Teaching unit 54

EATING HABITS QUIZ!

1. 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!

Answer b! In China finishing everything on your plate is considered rude, because somebody might think you didn’t get enough food and you are still hungry

2. If you are left-handed and your 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 left-handed fork! c) Just eat with your right hand!

• Answer c! There is no such thing as a right-handed fork or left-handed fork

3. In a Spanish snack bar, what should you do with your crumbs, old napkins, food wrappers and other debris? a) Pile everything up on an empty plate! b) Just throw everything on the floor! c) Use the trash bags that are on every table!

• Answer b! In Snack bars in Spain they sweep up everything at the end of the evening – you are expected to dump stuff on the floor

4. What is the right way to ask a chef for ketchup in a French restaurant? a) Give me the ketchup, bud! b) There is no right way to ask a chef for ketchup! c) Cetsup, s’il vous plait!

• Answer b! Asking for ketchup in France would be an insult – it means you don’t like the food

5. In snooty restaurants in Germany, what is the proper way to cut your potatoes?

a) With your fork! b) With your knife! c) With a genuine Flickenmasher – portable potato slicer!

• Answer a! With a fork of course.

Everyone in Germany knows a fork makes a nice rough cut in the potato to hold all that rich gravy

6. 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!

• Answer b! Yes indeed, burping is considered a sign of thanks. It’s said that south sea islanders do the same thing

7. If you are eating a hole baked fish in Poland, why shouldn’t you flip it over? a) Because you will 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 is considered very bad luck!

• Answer a! There is an old wife’s tale in Poland that flipping over a fish in a plate will flip over the fisherman’s boat in the water

8. How d you show your host in Japan you like your meal? a) Bang your water glass loudly on the table! b) Applaud loudly! c) Slurp your noodles as loudly as possible!

Answer c! In Japan slurping noodles is a compliment to the chef. It means you like your food so much, you can’t wait to get it in your mouth

THAT´S IT! SO TAKE CARE WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY