Thai Table Etiquette. Serving Food and Eating...!

Thai family meals are not usually one-plate meals, but many different dishes are placed in the center of the table from which each person may serve himself. Rice is eaten along with the meal. Accompaniments to the meal are spooned over the rice, a few spoons at a time. You never put the rice from your plate into the serving dish to eat. Dishes are placed on the table in the order that they are cooked, not always at the same time. This depends on the length of time taken for the preparation of each dish.
Usually your host or another person places one or two large serving spoons of rice on a plate for each individual. After this, you can ask to be served more, or often you just serve yourself. The accompanying dishes and sauces are all self-service except for 'Gengs', or soups, which again you may either be served or you can help yourself.
In a more formal setting large and small serving spoons are also provided with the 'dry' dishes. In informal company, everyone helps themselves using their own large spoon, even for sauces, except for the ‘Gengs’, which will always have a small soup ladle.
It is not bad manners to start eating more or less whenever you like when participating in a Thai meal. Everything is very fresh and different dishes vary in lengths of time taken in both preparation and cooking. As you eat, more and more dishes will continue to appear.
If you are an older person, or a guest, a younger person or your host might continuously put food on your plate as an offering of respect. If you cannot finish it all, then don't. If you want to have a break, then place your spoon and fork with the tips meeting at the top of the plate and the handles pointing one to the right and one to the left. If you have finished eating then place your spoon and fork together beside one another pointing due 'North'!!
You should always eat with your spoon. Bringing your fork to your mouth is impolite in the same way putting your knife in your mouth in a western country would be. The fork is used for pushing food onto your spoon, but also actually for spearing small pieces of flied food.
If someone is helping himself or herself from a serving dish then you should wait until they have finished before you dip in too!!