For Thais, meals are informal affairs involving circles of families or friends sitting around the table sharing variety of dishes. Residents of regional cities or rural towns adhere to the same philosophy: eating is pleasure.
There is even a saying “when eating or drinking, politics or business matters should not be discussed over the table”. Having a Thai meal in a Thai way is very easy.
Instead of having a single main course with side dishes, a typical Thai meal consists of rice with many complementary dishes served concurrently. Dishes such as stir-fried vegetables, soup (Tom Yam Kung or Tom Kha Kai, for instance), curry, salad and one or more basic sauces usually appear in Thai full meal. Rice, either ordinary or glutinous, is served in individual plates. The rest of the dishes are put in the middle of the table for everyone to share and may be eaten in almost any order.
In this way, you can season them to best suit your taste by using several condiments such as fish sauce and chilli peppers which are usually provided on the table. A Fork and a spoon are usually used throughout the meal to help mix rice with, for example, the curry, and scoop it up.
However, there are some exceptions. Chopsticks are ideal alternative when eating noodles, while one’s hands are perfect for eating sticky rice or dipping raw vegetables in Nam Prik (spicy dips). Desserts may consist of fresh fruit or one of the many traditional Thai sweets.
