The correct etiquette for

eating out around the world

Watch
Your Table
Manners BY MICHAEL KALLINGER

IF YOU’RE TRAVELING ABROAD, whether for business or

pleasure. sooner or later you will find yourself in a local restaurant.
The correct etiquette for dining out can be just as diverse and
confusing as the options on the menu, so I asked my Reader’s Digest
colleagues around the world for advice. In the following pages, I
share with you their dos and don’ts for visitors to their countries.

76 | 04đ2018 ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAN BAZING

 EUROPE Today, the multitude of coffees on
offer in Austria can be daunting for
Austria: No such thing visitors. “Never just order ‘a coffee’;
as “just coffee” the waiter will expect you to be more
Vienna is the unofficial coffeehouse specific,” says Gerd Grabul from our
capital of the world. The first one was Vienna bureau. Choose from a kleiner
opened in 1685 by an Armenian mer- Brauner (espresso with a dash of milk),
chant from Istanbul named Johannes a großer Schwarzer (double espresso),
Diodato. a Fiaker (espresso with whipped cream

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READER’S DIGEST

and a shot of rum), an Einspänner (es- France: As madam pleases

presso with plenty of whipped cream), In the land of Michelin and Gault &
a Verlängerter (equal measures of es- Millau, people don’t only insist on out-
presso and hot water), or a Kapuziner standing food and fine wines—they
(with a shot of cream). also set great store by impeccable table
If you also treat yourself to a serving manners, at least in up-market restau-
of apple strudel or Sacher torte, you rants. “Never put your elbows on the
will soon understand why people love table—and it is the fork that goes to the
going to Viennese coffeehouses but mouth, not the mouth to the fork,” says
are so reluctant to leave! Stéphane Calmeyn, editor-in-chief of
our French edition.
Finland: Not the cheapest The French are old-fashioned about
place to eat out paying the bill, too. “It’s usually the
The Nanny State Index 2017, an initia- man who pays,” says Calmeyn. “In
tive of the European Policy Information expensive restaurants, women are of-

“In expensive restaurants in France, women are

often given a menu with no prices. The men pay.”
STÉPHANE CALMEYN, Editor-in- Chief, Reader ’s Digest F rance

Center, rates Finland as the worst coun- ten given a menu with no prices. The
try “to eat, drink, and smoke,” because of men pay. If she wants an aperitif or a
high prices. “Finland has the highest al- starter, then he will order one, too.”
cohol taxes in Europe,” says Ilkka Virta-
nen, editor-in-chief of our Finnish edi- Germany: Don’t wait
tion. “The fact that staff are paid a higher to be seated
rate for working late hours and week- It is perfectly acceptable to choose
ends also pushes restaurant prices up.” your own table. “Particularly at lunch-
As a result, in Finland you are not time, and in none-too-fancy restau-
expected to tip the waiter, although rants, choosing any seat you like is
you may wish to round up the bill. still widely practiced,” says Doris Ko-
Hanna Immonen, managing editor chanek, executive editor of our Ger-
of our Helsinki bureau, has a tip for man edition. Tables that have been
pet owners—or people who are aller- booked in advance will be marked
gic to dog hair. “There is usually a sign with a “Reserviert” sign. “Steer clear of
on the door saying if dogs are allowed those and the Stammtisch, the regu-
inside the restaurant.” lars’ table found in many rural inns,”

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adds Kochanek. That is where (mostly The Netherlands: Give the
male) locals swig the famous German local food a miss
beer and play cards. The candid counsel provided by Paul
“A custom that has many of my in- Robert, editor-in-chief of our Dutch
ternational colleagues shaking their edition, may not go down well with his
heads is the splitting of the bill,” she fellow countrymen. “Don’t ask for typi-
says. Once you ask to pay, most wait- cal Dutch food,” he warns foreign visi-
ers will ask you whether you want tors, “except for a taste of our fantastic
the bill as a single sum or separately. honey-filled stroopwafels and a bite of
“Unless the patrons are a family or a smoked eel, a true delicacy.”
couple, paying separately is fine.” In any case, there are only a hand-
ful of restaurants that serve traditional
Italy: No spoons please Dutch cuisine. “In the last 30 years, a
How to eat spaghetti—with or with- fantastic food culture has evolved that
out a spoon? There is only one correct combines influences from all over the
way. “Adults, at least, should use only world,” adds Robert. “But if you really
a fork. You neatly wind the spaghetti must taste a Dutch endive stew with
around it on the side of your plate,” smoked sausage and mustard, get
says our Italian translator Mario Gi- yourself invited to a private home.”
acchetta. “It does take a little practice,
but you soon get the hang of it.” The Norway: It helps to
one thing that is worse than using a have long arms
spoon is using a knife. “Cutting up Whereas in some countries, reaching
your spaghetti is an absolute no-no,” across the table is frowned upon, in
says Mario. Norway it is perfectly acceptable to

