Cultures

What is this "plate passing" business? I have never seen that either. Maybe its because I live in California, I don't know. Regarding Thanksgiving....my family is not American therefore we don't celebrate it really. However, Thanksgiving is a good excuse to get everyone together and binge on food and drink :) Ok, generally any big holiday is an excuse for a party and a big feast, seriously. Easter being the biggest holiday...having roasted lamb on a spit for larger gatherings and roasted leg of lamb in the oven for smallar gatherings is customary. Family and friends come and parties are loud, full of food, alcohol and music. Generally when we eat, the food is all put either on the counter or the center of the table in large bowls or platters and everyone can take from that as they please and put it on their plate. So, basically its family style.
And who ever heard of singing or praying before you eat?? That is weird, I'm sorry. Some of those weird "born again" christians and whatnot do that. I remember once when I was in 8th grade (9 years ago) I had to go over to this one girl's house because we had to work on a school project together (along with some other people in our project group). First of all they were really rude to their guests! They asked for money for the food, can you believe it?! Of course I said screw that and took some food anyway because I was hungry and insulted. As an Eastern European this is unthinkable and shameful to treat your guests in this way, and you would be disowned from the community. Then, before they would even let you touch even a morsle of food they asked everyone to stand up in a circle and hold hands and then they prayed. It was the weirdest thing I had ever witnessed. I just sat on the couch and let them pray there and happily ignored them. I hope I am never in a situation like that again.

Regarding some common American customs that I really don't like....
1. Hospitallity does not seem that important. Again, people are rude to their guests. They will eat in front of them and offer them nothing. A glass of water is all you are entitled to. How rude is that? To an Eastern European hospitallity is very important. Love and respect is at least partially measured in hospitality and food. You cannot even dream of not offering your guest(s) something to eat or drink and you would never eat in front of them. That is just bad manners. You want to make sure your guest(s) feel welcome, not alienated.
2. Potlucks. I absolutely hate potlucks. This is a custom that I will never understand. You go to someone's gathering that they are hosting but you have to bring your own food....what part of this makes sense? I don't get it. Again, I feel its rude. Asking somone to bring their own food for YOUR gathering that YOU are hosting, your guests are not hosting it.

Haha bidets...I remember seeing those in the hotel rooms in Spain, and I thought it was weird but whatever.

In most places in Europe it is customary to kiss on the cheek in greeting. Serbs kiss people on the cheek 3 times, Greeks the same. (according to lore its supposed to symbolize the trinity, but I'm not sure how true that is) Italians twice I think. In France it depends on the region on how many times you kiss. In one region it was 4 times (Paris?), some its 3 and some its 2. I didn't pay attention to what people did in Spain. And yes, Middle Easterners kiss people on the cheeks as well. Persians do it, Lebanese do it, Palestinian Arabs do it, Egypians do it, Arabs do it. It is just a greeting, it has nothing to do romance.
Haha ironically, possibly because I grew up here, I am not very touchy-feely...especially toward people I do not know very well.
Hmm....need I say more?...after I have taken up like half a page hahaha.

Oh, I forgot to mention this: When friends and family get together its loud because they all start discussing politics, and no one really listens to anybody. Its more like "the loudest one wins". Which is really annoying to say the least.
 
DragonKeeper said:
1. Hospitallity does not seem that important. Again, people are rude to their guests. They will eat in front of them and offer them nothing. A glass of water is all you are entitled to. How rude is that? To an Eastern European hospitallity is very important. Love and respect is at least partially measured in hospitality and food. You cannot even dream of not offering your guest(s) something to eat or drink and you would never eat in front of them. That is just bad manners. You want to make sure your guest(s) feel welcome, not alienated.
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oh dude same, hospitallity and caring for the guest is really really important in my culture when i was in canada, and when we hanged out with friends,
we usualy end up in a resturant or somthin, i never order untill i ask them if they need anything, or i never start eating unless i ask them if they want some.
when they come over, i never sit, i keep under there service and try to give them whatever i find in the fridge, just to make them feel at home,
but surprisingly no one did the same to be
no one returned the favour, but im not botherd
u have ur own culture i have mine, i wont change it cuz u dont go by it
 
