Dining Etiquette from Around the World　世界各地的餐桌禮儀

埃米·博斯坎普　溫丹萍

Dining while abroad can feel as though you are tiptoeing1 around a minefield2 of unfamiliar rules. Table manners are the ultimate way to show respect （or some accidental disrespect） to your gracious host.

Here are some of the very specific dining dos and donts from around the world.

Slurp3 your food.

In Japan， most commonly when eating noodles and soups， slurping shows your appreciation of the food to the chef. The louder the better！ You may also drink directly from the soup bowl—spoons are uncommon.

Eat only with your right hand.

Sorry lefties4—in India， the Middle East， and some parts of Africa， people use only their right hand to eat， eschewing5 utensils. The left hand， traditionally used for maintaining hygiene， is considered unclean.

Dont offer to split the bill.

In France， splitting the bill is considered the height of6 unsophistication7. Offer to pay the bill in its entirety or someone else will.

Bread is a utensil.

In France， you are supposed to use two hands to eat—either fork and knife or fork and bread. Bread isnt meant to be an appetizer—instead it serves to assist the food to the fork. When you eat the bread， tear off a piece of it to eat instead of biting directly into the bread. When not in use， the bread belongs on the table or tablecloth instead of the plate.

Dont touch any part of your meal with your hands.

In Chile， touching food with your hands is considered ill-mannered. Yep， even fries！ In Brazil， too， pizza and burgers are normally eaten with a fork and knife.

Dont order Cappuccino after a meal.

Italians never order a milk beverage after a meal because milk hinders digestion. Instead， theyll opt for straight8 espresso or coffee.

Dont ask for cheese.

In Italy， never ask for cheese if its not explicitly offered to you. Its considered a sin to put extra cheese on top of your pizza—and its even worse to put it on seafood.

Dont ask for salt and pepper.

In Portugal and Egypt， if salt and pepper arent already on the table， dont ask for them. Its considered an offense to the chefs seasoning skills.

Dont put food in your mouth with a fork.

In Thailand， forks are used to push food into a spoon. Also， its unusual to use chopsticks—theyre considered tacky9.

Be sure to belch10.

Among the indigenous11 people of China and the indigenous Inuit12 people of Canada， a light burp13 at the end of a meal is considered a compliment， as it indicates that youve eaten well. Dont use your chopsticks to gesture and never leave them upright in a bowl of rice （this is how food is offered to the spirit of a dead person）.

Leaving a bit of food leftover.

Finishing everything on your plate is a no-no in many Asian countries， as it suggests that your hosts didnt feed you enough. Leaving a small amount on your plate symbolizes that youve had your fill and acknowledges your hosts generosity.

Avoid leaving a tip.

Many people in Japan believe that good service is standard and tipping is rude. Even if they dont assume youre being rude， they can also be very confused by the extra money， thinking you have overpaid. Whether its a taxi driver， a server， or a bellhop14， dont tip in Japan. Its not good manners.

Dont bring yellow flowers to dinner.

In Bulgaria， yellow flowers symbolize hatred. Not the message （we hope） youre trying to send.

Never rest your hands in your lap while dining.

In Russia， it is considered polite to rest your wrists on the edge of the table—not on your lap. Also， keep your fork in your left hand and knife in your right.

Dont use an individual plate.

In Ethiopia， individual plates are considered wasteful. Food is always shared from a single plate without the use of cutlery15—just hands.

A gursha is an act of friendship and love.

The people of Ethiopia have a tradition of hand-feeding each other， called gursha. Its a gesture of hospitality that builds trust and social bonds between those sharing the food. The practice is a bit of a culture shock for Westerners accustomed to eating from separate plates with sterile16 forks and spoons.

