10 rules of Thai restaurants – how to eat Thais
About Thai cuisine is written a lot, but not many know how the Thais themselves eat. At first glance, the power rules in the Thai style may seem a bit difficult, but if you adapt, you can not give up new habits for anything. Taking an invitation from Thais, do not be afraid to make any error or ask about how there is something or another dish. Just relax and enjoy food! In the company Thais is not a question that eat in the restaurant, and how to do it.
The more the company, the fun
Thais is very social. In their concept, dining alone is a big rarity. They love to eat with friends or family. Chat in a pleasant company for dinner – it’s so fun! Therefore, the first rule of Thai restaurants: Be sure to call friends with you to have lunch or dinner.
Spoon, fork, knife or sticks?
Most Thai dishes eat with a spoon and fork. Knives use only in the kitchen to cut all the ingredients on small pieces. The spoon hold the right (leading) hand, and the fork left. And already cut dishes take a spoon, and the fork helps to put pieces in a spoon. If any nose need to be cut, a large piece hold the fork, and the spoon act as a knife. This rule applies to Thai dishes. No tapet will have a steak without a knife.
Sticks use for Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese food. For example, to the soup with noodles you will be served a spoon and sticks. For soups and some desserts use a special deep spoon. Noodles soup eat in a special. The spoon for the broth should be in the left hand, and sticks in the right (leading). Each member of the meal is issued its deep bowl with soup, where to add red pepper, sugar, fish sauce and vinegar. Gently pull out a little noodle out of soup and put it all hill on a spoon. Then immerse the spoon in the broth and enjoy the soup with noodles. Of course, you can capture noodles with chopsticks and send immediately to the mouth, noisy sucking, but so there is a little unknown.
In this case, do not forget about the napkins. Their role, as a rule, performs a roll of toilet paper. In Thailand’s stores, they even sell special round closets with a hole in the middle. The second Thai cuisine is easy to remember: Thais do not eat steak chopsticks and do not use a knife for Thai dishes.
You already ate rice?
Find a common language with Thai is easier than simple. Ask, whether it hurts: "King Khao ian?" or "Kyne Khao Leo May?" Asking you this phrase, Thais actually do not show your insurmountable interest in your latest feeding, but exhibit elementary politeness. Here lies the key to the riddle of the main component of Thai cuisine: "Khao" in Thai means "rice", and the phrase itself is allegedly translated "Did you have rice?" So, Thai Rule about food number three: Ask at Thai, whether he is fed?
Rice – everything head
From the previous point smoothly follows the rice rule in Thai cuisine. He is all head! When ordering food in the restaurant you will definitely ask, do you bring rice if it is not included in the dish. Gathering a large company, Thais ordered a large rice saucepan for a couple and each impose little by little. Do not be surprised if your neighbor on the table will offer you rice when the latter almost ended in your plate. It is believed that you are too polite to ask more.
In the north of Thailand, the adhesive rice is served to each dish, which takes their hands, roll with a ball and dip in their dish so that it absorbs liquid and aroma. Ordinary rice, cooked for a couple eating a spoon or mixing with the main dish, or by entering them as bread. Never mix a few dishes with rice, for example, if you have a plate of rice, and you put something out of common plates, you don’t need to mix everything like a pilaf, enjoy each separately. If something on the table will seem sharp for you, be sure to eat rice, it will calm the fire in your mouth.
Almost necessarily for at least two days in the day of Thais eating dishes with rice. Otherwise, how they themselves are not found. Remember Thai food rule number four: rice, rice and once again rice!
What is for breakfast, lunch or dinner?
There are no certain rules for all Thais, that they eat for breakfast. There are no three clearly pronounced meals. Thais all the time something hamster, eat three or five times a day with snacks between meals. It does not matter what to prefer for breakfast: rice porridge Bread or Khao soup, roasted rice with chicken or rice noodles with fish curry – everything will be delicious and useful.
Thais not special lovers of European cuisine. However, like most Asians, for example, Koreans do not think their lives without Korean dishes and Kimchi. So the thais is not particularly interested in steaks, scrambled eggs with bacon, sandwiches with cheese, pizza or hamburgers. In the case of the latter, they can eat meat cake, and then a little bread. Nevertheless, American fast food is popular in Thailand.
European food for Thais is not food, but a snack. It is very convenient that almost in every place where Thais live, there are any cafes. Even if not, Makashnitsa will be happy to come to you, what you will know about the blowing signal. From morning to late night, you don’t have a problem in Thailand, you can not worry for it. Here is another Thai rule about food number five: no matter what time you drive, it is important that you want to eat.
