After being informed that the venue was hosting a funeral rather than serving food, the tourists appeared surprised and apologized before asking if they could remain there, Thai news outlet Thairath Online reported.
The hosts agreed and went on to offer the tourists food and drinks, including Thai iced tea and traditional pastries, Singapore-based Channel News Asia reported.
A video of the incident, which took place in Khanom District in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, has since circulated widely online. It was first posted on Facebook on January 31 by Charantorn Chareomkiad, a family member of the deceased.
In the clip, two Western men are seen sitting at a table arranged for funeral guests while a Thai woman serves them drinking water.
Charantorn, who recorded the scene, can be heard joking in the background: "Let's ask them, do they think this is a buffet?" He then laughs as relatives continue serving food to the unsuspecting visitors.
In Thailand, families of the deceased traditionally provide food and drinks to mourners and other attendees at funeral ceremonies as a way of expressing gratitude to guests and making merit on behalf of the deceased, Thai news site Thaiger reported.
A similar misunderstanding occurred the following day when three siblings from the Netherlands entered the same funeral venue and attempted to order drinks and frozen cocktails, Thairath Online reported. They had mistaken the venue for an eatery after seeing people seated at tables. The visitors were surprised upon learning it was a funeral, but the hosts once again welcomed them and served them five plates and bowls of food, including curry.
In another Facebook video of the second group of tourists posted on February 02, Charantorn wrote in the caption: "Foreigners came again, haha. This is a funeral! They asked whether it was a restaurant. Anyway, we served them food. They were surprised and happy".
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