Food and Entertaining 193Dining Etiquette
Food is definitely part of the Egyptian expression of
hospitality and generosity. Now is a good time to think
about how you personally perceive food and what is
appropriate social eating behaviour. Where I was raised, it
was impolite to eat a lot when visiting. If this meant you
had to eat before you went, OK; but you should certainly
not appear gluttonous when in public. On the other hand,
not far from where I was brought up, the customs for
eating in public differed radically. There, it was considered
bad taste to leave food on the table. In other words, you
might have to eat yourself nearly to death, but you must
eat all that was prepared or risk insulting your host. These
are polar examples, and your traditions probably fall
somewhere in the middle. I tell you this because certain
social rules apply to visiting in Egypt if you want to be
a good guest.
First, being a good guest requires you to show appreciation
for the food offered to you. How do you do this? By eating.
Being a good Egyptian guest is not a put-everything-you-
expect-to-eat-on-your-plate-for-the-whole-meal-at-one-time
event. If you do this, you may fi nd you insult your host
when you refuse to take seconds or thirds. You greatly
compliment your host by returning for more food, so plan
ahead to go back for more food. Refi lling your plate once
is an almost absolute necessity. Going back twice shows