CULTURAL CURIOSITIES
Chinese Rather Buy American, Russians Can Stare but don't You Smile, Chileans Expect Good Table Manners
Although the US has a huge trade deficit with China, American-made baby products are extremely popular because even the Chinese consider US products to be safer (abc.com). 2012 is the Year of the Dragon and considered a lucky year to be born; consequently many Chinese are trying to have babies this year (abc.com). When in Japan, never stick chopsticks upright in your rice; during funerals in Japan the rice bowl of the deceased is placed before their coffin with chopsticks upright. Putting bread directly on the table and not on a plate is perfectly acceptable in France. Table manners are more formal in Chile than in other cultures and food is always eaten with a knife and fork, even fries. It can be disconcerting, but Russians consider it perfectly acceptable to stare at strangers. But don’t smile back or you will be thought to be either crazy or stupid (Russians rarely smile in public). buildinginternationalbridges.org.
CULTURAL CURIOSITIES
Chinese Buy American,
Russians Stare, Chileans Eat Formally
08/12
Although the US has a huge trade deficit with China,
American-made baby products are extremely popular because even the Chinese
consider US products to be safer (abc.com). 2012 is the Year of the Dragon and
considered a lucky year to be born; consequently many Chinese are trying to
have babies this year (abc.com). When in
Japan, never stick chopsticks upright in your rice; during funerals in Japan
the rice bowl of the deceased is placed before their coffin with chopsticks
upright. Putting bread directly on the
table and not on a plate is perfectly acceptable in France. Table manners are more formal in Chile than in
other cultures and food is always eaten with a knife and fork, even fries. It can be disconcerting, but Russians
consider it perfectly acceptable to stare at strangers. But don’t smile back or
you will be thought to be either crazy or stupid (Russians rarely smile in
public).
buildinginternationalbridges.org.
