3. ● The group comes before the individual
● Life revolves around the family
● Most Asian countries are collectivist
● Indirect culture
● Mostly conservative
● Rely on body language more than verbal communication
● Saving face is very important
○ Face is a person’s reputation (compliment to give face,
accuse someone to lose face, take blame to save face)
Collectivist cultures
5. Japanese Culture
● Main language is Japanese
● Practice Shinto and Buddhism
● Very conscious of age and status
● Body language is more important than spoken words
○ Pay attention to head scratching, teeth clenching, and
silence it means disagreement
● Saving face is crucial for the Japanese
○ Will never say “no”, will say “I will consider”
6. Japanese Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Bring high quality
chocolate or small cakes
● Remove shoes before
entering a home
● Wait to be told where to
sit
Don’t:
● Make direct eye contact
● Give white flowers, lilies
or lotus blossoms
● Give potted plants
○ Bonsai trees are the
only acceptable
potted plants
7. Japanese Cuisine
Sushi & Sashimi: Sushi is
raw seafood placed on rice
while Sashimi is thinly
sliced raw fish
Yakitori: small pieces of
meat on skewers and grilled
on hot coals
Shabu shabu: thin pieces of
beef put into boiling water
and eaten with sauce
(similar to hot pot)
9. Singaporean Culture
● Main languages are Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, & English
● Very diverse (Chinese, Malay, & Indian)
● Practice Buddhism, Islam, and Confucianism
● Family, saving face, and hierarchy is important
● Nonverbal communication is important
● If asked a question, take time to respond
○ If you respond too fast it’s considered rude
10. Singaporean Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Know that silence in
conversation is normal
● Arrive on time
● Pay attention to
nonverbal cues
● Pay attention to what
ethnicity you are giving
gifts to
Don’t:
● Respond too quickly
● Sit until someone offers a
seat
● Question authority
● Give alcohol unless you
known the recipient
drinks
11. Singaporean Cuisine
Chili crab: stir fried crab
with tangy, chilli gravy
Hokkien prawn mee: stir
fried noodles in a stock
made from pork bones and
prawn heads
Fried carrot cake: fried
pieces of white radish and
rice flour and fried with
garlic & eggs
13. Filipino Culture
● Main language is Tagalog & English
● Practice Catholicism
● Family is considered very important
● Saving face is very important, referred to as
“Hiya”
● Business and personal lives are mixed
14. Filipino Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Introduce the oldest or most
important person first
● Accept everything they offer
you (drinks, food, etc)
● Greet with handshakes
● Bring flowers and sweets
● Wrap gifts elaborately
● Dress well
Don’t:
● Use their first name
unless they invite you to
● Give chrysanthemums or
white lilies
● Send a gift basket before
an event, only send it
after
15. Filipino Cuisine
Pork sisig: pork mixed with
onions, chiles, citrus, and
egg
Ube ice cream: ice cream
made from ube or the purple
yam
Pork adobo: tender pork
belly braised in vinegar,
garlic, soy sauce, and bay
leaves
17. Thai Culture
● Main language is Thai
● Practice Buddhism
● Very conscious of age and status
○ Will ask foreigners “personal” questions to see where
they fit in in the hierarchy
● Greet using the “Wai”, has strict protocols
● Personal relationships can come from business
relationships but through a longer period of time
18. Thai Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Learn how to Wai properly
● Wrap gifts elaborately
● Eat with the fork in the left
hand & the spoon in the
right
● Say “Khun” before
someone’s first name
○ Similar to Ms. or Mr.
