these are the things that i should be paying attention to, if i were to travel to these countries:
1) i have to use a fork and knife to eat sandwiches, fruits, and most other food in germany.
i will start practicing to live and die with a fork and knife from now on.
2) in austria, i can never cut a dumpling with a knife and i have to do it by breaking it apart with my fork.
sorry, i really don't mean to kill the dumpling...
3) it is acceptable and common to be 30 minutes late to social functions in southern spain, 15 minutes in northern spain, but should never be late for a bullfight in spain!
wow, that really messing up my time schedules! i will try to arrange all my important appointments to be done during a bullfight then.
4) i just learnt that burping is considered extremely vulgar in italy.
now that's really cool to curse others with just burps!
5) in united kingdom, must i leave a very small amount of food on my plate when finished eating?
i am in a dilemma now because i heard that the food there is really delicious!
6) i must try to avoid silence because it makes the americans feel uncomfortable.
sorry, i really need to sleep now and i would be disappointing you because i don't snore during my sleep...
what do you think of these travel etiquette quirks? please explain to me if you are from one of these countries. happy
[question posted by victorywp]
responses and comments:
I like this, at least we know how things work in some countries, let's face it what is acceptable to some countries are the opposite to others. But really what you shared is amazing and surprising to me also. Though I have not traveled outside the country yet. But it has some points to consider. Thank you victory [JAYMAR777]
thanks for the information, JAYMAR777. that really helps me to know better. [victorywp]
These are very helpful tips. One, i would have second thoughts in going to italy because i use my hands when i eat. two, same as reason number one and i'd rather use a knife. three, i don't want to be first in line when that bull rages so i'd rather be late. Four, this one have me laughing rofl. Five, with all the hunger around i hate leaving any leftovers, i feel guilty leaving anything in the plate. Six, now this is a nice tip. Cheers! [ybong007]
hi ybong007! for the first one, do you mean germany instead of italy? italy is the one considering burping as an extreme vulgar. thanks for your comments in each of the etiquette. [victorywp]
"5) in united kingdom, must i leave a very small amount of food on my plate when finished eating? i am in a dilemma now because i heard that the food there is really delicious!" No, no need to leave a small amount in UK all the best urban [urbandekay]
it was said that we need to leave a very small amount of food in UK to show our appreciation, something like we will come back again. happy are you sure, urbandekay? that's a 180 degrees contrast with the italian culture? imagine if a person from UK goes to italy to eat and he burps to show his appreciation, what will the italian do to him? w00t [victorywp]
Bizarre! I am American and do not feel uncomfortable when people are silent while eating. Sleeping is not allowed at the table, however wink Neither is burping, except if one is a little baby. Then it is considered cute.rasp [drannhh]
Hi victory, I think some of these must be from years gone by, as I dadn't see anyone in Germany eating sandwiches with a knife. And, in England most diners will clean their plate. [mipen2006]
that's weird, the article was dated end of march 2010. maybe it meant for guest and not the host? otherwise, the writer might have been making up stories? glaresuspicious [victorywp]
This all sounds like a bunch of hooey. The only time I would eat a sandwich with a utensils is if it is a very fancy shindig and I was expected to do so. I think it is sporting to be late for a function unless you are asked to be there at a certain time or something. Burping is inpolite in most circles. I only snore if I am very tired or sick and can't breath correctly. I am from the US! [celticeagle]
All these are pretty basic. I hope that our manners in this country remain as they are. I guess it is what you really get used to and are used to. [celticeagle]
Cool! Philippines was a colony of Spain and I think we got our Filipino time from that sort of culture. Most Filipinos are latecomers. I am actually one of those people. I always seem to have a hard time being early. [Theresaaiza]
that's really something i don't know about the philippines culture. lol [victorywp]
This is some very intresting information aobut these curturles. I have never heard of them before and I live in America. about no 6 I think some americans like to be talkive but not everone. I am not very talkive myself but sometimes I have experence situations in whick people say I am not talkitive. Then they try to make conversaton, I am not sure why but some people like to talk. [scififan43]
lol yeah, some people just cannot stand to be with people who kept quiet or be silent all the time. maybe because they thought that silence equals to boring. w00t [victorywp]
