IF a friend approaches you with the palm of your hand and moves down with your fingers or the whole hand, what does that mean? It depends on whether it is east or west. For Orientals, it definitely means "Come here!" But for a Westerner, it probably means "stay there!" or maybe "Go out!" There are many small things that make the difference between East and West.
Western customs generally dictate that a person should keep his mouth closed while chewing and avoid making too much noise. A new missionary in Japan discovered that his host, a doctor with whom he was studying the Bible, did not like him. While staying on pasta after graduation, he tried to eat calmly and use sticks with skill. Finally, the doctor observed with disgust: "You can not even make noise when eating pasta, right?" The surprised missionary explained that even though they were good, she had a hard time eating in silence, but she tried. Then he advised her to make a sound: the more it dripped, the better, for it would show that she enjoyed the dough! It took her a while to change, but eventually this missionary learned to eat her soup and pasta very well. But five years later, he faces another problem. During a visit to the land of his relatives, he surprised them with his insults. Again, he realized that there is a difference between East and West.
Similarly, burping or burping after eating to show satisfaction is generally failing in the west. But in Taiwan and other eastern countries, these things are an excellent complement to the quality and quantity of the food.
There is also a noticeable difference in how the tools are used. The eastern carpenter pulls the plane while the western carpenter shoots it. To the west, the saw's cutting stroke is the stroke, to the east it is the stroke. Consequently, the saws are different. The western ridge is heavier and longer than the eastern ridge and is wide near the headland. The eastern saw is wider at the end and generally has two teeth that are thin on one side and thicker on the other. Considering the finished product, both tools have their advantages and serve very well to get the job done."Ladies first" is a common expression in the West. An oriental waitress who is not used to serving strangers can, however, stop serving the man first and apologize for the inconvenience of getting things to the customer's house first. Yes, people come first in almost everything in the East. He is the first to enter a door or a vehicle. Previously, a woman did not walk next to her husband but a step or two behind him. Even though it has almost disappeared, it is still common for men to precede women.
These examples illustrate why it was said that "east is east and west is west and the two will never meet." However, changes can be made so that people with different habits feel at home. It was my two close friends who worked as doctors abroad. They realized the importance of not insisting on respecting the customs of their country of origin but valuing the customs of other peoples.
