Customs Around the World

In Turkey, it is considered rude to blow your nose in public.

When you go into a store in Switzerland, you are expected to say hello to everyone in the store—the customers and the employees—before you start shopping.

In Singapore, you can be charged $1,000 of their currency if you forget to flush the toilet.

If you eat a meal in Saudi Arabia and “clean your plate” (eat all the food on your plate), you may have insulted your host.

In the Netherlands, you should use a knife and fork to eat everything, even fruit, pizza, and sandwiches.

If you give a gift to someone in Japan, you are supposed to tell them that it’s a boring gift and nothing special.

In Italy, you never cut up lettuce when you’re eating it. Instead, you fold it into small parcels with your knife and fork and eat it that way.

In India, if your foot touches someone else’s foot, you should apologize. That is considered to be very rude behavior in India. You shouldn’t even let your feet point at someone else. True or False?

In Hungary, it is rude to clink your glasses together when having a toast.

In Hong Kong, burping and making slurping noises while eating are encouraged—it is seen as a complement to the chef.