That is soooo interesting, the thing about food, and anyone who comes ot the house must be FED is such a central aspect of Muslim/Asina culture that runs though peasant/farmer families but NOT the urban, 'educated ' bums like my auntie wha was a doctor , and renewed for cutting her cucumber into transparent slices to make it go share less of her food ! It really somehow happens that those who re born into wealth and privilege as she was, are often very mean.

The other think about saying 'thank you'... under why your family differed so much? Because there is a similar feeling/principle that I few up with which is you do out of love and affection, and it is your duty/the others' right to expect that care etc... so no thank you's needed. Only with strangers or people you really want to keep at arm's length, do you go all tight and polite.

But my whyte friends in the UK, saying 'thank you' when I lent them a book or cooked a meal... I used to say, 'it;' normal, u don't have to say thank you'.