Talking Over Dinner 就餐時談話

Where It's Offensive: Africa, Japan, Thailand, China, Finland.

禁忌地：非洲、日本、泰國、芬蘭

What's Offensive 禁忌:

In some countries, like China, Japan, and some African nations, the food's the thing, so don't start chatting about your day's adventures while everyone else is digging into dinner. You'll likely be met with silence--not because your group is unfriendly, but because mealtimes are for eating, not talking. Also avoid conversations in places a country might consider sacred or reflective--churches in Europe, temples in Thailand, and saunas in Finland.

在日本和一些非洲國家，吃飯就是吃飯，所以當其他人都在大快朵頤時，不要談論你當天的經歷。你可能會遭遇沉默——這并非你的同伴不友好，而是因為就餐時間只應吃飯，無需交談。也要避免在一些被認為是神圣或需要沉思的地方談話——比如歐洲的教堂、泰國的廟宇和芬蘭的桑拿浴室。

What You Should Do Instead 對策:

Keep quiet! 保持沉默！