When retired UM correspondent Glenn returned from a lengthy sojourn in China last year, perhaps no story struck me as more hilarious (and disgusting) than his description of the supermarkets there.  Or more specifically, the locals’ tradition of spitting all over the floor of said supermarket.

Though our own Western sensibilities can be shocked by such missteps in the East, it would seem we’re far more likely to do the offending ourselves when travelling abroad.

Just a few examples from a recent article:

TOKYO VIA ITALY

Even when you get to know people and go for a drink, pitfalls await. Cin cin is absolutely the right toast in Spain or Italy. But say it in Tokyo, and you might get a strange response – there, cin-cin is a word that a mother might use to her little boy in the bath to describe a certain key part of his anatomy.

GERMANY

In the West, dating was traditionally a stage on the road to marriage. Some cultures developed customs to emphasise this. In Germany there’s still a charming event where individuals who have reached the age of 30 and not got hitched are publicly punished. Accompanied by their friends, the offenders are taken to a local church, town hall or opera house, where the men are made to sweep the steps while the women have to clean shoe polish-covered door handles. They can only be released from these onerous tasks when kissed by a virgin of the opposite sex, possibly one who may release them from their offensive state of singledom. An all-night party generally follows.

JAPAN

In Japan, sitting with your eyes closed during meetings is common and is not in any way an insult. That person may well be concentrating hard to understand your English or the words of the interpreter. Or he may just have nodded off; this isn’t unusual and shouldn’t be taken personally.

And finally one for UM’s Argentina bound friends;

And even smile indulgently at the incorrigibly macho Argentinians, as they greet passing females with such gallant piropos (compliments) as, “If beauty were a crime, you would deserve a life in prison.”

Neil Strauss should be so smooth.

Read the lengthy yet entertaining piece here at the Independent