Please Help Me Order Pieces Of Meat!

[Jingthing]

OK, I can order meat by the kilo or even by the baht, but I don't know how to order meat by the PIECE.

So, some questions.

Is there an acceptable way to just POINT at the meat and order number of pieces as you can in English for ANY kind of meat (or really anything)?

For example, you point at the chicken breasts and say in English,

5 pieces please

If there is, that would probably suffice for me.

However, as long as we are on the subject of meat, how about some proper examples with classifiers. Another generic question, same classifier for all chicken or would thighs and breast be different?

1. 4 chicken thighs

2. 3 fish filets

3. 10 pork ribs

4. 2 beef filets

5. 6 chicken breasts

May there be a chicken in your pot tonight, if that is what you want ...

[Jingthing]

Does nobody who speaks Thai here ever order meat?

[mangkorn]

The classifier for pieces of food (e.g., meat) is ชิ้น

A minor effort to look it up would have told you that.

Edited March 22, 2009 by mangkorn

[kriswillems]

2. ฟิเล่ต์ปลา 3 ชิ้น

or

ชิ้นปลาที่ไม่มีกระดูก 3 ชิ้น

3. ซี่โครงหมู 10 ซี่

or

3. กระดูกซี่โครงหมู 10 ชิ้น

4. ฟิเล่ต์เนื้อวัว 2 ขิ้น

or

ชิ้นเนื้อวัวที่ไม่มีกระดูก 3 ชิ้น

5. อกไก่ 6 อก

Edited March 23, 2009 by kriswillems

[Jingthing]

Thanks for all that which I am sure will help more advanced speakers.

I should have explained I am not a serious student of Thai and don't read Thai.

I simply want to learn how to ask for meat by the piece.

Back to my first question, is it OK to just POINT at the type of pieces of meat that I want (for example pork rib) and say something that just means for example

10 pieces

If so, what is the word for pieces (phonetically please). I know numbers.

Currently I just point and say a big number and the clerk is of course confused because he is not sure if I mean kilos or pieces, that is why I need to learn a better way to order pieces of meat in Thai.

If this topic doesn't fit in this forum, could the mod please move to the general or one of the food forums?

Edited March 23, 2009 by Jingthing

[meadish_sweetball]

is it OK to just POINT at the type of pieces of meat that I want (for example pork rib) and say something that just means for example

When pointing, try to use 'chin' as a substitute for pieces. The word takes the high tone. If you can't pronounce the tones or mispronounce or prolong the basic word, you may not be understood although it should be reasonably clear from the context what you want.

Add a 'khrap' at the end as it makes it sound less rude.

[Jingthing]

is it OK to just POINT at the type of pieces of meat that I want (for example pork rib) and say something that just means for example

When pointing, try to use 'chin' as a substitute for pieces. The word takes the high tone. If you can't pronounce the tones or mispronounce or prolong the basic word, you may not be understood although it should be reasonably clear from the context.

Thanks! Is the i sound long or short and what English word using i has that i sound?

[meadish_sweetball]

Is the i sound long or short

Short. The high tone tends to extend it just a tiny bit though, as opposed to a word that takes the mid tone.

what English word using i has that i sound?

As I don't know what your accent sounds like, it's hard to give exact instructions, however using the same sound as in 'win' should work for most standard variations of English. New Zealanders for example, would be better off using something closer to the sound they'd normally apply in 'ben'.

[aircut]

ชิ้นปลาที่ไม่มีกระดูก

Fish has no bones.... i have never heard some one ask for ชิ้นปลาที่ไม่มีกระดูก LOL.... it is called ก้างปลา

and for fish fillet you simply ask for เนื้อปลา

filleting fish meat is called แล่ or slice.....

hth

[kriswillems]

ชิ้นปลาที่ไม่มีกระดูก

Fish has no bones.... i have never heard some one ask for ชิ้นปลาที่ไม่มีกระดูก LOL.... it is called ก้างปลา

and for fish fillet you simply ask for เนื้อปลา

filleting fish meat is called แล่ or slice.....

hth

Thanks Aircut. I hear people just use ฟิเล่ต์. "กระดูกปลา" gives more than 6000 hits on google. Seems like I am not the only one making this mistake. I wonder if it's a local dialect or just a common mistake.

