Don'T Slurp YouR SouP!!!!

When I was four, my Uncle taught me to slurp (as well as other bad habits) so I would eat my noodles.  I soon became a slurping expert; my soup, noodles, drinks and pretty much anything else that could be slurped.  I’m sure everyone has heard the saying, “don’t slurp your soup!”. American’s feel it is not proper etiquette to engage in at the dinner table.  I never quite understood the purpose of slurping, I just knew that it was entertaining at 4 years old and it got me to eat my soup.  Finally, after 24 years, I have found a reason for the slurp! In Mongolia; EVERYONE slurps. It is not just the little kids, but the grandparents, the parents, the extended family; EVERYONE. You sit around the table to a meal of hot tea, and soup and the slurping circle starts at the beginning of the meal, and doesn’t end until everyone is done eating.  If you (like me) are perplexed by this behavior, let me break it down for you. Soup (especially in Mongolia) is HOT. It comes off a woodstove after it has been boiled for a half hour or longer and Mongolian’s immediately start eating.  If you slurp it, it takes less time to cool off then if you blew on it or had to wait for it to cool off.  So, the next time someone tells you it is rude to slurp your soup/coffee/etc. feel free to ignore. I say, master the slurp. Slurp it loud and slurp it proud!