Either way, we’ve assembled this handy guide to Thai beer-drinking culture!
Spending time with friends and family always represents a great way to bond. Sharing good food and drink, especially, goes a long way towards building treasured memories that’ll last for years even after the moment has come and gone. How much do you know about Thai culture? Or for that matter, how much do you know about the wonderful food there? Either way, we’ve assembled this handy guide to Thai beer-drinking culture!
Asking Your Friends to Go for a Drink
Happy Hour isn’t the same if you don’t have anyone to go with you. That’s why you’ve got to ask your friends to come with you when a powerful thirst strikes up. To properly broach the subject, say “Let’s go drink beer” or “pay kan Beer kan!”
Correctly Pronouncing the Names
The next thing you need to know is how to correctly pronounce the names of the beers you want to order. Singha is one of Thailand’s most famous and popular brews, but nobody calls it “SingHA” so just say “SING” instead. This same advice goes for when you want to sample Singha’s most prominent rival – Chang. The common English pronunciation “Cheng” doesn’t apply here; no, you’ve got to stretch out the “a” sound and truly make it count – as in Chaaaaaang! If you want to try Leo instead of its counterparts, swap out the E for an I sound – so it sounds something like “LIL-OOO” and not just the astrological sign of the lion.
Quick Tips for Ordering Thai Beer
Order up! Different measurements call for different units or classifiers. A single glass is “kaew,” while the word for a bottle is “khuad.” Right, don’t forget the polite way of requesting your beverage! Say it like this: “chan khoor” or “phom khoor,” which both mean “I would like to have” in the Thai language. Since the weather in Thailand is intensely hot, the beer will be served with ice. The courteous way to decline your beer being on the rocks is to inform your server that “may aw naam-khaeng” or “I don’t want ice.”
Calling Out Cheers Like a Local
Alrighty, then, it’s time to drink deep. That means you should learn how to shout the common phrase “Cheers!” Sure, you could just say cheers, or maybe use “kampai” – alternatively, you could also use the phrase “Chon-kaew,” which, as you might have gathered, means to literally “hit glasses.” If you don’t feel comfortable with that, there’s always “chai-yooo,” which, as you can tell, already sounds close enough to cheers.
And Of Course, “Bottoms Up!”
Before we go, we have one last thing to tell you. The joyous phrase “bottoms up” is “Mhod kaew!”
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