I found myself under a great amount of pressure due to the native’s behavior toward food in most of the countries we visited. Vietnam was the easiest place to be at since I didn’t constantly had the feeling that I could insult someone with the way I inquire about the different plates and tended not to finish my meal if it didn’t please me. There I was more concerned about my ability in eating with chopsticks and if my manners could insult someone.

In both China and South Korea the pressure was even greater because I am more knowledgeable about their culture. It is well known that in China having food left over is a sign that the person didn’t like the meal. So I often found myself in situations where I had decided to eat at a certain restaurant, hadn’t like the meal but had to finish it because I didn’t want to offend or insult anyone.