Hot answers tagged local-customs
78
:D
I grew up using that thing. When I went studying abroad, I had problems with the toilet you guys called as the normal one (the sitting one). I literally wet my pants several times. Probably I should start a post about "How to sit on the normal toilet".
Here are just some extra tips so you don't wet your pants on a squatting toilet.
I will suggest you ...
50
Here is a video that explains how people use this thing.
Seriously, it's informative and visually presented and makes it much clearer.
44
I live in a very corrupt country - Ukraine. Let me give you some advice.
First, try to avoid looking like stranger. Try to look like the locals. That is often difficult, I know.
It's the only advice about how to avoid corrupt police. They often search for strangers just to get some money from them, because strangers are easy meat. All the other advice is ...
37
As a French native, I discovered this practice in North America. I never asked for a doggy bag in France, nor have I seen someone do it. So it is likely restaurants don't even have boxes.
You can obviously take out food from fast-food restaurants but for regular restaurants I don't think it is correct behaviour. I usually finish my dishes, I only order what ...
35
Take name cards with two hands when given to you, give them with two hands. Look at the received card, put it in front of you on the table while you are talking to the person(s).
You CAN punch with one chopstick into food and hold it with the other if it's something hard to eat (dumplings, potatoes etc). Don't stick both in however.
Do not soak your sushi ...
34
Ok, I'll take the risk in answering ;)
Anyway, I'll take the notes from a Wiki How link, and add in bits from past experiences...
Bring your own toilet paper. I used to think this was ridiculous. How could a public bathroom NOT have toilet paper? Then I went to Egypt where the majority of our group had Delhi Belly AND you had to pay for a couple of ...
27
First, in problematic places I would try to avoid interacting with the police as much as possible. Another strategy is patience. Usually, corrupt police are just trying to make quick money off an easy victim. Tourists are an obvious target because they tend to have more money and are more likely to be unfamiliar with the local language and customs.
If you ...
27
Yes, TRUE. A good Canadian friend of mine had a Chicago cubs (u.s. baseball team) tattoo on his right arm. Kind of silly, but apparently any tattoo has yakuza (Japanese mafia) undertones, which makes many Japanese, especially older people, uncomfortable. Attitudes seem to be changing and I even knew a few younger Japanese with tattoos, but the perception ...
26
I had the same problem after arriving to the UK. There are two basic techniques:
Plug the sink, pour the water and wash yourself in this water. I think this was how it was meant to be used when this system was first introduced years ago. You can mix it in any other container as well, depending on your needs. One potential downside to this method is that ...
26
As an Iranian I can tell you that breast-feeding in public is NOT a crime (at least in Iran) and you don't need to expect any severe consequences for this. Mothers do feed their children here whenever/wherever needed and it's none of anybody's business to question them why they are feeding their children. It's however usually a good practice for breasts to ...
26
Funnily enough, I read an article on askmen.com about the top 10 Japanese etiquette mistakes.
Boiled down to bullet points, we have:
Blowing your nose in public
Pointing with your forefinger
Don't pour your own beer
Wearing toilet slippers outside of toilet
Giving gifts in multiples of four
Failing to wash first before entering a public bath
Passing food ...
24
Nobody seemed to have given emphasis on what I consider the most important, the position of your arms when doing it: they must be extended away.
No:
Yes!
I live in China and got used to them squat toilets, they are actually better for the transit, and learning this position is good for many other purposes, like waiting for the subway, watching the sun ...
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Tattoos or Irezumi as they are called in Japanese were criminalized in the beginning of the Meiji period (some time after 1868) as a way to make a good impression on the west. (A bit ironic in this case...) It was legalized again after the war in 1948 but still retains its image of criminality.
For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were ...
21
This is funny. When I first read the question, I thought it a humorous prank. But, half way through the page, I was sort of convinced that it may possibly not have been intended to be.
I have used squat toilets for nearly all my life. At home, we have both the squat toilets and the sitting ones. I don't mind either, but I find the squat toilets to be more ...
19
Not sure if this is quite the scenario you are outlining, but:
If you're really really broke, chances are you won't be eating at restaurants or places that require tipping in the first place :) At least in the US, tipping is not the norm (or is completely optional - eg. tip jar might be present) at fast food (McD, Chipotle), sandwich shops (Subway) or other ...
