[punkrprincessa]

Going to a Thai restaurant for dinner tonight and I'm stressing! Any suggestions to or calorie counts for dishes served traditionally at Thai places? I've never had it so I'm excited but scared!

[may77]

I am trying to think of a dish but I can only recommend a Thai Green Papaya salad, it is so delicious!

[Shannon in ATL]

Avoid the curry sauces and the Thai iced tea & coffee - they are made with coconut milk, which is pretty high cal and a good amount of fat I believe.

Also avoid the noodle dishes, they are usually served all tossed together with a lot of noodle. Rice is typically on the side, and can typically be left off altogether.

See if there are some mostly veggie dishes without much sauce. I often get spicy cashew chicken at my Thai restaurant - chicken, pepper, various veggies, spices, in a really thin sauce without much sugar. I eat very little of the rice. I don't know if my place is typical - they advertise as 'healthy & genuine Thai food', so lots of veggies, minimal added sugar and oils.

Good luck!

[kaplods]

I order Pho, pronounced Fuh (as in fun without the n), a noodle soup. Hubby loves the beef, I love the chicken, seafood or combo. I ask that some or all of the noodles be replaced with bean sprouts.

I also love the papaya salad. Laab is really good too (a minced meat, usually beef, salad. Often chicken is also available). It's pronounced la (as in do re mi fa so la).

One thing that is great about southeast asian cuisine (if the restaurants are authentic), is that special requests will not surprise or offend the cooks and waitstaff. Customization and condiments (at the table or before) are expected. So you can ask if the papaya salad is made on the sweet side (with sugar and/or tamarind), and you can ask that it be cut back or even omitted, and you can use your own sweetener packets (I bring my own, in case the restaurant doesn't have my preferred, Splenda) at the table.

The spring rolls, summer rolls, or fresh rolls (different restaurants use different names - you're looking for the ones wrapped in rice paper and not fried) are a calorie bargain. I'm on a reduced carb diet, so I ask that some or all of the noodles be replaced with bean sprouts. I always ask politely "Could I have...... instead," and have never been told no (unlike many american style restaurants. Which doesn't offend me, but I love that thai restaurant staff not only are very open to special requests, they don't seem to be surprised or hesitant about it. I think because in southeast asian countries, condiments and customizing dishes is even more popular than in the US. That you have a special preference is often taken to mean you're familiar with the food (at least that's been my experience. I've even had wait staff break into a smile when I've asked for special requests or ask for information about ingredients or preparation of the dishes). It seems to be almost a matter of pride for them to be able to meet a customers expectations. I've never met friendlier restaurant staff than in authentic Thai restaurants (when the owners are southeast asian - thai, viatnamese, laotian, hmong).

[punkrprincessa]

Thanks so much for th tips guys! We ended up not even going there but will be in the next week or two so now I'm prepared! Great suggestions!

I love the fact that customizing dishes is common, if only I didn't feel terrible about doing that at every restaurant!!!

[kaplods]

Hubby and I aren't shy about special requests no matter where we go We ask politely and tip generously if we're accomodated. Hubby will even ask to speak to the cook after the meal (or if they're busy will give a message to the waitress to pass along) in order to compliment the cook.

We even tend to go to restaurants during non-peak hours, because not only is it nice to have a quiet meal, the staff are usually much more open to special requests. Even if the waitress says no, hubby will usually ask to speak to the owner/manager (not in an angry way) because when a waitress has said no in the past, it's almost always been because she was new and didn't know that special requests can be made.

We've found that if you're polite and show appreciation, the staff really are willing to bend over backwards to make sure you get what you want.