Eating Thai Food

The essence of eating Thai style is sharing. In Thailand food is an important gift. It is almost more of a greeting to ask someone if they are hungry, or literally “have you eaten rice yet?” So if you are eating Thai style you should follow some simple rules of etiquette.

Don’t order just for yourself, having your own plate of food is a western view. Ordering is usually done by the most senior woman or the host. A good host will ensure that all tastes are catered for covering a range of meats and vegetables and also a full range of tastes, spicy, sweet, salty and bitter..sometimes all in one dish such as Tom Yang Goong! All dishes are presented in the centre and are for all to share.

Rice is taken and should be seen as a palate into which you can blend flavours. When taking food to your plate it is polite to only take enough for a couple of mouthfuls. When you have eaten this try something else. It is also important to remember that there is no rush. Eating is a social time and new dishes can be brought to the table as you go along. Also one should try not to leave food on the plate as this is a sign that maybe you didn’t like it.

Cutlery is also different. The main items are the spoon and the fork, knives are not generally needed as food is cut when cooking. It is the spoon that brings the food to the mouth. But what about chopsticks? Well they are a Chinese invention which has entered into Thai culture to some degree but chopsticks are only really used for eating wet noodles.

So we hope you will join us and try the food in the spirit it is meant as a sharing and sociable occasion..Wherever you are from!