Monday, March 22, 2010

Dining out in the world

I don't know about you, but I don't get out much. Into the world that is. But as you do know, I am a freak for food from every country where food is eaten. Here's a funny quiz that someone sent me (which I must confess, I got 5 out of 11 correct!). Anyway, jot down your answers & see how your cultural dining etiquette fares...

P.S. the answers are posted in the comment section but no peeking till your finished!

1. Do Chinese mothers make their children eat everything on their plates?
a). Yes, food is very expensive in China
b). No. Cleaning your plate in China is considered rude
c). Yes, but only if it has rice in it

2. When people in Austria clink glasses while making a toast, they must look each other in the eyes. Why?
a). It's polite to know somebody's eye color
b). It's a game to see who can clink without looking at the glasses
c). They are acknowledging each other's existence

3. If you're left handed & your Iranian host gives you a right handed fork by mistake, what should you do?
a). Just use the left handed fork with your right hand
b). Politely ask for a left handed fork
c). Just eat with your right hand

4. In a Spanish snack bar, what should you do with your crumbs, old napkins, food wrappers & other debris?
a). Pile everything up on an empty plate
b). Just throw everything on the floor
c). Use the trash bags that are on every table

5. what do the English think about Americans eating fried chicken with their hands?
a). Americans are hopeless slobs
b). It's ok if there are no utensils around
c). Chicken should be boiled, not fried

6. What's the correct way to ask a chef for ketchup in France?
a). "Give me the ketchup, Bud!"
b). There is no right way to ask a chef for ketchup in France
b). Ketchup, s'il vous plait

7. In snooty restaurants in Germany, what is the proper way to cut your potatoes?
a). With your fork
b). With your knife
c). With a genuine Flickenmasher potato slicer

8. In Canada, how do the Inuit people say, "Thank you the food was excellent"?
a). They perform the ancient "Dance of a Thousand Thanks"
b). They burp
c). They leave coins under their plate

9. If you're eating a whole, baked fish in Poland, why shouldn't you flip it over?
a). Because you'll capsize the fisherman's boat
b). Because you really don't want to see what's under there
c). Because the bones will become loose and that's considered very bad luck

10. In parts of Scotland, is it acceptable for kids to do their homework right after dinner?
a). No way. After dinner is always BBC family TV time
b). Of course, that's the perfect time to do homework
c). Uh, well most kids aren't home after dinner

11. How do you show your host you liked your meal in Japan?
a). Bang your water glass loudly on the table, but not so hard that it breaks
b). Applaud loudly
c). Slurp your noodles as loudly as possible

4 comments:

  1. 1. B
    Finishing everything on your plate is considered rude because someone might think you didn't get enough to eat.

    2. C
    Austrians acknowledge each other's existence by looking in each others eyes while clinking.

    3. There's no such thing as a right or left handed fork. Gotchya!

    4. B
    In snack bars in Spain, they sweep up everything at the end of the evening - You're expected to dump stuff on the floor!

    5. B
    The English say, if there are no utensils around, it's ok to eat with the hands. Asking for utensils would be an insult because you didn't just dive into the food.

    6. B
    Asking for ketchup in France would be an insult, it means you don't like the food.

    7. A
    With a fork, of course. Everyone knows a fork makes a nice rough cut in the potato to hold all that rich, beefy German gravy.

    8. B
    Burping is considered a sign of thanks.

    9, A
    There's an old Wive's Tale that says flipping over a fish on a plate will flip the fisherman's boat.

    10. C
    In many parts of Scotland, lunch is called"dinner", so most kids would still be in school!

    11. C
    In Japan, slurping noodles is a compliment to the chef. It means you like the food so much, you can't wait to get it into your mouth!

    ~ Hope you did well, and if not... well, know you know!!!
    Bon appetit!

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  2. Oh that was interesting. I only got 5 right, and knew there no such thing as a left handed fork, but I had to answer it anyway.

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  3. Yay, I got 6 right, 7 really because I knew there were no left handed forks, but that wasn't an answer!

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  4. In India, food is eaten with the hands...burping loudly (like it came from the very bottoms of your feet) is a huge compliment, and people chew loudly with much smacking of lips! Oh and you really have to watch your plate - the cook tries her best to slip extra food on there, which you are obligated to eat, because in Indian culture you do have to clean your plate!

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