12 Unexpected Etiquette Rules from Around the World

Do you know other countries’ food etiquette rules? 🍽 When you travel abroad and try the local cuisine, you might notice how a certain country’s table manners are very different from your own. Here are 12 quite unexpected food etiquette rules from across the globe! 🌎

TIMESTAMPS:
Don’t use forks in Thailand 1:10
Don’t “clean your plate” in China 1:55
Be ready to share a plate in Ethiopia 2:39
In Italy, you’ll insult the chef if you ask for extra cheese 3:22
Don’t ask for salt and pepper in Portugal 4:05
Be careful with chopsticks in Japan 4:45
Don’t touch food with your left hand in the Middle East 5:32
Don’t just sip on your wine in Georgia 6:18
Don’t fill your own glass in Japan 6:56
Only drink cappuccino before noon in Italy 7:32
Guests are welcomed with half a cup of tea in Kazakhstan 8:21
A clean teapot is a teapot without a soul in China 9:17

SUMMARY:
- In Thailand, picking food up with a fork is considered bad form. However, you are allowed to push food onto a spoon using a fork… that’s it!
- In China, however, it’s impolite to finish eating everything on your plate. Empty plates indicate that a host hasn’t served enough food and guests are still hungry.
- As you sit at the table in Ethiopia waiting for someone to give you a plate to eat from, you might miss the actual meal! Everyone else will just eat from one large serving plate in the middle of the table without using any cutlery.
- Although Italians do love this product, it’s considered rude to ask for extra cheese. It may insult the chef because they take it as you not liking the dish the way they’ve prepared it and wanting to change it.
- If you ask for salt or pepper in Portugal, you may hurt people’s feelings. It’s kinda like with Italy; the cook may feel insulted by the fact that you need to “spice up” the dish they’ve served you.
- According to tradition, people place chopsticks vertically during funerals. In a restaurant, doing this may insult the owner.
- In the Middle East, India, and some African countries, the left hand is used for…uh…cleaning yourself up after going to the bathroom.
- If you find yourself at a dinner party in Japan and wine is involved, never get a refill yourself. You’re supposed to fill the glass of the person sitting next to you at the table, and they’ll return the favor.
- Italians do drink cappuccinos, of course, but it’s mostly a breakfast drink or even a substitute for breakfast. But if you drink this milky foamy coffee later in the day, it can upset your stomach, at least according to the locals.
- When we think “tea ceremony,” we usually associate it with the UK and all their fancy tea-drinking etiquette. But it turns out there are plenty of tea fans in Kazakhstan, and they’ve got rules when it comes to drinking it as well.
- If you’ve been invited to a tea ceremony in China and offer your help with the dishes afterwards, don’t even think about washing that teapot! The Chinese don’t wash teapots, especially traditional clay ones, with dish liquid.

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[BRIGHTSIDEOFFICIAL]

Hey guys! Are there any unusual food etiquette rules in your countries? Tell us about them! :)

[Rtcupayle]

As a Chinese I want to say pls don’t believe this video, if you don’t clean your plate, Asian parents will force you to eat up, specially from what we learned from school, never ever waste food.

[Lizzie]

I'm Italian, there's no such thing as insulting a chef just because you're asking for extra cheese. In restaurants waiters often bring extra cheese at your table anyway! And yes, cappuccino mainly is a breakfast drink but it's nice to sip on it during cold afternoons. So tourists from all around the world, you can have as much cheese as you want and as many cappuccinos as your heart desires!

[ocsav]

I am Portuguese, and I've never heard that it's considered rude to ask for salt and pepper. Some restaurants already have that on the tables 😂

[natalieplaysadoptme]

Him: you dont wanna embarrass yourself

also him: wearing a hot dog costume

[BobbyDukeArts]

Man, seems like most of these are wrong

[emmalineliu]

In Chinese restaurants, if you leave a plate with some food on it, the chef's salary lowers. We also have a saying that basically means farmers work hard to grow the food we eat so we should never waste food...so idk where u got the leaving food=compliment from.

[calvinposumah]

The food rules in all countries...
Dont break the plate
Dont break the spoon or fork
Dont drop the food
Enjoy your meal

[corrinemak]

As a person that has Chinese roots, I can say there is no such thing as "if you want to compliment the chef, leave some". This is a complete misrepresentation of Chinese culture. Leaving food only applies to situations when we celebrate Chinese New Year. Its a tradition to not finish the food on the table to signify that the coming year has something to eat ("年年有余") during Chinese New Year. Other times of the year if you don't clear your plate parents would scold you for having leftovers.

[alexisalejandrowu]

Thats weird, both my parents are chinese and they told me that is bad manner not to finish eating the food because there are many poor people who needs food in this world....

[SARSbandit]

It's illegal in Canada for food to come in a form other than poutine. Also, we don't have salt & pepper, but 2 containers each containing maple syrup.

[mtlicq]

You do not need to leave food on your plate in China to be polite, that is just nonsense.

[mesfinmollademissie]

I am an ethiopian and you'er right we always share a plate .And the plate will be served by different traditional foodes for example doro wet, injera, shiro and so on.And like you say"only grab from the part of serving dish closet to you; reaching across is considered rude" you are also right about it.
how many peoples like ethiopia?

[granky_]

In italy we are very proud of our cheese, please always ask for more cheese, even though in most restaurants they already leave it on your table in a container. And like the cappuccino after noon, cutting your spaghetti is considered weird and a very easy way to recognise a tourist.
What is actually considered rude is chewing with your mouth open, making weird noises or not talking at all when you're at the table. And of course, asking for a pineapple pizza.

[DevikaRajuAckles]

Indians wash our hands before and after a meal. It's just the norm to eat with your right hand. It's true Indians do clean yourself with the left hand but that doesn't mean Indians don't wash their hands after they go to the loo. We're not barbarians. I live in south India and we don't find it disgusting to touch the plate with the left hand. You should really check your facts.

[kenisonline]

As someone who's been to multiple countries, I can guarantee that no host expects any local etiquette from their guest. As long as you are polite, like a civilised human being, and show interest in local practices and manners, you'll be fine.

[jeffcjb]

I'm Chinese and I've never heard that belching is polite?!

[corcr]

im from China and its rude to leave food because food come from hard work
every ancient powerful figure and a lot of poetry teach children not to waste food, every single piece of rice come from hard work and sweat!
i really dont know where you got your Chinese etiquette from.
belching is also rude in China, its what low class people do, not people with manners you dont belch, thats disgusting.
check your facts please!

[Bob-qtcj]

While serving in the US Navy, one of the places i traveled to was china. I was exploring the area and decided to grab some food in a small local restaurant and ordered off a Chinese menu, I received some sort of a noodle dish with lots of vegetables and meat. I only had a pair of chop sticks with the meal and had to prior education in the use of them nor the cultural etiquette. Being very hungry I dove into the savory meal and quickly started to devour it. Shortly after I started, I heard a commotion coming from the cooking area. I looked over to see a waitress holding back an angry man waving a large cleaver around who was not only yelling in Chinese... he was glaring at me. The waitress calmed him down, he returned to the cooking area, and she immediately said in broken English that I cannot stab the meat with the chop sticks to pick up the meat. I apologized, she showed me how to use the chop sticks. After I had finished and paid for the meal, I advised her the meal was very good and asked why he was so mad. She said that stabbing the food means death to the cook. Lesson learned.

[frizuo]

I'm Chinese and the stereotype is wrong, belching is still impolite and leaving food is impolite as well.