Regarding some common American customs that I really don't like....
1. Hospitallity does not seem that important. Again, people are rude to their guests. They will eat in front of them and offer them nothing. A glass of water is all you are entitled to. How rude is that? To an Eastern European hospitallity is very important. Love and respect is at least partially measured in hospitality and food. You cannot even dream of not offering your guest(s) something to eat or drink and you would never eat in front of them. That is just bad manners. You want to make sure your guest(s) feel welcome, not alienated.
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I do agree that a lot of American's are like this, but I also feel that it really depends on where in the US you are. Much how different part of the world have different culture, different parts of the US have different ones too. I lived in all but the Rocky Mountain Region and The West Coast and there is a very significant difference. Where I am now(The Northeast) people in general are pretty rude, everything here is VERY fast paced and no one really has time for anything, it's all rush rush. The guest thing is very similar to how you described it too.

However where I was raised is a lot different, more laid back more. People in general were nicer. You walk in to a house of someone you don't even know and they are cool about it. In NE you do that you have the cops on you instantly(community depending) when I lived in the Southeast US again very different there. People were more like the midwest, but with a rougher attitude. Rowdier.

It's strange as well that we call food different in different regions too. Like Sub Sandwichs(like you get from sub way) Where I am now they are called Grinders, back in the Midwest they were Submarine sandwichs, in the south they had real food ;) and in NYC and Boston they call them even other names.

Also, the whole bidet thing kinda freaks me out too >,>

And as far as the kissing thing, it's up to whatever people want to do, I don't judge on that. If that is how someone will greet me, fine I will comply with that to try to make them feel more at home than weird. *shrug*
 
kldfjlaksdj said:
I do agree that a lot of American's are like this, but I also feel that it really depends on where in the US you are. Much how different part of the world have different culture, different parts of the US have different ones too. I lived in all but the Rocky Mountain Region and The West Coast and there is a very significant difference. Where I am now(The Northeast) people in general are pretty rude, everything here is VERY fast paced and no one really has time for anything, it's all rush rush. The guest thing is very similar to how you described it too.
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disagree, i think u should knock on someones house before entering it, i would think its very rude to enter my house without permission, plus we arabs if u havnt noticed we care about honor, and we consider our honor as our sisters and mothers. so even if i knock the door and i entered the house, i dont walk around the house, i stand still, untill the house keeper says its alright (what i just did, is, i respected the women in the house, and since they cover there hair and almost all there body, so i didnt walk around and saw them)
plus if u walk into my house, while me doing my manhood thingy, i'll be really pissed

It's strange as well that we call food different in different regions too. Like Sub Sandwichs(like you get from sub way) Where I am now they are called Grinders, back in the Midwest they were Submarine sandwichs, in the south they had real food ;) and in NYC and Boston they call them even other names.
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i call them long burgers :lol:
 
disagree, i think u should knock on someones house before entering it, i would think its very rude to enter my house without permission, plus we arabs if u havnt noticed we care about honor, and we consider our honor as our sisters and mothers. so even if i knock the door and i entered the house, i dont walk around the house, i stand still, untill the house keeper says its alright (what i just did, is, i respected the women in the house, and since they cover there hair and almost all there body, so i didnt walk around and saw them)
plus if u walk into my house, while me doing my manhood thingy, i'll be really pissed
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I think I said something wrong here, I meant say you were going to a new building, a place you never really went before and accidentally walked to someone's door(wrong house) we wouldn't necessarily walk right in and make ourselves comfortable. I mean, I would personally just wait until I got proper directions or wait until I was invited in. However, what I meant to show is the sense of community and family in different regions of the US. Sorry if I was misleading it's beginning to reach the end of my bodily energy time(been up since early morning) and I am probably not the most clear :err:
 
kldfjlaksdj said:
I think I said something wrong here, I meant say you were going to a new building, a place you never really went before and accidentally walked to someone's door(wrong house) we wouldn't necessarily walk right in and make ourselves comfortable. I mean, I would personally just wait until I got proper directions or wait until I was invited in. However, what I meant to show is the sense of community and family in different regions of the US. Sorry if I was misleading it's beginning to reach the end of my bodily energy time(been up since early morning) and I am probably not the most clear :err:
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hehe ok, sorry got u wrong, no biggy :cool:
 
