One of the best ways to start integrating into another culture is to indulge in the local cuisines. In Thailand’s case, this means that you must become familiar with eating not just the same food as Thais, but eating from the same establishments. And by establishments, we actually mean street carts!
No matter where you go in Thailand, there is an abundance of food options, including everything from THB ten chicken kebab sticks to THB 30 Pad Thai or THB 100 spicy papaya salad with fresh crab meat. While the food is generally of good quality and great flavour, often times foreigners get timid about ordering, especially when there’s no English menu.
With a bit of courage, an open mind and a few helpful tips you can start saving thousands of baht per month by eating a meal a day at a street cart over a restaurant.
Top Five Tips For Ordering Street Food
1) Use other tables as your menu
If you see someone else eating something that looks good, there’s your ticket! Just go up to the vendor and point (not with one finger but with all five fingers… pointing with one finger in Thailand is considered rude) to the delicious looking dish.
2) Always be polite and never complain
A key feature of Thai culture is to be polite, happy and non-confrontational. When you approach a street cart, smile and be polite as possible, Which you should especially do because you don’t speak any Thai. If you end up getting something that you don’t like, it’s best to just smile, pay for the meal and say “Kap kuhn ka/kap,” or thank you (female/male).
3) Get the price before you order
If you do end up getting something you don’t like, chances are it’ll be under THB 60 (or $2) anyway, so simply cut your losses pay up. That being said, sometimes Thai’s will see you are a foreigner and will overcharge you, so it’s a good practice to ask “Tao rai” or “how much” before placing your order.
4) If you don’t know what it is, it’s probably fish, and it’s definitely spicy
Thai’s eat a lot of fish, and while sometimes you’ll walk by a grill covered in full-bodied fish, often fish is chopped up and disguised in curries, rice, soup, etc. If you don’t eat seafood, you must master the phrase “Mai bah-laah.” Some of the most popular dishes, including Pad Thai and Som Tam (papaya salad) are often made with dried shrimp so it’s also key to remember “mai goong-hang” to say “no dried shrimp.” Another phrase to never, ever forget it “Mai pet” which means not spicy. Thais love their red chilli’s… which can turn an unaccustomed mouth into a pot of fire. Spice with caution!
5) A few key phrases will take you far
The terms and phrases below will help you order just about anything from a street cart. Put the word “mai” before an ingredient or adjective and it will negate the word. For example, “mai pahk” means “no vegetables,” while “mai pet” means “not spicy” and “mai ow” means “I don’t want.” Putting the word “mai” at the end of a sentence turns it into a question.
| Ingredients | Phrases/ Adjectives | ||||
| Nyung-ah | Meat | Chai | Yes | ||
| Guy | Chicken | Mai | No / Not | ||
| Moo | Pork | Mai Ow | I don’t want | ||
| Nung-ahh | Beef | Ow ow | I want | ||
| Bah-laah | Fish | Waahn | Sweet | ||
| Goong-hang | Dried Shrimp | Pet | Spicy | ||
| Pahk | Vegetable | Sigh tuong | Put in bag (takeaway) | ||
| Suup | Soup | Ah-nung | That | ||
| Kaow | Rice | Tao rai? | How much? | ||
| Goi-tdeeow | Noodle | Kap Kuhn Kah/Kap | Thank you (female/male) | ||
| Too-ah | Nuts | Ah-loy | Delicious | ||
| Gaang | Curry | Paang | Expensive |