Thai food etiquette
A Thai meal is shared. Plates go in the middle, everyone gets their own rice, and the spoon in the right hand does the work while the fork only pushes. Learn that, plus how to ask for your heat level, and a first meal stops being guesswork.
Photo: Kenamparo (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Eat rice with a spoon in the right hand. The fork pushes food onto the spoon. Chopsticks are for noodle bowls, not for a rice plate, and they should not stand upright in the rice. Dishes in the centre are shared. Each person gets a plate of rice. A one-plate meal, such as fried rice or a noodle bowl, is the exception.
Say "pet nit noi" for a little heat and "mai pet" for none. "Check bin" asks for the bill. Stalls are cash. A street plate is often 40 to 80 THB. Tipping is not required. At a sit-down room, rounding up or leaving 20 to 50 THB is enough. Spice words sit on the heat page. ATM notes are on the money page.
Phrases that matter
- Aroi means delicious. Use it if you mean it.
- Mai sai phrik means no chili. Pet nit noi means a little.
- Kin khao is the meal itself. You do not need a speech before you order.
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- Do you tip?
- Not at stalls. At a sit-down room, 20 to 50 THB or rounding up is enough.
- Shoes?
- Off only if the room asks, which is rare in a restaurant and normal in a home.