Culture Corner | Table Manners

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However, the exclusive subscriber button will give you access to the extra two or three episodes.00:00:42JackEach week.00:00:44JackSo make sure you hit that exclusive subscriber button if you want access to the extra episodes.00:00:52JackNow let's get on with the show.00:00:55JackWelcome to the agency English podcast. My name is Jack, and I'm here with my co-host, social. And today we are doing a we're in the culture corner. I believe we're in the the culture corner and we're talking about table manners in America, American table manners and we.00:01:14JackWe kind of made a list of five kind of golden rules and uh, what? What are they? So. So what's #1?00:01:22XochitlDon't put your elbows on the table, so if there's like the tablecloth surface, 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 on table. In America, your wrist putting your wrists on the table is OK, but elbows is.00:01:28JackYeah.00:01:42XochitlIt's just considered rude for some reason. I'm not really sure why.00:01:45JackIt's so arbitrary. It's so dumb, like there's no reason for it. You know? It's like my why? Why, you know, don't be comfortable, you know.00:01:49XochitlAnd then there's.00:01:50XochitlA children.00:01:54XochitlYeah, yeah. There's a children's line 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.00:02:06JackYeah.00:02:07XochitlAnd 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.00:02:11JackYeah.00:02:16XochitlUM.00:02:18XochitlSo whatever.00:02:19JackI'll. I'll do it. I I don't really care. I I find that, like the least offensive of the of the table manner crimes. So you know when I'm eating, I'll. I'll probably do it. You know it it depends on where I am. If I'm in like a fancy schmancy.00:02:35JackWearing a tuxedo. OK, I'm going to follow the all the taper table manners. But you know, if I'm, like, eating at a friend's house and some, you know, the.00:02:46JackThey're.00:02:47JackThey don't really care. I'll. I'll. I'll put my elbows on the table.00:02:50XochitlYeah, I don't care if you're if you're, like, meeting your girlfriend or boyfriend's parents for the first time and they're 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. Some kind of formal event, then I would say, like, steer away from it because there's some people in the older generation.00:03:12XochitlLike boomers and older that still?00:03:14XochitlHair. But otherwise, if you're just at a casual house party or hang out with some friends at house warming or something, but it doesn't really matter, I don't think.00:03:24JackYeah. Keep your knees off the table. That's a bad thing. Yeah, your feet. Yeah. Don't put your feet on the table.00:03:27XochitlYeah, that's better. Your feet altered. The 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 yeah.00:03:37JackI know, and I've learned that the hard way, yeah.00:03:41XochitlI knew that already. Thank.00:03:43XochitlThank you, mom. Mexican mom.00:03:46XochitlTwo, 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 hits someone else.00:04:06JackOhh, right in there glass or something, you know?00:04:09XochitlOhh God are like in their face on their hand. It's just or in their plate. It's just it's so cringy. So you you want to avoid that and that's why it's like no one wants to see.00:04:20JackYeah, this is a tough one because you know what will happen is that as soon as you put take a bite of the food your you know your boyfriend or girlfriend's mother or father will ask you a question immediately.00:04:20발표자Your soup.00:04:31JackSo what do?00:04:32JackYou do for a living, and you've got this mouthful of mashed potatoes and the best thing you can do is you'd like social set, take a take a.00:04:40JackA napkin and put it up over.00:04:41JackMouth two. Finish, Swallow, take a little time and you know usually people will try not to ask you questions right as you're.00:04:51XochitlAlways happens, like always happens for me. I'll be like.00:04:53JackAll this.00:04:54JackYou know.00:04:56XochitlLike once I can please kind of thing like signaling that and 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 like yeah blah blah and just have my hand over my mouth.00:04:59JackYeah.00:05:13XochitlWhat's the other one using a coaster? Not every country has coasters because we yes, we use a lot of wood designs and like wood and tables and stuff.00:05:23JackWith tables, yeah, yeah.00:05:26XochitlYou your glass can sweat. We also have, like, a lot of cold drinks or hot drinks and so.00:05:32XochitlYour glass can sweat or or the bottom brim 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.00:05:53XochitlHas 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.00:06:03JackYeah, that's right. It leaves like a ring around the the wood and then they have to refinish the table.00:06:09XochitlYes.00:06:10JackI just. I just.00:06:11JackThought of a couple other ones, this is your pet peeve. Push your chair in after you're done.00:06:15XochitlYes, yes, yes and.00:06:17JackThat's good at it, yeah.00:06:19XochitlMake sure push your gear 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 anyway like.00:06:26JackRight, slurping