105
{ }
s m i l e
q u i z
Head for
the table
Should you find yourself dining with
a foreign host, these nuggets of
knowledge will come in handy
Adam Jacot de Boinod was a researcher for the BBC television series QI, and is the author of The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words
from around the World, published by Penguin Books. He has also created the recently launched iPhone App Tingo.
1
Where is
fugu
,
the
pufferfish, considered
one of the most celebrated
and notorious dishes?
A.
Taiwan
B.
Japan
C.
Macau
2
In which two countries
is it standard to use
toothpicks between
courses?
A.
Vietnam and Cambodia
B.
China and South Korea
C.
Malaysia and Singapore
3
The Philippines isn
,
t
the only
balut
-
eating
country. Where else is the
duck-egg containing
a gestating embryo
a delicacy?
A.
Taiwan and South Korea
B.
Hong Kong and Singapore
C.
Cambodia and Vietnam
4
Why should you never
stick your chopsticks
upright into a bowl of rice?
A.
It’s offensive to the other guests
B.
It suggests you are unhappy with the food
C.
It is how rice is offered to the dead
5
In which cuisine do the
two dishes,
kujolpan
and
sinsullo
—
formerly
exclusive to the royal court
—
often appear at special
banquets?
A.
South Korea
B.
Thailand
C.
Brunei
6
Where is
ganbei
(
literally “dry glasses”)
said as the equivalent
of “cheers”?
A.
Japan
B.
China
C.
Philippines
7
It , s not regular fare in
many places, but where
do people serve crocodile
fillets with mustard sauce,
cobra with bamboo worms,
and mountain frog?
A.
Thailand
B.
Laos
C.
South Korea
8
Where might you be
offered a hot towel, an
oshibori
,
before you eat?
A.
Korea
B.
Malaysia
C.
Japan
9
“
What a delicious
treat that was” or
“
Gochisosoma
”
is the
polite way to leave the
table in which of the
following countries?
A.
China
B.
South Korea
C.
Japan
10
In the past, in which
country did women
traditionally not drink until
they were over 60?
A.
Laos
B.
South Korea
C.
Malaysia
ANSWERS:
1)
B; 2) B; 3) C; 4) C; 5) A; 6) B; 7) A; 8) C; 9) C; 10) B
To slurp or
not to slurp?
