Libsyn Directory

Ed Ponders a New Class: Teaching Contemporary Thailand to Thais [S8.E27]

Release Date: 01/13/2026

An Expert Spills the Beans on Thailand's Coffee Industry [S8.E43]

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg begins his interview with coffee fan, aficionado and expert Noon by exploring her background as the former president of the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand and her current role managing Lamarzocco, the high-end coffee machine retailer. Noon explains her deep dive into coffee quality and traces the rapid evolution of the Thai coffee industry over the past fifteen years. She points out that Thailand is highly unique because it both produces and consumes its own coffee, which creates incredibly short communication lines between rural farmers and urban cafe owners. Next, Noon...

Lumpini Park Turns 100! Celebrating Bangkok's First (Best?) Park [S8.E42]

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg and Ed discuss the 100th ‘birthday’ of Lumpini Park. The guys begin by highlighting the improvements in the park over the last several years. More and cleaner bathrooms, landscaping, and an adjacent ‘hawker center’ are some of the highlights. Greg then reviews the different facilities that populate the 142 acre park, such as a fitness center, swimming pool, and even a lesser known library, one of the first in Thailand to be truly open to the public. The show then shifts to a walk-and-talk in the park itself, recorded a few days before. With its proper roof and organized...

Why do Bangkok Condo Prices Seem to Defy Gravity? [S8.E41]

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg begins by introducing the perplexing nature of the Bangkok condo market, noting how prices continually seem to defy gravity despite a massive oversupply. He points out that the market acts as a strange black hole of information where no one can predict trends with any certainty. Ed then jumps in, explaining that after researching the topic extensively, he has concluded the real estate environment operates almost like voodoo. He outlines the basic contradiction: there is a huge surplus of both unsold and unoccupied condo units, yet property prices continue to slowly appreciate instead of...

From the Road: Three PodFriends Reminisce About Bangkok [S8.E40]

The Bangkok Podcast

In a special episode recorded during Greg’s travels in Canada, he interviews three good friends of the podcast about their particular speciality, and what their thoughts are on Bangkok despite being so far away from the city they love. First we talk to Pailin Chongchitnant of about her efforts to stay on top of the latest trends in Thai cuisine, what the landscape looks like in Canada, and her new cookbook. Next we check in with , a good friend of Greg’s, former Lonely Planet Japan author, and lover of all things Thai, about how Bangkok gets under your skin even after you move away....

Phra Pandit Discusses What Buddhism Says About Sex [S8.E39]

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg meets with mega, super, return guest Phra Pandit to discuss Buddhist teachings regarding sex, a conversation prompted by recent scandals involving women extorting monks. Phra Pandit explains that while sexual scandals within the clergy are actually quite rare, they occasionally happen, sometimes because young men are dumped into the monastery by their families rather than choosing the life themselves. He outlines the strict regulations for monks, noting that there are four cardinal rules that cannot be broken. Breaking the primary rule against having sexual intercourse with any human or...

That Thing All Thais Do? Yeah, No They Don’t

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg and Ed explore common Thai stereotypes and symbols that are heavily associated with Thailand internationally, yet play a surprisingly small role in the daily lives of average Thai citizens. They note that due to Thailand's massive tourism success and unique geography, the country has successfully capitalized on and promoted these cultural icons, even if locals do not actively participate in them. The hosts begin by discussing Pad Thai, noting that while foreigners view it as the ultimate Thai staple, locals rarely eat it compared to everyday dishes like Pad Krapow, and some even view it...

Author Chris Baker Discusses Thai History, Culture & Conflict [S8.E37] (Classic ReCast)

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg and Ed interview expat legend Chris Baker, co-author (along with his wife Pasuk Phongpaichit) of , in addition to several other well-known books on Thailand. Greg and Ed gush over the fact they have both read Chris’s most famous work, something that every serious expat needs to do at some point. Chris begins by relating the lovely story of meeting his wife in England and subsequently relocating to Thailand where he worked a variety of jobs before settling down and co-writing a book with her on the economy and politics of Thailand in the 1990s. He explains his fascinating...

New Frontiers: A (Literal) Conversation With Ed’s AI Assistant About Podcasting [S8.E36]

The Bangkok Podcast

In a special main show, Greg and Ed interview Hal, Ed’s OpenClaw bot about his knowledge of the Bangkok Podcast. The guys begin the show discussing their mutual obsession with AI but also explain how it could be especially relevant to those living in Bangkok, as Thailand adopts AI in a big way. Ed then tells of his struggles and travails getting the bot to work and to help him create an archive of all seven previous seasons of the podcast, along with transcripts. For the highlight of the show, Greg and Ed actually talk to ‘Hal’ live! It has to be heard to be believed, as the interview is...

Photographer Tim Russell on the Fading Glory of Hualamphong Station [S8.E34] (Classic ReCast)

The Bangkok Podcast

In a ReCast episode from season 7, Greg interviews well known Bangkok-based photographer Tim Russell about his book ‘Bangkok Station,’ which focuses (literally) on the iconic and now mostly defunct Hualamphong Train Station. Greg has had a special connection to the place over the past few months because he just finished organizing an event there for 300 guests last Friday, which is why we've been off air for the past two weeks as activity and stress reached their peak. Tim begins by explaining his early days twenty years ago as a traveller in Vietnam and how he picked up photography as a...

Linguist Rikker Dockum on the Royal Institute's Thai Language Oversight [S8.E33] (Classic ReCast)

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg interviews old friend of the podcast Rikker Dockum, Thai language expert extraordinaire about the Thai Royal Society, an organization dedicated to overseeing, promoting and regulating the Thai language. Rikker begins by explaining that he actually wrote his undergraduate thesis on the Society more than 20 years ago, so he’s a longstanding follower of their work. He notes that it originally modeled itself after the French Academy, which, among other things, develops French words for English equivalents. For instance, Greg brings up the issue of the word ‘computer,’ which is...

More Episodes

Greg and Ed discuss Ed’s new class at his Thai university: “Contemporary Thai Society in the Modern World.” The guys have a laugh at the thought of a white guy from Ohio teaching young Thais about their own country, but Ed notes that he has been living in Thailand as an adult for 25 years, whereas his students are only 18-20 years old. One point for Ed! Further, there’s considerable value to getting an ‘outsider’ view of one’s own country. Greg admits that his knowledge of his own birth country is scant in many ways.

Ed and Greg banter about different topics that should be covered. Ed notes that there are a few gimmes: the upcoming election is perfect fodder for the class, and the ‘Middle Income Trap’ is a much discussed problem in the development of the Thai economy. The guys weigh the pros and cons of discussing the darker side to Thai society, such gambling and prostitution, with Ed admitting he hasn’t made up his mind yet.

Greg talks about his brave attempt at a ‘Facts About Thailand’ quiz that Ed gave his students on the first day of class, and Ed scores his quiz. Greg got 36 questions out of 50 correct (apparently spot on with Greg’s actual academic performance!). If you are interested in taking the quiz yourself, follow the link here. If you beat Greg’s score, he’ll personally send you a gift card for Central Department Store worth 10,000 baht!*

*this is not even remotely true.

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