Unit2Cultural

PassageB

CulturalDifferences

Eatingout

HowshouldIbehaveatthetable?

Handshaking

Isthereanyotherkindofgreeting?

BeforereadingPassageB,describethepicturestoyourclassmates.CulturalDifferences

In1993,IhadmyfirstopportunitytovisitRussiaasarepresentativeofthe

UniversityofCalifornia.Iwastheretoprovidesometechnicalassistanceintheareaofagriculturallabormanagement."Russiansareaverypolitepeople,”Ihadbeentutoredbeforemyarrival.Oneofmyinterpreters,onceIwasthere,explainedthatagentlemanshouldpourthelimonad(atypeofjuice)fortheladiesandshowother

courtesies

tothem.

Towardtheendofmythree-weektripIwasinvitedbymyyoungRussianhostandfriendDmitriIvanovichandhislovelywifeYielenaouttodinner.AttheendofawonderfulmealYielenaaskedifIwouldlikeabanana.Ipolitelydeclinedandthankedher,andexplainedIwasmostsatisfiedwiththemeal.Butthewholewhilemymindwasracing:"WhatdoIdo?DoIofferherabananaeventhoughtheyareasclosetoherastheyaretome?Whatisthepolitethingtodo?”

"Wouldyoulikeabanana?”IaskedYielena.

"Yes,”shesmiled,butmadenoattempttotakeanyofthethreebananasinthefruitbasket."Whatnow?”Ithought.

"Whichonewouldyoulike?”I

fumbled."Thatone,”shepointedatoneofthebananas.SoallthewhilethinkingaboutRussianpolitenessIpickedthebananaYielenahadpointedatand

peeled

ithalfwayandhandedittoher.SmilesinYielenaandDmitri’sfacestoldmeIhaddonetherightthing.AfterthisexperienceIspentmuchtimelettingtheworldknowthatinRussia,thepolitethingistopeelthebananasfortheladies.SometimeduringmythirdtripIwaspolitely

disabused

ofmynotion.

“Ohno,GrigoriiDavidovich,”aRussian

graciously

correctedme.“InRussia,whenamanpeelsabananaforaladyitmeanshehasaromanticinterestinher.”HowembarrassedIfelt.AndhereIhadbeenproudlytellingeveryoneaboutthistidbit

ofculturalunderstanding.

Certainlessonshavetobelearnedthehardway.Somewellmeaningarticlesandpresentationsonculturaldifferenceshaveapotentialtodomoreharmthangoodandmaynotbeasamusing.Theypresent,likemybananas,toomanygeneralizations

orquitea

distorted

view.

Someoften-heardgeneralizationsabouttheHispaniccultureinclude:Hispanics1needlesspersonalspace,makelesseyecontact,toucheachothermoreinnormalconversation,andarelesslikelytoparticipateinameeting.Generalizationsareoftendangerous,andespeciallywhenaccompaniedbyrecommendationssuchas:movecloserwhentalkingtoHispanics,makemorephysicalcontact,don’texpectparticipation,andsoon.

Differencesbetweenpeoplewithinanygivennationorculturearemuchgreaterthandifferencesbetweengroups.Education,socialstanding,religion,personality,beliefstructure,pastexperience,affectionshowninthehome,anda

myriad

ofotherfactorswillaffecthumanbehaviorandculture.

Differencesbetweenpeoplewithinanygivennationorculturearemuchgreaterthandifferencesbetweengroups.Education,socialstanding,religion,personality,beliefstructure,pastexperience,affectionshowninthehome,anda

myriad

ofotherfactorswillaffecthumanbehaviorandculture.Suretherearedifferencesinapproachastowhatisconsideredpoliteandappropriatebehaviorbothonandoffthejob.Insomecultures“yes”means,“Ihearyou”morethan“Iagree.”Lengthof

pleasantries

andgreetingsbeforegettingdowntobusiness,leveloftoleranceforbeingaroundsomeonespeakingaforeign(not-understood)language,politenessmeasuredintermsof

gallantry

or

etiquette

(e.g.,standingupforawomanwhoapproachesatable,yieldingaseatonthebustoanolderperson,etc.)andmannerofexpecteddressareallexamplesofpossibleculturaldifferencesandtraditions.

