9 Surprising Table Rules Binding in Various Countries

Exploring local cuisine is one of the biggest holiday pleasures. The variety we can enjoy is a heaven for our taste buds and bellies. However, before you set off make sure that you familiarize yourself with all etiquette typical for a given country. Or else you won't be really welcome there.

Eating with your left hand is really frowned upon in a majority of the Middle East countries, as well as India and some African countries. As the left hand is quite commonly used for hygienic purposes, using it for eating is not acceptable. In some places even putting the hand on the table is considered as rude. So make sure you eat with your right hand only and for any social purposes use the right one, too. Left-handed people (me included) have to be double-careful!

Individual plates for each of the guests are considered a waste of space in Ethiopia. That is why everyone sitting at the table picks up food from the same dish standing in the middle of the table. The etiquette suggests picking up pieces closest to the edge first leaving the meat dishes to be eaten at the end of the meal.

When something tastes good, normally we won’t leave a single crumb on the plate. However, an empty plate is considered as an insult for the host who apparently has not prepared enough food for their guests. To compliment your Chinese chef, leave a little bit of the dish on the plate.

In Europe cutlery is used to inform the host (or waiters) whether we have finished or whether we fancy another helping. The Japanese also have their ways when it comes to the chopsticks. For example, you can't leave them stuck in the dish upwards. According to the Japanese tradition, when the funeral is over, the guest are served a meal with the chopsticks positioned like this. That is why doing it anywhere else is considered inappropriate.

In Kazakhstan, when you visit someone at home or in the office, your host will serve you a cup of tea. A half of a cup of tea to be exact. Are they greedy? Do they want you to be gone as soon as possible? Not really. Filling your cup half-full your host wants to tell you that they want you to stay and continue the conversation with them filling your cup whenever you feel like.

If you are greeted with a full cup, that means you shouldn’t stay there too long.

The rules and spirituality as such are of vital importance in Chinese culture. Even when it comes to such simple things as making tea. During the tea-making ceremony, it is common to use a clay teapot. When it is washed afterwards, only water is used so that a little bit of tea residue could stay there. This gives the pot 'the soul' and any chemical detergents used can simply kill it.

5 o'clock is the traditional tea time in Britain. However, few of us know how it is actually served there. It is really common for the Brits to have white tea (with milk added) and to have it rather... lukewarm than hot. Of course stirring has to be very subtle and any tinkling sounds are not welcome!

The Italians love cheese and they are very good at making it. If you are in an Italian restaurant and you ask for a bit more cheese on your dish, you'd better leave the place instead. The chef will regard it as an insult because your request means nothing but … criticism of their recipe. And believe me, you don't want to meet an angry Italian cook…

What is the best way to infuriate a Portuguese or Egyptian chef? Asking for spices. If the person who has cooked the dish finds out about it, they will see it as negative feedback on their cooking skills. I think it is not a good idea to annoy the person who is now preparing the next dish for you...

Have you ever experienced a situation like this?