Reappropriate Greeting and Dining Cultures during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Proceedings of The 3rd International Academic Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education

Year: 2021

DOI:

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Reappropriate Greeting and Dining Cultures during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pimlada Amphichaluay, Khachon Somwong

ABSTRACT: 

During the viral spread of COVID-19, people from all walks of life have to change their lifestyles or behaviour due to social distancing. In a more significant part, the alteration of culture and tradition especially greeting and dining, are inevitably developed. Although culture is the characteristics and knowledge that encompasses social behaviour, norms and practices of each society for a long time, it is forced to adapt to a new normal situation. This paper discusses the risk from each culture in greeting and dining through the lens of disease transmission based on a theoretical point of view. In greeting, it is revealed that the gesture of ‘handshaking’ tends to have a high risk in Covid-19 transmission. However, the motions such as Wai or Namaste are found to have no physical contact, which is the factor causing the Covid-19 transmission; as a result, contactless greeting as well as many alternatives, such as the elbow bump, have been adopted as a new way of greeting. Apart from this, in dining, serving dishes or serving spoons, or even using chopsticks could lead to the Covid-19 infection. Conversely, Americans or Europeans usually order food in separate dishes, which they tend to have less physical contact. Furthermore, it offers a practical suggestion for each culture; subsequently, there is increased premium deliveries and private dining facilities. Researchers believe that this theoretical discussion would provide practical approaches to reduce the risk of Covid-19 as well as suggest the modern way to cope with the alteration of culture.

Keywords: COVID-19, Culture, Dining, Disease Transmission, Greeting.