In

Mexico

itis

customary

forthearrivingpersontogreettheothers.Forinstance,someonewhowalksintoagroupofpeopleeatingwouldsayprovecho(enjoyyourmeal).In

Chile,womenoftengreetbothotherwomenandmenwithakissonthecheek.InRussiawomenoftenwalkarminarmwiththeirfemalefriends.Payingattentiontocustomsandculturaldifferencescangivesomeoneoutsidethatcultureabetterchanceof

assimilation

oracceptance.Ignoringthesecangetanunsuspectingpersonintotrouble.

Thereareculturaland

ideological

differencesanditisgoodtohaveanunderstandingaboutaculture’scustomsandways..Hence,wearecomparingtwobellcurves3andgeneralizationscannotbeavoided.”Anothercorrespondentexplainedthehumanneedto

categorize.Trueandtrue,butthedangercomeswhenweactonsomeofthesegeneralizations,especiallywhentheyarebasedonfaultyobservations.Actingongeneralizationsaboutsuchmattersaseyecontact,personalspace,touch,andinterestinparticipationcanhaveseriousnegativeconsequences.

NEWWORDacceptancen.theactofacceptingorbeingaccepted接受，接納，認同◆assimilationn.becominglikethepeopleofacountry,raceorothergroup同化◆categorizev.putinacategory分類

correspondentn.someoneemployedbyanewspaper,television通訊員，記者▲courtesyn.politebehavior;goodmanners有禮貌的舉止(或言詞)▲customarya.establishedbycustoms;usualorhabitual習(xí)慣上的，慣常的，合乎習(xí)俗的◆disabusev.cause(someone)nolongertohave(wrongidea)糾正(錯誤想法)▲distortv.giveafalseordishonestaccountof歪曲，曲解

embarrassv.causetofeelanxiousanduncomfortable使窘迫，使尷尬▲ethnica.ofaracial,national,ortribalgroup種族的◆etiquetten.theformalrulesofproper(social)behavior禮節(jié)，禮儀◆fumblev.movethefingersorhandsawkwardlyinsearchofsomething摸索◆gallantryn.chivalrousattentiontowardwomen;courtliness對婦女獻殷勤，彬彬有禮◆generalizationn.theactofmakinggeneralstatementorformingageneralprinciple,opinion,etc概括，推論DietaryCulturesTheDifferencesBetweenChineseandWesternDietaryCulturesIntroductionDietisactuallythecontentsofourdailylives,butwhywecallitculture?ThatisbecausethediethasspecialstatusintheChineseculture,anditalsohasagreatdistinctionbetweenChinaandthewest.AnalysisDifferencesinConceptsDifferencesintargetsDifferencesinDietaryPatternsDifferencesinDietAttributionDifferencesintheNatureDifferencesinConcepts

Chinesedietisasenseofbeautydietandpaysattentiontothe"color,flavor,taste"regardlessofthenutrition.Westerndietisarationalconcept,regardlessofthecoloroffood,incense,flavorandshape,butnutritionmustbeassured.Differencesintargets

InChina,alldietcannotbedonewithoutvegetables.Theword"dish"isforthesound,anditalwayshassomethingtodowiththeplants.Westernersdonotseemtohavesuchagoodhabit.Themainingredientismeatandplantsarejustthecomplement.DifferencesinDietaryPatternsInChina,acelebration,nomatterwhat,therewillbeonlyoneform,assittingtogether,sharingonefeast.Itishelpfultofacilitatethecollectiveemotionalexchangesandconsequentlydifficulttoreform.InWest,buffetdinnerispopular.Thisshowsawesternpersonalityandself-respect.Butthebuffethasbrokensuchpatternwhichshowsharmonyandunity.DifferencesinDietAttributionChinesediettendstobeartandsentimental,whichisexpressedasthestressontheflavor.Westerndiettendstobescientificandrational,which