Bizarre Food Etiquette Rules From Around The Globe That Everyone Should Know

You’ve just spent a perfect day exploring Japan on your vacation, and now it’s time for a delicious meal. Your dish is set down before you, so you eagerly pick up your chopsticks and get ready to dig in. In your excitement, though, you unwittingly raise the chopsticks in the air – and suddenly there’s a stony silence and glares. People look at you, appalled, and you realize you’ve done something wrong. But what? This sort of nightmare situation can come about all too easily. Different cultures have their specific quirks, and if you don’t know about them you can look foolish or even rude. So, read on to find out what your mistake was – plus many other blunders to avoid around the world.

40. Flip out

If you ever find yourself frying a fish in China, be sure to refrain from turning your meal-to-be over in the pan. You might think that’s the only way to ensure it’s evenly cooked, but the Chinese consider it unlucky. That’s because it’s associated with the notion of a fishing vessel tipping over.

39. A friendly drink

If somebody in Russia ever asks if you want a drink, you’d better say yes. If you don’t, you’re likely to insult them. The offering of beverages in Russian culture is a way of expressing friendship, so refusal is another way of telling that person you don’t consider them a pal.

38. A soup stick

For people who aren’t used to them, chopsticks can be pretty intimidating. The idea of using them to consume a broth, though, is downright terrifying. But it’s not as crazy as it initially sounds. In Japan, people use chopsticks for the bigger, solid components of the meal, before drinking the liquid just like any other beverage.

37. Storm in a teacup

The British famously love their tea, so it’s no surprise that there are plenty of customs surrounding the warm beverage. One such rule is that the teaspoon should never come into contact with the cup when you’re stirring. This might seem weird, but it’s an attempt to stop the irritating noise that rings out when a spoon hits a mug.

36. Flower power

If you’ve been invited to a dinner party, you might want to bring along something nice. But a word of warning: if these people are from Bulgaria, then make sure you don’t gift them a bouquet of yellow flowers. As pretty as they might seem to you, your hosts associate blooms of this color with hate.

35. Spoon beats fork

If you’re tucking into a meal in Thailand and you’ve been given a fork, don’t get too excited. You’re not actually meant to use it to bring the food to your mouth. Instead, the fork’s proper role is merely to nudge your grub onto a spoon. Only with the spoon should you raise the food to your mouth.

34. Folding salad

If you want to look sophisticated on a visit to France, be careful when eating a salad. The French don’t ever cut their greens when they’re eating, so don’t do it yourself. Instead, use your knife and fork to fold over the leaves and then pick them up with the fork. No slicing!

33. Token gesture

In a Brazilian steakhouse known as a churrascaria, people place their orders with the help of tokens. On one side is the color green, while the other is red. When the waiters roam around the room to serve the slices of meat, they’ll look at the tokens to see who’s hungry. If they see green, they’ll serve you. If it’s red, they won’t.

32. Hold the salt and pepper

When added correctly, salt and pepper can really add a little extra flavor to make a meal even more special. But in a Portuguse restaurant you should never, ever ask for them. That’s because a chef would consider the request to be an insult, a veiled attack on their culinary skills.

31. Shake the cup

If you’ve had your fill of coffee in the company of the Bedouin people of the Middle East, there’s an important piece of etiquette you should know. Unless you shake your cup a couple of times, they’ll pour you some more. The gesture signifies that you’re all done.

30. Leave a little on the plate

In certain places like China, it’s regarded as good manners to leave a small amount of food on your plate at the end of a meal. That might seem counterintuitive to certain cultures, but there’s a logic behind it. Basically, if you eat every last morsel it sends a message to the host that they didn’t give you enough food and that you’re still hungry.

29. Eat it all in India

If you’re a guest dining in India, you should make sure to totally clean your plate. Food is revered as sacred throughout the country, so it certainly wouldn’t do to waste any. With that in mind, eating everything you’ve been served is seen as a mark of respect.