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READER’S DIGEST

lean across someone to get the salt, pick in a Lisbon restaurant: “Our Portu-
pepper or butter. “We call it ‘Norwegian guese friends were really shocked.”
arms’,” explains Carina Mælen of our Mário Costa, editor-in-chief of our
Norwegian edition. The custom means Portuguese edition, has this advice:
you aren’t constantly pestering other “Never use a toothpick at the table in
guests to pass you this or that. Portugal, not even if you hide it behind
Another thing you are allowed to your hand.”
do is toast with an empty glass. Not
because alcohol is so expensive in Spain: A time and place
Norway, but “because a toast is con- to split the bill
sidered a symbolic action, and there When you enter a bar or restaurant in
is no need to always wait until every Spain, the waiter will usually show you
last person has filled their glass,” says to a table, so don’t just barge through
Mælen. and sit wherever you like. Under no cir-
cumstances should you ask other cus-
Poland: The gentleman tomers if you can join them at their
always pays table. “There are one or two special
There are some unspoken rules for din- pubs where you can do this, but it is far
ers in Polish restaurants. “Because they from common,” says Natalia Alonso,
make most of their profit from the editor-in-chief of our Spanish edition.
drinks, there is a certain amount of gen- When it comes to paying, different
tle pressure to order a cold drink with regions have different traditions. “You
your meal and a coffee or tea to finish,” normally only split the bill for big fam-
explains Piotr Wierzbowski, edi- ily or friends meals,” says Alonso, who
tor-in-chief of our Polish publications. lives in Madrid. “In Catalonia people
“It’s perfectly OK to split the bill, but if generally split the bill, whereas in An-
possible you should warn the waiter dalusia it is more common that some-
when you order. However, if you are a one buys the first round and later
man dining out with a woman, you will someone else does so.”
be expected to pay the bill yourself.”
Switzerland: Fondues
Portugal: Never pick your are for winter
teeth at the table Chocolate and cheese are two foods that
The Portuguese are an easygoing people Switzerland is known for worldwide.
who are very tolerant of foreign visitors’ “But Switzerland’s famous cheese fon-
ways. But this tolerance suddenly evap- due is only ever eaten in winter,” says Al-
orates if you start picking your teeth at exander VitoliÇ, executive editor at
the table. Hanna Immonen remembers Reader’s Digest Switzerland. It is served
the time she asked the waiter for a tooth- with white bread and boiled potatoes

80 | 04đ2018
accompanied by tea or white wine— THE AMERICAS
never red wine. If you are a fan of melted
cheese, you can always order a raclette Argentina: Privacy is sacred
at warmer times of the year. You won’t catch anyone sharing a table
with strangers in an Argentinian res-
U.K.: Restaurant taurant. “That would go completely
intelligence against the privacy that people expect
Alex Finer, editor-in-chief of our Euro- when they go out for a meal together,”
pean bureau in London, has a tip for says Daniel Weigandt, editor-in-chief
booking a table at a British restaurant. of our Argentinian edition. “The rule
“Announce your name on the phone, even applies in fast-food chains!”
as if you are a regular customer, and re- Tipping is mandatory in Argen-
quest a good table. If you are still given tina, although the amount depends
a table next to the toilets, ask to be on the service. “If you have to wait
moved to another one of your choice. more than 30 minutes for your order,
Or simply leave the restaurant.” it is seen as a sign that the chef can’t
A similarly proactive attitude be very good,” says Weigandt. “By the

