160
votes
Accepted
Is it offensive to use 'Saigon' instead of 'Ho Chi Minh City'?
According to Fodor's Guide to Vietnam, 4th Edition, published 2016, under Introduction to Ho Chi Minh City on page 38:
Still called Saigon by most residents,
According to National Geographic ...
- 46.3k
126
votes
What is way to eat rice with hands in front of westerners such that it doesn't appear to be yucky?
Do you have some kind of roti or some kind of flat bread that can go with the rice? People may be less edgy if they think of it as eating taco or burritos by hand.
It might come down to whom you're ...
- 1,153
98
votes
Accepted
Should I declare chocolate as "food" when entering the US?
Yes, according to US CBP officers, you should declare it as food. I bring chocolate every time I fly from Europe.
Generally what happens next is they ask what exactly you are bringing, you say "...
- 22.1k
73
votes
What is way to eat rice with hands in front of westerners such that it doesn't appear to be yucky?
A bit of open mindness will not kill you, the same open mindness you'd like to receive from other people who you think find your habits disgusting.
Follow me:
First and foremost, you can eat the way ...
- 5,872
67
votes
Is it offensive to use 'Saigon' instead of 'Ho Chi Minh City'?
My wife is Vietnamese, and her entire family. I also visited Vietnam with them previously. They all spent most of their life in Vietnam prior to moving to another country.
When I inquired (while ...
- 831
61
votes
Accepted
In a restaurant in Italy, should I be seated when my food arrives?
The only logical explaination is that he was simply suggesting you to hurry up, because the pizza was getting cold and you wouldn't taste it in its best moment (when the mozzarella is still hot). ...
- 688
60
votes
Is it offensive to use 'Saigon' instead of 'Ho Chi Minh City'?
I was born and grew up in Saigon. Saigon has always been and will forever be Saigon. Don't call it by any other name!
A historical allusion to these naming is Leningrad, which, similar to most ...
- 833
60
votes
Accepted
Is it okay to mix in local language when I know it poorly?
It doesn't matter where you go in the world, the locals are pleased when an obvious foreigner makes an effort to be polite in the few words they know. (Even France, these days.)
But as soon as it is ...
- 1,411
57
votes
Accepted
Is it rude to speak Swedish in Norway?
No, in itself it is not rude. You can do it in a rude way, by just ignoring the signals if the other person is not happy about it.
Offer the person you talk with the choice.
I would start with a ...
- 62.6k
56
votes
Should I put toilet paper in airplane toilets?
Should I put toilet roll in airplane toilets?
YES. Airplane toilets are designed to take the toilet paper provided by the airline.
The sign is to inform you that nothing other than the provided ...
- 32.8k
51
votes
Accepted
What is the tipping process in restaurants in the US?
Normally, the sequence is this:
Get the bill from the server. Check it for any issues.
Give the server your credit card.
The server goes off and swipes your card, coming back with your card and the ...
- 1,996
47
votes
Accepted
4 people in a cab in London? Is that allowed?
London cabs will usually have additional seats in the back which fold up when not in use.
This allows up to 5 people to ride in the back.
Like below:
- 1,146
46
votes
Large shelves with food in US hotels; shops or free amenity?
I often stay at Radisson hotels. And have also seen this type of thing in other hotels as well.
This area in hotels is a shop featuring paid-for items.
The items are likely to have small price ...
- 4,803
46
votes
What is France's traditional costume?
France does not really have one national costume.
There are many regional costumes, although not many or even non is/are still used as daily dress.
In the last half of the 20th century, the 'typical'...
- 62.6k
44
votes
Accepted
Is cheek kissing appropriate when being introduced to a woman in Latin America?
It is more like air kissing than cheek kissing here in South America and pretty much all over Central America too. You basically put your cheek against the one you are greeting and kiss. Only one kiss ...
- 46.3k
44
votes
Should I declare chocolate as "food" when entering the US?
a) Chocolate, being a thing eaten by humans, is indeed "food."
b) If you say you're not carrying food, and your baggage is searched by Customs and the chocolate discovered, then they have you for ...
- 26.2k
42
votes
Accepted
Are taxi drivers in Bangkok expected to round up the taxi fare to the nearest multiple of 10 THB?
According to TripAdvisor, in taxis, "both Thais and local ex-pats commonly round up the fare (i.e. 51 baht fare rounded up to 60 baht)." As ฿7 is equivalent to US$0.22, I wouldn't worry about it much.
- 15.2k
41
votes
Accepted
What is way to eat rice with hands in front of westerners such that it doesn't appear to be yucky?
Who are you trying to eat in front of? There's no single answer here.
If it's strangers: there is no way. You must always respect local custom in order to meet the standards of etiquette local to ...
- 4,094
38
votes
Accepted
With the passing of Thai King Bhumibol, are there any customs/etiquette as a traveler I should be aware of?
One must understand that Thai citizens are very sensitive about the loss of the King. Unlike political parties, where controversy is normal, HM King Bhumibol was sincerely beloved by everyone in the ...
- 3,730
38
votes
How to deal with other tourists taking pictures of my children?
Since this question is not tagged for Spain, and it is tagged for cultural-awareness and local-customs, then be aware that in some countries (including England and Wales) photography in a public place ...
- 10.3k
36
votes
What is the tipping process in restaurants in the US?
First, ask for the check. If you're in a real rush and paying by card, you could hand the waiter your credit card at this point to speed up the process a bit, but the normal thing to do is to ask for ...
- 86.5k
36
votes
How to deal with other tourists taking pictures of my children?
I've been that stranger. I once surreptitiously took a photo of (native) people in a rural Swedish village who I throught were dressed funnily. A young man noticed, and responded with a gesture of ...
- 60.1k
35
votes
Accepted
What should someone from the US know when driving in Italy?
Here are some advice. This is focused on those aspect of road safety (e.g. "how bad they drive") to warn the reader and have him prepared for a safer defensive drive. For this reason, please ...
- 4,920
34
votes
Accepted
How do I provide restaurant with box to return my coat?
If sending one of the employees a couple of bucks via PayPal or something similar, to ship it for you is not an option, this is what I would do:
Order a free flat rate box, and ship it to the ...
- 568
29
votes
What is way to eat rice with hands in front of westerners such that it doesn't appear to be yucky?
The only realistic option is to eat somewhere where others won't see you: either in the privacy of your home or in a restaurant which offers private cabins. Otherwise you will always face people who ...
- 81.6k
29
votes
Accepted
Guide for how to behave or what to expect at a Panto in England?
There are plenty of online resources, including:
A stranger’s guide to Panto – or – How to get the most out of it!
What is pantomime? A guide to this most British of festive institutions
Wikipedia - ...
- 710
26
votes
Is it rude to speak Swedish in Norway?
It is neither rude, nor arrogant, but I am not sure if I see any point in doing so. If you don't understand Norwegian very well, you are very likely to have larger difficulties with the rural dialects ...
- 58.6k
25
votes
Accepted
How do North Americans use toilet paper?
The debate is between folding it or crumpling it, it is not about the number of sheets. A single sheet would be inadequate in most cases in either form.
I know this is a strange question. Heck, you ...
- 33k
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