10 Bad Habits to Avoid During Open House Visits

Goodbye Ramadan, hello Raya!

Now that the fasting month is over, we can now reward ourselves with generous portions of our delicious dishes, which involves going to a lot of open houses – A LOT.

But let’s not completely focus on food lest we forget good etiquettes. So keep yourselves in check with these 10 bad habits you should avoid doing at open houses!

#1 Being late a.k.a Malaysian timing

Although open houses are available throughout the day for guests to come knocking, it would be courteous to visit at the promised time. Of course, most of us don’t give specific visitation hours, but in the case you do, it’d be great to be punctual so you don’t keep them waiting.

#2 Dressing inappropriately

Dressing for an open house isn’t a big deal between friends. However, there are certain protocols we need to remember pertaining to events like these – and that’s wearing suitable attire. There will be guests of different backgrounds, principles and ages and it’s important we dress according to the occasion. Nobody wants to be on the wrong end of conversation about inappropriate dressing.

#3 Rowdiness ‘tahap gaban’

For the most part, Raya (which literally translates to celebration) is one of the few annual festivities when we get the chance to meet and make friends, and catch up with each other’s lives. But while having a good laugh and just getting plain silly, try to maintain a controlled demeanour as your group’s noise may not bode well with everyone in the room.

#4 Talk with a full mouth

There’s no denying the awesome food awaiting us at every open house, but its elementary that food is supposed to remain in instead of flying out of one’s mouth. As exciting as the festive season can be, let us remember the itsy-bitsy things like finishing the food in our mouths before speaking. We can even avoid the possibility of getting choked as well!

#5 Cough or sneeze at the food table

Should you catch a cold during Raya, do take extra precautions. Cover your mouth or turn the other cheek when sneezing or coughing to avoid spreading germs. You don’t want others feeling disgusted or worse – falling ill.

#6 Touch with dirty hands

Washing your hands before and after eating goes a long way. Not just for you, but for others sharing your meal. Nearly everything around us is infested with bacteria, spreading through daily skin contact from multitudes of people. And because we can’t resist not eating with hands, all the more we should be wary! So wash your hands before and after digging into your food. Cleanliness is key if you want to keep getting those Raya invites.  

#7 Reject food/drinks offered

You know the words: it is better to receive than to give. There’s no right or wrong way of kindly reject an offer, but if the host/hostess insists, remember they’re only trying to be hospitable. So even if you’re feeling bloated, it’s respectful to accept what’s given and patiently nibble on them so as to not potentially offend anyone.

#8 Pile your plate to the roof

Completely relatable if you feel the need to feast like a king – but don’t be a glutton at everyone else’s expense. This refers to those standing behind you, in the buffet line or arriving at a later time of the day. Be mindful of the number of scoops going into your plate so that there’s still plenty to go around. Plus, we definitely want to avoid throwing it all out at the end of the day!

#9 Open your sampul duit raya immediately

We know how hard it is to pretend to not want to know what, or more like, how much is inside that little green packet. But if you’re dying to catch a sneak peek, then do it discreetly. It is impolite to open your sampul duit raya in the presence of the giver.

#10 Skip the salam

Salam, salam and SALAM. Write it on your arm, paste it to your forehead or record it and put it on repeat. Manners matters folks! Hence, your mantra every time you visit a different house. Being generously invited to be part of a celebratory month deserves a little appreciation and respect. Plus, a simple greeting to the host/hostess before proceeding to mingle goes a long way.

 

Stick to these 10 tips and all will be fine this Aidilfitri. We at CatchThatBus would like to wish all our Muslim brothers and sisters, Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

 

Main Photo Credit: The Star