28. Slurping politely

Making a slurping noise as you eat is considered rude in lots of places. Indeed, it’s the type of thing that can send certain people into a fury. But in Japan, not only is slurping tolerated, it’s actively welcomed. That’s because it’s said to enhance the taste of noodles, while also implying that a person has appreciated their serving.

27. Bread kissing

If you were to see somebody drop a piece of bread onto the floor in Afghanistan, you might be surprised by what happens next. It’s traditional in the country to gather up the fallen bread, give it a kiss, and then raise it up to the head. Then, it’s placed down again somewhere else.

26. No upturned chopsticks... except at funerals

Normally in Japan, you should keep your chopsticks placed flat and in line with the table’s edge during a meal. In fact, the only time that you’ll see chopsticks sticking upright is at a funeral. During these occasions, a bowl full of rice with chopsticks planted vertically inside it will be set down in front of the coffin.

25. No refills

Don’t ever take the initiative to top up your own drink when you’re in Egypt. It probably won’t go down too well, because it’s customary there for someone else to refill your cup for you. But after that, you’ll need to repay the favor to whoever it was that filled you up.

24. Pass the port

If you’re drinking port at some fancy British get-together, make sure to keep things moving. If someone on your right passes you the bottle, pour yourself a drink and pass it on to your left. If you don’t, someone might enquire of you, “Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?” You might be baffled, but the person will continue, “He’s a very good chap, but he always forgets to pass the port.” It’s basically a passive-aggressive way to get the booze moving around the table – but always to the left.

23. Here’s a tip: no tips 

In America it’s pretty bad not to leave a tip, but in Japan it’s a different story entirely. It’s really not expected over there, to the point that a tip might even be rejected. The Japanese value a job well done, so service is expected to be top-notch all the time. Therefore, tips shouldn’t be needed.

22. A mannerly belch

Letting out a big belch at the dinner table is considered the height of bad manners for lots of people. But in a number of places around the world, it’s actually a positive thing. It’s said that people in specific areas of China, India and Bahrain think of burps as an expression of gratitude and satisfaction after a serving of food.

21. Vodka, neat

The Russians take vodka seriously, so you should never taint the drink by diluting it with something. Even dropping some ice cubes into the spirit would ruin it in their eyes. So, you’d better steel yourself and knock it back neat. The only exception is when vodka’s combined with beer to create a drink called yorsh.

20. French bread

When you sit down in a restaurant, a basket of bread will often be served right away – but not in France. Over there, you should never eat bread before a meal. Instead, it should be an accompaniment to the actual courses. It’s particularly favored with a serving of cheese towards the end of the evening.

19. Respecting the elders

During mealtimes in South Korea, it’s important to show respect towards any older people dining with you. They should be the first person to dig into the food, with everyone else waiting until they’ve started. And if the elder asks if you want a drink, accept by raising your cup with both your hands.

18. Hands on the table

In Russia it’s actually understood to be rude when you place your hands down on your lap at the dinner table. The proper thing to do, in fact, is to keep them up on the tabletop where everyone can see them. And make sure you use a fork with your left hand and the knife with your right.

17. Overfilling the cup

There’s a custom in Egypt that might throw people who aren’t aware of it. Basically, if someone pours you some tea, they’ll do so until the cup is overflowing with liquid. Rest assured that this isn’t a mistake or an act of carelessness. It’s just how things are done in the country.

16. Cappuccinos in the morning

If you order a cappuccino anytime after midday in Italy, you’ll instantly out yourself as a tourist. That’s because the locals only drink cappuccinos in the morning, often as their sole breakfast item. At a stretch they might also have something like a croissant with it, but that’s about it.

15. Ladies first

The process for requesting food at a restaurant is a little different in Thailand. You basically shouldn’t place your own order, as that responsibility lies with the oldest female in your group. She’ll order a variety of dishes for everyone, which can then be passed around the table and shared.

