Vietnamese Etiquette Lesson #3



It's very polite, as well as somewhat hygienic, to wipe other people's bowls and chopsticks before eating. I think it's quite a nice gesture, to take someone's bowl, wipe it out with a napkin, and then select some chopsticks from the stand and wipe these, before placing them in front of the person. I think it appears to be/is very considerate.
In addition, it is nice to serve other people at the table, as per western custom. Quite often, the oldest woman, or most senior person at the table, tends to take this role, and serve to the other people at the table.
No-one ever eats in the western fashion of different dishes for everyone. It's all shared and participated in by everyone. I guess if dishes you don't like are presented, you just avoid them as much as you can.
Since everyone eats the same things, menu selection is different as well. Many people just opt out of the process, relying on older, more senior, more interested people to place the order.
I wonder what it would be like eating the same as everyone else all the time. One of the pleasures of restaurant eating in Australia is to be able to select the perfect dish for you at the time, regardless of anyone else!

Posted: Wed - September 28, 2005 at 07:51 PM          

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