3 August 2008

3 August 2008
So this is about social mores. And how they are very interesting… for example:
Some things remain the same, like reaching in front of someone at the dinner table. It’s rude, but not inexcusably so in most cases.
On the other hand, if someone started digging into the meal with their hands in most well-bred company in the United States, or Europe for that matter, they would be seen as very strange, possibly retarded or at least in possession of poor manners. Here, though, that is what you are expected to do, and it has become VERY strange for me to see people eating certain dishes with silverware at tourist joints. Why would you use silverware? All you need is bread with some soap and water afterwards… which they provide, by the way. One of the kids or someone feeling nice carries around a little kettle with it’s own name and a basin for people wash their hands and mouths out after a meal. Yes, that’s right, mouths. They spit in the basin. For some reason I find this physically more disgusting than the numerous flies… I have a thing with spit.
And then there’s the whole picking your nose thing. Taboo at home, right? People will "take the mickey out of you" (to use a great British phrase, probably improperly, sorry ya’ll British folk). But the thing of it is, most people do it themselves… that’s why it’s such a satisfying game for kids to count how many people they see picking their noses in other cars on long car trips. One pastor I knew decided that all of this falsehood was ridiculous and freely acknowledged his nose-picking habit… he even had a saying "Pick it, flick it, don’t lick it, and remember to live like Jesus!" Memorable right? I bet his kids were absolutely mortified!! Anyway, here, it’s more or less accepted. Some men even grow out their left pinky fingernails for that specific purpose (it’s taken me three months to figure that one out… I’m still not sure I believe it but that’s what I’m told). And tonight, I witnessed the most open picking of the nose ever: a father picking his 2-year-old son’s nose for him!! I was fascinated. He was so obviously doing this carefully and lovingly and gently but determined to get his son’s nose picked clean…! Who would have thought? Sometimes I think we should adopt the open nose-picking policy… maybe with an accompanying social mores about always washing your hands or having a specific finger that you disinfect frequently?? I mean, I think everyone does, whether with a tissue in hand or not (still counts). Just as long as no one tries to pick my nose… I don’t think I could handle that.