Thai Dining Customs/Dining Etiquette
Utensils:
- Chopsticks aren't traditionally used in Thailand.
- In Thailand, spoons and forks are used, and knives are never used.
- If you need to cut food, use the side of your spoon first, then move on to the fork if necessary.
For Eating Rice:
- Rice is generally served in separate bowls, not on the same plate with your food.
- While rice is a staple, it is not necessary to eat every grain in your bowl; leaving some over is fine.
Other dining customs:
- You may be required to share a table. If so, do not force conversation: act as if you are seated at a private table.
- In a restaurant, the senior ladies are the people who order, traditionally, and the bill goes to the richest person. However if the check does come to you, you can pick it up. If you aren’t paying then you shouldn’t try to contribute to the paying person.
- Do not begin to eat or drink until the oldest man at the table has been served and has begun. It is appropriate to thank the host at the end of the meal for the fine food.
- In Thailand, at a restaurant, diners share their food with their table and a meal is never ordered for only one person.
- Since the food is served "family style" a person usually only takes small portions from each dish. They only take what they can eat in a few mouthfuls and then come back for seconds.
These customs fit with our restaurant, A Taste of Thai because they are all traditional customs that are followed in Thailand during meals. A Taste of Thai is being made to be a traditional Thai restaurant, where customs like these will be applied.
Our customers will learn about these customs by having the waiters/waitresses explain the customs to them when they are seated at a table, so that they can follow these customs during their meal if they would like.