Why We Love Spoons (And You Should Too)
26th Jul 2017
By Wellness Expert and Spa Director, Lina Lotto.
Thailand’s King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) who lived in the 19th century was infinitely pragmatic when it came to matters of food. After returning from a European tour, rather than introducing the fork and knife, he decreed that fork and spoon was a much better arrangement.
King Chulalongkorn was a wise ruler. He modernised Thailand and brought in many reforms including mandatory education and a legal system based on those in Europe. At a time when many countries were caught in the web of colonial control he courted the Europeans, benefiting from the relationships but always avoiding colonisation and Thailand remains that way to this day, both geographically and fiscally. So revered was he that King Chulalongkorn Day is celebrated every year on 23rd October as a national holiday.
Back to spoons.
Spoons come into their own when eating rice. As Thai people usually eat rice daily this is an indispensable culinary tool. Also especially good for scooping up delicious Thai sauces and peas. And so many other things that the fork simply cannot do efficiently and besides it is not considered seemly in Thailand to place your fork in your mouth.
Thais are exceptionally good at making processes as smooth and graceful as possible which is why I believe they are world experts at customer service. This extends to ensuring food is offered in manageable bite sized pieces so that there is no mess and no need for a knife at all. Even food that is not conveniently cut can be tackled with fork and spoon. I had this dish (Kuai Teow Lord) in Bangkok recently at a food court and it was entirely easy to deconstruct at lightning speed (I was hungry!). Rice noodles filled with minced chicken, pork and herbs lightly fried.
Absolutely delicious.
To manage fork and spoon, hold the fork in your left hand, spoon in right, push food with your fork onto your spoon and eat.
So you see the Thai King knew exactly what he was doing. There is no shame in using a spoon and I hope you will do precisely that if you eat with us in our Zen Garden Restaurant.
Oh, and a myth that I would like to dispel is that chopsticks are used in Thailand – well they are sometimes but only for noodles in broth. They belong firmly in Japanese and Chinese culinary cultures, not Thai.
Indulge in delicious and authentic Thai dishes at our Thai Zen Garden Restaurant. To book call 01590 623 551 or
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