It is about time restaurants should change their habits.

[1FinickyOne]

It is about time restaurants should change their habits.

And nuns too…

[razer]

Thais are sensitive to a westerner criticising them and often I saw rude behaviour from westerners who feel they are not served quickly enough. This may explain why they rush the food as soon as it is ready.

I am guessing most food servers have a very low level of education and training is something restaurant owners fail to do.

Don't blame the woker. Blame the boss.

[mike324]

Also in Thai restaurant the rice must be served at the same time as the other things.....

rice comes first!!!

my experience has always been rice comes last after all the dishes are presented, and you usually have to ask them to bring the rice! Rice first is good!

[Pii Kate]

Do you also go to Germany and ask for British ale or that Greek stuff that smells and tastes like turpentine? I am constantly amazed at the people who leave home but should have stayed home.

My gosh if you want stuff like french fries go someplace that knows how to serve them. I have Eskimo friends and they eat a lot of seal and whale. However they don't spend all day carping about no seal or whale meat at MK's.

Nikuya Japanese Bbq Buffet has great beef and pork and salmon and salads and sushi and ice cream. You can get it yourself so if you want the ice cream first (or a sherbet shrub) before your BBQ Beef you can do that For your health or palate there is nothing quite as bad as french fries except perhaps French Canadian French Fries called Poutain. Many people have heart attacks just looking at a photo of poutain so I won't include one.

"Carping about no seal or whales". Very funny......good one.

[mike324]

If you order fries separately, they always bring it separately unless you tell them to bring it together with whatever else you order. Now if your fries comes with steak / burger, / pork chop, etc based on my experience they always come together in one big plate. If not stop going to a "Western" restaurant if you know they are not to your western standards.

[hobz]

Thai people dont care if the food gets cold while you wait for the rest of the dishes.. obviously western people do and its in the restaurants interest to cater to that.

[joecoolfrog]

I have often been asked in restaurants how I would like my Farang food served , ie in a particular order or all together. On other occasions , if I sense a potential problem , I politely inform the staff when ordering.

Mostly it works out fine , if a local restaurant welcomes farang customers , it wont deliberately try to irritate them.

[natway09]

Enjoy the cold beer & stop moaning. Lucky to get fed

[Sydebolle]

I run a restaurant and can share with you that this is a cultural thing.

Thai food (and most other Asian food for that matter) is being ordered, shared among the diners and eaten in the order it is being cooked/served by the restaurant. Funny enough nobody (not even Westerners) have a problem with that.

The Western dining culture splits the meal into starters, first course, second course and the finish (which can be a cheese plate and/or dessert). We use a new set of cutlery (four different knives for butter, meat, fish and cheese); if unsure just use the cutlery from the outside towards the plate. Our hosts here manage with one set of bent aluminium tools of less-than-appetising-appearance. Their preservation of meat requests everything to be really, really cooked well done (i.e. sometimes incinerated) to avoid bacterial problems = no knives as you could not cut it and hence present it bite-sized). Drinks are served in upto 18 different glasses with different diametres, colours and shapes.

There are differences between the British and the Europeans. The British prefer the salad to accompany the main course whereas the continentals prefer the salad served separately; prior to the main course. The Italians do salads, soups, a little pasta (flat or filled), a little meat, a little fish, then its cheese followed by dolci. Unlike the rest of the planet Italians drink Prosecco to any occasion whereas the rest assumes it being the Italian answer to Champagne. The Portuguese serve olives, tuna paste and baguette slices (and charge you for that) unless you tell the service staff "no thank you".

This world has, apparently, 206 different nations, thousands of languages and ten thousands of cuisines.

If you want to dine like in Europe, then you see a European restaurant with European service standard and European prices. Not one staff which we took on board had a clue about all this and are being internally trained (sometimes more, sometimes less successful).

