Breakfast in bed

It is time for something lighter. 

On watching a HBO movie with Om, my great Thai friend, there was a scene which featured breakfast in bed.  On seeing what was happening, Om asked me - What are they doing?
I replied - Breakfast in bed.
He asked - What is that?

I soon realized that such a concept had no place in his life experience.  Om is a country lad, originating from the Northeast, otherwise known as Isan.  Knowing their life style, people sleep on mats placed on the floor.  There may not be a bed in the house or definitely at least not everybody sleeps in a bed.  When they wake up, they roll up their mat and put it in the corner of the room or else it sits there to serve another purpose during the day.

As for meals, they sit together on the floor around the mat used for this purpose.  So bed and eating just do not go together.  Actually, they would not even enjoy it as they so love being with each other that eating on your own in bed would make no sense or just be quite absurd. 

This is a classic example of how language and culture go together.  As a rural Thai, you may understand every word of this phrase but in standing together, they make no sense as you have nothing on which to base its meaning. 

Language is funny. Language is more than words.  Language is culture.