In Kenya people have a saying that “you can’t leave with the same mouth you came with.”
Do recognise that hospitality plays a central role in most cultures.
In Western cultures hospitality is typically a nice thing to extend from time to time. Some people make more of a priority of it than others. But it is seldom central to the way most Westerners live.
In many cultures hospitality is often intimately linked with the notion of honour.
For example, in Chinese culture hospitality is intimately associated with giving face. To reject the offer of a meal is to reject the would-be host and may constitute a serious insult. The form of words used by host and guest indicate how essential to hospitality the giving of face is. The guest will typically say, “You show your face to me.” The host answers, “You appreciate my face.”
In Pakistan when you invite someone into your home in order to extend to them hospitality you will normally say ‘Tashreef La-ee-ay’, which means ‘Bring your honourable self’. When you have escorted him to the area set aside for entertaining guests you will invite him to sit down by saying ‘Tashreef Rakh-ee-ay’, that is, ‘Place your honourable self.’
When you are relating to someone from a culture different from your own make sure that, at the very least, you offer a drink. But here again there is something to watch out for. For when you ask, “Can I offer you a drink?” the other person may say, “No”. However, this may be the culturally standard response made in the expectation that you will respond with insistence that he or she accept your hospitality. You may need to insist that the other person accept a drink and some food. Further, if you yourself are the guest or recipient of an invitation, even though you may not be hungry or thirsty, you may need to accept hospitality in order to properly honour your host and not cause him or her shame.
Be sensitive to the food customs of your contact or friend. It is good to invite people to your home but sometimes you may be surprised by the reluctance of the other person to your invitation. This may be due to concern at what food you might serve. For example, Muslims don’t eat pork and Hindus will usually require that meat be cooked in pots only ever used for this purpose. Indeed, for many people it is easier to extend hospitality by taking them to an appropriate restaurant. In some cultures this is the normal way of practising hospitality anyway. This does not mean you cannot invite people to your home, but you may need to make sure that the other person knows that you have taken into account their own cultural sensibilities.
Churches and other organisations that want to make people from other cultures feel at home will often need to rethink what they provide for morning teas or refreshments. My own church now has three tables for serving refreshments. One provides traditional tea, coffee and biscuits. Another has cordial and biscuits for children. Yet another serves Chinese tea and Chinese cookies.
Upon clicking 'Buy now' you will be redirected to paypal.com where you can securely and quickly complete your purchase with a few clicks.
Immediately after payment at PayPal you will be redirected to a download page which
provides you instant access to your purchase.