“Splitting the restaurant bill is commonplace

in Brazil, even if you’ve invited friends.”
RAQUEL ZAMPIL, Editor-in- Chief, Rea der ’s Dige st Brazil

comes in handy when a restaurant same token, if your food arrives on

adds an “optional service charge” of the table in under 15 minutes, people
10 to 12 percent to your bill. “It takes will suspect that it hasn’t been freshly
a bold diner to remove this before cooked.”
paying, even if you’ve had indifferent Invited to a private home for
service,” says Finer. dinner? “Whatever you do, don’t be
If you want to make sure your early or even punctual. Ideally, you
waiter receives a tip, and you are should get there 10 to 15 minutes
paying by credit card, ask whether late. And don’t forget to bring a gift for
the service charge will go directly to the host!”
your waiter as a tip.
“If it doesn’t, pay the bill on your Brazil: Collect your bottles
card without the service charge and Splitting the bill? “That’s commonplace
leave what you consider to be an ap- in Brazil,” says Raquel Zampil, edi-
propriate cash tip.” tor-in-chief of our Brazilian edition. “In

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READER’S DIGEST

many restaurants, the bill is already dining traditions is ‘bring your own,’”
equally divided by the number of peo- says Greg Barton, humor editor, Read-
ple in your party when they bring it to er’s Digest Australia. “Customers can
you.” In many Brazilian bars, people bring their own alcoholic drinks with
traditionally keep track of how much them to the restaurant, although this is
they owe. “When you go out in a large most commonly limited to wine only.”
group, you collect your empty bottles Restaurants make some money
under or next to the table, so that you by charging “corkage,” which usu-
can simply count them up at the end of ally comes to between four and eight
the night,” says Zampil. Australian dollars per person. “It’s
left to restaurants to determine their
U.S.A.: Don’t forget to tip own corkage fee,” says Greg. “While
Tipping has always been a tricky issue for some don’t charge anything at all, fan-
travelers to the United States. Tradition- cier foodie hotspots have been known
ally, the understanding has been that the to hit you for $30 to $50 a bottle.” In-
waitstaff in most local restaurants are so quire beforehand, so that the cheap
reliant on tips to make up their pay that bottle that you dug out of the cellar
these are only notionally optional. at home doesn’t suddenly cost you
“The standard in the U.S. has long a fortune.
been to add 15 to 20 percent to the final
bill as a tip,” says Thomas Dobrowolski, ASIA
global rights manager of our U.S. busi-
ness. “But in certain tourist destina- India: Careful with
tions, such as Miami Beach, a tip is now that bowl
almost universally added to the bill by At the end of a meal in a restaurant that
the restaurant, usually in the amount of serves traditional Indian food, the
18 percent.” Don’t accidentally tip twice! waiter might place bowls containing
Once they have cut up their food, most warm water and a lemon slice next to
Americans put down the knife and switch each diner. These are not some sort of
the fork to their right hand. But be care- Ayurvedic after-dinner drinks! “They
ful to keep your left hand hidden from are finger bowls, as many local patrons
view if you’re not using it. Resting your prefer to use their hands to eat Indian
hand—or worse still, your entire arm— food,” explains Gagan Dhillon, contrib-
on the table is the height of bad manners! uting editor with our Indian edition in
Noida, near New Delhi.
AUSTRALIA “When it comes to paying, get ready
for a battle of ‘who’ll pay the bill’ or at
Australia: Bring your own least a brief tussle, especially if you have
“One of the greatest of all Australian been invited for a meal,” says Chitra

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Subramanyam, deputy editor. “If your conversation and then raise your glass
host insists on paying—which he or and say ‘To you’,” explains Chang.
she will—it is best to graciously thank
them. If you would like to split the bill, Thailand: Show your
settle that question beforehand.” appreciation
It’s always a nice gesture to know some
Taiwan: Do not rap words and phrases in the local language.
on your glass In Thailand, the words you need to
“For the Chinese, eating together is know are “Mai pet kah” for the ladies
about strengthening bonds and rela- and “Mai pet krap” for the gentlemen.
tionships,” says Raycine Chang, man- They mean “Not hot, please.” If you like
aging editor of the Chinese edition, Tai- to breathe a bit of fire after eating, give
wan. “We like meals to be as happy and “Ped nid noi kah/krap” a try.
casual as possible.” “Show that you appreciate the fine
If you should feel the need to food you’ve been served,” says re-
make a toast in China you may. Do nowned illustrator Ingo Fast, who lives
avoid rapping on your glass, though, in Thailand. “Make a bit of noise
to catch the others’ attention. That munching and smacking your lips.”
would be inappropriate behavior in Too shy to do that? Well then, there is
China, because in the old days, street another phrase you should know: “Aroi
beggars would often rap their bowls mak mak—really delicious!”
asking for food. “If you want to ex-
press your gratitude toward your host, Michael Kallinger is editor-in-chief of our
for example, you would involve him in German edition.

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