"Wang Li was a college student studying in America. One Sunday he was invited to the Smith home for dinner. Although the food was different from what he was raised on in China, he had come to like the American food. He had discovered that chopsticks were best suited for Chinese food, and knives and forks were best suited for Western food. He thought he was prepared, then, to handle this dinner invitation well. Little did here realize that there were other things he should have watched for!
As the family sat down around the table, Mr. Smith said, "Let's say grace." At that everyone bowed their heads for a brief prayer of giving thanks to God for the food. Wang Li was not sure what he should do, but he sat quietly until their prayer was finished. Mr. Smith told Wang Li to "help himself" to the food. So, Wang Li picked up his fork, reached into the bowl of mashed potatoes, then ate it and commented on how good it was. Eight-year-old Matthew Smith giggled when Wang Li did this, although no one said anything to Wang Li. He assumed he had done something wrong. He decided to watch what the others would do. Everyone filled their plates full of food before eating any of it. Wang Li followed this pattern.
He really enjoyed the food. He was so full that he burped. Mrs. Smith's eyes got very wide as they registered shock, which she quickly tried to hide. Of course, little Matthew didn't try very hard to hide his giggle. He knew that if HE had burped, he would have been scolded by his parents. The situation was becoming very stressful for Wang Li. He knew that the Smiths were very kind people, yet he knew that his efforts at being socially correct were not fitting in with their habits, and that there was still a lot to learn in terms of manners. He just wanted the meal to be over with very quickly so he could go back to his dormitory and hide his embarrassment."
Cultural Background
"Eating habits in the Western countries: the Westerners use knife, fork, and spoon during a meal rather than chopsticks. All the food a person intends to eat is put on a large plate in front of him at the beginning of the meal. If the person finishes the food on his plate and wants more, he will get a second helping or "seconds." When seated at a dining table, you should wait for the hostess to join you before you eat. Sometimes the host will say something in honor of the guest, or some families say grace before beginning to eat. Sought should be eaten with a spoon. Some foods like hamburgers, french fries and fried chicken are eaten without utensils; you should use your fingers. Water or other cold rinks with ice is usually served with meals. Toasting at meal is uncommon, so you should drink when you feel thirsty. Slurping and burping are considered extremely rude. It is also considered rude to sing at the table, to put your elbows on the table, to chew your food with your mouth open, to talk with your mouth full, or to make loud noises with the utensils against the plate.
There are not any specific places of honor at formal dinners, but you should ask the host or hostess where you should sit if they do not tell you. The host and hostess often sit at the two ends of the ordinary rectangular tables. If dessert is served, the table will be cleared first. Usually a dessert and a hot drink will be served together. It is polite to let the hostess sit down before you take the first bite of dessert.
Many Westerners do not get a long break at noon for a big meal or a nap; workers will get a 30-minute to one-hour lunch break. Some people will buy fast food like hamburgers. Many people will bring food from home, like a sandwich. These lunches from home are often placed in brown paper sacks, and therefore are called "sack lunches" in the U.S. or "packed lunches" in the U.K. Other sin the U.S. may say they are "brown bagging it", meaning they brought their lunches in brown bags from home. Not all Westerners say grace before a meal; however, it is common among Christan families."
Wow, that is fascinating. Those are things I never would have considered.
Maybe the writer of that book should help out with describing the 'sobremesa'... Also, my in-laws definitely burp during the meal--and after!