Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [63]
As any Thai can tell you, your next immediate concern is mixers. If you’re drinking whisky, these will take the form of several bottles of soda water and a bottle or two of Coke, along with a pail of ice. Most waitresses will bring these to you as a matter of course.
Mixing is the easiest step and requires little or no action on your part; your skilled waitress will fill your glasses with ice followed by a shot of whisky, a splash of soda, a top-off of Coke, and finally, a swirl with the ice tongs to bring it all together.
If you can’t finish your bottle, shame on you, but don’t fret, as it’s perfectly normal to keep it at the bar. Simply tell your trusted waitress, and she will write your name and the date on the bottle and keep it for your next visit.
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Thai Hawker Food by Kenny Yee and Catherine Gordon is an illustrated guide to recognising and ordering street food in Thailand.
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For many years, Thais celebrated special occasions with a meal at a Chinese banquet restaurant, a cuisine viewed as more refined than their own, or Chinese-style seafood restaurant. In recent years, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and other internationally influenced cities tend to have more of a Western-style restaurant scene with hip decor and nouveau or imported cuisine.
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VEGETARIANS & VEGANS
Vegetarianism isn’t a widespread trend in Thailand, but many of the tourist-oriented restaurants cater to vegetarians. That doesn’t mean that all Thais are monogamous carnivores; there are, however, home-grown practices of vegetarianism and veganism rooted in a strict interpretation of Buddhism made popular by Bangkok’s ex-Governor Chamlong Srimuang. Now there are several nonprofit ráhn ah·hhn mang·sà·wí·rát (vegetarian restaurants) in Bangkok and several provincial capitals where the food is served buffet-style and is very inexpensive. Dishes are almost always 100% vegan (ie no meat, poultry, fish or fish sauce, dairy or egg products).
During the Vegetarian Festival, celebrated by Chinese Buddhists in October, many restaurants and street stalls in Bangkok, Phuket and in the Chinese business districts of most Thai towns go meatless for one month. Other easy, though less common, venues for vegetarian meals include Indian restaurants, which usually feature a vegetarian section on the menu.
The phrase ‘I’m vegetarian’ in Thai is pŏm gin jair (for men) or dì·chn gin jair (for women). Loosely translated this means ‘I eat only vegetarian food’, which includes no eggs and no dairy products – in other words, total vegan.
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EATING WITH KIDS
Dining with children, particularly with infants, in Thailand is a liberating experience as the Thais are so fond of kids. Take it for granted that your babies will be fawned over, played with, and more than not, carried around, by restaurant wait staff. Regard this as a much-deserved break, not to mention a bit of free cultural exposure.
Because much of Thai food is so spicy, there is also an entire art devoted to ordering ‘safe’ dishes for children, and the vast majority of Thai kitchens are more than willing to oblige. Many a child in Thailand has grown up on a diet of little more than gaang jèut, a bland, Chinese-influenced soup containing ground pork, soft tofu and a handful of the noodles, or variations on kôw pàt, fried rice. Other mild options include kôw man gài, Hainanese chicken rice, and jóhk, rice porridge.
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HABITS & CUSTOMS
Like most of Thai culture, eating conventions appear relaxed and informal but are orchestrated by many implied rules. Dining is considered an important social occasion not only to chat with friends but to enjoy many different dishes, which is made easier if there