Burping at the table

I grew up in a family where burping at the table was not allowed and knives and forks were called cutlery. Then I went to a fundamentalist Bible college where we were taught the proper placing of silverware, glasses and plates on the table. Then I learned that burping in China is a compliment to the cook and that other cultures use their hands to eat. Later I saw how traditions like etiquette can contradict the Bible. Etiquette can be an expression of love for neighbor, doing what makes a guest feel comfortable and welcomed. Etiquette can be outright self-aggrandizing snobbery and thus hatred of neighbor in disguise. Etiquette can also be a blind, unthinking adherence to outdated traditions. In Mark 7:1-23 Jesus broke with religious etiquette that did away with God’s commands and effectively nullified God’s word.