Don’t:
● Be openly angry with
anyone
● Publicly criticize anyone
● Leave rice on your plate
● Take the last serving
from a bowl
● Get seconds unless asked
to
19. Thai Cuisine
Tom yum goong: spicy and
sour cooked with shrimp
Pad thai: stir fried rice
noodle dish
Khao man gai: chicken
flavored jasmine rice with
tender chicken on top
21. Taiwanese Culture
● Main language is Mandarin with a Taiwanese dialect
● Practice Buddhism and Taoism
● Traditional values are starting to change
● Like being given detailed information instead of brief
information
● Will remain silent instead of disagreeing
● Saving face is important
22. Taiwanese Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Give food baskets with
high quality alcohol
● Wrap gifts elaborately
● Ask one more time if
they refuse your gift
● Give handshakes
Don’t:
● Give white flowers or
chrysanthemums
● Give gifts in fours or odd
numbers
● Use their first name unless
they tell you to
● Give an expensive gift
unless you are reciprocating
23. Taiwanese Cuisine
Niu Rou Mian: thick
noodles in a spicy dark
broth
Lu Rou Fan: minced pork
belly with white rice
Cho Dofu: also called
stinky tofu, tofu cubes
soaked in a brine of
fermented vegetables and
meat
25. Malaysian Culture
● Main language is Malay, Tamil, and Hindi
● Practice Hinduism, Buddhism, & Christianity
● Multicultural society (Chinese, Indian, & Muslim)
● Relies on nonverbal communication
● Communication involves a lot of silence before
speaking to think
26. Malaysian Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Bring pastries or high
quality chocolate
● Ask again if they refuse a
gift
● Elaborately wrap your
gift
Don’t:
● Shake a woman’s hand if
you are a man
● Give flowers or alcohol
● Show anger, calmness
will receive a better
outcome
27. Malaysian Cuisine
Teh Tarik: hot milk black
tea with condensed milk,
tea dust, and sugar
Otak-otak: fish paste
wrapped in banana leaf and
steamed or grilled
Ketupat: compressed rice
cooked in coconut leaves
served with red onion and
cucumber
29. Indian Culture
● Main language is Hindu, Urdu, and Bengali
● Practice Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, & Sikhism
● Caste systems caused consciousness of social order and
hierarchies
● Rely on nonverbal cues
○ They never verbally say “no”
● Saving face is important
30. Indian Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Know that the sincerity of
the gift matters more than
the value
● Arrive on time even if
they don’t
● Say no the first time
someone offers you
something
Don’t:
● Say no, just say you will
think about it
● Give white flowers
● Give leather to Hindus or
alcohol to Muslims
31. Indian Cuisine
Gulab Jaamun: a dessert
that consists of small balls
of dried milk, slow cooked
and boiled in sugar syrup
Kati roll: wrap of kebab,
eggs, vegetables and rolled
into a flat bread
Tandoori chicken: chicken
marinated for hours in a
paste of yogurt and spices
and is then roasted
33. ● Individual comes before the group
● Individuals look after themselves and direct family only
● Most Western cultures are individualistic
● Direct culture
● Verbal communication is more important than nonverbal
communication
● Most individualistic cultures respect direct eye contact
Individualistic cultures
35. French Culture
● Main language is French
● Food is very important to the French
● The French are very private people who are only truly open
around close friends and family
● The French are known for dressing well and being fashion
conscious
● Friendships have high expectations and require frequent to
daily contact
36. French Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Maintain eye contact
● Be aware that they greet
by kissing both cheeks
lightly
● Give handshakes
● Give only high quality
wine
Don’t:
● Use first names unless they
invite you to
● Give white lilies,
chrysanthemums, or red
carnations
● Be late without letting
them know first
● Eat until hearing “Bon
appetite”
37. French Cuisine
Ratatouille: tomatoes,
garlic, onions, carrots, etc.
