Eating in Laos is nearly always a social event and the Lao avoid eat­ing alone whenever possible. Except for the 'rice plates' and the noodle dishes, Lao meals are typically ordered 'family style', which is to say that two or more people order together, sharing different dishes. Tra­ditionally, the party orders one of each kind of dish, for example, one chicken, one fish, one soup. One dish is generally large enough for two people.

Most Lao consider eating alone to be rather unusual; but then as a falang (Westerner) you are an exception anyway. In Chinese or Thai restaurants a cheaper alternative is to order dishes laat khao (over rice).

Most Lao dishes are eaten with khao ntaw (glutinous or sticky rice). Khao maw is served up in lidded baskets called tip khao and eaten with the hands. The general practice is to grab a small fistful of rice from the tip khao, then roll it into a rough ball that you then use to dip into the various dishes. As always, watching others is the best way to learn. If khdo j&o (normal steamed rice) is served with the meal, then it is eaten with a fork and spoon. The spoon, held in the right hand, is used to scoop up the rice and accompanying dishes and placing it in the mouth. The fork, held in the left hand, is merely used to prod food onto the spoon.

Chopsticks (m&i thuu) are reserved for dining in Chinese restaurants (where rice is served in small Chinese bowls rather than flat plates) or for eating Chinese noodle dishes. Noodle soups are eaten with a spoon in the left hand (for spooning up the broth) and chopsticks in the right (for grasping the noodles and other solid ingredients).

Dishes are typically served all at once rather than in courses. If the host or restaurant staff can't bring them all to the table because of a shortage of help or because the food is being cooked sequentially from the same set of pots and pans, then the diners typically wait until all the platters are on the table before digging in.

The Lao don't concern themselves with whether dishes are served piping hot, so no one minds if the dishes sit in the kitchen or on the table for 15 minutes or so before anyone digs in. Furthermore it's considered somewhat impolite to take a spoonful of food that's steaming hot as it implies you're so ravenous or uncivilised that you can't wait to gorge yourself.