Especially when dining with traditional Vietnamese friends or family, you should wait for either the head of the household or the eldest member to eat first. When in doubt, wait to eat until you see one of your adult Vietnamese dining companions also doing so. Depending on your situation, your Vietnamese dinner may or may not begin with a small offering on a family Buddhist altar. Unlike some other kinds of cuisine, Vietnamese food, including pho, is expected to be personalized to your tastes. Even special sauces that have been prepared beforehand can be poured into small sauce dishes and altered with seasonings until it suits your preferences. While eating your pho, you'll naturally gesture as you dine and converse with dinner companions. Avoid pointing at anyone with your index or middle finger, touching someone on the shoulder, or patting others on the back, as all of these are considered rude.  The placement and usage of your feet is also important in Vietnamese culture. Refrain from pointing with your feet or putting your feet on tables. Excessive use of gestures may come across to traditional Vietnamese as rude, especially for women. In Vietnamese culture, when someone feels socially unsure or like they are of lower status, it's common for them to bow frequently and avoid eye contact. This might seem disrespectful to you, but it is actually a sign of respect. Vocalizing disagreement or criticism, especially loudly or publicly, can be viewed as disrespectful. Your comments or suggestions might go over best if saved for a more private time. Though this might be different from you home culture, Vietnamese tend to show deference by seating and serving elders most prominently, then male adults, then other members of the family, like young men, women, and children.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Wait for the host to eat before partaking. Personalize your food without hesitation. Avoid rude gestures. Acclimate to less eye contact. Honor Vietnamese age and gender customs.


If you will be hosting, let your guests know that you eat raw, so your Thanksgiving meal will consist of all raw dishes. Encourage them to try your delicious and healthy food, or you may consider inviting guests to bring cooked dishes for themselves and other non-raw food dieters to eat. You may be hesitant about bringing your own food to someone else’s Thanksgiving dinner because you don’t want to be rude. However, bringing a few dishes that cater to your lifestyle that everyone can sample isn’t rude. Consider bringing a few raw dishes for yourself that others can eat as side dishes or desserts. You probably should contact the host before you arrive and let them know about your diet preferences. You can give them the heads up that you will be bringing food that aligns with your lifestyle so they won’t be surprised. Many raw food recipes require marinades or soaking for tough grains and nuts. This may be impossible to do on Thanksgiving day. Many recipes also need considerable prep work, like shredding, dicing, or chilling portions of the recipes. Know what you are going to cook so you can start meal prep earlier that week. If you are considering serving dishes you have never tried before or hosting non-raw food dieters, select a few recipes for a test run. This helps you know exactly how they will taste and how to prepare them. If there are any problems, you can correct them before Thanksgiving day. You can rate the recipes on flavor, denseness, and similarity to non-raw food dishes.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Inform guests of your dietary preferences. Take your own dishes. Plan the menu in advance. Sample recipes in advance.


This is no time to be an impartial observer, your dog's college admissions are on the line! But seriously, if the dog isn't interested, she won't even try to complete the challenges. Encourage the dog with gestures or smiles, keeping it interested but not so excited it forgets what to do. The dog has to cooperate to be tested. Pick a special, smelly treat to bribe it with. Soft, smelly treats are best, since the dog will notice them and eat them quickly. Cut them into small, pea-sized pieces if you plan to do all of these tests at once.  Pieces of hot dog, cooked chicken, or cheese are all good options.  Use a dry, non-smelly treat when you're testing memory. This test works best if the dog spends a lot of time with the person testing him. A dog might not live up to its full potential if it's been living with the test-giver for less than three months. A puppy under one year old probably won't be as "smart" or obedient as an adult dog. Tell the dog to stay while it watches you "hide" a treat in a box or under a table. Once it finds the treat, hide the next one in a harder to find location. As your dog gets better at this, you can hide the treat while the dog isn't looking, and put it behind several barriers. This is a great way to challenge your dog. It works best if you've clicker trained your dog with several tricks already. Use the clicker and say "new trick," then reward it for any trick it does. Repeat immediately with another "new trick" and only reward it if it does something new. Keep going until the dog runs out of tricks or gets confused. You can't always be around to tutor your dog. Give it some homework in the form of an interactive dog toy. These have treats hidden inside that won't fall out unless the dog solves a puzzle. Some of them even have an electronic voice to give commands, although be careful giving those to dogs with a constant chewing habit.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary --
Treat it like a game. Pick a special treat. Have the dog's owner conduct the test. Test a puppy again after it matures. Train the dog with treasure hunts. Teach the "new trick" command. Get brain-testing puzzle toys for your dog.