- I'm Phil

- And I'm Pippa

- In this episode, we're discusing etiquette, the rules about what makes polite behaviour, and in particular the dos and don'ts and what you should and shouldn't do when eating. So, Phil, what's the worst thing someone can do while eating, in your opinion?

- For me, it's being very noisy when you do it. I can't stand it.

- Mmm. OK. I don't have too many rules about eating, but I was always told growing up that you shouldn't have your elbows on the table and I never really understood why, but I always remember that one. So, we'll be hearing more about mealtime manners from some college sutdents and an expert on British etiquette. And, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and pharses, all of which you can find on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

- But first, I have a question for you, Pippa. Idea about polite behaviour change a lot from country to country, so, when BBC programme The Food Chain asked listeners from around the world about eating manners in their country, what do you think was the most common complaint? Was it A: people eating with their hands, B: people eating noisily, or C: people burping at the table?

- Hmm, I don't think it's people eating with their hands, because lots of people in the world do that as, kind of their normal way of eating, but maybe it's b: people eating noisily, I think. Like you mentioned, Phil, that's quiet annoying. Well, we'll find out the answer later in the programme. The food chain alse interviewed students at London's City of Westminster College about family dinnertimes. Samuel is 19, and from Sierra Leone, and Aya is 18 and British but her family are from Iraq. let's lisen as they chat with BBC World Service's The Food Chain. Yeah, I would say first impressions really do matter because it also is really important how you portray yourself, how you present yourself to the person.

- What I don't want to see is any loud chewing, or with your mouth open, please and thank you! I would like to see through eye contact, having a conversation, using your cutlery. Sometimes, and I know this could be, like, picky for everyone else - but having a tissue or napkin on your lap just in case you spill anything.

- The students think etiquette is important. Samuel says it's about making a good first impression. Your first impression is the opinion you form about someone when you meet them for the first time.

- For Aya, eating with your mouth open is definitely rude. She also think people should use a napkin, although that could be seen as picky. Picky here means being too strict about the rules.

- For this group of students, showing respect and appriciation for the meal is very important, and this idea is common across most, if not all, cultures throughout history.

- So, imagine a scene from a TV show like Game of Thrones: two enemy forces have stoped fighting, made peace and now gather for a meal. The leaders clink glasses, meaning they lift up and touch drinks, and make a toast, they hold up a glass of alcohol and drink it to show respect.

- Now, keep that image in mind because we're going to hear British etiquette coach Rupert Wesson explaining why people clink glasses. Here is, talking to Ruth Alexander, presenter of BBC World Service programme The Food Chain: Perhaps the simplest example is "Why we clink glasses when we have a toast?" If you clink glasses, you're slopping a bit of your drink into his cup and he's slopping a bit of his drink into your cup. And therefore, by having that toast you're showing: "Look I trust you, you trust me." And that's why we do it.

- If you've poisoned my drink that's now slopped into your cup, you won't drink it.

- Correct.

- Hats at the table, we're hearing from BBC World Service listeners that is a no-no. Is that right?

- It's not something I would do. In fact, I would not be wearing a hat inside anyway.

- So, Phil, when we clink galss in a toast, some of my drink might spill into your glass and some of your drink might spill into mine. Historically, this mixing of drinks was a way of proving the drinks were not poisoned.

- Ruth alse asked about wearing hat at the table and Rupert calls this a no-no. A no-no is a informal pharse for something this is considered socially unacceptable.

- Etiquette varies a lot over time and culture, but the essential point is always to show appritiation by doing some things and avoid others. And speaking of things to avoid, what was your answer to your question, Phil?

- OK, well, I asked you what listeners of the food chain thought was the bigget etiquette problem when people are eating. You said that it was people eating noisily and I can reveal ... that's the right answer! It was people eating noisily. OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned about mealtime dos and don'ts, rules about how you should and shouldn't behave.

- Your first impresion of someone is the opinion you form when meeting them for the first time.

- The word picky is used to describ someone who is too strict about rules.

- If you clink glasses, you touch two glasses together as a gesture of friendship, probably because you're making a toast, a show of respect that involves drinking from a glass of alcohol.

- And finally, a no-no is an informal word for something considered socially unacceptable. Once again, our six minutes are up, but if you'd like to find out more about dining etiquette then head over to our site, bbclearningenglish.com, to download a programme worksheet and try the quiz. See you again soon, but for now, it's goodbye!