Three things that foreigners will likely consider unique about the dining setup in Thailand:
- Sugar in Soup- Yep, that jar you see on tables containing white crystals isn’t salt, that’ll be sugar. And if you’re properly Thai, you’ll dump 3-4 heaping spoons of that sugar into your soup. While this isn’t great for diabetes, it means Thais never have to share their soup with foreigners.
- Toilet Paper on Dining Tables- napkins? Nah. Toilet rolls. Don’t ask me, I’m a farang and I’ll never feel comfortable wiping my mouth with toilet paper.
- No Knives- knives are not part of cutlery in Thai dining, if there’s a knife on your table, you’re at a farang oriented dining establishment. Bite it, bludgeon it with your spoon or saw away with your fork, but you won’t find a knife to cut it. You learn to order dishes that don’t call for much cutting if you’re having a business lunch and feel struggling with cutting might damage your image.