Dining Etiquette
Dining while abroad can feel as though you are tiptoeing around a minefield of unfamiliar rules. Table manners are the ultimate way to show respect (or some accidental disrespect) to your gracious host.
在国外吃饭，宛如蹑手蹑脚的游走在一堆不熟悉的规则中间。餐桌礼仪是对主人展现尊敬（有时反而显现不敬）的最好方式。
Now it's time to learn how to eat. Here are some of the very specific dining do's and don't's from around the world.
现在就来学学如何吃饭吧。下面是全球一些餐桌礼仪，该做什么不该做什么。
Slurp
Slurp your food.
吃东西时砸吧嘴。
In Japan, most commonly when eating noodles and soups, slurping shows your appreciation of the food to the chef. The louder the better! You may also drink directly from the soup bowl -- spoons are uncommon. Furthermore, never cross your chopsticks, lick your chopsticks, or stick your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice. It's considered very rude in Japan and many other Asian countries, including China.
在日本，吃面喝汤极其寻常，发出啧啧声是对厨师食物的肯定。越大声越好！你还可以直接端起汤碗来喝汤——调羹反而用的不多。另外，千万别把筷子交叉，舔筷子或是把筷子垂直插在米饭中间。这在日本以及其他亚洲国家包括中国，都是极其粗鲁的表现，
right hand
Eat only with your right hand.
只用右手吃饭。
Sorry lefties -- in India, the Middle East, and some parts of Africa, it is considered unclean to eat with your left hand.
左撇子对不住啦——在印度、中东以及非洲某些地区，用左手吃饭是不卫生的表现。
split the bill
Don't offer to split the bill.
别想着AA制。
In France, splitting the bill is considered the height of unsophistication. Offer to pay the bill in its entirety or someone else will.
在法国，AA制被看成不懂人情世故。要么就请客，不然就等别人买单吧。
Bread
Bread is a utensil.
面包只是食具。
In France, you are supposed to use two hands to eat -- either fork and knife or fork and bread. Bread isn't meant to be an appetizer -- instead it serves to assist the food to the fork. When you eat the bread, tear off a piece of it to eat instead of biting directly into the bread. When not in use, the bread belongs on the table or tablecloth instead of the plate.
在法国，你完全可以用两只手吃饭——用刀叉或者是叉子加面包。面包在这里并不是开胃菜——而是帮助把食物弄到叉子上面的工具。吃面包的时候，慢慢的撕下，千万别直接对着面包咬。不用的时候，面包是放在桌子或是桌布上的，别放在盘子里。
hands
Eat with your hands.
用手吃饭。
In Mexico, it is considered an almost snobby practice to use a fork and knife.
在墨西哥，用刀叉吃饭是十分势利的表现。
touch
Don't touch any part of your meal with your hands.
不要用手碰到任何食物。
In Chile, touching food with your hands is considered ill-mannered. Yep, even fries! In Brazil, too, pizza and burgers are normally eaten with a fork and knife.
在智利，用手碰食物是非常不礼貌的表现。是的，甚至是薯条！而在巴西亦是如此，披萨和汉堡通常都是用刀叉吃的。
cheese
Don't ask for cheese.
不要要芝士。
In Italy, never ask for cheese if it's not explicitly offered to you. It's considered a sin to put extra cheese on top of your pizza -- and it's even worse to put it on seafood.
在意大利，如果没有给你提供芝士，千万别去要。在披萨上放入多余的芝士会被看成是一个诅咒--如果放在海鲜上就更糟了。
salt and pepper
Don't ask for salt and pepper.
不要要盐或胡椒粉。
In Portugal, if salt and pepper aren't already on the table, don't ask for them. It's considered an offense to the chef's seasoning skills.
在葡萄牙，如果桌子上没有盐和胡椒粉，千万别要。这会被看成是对厨师调味技巧的挑衅。
fork
Don't put food in your mouth with a fork.
不要用叉子把食物放在嘴里。
In Thailand, forks are used to push food into a spoon. Also, it's unusual to use chopsticks -- they're considered tacky.
在泰国，一般都是用调羹吃东西，用筷子都是很奇怪的——会被看成没有教养。
belch
Be sure to belch and make a mess.
记得打嗝和让桌子乱糟糟的
In China, belches are considered an indication of your satisfaction and a compliment to the chef on a job well done. Making a mess around the table serves a similar purpose, and leaving a bit of food leftover shows your host that he or she has provided you with more than enough food.
在中国，打嗝可以体现你的满意，以及对厨艺的赞赏。桌子弄的乱糟糟也可以达到同样的效果，别忘了再剩一点食物，这样主人们就会知道给你们提供的食物够分量了。
yellow flowers
Don't bring yellow flowers to dinner.
不要带着黄花去吃饭。
In Bulgaria, yellow flowers symbolize hatred. Not the message (we hope) you're trying to send.
在保加利亚，黄花意味着仇恨。（我们希望）应该不是你想传达的信息。
lap
Never rest your hands in your lap while dining.
吃饭的时候别把手放在膝盖上。
In Russia, it is considered polite to rest your wrists on the edge of the table -- not on your lap. Also, keep your fork in your left hand and knife in your right.
在俄罗斯，把手放在桌子边搭着是礼貌的行为——但千万别放在膝盖上。另外叉子要在左边，刀要在右边。
individual plate
Don't use an individual plate.
不要自己用个盘子。
In Ethiopia, individual plates are considered wasteful. Food is always shared from a single plate without the use of cutlery -- just hands.
在埃塞俄比亚，每个人单独用个盘子被认为是相当浪费的。通常食物都是放在一个盘子里供大家分享，无需刀叉——手就够了。
