Is Thai Food Eaten with Chopsticks?

Chopsticks by Ambuj Saxena

In Thailand, chopsticks are typically only used to eat noodles. Most of the time, Thai food is eaten with a spoon and fork rather than with chopsticks (and without a knife, too).

Thai noodle dishes such as Pad Thai and noodle soup are usually served with chopsticks and a spoon. But if you don’t know how to use chopsticks or are uncomfortable eating with them, you can always request a fork instead.

In fact last night I had Thai noodle soup at a roadside stand and the server brought a large spoon and chopsticks along with the dish. I asked if they had a som, which is the Thai word for fork, and they obliged.

Although chopsticks are typical for most Japanese and Chinese foods, in Thailand they use the spoon as the main eating utensil. A fork is used to brush the food into the spoon, and the spoon is used to place the food into the mouth.