Daisy Dunn

Don’t tell them but the French didn’t in fact invent etiquette

Plus: a beautiful Easter meditation on trees

Jacopo Pontormo's portrait of Giovanni della Casa, c.1541/44, the author of Il Galateo, one of Europe's earliest etiquette guides. Photo: Heritage Art / Heritage Images / Getty Images 
issue 30 March 2024

When dining in France, it is considered rude to finish the bread before the main course has been served, and ruder still to slice the bread with a knife, lest the crumbs land in a lady’s décolletage. In China, you should never place your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, and in Bangladesh you may eat with your fingers, but should avoid getting sauce above the knuckles.

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