Quote:
Originally Posted by Kuroneko
While you are eating you might encounter what I call "the silence". Don't alarmed most Japanese don't find this strange at all. "It is a time to reflect on ones self and straiten out your thoughts", said to me by one of my good friends. Don't try and break the silence as you would in a Western setting. It might be very awkward your first time, but you'll get use to it with time.
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While this silence is to be observed there is another that is not, apparently.
When spoken to, my language teacher has pointed out the it is necessary to respond immediately in some manner. Fillers in English are frowned upon ("hmm ....", "well...."), being considered useless stalling. But in Japanese to be quiet while composing your reply seems to be interpreted as ignoring the other person. We have been instructed to make full use of "eeto", "ano", etc.