Bottomline is: you cannot have your cake and eat it. The main focus is food, its quality and its healthy background. Fries 30 minutes before the rest = send it back. You want a salad with the dressing served separately and it doesn't = send it back. You asked for medium and it arrives well done = send it back.
The other subject on tipping - this is a direct reward by the diner to the staff (yeah, I know, not everywhere). You're happy with the service = tip the service and for a particularly attentive staff member = hand tip. You loved the food but the service sucked = ask to see the chef or the cook = hand tip them in front of the service staff and mention, what and why you're doing it.

In closing; have you ever had Thai food outside Asia? In general it sucks (big time), is completely overpriced and is split-up in starters, mains etc. to fit the Farang way of eating - what a load of bull :-(
If you're unhappy with a place, do not forget that you always have the choice (of not going back). The customer is always right; unless of course if he is wrong 8-)

[Incobart]

I understand both reactions ... be in Thailand.. adjust ... but I can understand his remark too

suppose you have thaifood in your restaurant in your country, and you serve the curry first, and 30 min later the rice. or drinks first and you wait till drink finish before serve food ... I am sure the thai customers will not feel happy too and some will ask/complain too

For a westerner it devaluate the food if they have to eat the food cold, especially Fr.f witch are really mai arroi if you eat them cold. Ever eaten a cold box of Fr.F on a local market that have been fried 1 hour ago ?

If they have a restaurant , and want happy customers, its not a big effort to learn these small adjustments ..

- don't ask the order after you handed over the menu 5 sec ago but wait till they call you or seems finish looking

- bring the food if its ready for everyone on the table

- fr.f and rice put on the dish at last

- separate appetizer and main

- don't grab dishes and stuff away from the table if people still eating

just 5 small behavior points a boss can tell his staff to put attention too, and will it will make them enjoy the restaurant and food more

[chrissables]

Do you also go to Germany and ask for British ale or that Greek stuff that smells and tastes like turpentine? I am constantly amazed at the people who leave home but should have stayed home.

My gosh if you want stuff like french fries go someplace that knows how to serve them. I have Eskimo friends and they eat a lot of seal and whale. However they don't spend all day carping about no seal or whale meat at MK's.

Nikuya Japanese Bbq Buffet has great beef and pork and salmon and salads and sushi and ice cream. You can get it yourself so if you want the ice cream first (or a sherbet shrub) before your BBQ Beef you can do that For your health or palate there is nothing quite as bad as french fries except perhaps French Canadian French Fries called Poutain. Many people have heart attacks just looking at a photo of poutain so I won't include one.

Actually if you want to eat a meal hot i think it should come together. So many times in "good" Thai restaurants i have ordered a meal and they bring the rice straight away, the curry 20 minutes later!

I started ordering just the curry, which would confuse the staff, and when it arrived order the rice.

If they are serving a meal, be it Western or Thai, it should be done to the customers liking. The customer pays!

[AYJAYDEE]

I run a restaurant and can share with you that this is a cultural thing.

Thai food (and most other Asian food for that matter) is being ordered, shared among the diners and eaten in the order it is being cooked/served by the restaurant. Funny enough nobody (not even Westerners) have a problem with that.

The Western dining culture splits the meal into starters, first course, second course and the finish (which can be a cheese plate and/or dessert). We use a new set of cutlery (four different knives for butter, meat, fish and cheese); if unsure just use the cutlery from the outside towards the plate. Our hosts here manage with one set of bent aluminium tools of less-than-appetising-appearance. Their preservation of meat requests everything to be really, really cooked well done (i.e. sometimes incinerated) to avoid bacterial problems = no knives as you could not cut it and hence present it bite-sized). Drinks are served in upto 18 different glasses with different diametres, colours and shapes.

There are differences between the British and the Europeans. The British prefer the salad to accompany the main course whereas the continentals prefer the salad served separately; prior to the main course. The Italians do salads, soups, a little pasta (flat or filled), a little meat, a little fish, then its cheese followed by dolci. Unlike the rest of the planet Italians drink Prosecco to any occasion whereas the rest assumes it being the Italian answer to Champagne. The Portuguese serve olives, tuna paste and baguette slices (and charge you for that) unless you tell the service staff "no thank you".

