It is a Wednesday evening, I am sitting down in a typical Belorussian restaurant. A small array of typical dishes have been pre-served prior to our arrival to the restaurant. Our host and business partner has spared no expense and has made sure we get the best the restaurant has to offer. After all, eating and drinking (vodka) is a BIG part of the culture of this country and it's not only as a sign of a deal well struck, but also of friendship.
The aforementioned food is resting on several plates on the table: I see fish, ham, a plate with fresh veggies, pork tongue, bread rolls and more.
This is actually our third day in Belarus, 2 colleagues and I made the trip here hoping to make some business deals on behalf of the automotive company we work for. By now I am already getting used to visiting the restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner and having these dishes pre-served and waiting for us to arrive and feast on them.
Many on the things on the table look and smell appetizing, others not so much. The sight of a vodka bottle makes me think: "Oh! Dear God, not again!" But still I have the "obligatory" shots while one of our partners makes a toast in our honor or to our continuous and prosperous cooperation. I eat their food and drink their vodka and I talk and laugh with them, I make a big effort to give a good image of not only the company I represent but of me, a young Mexican man who is out doing business in a country he didn't even know existed one year before. I am trying to show that I can communicate with them even if we don't speak the same language. A lot of smiles later and through the subtle art of gesturing I was able to create an excellent rapport with our partners (drinking their vodka sure helped a lot).
You see, I am trying to integrate if only for the few days I will be here with them, to their culture; eat their food, drink their drinks, learn or at least try a few things in their language and never forgetting that there are cultural differences that exist between us, but as a guest in their country I believe I am expected to keep to their ways and try their food and their drinks, simple enough yet it is a sentiment not shared by one of my colleagues.
Since we sat to eat in the first restaurant 3 days ago, she immediately started stating that she doesn't eat certain food. I understand that not everyone eats everything and that some people might have personal, religious or health related dietary restrictions. This person, however was making a bit of a scene: "HOW COME THEY DONT HAVE BRAMBORACKY?" or some other dish commonly found in the Czech Republic. "I'm sorry, I don't eat fish." She said as one of our hosts was offering to pass a plate to her "OK, here, these are some chicken pieces in a special chocolate sauce" and as soon as he got the plate near her I could already see in her face the look of disgust as she rejected the dish. A simple "no thank you" would have sufficed. One after the other this continued with most dishes on the table. Ordering the main dish was also quite an ordeal. Certain dishes had something she did not like and we were usually waiting for her to finally choose some thing.
Every breakfast, lunch or dinner she always had a "yucky" face, there was always something that discomforted her about the place or the food.
I believe that we should do what we enjoy and avoid what we don't. She was never open to the opportunity of trying new things, I can only imagine this is her outlook on life.
There were many dishes I've tried during this trip. I didn't enjoy all of them, but I never once winced or made any kind of negative comments about the food our hosts were so happy to provide for us. If I didn't like it, I would simply not eat more of it and push it to the side of my plate. I later overheard our hosts talking about how difficult my colleague is to please.
This trip reminded me of how big the world is. There are many things to see, experiences to live and food to taste, we should approach all of them with an open mind and try to enjoy the world through the eyes of those who have lived and enjoyed that particular area you are visiting.
It makes no difference if you are visiting a restaurant on the other side of the world or if you have been invited for dinner by your neighbor, always remember that if you arrive with an open attitude, it will not only make you come across as a friendlier person, but you will also be able to have better (business/personal) relations.
Buen provecho / Guten Appetit / Enjoy your meal / Dobrou Chut'
Irving
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