Most of this I can't comment on, seems sort of silly. I can, however imagine that by leaving a small amount of food on the plate, it would imply that you had enough to eat. By cleaning your plate, a host/hostess many think that you hadn't received enough food? Maybe that's the logic. For #6, it probably depends on which part of the country you are in. Southerners tend to be more talkative and outgoing, hence the term 'southern charm'. Northerners have the image of being more frugal with words. Having grown up in New England, I can't tell you how many times I was told, "Don't talk unless you have something to say." There's a famous song written in the late 60's called 'Silence Is Golden'. It was written by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe (from New York and New Jersey), both of whom were northerners. Maybe 'avoiding silence' is age related too. At my age, I don't want people to mistakenly think that I've nodded off....lol [catdla1]
yeah, i think that's the logic too for leaving some small amount of food on the plate. i also heard that in the chinese culture, if we go to their house, we need to leave some small amount of drinks in the glass. it would imply that we will visit them again in the future. lol [victorywp]
Interesting quirks. Some of them I know of from Food and Nutrition class but would not remember the countries to which they are related. It has been some time. There was another we learnt (cant remember the country though) where you have to lay your knief and fork down while you chew or else the persons around the table will think you are about to attack someone. [tjades]
oh, that means while we are biting or chewing, we cannot even hold the utensils on our hands? blink [victorywp]
Hi, I am not able to say about single point because have never been to any of that country. I have never went out of my country india.There should be one point about india.In india when we move north to south or east to west,mentality is changed completely.so here i cannot comment on any of the facts because of my limitation.But in india if you ask someone address,he will come with you and leave you at that place if person can. That is the fact of india With Regards Ranvir Chauhan [ranviruchauhan]
Even i cannot be sure that every indian guys but average indian guys. There are some people in some areas who misguide tourist.Mostly those people are less in education or illiterate.So i cant be sure about hundred percent indian.If person have time constraint then it is common that he/she is not going to behave like that way.So at that time we cannot say anything to that person.It also depends on value in that person's life. [ranviruchauhan]
that is interesting I must admit I had not heard of most of what you had on your list there, but that is some interesting stuff. As for us Americans here of which I am one I love silence it is nice when there isn't a lot of noise and I can actually concentrate on what I am doing, because a lot of noise gives me a headache after a while and I will actually turn a television off unlike most of my family that for some reason always has to have one on whenever they enter a room like having a little silence is a bad thing then we might actually have to communicate or talk oh my what a concept that would be. [timhinyy]
thanks for commenting, timhinyy. that means it's true that we should avoid silence if with the americans. but it seems like as an american yourself, you do not agree with such a concept? rolleyes [victorywp]
its interseting to see how different countries are from each other. i like this post and thanks for the info =] [tessagarrett]
thanks for your complement. i am happy to know that these information did help you. happy [victorywp]
no in those countries you can eat with your own hands and make a mark not disgusting but good one.. [qamarep]
but that's what i have read recently. i just share with all of you here. it still depends on each individual personally whether to follow or not. happy [victorywp]
Well of the travel etiquette I would say that of the United Kingdom is totally unacceptable to me. What is the essence of leaving a very small amount of food on my plate.? It sounds stupid and ridiculous to me. In fact I don't have the habit of leaving any amount of food in my plate. When I ordere or prepare myself any food I make sure the amount I'd put on my plate is just enough for me to finish. I don't want waste of food no matter how small it is. Food is a blessing so each particle of blessing must be fully consumed. Why waste some blessings? I think that discourage me from traveling to the United Kingdom.happy [salonga]
rofl not until that extent i believe. it just says to leave a very small amount of food, so maybe just not to leave the plate completely empty. anyway that's their culture. lol [victorywp]
It's interesting how differet things mean different things in different countries. Here in Canada it is rude to leave food on one's plate, and a sign of politeness to clean up everything on our plate, yet in other parts of the world, it's a good idea to leave a bit of food on the place... Interesting! [danishcanadian]
yeah, it's really interesting to learn about all these etiquette. when i was a little boy, i was taught to finish whatever food placed on my plate. my parents said that there are many people in this world have no food to eat so it is a blessing to have something to eat and we should not waste any of it. happy [victorywp]
lol =D MOst of those etiquettes from those countries are kinda funny and weird to me.. IN germany, how do one actually be eating a sandwich with fork and knife?? When that's the case, where do one find the joy of eating as compared to using hands?? hehe ^_^ And for Uk, if the food is really nice, i will make sure i finished it all up, and not leave anything behind, except for tips i guess?? haha =D Anyway, nice things u shared here!! [kun2349]
