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Q: any interesting cultural faux pas stories?
I have one. I went out to dinner with my gf and her mom. My gf had already told me beforehand that she would treat us to dinner. She had also told her mom beforehand that she would treat us to dinner. You can probably already guess where this story is going. When my gf calls for the bill, I make a lighthearted comment that she is so generous for treating us. Later, my gf tells me that her mom said I was cheap for not offering to pay the bill, even though we all knew beforehand that she would treat us, and her mom knew that I knew that she would treat us. Who else has some interesting faux pas stories? Maybe I could learn a lesson or two.
Not so much a cultural slip up as a language mistake, but in China the old word for 'work mates' (tongzhi) is now slang for 'gay'. Curiously enough I discovered this by asking two fellas I suspected were gay if they were work mates.
My mess up was using "open box" in the wrong context.
