Food Portions Rather Small In Los

[nokia]

Hi foody folks,

i find Thai food delicious but the food portions are rather little in LOS esp noodles (ba-mee, guay tiaw,kao soi etc). Maybe the rice orders like fried rice, rice with basil leaves etc are slightly more. Do i have to eat 2 bowls or order special-large (phi-set) for the noodles all the time?

[legag]

Yes, have two, three .. until you're filled up. What seems to be a problem here? Thai we serves small but repeatedly serving and as that we consider it's more proper to have it little than a big a** portion, dump in all like you've never seen food before.

Edited September 13, 2007 by legag

[Jimmyd]

No, food portions aren't small in Thailand--they're too big in the west. You get used to it, hence the many overweight people in the west.

[nokia]

Yes, have two, three .. until you're filled up. What seems to be a problem here? Thai we serves small but repeatedly serving and as that we consider it's more proper to have it little than a big a** portion, dump in all like you've never seen food before.

Haha... no problem, i like Thai food, and since Thai are kind people, can i ask for more noodles instead of ordering 2-3 bowls? Pls advise me how i can save money, and not go half-hungry? THanks. or maybe i just eat rice or sticky rice all the time.

[londonthai]

shop around - see how big portions are and how much are they.

thai tend to eat often, all throughout the day (unlike in the west - where there are generally only 3 meals), thats why portions are smaller. Eating a lot in one go makes you sleepy, even more so in the hot country Thailand is.

also, thai tend to order several different dishes for one meal and noodle soup will be only one of them.

the other way of economy eating are buffets - eat as much as you want for the set price, say 99 baht or chosing stalls where you can help yourself to the vegetables set freely on the dining tables. You can chose what and how much of it you eat.

don't eat at random places - have your favourite ones, the cook will recognise you and in appreciation for your custom give you bigger and better portions. Occasionally tipping them will set you good for the future.

And lastly - stay away from the main streets and touristy ones - go inside the sois where there are less customers and cooks take a better care.

[wileycoyote]

I agree with londonthai

No problem asking for seconds,in fact street vendors smile & give a good extra portion

Wiley Coyote

[legag]

Yes, I like what you say londonthai. It's TRUE! Thai eat ofen, order different dishes and left nothing on the table but bones. What I esp. like is the small lil old shops, nothing fancy but once you walk in you know you come to the right place. Tourists food joints are rip-off. Stay away.

As for your noodles nokia. Ask for extra (phi-set) if you still used to western portion and big stomach.

[tom yum goong]

if you want a bigger portion instead of ordering an extra bowl you can always order "phised", which means "special". This usually costs 5 to 10 baht more.

edit - seems legag has beaten me to it

Edited September 13, 2007 by tom yum goong

[PhilHarries]

I agree with the concept of small is better (up to a point), you can always have second portions or more dishes which is better than leaving food.

It's the opposite here in VN. Go into an average Vietnamese restaurant, order two dishes plus a bowl of rice and you've got enough food for four people.

[nokia]

shop around - see how big portions are and how much are they.

thai tend to eat often, all throughout the day (unlike in the west - where there are generally only 3 meals), thats why portions are smaller. Eating a lot in one go makes you sleepy, even more so in the hot country Thailand is.

also, thai tend to order several different dishes for one meal and noodle soup will be only one of them.

the other way of economy eating are buffets - eat as much as you want for the set price, say 99 baht or chosing stalls where you can help yourself to the vegetables set freely on the dining tables. You can chose what and how much of it you eat.

don't eat at random places - have your favourite ones, the cook will recognise you and in appreciation for your custom give you bigger and better portions. Occasionally tipping them will set you good for the future.

And lastly - stay away from the main streets and touristy ones - go inside the sois where there are less customers and cooks take a better care.

Gd advice, either be a regular customer or eat at buffets or gather a truckload of thai frens and share good ol' thai food.

[suegha]

I have found that the Thai restaurants who cater for farangs serve smaller portions of staple as the farangs don't eat big portions of rice/noodles etc. I do eat big portions of staple (every kind) so I usually order an extra portion, or go for a portion of two types of staple. I often order a portion of rice and a portion of fried rice with veggies along with my chicken curry, costs about 10-15 baht extra so no problem!

We, in the west, tend to eat a big evening meal because we have not eaten for ages, whereas Thais tend to graze all day. Some nutritionists say this is the best way to do it. However, I just can't get used to it!