Ok. I found the following article in my daily news search. This is the headline:
Handshakes can spread germs
Really? Had no idea! Thanks for informing me! So can sex spread AIDS then? Huh.
Oh, but wait, it gets even more informative.
DEAR ABBY: The standard form of greeting in the West is a handshake. But this can lead to transmission of germs.
Being from India, I use the standard form of Indian greeting by holding my palms together, which is very hygienic. (By the way, many South Asian countries have the same custom of greeting.)
You might consider passing the word along because I'm sure your readers could understand the benefit of such a gesture - particularly during the cold and flu season. - SUNITHA IN KUWAIT
Well thanks Sunitha! Next time someone tries to shake my hand, I will quickly avoid the gesture by pressing my hands together. When they look at me weird, I’ll just tell them it’s a more hygienic greeting.
Please.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I always appreciate a good cultural lesson, and attempts to perpetuate cultural understanding. However, I am a little confused as to why Sunitha here thinks he/she can simply change a deeply embedded culturally practice through a DEAR ABBY LETTER.
Oh my, the state of our world.
In other news. I have discovered one great – no amazing – thing about winter: Your car can double as a refrigerator. I love it. I’m being completely serious. See here’s the thing; I hate grocery shopping, but I dislike being at work even more. So grocery shopping actually looks like a positive experience when the clock strikes noon and I need to give my eyes a break from the blinding LCD screen. I run to Super Target, and can leave all perishable and non-perishable items in the car until it’s time to go home! Woohoo. I love when Mother Nature solves my problems for me.
4 comments:
Do people still ready Dear Abby? Indian people also traditionally washed their clothes in the same water that animals bathed in...I'm pretty sure their greeting has nothing to do with being hygienic.
As for the world sized refrigerator out there, my parents taught me from a very early age that the garage can double as a freezer/refrigerator. They even buy extra amounts of stuff during the winter because they don't have to worry about storage space. :)
Germaphobes beware, I'm a hugger. And occasionally a kiss-on-the-cheeker. Micro-organisms are everywhere!
The great thing about America is that it tries really hard to accept every culture while ignoring any that may be it's own.
I have a friend from India who said when he was a kid they would pick up the cow pies and toss them against the wall. They would stick there and dry until they were ready to use as fuel for the fire.
I think this is why they greet one another the way they do. In Latin America they greet with a kiss, but Latinas are hot so it makes sense. In Japan they bow, Japanese are weird so it makes sense. Crap, that's all the stereotypes I can think of right now. Sorry.
Thanks, Mark! We Latinas are hot. And kissable! :)
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