DragonKeeper said:
And who ever heard of singing or praying before you eat?? That is weird, I'm sorry. Some of those weird "born again" christians and whatnot do that. I remember once when I was in 8th grade (9 years ago) I had to go over to this one girl's house because we had to work on a school project together (along with some other people in our project group). First of all they were really rude to their guests! They asked for money for the food, can you believe it?! Of course I said screw that and took some food anyway because I was hungry and insulted. As an Eastern European this is unthinkable and shameful to treat your guests in this way, and you would be disowned from the community. Then, before they would even let you touch even a morsle of food they asked everyone to stand up in a circle and hold hands and then they prayed. It was the weirdest thing I had ever witnessed. I just sat on the couch and let them pray there and happily ignored them. I hope I am never in a situation like that again.
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I've never been invited over to someone's house where i they charged me for what i ate. In fact, if that ever happened to me, i would laugh right in their faces and then turn around and head straight for the door.

Also, bible thumpers are usually quite generous with food as a means to create converts. So the family you describe is bizarre even by christian standards.

Regarding some common American customs that I really don't like....

1. Hospitallity does not seem that important. Again, people are rude to their guests. They will eat in front of them and offer them nothing. A glass of water is all you are entitled to. How rude is that? To an Eastern European hospitallity is very important. Love and respect is at least partially measured in hospitality and food. You cannot even dream of not offering your guest(s) something to eat or drink and you would never eat in front of them. That is just bad manners. You want to make sure your guest(s) feel welcome, not alienated.
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:rolleyes:

I'm gonna have to wave the bullshit flag here. I don't think there is any culture in the world where it is normal to eat and drink in front of guests without offering them anything. It's a universal common courtesy!

Look, you'll never see the same kind of communal solidarity in America that you might find in places like Serbia. As you know, Americans are a jumble of different races and nationalities so there isn't the kind of tribal spirit you'll find in ethnically homogenous nations.

Incidentally, some people theorize that the reason why Christianity still has a stronghold in America when it is dying out everywhere else is because of the lack of a common ethnicity. Religion helps to create a bond between people who otherwise have little if anything in common.

Whatever the case, we might be fucked up, but we're not that fucked up. Most of us do offer food to our guests.


2. Potlucks. I absolutely hate potlucks. This is a custom that I will never understand. You go to someone's gathering that they are hosting but you have to bring your own food....what part of this makes sense? I don't get it. Again, I feel its rude. Asking somone to bring their own food for YOUR gathering that YOU are hosting, your guests are not hosting it.
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Pot lucks fucking rule. What if someone wants to have some people over but doesn't have time to spend 12 hours in the kitchen? Why, they throw a potluck!

Also, it gives people a chance to sample a variety of different foods made by a variety of different cooks. And with everyone pitching in, it's actually one of the few communal aspects of American culture.



.........at any rate, i'm not what you would call an American patriot. America is essentially little more than a financial enterprise on the verge of imploding. I actually enjoy hearing what people think about America even if it's negative. So please feel free to continue with your criticisms. I'll only intervene if read something that is blatantly false, like the assertion that Americans don't offer food & drink to their guests, or if I feel that something needs to be clarified.

However, while you're throwing stones at America, don't even act like Arabic and Slavic societes are some sort of paragons of high and noble culture. You'll only make yourselves look like complete and utter fools.
 
