In the recent past, I have been invited home by my Mexican friends to savor and relish Mexican food at their home at 6 pm. As many foreigners are with a prejudice that Indians are not on time, so not to give them a room for any remarks for my timing, I have arrived sharp by 6 pm.
My host was surprised to see me there as there was plenty of work to finish. In this visit, I have learned many things about the eating of the Mexicans and here I am penning it down so that next time you are invited home or to a restaurant by your Mexican pals you know the right thing.
Eating in Mexico is a social event and so the eating will be severely delayed. If you are asked to meet at 6 pm at a restaurant or house be sure that you will not get food into your mouth until 8 pm because if invited for a restaurant your acquaintances won’t likely show up until 6:30 pm or even 7 pm. You then most likely wait for another 30 minutes for the table and after you finally, sit down you are expected to have some drinks and conversation for another half an hour before ordering. This set of time frame is the same if you are invited home, plan on arriving at least 30 minutes or you will trouble your host like I did.
Dining is meant to be enjoyed with friends and family don’t rush the process (small tip: eat a snack before going). Trying to speed up things is seen as if you are trying to escape their company. Remember socializing is the primary motive and not to eat.
Once you get into the dining room, wait for your host to offer you a seat and son not place your hands under the table. Once you get to the food don’t start having until your host says “Buen Provecho” which means happy eating. Mexicans do not switch knives and forks. The knife remains in the right hand, the fork in the left. When you finish having the tasty Mexican food, the knife and fork are placed parallel to each other across the right side of the plate.
While having the Mexican food start your course from outside and work your way in, course by course. The spoons placed on your plate are for desserts and you will be provided separate glasses for water and beverages watch your host closely to avoid confusion. I was offered an amazing platter that in a blink transported me to Mexico and I was surprised to know that many of the dishes were from the order food online in Bangalore trend. They have ordered the Food from FreshMenu because it was getting difficult for them to get the ingredients from the local groceries in Bangalore. They also mentioned how happy they are with the service, quality, and taste provided by FreshMenu serving authentic platters.
Also, remember when not holding utensils, your hands are expected to be on the table and never rest your elbows on the table. While passing a dish pass them only to your left and one final tip never cut the lettuce served in the salad.