noodles, right the. Yeah.00:06:30XochitlAll good. You know, like that the huge 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.00:06:46XochitlDon't make loud chewing noises like smacking like.00:06:50JackYeah, chew with your mouth closed and keep it as quiet as you possibly can. Like, that's basically the.00:06:50XochitlWe're like 15.00:06:56XochitlYeah.00:06:57XochitlBecause 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 misophonia.00:07:07XochitlOr something like.00:07:08XochitlThat I I'm not super super believe that's right. And when people.00:07:08JackOh, right.00:07:11JackThey get nauseous or sick from like food. Sounds like they can't take it, yeah.00:07:15XochitlSome people snacking. I honestly think that's.00:07:17XochitlIt's. I'm sorry. I think it's ridiculous.00:07:20JackYeah, they're just weak people, like. Yeah, they deserve the suffer. Yeah.00:07:23XochitlOhh your phone. You can. Yeah, but for some people it can be really serious. Like I 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.00:07:42JackOhh, one more. Uh, don't clean. Don't pick your teeth. No, no toothpicks.00:07:47XochitlOh well, sometimes there are toothpicks up, but.00:07:48JackAt the table that's.00:07:51XochitlDon'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 cringy.00:08:00JackWell, in Korean.00:08:01JackSometimes I'll I'll cover my mouth. You know you can cover your mouth and and do it, yeah.00:08:03XochitlYeah.00:08:05XochitlI think that could be OK my dad does that.00:08:10XochitlBut uh.00:08:13XochitlYes, it can be very cringy and.00:08:17JackYeah.00:08:18JackYou don't wanna you you wanna make a good impression with the, you know, with with.00:08:22JackYour, your, your yeah.00:08:22XochitlIf you are.00:08:24XochitlSeeing in laws 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. You know what? Yeah, it's not worth the risk to be in the bathroom or something. Yeah, I think that's fine. But no, if that is such a rude one.00:08:31JackNo, just take it into another, into the bathroom or something. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.00:08:41JackYeah.00:08:41XochitlUhm.00:08:43XochitlYou can go wrong quickly, so yeah.00:08:46XochitlI think that's pretty much.00:08:48XochitlIt I would say there are other ones like.00:08:50JackYeah. No, no, no. You know, body sounds, you know, like belting. Yeah.00:08:52발표자7.00:08:56XochitlBirthdays helping at the table. People try to keep their mouth closed and either cover their mouth like this or with a napkin. Like if you burp, you know, don't like burp loudly and.00:08:58JackRight, right.00:09:04JackHmm.00:09:07JackIt doesn't mean you're enjoying yourself, or it might mean you're enjoying yourself too much. You know you're too.00:09:10XochitlNo, it's.00:09:14XochitlYeah, people are definitely going to make a face at you if you burp at the table, so.00:09:20발표자Yeah.00:09:21XochitlYeah, I think those are those are it? Well, 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, in your culture, or what things are considered rude in your country, your culture, and even things specifically that you notice Americans doing like in movies or American.00:09:41JackYeah.00:09:42XochitlThat you have that are considered root in your culture. I'm I'm really interested to hear and know about that. I know in in Japan there's something that they say horse laugh.00:09:51XochitlAbout Americans, cause we laugh with our head back, like ha ha ha. Like there's like a horse. Yeah. So I I definitely do that horse laugh. Apparently in Japan is in play. You're supposed to, like, cover your mouth when you laugh and do kind of a dainty laughs.00:09:56JackI just. I just did it.00:09:57JackI'm like.00:10:07XochitlI have that boisterous laugh though.00:10:10JackYeah, that one's going to be hard to change. I don't know. I guess would just be the the horse. Laugher. Yeah.00:10:13XochitlYeah.00:10:16XochitlYeah. So yeah, just let us know what it's like in your in your country. I'm very curious to know.00:10:22XochitlLeave us a comment at A-Z englishpodcast.com it really helps with visibility. Also shoot us an e-mail at A-Z, englishpodcast@gmail.com, Jack and I would love to have an episode dedicated to talking about things that are rude in your culture and we can definitely do that through and it can be easier sometimes to sort through the emails than it is to sort through all your responses in the group chat.00:10:43XochitlAnd make sure to join the group chat, the we chat and the WhatsApp group so that you can talk to us directly. And we love chatting with you guys on there. See you guys next time. Bye bye.00:10:51JackBye bye.Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/culture-corner-table-manners/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ABecome a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review!https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7Intro/Outro Music: Daybird by Broke for Freehttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Directionless_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Directionless_EP_-_03_Day_Bird/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcodeSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy