礼仪和风俗：各个国家的五项文化禁忌
在日本和一些非洲国家，吃饭就是吃饭，所以当其他人都在大快朵颐时，不要谈论你当天的经历。你可能会遭遇沉默——这并非你的同伴不友好，而是因为就餐时间只应吃饭，无需交谈。也要避免在一些被认为是神圣或需要沉思的地方谈话——比如欧洲的教堂、泰国的庙宇和芬兰的桑拿浴室。
What You Should Do Instead 对策:
Keep quiet! 保持沉默！
Removing Your Shoes…or Not 脱鞋......与否
Where It's Offensive: Hawaii, the South Pacific, Korea, China, Thailand.
禁忌地：夏威夷、太平洋群岛、韩国、泰国
What's Offensive 禁忌:
Take off your shoes when arriving at the door of a London dinner party and the hostess will find you uncivilized, but fail to remove your shoes before entering a home in Asia, Hawaii, or the Pacific Islands and you'll be considered disrespectful. Not only does shoe removal very practically keeps sand and dirt out of the house, it's a sign of leaving the outside world behind.
到伦敦人家里参加宴会时脱掉鞋子，女主人会认为你不文明，但去亚洲、夏威夷或太平洋群岛的居民家中不脱鞋却被认为失礼。脱掉鞋子不仅把沙粒与尘土留在了门外，更意味着把外面的世界抛之脑后。
What You Should Do Instead 对策:
If you see a row of shoes at the door, start undoing your laces. If not, keep the shoes on.
如果你在门口看到一排鞋子，就解开自己的鞋带。否则，就穿鞋进去吧！
Knowing Your Right from Your Left 分清左右手
Where It's Offensive: India, Morocco, Africa, the Middle East.
禁忌地：印度、非洲、中东
What's Offensive 禁忌:
Many cultures still prefer to eat using traditional methods--their hands. In these cases, food is often offered communally, which is why it's important to wash your hands before eating and observe the right-hand-is-for-eating and the left-hand-is-for-other-duties rule. If you eat with your left hand, expect your fellow diners to be mortified. And when partaking from a communal bowl, stick to a portion that's closest to you. Do not get greedy and plunge your hand into the center.
许多文化依然推崇传统的进食方式——用手吃。在这种情况下，食物往往是众人一起分享的，因此饭前洗手很重要，而且要遵守用右手吃东西的习俗（左手往往有其他用途）。如果你用左手吃，同伴会感觉蒙受羞辱。当大家一起从公共的碗里取食时，就吃离你最近的那部分吧，不要贪婪地把手伸向饭碗中央。
What You Should Do Instead 对策:
Left-handed? Attempt to be ambidextrous--even children who are left-handed in these cultures are taught to eat with their right hand--or at least explain yourself to your fellow diners before plunging in.
你是左撇子吗？还是努力让自己的双手都灵巧吧——在这些文化里，即使是左撇子的孩子也被教会用右手吃饭——或者至少吃饭前向同伴解释一下。
Once you are on the ground of a different country, remain highly sensitive to native behavior. Never be completely surprised by anything; try to take it in stride, and don't feel offended if something seems offensive--like queue jumping. After all, this is a global village, and we are all very different.
一旦你踏上异国的土地，就要对当地人的一举一动高度敏感。千万不要大惊小怪，尽量使自己泰然自若，对一些看似无礼的行为也不要恼火——比如插队。毕竟，我们生活在一个地球村，不同的文化构成了我们共同的家园。