Window overlooking Western Avenue. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

WHAT IS DNA-IRL?

HUMBOLDT PARK — Northern Thai was the food of choice for April 22's "IRL" event, with more than two dozen DNAinfo readers meeting up at Sticky Rice Chiang Mai for food and company. Check out the social media updates from the event.

Though it's easier than ever to connect with people virtually, it is not as easy to meet a potential significant other In Real Life, across the dinner table, or perhaps, the floor.

"This is how we eat in Northern Thailand. It's called Khantoke," said Wiyada Ingier, one of three owners of Sticky Rice Chiang Mai at 1746 N. Western Ave.

Though the restaurant, which opened in February, has plenty of tables, a dinner exclusively for DNA-IRL guests on April 22 used a khantoke, an elevated piece of dining furniture.

Pronounced "Khan-toke," the table "just means a tray we put all the food on and we sit on the floor in a circle; everyone eats and talks and waits until everyone is done [eating]," Ingier said.

A special Khantoke dinner is planned for 7 to 9 p.m. April 22 at Sticky Rice Chiang Mai, 1746 N. Western Ave. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser; Getty Images (Khantoke)

For $20, guests were offered three Northern Thai dishes from the restaurant's Chiang Mai special menu section, a bowl of Baby Squid Lime Soup, a choice of chicken or tofu pad Thai, and Khao Neow Ma-Muang, or "Sticky Rice with Mango" for dessert.

The three Northern Thai dishes were homemade sausages mixed with ground pork, red curry paste, and spicy Thai herbs; Gang Hung Lay, chuck of pork, garlic and ginger cooked in chili paste; and Nam Prik Nhum, which are steamed vegetables with a Thai style dipping sauce.

Additionally, there was a chicken or tofu pad Thai entree, made of stir-fried rice noodles with egg, turnip, chives, lime and bean sprouts.

To keep the conversation flowing, guests took turns asking each other questions from "The Book of Questions," which is packed with hundreds of queries such as, "If there were a public execution on television, would you watch it?" and "If a friend were almost always late, would you resent it or simply allow for it?"

Questions? Contact the organizer at irl@dnainfo.com, @DNA_WPB on Twitter or 773-960-3997.