• Restaurants, food stalls and teahouses may sometimes not have English menus, particularly in more remote regions. Getting by needn’t be a problem if you become familiar with the Burmese names of some popular dishes; otherwise, you can point at what you like!
• For preservation reasons, Myanmar food is often served with more oil and salt than foreigners may be used to. However, the oil mainly applies to curries – it rarely applies to other parts of a meal – and can be worked around. If you are finding that certain dishes are too salty, a polite request to reduce the salt added to a meal is acceptable.
• To get the attention of waiting staff, the custom is to make a loud kissing sound. Saying ‘excuse me’ or ‘hello’ is unlikely to get you very far.
• Knives are rarely used by locals at the dinner table, and are usually only available in more expensive or western-style restaurants; forks are more common. Locals will often use their hands to eat, and chopsticks are sometimes used for noodle dishes.
• It should be noted that outside of established tourist and top-end restaurants, food preparation is not always up to western standards – it is advisable to take Dioralyte for rehydration and Loperamide for diarrhoea. You should only drink bottled water, although Chinese tea is good if you’re thirsty, and often comes free with meals or other drinks.
• Restaurants tend to shut relatively early in the evening. You are unlikely to find anything open after 9pm outside big cities – although foreigner-orientated restaurants and hotels stay open late.
• When eating or drinking after dusk, you should be prepared for the possibility that you may be plunged into darkness if the electricity cuts out. Although it takes some getting used to, and a torch might come in handy, you should never feel in any danger.
• Western food can only generally be found in Yangon, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw and the major tourist spots, although simple fare such pizzas may be found elsewhere. Western food will usually be significantly more expensive than local food, and is not always of the highest quality, although some foreign-run bars, restaurants and hotels in Yangon serve excellent western food. Real coffee is equally difficult to come by; although cheap (read: bad!) instant coffee mix can be found in most teahouses.

Vegetarian food

Due to the abundance of vegetables and fruits in Myanmar dishes – and elements of Buddhist culture – vegetarians are generally well catered for; being a vegetarian in Myanmar is a lot easier than in neighbouring Thailand, for example. Although Burmese on the whole are not vegetarian (except occasionally on their birthdays), in general they respect those who are.

The word for vegetarian in Myanmar is teh taa loo. By using the words shi (have) and la? (closed question), you can ask about vegetarian food.

• Do you have vegetarian food? – Teh ta loo shi la?
• Is this vegetarian? – Teh ta loo la?
• Meat – Atha
• I don’t eat meat – Atha ma sa bu.

Some common Myanmar vegetarian dishes

• Shan Noodles (available in most teahouses and any Shan restaurant, which can be found all around Myanmar).
• Samosa Dote (street food consisting of samosas and falafels mixed in a bean soup, extremely tasty).
• Tofu curry – beh-bya hin.
• Rice with a scattering of beans – htamin see san.
• Spicy vegetables and bean curd mix – malar hin.
• Vegetarian biryani.
• Savoury tofu soup, usually served with noodles – tofu ngwe.

There are also many Indian restaurants that have a wide range of vegetarian curries.

While meat-based food still predominates in most restaurants, it is rare to find a place that can’t make something vegetarian for you. If you get really stuck, you can rely on fried rice and vegetables (htamin kyaw teh ta loo) with an egg on top (jek oo) as a last resort. Always remember to clarify that your dish is indeed vegetarian!