PART 1

　　In today’s global world,more and more people travel to foreign countries.Cross cultural awareness and an understanding of foreign etiquette are important if you want to succeed as an international business person.Behaviour that is polite at home may be considered rude in another country.In particular,by learning about dining etiquette and table manners,you can avoid offending people and this can directly influence your business success.

　　John Smith’s book The Perfect Guest is a goldmine of information for the globe-trotting business person.There are chapters dedicated to all the main problem areas of dining etiquette and entertaining in different countries and tips on how to cope with embarrassing situations.

　　These are some of the areas which are covered in the book.

　　Seating arrangements

　　Whether you are eating at a restaurant or at someone’s home,there may be a fixed protocol of who sits where.Do men and women sit together?Is there a hierarchy(等级) according to age or status?Rules vary greatly.For example,in Korea,it is customary to offer the best seat to the most senior person;in the US,there are no specific seating rules.If you don’t know where to sit,wait until your host shows you.

　　Conversation

　　Is the dining table the right place to have a conversation or is the meal taken in silence?In France,for instance,the meal is a social affair with loud animated conversations and most topics are acceptable,including business.In Japan or Vietnam,on the other hand,only a quiet conversation is acceptable and business is never conducted at the dinner table.

　　Food

　　What type of food is popular?Is it polite to remark on the food?Should you eat everything or leave some food on your plate?Is it polite to ask for the salt and pepper if not on the table?And how can you deal with a food delicacy that you find disgusting?In Europe,it is polite to eat everything on your plate whereas this would be considered rude in Egypt.If you clean your plate,it will be filled up again immediately.

PART 2

　　Why do you go to the library?For books,yes—but you like books because they tell stories.You hope to get lost in a story or be transported into someone else’s life.At one type of library you can do that too—even though there’s not a single book.

　　At a Human Library,instead of books,you can borrow “people”.People with unique life stories volunteer to be the “books”.For a certain amount of time,you can ask them questions and listen to their stories,which are as fascinating as any you can find in a book.(If you attend,be sure to review the habits that make you a good listener.) Many of the stories have to do with some kind of depressing topics.You can speak with a refugee,a soldier suffering from PTSD (创伤后遗症),a homeless person and a woman living with HIV.The Human Library encourages people to take time to truly get to know and learn from someone they might otherwise make a snap judgement about.According to its website,the Human Library is “a place where difficult questions are expected,appreciated and answered”.

　　The Human Library Organization came to be in Copenhagen,Denmark in 2000.Romni Abergel and his colleagues hosted a four-day event during a major Northern European festival.After the success of this event,Abergel founded the Human Library Organization,hoping to raise awareness among youth about depression,which has been growing ever since.

　　Though there are a few permanent human libraries,most aren’t places at all,but events.Though many do take place at physical libraries,you don’t need a library card—anyone can come and be part of the experience.There have been human library events all over the globe,in universities and in pubs,from Chicago to Tunis to Edinburgh to San Antonio.Check out the organization’s Facebook page to see when the Human Library might be arriving near you.

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