Austrian tourist brochure advises Arabs not to haggle or eat on the floor

[Valmy]

Are there brochures asking Americans to lose some weight before our trip and to practice speaking softly?

[Caliga]

Are there brochures asking Americans to lose some weight before our trip and to practice speaking softly?

BASED ON MY EXPERIENCES IN EUROPE, THERE SHOULD BE.

[Syt]

I would be happy if the locals stopped talking on their cell phones all the time while on the subway.

[The Minsky Moment]

Nor should red wine be ordered with fish – for seafood, it has to be white wine every time.

Wrong.

[derspiess]

Wait your buddy's Brit-Indian wife's uncle?  What are his crazy conspiracy theories?  Is the Vatican or the Freemasons involved?  Jews?

It's been 3-4 years now since he's visited, so I can't remember many specifics.  But anytime a conversation touches on politics or current events, he can't speak a sentence without the word "Halliburton".  He accused Tony Blair, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Barack Obama of all sorts of wacky stuff. 

He's a lapsed Muslim and gives his nephews shit about their strict observance of Muslim dietary laws (the girls in the family seem to do whatever they want).  One time we went out to a steakhouse he was making a big deal in front of my buddy's brothers in law about the fact that he was eating a non-halal steak & how delicious it was.  But to put him to the true test I asked him if he'd like to try one of the pork chops I ordered, and he recoiled in horror at the thought of eating pork.

Still an entertaining guy despite his quirks.

[Malthus]

One time we went out to a steakhouse he was making a big deal in front of my buddy's brothers in law about the fact that he was eating a non-halal steak & how delicious it was.  But to put him to the true test I asked him if he'd like to try one of the pork chops I ordered, and he recoiled in horror at the thought of eating pork.

Probably more a cultural thing, that a religious one. In many cultures, pigs are seen as basically unclean, quite aside from the religious prohibilition - much like how we would react to being asked to eat rat meat.

[viper37]

In Italy the problem is Russian tourists. 

As the summer tourist season approaches, Italians have a message for their rich Russian visitors – you may be minted, but you have no manners.

Big-spending Russians have proved a lifeline for the Italian tourist sector during the last few years of economic recession but they are often perceived as brash, boorish and rude.

Now a hotel owner in Tuscany – the Russians' favourite destination – has produced a television commercial which aims to educate wealthy Muscovites and other Russian visitors about the finer points of Italian etiquette.

....

They are told that ordering a cappuccino after lunch is an unforgivable faux pas – in Italy the frothy coffee is seen as an exclusively morning drink. Italians instead would order an espresso or a caffe macchiato – an espresso with a dash of milk. Nor should red wine be ordered with fish – for seafood, it has to be white wine every time. Cashed-up Russians are also warned that it is vulgar to choose the most expensive wine on the list.

....

Even showy Italians baulk at Russian women wearing barely-there, sequinned bikinis and swim costumes.
"Russian women who love to wear high heels and tiny bikinis should perhaps avoid those," she says.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10889446/Italian-hotel-owner-issues-etiquette-guide-for-uncouth-Russian-tourists.html

Italian wine is so mild, I don't see a problem with ordering red wine for fish.  If it was Australian wine, I'd understand.

[derspiess]

Probably more a cultural thing, that a religious one. In many cultures, pigs are seen as basically unclean, quite aside from the religious prohibilition - much like how we would react to being asked to eat rat meat.

He's lived his entire life in the UK, though.

[Malthus]

Probably more a cultural thing, that a religious one. In many cultures, pigs are seen as basically unclean, quite aside from the religious prohibilition - much like how we would react to being asked to eat rat meat.

He's lived his entire life in the UK, though.

Still, one's culture depends a lot on the immediate people you hang with - like your immediate family.

I would not start eating dog just because I moved to Korea.

[derspiess]

Still, one's culture depends a lot on the immediate people you hang with - like your immediate family.

Yep.  Still no excuse for denying yourself the deliciousness of pork IMO.

I would not start eating dog just because I moved to Korea.

That's not quite as ubiquitous as pork consumption in the UK.

[derspiess]

Anyway, I get the vibe from this dude that he has a bit of residual Islamishness in him that he's not owning up to.

[Valmy]

I would not start eating dog just because I moved to Korea.

I would.  When in Rome.

Non-Muslims in India eat Pork just fine.  Just like Christians in the Middle East do.  I question the cultural part.

[Eddie Teach]

I would.  When in Rome.

Yeah. Long pig in Papua New Guinea too.

[Malthus]

I would not start eating dog just because I moved to Korea.

I would.  When in Rome.

Non-Muslims in India eat Pork just fine.  Just like Christians in the Middle East do.  I question the cultural part.

Depends on what you are used to. Food preferences are funny that way. Americans generally will not eat horse, for example, even though horse is tasty.

The association of pigs with filth is pretty strong, and it is backed up by the fact that pig meat has to be well-cooked because pigs carry diseases people get.

[Admiral Yi]

Non-Muslims in India eat Pork just fine.

You sure?  I've never seen a pork dish on the menu at an Indian restaurant.