By Kristina Malsberger

Q At a small restaurant in Baja California, the owner kindly offered me a free bowl of menudo, which my husband reminded me was tripe stew. I waved it away. Was I an ugly American?
A Anyone confronted with a steaming bowl of cow stomach deserves leeway. Menudo, like the 1980s boy band of the same name, isn't for everyone. Luckily, as a paying patron, you can eat—or avoid—whatever you choose.

But there are more gracious ways to decline a dish than shooing it away. Feigned fullness is a universally accepted white lie, so learn to say, "Thank you, but I'm very full" in the local language, as well as the terms for any dietary restrictions (vegetarian, kosher) or medical conditions (diabetes, pregnancy). Locals will surely appreciate your attempt and may be more understanding when you turn down a plate of pig's feet or escargots.