| FILL 'ER UP ¡@Etiquette |
Etiquette¡@¡@A Taiwanese graduate student steps off an EVA airplane in San Francisco, excited to be finally heading to the United States to study. It is his first trip to the U.S., but he is really excited and has a lot of expectations about America and Americans based on the books he has read and the movies and television programs he has watched. Unfortunately, Lee (we won't reveal the rest of his name for fear of embarassing him), is not prepared for the things that will happen to him before his first day is through.
¡@¡@Having finished the soup, Lee gathers together his belongings, heads outside and takes a cab to his hotel. After checking in, a bellhop helps him bring his bags up to his room, and then shows him how to use the television and the air conditioner. After explaining everything, the bellhop stands at the door, waiting with his hand stretched out. Lee, confused by this, reaches out and shakes the bellhop's hand and thanks him for all of his help. The bellhop frowns and walks out the door.
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¡@¡@After dragging his suitcases
through customs, he decides to get a bowl of soup at a
small airport snack shop. He hungrily lifts the bowl
closer to his face and slurps the soup without a spoon.
Sensing someone watching him, he looks up to notice
several people staring at him quite intently.
¡@¡@Later that evening a
representative from Lee's graduate school comes to take
him out to dinner on his first night in America.
Remembering that the representative said not to dress up,
and that "smart casual" was fine, he examines
his shorts and t-shirt, noting that they are both clean
and casual as required. However, the college
representative arrives wearing a nice pair of pants and a
buttondown shirt. He seems a little surprised, if not
uncomfortable about the way Lee is dressed.
¡@¡@As Lee goes to bed on his
first night in the U.S., he wonders if every day will be
this confusing. Is everyone in America unfriendly? Or,
better yet, had he done something to cause these
reactions? What Lee didn't know at the time was that the
people in the restaurant, the belhop, and the college
representative were all reacting to his failure to follow
American etiquette. Some of the main differences between
American and Taiwanese culture are in tipping, dining,
and socializing.