The dishes Thais order when eating as a group — designed to share, ordered all at once, eaten simultaneously.
Thai meals are not sequential courses — everything arrives together and is shared from the centre of the table; order 1 dish per person plus rice as a rough guide.
Whole fish (pla rad prik or pla neung ma nao), large seafood platters, whole roast chicken, nam tok — these anchor a group meal.
Thai beer garden dining involves large shared plates, buckets of beer, and live music — order from a picture menu and keep ordering through the night.
Serve others before yourself; don't take the last piece without offering; use serving spoons for shared dishes, your own spoon for your rice.
A good rule of thumb is one dish per two people plus rice, adjusting up for a hungrier group or a wider variety of small plates — Thai portions tend to be generous when shared.
Beer gardens and larger Thai restaurants set up specifically for group dining are the easiest way to try this style — smaller street stalls are usually built for individual orders instead.