5 things of etiquette that you should know in Asia

Arabiaweather.com - Ismail Qasimi - When visiting Asia, you must know a lot of things in order to avoid embarrassment, and among these things are some general morals and etiquette that should be observed.

Do not call the elderly by their names, as the locals in China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines call them by titles such as big brother, uncle, grandfather and others, even if they do not have a family relationship, you should greet them first if they are in a group, invite them to food first, And let them sit.. In Thailand, touching them from the head, shoulders and back is considered one thing.

Remove your shoes before entering the house, and this matter is known throughout East and Southeast Asia, as people used to put their shoes off before entering the house or many closed places, including some coffee and tea drinking halls and traditional restaurants, and of course this matter has a sacred nature in mosques and temples .

Avoid greeting with hugs and kisses, and always be prepared to shake hands only with men and wait for women to do so first, while Malaysians and Indonesians know that Arabs want to greet with hugs and understand it well, but they do not prefer it, like the rest of the region's population.

Do not touch anyone or kick them with your feet.. Yes, this may happen while you are sitting with a group of local residents, especially since they prefer to sit on the ground, and you may want to signal someone to pay attention to you, avoid that and apologize if you made a mistake.

Let your host pay, but not without a fight. Asians like the host to pay for the food and don't feel comfortable if they don't because they have a duty to be generous, but on your part you should put up some resistance to show that you're willing to pay and not to look like you're taking advantage of them.

Do not use your left hand to serve food or something, and also do not use it to pay money, and in many Asian societies they present things with the right hand while assigning it to the left hand as a kind of more attention to you.