In Reply to: don,t bother. posted by bagus1 on Thursday, 22. March 2007 at 15:40 Bali Time:
it is our (western) custom to invite, and more and more Balinese are coming to learn this. However, it is THEIR custom to refuse, not because they don't like you, but because traditionally they are embaressed to eat in front other people, Western or not. I've noticed over the past 15 years or so, that more and more Balinese, through prolonged contact with tourists as guides or drivers, have overcome their basic shyness about eating. The only place in Bali where I encountered Balinese in a traditional setting eating together regularly was in Buleleng, especially east of Kubutambuhan. Interestingly enough, people from South Bali regard northerners as being crude and unrefined. Anyway, please don't stop inviting, it's just the polite thing to do.