# Never Stare Down a Korean Vice-President (International Doper feedback?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 20, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246 "2004-05-20T21:17:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/1 "2004-05-20T21:17:05Z")
I posted this link in the GQ references thread earlier today, but since I’ve been enjoying it so much I thought I would post it in here as well. The [Window on the World](http://www.windowontheworldinc.com/countryprofile/index.html) site is filled with neat little cultural synopses for about fifty different countries. It’s business oriented but still gives a good description of the overal social culture for each country. It’s super cool! 🆒 > [@](#): > > [In the **United States**] the only proper answers to the greetings “How do you do?” “How are you?” or “How are you doing?” are “Fine,” “Great,” or “Very well, thank you.” This is not a request for information about your well-being; it is simply a pleasantry. > [@](#): > > Direct eye contact [in **Korea**] between junior and senior businesspeople should be avoided. This is seen as impolite or even as a challenge. > [@](#): > > Know your limits when drinking alcohol **in Russia**. Drinking is often an all-or-nothing affair – moderation is not understood. International Dopers, I’m curious if you strongly disagree with any of the statements made about your country or believe any of the generalizations to be inaccurate. Of course everyone else is encouraged to sound off as well. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/2 "2004-05-20T21:29:28Z")
There are more misses than hits for both Canada and Japan, although I found some things that rang true with both. ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/3 "2004-05-20T23:33:02Z")
I found the Canadian bits to be quite amusing. Apparently, I would be offending if a guest brought me red roses. Surprised, perhaps. Never offended. ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/4 "2004-05-20T23:34:48Z")
Wow - and despite the fact I previewed that I still missed it - Please assume I am **offended** if someone brings me red roses - not offending. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/5 "2004-05-20T23:50:30Z")
> [@](#): > > American greetings are generally quite informal. This is not intended to show lack of respect, but rather a manifestation of the American belief that everyone is equal. Shee-it. They got the first one on the list wrong. I stopped reading after that. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/6 "2004-05-20T23:53:37Z")
Given its target audience, they’re pretty much accurate for the UK. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/7 "2004-05-21T00:15:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Meetings often end with a summary and an action plan for the participants to execute. A meeting is only considered successful if something concrete is decided. I’ve never been to a successful meeting then. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/8 "2004-05-21T00:34:11Z")
What country is that for? I’m moving there. Tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/9 "2004-05-21T00:50:36Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > What country is that for? I’m moving there. Tomorrow. Reputedly the US. Don’t buy into the madness. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/10 "2004-05-21T07:46:38Z")
The section on The Netherlands is fairly accurate. A few comments. With respect to greetings, these days people often introduce themselves with their _first_ name besides their last name. Their description of the crazy sign is correct. It’s nice that they add: “This gesture is very rude.” 😛 Small touches like these make good advice. You normally don’t call a waiter anything, you just say what you want. I’m not used to waiting with sittin until all the women are seated, but this may be a generational difference. That may account for other differences as well: for a second serving I put fork and knife in a 9:15 position, not an X, and to signal that I am ready I put them in a 3:15 to 4:20 position. I do not consider it to be rude to go to the bathroom during dinner, though it is advisable not to do so too early. They say you should stand when a woman enters the room. I wonder whether they are confusing women with priests, who also wear frocks. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/11 "2004-05-21T08:07:14Z")
> [@Cerowyn](#): > > There are more misses than hits for both Canada and Japan, although I found some things that rang true with both. Really? I went there expecting the usual abominations, but the Japan entry is pretty much on target _for business purposes_. I don’t think, based on my experience, that there’s a single bad advice. In a business context, that is. The Canadian page, though, is pretty bad. A serious series of WTF? moments. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/12 "2004-05-21T11:48:43Z")
I thought the UK section was horribly out of date - “…you may be invited to the regatta…” - hmmm, you may also be invited to go hang-gliding, but it’s pretty bloody unlikely. Corporate entertainment would more often take place at a golf course or football ground. “Ties are important symbols. School, army, university or club ties are worn” - yeah, by seventy-year-old Colonel Blimps maybe. In fact, the US section was more applicable to Britain, IMO. But even then - “remove your hat when indoors.” Hat? What is this, 1950? ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/13 "2004-05-21T12:31:53Z")
The German section for the business part seems pretty accurate - especially this: _Germans produce massive written communications to elaborate on and confirm discussions._ I never understood that penchant for printing everything out and keeping it in large file holders around the office. The “Dining and Entertainment Section” however, has some strange things in it: _Use a knife and fork to eat sandwiches, fruit, and most food._ I mean I could see using cutlery to eat sandwiches in fancy restaurants (if that type of restaurant serves sandwiches), but fruit? And what’s “most food”? Isn’t “most food” consumed with knife and fork in all countries that have cutlery? _Do not leave any food on your plate when you are finished eating._ That’s a strange suggestion. Am I supposed to hide left-overs under my napkin? Push them off the plate onto the table? Drop them onto the floor and say “Oops”? Put them in my handbag and rejoice about the snack for the afternoon? Let’s not get started about the manners section - I seem to be hopelessly behind with my education on manners. Let me just point out that if you ever visit me, a gift of wine is not considered inappropriate 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/14 "2004-05-21T13:43:43Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > I thought the UK section was horribly out of date - “…you may be invited to the regatta…” - hmmm, you may also be invited to go hang-gliding, but it’s pretty bloody unlikely. Corporate entertainment would more often take place at a golf course or football ground. “Ties are important symbols. School, army, university or club ties are worn” - yeah, by seventy-year-old Colonel Blimps maybe. > > In fact, the US section was more applicable to Britain, IMO. But even then - “remove your hat when indoors.” Hat? What is this, 1950? Yeah, that was my impression. A couple were very, very spot on: **Do not violate a queue. _It is considered very rude to push ahead in a line._** **Do not make jokes about it, or ask a scotsman what’s under his kilt** We lose more tourists that way… ---
**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/15 "2004-05-21T15:48:27Z")
I don’t know, I thought that the US listing was perfectly suited for business interactions. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/16 "2004-05-21T19:34:27Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > I thought the UK section was horribly out of date - “…you may be invited to the regatta…” - hmmm, you may also be invited to go hang-gliding, but it’s pretty bloody unlikely. My sister’s been working in the City for two years now - she’s been to at least three regattas (or other yacht and sailing related events) on ‘company business’, and is trying to learn golf so as not to miss out on golf-course transactions. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/17 "2004-05-21T20:20:39Z")
> [@Chairman Pow](#): > > Shee-it. They got the first one on the list wrong. I stopped reading after that. 😕 I saw a news program not too long ago where Indian upper class were threatening untouchables for not taking their shoes off while passing them in the street. Maybe the error isn’t such an error from the perspective of other peoples’ customs? ---
**Author:** ![JayElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@JayElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JayElle)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/18 "2004-05-21T20:47:12Z")
Ethiopis isn’t listed and that’s one country where I really need some advice on business etiquette. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![JayElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@JayElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JayElle)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/19 "2004-05-21T20:48:36Z")
That would be _Ethiopia_. ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246/20 "2004-05-21T22:53:52Z")
> [@JayElle](#): > > Ethiopis isn’t listed and that’s one country where I really need some advice on business etiquette. Anyone? Whatever you do, don’t misspell the name of their country. They REALLY hate it when people do that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-stare-down-a-korean-vice-president-international-doper-feedback/246246.md?page=2)