Thai restaurant

Table etiquette, Serving Food and Eating
Visitors to Thailand are generally surprised that Thais rarely use chopsticks; rather they eat with a dessertspoon and large fork. The spoon is held in the right hand. The fork held in the left hand is used to push food onto the spoon. The spoon is raised to the mouth and the food eaten from it. The ingredients in Thai dishes are never bigger than bite-size, therefore, it is not necessary to use a knife.

In Thai cuisine, chopsticks are usually only used when eating 'Chinese' food such as noodles. However, your host or the restaurateur will always supply you with the appropriate utensils so you don't need to worry. Only in a very cheap restaurant do you choose your own utensils, which will be in containers on your table. If you do find chopsticks difficult, then it doesn't matter you can always eat 'Italian style', i.e., large spoon in left hand, fork in right!

If you are having sticky (glutinous) rice then you should use your right hand to eat. Pick up a small lump in your hand; knead it to a ball in your palm. Put it straight in your mouth or dip it in any sauce. You should always use your right hand for all actions, as the left hand is considered unclean!

Eating in a local restaurant
Everything is usually very simple and the restaurant is for eating and satisfying your hunger and thirst, and then leaving almost straightaway, conversation is kept to a minimum. Rarely are there individual menus in English or even in Thai. There may however be a list of items available written simply on the wall. If you don't know what to order then ask the owner to help you, they can recommend something for you, or you can point to various ingredients in the kitchen and they can make them up for you. The other alternative is to see what others are eating and ask for the same. On every table there will be a set of condiments Sugar, ground peanuts, fish sauce with chilies, Vinegar with chilies, Dried ground red chilies, Fish sauce and Soy sauce. Condiments come in a long sectioned metal silver container, a glass set with lids and spoons, recycled jam jars or original small bottles. You will rarely see a saltcellar in a restaurant, use fish sauce instead. Thai people like snacking. Therefore, the portions served in local restaurants are very small. You will notice that people like to eat all day. You will be given a plate, bowl, dessertspoon and fork set. On the table you will find your chopsticks in a jug-like container that looks like a liquidizer or blender, or they will be in a silver metal box with the small soupspoons. You will also find a jug of cold tea, which is free, bottled water and sometimes pork crackling (looks like corn snacks), which you will be charged extra for. Paper napkins are usually white or pink and will be in a glass or plastic holder. You may find a plastic square tissue box or the obligatory toilet roll. Toothpicks will be loose in a plastic holder, small glass or a saltcellar style container.

Tipping
It is not usual to tip in local restaurants though many Thais leave about B20+ after a meal for two. In middle to high-class restaurant a 10-15% of the bill tip would be appropriate. The easy way to pay is usually to round off the bill and to tell the waiter not to bring any change, i.e. 'my ton tawn'!

Calling the waiter
First lesson, don't snap your fingers in the air, this would be considered extremely rude. Instead, put your hand up and wave your fingers together up and down rapidly and call 'Nong nong' or 'Pee pee'. Use 'Nong' if the waiter is younger than you. Use 'Pee', if the waiter is older than you. Here are Thai words and phrases, which may help you when you are out on the food circuit!!

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Shopping

Buying a Wok
A wok is the most basic tool in the Thai kitchen; they come in many sizes and are made of a variety of materials, carbon-steel, cast iron or stainless steel. They are also available with a non-stick coating however if you buy one that is too 'cheap' you will find that the non-stick coating peels off and becomes a part of your meal- we don't recommend this version. If you are using a non-stick wok, then you need to ensure that you are using utensils where the paddle part is plastic or wood so as not to scratch the surface. A standard wok size would be 30-35 cm in diameter. Decide if you will be cooking on gas or electricity. If you will be using gas you can buy a traditional wok with a round bottom. On an electric hob you will need to use a flat-bottomed wok and be careful that the wok doesn't heat up too much, as it is more difficult to control gas.

