This evening, somebody asked me if I went shopping today. Now, I love fashion, wandering around aimlessly and generally being caught up in my own existence, but I would draw the line at battling it out with suburbanites over a red-light special.
Anyway, another thing that I have been pondering today is the way in which people greet each other. I suspect my reading of the delightful Ms From the World's post on kissing inspired my renewed interest in the issue.
About 2 years ago, I was living in Paris. I was frequently back in London, visiting America and working in Africa and Australia. It was a wonderful experience, but it really sounds a lot more exciting than what it was. What it was,in fact, was very bloody tiring. I digress. Spreading your life across 4 continents can be confusing, and the case in point is:
the single cheek vs the double cheek vs the triple cheek kiss.
My ex-boyfriend was a European where the triple cheek kiss was considered appropriate. In Paris and London it was the double cheek. In the US and Australia it is the single cheek. Try working that out when you are jet-lagged and grumpy. Getting it wrong can be quite painful with the inadvertent head butting, nose cracking etc.
Maybe, when the revolution comes, we can unify the greetings as well?
Oh. They tried that already?
9 comments:
I totally support your proposal :-) Last evening, Christmas, I had a even more delightful experience...how many times are you suppose to cheek kiss some relative that you don't see since many months? In Italy we (well, they) normally give two kisses, one on each cheek. But then yesterday someone gave me one, some two, some just shake my hand...which is all really confusing, even without jet lag :-)
Do us Americans do much of the kissy cheek thing? You are right though, when we do, it is just one. I think the Europeans have it right to have a system of two or three cheekers. Makes it consistent and easy. In the U.S., we have the kisses, the hugs, man-hugs, hand shakes (with numerous variations), fist bumps, high fives, head nods and what not.
Hmm, I have never been outside Australia far enough to think about this sort of dilemma - good points made! I know that sometimes just not being sure if a person expects or even wants you to kiss them on the cheek is stressful enough.
I tend to hold back though and offer my arm up front unless it's family where I always go in for a loving hug and offer up my cheek for a kiss. I'm good like that.
Hey, hope you are having a relaxing kind of holiday!
I never did the cheek kiss thing, single or otherwise living here in the states, maybe because I've always been West Coast *smirk*
Learned to do it proper in Australia though. Never broke a nose thankfully.
I'm not much of a hugger, or kisser, unless I'm in a relationship with them... but I appreciate the different cultural differences between countries, and cultures.
FTW: Its a conspiracy. I'm sure of it.
WTWA: Holy hell. You are opening up a whole new world of confusion for me there. Well, I can't say that I have been outside of NYC, so I'm sure that the rest of the US don't want to be seen through that demographic. But yes, they do the one cheek. Unless, you have the Americans that spend a lot of time in Europe (or are a bit pretentious) and then you get the two cheek. Never had a triple cheek kiss on US soil though.
SK: That sounds like a good plan. I am having an excellent holiday. I am super, super, super relaxed.
Fuse: I think because in Australia there are a lot 1st and 2nd generation euros it has really rubbed off on the culture here. I think you might have a point on the west coast thang *smirk*
Ms Smack: I would like to give you a big hug if i met you :) x
I'm terrified of the double/triple greeting kiss.
If a chick needs that sort of tuning, just how much foreplay would she need...
As an American raised by rather stiff, formal and chilly parents, greetings of any sort are always a scary production for me to bumble through. The best I hope or is whomever I am greeting finds me charmingly inept. I at least try to be gregarious, which is more than I was taught. :/
Fingers: Yeah. Best stick to the Western Suburbs.
Vicarious Rising: I am sure that you are charmingly gregarious. In the end I would just give a raised eyebrow of the the smoke cloud of my marlboro light. ; )
Post a Comment