Polite gestures or bad form? Customs around the world
Crossing your legs in a way that shows the bottom of your shoes is a grave affront to Muslims, who see the foot as unclean. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
In Asia, you would never leave your chopsticks upright in your food. “It is a common Asian superstition that to place your chopsticks in such a way is bad luck and means that this meal is for the dead rather than the living,” says Chin-ning Chu, author of “The Asian Mind Game.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In India, reaching for food should never be done with the left hand. Indians eat with their hands, in particular their right; their left hands are reserved for other matters, including after-toilet cleansing, and are therefore unacceptable for use at the dining table. (Lalage Snow / AFP/Getty Images)
Australian taxi drivers can be offended if passengers sit in the back seat, rather than up front next to them. This attitude is not uncommon, according to “Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands,” a book on business behavior, and stems from Australians’ disdain of class distinctions. (Carolyn Cole/ Los Angeles Times)
