10/25/2021; W07: Differences in Manners

Did you ever think that things like walking, stretching, eating and greeting could be SO different from culture to culture? What may seem normal in some places, could be extremely disrespectful in others. Let's see some examples:

• Table manners: I didn't know there could be that many do's and don'ts when it comes to eating. In my opinion, table manners are as diverse as gastronomy is! In Thailand for example, they don't eat dishes with cooked rice using a fork. They just use it to push the food onto the spoon. In some parts of Africa, they consider it unclean to eat with the left hand.

• Staring: While in many parts of the world, it is disrespectful to stare at others, in other parts it is very normal! So avoid feeling threatened or nervous if you visit some places of South America and people don't stop staring at you.

• Tolerance to noise: This is different in many places. In Mexico for example, it is normal to hear your neighbors. Which can be annoying sometimes, especially during the night!

• Nose blowing: Even nose blowing is different from country to country! In Japan, for example, they don't blow their nose in public and never use handkerchiefs for this purpose since it is considered dirty.

With all this information it is not necessary to mention the differences in personal space, emphasis on punctuality, tolerance to emotional expressivity, and so on. By now, you TESOL teachers might be feeling a little overwhelmed or worried about the consequences of these cultural differences in your classroom. Actually, this is how I felt

Let me give you two tips that may be really helpful.

1. When a foreign student does something weird, don't panic! Try to discover the manners they have in his or her country of origin. This might give us some answers. And this not only applies in the classroom setting but in everyday life too. Probably watching someone eating tacos with fork and knife may seem weird for me as a Mexican. Just keep in mind this can also happen to you when you visit another country.

2. When visiting another country, find out the basic manners and etiquette. You won't regret it!

We all have the opportunity to help others and create a culture of inclusion. Let's start now! :)

References:

• Amanda Ruggeri. (2018, January 25). World’s Most BIZARRE Food Etiquette Rules. Budget Travel. https://www.budgettravel.com/article/international-dining-etiquette-rules_8358

• Mind your manners: restaurant etiquette. (2016, March 26). Restaurant-Ing through History. https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2013/02/19/mind-your-manners-restaurant-etiquette/