including curries.

In the second video posted on Facebook, Mr. Charantorn wrote: “Foreigners came again, they asked if it was a restaurant? Anyway, we still invited them to eat. They were both surprised and happy.”

The videos quickly went viral, attracting many comments praising the hospitality and community spirit of Thai people. Some humorous comments like “If you dare to sit, dare to invite” or “Will you give me a menu?”, while some people are curious whether tourists can eat southern curry, which is spicy. Although there are mixed opinions, many people think that the family’s behavior is consistent with Thai cultural values, promoting compassion and generosity. “Thai people are so kind” is a comment repeated many times under posts.