absolutelyBangkok archive · Food & Drink
Originally published June 9, 2011
Bangkok Food & Dining Tips –
For most, the best part of traveling to Thailand and Bangkok is eating the local cuisine. With only a few steps from the Bangkok airport, you begin to understand the importance of food to this country, with street stalls, restaurants, and markets outlining every street. All day and all night, this city is exploding with colorful food and people from all over the world.
Cooking and eating are also seen as communal events to the Thai people, due to their belief that eating alone is bad luck. This is why you’ll notice groups of two or more eating together in family-style outdoor seating almost everywhere. If you are lucky enough to be invited to a homemade Thai dinner, expect to spend the entire evening as the preparation can last as long as the meal itself. At a homemade meal or restaurant in Thailand, it is customary to serve more dishes than dinner guests. The idea is to sample each dish with the rice on your plate, and then move on to the next course. Remember to place your fork and spoon in the middle of your plate when full or you will end up inadvertently asking for more!
Unlike Westerners, Thais do not set the table with a knife as most Thai dishes include bite-sized pieces of poultry, seafood, tofu, and red meat. The most common eating utensils you will find in Thailand is the spoon and fork. Use the fork to push rice and other food onto the spoon, and the spoon to carry it into your mouth. Other common utensils found are chopsticks used for noodle soups and sometimes ceramic spoons. If eating sticky rice, always use your right hand, as the left is considered to be un-clean.
Another Thai formality is to refrain from eating while walking and standing. Even when hungry and in a hurry, Thais will order their street food to-go. Street food is usually served in plastic bags with elastic ties, while drinks are served in plastic bags with handles and a sipping straw.
These bags appear everywhere, dangling on motorbikes and on hooks of the backseats of the city bus. Other inexpensive drink options include local beers (Chang, Leo, Singha) and spirits (
Mekong and Sang Som), which are much cheaper than imports. Also remember When you go to Bangkok, to look out for smoothie booths at outdoor markets, which will often have spirits on hand to add to your beverage for around twenty baht.
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