All posts tagged: cultural differences

Chinese Woman Living In The US Alarmed By The Way Americans Take Their Lunch Break

Chinese Woman Living In The US Alarmed By The Way Americans Take Their Lunch Break

Published by Jenni Sidey

Lunch breaks are sacred in many places around the world. It’s an opportunity for workers to slow down, enjoy a meal, and briefly disconnect from their jobs. However, one woman was surprised to learn that not every country sees it that way. Jia, a Chinese wellness content creator on TikTok, explained that “the biggest culture shock when I moved from China to the U.S. was not about the food or language. It was about the lunch break time.” A Chinese woman living in the US shared her surprise about how Americans take their lunch break. In China, Jia said that it’s standard for everything to basically shut down during lunchtime, from the hours of 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Businesses, schools, and even hospitals all temporarily suspend their day so that employees can go home, eat their lunch, and take a nap. It’s considered a “nonnegotiable sacred ritual for all Chinese people.” “When I first moved to the U.S., I realized that’s a privilege we get in China, and it’s apparently not the same for …

People In Other Countries Are Weirded Out By How Much Americans Smile

People In Other Countries Are Weirded Out By How Much Americans Smile

Published by Jenni Sidey

Smiling is a big part of American culture. When we pass strangers in the street, thank the server at a restaurant, or squeeze past someone in the grocery store, we flash them our pearly whites.  While this act may seem like a small way to spread positivity, people from other countries say that they find it unsettling. Tourists within those countries are easily marked as Americans when they smile too much or have perfect teeth. This smile-related gap tells a lot about nonverbal communication in other countries and how Americans have put pressure on showcasing the “perfect smile”.  People from other countries find the American act of smiling a lot to be fake and call it ‘turkey teeth.’ We see smiling at others as a way of being polite, and for a lot of people, it’s something done subconsciously. For non-Americans, though, it’s weird.  In the U.K., they have deemed this type of smile as “turkey teeth”, a derogatory term that links back to Britons who would come back from Turkey with cheap veneers. Even …