Dining Customs
The spoon is used by the Lao while the fork is held in the right hand. Food is transferred to the spoon using the fork. However, sticky rice is consumed with the right hand's clean, napkin-wiped fingers. Traditionally, rice was rolled into balls, dipped into the dishes, and used to mop up spills like bread. In general, Laotians don't use chopsticks when eating. The only foods typically eaten with chopsticks are noodles and noodle soups. Food was primarily handled by hand. Since sticky rice can only be handled by hand, this custom presumably developed as a result. Laotians always wash their hands before eating because they frequently eat with them. When sticky rice sticks to your hand, it is said that you have sufficiently cleaned your hands.
In a typical home, meals are brought to diners as they sit on mats on the floor. The host and his family will keep their heads at the same level as the guest's as a gesture of respect. Therefore, in order to avoid offending anyone, they are allowed to carry the meal while squatting.
Laotians like sharing meals with others and trying a variety of cuisines. When a group dines together, a variety of foods are ordered, and each person tastes the various selections. Typically, a covered basket is used to serve sticky rice. When one has completed eating, one is expected to close the rice basket. It is considered unlucky to not put the cover back on the basket after a meal. Visitors may be offered tea or fruit; this should not be declined. At the very least, one ought to sample it. When visiting, it is not traditional to provide a gift.
The traditional way of eating is in a circle around a raised rattan platform known as a ka toke, with diners seated on reed mats on the wooden floor. On the ka toke, which is a standard size, dishes are arranged. Where there will be a large number of diners, many ka tokes will be made. Sticky rice is served in one or more baskets each ka toke and is shared by everyone eating there. Eating at a ka toke is now more of an exception than the norm. However, the tradition is still practiced at temples, where each monk receives his meal on a ka toke.
