Manners for tourists

[Grandphoenix]

I have a friend in China who asked me if I could do a 2-3 min recording on good manners for tourists to America.

As I sit in my house and don't go outside besides for school or work, I'm not sure what foreigners normally do that we see as rude.

Anyone care to indulge?

(inb4 don't cut peoples heads off)

 

[Tristam Green]

Don't cut people's heads off, but that really applies more to visiting Canada.

Don't giggle or murmur at other people while speaking in your native tongue.

Act like a good houseguest, don't make a nasty mess of things when you visit someone's home. I had a coworker who played host to a new hire from China, and the dude left stuff all over his house.

 

[Rorschach]

Let him know that doing pee-pee in someone's coke isnt considered a joke here.

 

[Airou]

Try to show you respect their culture, wether its their personal likes/dislikes or how most of them do it, can be something simple as taking off your shoes at their house if they do the same. Just showing the effort that your trying to understand/respect their culture would be enough i think.

 

[Georgebobbilly]

Bathe every freakin day...

 

[Mercator]

Americans' personal space is quite larger than many other cultures. Don't get too close to people unless you know them. Maybe you could demonstrate the proper greeting. Depending on what the tourists plan on doing here, demonstrating proper dinner habits with fork, spoon, knife, etc. could be beneficial. Tristam is right about the giggling thing. Also tell them not to stare...there's some pretty weird people out there (hi2u guy with pants sagging below his knees). Since the tourists are chinese, also consider telling them they do not have to take pictures of *everything*, just some things.

 

[Nyett]

-There is no need to yell at someone in Mandarin when they are beside you.
-Horking all over the place is not good. What is with Chinese men and horking?
-Chew with your mouth closed, and don't talk.
-Keep your shoes on in public, don't pick your toes on the subway.
-Understand the concept of personal space.

Bathe every freakin day...

repeating for emphasis and adding - change at least some of your clothes daily, wash your hair.

 

[Realia]

Americans' personal space is quite larger than many other cultures. Don't get too close to people unless you know them. Maybe you could demonstrate the proper greeting. Depending on what the tourists plan on doing here, demonstrating proper dinner habits with fork, spoon, knife, etc. could be beneficial. Tristam is right about the giggling thing. Also tell them not to stare...there's some pretty weird people out there (hi2u guy with pants sagging below his knees). Since the tourists are chinese, also consider telling them they do not have to take pictures of *everything*, just some things.

Very good thing to go over. Make sure and demonstrate what the proper distance is (about one to two feet). If any of them are driving make sure and go over the proper way to drive and about road manners. Also let them know that honking is considered rude here. Hm, I can't think of anything at the moment but when I come up with some more things I'll be sure to post them.

 

[Celvantes]

While it may be courteous to take of your shoes before entering someone's house in your country, the same is not always true here, especially if you are wearing sandals with no socks. When in doubt, do as your host does, or just ask.

An American of Chinese descent may not speak any Chinese. Do not automatically assume that they do.

 

[Khajit]

In china one always leaves a portion of their food on the plate to signal that they are finished and that the host gave them more than enough food. when you eat the entire plate this means that you are implying that the host is poor and they have to give you even more plates of food.
Now in the USA not eating all the food on the plate when you are obviously hungry can be interpreted as an expression of distain for the meal(and as a result you are insulting the hosts cooking).
This has caused problems for western citizens visiting eastern countries but it's not much of a stretch to see it backfiring when roles are reversed as well.
Slurping/burping/etc are not considered polite manners when eating.

 

[Javir]

a lot of good suggestions here.. and a couple odd ones. I disagree with the 'don't take pictures too much' suggestion. While we find it odd, it is unlikely to hurt anyone. Just discourage them from doing so directly at a particular person. A scene or an object (even if it happens to have people in it) is ok.

 

[Mirewen]

Don't cut people's heads off, but that really applies more to visiting Canada.

/sigh TG. You know someone was decapitated at Virginia Tech too recently right?

Anyway,

I work with a lot of Chinese people and one thing that makes me blush is when we go out for lunch, and to get the waiter/waitresses attention... they snap their fingers or wave at them. That's just rude here.

