Once you have prepared for a trip through the purchase of cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms, or cheap vacation packages it would be wise to educate yourself on dining etiquette tips if you will be traveling abroad. Americans are known for accidentally offending locals often unintentionally by not being familiar with local customers.
The following are table manners recommended by lonely planet:
In Japan it is not only okay, but expected, that people will slurp their noodles while eating.
Never stick your chopsticks into a bowl of rice upright since that is how rice is offered to the dead. It is considered bad manners to pass food from your chopsticks to someone elses. This is also the case in China and most of Asia.
Russians expect people to eat with their wrists on the edge of the table with their fork in their left hand and knife in their right.
In Nepal you should wait to be served and always ask for seconds when eating at someones home. When eating as part of a group no one should get up until everyone is finished with their meal.
In Portugal restaurants never ask for salt and pepper if it is not already on the table. Requesting any kind of seasoning or condiment is considered disrespectful of the cook.
In France money should never be discussed over dinner. Splitting a bill at a restaurant is considered very inappropriate.
In Mexico whenever you look someone in the eye who is eating, regardless of whether this person is a stranger, always say buen provecho (enjoy).
In Ethiopia people do not eat from individual plates which locals consider as hilarious, bizarre and wasteful. Food is to be shared from a single plate without any cutlery. Meat should be left to the end of the meal to eat.
www.cheapfares.com