Session 6

FOOD CULTURE

WHY - Survival - Sense of belonging - Self-realization

HOW

- learned behaviors regarding etiquette, meal and snack patterns, acceptable foods, food combinations, and portion sizes. - Etiquette refers to acceptable behaviors. - Etiquette and eating rituals also vary depending on whether the meal is formal, informal, or special

WHAT? • Anything that moves can be eaten? • What are the influences of food choice? (cultural, social, religious, economic, environmental, political influences?)

WHAT ARE THESE?

AND THESE?

THESE?

AND THESE?

THESE?

HOW ABOUT THESE?

THESE?

COOKING vs CUISINE Cuisine involves • Style • Awareness (of how food is prepared and consumed) • Wide varieties of ingredients • More experiment than tradition

CROSS CUTURAL ETIQUETTE • • • • • •

Seating Eating Body language Conversation Food Home/restaurant

ETIQUETTE QUIZ Q1: Do Chinese mothers make their kids eat everything on their plate? a. yes, food is very expensive in China b. no, cleaning your plate in China is considered rude c. yes, but only if it has rice in it

b. no, cleaning your plate in China is considered rude (because some might think you didn’t get enough food and you’re still hungry)

Q.2: When people in Austria clink their glasses while making a toast, they must look each other in the eyes. Why? a. it’s considered polite to know somebody’s eye colour b. it’s a game to can clink without looking at the glasses c. they’re acknowledging each other’s existence

c. they’re acknowledging each other’s existence

Q.3: You’re left-handed and an Iranian host gives you a right-handed fork by mistake, what should you do? a. just use the right-handed fork with your left hand b. politely ask your host for a right-handed folk c. just eat with your hand.

c. just eat with your hand. (there’s no righthanded fork or left-handed fork!)

Q.4: In a Spanish snack bar, what should you do with your crumbs, old napkins, food wrappers and other debris? a. pile everything up in an empty plate b. just throw everything on the floor. c. use the trash bags that are on every table.

b. just throw everything on the floor. (in snack bars in Spain, they sweep everything at the end of each evening -you’re expected to dump stuffs on the floor!)

Q.5: What do the English think about Americans eating fried chicken with their hands? a. Americans are hopeless slops. b. it’s okay if there’re no utensils around. c. chicken should be boiled, not fried.

b. it’s okay if there’re no utensils around. (asking for utensils would be an insult to the cook – it would mean you didn’t want to just dive into the food)

Q.6: What’s the right way to ask a chef for ketchup in France? a. “ Give me the ketchup, bud” b. there’s no way to ask for ketchup in France c. “Catsup, sil vous plait”

b. there’s no way to ask for ketchup in France ( asking for ketchup would be an insult – it means you don’t like the food)

Q.7: In snooty restaurant in Germany, what’s the best way to cut your potatoes? a. with your fork b. b. with your knife c. with a genuine Flickenmasher portable potato slicer

a. with your fork (everyone in Germany knows a fork makes a nice rough cut in the potato to hold all that rough, beefy German gravy. A knife cuts the potato too smoothly. If you choose c, just stay out of Germany)

Q.8: In Canada, how do the Inuit people say “Thank you, the food was excellent” a. They perform the ancient “Dance of a thousand thanks” b. They burp. c. They leave coins under the plate.

b. They burp.

Q.9: If you’re eating a whole baked fish in Poland, why shouldn’t you flip it over? a. because you’ll capsize the fisherman’s boat. b. because you really don’t want to see what’s under there. c. because the bones will come loose and that’s considered very bad luck.

a. because you’ll capsize the fisherman’s boat.

Q.10: In many parts of Scotland, is it acceptable for kids to do their homework right after dinner? a. No way. After dinner is always “BBC Family TV time” b. Of course. That’s the perfect time to do homework. c. Uh, well, most kids aren’t home after dinner.

c. Uh, well, most kids aren’t home after dinner. (In many part of Scotland, “lunch” is called “dinner”, so kids are likely to be still in school after “dinner”)

Q.11: How do you show your host you like your meal in Japan? a. band your water glass loudly on the table, but not so hard that it breaks. b. applaud loudly c. slurp your noodles as loudly as possible

c. slurp your noodles as loudly as possible (Slurping noodles is a complement to the chef. It means you like your food so much you can’t wait to get it in your mouth)

Q.12: In American, the Fourth of July would be incomplete without _______ a. coke and chicken b. barbecue and watermelon c. lemonade and French fries.

b. barbecue and watermelon

Q.13: In which country you should remain standing until shown where to sit? a. Japan b. Italy c. Germany

c. Germany (Venezuela, Italy and New Zealand are the same)

Q.14: In Japan, who will begin to eat first? a. the honoured guest b. the host c. the oldest member of the family

a. the honoured guest

Q.15: In which of the following country, conversation during meals is animate and loud? a. Japan b. Turkey c. The U.S

b. Turkey

Q.16: In a restaurant in Turkey, who would pay for the bill? a. No one. Everybody shares. b. the person who extended the invitation c. Anyone who want to treat everybody else.

b. the person who extended the invitation

Q.17: In which of the following countries, you should NOT leave a little food on your plate to when you’re finished? a. countries in the Middle East b. Germany c. China d. Egypt.

b. Germany

Q.18: What should you eat spaghetti with? a. fork and spoon b. fork and knife c. fork only

c. fork only

Q.19: In which of the following countries, you should arrive 30 minutes late if invited to a family’s dinner? a. Italy b. England c. China d. Venezuela

a. Italy d. Venezuela