The hospitality of a host in Sarawak can be in many forms. In the past, a generous non Muslim host would prepare cigarettes and good liquor to welcome his guests. Packets of cigarettes and perhaps even several bottles of liquor would be placed on individual banquet tables at the beginning of the dinner.
Humble invited guests would decline the liquor and ask the host take away the bottles before damage was done. However the polite rule was for the good person to ask his table mates whether they would like the bottles to be opened or not. Some good drinkers would just open the bottle without even asking. Hence if only one person wanted to drink a little, he would just move on to another table where the bottles were already open and find a seat for himself. Some drinking buddies would of course have formed their own tables.
Today most people would really find it uncomfortable to be with people who are not into drinking, or smoking or even chatting. Many people do find it uncomfortable if the table mates refuse to have conversation .
During a visit to Yunnan I was invited to a house warming party and I was happy to note that the host placed cigarettes on the a common table and guests who would like a cigarette could take one. Any one with a match would help to light him up. That would definitely strike a good conversation.
Nowadays, the handphone is a good company if you have no one to talk to.
I do remember I was at a table with some strangers who just smoked all the cigarettes provided, quietly. So the two ladies and I ate daintily throughout the dinner and we avoided any eye contact.
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