Ilene Springer
Professional Teacher
Learning Article : The Etiquette Of Food In Different Languages And Cultures

Discuss the Article : The Etiquette Of Food In Different Languages And Cultures

<a href='/article/1245/the-etiquette-of-edibles-in-different-languages-and-cultures' target='_blank'>The Etiquette Of Food In Different Languages And Cultures</a>

There are hundreds of “unusual” foods you may encounter if you travel to the countries of your target language(s). The purpose of this article is not to tell you every kind of food or custom you may find strange, but to encourage you to do some research on food and food traditions before you go, so you will feel more comfortable eating with native speakers.

Apr 23, 2018 12:00 AM
Comments · 7
3

A very interesting article and good to learn! 

Although we speak English in New Zealand, we do have some funny terms when it comes to food and eating times. When we speak of dinner we refer to it as "tea". "Hi, you're invited for tea!" This statement simply means you're invited for dinner at around 6 pm. We also have supper which is a light snack from about 9 pm. Supper usually contains hot or cold drinks, cookies, and crips. Breakie is a slang word for breakfast and when you ask someone, "do you want to go out for a cuppa?", this means "do you want to go out for coffee".

Oh, and I should mention, if someone offers to pay for a meal, they would say "It's my shout!". 

Like you mentioned, this should be seen as an adventure and researching beforehand would be better. 


May 24, 2018
1
I didn't think Mexicans even eat tacos.
April 25, 2018
HI Andreas--thanks for leaving a comment. What I meant by a native-speaking country (poorly said, unfortunately) is the country where the native speakers speak your target language. Even so, there are people who live in countries who are not natives of that country. Anyway, thanks for pointing out a mistake.

All the best,
Ilene
December 10, 2019
What's a "native speaking country"? Are there any people that are NOT native speakers?
December 9, 2019

How astonishing it can be! It's good to watch other culture's authentic way of eating, as well as serving and/or hosting a meal. You never know! You just might be shocked.

Do you like trying out some new ways of eating, and innovative food, of course? For example, when you're in a multi-ethnical restaurant, you see the cooks serving sushi with a pair of sticks. Are you going to eat them as they do?

July 29, 2018
Show more