According to a report from the Journal of Food Safety, all of China is going to the hospital in a hand basket, and it's a wonder we've even survived this long. We chopstick-using, communal-dish-sharing, germ-spreading devotees are guilty of ruthless, non-stop, everyday "double dipping." Astonishingly, this food safety report was inspired by the Seinfeld episode in which George Costanza is castigated for dipping a chip twice. Naturally, a group of U.S. scientists decided to investigate the germ-spreading potential of "double-dipping." They concluded that germs were indeed spread into the foods, giving factual back-up to the insult flung at George, "That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip!"

This news clip, circulated a few months ago in the U.S., inspired my musings on eating habits in China versus the West. I pondered the fact that there are few casual Chinese meals I have ever attended in which the entire table of guests did not use their own chopsticks to repeatedly take food from shared dishes revolving on the ubiquitous Lazy Susan. It follows that by the middle of each meal, our communal germs are having a regular shindig in every single dish. Yet, we still manage to get up in the morning and go about our day, and, somehow, the entire population of China has managed to multiply in a most efficient manner.

Differences in dining etiquette have been on my mind thanks to a recent talk show I participated in for ICS. On the show, our panel of three foodie-types discussed Chinese and Western eating habits. A Chinese guest who had lived in France for several years asked, "I am still confused, what do I do with my utensils when I'm finished with my food?" I added, "I also get mixed up sometimes about which bread plate is mine!" The host said, "It's improper to make a slurping sound when eating noodles in the West, but in Japan, it's considered complimentary to the chef." We concluded that you must keep an open mind, a modest attitude and a sense of humor at the table, no matter what country you're in.

Differences in eating habits are fun to discuss and chuckle about, but I think it doesn't take too long to get used to new manners. I remember my disbelief when I first came to China and saw friends spitting bones or seeds directly onto the table in casual restaurants or at home. Before long, I was depositing indigestible bits beside my plate as well (discreetly, of course). I also adopted the habit of holding my rice bowl above the table while I scooped up mouthfuls with chopsticks. I found I had soon absorbed a new system of eating, different and separate from what I would practice in a Western restaurant. Back in the U.S., I would not tap the table to signal thanks to a friend for pouring me a drink, I would not pick up my bowl to drink my soup directly.

When moving between cultures, we all make both large and minute changes in our behavior often without consciously noting it. I think attitudes around food are one area in which almost everyone adopts a shifting set of behaviors when traveling between cultures and even different restaurants. I've also had Chinese friends tell me they were intimidated by the environment of fancy Western restaurants, fearing they'd make some egregious face-losing faux pas.

Ideally, I hope we won't make value judgments on cultures based on table manners, but rather approach our food with gusto, whether Asian or Western, and enjoin our dining companions to relax, observe, enjoy the food and not worry too much about the tablecloth.

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