Diversity Diaries: Bonnie Rubin
By Bonnie Rubin
Reporter, Chicago Tribune
03.22.02
I certainly have caused bruised feelings by declining to eat in the homes of immigrants and elderly people, who have no knowledge of "ethics codes." All they know is that they have offered you food and you have rejected it.
All it took was a few times of valuable sources snapping shut like a clamshell for me to realize that I had made a major faux pas. In many cultures, breaking bread together is a sign of trust, so pass up that paczki, nan or tortilla at your peril.