maybe for hygiene purpose that we need to use a fork and knife for mostly any food over there in germany. and what's the real joy of eating sandwiches with bare hands? the fun of having the chances of biting your own fingers? or finger licking good? just kidding! lol for UK, maybe you can leave a small amount of food there to replace your tips! just kidding again! rofl [victorywp]
"sorry, i really don't mean to kill the dumpling..." rofl! That was really funny. I even felt sad for the murdered dumpling. But they might just taste soo good that using a knife on them might be necessary.lol Though, I dont knife my dumplings. I either stick them with a fork and just have small bites on it or I just eat the whole dumpling altogether. Im not a fan of knives while eating as well. I would rather use my spoon and fork to rip food apart rather than use a knife. That's just me anyways.^_^ Interesting post about international etiquette though. I have read some of the response and I guess you're research might not be 100% accurate. Still it's a fun trivia to know. Thanks for sharing! [bjcyrix]
That must have been a really good read then.lolwink [bjcyrix]
Wow, those are interesting! w00t I haven't heard about any of them because I've never traveled to those countries until I saw your post. Pretty interesting and absurd. Thanks for sharing your experience on travel etiquette. lol [EnslinPorter]
you are welcome, EnslinPorter. just some sharing so that we know what to do and would not embarass ourselves with some unwanted actions. lol [victorywp]
In my home country people usually leave a small amount of food on the plate after eating. That is showing the host that he or she hasn't provided too little an amount of food. In some countries time keeping is poor. There is a bus when it feels like turning up in Samoa. In the Caribbean they have a do it tomorrow sort of attitude. In Bulgaria nodding the head means no and shaking the head means yes. It has quite the opposite meaning in my home country. We drive on the left side of the road in my home country and all visitors to here should do the same. [maximax8]
thanks maximax8 for the additional points. in my country, we also drive on the left side of the road because we were once ruled by the british. happy [victorywp]
I think I'll just stay at home in America where my husband and I usually eat in silence. [bellis716]
that's great! lol [victorywp]
lol..I can't explain any of these quirks. I try to be aware of such quirks when I am visiting a place....but I usually end up being ignorant of the most important ones..lol. So, I stopped bothering a long time back...as long as I'm not really being noisy and disturbing someone...I can come across as rude due to the 'quirks' I do not follow...and I'm fine with that. [SViswan]
lol that's funny but interesting. [victorywp]
If you travel in Korea do not be surprised if one of the first things people ask you is your age. The older you are the more respect you receive. Being a man is more important than a woman. [bobmnu]
i do not know this one, bobmnu. thanks for the information. [victorywp]
Interesting, but not really 100% true. May I comment on #1 as I am German? *g* This rule only applies in really expensive restaurants. Would you use your fork and knife at Mc Donald's? No? We neither... You may even eat your pizza without fork and knife. [stine1]
I think burping is the worst thing you can do... [stine1]
hi victorywp a little relief for you if ever you travel to Germany, no need to use a knife and a fork for sandwiches. Its okay to prepare the sandwich and cut it in half and just eat it without using cutlery [book1962]
thanks for the update, book1962! happy so do you think the information i received are untrue or outdated? sad [victorywp]
These are useful tips. The only one I may know something about is the Italian one because that is my birth country. I suppose it is vulgar to burp over there but I would not have thought any more than any where else although is some places it is considered a compliment to the cook! Interesting post, thanks... [paula27661]
it said it is extremely vulgar to burp at italy. there are comments said that no matter what you do after that (including apologizing) would not be able to help the situation. seems like someone would have to die after burping there? fear [victorywp]
I think somebody's yanking your chain with these alleged etiquette rules! I've worked in Germany,and never encountered anyone insisting on a full set of cutlery to eat with at all times..they might give you a cocktail stick to pick up fries with at an imbiss stand,but that'd be it,and the widespread use of fast food in most cases makes cutlery redundant..being invited for Coffee and cake is an enjoyable thing in the afternoons,but you'll only get a cake fork with that.. and There's nothing wrong with clearing your plate in the UK,either! That sounds like some genteel throwback to Me.. maybe if you're eating someplace that might have cucumber sandwiches on the menu that'd be worth a try, but for regular eating out with friends,I'd pass! [ShepherdSpy]
i read the article somewhere and it was published at the end of march 2010. there are quite a number of travel etiguette quirks in that article too, but i just randomly chose these ones to share. happy some of the british respondents here said that it is true to leave a very small amount of food on your plate. so i guess maybe some of these travel etiquette quirks are not universally accepted? rolleyes [victorywp]
am from the US and we always talk durning a meal but not with our mouths full [Lakota12]
yeah, surely. how can we talk with our mouth full? lol [victorywp]