Cultural Post 2

[Bowman Rains]

This week, I looked into dinner etiquette in Indonesia.  Table manners in Indonesia are very eclectic.  Some places use a knife, spoon, and fork, some chopsticks, and others that require you to eat with your hands.  From what I found about the topic online, it seems that there are several rules that are similar to the culture here.  The guest should always say please and thank you, you should be considerate of others when eating, and you should be respectful of elders at the table.  Some characteristics that are different are that some restaurants do not use chairs, instead you sit on the ground in front of a low table.  Another difference is that many of the places to eat have a more communal setup.  Guests at the table share from an assortment of dishes rather than just ordering your own food.  Another difference is the type of food that is eaten.  In most meals, rice is a basic staple.  Additionally, tofu is commonly served.  Other foods that are common that I have seen in videos are stinky bean, oxtail soup, peanut sauce, and it seems that egg is common as a side for most dishes.