When we go out to eat, or eat over at a friend\u2019s place, often times we\u2019ll be asked \u2018how is the food?\u2019 If the food tastes good, the answer is easy. But what if it doesn\u2019t and you find yourself in a moral battle between honesty and politeness? How do you respond to this question in Thai?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start off with something easy, such as when the food tastes good.<\/p>\n
How is the food? \u0e2d\u0e32\u0e2b\u0e32\u0e23\u0e40\u0e1b\u0e47\u0e19\u0e44\u0e07\u0e1a\u0e49\u0e32\u0e07?<\/strong> ah1 haan5 bpen1 ngai1 baang3<\/p>\n In this example, the word for \u2018food\u2019 (\u0e2d\u0e32\u0e2b\u0e32\u0e23<\/strong>) could also be the name of the food you are eating. It depends on the speaker\/context.<\/p>\n It tastes really good! \u0e2d\u0e23\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e21\u0e32\u0e01\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a!<\/strong> a2-roi2 maak3 krap4<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now, what if the food was only so-so? What if it was ok, but you\u2019ve had better? Some people prefer to be polite and just declare the food as tasty, but there are other polite options if you\u2019re the honest type.<\/p>\n It\u2019s pretty good. \u0e21\u0e31\u0e19\u0e43\u0e0a\u0e49\u0e44\u0e14\u0e49 <\/strong>man1 chai4 dai3<\/p>\n It\u2019s OK. \u0e21\u0e31\u0e19\u0e42\u0e2d\u0e40\u0e04\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a<\/strong> man1 oh1 kay1 krap4<\/p>\n It\u2019s edible. \u0e01\u0e34\u0e19\u0e44\u0e14\u0e49<\/strong> gin1 dai3<\/p>\n Notice that last example, \u2018it\u2019s edible\u2019. If you said that in English, it comes off as really offensive right? It turns out in Thai it\u2019s not offensive at the least. If you say it with an upbeat voice and smile, it comes off as \u2018it\u2019s pretty good!\u2019 For me, it took awhile to understand the real meaning of this phrase – it just feels so negative whenever I say it. When the food is just so-so, this is the phrase I choose to use, but really it\u2019s up to you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now, what if it doesn\u2019t taste good? If you\u2019re the politeness-before-honesty type, just say \u0e01\u0e34\u0e19\u0e44\u0e14\u0e49 <\/strong>and eat about half of it. Then stop and pretend you are full. If you\u2019re still hungry, order a large dessert and they won\u2019t think twice. Or you can order a second plate of something else, eat that, and then declare that you ordered more than your stomach can handle. According to old Thai culture, it\u2019s actually polite to leave some food on your plate as otherwise it\u2019d make the cook feel bad she couldn\u2019t cook enough (although not really true today). It\u2019s also generally socially acceptable to not finish your food if it doesn\u2019t taste good, although as an American I feel like it\u2019s wasteful.<\/p>\n The polite ways of saying it doesn\u2019t taste good are:<\/p>\n It\u2019s too spicy! (I can\u2019t eat anymore) \u0e40\u0e1c\u0e47\u0e14\u0e21\u0e32\u0e01\u0e44\u0e1b\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a<\/strong> (\u0e17\u0e19\u0e44\u0e21\u0e48\u0e44\u0e2b\u0e27\u0e41\u0e25\u0e49\u0e27<\/strong>) pet2 maak3 bai2 krap4 (tone1 mai3 wai5 laew4)<\/p>\n I\u2019m full. \u0e2d\u0e34\u0e48\u0e21\u0e41\u0e25\u0e49\u0e27\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a <\/strong> em2 laew4 krap4<\/p>\n I don\u2019t like it. \u0e44\u0e21\u0e48\u0e0a\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a<\/strong> mai3 chawp3 krap4<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t taste good. \u0e44\u0e21\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e23\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a<\/strong> mai3 a2-roi2 krap4<\/p>\n I\u2019ll eat something else. \u0e01\u0e34\u0e19\u0e44\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e36\u0e48\u0e19\u0e08\u0e30\u0e14\u0e35\u0e01\u0e27\u0e48\u0e32<\/strong> gin1 rai1 eun2 ja2 dee1 gwa2<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just for fun, there is an impolite but funny way to say something doesn\u2019t taste good. I first heard it when I once asked a waitress about her opinion of a particular drink her restaurant was serving. She replied a2-roi2 ja2 uwok3 (\u0e2d\u0e23\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e08\u0e30\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e01<\/strong>), which sarcastically means \u2018it\u2019s so tasty that you\u2019ll vomit\u2019. I will admit I was confused for a good 5 seconds until I realized the sarcasm . . .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When we go out to eat, or eat over at a friend\u2019s place, often times we\u2019ll be asked \u2018how is the food?\u2019 If the food tastes good, the answer is easy. But what if it doesn\u2019t and you find yourself in a moral battle between honesty and politeness? How do you respond to this question…<\/p>\n