18
Cows are considered holy in Hindu religion, not India as a whole per se. North/East/West India are primarily Hindu-majority regions and thus you're highly unlikely to find any beef, except perhaps at dodgy places in Muslim-dominated parts of those towns. Dodgy places because in those three parts of India cow slaughter is frowned upon and you don't find ...
17
Mount Athos, in Greece, does not permit women to enter. Wikipedia explains the rationale behind this prohibition as
Monks feel that the presence of women alters the social dynamics of the community and therefore slows their path towards spiritual enlightenment.
However, you may want to refine your question. For example, most restrooms are divided on ...
15
I just try to make a conscious effort to use only my right hand for most things when I'm in public places - paying for transportation fare or items in a market, eating in public restaurants, even pushing doors open. If you're mindful enough, you should be able to manage most of the time; if you forget once in a while, just correct yourself as soon as your ...
15
I'm Chinese so I can probably tell you this. As you're a foreigner they know already that you're not used to their culture. So, be yourself and you'll be fine. If anything, I guess it must be you to prepare for culture shock. As most of my foreigner friends complain about the spitting and toilets. So be prepared. Another thing is they smoke everywhere, if ...
14
It has an impact, but it isn't problematic. The Sabbath runs from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown, though in practice it could extend from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. In planning your trip, it is much like planning in other countries where shops are closed on Sundays or museums are only open on certain days. The key thing is to plan your ...
14
It's a common problem I had in South America - I really wanted to improve my Spanish while travelling as it gives you a much better insight into your travels, and can talk to locals more. But so often they'd just switch to English because they welcomed a chance to learn English themselves.
You can either do the obvious (ask them to speak French so you can ...
14
Most of the answers here cover most bases you need to know so I'll try to cover topics not mentioned yet.
Do a short flush / send a bit of water down the pan before you begin. It'll help sending everything down later.
Washing up after you're done: Sometimes, you find a soap bar left inside a toilet instead of liquid soap. I'd suggest you to use this for ...
14
Short answer: Yes, you will get in trouble.
And I personally don't recommend public drinking in any Arabic/Islamic country. It is even illegal in many other countries.
Long answer is that there are a lot of details to know about drinking law rules in Dubai.
By the way, Ramadan is a single month per lunar year. It was in August 2011, it will be in July ...
14
Wikivoyage tells you all you need to know -- and I'm going to quote most of it, since I originally wrote the entry!
Don't panic — help is at hand. The first key to solving the puzzle is
that the actual flush mechanism is usually not operated by the control
panel: instead, there is a standard, familiar, Western-style lever,
switch or knob somewhere ...
14
Always ask before taking a photo - unless they won't know if you take it. That's not supposed to sound creepy, but sometimes you're say, taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower and someone happens to be in the shot, so that's fine.
NEVER pay money for a photo. It encourages begging, or harassment. Ask permission, and if they say no or want money for it, offer ...
13
Background
The Shabbath (pronounced Shabbat in Israeli Hebrew) imposes some travel limitations but offers some exciting experiences. If you plan your trip correctly, you can greatly benefit from it.
The first important thing to know about Shabbat is that its character varies greatly among different areas in Israel. Ultra religous quarters in Jerusalem ...
13
The tour group can't and won't do anything unless what they're doing is illegal, or the guide is really passionate about something.
The one thing you can try sounds painfully obvious, but hey, if it works...
Try saying something to them.
It sounds like a whinge, but some people just don't consider what they're doing or realise they may be being offensive. ...
13
My boyfriend and I (female) were able to rent a private room at the Blue Baths in September '10.
Okay, here's the Long Answer:
At any one of the baths, it is possible to rent a private room, exclusive of massage and kisa (skin scrub). From my personal experience, The Royal Baths have the single best/nicest room (gorgeous blue paneled "dressing room" with ...
13
I can't say that I completely understand your situation (I am, after all, of European descent), but you should not be surprised to find out that
Some people are stupid have prejudices
I have indeed been treated sometimes differently for being Eastern European (and proud of it!), and the thing that I found works best is to just ignore them and pretend that ...
13
Mark's answer is excellent and covers all the big ones. From experience, just thought I'd add some other / my own social faux pas:
Eating in public whilst walking
Crossing your legs in front of your superiors (boss or manager, usually)
Wiping your face with 'oshibori' (moist cloth given before a meal to clean your hands)
Stabbing food with chopsticks ...
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