The A to Z English Podcast Culture Corner | Table Manners
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In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl an Jack talk about table manners in America.
Transcript:
00:00:00
Jack
Hey A-Z listeners, this is Jack here.
00:00:03
Jack
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00:00:23
Jack
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00:00:42
Jack
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00:00:44
Jack
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00:00:52
Jack
Now let's get on with the show.
00:00:55
Jack
Welcome 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.
00:01:14
Jack
We kind of made a list of five kind of golden rules and uh, what? What are they? So. So what's #1?
00:01:22
Xochitl
Don'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.
00:01:28
Jack
Yeah.
00:01:42
Xochitl
It's just considered rude for some reason. I'm not really sure why.
00:01:45
Jack
It'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.
00:01:49
Xochitl
And then there's.
00:01:50
Xochitl
A children.
00:01:54
Xochitl
Yeah, 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.
00:02:06
Jack
Yeah.
00:02:07
Xochitl
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.
00:02:11
Jack
Yeah.
00:02:16
Xochitl
UM.
00:02:18
Xochitl
So whatever.
00:02:19
Jack
I'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.
00:02:35
Jack
Wearing 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.
00:02:46
Jack
They're.
00:02:47
Jack
They don't really care. I'll. I'll. I'll put my elbows on the table.
00:02:50
Xochitl
Yeah, 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.
00:03:12
Xochitl
Like boomers and older that still?
00:03:14
Xochitl
Hair. 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.
00:03:24
Jack
Yeah. Keep your knees off the table. That's a bad thing. Yeah, your feet. Yeah. Don't put your feet on the table.
00:03:27
Xochitl
Yeah, 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.
00:03:37
Jack
I know, and I've learned that the hard way, yeah.
00:03:41
Xochitl
I knew that already. Thank.
00:03:43
Xochitl
Thank you, mom. Mexican mom.
00:03:46
Xochitl
Two, 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.
00:04:06
Jack
Ohh, right in there glass or something, you know?
00:04:09
Xochitl
Ohh 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.
00:04:20
Jack
Yeah, 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.
00:04:20
발표자
Your soup.
00:04:31
Jack
So what do?
00:04:32
Jack
You 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.
00:04:40
Jack
A napkin and put it up over.
00:04:41
Jack
Mouth two. Finish, Swallow, take a little time and you know usually people will try not to ask you questions right as you're.
00:04:51
Xochitl
Always happens, like always happens for me. I'll be like.
00:04:53
Jack
All this.
00:04:54
Jack
You know.
00:04:56
Xochitl
Like 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.
00:04:59
Jack
Yeah.
00:05:13
Xochitl
What'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.
00:05:23
Jack
With tables, yeah, yeah.
00:05:26
Xochitl
You your glass can sweat. We also have, like, a lot of cold drinks or hot drinks and so.
00:05:32
Xochitl
Your 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.
00:05:53
Xochitl
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.
00:06:03
Jack
Yeah, that's right. It leaves like a ring around the the wood and then they have to refinish the table.
00:06:09
Xochitl
Yes.
00:06:10
Jack
I just. I just.
00:06:11
Jack
Thought of a couple other ones, this is your pet peeve. Push your chair in after you're done.
00:06:15
Xochitl
Yes, yes, yes and.
00:06:17
Jack
That's good at it, yeah.
00:06:19
Xochitl
Make 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.
00:06:26
Jack
Right, slurping noodles, right the. Yeah.
00:06:30
Xochitl
All 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.
00:06:46
Xochitl
Don't make loud chewing noises like smacking like.
00:06:50
Jack
Yeah, chew with your mouth closed and keep it as quiet as you possibly can. Like, that's basically the.
00:06:50
Xochitl
We're like 15.
00:06:56
Xochitl
Yeah.
00:06:57
Xochitl
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 misophonia.
00:07:07
Xochitl
Or something like.
00:07:08
Xochitl
That I I'm not super super believe that's right. And when people.
00:07:08
Jack
Oh, right.
00:07:11
Jack
They get nauseous or sick from like food. Sounds like they can't take it, yeah.
00:07:15
Xochitl
Some people snacking. I honestly think that's.
00:07:17
Xochitl
It's. I'm sorry. I think it's ridiculous.
00:07:20
Jack
Yeah, they're just weak people, like. Yeah, they deserve the suffer. Yeah.
00:07:23
Xochitl
Ohh 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.
00:07:42
Jack
Ohh, one more. Uh, don't clean. Don't pick your teeth. No, no toothpicks.
00:07:47
Xochitl
Oh well, sometimes there are toothpicks up, but.
00:07:48
Jack
At the table that's.
00:07:51
Xochitl
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 cringy.
00:08:00
Jack
Well, in Korean.
00:08:01
Jack
Sometimes I'll I'll cover my mouth. You know you can cover your mouth and and do it, yeah.
00:08:03
Xochitl
Yeah.
00:08:05
Xochitl
I think that could be OK my dad does that.
00:08:10
Xochitl
But uh.
00:08:13
Xochitl
Yes, it can be very cringy and.
00:08:17
Jack
Yeah.
00:08:18
Jack
You don't wanna you you wanna make a good impression with the, you know, with with.
00:08:22
Jack
Your, your, your yeah.
00:08:22
Xochitl
If you are.
00:08:24
Xochitl
Seeing 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.
00:08:31
Jack
No, just take it into another, into the bathroom or something. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
00:08:41
Jack
Yeah.
00:08:41
Xochitl
Uhm.
00:08:43
Xochitl
You can go wrong quickly, so yeah.
00:08:46
Xochitl
I think that's pretty much.
00:08:48
Xochitl
It I would say there are other ones like.
00:08:50
Jack
Yeah. No, no, no. You know, body sounds, you know, like belting. Yeah.
00:08:52
발표자
7.
00:08:56
Xochitl
Birthdays 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.
00:08:58
Jack
Right, right.
00:09:04
Jack
Hmm.
00:09:07
Jack
It doesn't mean you're enjoying yourself, or it might mean you're enjoying yourself too much. You know you're too.
00:09:10
Xochitl
No, it's.
00:09:14
Xochitl
Yeah, people are definitely going to make a face at you if you burp at the table, so.
00:09:20
발표자
Yeah.
00:09:21
Xochitl
Yeah, 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.
00:09:41
Jack
Yeah.
00:09:42
Xochitl
That 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.
00:09:51
Xochitl
About 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.
00:09:56
Jack
I just. I just did it.
00:09:57
Jack
I'm like.
00:10:07
Xochitl
I have that boisterous laugh though.
00:10:10
Jack
Yeah, that one's going to be hard to change. I don't know. I guess would just be the the horse. Laugher. Yeah.
00:10:13
Xochitl
Yeah.
00:10:16
Xochitl
Yeah. So yeah, just let us know what it's like in your in your country. I'm very curious to know.
00:10:22
Xochitl
Leave 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.
00:10:43
Xochitl
And 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.
00:10:51
Jack
Bye bye.
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