Tonight after work, I met for dinner with my Conversation Partner. A university volunteer program partners faculty/staff with a non-native English speaker, to help the student practice English in normal--or sometimes, not so normal--conversations. We meet once a week.
This semester's partner is a Post Doc, researching mitochondrial function. I asked him what the Japanese word for mitochondria was, and he said, "Mitochondria."
Tonight, we talked about chopstick faux pas, or, as he put it, "bad stuff you shouldn't do with chopsticks." Don't cross them. Don't stand them upright. Don't point them at someone. Don't pass food to another person's chopsticks. I couldn't think of any similar American rules.
The waitress brought me a leftovers box, as the portion was huge (tofu with vegetables). K. said, "Before I came to America, I thought all Americans eat huge portions. But you do not." I said he thought correctly, most Americans DO eat huge portions.
A nice meal. Next week, we are going to the Natural History Museum.
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