Terms of meals

Terms of meals is also one of Malagasy culture, customs, and etiquette that you should know before visiting it. When it comes to meals, the Madagascan people give a lot of respect and this is mostly practiced in the rural areas although it is also not lost in the other parts of the country. When food is served and there is a person who is older than the rest be it the parents, grandparents, or a big sister and brother, no one is supposed to lift their spoons to start eating unless the elders do so. When the elders lift their spoons to start eating, that is when the rest of the people are slowed to lift their spoons and also start eating.

Often the youngest children are served before older more dexterous children so that they will have adequate food. Traditional social norms for interaction such as eating from a common pot that was prevalent as recently as the 1960s are beginning to give way to more Western behavior.