It is obvious that cultural differences exist across different countries and in India across states as well. Having travelled in the the US and having lived all my life in India some things pop out of my mind right away. One of this is around table manners while eating — In the US it is OK to blow your nose (your own nose ofcourse!!!) with a tissue when you are eating. But you would never do that in India. Why is it so? My mind works very simplistically and makes me conclude that one reason could be that most Indians do not use a tissue paper to blow their nose. They would either use their handkerchiefs or their bare hands to blow their nose. Maybe since most Indians eat with their bare hands rather than with the spoon/knife/fork it is not possible to blow your nose with dirty hands. A rather weird conclusion but could be a good start to find the real reasons!!
Also in India it is OK to belch while eating. Actually not sure why people do this but a lot of people do this. Just heard my father in law a couple of days back do this on the dinner table. You would never do that in the US. Why is it so? Maybe Indians overeat and that leads to belching. Maybe the kind of food and the ingredients within the food and the way it is prepared that leads to belching.
Next time you sit on your dinner table you now have some interesting conversation to engage in!!
