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Online since 2010! Greg Jorgensen and Ed Knuth have been knocking around Bangkok since the turn of the century. Exploring dark corners, eating amazing food, and interacting with fascinating people, the two have gotten to know and love Thailand's capital in all its confusing, mysterious glory. Every week they chat about topics near and dear to those living here, those visiting here, or those who are just curious about what it's like to live in Asia's craziest city. Want to explore Bangkok on ...
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Stolen English: A Few Words That Thai Has Fully Thai-ified [S7.E73]
45:48
45:48
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Greg and Ed tackle a frustrating aspect of learning Thai - borrowed English words that are pronounced according to the rules normally applied to native Thai words. Ed makes clear they are not just talking about accent or ‘prosody’ - the cadence of pronunciation - but actually specific changes to pronunciation that are part of the rules of the Thai …
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Making Thai Subtitles: Culture, Slang & Curse Words [S7.E72] (Classic ReCast)
37:18
37:18
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In this month's Classic Recast, Greg interviews Palm, a professional translator of English to Thai, but in a very specific context: subtitles for film and television. Palm begins by explaining that she literally learned English by being a couch potato and watching a lot of Western TV shows and movies, surviving by figuring out the subtitles word by…
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Are Int'l School Fees a Scam? Stu Jay Raj Crunches the Numbers [S7.E71]
58:08
58:08
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After his latest video dropped and generated a lot of buzz, Greg and Ed interview Stu Jay Raj, the podcast’s Thai language expert, but this time Stu explains his new video and website discussing the cost of international school in Thailand. As most people are aware, the Thai public school system is not particularly strong, especially for students l…
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A Few Western Staples Thai Cuisine Refuses to Embrace [S7.E70]
37:28
37:28
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Thai cuisine is remarkably good at adopting flavors and ingredients into its fold, but there are some that just have not made the cut. In a city where you can find almost any type of food from around the world, certain Western foods seem to get embraced by Thais, while others don’t. For example, while not SUPER popular, both pizza and hamburgers ar…
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Phra Pandit Joins to Discuss the Mixing of Monks and Politics [S7.E69]
49:48
49:48
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Greg interviews Phra Pandit about Buddhist monks and politics. Greg begins by framing the issue around the recent tumultuous nature of politics around the world. Could Buddhist calmness provide an answer? Well, Phra Pandit begins by making clear that under the rules of the Sangha as interpreted in Thailand, monks are definitely not permitted to bec…
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Gotcha! Ten Situations When the Score is Bangkok 1, You 0 [S7.E68] (Classic Recast)
43:09
43:09
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43:09
Bangkok’s a big city that’s got her own rules. You can try to fight them, but in the end, in certain situations, no matter how much you beg and plead, Bangkok wins, and you lose. Greg and Ed discuss ten ways Bangkok can own you: frustrating ‘gotchas’ that are devilishly difficult to avoid. Even veterans of the city with tons of experience still som…
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Action Figure Overload: How Accurate Are the Thai Versions of the Viral AI Trend? [S7.E67]
44:38
44:38
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Greg and Ed jump on the bandwagon and discuss the recent trend of images of ‘action figures’ generated by AI. ChatGPT especially seems quite good at creating semblances of plastic blister packs filled with dolls and accessories that might go along with them. Hence, the guys take a look at 9 different images based on Thai stereotypes before offering…
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Interesting Friends And Strange Characters: Expat Connections [S7.E66]
42:32
42:32
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Greg and Ed discuss some interesting expats they have met over the years - both good and bad - and what lessons they have managed to glean from them. Thailand is a bit of a strange stew of expats; with many different types of people coming together in a foreign land, you are apt to meet and/or befriend people in Thailand that you never would back h…
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Myanmar Quakes & Bangkok Shakes: Thoughts on the March 28 Earthquake [S7.E65]
35:41
35:41
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Greg and Ed address the unavoidable topic du jour: the earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28 that was felt all the way to Bangkok. Greg begins by pointing out that even though much ink and many words have already been spilled on the topic, listeners may be concerned about traveling to Bangkok now or the safety of Bangkok’s buildings in general…
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Sopping, Soggy, Sodden, Soaking Songkran: The Thai New Year is Here! [S7.E64]
39:00
39:00
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With the big holiday nearly here, Greg and Ed reminisce about their various Songkran experiences over the years. Ed notes that last year was a breakthrough year: he actually went out and ‘threw water’ for the first time in many years and had a blast. Greg points out that it’s pretty common for expats to love Songkran at first, but then quickly swit…
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Second Opinions & Jedi Lies: Stories From Bangkok's Hospitals [S7.E63] (Classic Recast)
45:35
45:35
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A fabulous re-cast episode from season 3! Sooner or later, we all spend some time in the hospital, so Greg and Ed riff on their myriad experiences in Bangkok hospitals over the years. But before we get into that, we should note - due to Thailand’s strict defamation laws, some of the places we talk about will remain nameless. But with that out of th…
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The Russians are Coming! What the Influx Means for Phuket [S7.E62]
26:43
26:43
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Greg and Ed discuss the massive influx of Russians (and some Ukrainians) into Thailand, particularly the island of Phuket. Numerous stories have been written in the last year about the unusually high number of long-stay tourists and expats who appear to be escaping the conflict in Europe, some even calling the trend an ‘invasion’. No doubt the sunn…
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Bangkok Pains: Distilling Bangkok Into a Board Game [S7.E61]
44:54
44:54
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Greg interviews Tim Swainson and his team at creative agency Invisible Ink about their Thai-centric board game, ‘Bangkok Pains.’ The show begins with introductions from the creative team at Invisible Ink, and Tim then gets into explaining the game. The first rule of Bangkok Pains is that all players start in debt, mirroring the plight of many Bangk…
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How Thick is Your Bubble? Piercing the Thai/Expat Barrier [S7.E60]
31:51
31:51
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Following a great suggestion from listener Kelly, Greg and Ed discuss the ‘expat bubble,’ the tendency for expats (and tourists) to primarily spend time with foreigners, rather than experience the same Bangkok that the majority of Thais are experiencing. Kelly noted that on her recent solo travels in Bangkok, she often found truly Thai markets that…
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George Dupont: The Only Thai to Fight in the US Civil War [S7.E59] (Classic Recast)
27:07
27:07
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We recount the fascinating story of George DuPont, the only Thai person who fought in the American Civil War. The first record of George in the U.S. is in 1859, but almost nothing is known of how or why he ended up in the United States. We know that in 1862 he volunteered for a New Jersey regiment to fight for the North in the American Civil War. S…
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Ajarn Ed: Explaining America to Thai University Students [S7.E58]
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39:05
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Greg questions Ed about his main job - teaching ‘American Studies’ to Thai college students. Effectively, Ed’s job and his side gig (the podcast) are opposites of each other, given that he is attempting to explain Thai society and culture to foreigners on the podcast. Ed begins with America 101 - basic lessons about the U.S. that every Thai person …
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Hmmm…A Few Things About Bangkok That Are Over & Underrated [S7.E57]
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38:07
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Greg and Ed discuss various aspects of Bangkok that they believe are either overrated or underrated. The guys start with things that they believe get too many props. Greg mentions the Grand Palace and the Damnoen Saduak floating market that tend to be too touristy and overcrowded, but that there are unsung superior alternatives where tourists could…
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