This world has, apparently, 206 different nations, thousands of languages and ten thousands of cuisines.

If you want to dine like in Europe, then you see a European restaurant with European service standard and European prices. Not one staff which we took on board had a clue about all this and are being internally trained (sometimes more, sometimes less successful).

Bottomline is: you cannot have your cake and eat it. The main focus is food, its quality and its healthy background. Fries 30 minutes before the rest = send it back. You want a salad with the dressing served separately and it doesn't = send it back. You asked for medium and it arrives well done = send it back.

The other subject on tipping - this is a direct reward by the diner to the staff (yeah, I know, not everywhere). You're happy with the service = tip the service and for a particularly attentive staff member = hand tip. You loved the food but the service sucked = ask to see the chef or the cook = hand tip them in front of the service staff and mention, what and why you're doing it.

In closing; have you ever had Thai food outside Asia? In general it sucks (big time), is completely overpriced and is split-up in starters, mains etc. to fit the Farang way of eating - what a load of bull :-(

If you're unhappy with a place, do not forget that you always have the choice (of not going back). The customer is always right; unless of course if he is wrong 8-)

we have thai restaurants in my city that are equal to thailand

[masuk]

I love it when the farangs think they can change Thailand.

Things are different here. You can either adapt, go home, or go crazy ranting against the tide. Your choice.

can you imagine emigrating to a place like thailand and spending your time twisting your knickers over when your chips are served??? lol. unbelievable!!

Hooray! CHIPS! Now I understand what they're talking about.

Is there some undercover force in this country, trying to change words and spelling??

[Songlaw]

Do you also go to Germany and ask for British ale or that Greek stuff that smells and tastes like turpentine? I am constantly amazed at the people who leave home but should have stayed home.

My gosh if you want stuff like french fries go someplace that knows how to serve them. I have Eskimo friends and they eat a lot of seal and whale. However they don't spend all day carping about no seal or whale meat at MK's.

Nikuya Japanese Bbq Buffet has great beef and pork and salmon and salads and sushi and ice cream. You can get it yourself so if you want the ice cream first (or a sherbet shrub) before your BBQ Beef you can do that For your health or palate there is nothing quite as bad as french fries except perhaps French Canadian French Fries called Poutain. Many people have heart attacks just looking at a photo of poutain so I won't include one.

Forced me to do a google. Guess what I came up with? http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2014/10/world-poutine-eating-championship-crowns-an-american-winner-canadians-heartbroken.html

[yasmarbi]

A good Chef understands the time it takes to cook different foods and can serve dish at the same time, George Orwell in his book Down and out in London and Paris writes about working in the kitchens of Paris restaurants.

Thai restaurants don't have the same attitude towards occupied tables, during peak periods you need to get people served quickly and free the table up for the next group of customers. During the lunch hour in London, slow service can break a restaurant.

A good chef - Hmmmmmmm..

Am thinking most here i Thailand who work in so-called bars / restaurants / coffee shops are just short order cooks with relatively little formal training.

[NoshowJones]

I love it when the farangs think they can change Thailand.

Things are different here. You can either adapt, go home, or go crazy ranting against the tide. Your choice.

can you imagine emigrating to a place like thailand and spending your time twisting your knickers over when your chips are served??? lol. unbelievable!!

It is not unbelievable, if a restaurant has a Western menu, I don't care what country it is in, their staff should be trained to serve food the western way, no ifs and buts about it. Is it so hard to have your chicken and chips or whatever served on the same plate?

Mr AYJAYDEE, there will be things that you spend your time twisting your knickers over in Thailand, that's if you live in Thailand, that would not bother me that I would say is unbelievable. Another thing, do KFC not serve your chicken and chips on the same tray?

[NoshowJones]

I love it when the farangs think they can change Thailand.

Things are different here. You can either adapt, go home, or go crazy ranting against the tide. Your choice.