14. By the hand

If you’re the type of person who eats tacos with cutlery, you’d better cut it out before any visits to Mexico. There, it just seems pretentious to use a knife and fork with such a meal. So, roll back your sleeves and pick it up. It’s better in the long run, anyway.

13. A fight to pay

At the end of a meal in Ireland, there’s often a kerfuffle when it comes to settling the bill. Basically, everyone wants to pay, as a woman named Anne Merrit explained to the website Matador Network. She said, “There’s lots of arguing and grabbing that toes the line between good-natured and ruthless. It’s really awkward to witness as an outsider. My grandfather goes as far as slipping the waiter his credit card before the meal has even begun in order to nip an argument in the bud.”

12. A lot on your plate

Plates are largely thought to be unnecessary over in Ethiopia, so the fewer in use the better. That means that meals tend to be served on one enormous plate, from which everyone digs in. And there’s no need for knives and forks, either, so just get stuck in with your hands.

11. Parmesan’s a no-no

This might seem surprising, but in Italy parmesan isn’t as popular as you might expect. In fact, adding it to certain meals can be considered a downright crime. There are other cheeses that are often more appropriate to use, like pecorino. So, unless parmesan is explicitly offered, don’t request it.

10. Better late

Some people can be pretty uptight about time and scheduling, but things tend to be different in Tanzania. Let’s say a dinner has been organized for 8:00 p.m. over there. It would be totally acceptable for a person to only show up for the meal at 8.30 p.m. In fact, it’d probably be expected.

9. Downing wine

If you ever attend a Georgian feast known as a supra, be sure to drink your wine correctly. That’s to say, you shouldn’t be sipping from your glass whenever you feel like it. Wine should only be consumed when a toast is made – and then the entire glass needs to go down.

8. A little spillage

In South American countries such as Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, you might notice some people spilling their drinks a little during mealtimes. Well, they’re doing this on purpose, and it’s actually part of a ritual known as ch’alla. This is a mark of respect to the Incan deity known as Pachamama.

7. Exception to the rule

Throughout Europe it’s generally considered polite to wait for everyone at the table to receive their meal before anyone begins. That’s true in Italy, too, except in one important scenario. If your pasta shows up before anyone else’s meal, feel free to tuck in. Italians really do revere pasta and nobody should have to wait to eat it.

6. Hands off

You have to use a knife and fork for eating in lots of countries, but clearly there are also times when this just isn’t appropriate. If you’re eating fries, for example, it’s often fair game to just pick them up without cutlery. But not in Chile, where you still need to use your utensils.

5. Thankless task

Uttering the words “thank you” when someone brings you something is considered the most basic form of manners in lots of places. In India, though, the phrase can actually have a negative connotation. If you’re having dinner with your family, for example, you shouldn’t really say it. If you do, it implies that they’ve done something extraordinary for you, when they’ve actually just treated you as all loved ones should.

4. Fork your potato

If a big potato is placed in front of you, you’re probably going to tackle it with a knife and fork, right? In Germany, though, only the latter utensil should be used. A spud needs to be smashed open with the fork, as a knife implies to the chef that it wasn’t sufficiently cooked.

3. Tough for lefties

Using your left hand to eat in certain places around the world is actually a no-no. This is the case in areas of Africa, the Middle East and India. If you’re a leftie, though, fear not. You might be permitted to use your left hand instead – but only that one!

2. Don’t raise a toast

Raising a glass of beer for a toast is a big tradition in places all over the world. Having said that, make sure you don’t try it in Hungary. Over there, the act has a strong association with a particularly bleak moment in the nation’s history and should therefore be avoided.

1. Keep your food down


The use of chopsticks in Japan is most definitely a meticulous affair, with plenty of rules for you to remember. But an especially important one relates to how high you can raise the sticks in the midst of a meal. Basically, you should always refrain from lifting them higher than your mouth.