246 Part IV: Putting the Body into Social and Business Context
Greetings and Farewells ..............................................................................
Whether you kiss, bow, or shake hands when you greet someone and bid her
farewell, how you do so indicates your culture’s attitude toward bodily con-
tact. In some countries the standard practice is to touch, whereas other cul-
tures view touching as rude and highly intrusive. In some countries men and
women are even forbidden to touch in public. To break that taboo can cause,
if not an international crisis, a major upset between the families.Expecting to be touched....................................................................
If you’ve ever travelled to Latin lands, from South America to the Mediterranean,
you know that the people are comfortable with getting up close and personal.
Big hugs and planting kisses on your friends’ and family’s cheeks are the
norm.Colleagues walking down the street hand in hand or with their arms intertwined
or draped over one another’s shoulders implies nothing more than friendship.
Public displays of affection are standard practice and are to be expected.The following are a few examples of the types of greetings you can expect in
various regions of the world:In France:If you make friends with a French person, expect her to kiss
your cheeks three times when you say hello and goodbye.
In Brazil:Upon greeting and departure, the custom is to shake hands
with everyone present in a group. Once a friendship has been estab-
lished, expect to be embraced.Brazilian women exchange kisses on alternating cheeks: Twice if they’re
married, three times if they’re single. The third kiss is to ensure ‘good
luck’ in finding a spouse.
In the Middle East and Gulf States:Touching upon greeting in the
Middle Eastern and the Gulf States is common. Wait for your counterpart
to initiate the exchange because several styles of greeting are used.In Saudi Arabia be prepared to go through an elaborate greeting ritual
with another person. Although a Westernised Saudi man shakes hands
with another man, the customary Saudi greeting between men is a more
complicated affair. After saying the traditional ‘salaam alaykum’ you
shake hands and say ‘kaif halak’. Then you and your Saudi counterpart
put your left hands on the other’s right shoulders and kiss one another
on each cheek. Finally, your new-found friend takes your hand in his.
Unless, of course, you’re a woman, in which case no bodily contact is
involved at all. (So if you’re a woman, don’t be offended if a Saudi man
doesn’t shake your hand.)