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Introduction

Do you know the 'proper' way to behave during meals? And what would be the worst thing someone could do while eating? This episode is all about etiquette, what makes good table manners and what is considered rude! Phil and Pippa discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary.

This week's question

According to BBC programme The Food Chain, what was the most common complaint from listeners around the world about eating manners in their country?

a) people eating with their hands
b) people eating noisily
c) people burping at the table

Listen to the programme to hear the answer.

Vocabulary

dos and don'ts
rules about how you should and should not behave in a particular situation
 
first impression
the opinion you form about someone when you meet them for the first time
 
picky
used to describe someone who is too strict about rules
 
clink glasses
touch two drinking glasses together as a gesture of friendship
 
toast
show of respect for someone that involves holding up and drinking from a glass of alcohol
 
a no-no
(informal) something that is thought to be socially unsuitable or unacceptable

TRANSCRIPT

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript. 

Phil
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil.
 
Pippa
And I'm Pippa. In this episode, we're discussing etiquette – the rules about what makes polite behaviour – and in particular the dos and don'ts about what you should and shouldn't do when eating. So, Phil, what's the worst thing someone can do while eating, in your opinion?
 
Phil
For me, it's being very noisy when you do it. I can't stand it.
 
Pippa
Mmm. OK. I don't have too many rules about eating, but I was always told growing up that you shouldn't have your elbows on the table and I never really understood why, but I always remember that one. So, we'll be hearing more about mealtime manners from some college students and an expert on British etiquette. And, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases, all of which you can find on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
 
Phil
But first, I have a question for you, Pippa. Ideas about polite behaviour change a lot from country to country, so when BBC programme The Food Chain asked listeners from around the world about eating manners in their country, what do you think was the most common complaint? Was it:
 
a)    people eating with their hands,
b)    people eating noisily, or
c)    people burping at the table?
 
Pippa
Hmm. I don't think it's people eating with their hands, because lots of people around the world do that as, kind of, their normal way of eating, but maybe it's b) people eating noisily, I think. Like you mentioned, Phil, that's quite annoying.
 
Phil
Well, we'll find out the answer later in the programme. The Food Chain also interviewed students at London's City of Westminster College about family dinnertimes. Samuel is 19 and from Sierra Leone, and Aya is 18 and British but her family are from Iraq. Let's listen as they chat with BBC World Service's The Food Chain:
 
Samuel
Yeah, I would say first impressions really do matter because it also is really important how you portray yourself – how you present yourself to the person.
 
Aya
What I don't want to see is any loud chewing, or with your mouth open, please and thank you! I would like to see though eye contact, having a conversation, using your cutlery.  Sometimes – and I know this could be, like, picky for everyone else – but having a tissue or napkin on your lap just in case you spill anything.
 
Phil
The students think etiquette is important. Samuel says it's about making a good first impression. Your first impression is the opinion you form about someone when you meet them for the first time.
 
Pippa
For Aya, eating with your mouth open is definitely rude. She also thinks people should use a napkin, although that could be seen as picky. Picky here means being too strict about the rules.
 
Phil
For this group of students, showing respect and appreciation for the meal is very important, and this idea is common across most, if not all, cultures throughout history.
 
Pippa
So, imagine a scene from a TV show like Game of Thrones: two enemy forces have stopped fighting, made peace and now gather for a meal. The leaders clink glasses, meaning they lift up and touch drinks, and make a toast – they hold up a glass of alcohol and drink it to show respect.
 
Phil
Now, keep that image in mind because we're going to hear British etiquette coach Rupert Wesson explaining why people clink glasses. Here he is, talking to Ruth Alexander, presenter of BBC World Service programme The Food Chain:
 
Rupert Wesson
Perhaps the simplest example is, "Why do we clink glasses when we have a toast?" If you clink glasses, you're slopping a bit of your drink into his cup and he's slopping a bit of drink into your cup. And therefore, by having that toast you are showing: "Look I trust you. You trust me." And that's why we do it.
 
Ruth Alexander
If you've poisoned my drink that's now slopped into your cup, you won't drink it.
 
Rupert Wesson
Correct.
 
Ruth Alexander
Hats at the table – we're hearing from BBC World Service listeners that that is a no-no. Is that right?
 
Rupert
It's not something I would do. In fact, I would not be wearing a hat inside anyway.
 
Pippa
So, Phil, when we clink glasses in a toast, some of my drink might spill into your glass and some of your drink might spill into mine. Historically, this mixing of drinks was a way of proving the drinks were not poisoned.
 
Phil
Ruth also asks about wearing hats at the table and Rupert calls this a no-no. A no-no is an informal phrase for something that is considered socially unacceptable.
 
Pippa
Etiquette varies a lot over time and culture, but the essential point is always to show appreciation by doing some things and avoiding others. And speaking of things to avoid, what was the answer to your question, Phil?
 
Phil
OK. Well, I asked you what listeners of the food chain thought was the biggest etiquette problem when people are eating. You said that it was people eating noisily and I can reveal… that's the right answer! It was people eating noisily. OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned about mealtime dos and don'ts – rules about how you should and shouldn't behave.
 
Pippa
Your first impression of someone is the opinion you form when meeting them for the first time.
 
Phil
The word picky is used to describe someone who is too strict about rules.
 
Pippa
If you clink glasses,you touch two drinking glasses together as a gesture of friendship, probably because you're making a toast – a show of respect that involves drinking from a glass of alcohol.
 
Phil
And finally, a no-no is an informal word for something considered socially unacceptable.  Once again, our six minutes are up, but if you'd like to find out more about dining etiquette then head over to our website, bbclearningenglish.com, to download a programme worksheet and try the quiz. See you again soon, but for now, it's goodbye!
 
Pippa
Bye!

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