在國外就餐，感覺可能就像小心翼翼地行走在各種陌生規則構成的雷區之中。餐桌禮儀是對盛情待客的主人表示尊重的基本方式（有時則會在無意中表現出失禮）。

以下是世界各地一些非常特殊的用餐注意事項。

吸溜吸溜地吃

在日本，尤其是在吃面喝湯的時候，發出吸溜吸溜的聲音能向廚師表達出你對食物的欣賞。聲音越大越好！你還可以直接端起湯碗來喝——他們通常不用湯匙喝湯。

只用右手吃飯

抱歉啦，左撇子們——在印度、中東和非洲的一些地區，人們只用右手吃飯，并且不用餐具。在這些地方，左手歷來是用來清潔身體的，被視為不凈之手。

不要提出AA制

在法國，進行AA制是完全不懂人情世故的表現。主動請客，否則別人就會買單。

面包是一種餐具

在法國，你應該用兩只手吃飯——要么一手拿刀一手拿叉，要么一手拿叉一手拿面包。這面包可不是用來開胃的，而是用來將食物弄到叉子上的。吃面包時，用手撕成小塊再吃，不要對著面包直接一口咬下去。不用的時候，面包應該放在桌子或桌布上，而不是盤子上。

不要用手觸碰任何食物

在智利，用手觸碰食物會被視為粗魯無禮。是的，就連炸薯條也不能用手拿！在巴西，披薩和漢堡通常也是用刀叉來吃的。

飯后不要點卡布奇諾

意大利人飯后從來不點含乳飲料，因為牛奶會阻礙消化。他們會選擇純的濃縮咖啡或者純咖啡。

別要求加芝士

在意大利，如果沒有明確表示提供芝士，千萬別要求加芝士。披薩額外加芝士被看成一種罪過——海鮮加芝士就更糟糕了。

別索要鹽和胡椒

在葡萄牙和埃及，如果餐桌上沒有擺放鹽和胡椒，可別去索要。這會被看成是對廚師調味手藝的不認可。

不要用叉子把食物送進嘴里

在泰國，叉子是用來把食物放進湯匙里的。此外，筷子也不常用——筷子被認為缺乏格調。

一定要打嗝

中國人和加拿大土著因紐特人認為，飯后打個小嗝表明吃得很好，這是一種贊美。不要拿著筷子比比劃劃，更不要把筷子豎直插在米飯碗里（他們祭奠逝者時才那樣）。

剩一點食物

在許多亞洲國家，吃光盤子里的所有食物都是不被接受的做法，因為這表明主人沒有提供足夠的食物。剩一點食物在你的餐盤里，說明你已經吃飽了，也表示主人很大方。

避免留下小費

在日本，許多人認為提供優質服務只是常規工作，給小費是無禮的行為。即便他們不認為你很失禮，他們也會被這筆額外的錢弄糊涂，以為你多付了錢。在日本，無論對方是出租車司機、餐廳侍者還是賓館服務員，都別給他們小費。這是不禮貌的。

不要帶黃色的花去赴宴

在保加利亞，黃色的花象征著仇恨。（但愿）這不是你想傳達的信息。

用餐時千萬不要把手放大腿上

在俄羅斯，禮貌的做法是把手腕擱在餐桌邊上——而不是大腿上。另外，你應該左手持叉，右手持刀。

不要單獨拿一個盤子

在埃塞俄比亞，人們認為每人各用一個盤子過于浪費。食物總是放在一個盤子里共同享用。取食不用餐具，直接用手拿。

互相喂食是友情和愛意的舉動

埃塞俄比亞人有一種用手互相喂食的傳統，稱為gursha。這是他們表現自己熱情好客的方式，能在分享食物的人之間建立信任和社交關系。對于就餐時習慣使用各自餐盤及消毒叉匙的西方人來說，這種做法會帶來一定的文化沖擊。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯” 翻譯大賽獲獎者）

1 tiptoe踮著腳走，躡手躡腳地走。? 2 minefield雷區。? 3 slurp出聲地吃喝（發出吸食聲）。? 4 lefty（亦作leftie）左撇子。? 5 eschew回避，避免。

6 the height of極端例子。? 7 unsophistication不懂世故。? 8 straight純的。

9 tacky俗氣的，缺乏格調或良好品味的。? 10 belch打嗝。? 11 indigenous本地的，土生土長的。? 12 Inuit與因紐特人有關的。? 13 burp打嗝。

14 bellhop賓館服務員。? 15 cutlery餐具（指刀、叉和匙）。? 16 sterile無菌的，消過毒的。