Planning for Thanksgiving dinner got me thinking about manners and how they differ from one country to another. 

In Spain, hands are kept on the table throughout the meal, with the wrists resting on the edge of the table. Pizza, sandwiches, and toast are eaten with a knife and fork.  Fruit, a common dessert, is peeled with a table knife before eating.  Oh, and  expect comments if you eat "like an American" ie., switching your fork from right to left to cut food.  Spaniards eat with the fork in their left hand, even if they are not lefties.

If you host a dinner party in Mexico, expect your guests to arrive at least 30 minutes late, if not closer to an hour.  I had heard about this before I moved there but I didn't really believe it.  It's true.  Keep your hands on the table here, too.

The British use a fork with the tines facing down.  I've seen several different theories about why they do this but I think it has something to do with their fondness for peas.  It is easier to get peas on to the back of a fork with a gentle nudge from a knife than it is with the tines up.

The Chinese eat with chopsticks in their right hand, even if they are left-handed.  Making slurping or burping noises is not considered rude, it means that someone is enjoying their meal.  If you are seated at the children's table on Thanksgiving Day, explain this Chinese custom and you'll have a table full of snorters and belchers. You'll be very popular.  With the kids.

Contrary to popular belief, Italians do not swirl their spaghetti in a spoon.  Never cut your pasta; pasta is eaten only with a fork.  Even though spaghetti lends itself to inadvertent slurping, do not make any noises while you eat.   Don't be tempted to try it with children; table manners are important in Italy and children are taught them from a very young age.

Have you come across interesting and different manners in other cultures?

Did you know that the way people count money varies from place to place?  Not everyone holds cash in their left hand and moves it to their right as most Canadians, Brits and Americans do (I'm left-handed and I do it from right to left).  Watch "How people count cash" to see some seriously creative cash counting.

 Photo by Andres Rueda. Licensed by Creative Commons.

May 5th is not Mexican Independence Day, which is September 16, and it is not a national holiday. Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico's victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.   On that date, 4,000 severely outnumbered Mexican troops defeated the French assault on Puebla, a pyrrhic victory that enraged Napoleon III. 

The following year, he sent 29,000 more men to Mexico.  They successfully invaded Mexico City, and installed Maximilian of Hapsburg as the Emperor of Mexico.  The French finally withdrew in 1867 after losing a series of battles to Mexican forces.  Maximilian was court-martialed and later executed.

The first Cinco de Mayo celebration was held in the late 1960s by a group of California college students who wanted to honor their Mexican heritage.  Forty years later, it is a bigger deal in the U.S. than it is in Mexico.  Much like St. Patrick's Day, celebrations are held nation-wide to celebrate Mexican culture and honor people of Mexican ancestry.  And, much like March 17th, Americans drink lots of beer.

Do your plans today include a cold, frosty cerveza?

Photo courtesy of enlatado.net

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April 23rd is St. George's Day and is a widely celebrated event in Barcelona, where he is known as Sant Jordi.  On la Diada de Sant Jordi hundreds of flower sellers stock up with roses and temporary bookstalls appear all over the city.  Women receive a rose from their significant others while men are given a book.

The roses are given in honor of Sant Jordi, who gave a rose to a princess he rescued.  The tradition of giving books dates back to the 1920s.  A bookseller in Barcelona decided to mark the anniversary of the April 23, 1616 deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare as a way to sell more books.  The idea took hold and now half a million books are sold on Sant Jordi's day.  Inspired by this celebration, UNESCO declared April 23rd to be the International Day of the Book to promote reading and publishing.

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Baseball may be known as America's pastime, but its players have come from more than 45 countries.  On Opening Day last year, 28% of the players on major league team rosters were born outside the United States.  The Dominican Republic was represented by the most players - 88 - followed by Venezuela with 52 players. 

The Dominican Republic has sent close to 500 players to the show, beginning with Ozzie Virgil who played for the Washington Senators in 1932.  The San Francisco Giants added the first player from Japan, Masanori Murakami, to their roster in 1964.

Cuba had a professional baseball league beginning in 1878, and the teams had 10 players on the field.  Cuban teams fielded two shortstops, with one playing between first and second bases.  Between 1947 and 1961, the Cuban League partnered with Major League Baseball, and the league was used for player development until professionalism was outlawed by Castro.

 I'm rooting for the Calcetines Rojos.  What's your favorite equipo de béisbol?

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