Shopping for Thai ingredients outside Thailand
You will find that most regular supermarkets in larger towns all stock basic Thai cuisine ingredients. If they don't, then look for your nearest Asian, African or South American supermarket, or ask for a recommendation from your local Asian restaurant. Some ingredients may even be bought directly via the Internet.

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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!!

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Setting the table Thai style!

Place a medium sized plate for each person on the table. Large dinner plates are rarely used, as it is usual to keep filling up your plate so that you always have fresh warm rice and accompaniments. On the right, place a large dessertspoon, and chopsticks if they are to be used, on the left place a large fork. Cutting implements are rarely used as most Thai food is in bite-sized pieces already. To the right front of your plate place a small soup bowl with a small soupspoon! On the table, tissues should be provided or Thai style napkins - a toilet roll with the cardboard tube taken out of the middle placed inside an 'attractive' holder.
All the food dishes are placed in the middle of the table within everyone's reach. Sauces, which go with particular dishes, are placed directly next to that dish in an informal setting or if it is a formal dinner then every single diner will have an individual set of sauces in front of his plate.
If you will be eating sticky rice, it will either come in a large bamboo rice basket from which everyone is served or you can place small individual rice baskets, with the ready cooked rice inside, in front of each plate.
Set a water glass for each person and fill it with iced water. Other drinks are a matter of taste preference. Some people like to drink beer or some local fruit juices, such as guava or coconut. If you are having an extended dining and socializing evening then there might be whiskey served, usually with ice and water or soda water.

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Thai Food

The variety of ingredients and the different combinations of flavors make Thai food an unforgettable gastronomic experience. Four basic flavors are blended in different proportions depending on the desired taste.

• Hot and spicy: from fresh or dried hot peppers
• Sweet: from palm sugar or white sugar
• Sour: from tamarind or fresh lime juice
• Salty: from fish or oyster sauce.

Thai food is not only consumed as a source of energy, but every element of Thai food is considered to have medicinal value and healing qualities. It is possible to eat some parts of nearly all plants and trees native to Thailand. You will encounter very few overweight or unhealthy Thais during travels in Thailand. Most cooking is done in a wok and little oil is required as the ingredients are stirred all the time and do not stick.

Thai food is generally low in cholesterol, high in vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber and always, always fresh. Especially if a number of different dishes are eaten at one sitting accompanied by rice one will get the full health benefits. A 2002 study found that Thailand's most well known and favorite dish, Thum Yam Goong, was one of those considered low calorie and low in cholesterol. What a good excuse to have more!!

Thai food is a perfect food for health-conscious cooks. Please see our list of herbs and fruits for the properties they contain. Thai herbs and fruits can aid diabetics, cancer patients, combat general gastrointestinal problems as well as many others. Many herbs are available in 'tea' form and are an ideal way to take home some natural remedies.

Thai desserts are not a part of the meal as they would be in Western cuisine, i.e. main course and then dessert. Rather they are consumed occasionally after a meal or as a sweet snack. Desserts never use artificial coloring or additives; they are made fresh and should be consumed within a very short period, i.e. a few hours and not more than one day. Natural colors may come from, for example, the Anshan flower (pinky-purple) and the Pandanus leaf (green), flavorings are used such as Jasmine flower water and Pendants water. The most elaborate desserts are created for Buddhist festivals and other important ceremonies and are made communally with great effort. Even the containers used to serve some desserts are hand made from leaves and are wonderfully biodegradable!

Fruit carving in Thailand is seen as an art form. It is highly decorative and is thus a way for local people to express their artistic talents as well as being edible and nutritious. Nothing ever goes to waste. Fruit carving in times past was reserved only for the visual pleasure of the royal families, though today in Thailand wealthy people also like to decorate their food with exquisitely carved fruits and vegetables. You will see examples of this in most hotel dining rooms in Thailand. Thai food takes a lot of preparation. Time is spent chopping, pounding and slicing fresh ingredients for the final process, which is usually a quick stir in a hot wok... and well worth the effort!

Bon Appétit! Guten Appetit! Just savor the delicate flavors of Thai food!

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