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At a meal table, start from the outside knife and fork. Use your fork to stabilize the food and use your knife to cut it into small pieces before serving a piece into your mouth. Do not slurp. The small spoon that accompanies coffee cup is used to stir the milk and sugar; do not use it to spoon coffee. Refrain from talking in a loud voice in restaurant.

You are expected to tip onboard ship or train, but not onboard long-distance bus or plane. You should tip the porters at train station or wharf, but when you deposit or claim your baggage, you don’t need to tip. In hotel, you should tip the housekeeper who cleans your room and the bellboy who helps you with your luggage. You should tip the waiters or waitresses who serve dishes in restaurant, but you don’t need to tip the foreman. You should tip your taxi driver, barber and beautician, but you don’t need to tip sales assistant and laundry staff. For restaurants, the tip is generally 15% -20% of the bill; for porter in hotel, USD 0.5-1/piece; for housekeeper in hotel, USD1-2; for taxi driver, about 1%, and if there’s luggage in the boot, tipping based on the number of pieces of luggage is also expected.

In the United States, it’s customary to stand in line. Failure to comply with public order may lead to disputes.

* The above information is for reference only. For more, contact the embassy.

* For more information on visa, head to the Star Alliance website.