I have adapted, I never use a restaurant (KFC and McDonalds excepted, but only very occasionally) unless I'm in Pattaya, where I don't have any problems as the local restaurants are used to serving Westerners.

But I still say that serving food that goes together, especially if it's hot, half an hour between is just plain stupidity.

Not being a lover of Thai food, when I go away for the day, I take home made sandwiches etc, and a flask of tea with me.

[yasmarbi]

What I have noticed -

Waitress brings menu and stand there waiting till you give them the order.

Answer - order drinks and send them on their way.

If only my gf and I at table - then often we not share dishes but if I am with a group quite often most dishes are shared by all.

Since I struggle with spicy food - quite often I wait a while till a dish arrives on table that I'm prepared to consume.

Such is life.

If I want more than 1 dish for my self - I will order only the first course so that the cook cannot confuse the order of delivery and / or timing how far apart I want them.

Normally when I recieve that first dish then I will usually order the second.

It frustrates me at times when waitress comes to clear part of table - eg... my gf's dish whilst I am still eating.

To me, there seems no urgency in clearing her plate but my experience is that this happens at a lot of eateries.

[NoshowJones]

yeah! I think youre in the wrong country pal!

I fail to see why pgs is in the wrong country, it seems you are one of the 'if you don't like it go home brigade'.

[NoshowJones]

Quite simple really - when you order, stress very strongly that you don't want the meal brought out in drips and drabs. You could offer them a monetary incentive.

I tried that Neeranam, it may work if you speak Thai, and my Thai is quite limited.

[SoiBiker]

yeah! I think youre in the wrong country pal!

I fail to see why pgs is in the wrong country, it seems you are one of the 'if you don't like it go home brigade'.

Well, I guess you could just stay here and whine about it. But don't expect that to change things.

[SoiBiker]

...that's if you live in Thailand...

Why do people always trot this one out when somebody doesn't agree with them?

[AYJAYDEE]

yeah! I think youre in the wrong country pal!

I fail to see why pgs is in the wrong country, it seems you are one of the 'if you don't like it go home brigade'.

i'm not surprised!

[NoshowJones]

...that's if you live in Thailand...

Why do people always trot this one out when somebody doesn't agree with them?

Because a lot of TV members live in other countries, and do not understand Thailand the way a resident does.

[NoshowJones]

Common sense in Thailand! That's a good one OP. Too bad you will never find it.

True, especially on the roads, but not wishing to come across as a Thai basher, I have always said the Thai people are mostly decent and honest.

[SoiBiker]

...that's if you live in Thailand...

Why do people always trot this one out when somebody doesn't agree with them?

Because a lot of TV members live in other countries, and do not understand Thailand the way a resident does.

Plenty of the residents seem to be struggling to understand themselves.

[Thai at Heart]

I love it when the farangs think they can change Thailand.

Things are different here. You can either adapt, go home, or go crazy ranting against the tide. Your choice.

And don't forget - never hold your wife's hand in public.

Or apparently wear a bikini. Edited October 8, 2014 by Thai at Heart

[NoshowJones]

The weirdest thing here is that people drink from straws, every time i order a drink I have to throw the straw away as I'm not used to it.

Chengan (same here).

[NoshowJones]

...that's if you live in Thailand...

Why do people always trot this one out when somebody doesn't agree with them?

Because a lot of TV members live in other countries, and do not understand Thailand the way a resident does.

Plenty of the residents seem to be struggling to understand themselves.

Maybe that's because a lot of them drink too much.

[NoshowJones]

If i had a restaurant in my country and it was frequented by thais, i would for sure observe and listen to them how, in which order, if applicable, according to their customs, they want their food served. If i would do it according to their wishes they would come back and inform their friends to go to my restaurant because i am a guy who understands and complies to their wishes/customs.

To do it otherwise is just plain bad businessacumen.

But maybe, for all the defenders, thai restaurantowners just dont like to make, more, money.

It is well known that Thais only live for the day, they never think about the future.