I am a vegetarian and when I request vegetables, I say "ขอผักหน่อยครับ ". I realize that I can say ขอผักครับ, however, it seems a bit abrupt and rude if I say it that way. Is it proper to make use of หน่อย in that situation to soften the sentence a little bit?

Also, what is a good sentence to use to prepare the waitress/waiter to take your order? Like for example, I find if I give my request with out advance notice, that I end up having to repeat myself. If I was at an english restaurant, I would normally say something like, "Can I give you my order now?", etc..

I would like some suggestions on getting the waitresses/waiter's attention and also some suggestions on how to prepare them to listen to my order. I guess I am looking for add lib if you will. I just want some way to soften the whole ordering process. I don't know if it is just me, it just feels so commanding to walk in and sit down and say "I want some vegetables". Any tips or pointers are greatly appreciated.

ขอผักต่างๆหน่อยครับ Would this be the proper way to say "I would like a variety of vegetables"?

ขอผัก lhai lhai yang (na or หน่อย) ครับ would sound better. (Sorry I can't type Thai right now.) And to get attention of a waiter or a waitress, you can always call them "Nong" (brother or sister in English.) That should work.

You could also tell them that you are vegetarian by saying "Phom pen Mang Sawirat krab" = I'm a vegetarian, or "Phom mai tan Nueau krab" = I don't eat meat. I hope you can read my Thai karaoke.... Myabe some others can help you with the pronunications though.

Usually what works is: Chan than je, mee aray bang na krab/ka? That makes the personnel give you a list of the vegetarian dishes they have. Very often they are so friendly as to prepare a special curry for you, complete with vegetarian meet and without MSG and Nam Pla. But it takes time, so bring a book... :-)

You could try:

ผมกินเจ เพราะฉนั้นผมชอบกินผักเยอะ pom gin je prowchanan pom chob gin pak yoh / I eat vegetarian food and I like to eat alot of vegetables.

ผมกินเจ เพราะฉนั้นผมชอบกินผักหลายชนิด pom gin je prowchanan pom chob gin pak lai chanid I eat vegetarian food and I like to eat alot of different types of vegetables.

I hope this helps..

ITR