Category: TRAVEL

Today, we will learn about table manners from various countries around the world!

First, let’s learn about the table manners of Japan!

Because the distance is close and the travel cost is relatively low, I think many people travel to Japan, travel, and study abroad a lot. What kind of table manners do we have in Japan?

Typically, the difference between meals between Korea and Japan is divided into two categories: eating a bowl or spooning with a spoon. In the case of Korea, if you eat with a bowl of rice, you think it’s as bad as a beggar’s, but on the contrary, in Japan, if you eat with a bowl of rice, it seems like a dog is eating. This originated from a culture in which Japan only uses chopsticks.

That’s why people usually use only chopsticks and eat with a bowl of rice.

Also, it is polite to make a slurping sound when eating noodles. This is a sign that they are eating deliciously. However, it is said that table manners are very contrary to table manners in Western cultures.

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Next is Chinese table manners.

When you went on a trip to China, did you ever feel hygienic because the restaurant’s bowl seemed to be worn out? In Korea, when the bowl is worn out, it is replaced with a clean one for hygiene, but in China, the restaurant’s bowl is said to be proud of the store’s old history as evidence of its old history! You don’t have to worry because it’s just old on the outside, but it’s not that you don’t care about hygiene. 🙂

Also, it is recommended to order food even if possible. This is because Chinese prefer even numbers to odd numbers. When you travel with your family or acquaintance, you can order as much as you want, but it’s good to keep this etiquette when you eat with Chinese people.​

Lastly, when a Chinese acquaintance invites you to eat, don’t eat it all! In the case of Korea, if it is polite to eat as much food as possible when you are invited to eat, China is the opposite. Please refer to the fact that if you eat all the food left, you will think that there was not enough treatment.

 

Next is Indian table manners.

I think you’ve heard it a lot. Basically, I use my hands to eat food. You must eat with your right hand at this time. This is because there is a culture in India that considers the left hand as an unclean hand.

​Because you eat with your hands, it is polite to wash your hands before meals and not talk when eating. You have to talk after you finish eating and wash your hands and mouth. The reason is because of saliva. In India, I think food is the main culprit of contamination. So, they don’t talk because there is a possibility that they will spit while talking.

Lastly, when you are invited to eat, you should not leave your seat until the eldest or owner finishes eating. If you’re in a really hurry, you have to ask for his understanding for a while. It’s harder than you think, so please remember it well.

 

Let’s move on to Europe. The next country-specific table manners are France.

What do you do first when you go to a restaurant? Call the waiter to order the menu. Usually, I sing it in words or raise my hand. But in France, when you call a waiter, you just have to make eye contact without raising your hand.

And when you drink wine with an acquaintance in France, you have to wait until someone pours it. Before that, it is not polite to pour or give a hint alone.

It is polite not to leave food when you are last invited. It is similar to Korea and the opposite etiquette to China. This is because I think it was not delicious if I left food. If you don’t want to hurt your hard-prepared acquaintance, it’s better to know these table manners well.

 

Next is British table manners.

British table manners are quite tricky. First of all, when you put down your fork and knife while eating, you should put it in the direction of 8:20.

On the contrary, if you finish eating, you can put it in the direction of 6:30 or 4:20. In addition, you should always eat with a knife and fork at official occasions, and it is better to express your gratitude by saying “Thank you” when the food comes out.

Finally, it is polite not to put your elbow on the table. I think this is a similar culture to Korea. Also, in France, soup is tilted out of your body and eaten, but in England, it is the opposite, so please refer to it.

Lastly, shall we learn about American table manners?

First of all, in the case of napkins, it is said that it is not polite to put your elbows on the table or hold your chin.

​What’s unusual is that you should ask the person next to you to deliver the necessary seasonings, such as butter and jam, rather than pick them up yourself when they are far away from your seat. Also, if you sneeze or yawn during a meal, you have to say “Excuse me” and ask for understanding.

Lastly, the U.S. has a particularly active tip culture, so it’s good to know well. When you pay in cash, leave about 10-15% of the meal cost on the table as a tip, and when you pay by card, you can write down the amount separately in the column where you write down the tip.

