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Welcome to the A.D.Z. English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my
co-host, Sochil. And today we are doing a we're in the culture corner, I believe.
We're in the culture corner. And we're talking about table manners in America.
American table manners. And we kind of made a list of five kind of golden rules.
And what are they? Sochil, what's number one? Don't put your elbows on the table.
So if there's like the table script, don't eat with your elbows like on the table.
And that's so different in other countries and cultures, because like in
Mexico, there's no issue with putting your elbows on the table. In America,
your wrist putting your wrists on the table is okay, but elbows is it's just
considered rude for some reason. I'm not really sure why. It's so arbitrary. It's
so dumb. Like there's no reason for it, you know. It's like a
lot of things. You know, don't be comfortable. Yeah. There's our children's rhyme that's like
in certain name, like Amy, Amy, Amy, if you're able to take your elbows off the table,
this is not a horse's stable. And it's like, I don't know why that even exists.
I didn't know it was rude until I read it in like a book sometime in like the third grade.
Um, so I'll do it. I don't really care. I find that like the least offensive of the
table manner crimes. So, you know, when I'm eating, I'll probably do it. You know,
it depends on where I am. If I'm in like a fancy, fancy restaurant wearing a
tuxedo. Okay. I'm going to follow the all the table manners, but you know,
if I'm like eating at a friend's house and some, you know, they're, they don't really
care. I'll put my elbows on the table. Yeah, I don't care. If you're, if you're like
meeting your girlfriend or boyfriend's parents for the first time in their American,
like your elbows on the table, or if you're going to like a fancy dinner or like a work
party or like a work party for your significant other or your own work party or whatever
is some kind of formal event, then I would say like steer away from it. Because there's
some people in the older generation, like boomers and older that still care. But otherwise,
if you're just at a casual house party or hang out with some friends at housewarming or
something, like it doesn't really matter. I don't think. Yeah. Keep your knees off the
table. That's a bad. Yeah. That's better. Your feet. Yeah. Don't put your feet on the
table. Other cultures don't, that's like even more American to like put your feet
on stuff like other cultures don't really do that. But I know. I learned that the hard
way. Yeah. Please. I knew that already. Thank thank you, mom Mexican mom. To don't talk
with your mouth full. If you absolutely have to one way that I do is like I cover my
mouth when I'm talking like when I'm eating, I'm talking. I just do this because no one
like the worst thing that can happen to you is that you're chewing and talking and like
a piece of food flies out and hit someone else. Oh, right in their glass or something.
Oh, God. Really? In their face. And it's just or in their play. It's just it's so crazy.
So you want to avoid that. And that's why it's like no one wants to see. Yeah. This
is a tough one because you know, what'll happen is that as soon as you put take a bite
of the food, you're, you know, your boyfriend or girlfriend's mother or father will ask
you a question immediately. So what do you do for a living and you've got this mouth full
of mashed potatoes and the best thing you can do is you'd like such a said take a take
a napkin and put it up over your mouth to finish swallow. Take a little time and you know,
usually people will try not to ask you questions right as you're.
What's happening to like always happen for me. I'll be like mm-hmm. Like once I can
please kind of think like signaling that and finish or like another thing. If I'm in
a less formal setting, I just kind of cover my mouth like if I'm talking with friends
or something. Yeah. Yeah. And just have my hand over my mouth. What's the other one?
Using a coaster. Not every country has coasters because in the US, we use a lot of wood designs
and like wooden tables and. Yeah. Yeah. You your glass can sweat. We also have like
a lot of cold drinks or hot drinks and so your glass can sweat or or the bottom rim
of your cup can be hot. So you want to make sure that you use like a coaster, which
is just like a flat little usually round sometimes square piece of like tile or what have
you that's like set there for you to put your glass on. So like if a restaurant or someplace
has a coaster available or you go to someone's house and they have coasters like just make
sure you use it before you put your glass down on like their wooden table because it can
leave a mark. Yeah. That's right. It leaves like a ring around the wood and then they
have to refinish the table. I just I just thought of a couple other ones. This is your pet
peeve. Push your chair in after you're done. Yes. Yes. That's good. Make sure you push
your chair in. The other one is is eating noises. I know in Korea, Jack, it's like that's
showing that you're enjoying the food kind of. Right. It's sleeping noodles. Right.