I have never had a guest at my house and eaten in front of them!
Most of my friends call me "momma" because one of the first questions I ask when they come over is, "have you eaten?" Even on simple nights when they come over to play cards...I'll buy chips (even though I don't eat them) and make cookies. I'll even do it on the fly..people show up and I head for the kitchen.
And don't be hating on pot lucks!! What a great way to feed the neighborhood without breaking the bank or your back! My neighbor's and I do this like once a month. Holidays too. We all come from different backgrounds, so usually like 9 different dishes to choose from. Good times and good eats!


gnoff said:
When I start eating with my ass I'll wash it with water every time before I eat :lol:
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:lol::lol::lol::lol:
Awesome
 
Go Forth and Die said:
For shame :lol:

I'm 17, so essentially everytime I get the chance I drink to wankered.
I'll probably get more controlled with age and experience.
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I've just judged one of the classes in the Swedish home brewed beer championships.

When I left the tasting I was rather sober, eventhough we just tasted 22 beers.

I did go to this place that had a premiere of a new beer, had that.
Also saw a bottle of a new beer I hadn't tried, had that.

Went home, had friends home apparently, tried some, oh, 5 beers so far...

Now I'm getting a bit pissed, might not hold true to my "oh I don't drink so much anymore" just tonight :rolleyes:
 
What an interesting discussion...I think I'm not going to write too much about my first impressions of India. I was born there, lived there as a baby but only visited it again when I was 12. I especially kept looking for "holy cows". These cows are much thinner than the European ones and don't look that holy...I decided not to start worshipping cows but rather keep on eating them:)
 
metal devi said:
What an interesting discussion...I think I'm not going to write too much about my first impressions of India. I was born there, lived there as a baby but only visited it again when I was 12. I especially kept looking for "holy cows". These cows are much thinner than the European ones and don't look that holy...I decided not to start worshipping cows but rather keep on eating them:)
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You can worshipping how they taste while you are eating them.:worship:
 
Vilewoman said:
I have never had a guest at my house and eaten in front of them!
Most of my friends call me "momma" because one of the first questions I ask when they come over is, "have you eaten?" e
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They say Edinburgh folk are famous for welcoming their guests in the opposite way, by saying "you will have had your tea", but I've never experienced that particular phrase used on me.

However, Brits (because that´s one of the three countries I have lived in) are not as enthusiastic about entertaining guests as we are in Spain. I don´t know why, maybe guests are not expected to impose and therefore guests don´t offer it?

Sorry to all the Brits in here, but that´s the way it is... Spaniards will not be happy until they have put you over the alcohol limit and clogged your arteries before you go.

Living abroad is such hard work :lol::lol::lol::lol: I´m sure after 8 years I still come across as rude and/or awkward.
 
since no Brazilian said anything yet i'll try.....

I've lived all my life here, but i was a foreign exchange student for a year in the US, MN to be precise.

Well in Brazil, we do use forks and a knife to eat, well most people do, north americans tend to use their hands to scoop food, and after playing with a dog, well i think thats nasty as hell. I don't have problems eating food with my hands, well some places we have a traditional dish made of beans and other stuff and people eat with their hand, but thats very rare and it's not a full meal its more like in a snack way hard to explain for an outsider without really showing it.

The toilet paper thing, well i use toilet paper and don't want to get my ass wet all the time lol.

We greet man~/man with handshakes maybe a friendly far away hug, and girls with a kiss on the chick, now there's a thing to that, if you first meet a person its 3 kisses, like right-left-right, if you're just greeting a friend you can kiss once or twice, it depends on the person, if its a pretty girl i'd hather kiss more haha :d

well I also never eat in front of my guests unless i have some to offer them of course, and we have parties that we tell the person to brign something, especially family parties, and friends party like young people, bring your own alcohol bitches! I already invited the girls and u want me to buy u beer? haha :D well theres more stuff but that post is too big already :D


oh yeah and one thing that i hated in the US(refuse to say american, Brazil is also america), it's their food haha :D
in Brazil we tend to eat rice and beans everyday, there they have this sweet beans, baked beans I think it's how its called, damn i kind of liked it but not to eat everyday like our beans, they tend to eat plain noodles too which i hated....... well stoped now :D
 
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