Cross boarder cuisines and table manners

How important is food? In general, Dutch do not attach much importance to food. Although the essence of food differs in the south from the north (The south is more exuberant set) compared to other countries in the world, the Dutch table manners are not as specific or related to food.  To me that's a shame - I love food! During my traveling I got interested in the different habits & traditions concerning food and manners. I always try t learn the most important habits.


In Morocco people share their dinner on one big plate. Men and women eat separately. I really enjoyed the Tajine - earthenware pot in which food is cooked. Moroccan use a lot of delicious ingredients and dried fruit. They eat a lot of sweets after dinner, but their meals are pretty healthy.
Italians love food! The Italian kitchen is famous for the freshness of the ingredients. What I really like about the Italian kitchen is the simplicity and pureness. Not that all dishes are that easy to prepare actually. Italians live to eat. They have contributed enormously to the culinary world: pasta, pizza, ice-cream. If I think of Italy and dinner, I see a big table with more than one family around it. Grandma has been in the kitchen the whole day and she is the best cook there is.
The Jordanian cuisine has many influences from the Arabic cuisine. Hummus, mansaf are popular dishes. Like in Morocco, people share the food on one plate. Do not expect culinary highlights of the Jordanian, although they do know a lot of variety in vegetables and lamb dishes. For more complicated meals you should go to restaurants. 
The Indonesian kitchen knows a lot of own recipes, which are prepared with special spices.   It is important to know with which hand you should eat - the left hand is unclean. To eat with your hands is very common in this country. The same as in the Arabic countries. 
The Spanish with their tapas are of course a population pre-eminently who share their food. Their main meal is lunch. during the evening they have a light meal. And the Spanish love to linger. 
Also in Surinam people love to eat. Every event is an opportunity to cook extensively. The difference between population groups you'll find again in the diversity of the Surinam kitchen. Surinamese love to share the food with everybody who is passing by. They always prepare much more than needed, But this phenomenon is also know in Asia and in the Caribbean for example.
Thai don't eat (as we used to) three times a day. Thai eat when they feel like it. Usually in small portions but about seven times a day. Thai food is a delight. There are no strict rules that you need to consider. Thai don't not use the knife. They always eat with a fork (left) and spoon (right hand). I love the coconut and vegetables they use. Their dishes can be quite cheap and easy to prepare but so tasty. 
In France, there is almost nothing more important than food. For the French, a meal is not only to still hunger but also to relax and extensive conversation. After a good meal and a glass of wine each topic can be discussed and every favor asked.


Dutch have some own dishes and I'm convinced that we have our own kitchen; all kinds of variety in mashed potatoes for example. We know cold winters so it's important to have  solid food that keeps you warm. The table manners we know are more about politeness than that there are stories and history behind them. Where in China it is acceptable and even polite to burb, in NL that is very intolerant. And even very difficult to adapt to I must say. Where in the USA people eat only with their right hand and leave their left one on their lap, it is impolite in NL to not eat with both fork and knife. Or at least keep both hands above the table.


I could go on for ages, but this was just a trigger to go and find out yourself. As mentioned different countries and cultures know comparable table manners, but if you take a closer look and dive into the history you'll find different interesting stories.