 

[LadyKiKi]

Being Chinese but living in the UK I have one thing to tell you:

Do not fucking stare at me. (Or at other Chinese people). You can look, but don't STARE, and STARE and continue to STARE as I'm walking past you, or by you, or across the room. I'm Chinese (somewhat), you're Chinese, there is nothing different.

My university had lots of people from China. I actually felt racist against them for a while. And they LOVE to stare seemingly "foreign Chinese" people. I smell and dress differently to them, and they seem to pick that up. And my English rocks. Which somehow amazes them and they stare. STAREEEE.

And don't get upset if I pick that up and stare at you back.

Also, try not to ... be dishonest. I was TURNED DOWN by Vodafone (Verizon) from buying a mobile phone contract because a lot of the Chinese students were found to be opening a contract with a seemingly blank account/credit card, which resulted me as being "one of them who will do the same". I wasn't buying one but was browsing at the time, and they felt the need to tell me. This was during summer too, where a lot of them fuck off back to China.

Another thing. MIX WITH OTHER PEOPLE. You learn fuck all in the language/cultural department if you hook up with other Chinese people in a different country. Of course you'll feel comfortable but that defeats the purpose.

 

[tidy]

I actually feel uncomfortable being around other Chinese/Koreans. I hate hate hate HATE when I go into Chinese restaurants and bitches be talking to me in mandarin or some shit. Bitch, I don't speak Chinese motherfucka get me some egg rolls.

 

[LadyKiKi]

I actually feel uncomfortable being around other Chinese/Koreans. I hate hate hate HATE when I go into Chinese restaurants and bitches be talking to me in mandarin or some shit. Bitch, I don't speak Chinese motherfucka get me some egg rolls.

Similar issue here. I speak only Cantonese. So when you (as in, Chinese people) come up to me and speak Mandarin, don't get tooooo upset if I don't reply or go "cantonese please?".

And NO I DON'T WANT FUCKING PRAWN CRACKERS WITH MY MEAL, I DO NOT MIX THAT SHIT WITH MY FOOD (like most British friends do, for some reason, EDIT: eh but it's all preference or something they developed to do over here.). They should know that by now, most Chinese people I won't, and I bet you wouldn't either, so don't waste and be bent on giving me some.

 

[tidy]

I hate those nasty ass shrimpy pork rind lookin things.

I swear to god, Asians and food. Every family function that I've been to they've always tried to feed me until I puke. NO BITCH, I DONT WANT NO GODDAMN LO MEIN GET THAT SHIT OUTTA HERE.

To which they reply: "AYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OK U EAT MORE TRY DIS ITS GOOD"

 

[LadyKiKi]

Tell them to "lan hoi" ... or something.... (I picked up "Aya" from you so I assume you know what the former meant).

 

[Shirai]

I think the things that I can add here is:

-Know the trafic rules of the country you're going to.
Know which side cars drive on where you go, so you know where to look when you want to cross a street.

-Don't stand still in the middle of busy streets or district.
If you have to stop to look at something try to get out of people's ways.
Especially if you're traveling in groups this is very annoying.

-Don't ask complete strangers to take pictures of you.
That usually means you'll have to go and buy a new camera or cellphone depending on what you use.

-Most stores and cab drivers in most western countries do not barter.
The price on the display is the price you pay.

 

[Morwen]

-Most stores and cab drivers in most western countries do not barter.
The price on the display is the price you pay.

I actually had this problem at a store I used to work at. They were in to work at the local Ford plant w/ the engineers and spoke only broken english, at best. It was funny as hell and they were really sweet but they just didn't understand thats now how we do things here.

I have one too:

-Don't assume all American's are rude and attempt to beat them to the punch by being rude yourself. 9 times out of 10, if you greet someone with kindness they will return it.

 

[Tristam Green]

-Don't assume all American's are rude and attempt to beat them to the punch by being rude yourself. 9 times out of 10, if you greet someone with kindness they will return it.

Holy shit yes.

- If discuss politics you must, do so delicately. Do not approach it with a "well, I think that idiot [insert American political figure] needs to be tarred and feathered" perspective; it will only piss off every American around you.