made in a shallow pan with
a small amount of fat
Foie gras: pan seared duck
or goose liver that has been
specially fattened
Boeuf bourguignon: stew
made of beef braised in red
wine, beef broth, and
seasoned with garlic, onions,
herbs, & mushrooms
39. Spanish Culture
● Main language is Spanish or Castilian
● Practice Roman Catholicism
● Life revolves around the family
● Gender equality is important
● Do not like to lose face
● Handshakes or cheek kisses by female friends are
considered normal
○ Some handshakes are two handed between men, left
hand is placed on the forearm of the other person
40. Spanish Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Return a toast if a toast is
given to you
● Shake hands
● Bring cakes, pastries, or
wine
○ Bring small gifts for
children
Don’t:
● Sit down until shown
where to sit
● Get up until the guest of
honor does
● Confront Spaniards in
public
41. Spanish Cuisine
Fabada Asturiana: stew with
beans, sausage, and chorizo
San Jacobos: breaded
chicken with ham and cheese
on the inside
Tigres: Spanish stuffed
mussels
43. Italian Culture
● Main language is Italian
● Practice Roman Catholicism
○ Every trade and profession has a patron saint
● Family is the main structure
● Italians are very fashion conscious
● First impressions are lasting
● Greetings are enthusiastic but formal
44. Italian Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Bring quality vintage
wine
● Wear stylish, but formal
clothes
● Arrive 15 minutes late to
dinner
● Fork is held in left hand
and knife in right
Don’t:
● Give chrysanthemums, red,
or yellow flowers
● Eat too much the first
round so that they can ask
if you want seconds
● Sit unless someone shows
you where to sit
45. Italian Cuisine
Gelato: Italian version of ice
cream with a base of milk,
cream, and sugar
Pizza margherita: thin crust
with with special sauce, basil,
and mozzarella cheese
Pasta carbonara: egg,
bacon, romano and white
wine tossed together with
spaghetti
47. German Culture
● Main language is German
● Making plans and having rules is very important
● Germans enjoy formal communication
● Very direct people in culture and communication
● Work and personal lives are very separate
● Want things to be very clean
● Conservative culture
48. German Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Be direct and keep eye
contact
● Bring chocolates or
flowers, especially
yellow roses
● Bring high quality
important wine
● Give handshakes
Don’t:
● Exaggerate, display a lot of
emotion, or make promises
that can’t be kept
● Show up late
● Eat until someone says
“guten appetit”
● Give carnations, lilies or
chrysanthemums
49. German Cuisine
Sauerbraten: pot roast
marinated in wine, vinegar,
spices, and herbs for 10
days
Apfelstrudel: delicious
pastry filled with apples,
sugar, cinnamon, raisins,
and breadcrumbs
Schnitzel: thin, boneless cut
of meat with breadcrumbs
51. British Culture
● Main language is English
● England has a class system in place
● Mix of other cultures like India, Pakistan, etc.
● Direct, but modest
○ Will not emphasize
● Very reserved and private people
○ Will not show emotions in public
● More distant and reserved than Americans
○ Will only show affection in private
52. British Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Be direct and keep eye
contact
● Give handshakes when
you meet and when you
leave
● Bring high quality
chocolate
Don’t:
● Keep eye contact for too
long
● Give personal gifts unless
it’s a birthday or holiday
● Use first names unless they
offer you to
53. British Cuisine
Bangers and mash:
sausages and mashed
potatoes
Black/blood pudding: made
from dried pigs blood and
fat
Shepherd’s Pie: minced
lamb and vegetables topped
with mashed potatoes
55. American Culture
● Main language is English
● Extremely multicultural
● Known to be informal to the point of almost being rude
● Time is very important to Americans
● Family is considered to be only the direct family
● Known to dress casually
● Value directness and logic
○ Indirectness is seen as a waste of time
56. American Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
● Casual greet people with a
handshake and smile
● Keep direct eye contact
● Introduce everyone to each
other using first names
● Feel free to refuse drinks
or food without
explanation
Don’t:
● Be late, they will assume
you don’t care about
wasting their time
● Give personal gifts unless
it’s a birthday or holiday
57. American Cuisine
Hamburgers and fries:
grilled beef patty put in
between two buns usually
with lettuce and tomato
with fried slices of potatoes
Apple Pie: a dessert that
consists of apples with
cinnamon and sugar baked
into a pie shell
Barbequed Ribs: pork ribs
that are either smoked,
grilled, or baked with
barbecue sauce
