[speaker001:] hi, Betty.what 's up?
[speaker002:] nothing special. how about you? Are you used to the life here in the States?
[speaker001:] everything has been fine for the past several months.
[speaker002:] great!
[speaker001:] well, I wish someone could talk to me about Western table manners
[speaker002:] sounds interesting. Where did you get the idea?
[speaker001:] as you know, table manners in China are quite different from those of Westerners.
[speaker002:] absolutely. that's because both of us have distinctive cultural features.
[speaker001:] for example, in China, it's okay to talk while eating. However, you may regard it as rude.
[speaker002:] yes. this must be a huge difference.
[speaker001:] can you think of anything else?
[speaker002:] sure. We tend to think that the slower on eats, the more polite one seems.
[speaker001:] I didn't know that before.
[speaker002:] and we never sip or slurp the soup loudly. we quietly like little mouthfuls.
[speaker001:] i got it. i'll bear it in mind.
[speaker002:] don't worry. i'm sure our etiquette will become a natural part of your behavior as time goes by.
[speaker001:] I hope so.