[aircut]

ชิ้นปลาที่ไม่มีกระดูก

Fish has no bones.... i have never heard some one ask for ชิ้นปลาที่ไม่มีกระดูก LOL.... it is called ก้างปลา

and for fish fillet you simply ask for เนื้อปลา

filleting fish meat is called แล่ or slice.....

hth

Thanks Aircut. I hear people just use ฟิเล่ต์. "กระดูกปลา" gives more than 6000 hits on google. Seems like I am not the only one making this mistake. I wonder if it's a local dialect or just a common mistake.

good question. did the google search myself and found a site that trades in fish heads and leftovers (seriously huapla.com), they write:

"ซื้อหัวปลา ขายหัวปลา ก้างปลา (กระดูกปลา) ไส้ปลา เกล็ดปลา เศษปลา ต่างๆ" so it seems that you are not the only one who use that expression...LOL

my knowledge in etymology is not that deep that i can really answer you with knowledge beside saying that ก้างปลา rings much more correct to my ear...but again, i speak middle class bangkokian dialect <bg>

[krading]

Thanks for all that which I am sure will help more advanced speakers.

I should have explained I am not a serious student of Thai and don't read Thai.

I simply want to learn how to ask for meat by the piece.

Back to my first question, is it OK to just POINT at the type of pieces of meat that I want (for example pork rib) and say something that just means for example

10 pieces

If so, what is the word for pieces (phonetically please). I know numbers.

Currently I just point and say a big number and the clerk is of course confused because he is not sure if I mean kilos or pieces, that is why I need to learn a better way to order pieces of meat in Thai.

If this topic doesn't fit in this forum, could the mod please move to the general or one of the food forums?

'chin' (high tone) is the classifier for a piece of anything whole. eg items of clothing, pieces of furniture, cuts of meat, slices of bread etc. sounds like bin win tin in

'un' (mid tone) is a general classifier for just about anything sounds like fun pun one

'gilo' or 'lo' (mid tone) is kilogram

[aircut]

another thought....กระดูกปลา might be correct for VERY BIG fishes...but surly not for pla2 ;-))

[mangkorn]

ก้างขวางคอ (lit. "fish bone stuck in the throat) is an idiom meaning "third wheel," or "two's company, three's a crowd."

For what it's worth...

[prakhonchai nick]

Surely the Op wanted to know how to ASK for the cuts - not show the shop a piece of paper with Thai scrawled on it. And bear in mind the likliehood that if he should show a piece of paper particularly in the market, many Thais cannot read!

[raylo]

Surely the Op wanted to know how to ASK for the cuts - not show the shop a piece of paper with Thai scrawled on it. And bear in mind the likliehood that if he should show a piece of paper particularly in the market, many Thais cannot read!

Good on you Nick an intelligent person!

I wish the respondees would look at the title of the request or a moderator removes their waffling to another thread.

[billd766]

quite often I go to the local market for my wife and the lady that runs the stall there also cannot read. There is ALWAYS someone who will help her/me as my Thai is not very good and she speaks no English.

Nonetheless it is not often I come back without the things I have been asked to get even if the lady does not have it someone will go to another stall and get it for me.

That is one of the nice things about living out in the country.

People are more friendly, genuinely smile more and are more farang friendly too.

:D

[Happy Jack]

Is there an acceptable way to just POINT at the meat and order number of pieces as you can in English for ANY kind of meat (or really anything)?

How about 'Pom Chor Nii Krap'

(I would like this please)

For example, you point at the chicken breasts and say in English,

5 pieces please

Provided you have a helpful shop assistant you could probably just add the thai number (which you can get on any Thai language site) and again the very endearing "Krap" (or "Kha (Car)" if you are a girlie).

Hope this helps.

[parki]

The first one - สะโพกไก่ 4 ชิ้น

second (It is not often to use filet in Thai food) - เนื้อปลาไม่มีกระดูก หรือ เนื้อปลาเลาะก้างออก จะเอาไปทำสเต็ก 3 ชิ้น

3. ซี่โครงหมู 10 เส้น (cut into lines) or ซี่โครงหมูแผงใหญ่ 10 แผง (for bbq steak)

4. เนื้อวัวแล่แล้ว 2 ชิ้น

5. อกไก่ 6 ชิ้น