In order not to get into trouble in a foreign country, you need to study its traditions and customs, culture and habits. Sometimes the most mundane things for us turn out to be inappropriate and even offensive in another state.
Where representatives of different cultures meet, there is always a place for misunderstanding. Traveling to other countries, it is easy to get into a delicate situation and not even guess about it. What can be done wrong? All! From funny greetings to tipping tips. You should always remember: another country - different customs. Taking cultural differences into account is not only a matter of respect. Absurd situations and even fines can be avoided.
There will never be a second chance for a first impression - greeting in different countries
- In New Zealand, they rub their noses at their first meeting. This act symbolizes the “breath of life”.
- Japan welcomes a bow. The deeper you bow, the more respect you show. But do not overdo it, the golden mean is good in everything.
- In many Polynesian islands, such as Bora Bora or New Guinea, local people take the hands of their closest relatives and friends and run them over their faces. But this pretty intimate gesture has no place in public.
- Applause in Africa! In some areas, residents clap their hands in greeting.
- In Spain, greeting with a handshake is considered rude, it is better to kiss on the left and right cheek.
The check, please! In which countries do I need to tip?
- In many countries of Central Europe and North America, tips for good service account for 15–20% of the total bill.
- In China and Japan, the same good service for granted. Tipping staff is more likely to be offended than pleased.
- In England and Ireland, tipping in pubs is not accepted. In restaurants, service charges are often already included in the bill, but tips are nevertheless expected in the amount of 10-15% of the bill.
Bon Appetit! Or what food preferences should be considered in a foreign country?
- In Japan, you need to eat everything on the table. Refusing a meal can be a serious insult to the host. But here we recall the rule of the golden mean: do not overdo it! Is your plate empty? You will immediately receive the supplement. If in Russia champing at a table is considered indecent, then in Japan it is praise to the cook. But unlike China, it is not customary to burp at the table here.
- Custom in India: cutlery not used. You can eat only with your right hand, since the left hand is used for hygiene after visiting the toilet. For thinner dishes, such as curry, you can take a cake, the rest of the dishes are eaten with the thumb, index and middle fingers.
Let's drink for love? Where you can not drink alcohol in public places
- In the United States and Australia, drinking alcohol in public places is prohibited by law. However, brown paper bags will protect you from law enforcement. It is also better to refrain from smoking on the street.
- Italy also fights alcohol in public places. In Genoa, drinking alcohol on the street faces a fine of up to 500 euros.
- In the center of Prague it is forbidden to drink alcohol in public places, with the exception of restaurants and bars, street cafes. The alcohol prohibition in particular applies within a radius of 100 m from playgrounds. If you get caught, you will have to pay about 40 euro fine.
- In France, it’s forbidden even to just be drunk in public. If you are caught at night after a club on a drunk street, you will have to not only part with the 150th euro, but also undergo a procedure of forced sobering up. Only when you are sober again will you be allowed to return home. It is forbidden to drink alcohol at stadiums.
- Across Poland, beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages can only be drunk in restaurants and bars. A general ban on alcohol applies throughout the country, even at major events.
Yes, no or maybe. What do gestures mean?
- Gestures can easily lead to misunderstandings. The thumb and forefinger forming a circle in Central Europe mean “good, ” but in Spain, France, and Turkey this gesture is seen as an obscene sign. Thus, you express an aversion to homosexuals.
- The raised thumb, which in Germany and Russia means praise, should not be shown in Australia: here this gesture signals that you want to get rid of the interlocutor.
- Shaking his head from side to side (as in Russia “no”) expresses agreement in Bulgaria, India and Pakistan. In Ethiopia, the head is even thrown back to answer yes. Whereas in the Arab countries, in the southern regions of Italy, in Greece and Turkey, the same head movement means "no." If you want to say “no” in Japan, you have to wave your hands in front of your face (a gesture similar to a wiper movement), in Germany this gesture in front of your face means that the person you are talking to is crazy.
