Small but Significant Differences

These are some small, humorous differences that I noted between American culture and the culture of East Asia, as I saw it during the short trip

•At home, water is served with ice; there ice must be requested
•There you get a moist, warm wash cloth to wipe your hands before meals; at home, just a napkin
•There most meals are served family style unless you are eating fast food (which I would not recommend)
•There fruit is one of the main snacks and sold on the street and in convenience stores like we sell potato chips (I prefer potato chips)
•There diet drinks are difficult to come by and people seldom drink sodas
•There commodes are holes in the ground, some holes are much better than others though!
•Mattresses are hard and box springs are absent
•Kids wear split pants and use the restroom whenever and wherever they get the notion, including the floor in the airport, so watch where you step and take your shoes off when you go inside
•People there are incredibly friendly and hospitable, willing to interact on campus and at the park, places that Americans usually prefer to keep to themselves and their families
•Karaoke rooms are rented like bowling lanes in america
•A big Mac value meal cost 2 dollars instead of 6 (but the cokes are much smaller)
•An ice shake (bing sha) is combo of a shaved ice and a milk shake and somehow taste better than either one