Weird foreign customs.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Oerdin
I heard that circumsition also has a weak but still useful effect of stopping infections. Back in the old (I'm talking old testiment) days men would get these infections and die. Circumsition prevented these infections.

Now days with modern hygiene this shouldn't be necissary but people keep it up for religious reasons. (i.e. every good Jew and Christian is supposed to get it done & the doctors assume you want it done to your kids unless you say other wise).

The requirement for Christians to be circumcised went out somewhere around 200 a.d., when it was decided that pagans didn't have to become Jews first in order to be Christian. There may be some protestant sects that require it, but AFAIK most don't.

[Ecthy]

KrazyHorse, long time no see, drink with me and dance with me!

[Ecthy]

forgot to add the

[Provost Harrison]

I was only trying to enlighten people about the built in arsewashers in Turkish (proper) toilets...I certainly didn't expect to ignite a debate on the intricacies of botty-hygiene

[Provost Harrison]

And Andy, stop propositioning KrazyHorse

[mindseye]

Chinese custom: Not happy with what you ordered in a restaurant (in China)? Simply lift the plate and turn it face down on the table. The staff will notice your displeasure and provide an alternative dish at no extra charge.

Never seen or heard of that. The "no extra charge" part is laughable for China (a place where you have to ask for a napkin, and may have to pay for toilet paper).

I tried that with hot soup and hot tea and it worked.

Well, I tried it about a hundred times and it didn't. If you're already soaking wet with sweat, sweating more won't help much. At that point, I want to lower my internal body tempererature, not raise it.

[The Vagabond]

Among the weird Chinese customs are champing too loudly when eating, and talking too loudly too.

[Ecthy]

any thread discussion about arsewashing sucks

reminds me of connorkimbros thread about arsewiping

even taurus posted on that one... sure had me lose respect for quite some posters

[Kramerman]

Originally posted by Ecthelion
any thread discussion about arsewashing sucks

reminds me of connorkimbros thread about arsewiping

even taurus posted on that one... sure had me lose respect for quite some posters

why? i respect the candidness of the posters, adn their abilities

[monolith94]

It should also be noted that the Finns do twisted, strange, unholy (dare I say Burtonesque?) things to fish...

[mindseye]

Among the weird Chinese customs are champing too loudly when eating, and talking too loudly too.

How about "doing everything to loudly"! Relative to western standards, that is (important caveat). Man, if you think cell phone shouters are loud and annoying, you should hear what they sound like in China!

Horn honking is also insane here.

[Cruddy]

Originally posted by mindseye

Chinese custom: Not happy with what you ordered in a restaurant (in China)? Simply lift the plate and turn it face down on the table. The staff will notice your displeasure and provide an alternative dish at no extra charge.

Never seen or heard of that. The "no extra charge" part is laughable for China (a place where you have to ask for a napkin, and may have to pay for toilet paper).

Perhaps the person observed was a local party official... or the Dragon of a Three Harmonies Association?

[Pekka]

About eating loudly, I think it's about showing you like the food? Like if you're with cup of noodles, you shouldn't hold back with the sound effects, you only show you're enjoying it?

monolith, with fish? You really lost me there. What are you trying to say?

[Combat Ingrid]

The Chinese are weird indeed. When my Chinese colleagues speak English, they speak normally. However, when they speak among eachother, they usually start to SPEAK WITH CAPITAL LETTERS!!!

[mindseye]

About eating loudly, I think it's about showing you like the food? Like if you're with cup of noodles, you shouldn't hold back with the sound effects, you only show you're enjoying it?

I doubt it has to do with showing you enjoy it, as Chinese eat that way even when alone, or when eating food that is obviously not good (e.g. instant noodles).

Part of it is physical necessity - try eating noodles using chopsticks - without slurping! Hot noodles require slurping to cool them as they enter your mouth. As for other foods, I don't know why they eat loudly, maybe it is simply because they do just about everything loudly.

Chinese seem to draw the line between sound and noise at a different point than westerners. At 5:30 in the morning someone might start hammering on a piece of sheet metal outside, creating an enormous din echoing off the apartment buildings- apparently without a second thought. No one seems bothered. Well, no one except the foreigners!