That's so good. You know, like that's the thing. Koreans are so animated when they eat
and I really enjoyed that about Korean culture. But if you're from a culture where people
are pretty animated when they eat, like when you go to the US, don't don't make those
like slurping noises. Don't make loud chewing noises like smacking like yeah true with
mouth closed and keep it as quiet as you possibly can. Like that's basically the because
being loud and stuff and making these eating noises. A lot of people in the US are so offended
by it. Like there's even a word for it, which is like misophony. I wasn't like that. I'm
not super. I believe that's right. They get nauseous or sick from like food sounds.
Like they can't take it. Yeah. People's packing. I honestly think that's just I'm sorry.
I think it's ridiculous. Yeah. They're just weak people. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well for some
people, it can be really serious. Like I knew kids who would like eat lunch at the
principal's office because they could not be around it. Like around listening to other
people eat. So yeah, the US is a weird culture in that way. So just try to keep it as quiet
as possible. Oh, one more. Don't leave. Don't pick your teeth. No, no toothpicks. Oh,
at the table. Sometimes there are toothpicks up, but don't yeah, don't do it at the table.
Sometimes you'll see toothpicks available to you at a restaurant, but yeah, just do it
like in private because it's like very cringey. Well, in Korea, sometimes I'll cover my
mouth. You know, you can cover your mouth. It can be okay. Yeah. My dad does that. But,
yes, it can be very cringey and. Yeah. You don't want to you want to make a good impression
with the, you know, with your, you're seeing lawns or at a work party or having lunch with
your boss. Don't do it. Don't even cover your mouth and do it. It's just it's not worth
the risk. No, yeah. It's not worth it. There's good. Into the bathroom or something. Yeah.
I think that's fine, but no, that is such a rude one. Yeah. You can go wrong quickly. So,
yeah. I think that's pretty much it. I would say I'd there are other. No, no, no, you
know, body sounds, you know, like, people try to keep their mouth closed and either cover
their mouth like this or within napkin. Like if you burp, you know, don't like burp loudly
and. It doesn't mean you're enjoying yourself. Or it might mean you're enjoying yourself too
much. You know, they're too. Yeah. People are definitely going to make a face at you if
you burp at the table. Yeah. So, yeah, I think those are, those are it. Let us know if
you have any other cultural questions. I would actually really love to hear whether any
of these things are rude in your country and your culture or what things are considered
rude in your country or culture. And even things specifically that you notice Americans
doing like in movies or American that you have that are considered rude in your culture.
I'm really interested to hear and know about that. I know in Japan, there's something that
they say horse laugh about Americans because we laugh with our head back like, ha ha ha.
So it's like a horse. Yeah. So I definitely do that horse laugh at apparently in Japan
is in place. That's like cover mouth when you laugh and do kind of a dainty laugh. I
have that boy's first laugh. So. Yeah. That one's going to be hard to change. I don't
know. I guess it's just be the horse laugher. Yeah. So yeah, just let us know what it's
like in your in your country. I'm very curious to know. Leave us a comment at a to Z English
podcast.com. It really helps with visibility. Also, shoot us an email at a to Z English
podcast at gmail.com. Jack and I would love to have an episode dedicated talking about
things that are rude in your culture. And we can definitely do that through an email.
It can be easier sometimes to sort through the emails and it is to sort through all your
responses in the group chat and make sure to join the group chat, the we chat and the
what's up groups that you can talk to us directly. And we love chatting with you guys
on there. See you guys next time. Bye bye. Bye bye.
