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Experimental typography exploring the relationship of food and culture.
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VENTURING OUTSIDE
THE HALF GALLON QUARTER ACRE
PAVLOVA PARADISE
HI.This is a snippet of my travel stories.
It shows how my experience with
different cultures (and the food
etiquette I have learnt along the
way), has helped me through some
interesting situations. Have fun reading!
THAT’S ME...ABOUT TO MISS MY FLIGHT
AGAIN!You would have thought I’d have learnt by
now. Thirty countries in three years and I still
can’t make it to the airport on time.
Lucky for me the guys on check-in sneaked
me past the queue. Must have been my
charming personality.
OR MAYBE...IT WAS THE PROMISE OF A
FEW BEERSTHE NEXT WEEKEND
EITHER WAYI WAS READY TO TAKE ON THE
TOP DOGSOF JAPAN AND MAKE SOME
SPEEDYBUSINESS DEALS
Feeling slightly jet lagged and craving
bed, I arrived in Japan. With only a
change of clothes and some scribbled,
barely legible directions...
I KNEWTHIS WOULD BE
ONEINTERESTING TRIP
You may not think so but I can
scrub up pretty well. I put on
my Sunday best, sprayed some
expensive cologne and called a
taxi. I was heading down town
to meet with the corporate big
boys of Japan.
OPPORTUNITYTHIS WAS MY
TO CLIMBTHE CORPORATE LADDER
I had instructions to meet at some local
Teppanyaki restaurant. What I didn’t
realize was what they meant by “local”.
Here I was, alone, facing a dark and narrow
alleyway. Apparently the restaurant was
through a side door to the left. I pushed
open the door and found myself in busy
and authentic Teppanyaki restaurant.
THIS WAS
THE WAY THE LOCALS DO IT
TRUEDINING OUT
A big, burly businessman, you wouldn’t
want to cross in a million years. I shook
his hand and we swapped business cards.
I took a quick traditional bow and we
headed to our seat by the Teppanyaki grill.
IN FRONT OF ME WAS
MY HOSTSomething I learnt a few years back.
Make sure you wait to be directed to your
seat. In Japan, seating arrangements are
determined by status. Trust me, it’s not a
good idea to get this wrong!
HERE’S MY
FIRST TIP
The waitress came over and took our order,
cutting our conversation short.
AFTER SOME
CHIT CHAT
Thank god for the topic change! The
guy was starting to ask some pretty
personal questions. Apparently this is
common in Japan.
SO DON’T BE OFFENDEDIF IT EVER HAPPENS
TO YOU
The thing about Teppanyaki restaurants is that
you literally get to see your meal prepared
from start to finish. The chefs are mad! Knives
and food fly everywhere. It makes the whole
experience like some sort of show.
This time we were seated so close
I could have sworn those knives
were but an inch from my face. It
was one of the most exciting things
I’d experienced in a long time.
TIMEEVEN BETTER THAN THE
WHEN I WRESTLED WITH A
CROCODILE
My food came out first but I had to wait
until my host was served before eating.
Just another Japanese custom you should
know! Once he was served I said the
traditional phrase...
ITADAKIMASU-
RECEIVEI GRATEFULLY
It seemed to do the trick. He looked
impressed that I took the time to
learn about his traditions.
I picked up my chopsticks and began eating. My
chopstick skills may not have been the best, but with a
“fake it until you make it” attitude I knew I could get by.
As a rule I made sure I didn’t wave them around or point
with them. This is a big “no, no” in Japanese culture.
Another thing you should know, chopsticks should
be held towards the end rather than the middle. This
time I slipped up a few times. But by my good luck, my
business associate didn’t notice.
I THINK HE WAS
MUCHENJOYING
THE FOOD TOO
WE WRAPPED UP OUR MEAL
And finished our business
negotiations. I placed the dishes
back in the position they were in
at the start of the meal.
TONIGHTHAD BEEN A
SUCCESSThat night, the food became the middle ground
for our business deal. It really helped show him
that I appreciated and understood his culture. I
had scored myself a foot in the door. All thanks to
a bit of food etiquette experience.
-
This I was pretty nervous about.
My partner had insisted that
I come with her to a wedding
over in Italy. I had said yes to her
without giving it much thought.
There I was, half an hour before
boarding my flight and it hit me.
NEXT CHALLENGE-
IN ITALYTHE IN LAWS
I was going to have to meet the
whole family when I went to her
parents for lunch. Aunts, uncles,
bothers and sisters! I started
freaking out to say the least.
I needed something to calm my nerves.
Drinking my coffee I realized something.
If I could create a mental catalogue of
facts about her family I might be able
to have some sort of chance at winning
them over. I went over all the stuff I knew
about her Italian family. Unfortunately the
more I learnt, the more I felt inadequate
to master the social situation of meeting
them all! I took a deep breath and finished
my coffee. If I came out of this alive, I
could do anything.
