Life has been good to you. I mean, come on . . . look at you; you’re doing midlife solid justice! You’re taking time out for yourself and you haven’t one iota of guilt about it, either. You’ve finally booked that Parisian vacation that has haunted your dreams for many years. English to French dictionary — check. Comfortable yet stylish shoes — check. Convert U.S. dollars to Euros — check. You’re almost ready for the adventure to begin. You go girl.

You’ve heard so many wonderfully tasty culinary tales about French cuisine … no, I mean real French cuisine, nothing at all like the early bird specials served at Chez Girard Froufrou Charbonneau Lévesque, the restaurant that took over the old 7-Eleven spot just down the street from your dry cleaners. The time has come for you to experience French cuisine in its rightful setting. However, while in Paris, will you take your American mannerisms and decorum along with you? Hmmmm, that could be a problem . . .

Dining around the world can be tricky for Americans. We tend to think that everyone behaves the way we do at mealtime: eats bacon and eggs for breakfast; prefers huge portions over skimpy ones, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner; douses pricey steaks in ketchup (okay…I really only know of one person that does that nonsense, and his name is not worth mentioning). I’ll admit we do have our idiosyncrasies that set us apart from other countries, but what we do simply works . . . at least here on our home turf.

But what about when we leave the relative safe confines and airspace of America? Can our dining habits travel abroad without us committing a serious faux pas?

If you’re a wannabe culinary globetrekker, this Dining Etiquette infographic may help you navigate the landscape on your next culinary excursion abroad.

Dining Etiquette Around The World – An infographic by the team at Restaurant Choice