Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Habits & Customs
Like most of Thai culture, eating conventions appear relaxed and informal but are orches-
trated by many implied rules.
Whether at home or in a restaurant, Thai meals are always served 'family-style', that is,
from common serving platters, and the plates appear in whatever order the kitchen can pre-
pare them. When serving yourself from a common platter, put no more than one spoonful
onto your plate at a time. Heaping your plate with all 'your' portions at once will look
greedy to Thais unfamiliar with Western conventions. Another important factor in a Thai
meal is achieving a balance of flavours and textures. Traditionally, the party orders a curry,
a steamed or fried fish, a stir-fried vegetable dish and a soup, taking great care to balance
cool and hot, sour and sweet, salty and plain.
Originally Thai food was eaten with the fingers, and it still is in certain regions of the
kingdom. In the early 1900s, Thais began setting their tables with fork and spoon to affect a
'royal' setting, and it wasn't long before fork-and-spoon dining became the norm in
Bangkok and later spread throughout the kingdom. To use these tools the Thai way, use a
serving spoon, or alternatively your own, to take a single mouthful of food from a central
dish, and ladle it over a portion of your rice. The fork is then used to push the now food-
soaked portion of rice back onto the spoon before entering the mouth.
If you're not offered chopsticks, don't ask for them. Chopsticks are reserved for eating
Chinese-style food from bowls, or for eating in all-Chinese restaurants. In either case you
will be supplied with chopsticks without having to ask. Unlike their counterparts in many
Western countries, restaurateurs in Thailand won't assume you don't know how to use
them.
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