Like this, we learned about the table manners of each country. If you go there mistakenly, it’s easy to be taken as a rude person, so it’s a good idea to know before you go. Even if it’s not table manners, it’s better to learn each country’s culture in advance, right?

I hope this information will help you. I only taught you typical table manners. There are much more to know, so I recommend you to learn more about the table manners of the country you want to go to. Thank you. 🙂

source : pixabay

The last place to introduce is the western coastal area.

Represented by California and Washington, it is a blessed land that not only Americans but also anyone in the world would like to live in today. The sunny and warm climate and wonderful beaches attract countless tourists every year.

Likewise, since it was a Spanish colony in the past, onions, garlic, and carrots are cultivated a lot, and tropical fruits such as mangoes, papaya, and oranges are also indispensable local specialties.

It is the place where Asians, including China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, immigrated the most, so you can enjoy a variety of oriental dishes.

One interesting information is that Wok, a large and heavy frying pan that cannot be left out of Chinese cuisine, was developed to simply cook on high heat in a short time because China still lacks fuel for cooking (today, a fuel-poor country). Lettuce, broccoli, pepper, garlic, and oregano are also widely cultivated in the western United States.

source : pixabay

The southwestern United States, represented by Texas and Arizona, is famous for its hot and dry desert climate. Since these areas are suitable for raising cows and sheep, the livestock industry has developed since ancient times, and of course, meat dishes have inevitably developed.

Orange, lime, onion, eggplant, and lentil beans brought by Spanish conquerors were cultivated, and Totia dishes brought from Mexico are especially famous to this day. I also brought peppers from Mexico.

But most of all, “Cow” comes to mind when you think of Southwest. As cowboys were active, the livestock industry was enormous, and it was cowboys who were in charge of moving to the north or east with cows raised here.

Cowboys’ beef fahita’ and smoked dried jerky’s beef jerky’ are also indispensable foods. Of course, a wide variety of barbecue sauces have been developed because they also eat a lot of barbecue.

source : pixabay

The southeastern United States was a large-scale agricultural area represented by Georgia and South Carolina, and landowners who owned a vast farm the size of a country called plantation were also the main forces of the South during the Civil War. This is where the 17th century British colonialists first built in the Americas.

 

On the large farm, black slaves were overworked making their owners’ food all day long and developed unique dishes such as Hopin-Jack. Not only are various crops such as peaches, nuts, rice, and lemons grown on a large scale, but seafood dishes such as shrimp and fish are also developed because they are along the beach.

The Florida area is particularly famous for oranges brought by Spanish conquerors, and Cajun food and fried chicken from New Orleans were also made here. Barbecue is also a unique cooking culture here, so many foods that come to mind when we think of American cuisine come from the southeast. One peculiar thing is that Henry Ford was the founder of the famous Ford Motor Company who developed the world’s first barbecue grill.

source : pixabay

As you know, there are many areas in the northeastern United States, represented by New York and Pennsylvania, where Pilgrims immigrated to the United States in the early 17th century to escape persecution. Although it has been glorified a lot now, the Pilgrims at the time were truly commercial beggars among the beggars just before starvation. How scared and hungry they were, the natives who couldn’t see them taught them how to grow various foods and crops. It was the first Thanksgiving in 1621 that Pilgrims held the festival together by distributing the harvested food to the natives out of gratitude. But after a while, the situation reversed and the indigenous Indians were brutally slaughtered, which is a bitter irony of history. This is a glimpse of the cruelty of white migrants.

Anyway, the representative ingredients introduced at this time were nuts and syrup types, and Boston Baked Beans, which is still famous, is one of the representative dishes in the region. Not only that, but of course, seafood dishes have been developed because it is a seaside area along the Atlantic Ocean. The southern and inland regions of the United States, which will be introduced in a little while, can be seen as a place where not only political culture but also food culture stand at a counterpoint. Potato dishes were developed as a large number of Irish people migrated to the Boston area at the age of 19, and this led to the development of unique soup dishes such as New England chowder. And in the late 19th century, another large number of Italians immigrated to Boston. As a result, pizza and pasta, one of the world’s most popular dishes, have been improved to the American style and are loved.