So I was looking for a good translation for the phrase from German to English "Guten Appetit", and as I looked around I stumbled over a forum conversation about this, claiming that wishing someone to "enjoy your meal" is not cultivated anymore.

I don't know, and I am not sure about this. Maybe it is the way I was raised, but when I eat in company, I always wish someone to Enjoy his/her/their meal. But apparently that's not what a gentleman does anymore, instead he just starts chomping down on the food.

What about you?

EDIT: Some googleing revealed some weird paradox nowadays: If you are a guest, it is disrespectful to wish someone to enjoy his meal, if you are the host or the cook, it is egoistic. What the fuck happened to manners?

EDIT2: Apparently the only people who are allowed to say it, are waiters. What the hell?

Protip: Become a waiter, solve the problem.

We don't really have a phrase for this. We just use the French one, "Bon appetit."

But even that's only used by waiters.

it's probably just a german custom, or the way I was raised, but I find it really rude to just start eating without wishing your company to enjoy their meal.

A british colleague always just said "cheers"

I wonder how you say in english "ich bin satt".
(when you are not hungry anymore)

and the version when you are not thirsty anymore.

I am shouting "STOP IT! PUT THIS AWAY!"... Works very fine

how about "DO NOT WANT" ?

Well I can't really image that at Christmas Eve with grandma at the table...

probably "i am full" or "i am stuffed" or "i have had enough" or something like that.

how about "thanks, i am not thirsty anmore"? hm... is there any special way to say this in german actually?

Ja, "ich bin sitt" : http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitt

Mich gucken die Leute immer doof an wenn ich sage das ich sitt bin

dann trinkst du wohl nie was?
naja besser als "justThirsty"

ähhh, doch, iwie schon. Die können halt mit dem Wort sitt nix anfangen

In Turkey, we have such phrase "Afiyet Olsun." (~Bon apetit)

there are diffrent uses for that,

first when waiter/waitress serves the meal and puts the dishes on the table, they say "Afiyet Olsun.", you reply "Thank you.".

If it's a host/visitor situation, at the end of the meal visitor says "Elinize saglik**" which stands for "The meal was very good.". then the host replies "Afiyet olsun"

You also say "Afiyet Olsun" to the other people on the table who are still eating when you finished eating and leaving table.(ie while going back to your room or going to bathroom to wash your hands etc.)


**:(actual translation is something like "Helath to your hands.", since people prepare food with their hands and you wish their hands keep healty, so they can prepare such good meal again.)

TL;DR : what i wrote is pretty much random stuff, you do not need to read it.

at least they have manners over in turkey good to know there are still civilized people around, heh

Yes they say "i'm full", at least in canada.

Enjoy your meal ?


What about a simple "Good Apetite" or "Eat or Die"