You probably don’t have to think too much about rules and etiquette when you sit down at your dinner table. You consume your food with a fork and a spoon, you pass around the salt and pepper, and you probably remember somewhere in the back of your mind your mom telling you to clean your plate before leaving the table. All of these habits might be fine here in America, but everything about the above routine would be considered rude in other cultures! Let’s see what some of the etiquette rules are around the world!
Don’t Use A Fork In Thailand
It’s considered bad form to eat from a fork in Thailand. This might be confusing because there are forks available, but they are only to be used to shove a bite of food onto a spoon, and then you can eat from the spoon. This might not seem like a big deal, but imagine trying to eat noodles without a fork to twirl, or cutting into meat without using the fork to pick up the pieces. It’s more difficult than you might think!
Don’t Clean Your Plate In China
When eating over at a friend’s house, you probably think it the polite thing to finish all of your food to let them know it was a good meal, and even ask for more if you really enjoyed it. However, in China, that is considered rude. If your plate is empty, it means the host did not feed you enough and let you go hungry. So, if you’re in China and want to compliment the chef – leave a few bites on your plate. Oh, and you are also encouraged to belch at the tablet to show your approval of the meal.