I DECIDEDTO GET A
COFFEEAT THE AIRPORT
I was tired but the flight had done
me good. I had managed to chill
out about meeting the family. I
knew that my skills with meeting
new people would help me out
as well as the experiences I had
had with Italian culture before.
I found the house OK. From the
driveway I could hear the tell-tail
signs of a celebration. At least it
seemed to be a relaxed and happy
environment!
From what I had heard Italians
are generally tolerant of others’
uniqueness and manners. They will
mostly tolerate sincere mistakes,
but dislike arrogance and rudeness.
With this in mind I knew I could
get by on the basic etiquette
knowledge as long as I was polite
and gave it my best shot.
I TOUCHEDDOWN IN ITALY
I walked up the driveway and was welcomed by a huge
family. We were in southern Italy so I greeted them all
with a kiss on the cheek. Don’t make the mistake of doing
this in Northern Italy though. Men are only supposed to
kiss very close friends or relatives.
THIS WAS
IT!
I also called them by their last names
and made sure I used “Signore” and
“Signora” but they invited me to call
them by their first names. That’s a tip
I picked up when I was in Italy last. It
gave me brownie points...
AND SHOWEDTHEM THAT I WASN’T TOTALLY
CLUELESS
It was a funny concept having your
main meal in the middle of the day
but it was customary for Italians. I
waited until the host sat down before
I took my seat. This is something you
should always do in Italy!
IT WAS
LUNCH TIMEFINALLY
I COULDN’T BELIEVE
HOW MUCHTHIS FAMILY COULD EAT
I was careful to use my fork rather
than my spoon to eat the pasta
though. Just helpful hint if you ever
dine out with Italians.
A TRUCKLOADEATINGI ENDED UP
OF PASTA
We ate and drank the afternoon
away. I was taken by surprise. The
Italian family wasn’t nearly as scary
as I thought they would be. The cat
even joined us at the table.
Just a bit of advice though. Don’t get
caught with your hands under the
table. In Italy you should always keep
your hands above the table. Luck
for me, my partner pointed this out
before her parents had noticed.
JUST A BIT OF
ADVICE
But somehow I had pulled through.
Not only had I got in with in laws but
I had also pleased the girlfriend! I had
shown them that I respected their
culture though the food etiquette
I knew. It’s funny how a little bit of
knowledge can go a long way.
It was finally time to go home. I was
looking forward to being in my home
country where it wasn’t so hard to
remember the customs of cultures.
I HAD BEENTESTED TODAY
I had promised my mates that I
would come to theirs for a Barbie
on the Saturday night. It was chance
for me to unwind and chill out. I also
knew there would be a fair bit of
skiting about my recent adventures.
CAN YOU
BLAME METHOUGH?
Perfect for a summer evening.
With a casual high five I
greeted my friends. I had
bought a box of beer and out
of share politeness shared
them with the host of the
night. Trust me, I would have
rather drunk them all myself.
If you got to a BBQ make
sure you bring along some
meat too. I had bought along
some sausages and a salad
the girlfriend had kindly made
me. (Told you I had got on her
good side).
I WAS OFF TO A HOUSE
THAT SATRIGHT ON THE BEACH
Tonight was all about relaxing after
a challenging few days of being
immersed in different cultures.
WITH A CHINK
OF BEERS
WE GAVE A TOAST TO
FRIENDSHIPAND COMRADESHIP
This time a mate of mine was the
designated BBQ chef and I was
second in command.
I FIND IT INTERESTING THE
ETIQUETTESURROUNDING A
BBQ
Seeing as I was second-in-
command, I was the only other
one trusted to handle the utensils
and food cooking on the BBQ. This
didn’t happen much though as the
BBQ chef is like a captain on a ship
and should never leave the helm
except for in the case of certain
requirements involving bodily
functions (and usually stubbies).
AND USUALLY
STUBBIES
I was so glad that table etiquette is
relaxed in New Zealand. I could even
use my hands on certain occasions. I did
keep some table manners though and
asked for stuff to passed to me. I hate it
when people try to reach over you!
TUCK INIT WAS TIME TO
I had a full belly and a feeling of light-
headedness from too many beers.
I decided to leave my un-drunk
beers as a gesture of thanks to the
host. Depending on the nature of
the barbecue, sometimes etiquette
allows un-drunk beers to be taken
home. This time I thought it was
better to be safe than sorry.
I DECIDE TOHIT THEROAD
END.THEWhat a week it had been! I hope
my stories inspire you to get off
the couch, learn about some food
etiquette and in the process dive
into the very culture of the countries
you visit. Until next time! Ciao!