Different countries, different customs: This is especially true for business meals abroad. The rules for this can vary greatly from country to country. If you don’t think about culture or traditions, you can quickly make a mistake at a business dinner and make a negative impression on your potential business partner. For example, in Japan, if you start eating first without asking, it will be difficult to make a deal later. After all, this fatal gesture is about respect. Only the guest of honor or the oldest person at the table may begin the meal. If you’re lucky, one of the two options might even apply to you. Then you can dismiss this as an educational gap. Or you can familiarize yourself with the customs of the respective country before you go abroad.
Germany=punctuality, France=delays allowed
How different the ideas are about what constitutes good manners at business meals is already clear in our neighbor France. For the Germans it would be absurd if a business partner were even five minutes late. In France, people would react with astonishment if a business lunch started on time. In most cases, anyone who meets French people will have to wait a while. But you shouldn’t take offense at them.
In Japan and China, the etiquette at business meals couldn’t be more different: anyone who cleans their plate completely in China is considered a bully. Unlike in Japan, anyone who leaves even one bite left is labeled a wasteful. Different countries, different customs. What is it like when a Chinese meets a Japanese for dinner?
You can find out which rules apply in Canada, India, the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the pictures in the photo series.