Share with neighbor
For the meal manifests the whole "family" of gastronomic addictions of Thai. Usually, several dishes are ordered to the table, which are then divided. The principle is similar to the festive table in Russia. Gold rule "How to feed a big company": Order dishes in the amount of more than member meals + rice. The more people eat, the more you need to order.
The range of dishes may be such: snacks, soup, sharp or unsatary dish – try to achieve a balanced food taste. If someone really wants something separately, it can order yourself. The waiters will be happy to recommend you the best dishes of their restaurant and will answer all questions. Rule of Thai Kitchen Number Six – Share Utya.
How are common dishes?
Involuntarily, the question arises as these common dishes? Note that the rice has already been laid on your personal plate. But you should not put on the common dishes as soon as they were brought. Senior by age or social status usually imposes food first. You can offer any of the dishes or you can take one or two spoons themselves. Do not impose all the contents of the common plate into your. First you need to try.
Sometimes it happens that the common plates of waiters may not put a spoon – it is completely normal. In this case, use your own, previously making sure that there are no residual rice. Do not take what you will not be able to eat.
Perhaps the smallest mistake will leave a lot of food on its plate, which other people could eat. When I lived in the Buddhist temple in Korea, we were strictly told: everything that you put on your plate should be eaten – such are traditions.
In Thailand, it is customary to leave some rice on a plate so that the mistress does not think that he did not feed you. And it is completely indecent to collect the remains of the sauce or food rice, as sometimes accepted in Russia bread (in fact, I don’t know such a tradition, but I saw in the movies). Thai Rule About Eating Number Seven: Put on your plate just what you can eat, do not forget about neighbors.
First, second, third and compote with bun?
In Thailand, in contrast to the European world, there is no strict routine of the dishes. On the table you will bring what has already been prepared. For example, the first to bring volumes, then spring rolls, roasted fish, and then salad. If you got very hot, why wait until it cools? Thais love to combine all five flavors: salty, sweet, bitter, sharp and sour. Therefore, eat the main dish, biting the soup – it is completely normal. Little secret: If you want to feed a big company, do not forget to say the waiter so that rice (roasted or for a couple) brought first. And here it is the eighth rule of Thai food: Feel the whole range of tastes of language receptors, everything is mixed in the stomach.
What to pep and salt?
Surprisingly, a fact – in Thai salt, one hole, and in the list – a lot. Do not confuse with inappropriate. In restaurants and cafes you are ready to offer soy sauce and acute fish sauce with chili peppers – in essence, this is equivalent salt in Thai cuisine. Add a few drops, and taste will change.
In some home cafes on the table there is already a set of spices: sugar, ground pepper, acute fish sauce and others. Try, but be careful with sharp. The more acute you eat, the less the fire of your taste receptors. When I arrived in Thailand, sharp not what is, I could not even sniff. Over time, everything became fine. My mother is often complaining that I throw a lot of pepper into dishes that I cook for her. Be careful with the rule number nine: Solit and pepper dishes can be in your liking.
What we drink: water, gas, or ice beer?
Ice is an integral part of Thai cuisine, like rice. Drinkless ice, according to Thais, will be hot faster than you pay for it in 7-11. By and large for the quality of ice in restaurants and cafes, you can not worry: it is always factory production, which is easy to determine in the form. Cheerful technical ice use only for cooling. Do not worry for ice generators at 7-11. Absolute sterility will not promise, but at least it is not technical ice.
If you need a drink without ice, tell me the waiter: "May Au we are Chen" or "May Sai We are Chen". Otherwise, the default to your soda or water will bring a glass full of ice. Ice beer is a separate topic. Before refusing, you need to try.
In local Thai restaurants or cafes, you can carry your strong alcoholic beverages, ordering the cola, soda and ice. In some nightclubs and restaurants in tourist destroyers, do not allow or take a fee for opening a bottle ".
At the same time, remember if you order a drink only for yourself, you will bring it. But general refreshments can be magically to appear without warning, they will still include in your account. Or, for example, you ordered beer for three. He retalked to a separate table and constantly poured into the glass. As soon as the beer is over, the waiters can clarify whether you still need, and bring beer again on three. The same goes for water in bottles, which is not standing on the table. And now the last tenth rule of Thai restaurants: Whatever you drank, you will definitely bring ice.
Now I think you are hooked for lunch in the royal family. In any case, feel free to ask Thais about something, they will gladly explain.
