A couple of yaers ago I worked in Japan for a white During the first week.I didn't go out much because I had a temble cold. In the second week. I was feeling a bit better and when some work colleagues invited me out. I said "yes" We went to a restaurant in the evening and my new friends explaned to me how to use chopsticks. It was difficuit at first, but after some practice. I was using them really well and I didn’t need to ask for a fork. It was my first time outside Britain. And I was eating Japanese-style like a native . I was feeling quite pleased with myself. Then the problems started.
My cold was not quite finished and my nose was still running a little. I took out a tissue turned away from the table and quietly blew my nose. I noticed a person at the the next table was looking at me strangely. When I turned to my friends again, they looked away. Something was wrong . Anyway, the moment passed and the conversation started again. The person I khew best in the group was sitting next to me, and a bit later I quietly asked him if there was something wrong. He explained to me that in Japan, people don’t blow their roses in public-especially at the table. Oops! That was my first mistake of the evening.
The next time I needed to blow my nose. I decided to leave the table and go to the toilet. I didn’t khow where to put my chopsticks, so I stuck them in my bowl of rice. My friend said “No”, don’t do that. Just leave them on the table, “later”. I discovered that leaving your chopsticks in your rice means death in Japanese culture! That was my second mistake of evening, and I wanted it to be the last.
When I returned from the toilet, it was nearly time to leave. I noticed there were some little bowls of tea with lemon next to everybody’s place on the table. It was hot, and I started drinking it before it got cold. Then I noticed some of my friends were covering their mouths and looking at each other. They were trying not to laugh.”what’s wrong?” I asked the friend next to me, “That’s not for drinking.” He explanined, “it’s for washing your fingers.” That was it-mistake number three! For a moment, I didn’t khow whether to laugh or cry . But in the end I started laughing , and little by little everybody else started laughing. Finally, we were all crying with laughter.