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.The English can actually quarrel aboutwhether it s better to put the milk in the cup before the tea is poured or after.Malaysians wait in eageranticipation to taste the first durian fruit of the season (an experience one Westerner described as like eatingblancmange in a toilet ), and the first ripe fruits fetch sky-high prices.When you are abroad, accompanying a colleague to a local restaurant can mark a step forward in yourrelationship, but there are also pitfalls, especially if you are offered a local delicacy.For example, in Swedenthere is a traditional Thursday lunch offered by most restaurants every week of the year.To non-Swedes itmay seem like a rather bizarre combination: A thick pea and ham soup served with mustard, accompanied bypunsch, a sort of sweet liqueur (although at workplaces the punsch is usually omitted from the menu), followedby pancakes served with jam and whipped cream.Actually, it tastes better than it sounds, and if it s really coldoutside this is a wonderful way of keeping warm!A U.S.businessman I know was visiting a large company for a week, and every day he accompanied hismanager to the staff dining room, where there was self-service.On Thursday, the traditional fare was on themenu and he decided to try it.Being a polite man, the manager let his guest go before him in the queue, butunfortunately there was no indication on the food counter of the order in which the food was to be eaten.Sonaturally enough, the American poured the pea soup over his pancake.His Swedish manager, seeing too latewhat had happened and not wanting to embarrass his guest, said nothing and simply did the same.I believethey both enjoyed the meal.I like this story because it shows that the manager had grasped the point of sharing a meal and building arelationship.In this context it wasn t really important what they ate, but that the two of them shared some non- business time and started to get to know each other.When you are eating and drinking you temporarily stopbeing an employee and remember that underneath the business suit you are simply a person with the sameneed of food and drink as everyone else.This need, and the wish to eat and drink in the company of others, isone of the common denominators of being human.However, I do hope that as their relationship progressed the Swede felt able to tell his guest about themistake pancakes really do taste better with jam and cream!MORAL Eating and drinking together is a reminder of our common humanity.It is a chance for arelationship to move from the purely business level to the personal. FoodFood can be a challenge for everyone when traveling abroad.It may be a positive challenge: How can I findroom for another one of those delicious squid sandwiches/strawberry bonbons/sheeps eyes? Or it may be anegative one: How can I possibly stomach that disgusting cheese soufflé/ goat curry/chocolate cake? In short, one man s meat is another man s poison.There are all kinds of reasons why people find a fooddistasteful.There are religious taboos, of course, that can never be ignored, as McDonald s found to itschagrin when it fried French fries in beef fat without revealing this fact to its Hindu and vegetarian customers.Generally, though, international food chains are forced to take local tastes and religious prohibitions intoaccount, so in India your hamburger is likely to be made of mutton instead of beef, and in France you canorder a glass of wine with your Big Mac.There are also ethical questions that can affect food habits.Manyyounger people in North America and Europe who are concerned about animal welfare are becomingvegetarians, and foods like veal and foie gras provoke strong reactions because they are perceived ascausing animals unnecessary suffering.However, the main reason we are dubious about sampling food when we are traveling abroad is simply that itis new to us.Local people have a tendency to present their foreign visitors with local delicacies to sample (usually from thebest of motives), so you may be faced with an unfamiliar food whose taste or texture you find odd orunpleasant.Many Asians, for example, think that cheese, especially the strong smelling kind, is strangetasting stuff, whereas many Europeans wonder how Indians and Thais can manage to eat such fiery dishes.The British are amazed that Swedes can eat meatballs with jam rather than ketchup, while Belgians can tunderstand how the British can put vinegar instead of mayonnaise on their French fries
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