Herbal Remedies

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So there are lots of at-home-remedies around the world, claiming solutions to many different physical ailments. I’m going to go through a few of them and let you check out the truth to them!

1. I’ll start with one that many are very familiar with – Chicken Soup. This is the popular go-to meal when you’re sick. Some people even swear by their own recipes!

2. In Native American culture, bee stings are combated with crushed garlic wrapped in cloth. By rubbing the garlic filled cloth onto the sting, the pain is neutralized and causes immediate relief.

3. With the spring season upon us, here’s a good one to note from the Germans: rub apple cider vinegar on your sunburn! Apparently the alkaline nature of vinegar provides relied. I don’t get sun burnt, but I think I’d rather take my chances with aloe if I had a choice.

4. To fight off acne and facial blemishes, South Africans recommend using a honey and ground cinnamon mixture on your face and leaving it there overnight. Cinnamon acts as an anti-inflammatory, reducing redness and irritation.

5. We all get headaches every now and again and here’s how the Chinese deal with them – They wrap hardboiled eggs (peeled) in cloth and rub it all over their head, face, neck and back

These are just a few of many at-home remedies! I think it’s pretty neat that every culture has found their own solution to such common problems.

Spicy Foods

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Over spring break I went to an Indian Restaurant on South St. with a few people that live in my building. Check out the website for Lovash here.

It’s definitely one of my favorite Indian restaurants and I love taking people there. The people that I went with were actually International students. This created the perfect opportunity to talk about different cultural norms! Since we were out to dinner, we obviously talked about food.

So a unique thing that this restaurant does is they allow the customers to choose how spicy they want their meal prepared on a scale of 1 to 10. Since I was familiar with the restaurant I proudly ordered a number 10, while everyone else ordered things between 1 and 3. Why was it that I was so adament about ordering the spiciest food available at the restaurant and everyone else shied away from it?

At home, my mom makes really spicy food and it’s just become a natural thing for me to always chose the spiciest options. When I asked the others what their thoughts were, they said that they weren’t used to eating such hot food and some even mentioned that the taste is so distracting that it becomes no longer enjoyable. Of course I disagreed with them!

Now when I had ordered the 10, the waiter himself was warning me and telling me that he himself could not handle anything past a 6 or a 7. The waiter was a fellow Indian, and this surprised me. We ended up getting into a long discussion about how his family did not prepare very spicy dishes during his childhood and it’s hard for him to handle certain Indian foods.

This got me thinking – everyone assumes that Indian food is incredibly spicy, but this depends on the dish and which region of India it is produced. My family is from South India and we like our dishes HOT HOT HOT. This is something so normal to me, but everyone else thinks that I’m crazy!

To brush or not to brush, is that a question?

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What’s on your list of top 5 things to do when you get out of bed? It may be different for everyone, but I’d say for the most part, brushing your teeth is somewhere on there. Now brushing your teeth is natural to most of us. We at least brush our teeth every morning when we wake up and hopefully every evening before we fall asleep. Surprisingly enough, there are many countries around the world that only brush once a day, or not at all!

We learn to brush our teeth at a very young age and then we obsess about our teeth through bi-annual visits to the dentist with teeth cleanings, braces, surgery and more. It’s hard to imagine not brushing your teeth right?

Well surprisingly enough there are many indigenous societies that don’t pay much attention to oral hygiene and can get away with it because of their natural diet. Foods that are rich in Vitamin K prevent acid build-up and cultures that eat very natural foods and stay away from processed sugars and fats see a less detrimental effect on their teeth.

Now let’s focus on the places that do brush their teeth – does everyone use the same type of toothbrush? What about toothpaste?

Some societies use twigs that are broken, slayed and softened to crete bristles at the end. Various trees and plants can create this effect and make it easy to brush one’s teeth and discard a disposable, natural product.

For what Americans consider as toothpaste, some people in rural India, Africa, Southeast Asia and South America use brick, charcoal, rangoli powder, mud, salt or ash for cleaning their teeth. These all have negative effects for gum health and, not surprisingly, aide in gingival recession, abrasion and dentin sensitivity.

I’d have to say that I’m pretty obsessive about my teeth and try to take the best possible care of them. I couldn’t imagine not having routine checkups, flossing, brushing, etc. to take care of my oral hygiene.

Wedding Dresses

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So my cousin got engaged two weeks ago and has been talking non-stop about wedding plans from color schemes to cakes, it’s all about the wedding for the next year. I hope I can survive all of this wedding talk!

As first generation Indians who have very traditional Indian parents, we have to find the right balance of Indian and American culture to intertwine and create our ideal bliss. So for Indian girls that are getting married, we have to decide on the wedding dress – will we wear traditional Indian garb? Or a flowing white wedding gown? Typically, it varies depending on the bride’s interests as well as the parents’.

Wedding gown

Wedding Sari

Well what about other cultures? In my previous post, I mentioned the different uses of color to express meaning into feeling, social norms, culture, religion and much more. Color definitely plays a role into a woman’s wedding dress. Let’s take a look at what’s typically worn around the world:

Japanese Bride

African Bride

What I’ve noticed is that Wedding gowns are typically the brightest, most beautiful version of the normal cultural garb. As fashion has become more global, trends are overlapping into one another and becoming mixed&matched. I have very little fashion sense, so I’ll stop there with that.

When it comes time for me to pick and choose, do I know what I’m doing? Not a clue!

A Colorful World

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There are many studies that indicate that different colors effect one’s mood and social well-being. For this reason, different colors are used to emphasize different meanings:

BLUE is a popular choice for social media sites because it is considered trustworthy, reliable, and a source for communication. This is why we see a lot of different shades of blue on sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more. The list goes on.

RED is a considered a color to signify strong emotions as well as hunger. This is why McDonald’s and many other restaurants highlight red in their advertisements and decorations.

Now I can keep going with the different moods that each color is supposedly responsible for stirring up a particular mood, but I wanted to look into the cultural customs of different colors.

For weddings, it is customary in the U.S., Canada and most European countries to have the bride dress in all white, signifying purity. Meanwhile, in India and other Asian countries, it is traditional for the bride to wear a deep, rich color like red or purple to portray passion and love for the marriage.

Mourning/Death/Funerals America: Black, Asian Cultures: White, Egypt: Yellow, Iran: Blue

I think it’s interesting to note that a color such as yellow that here in the U.S. we consider a color signifying happiness, positivity and energy depicts sadness in Egypt.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Personally, it is helpful for me to learn about small things like this that may seem insignificant to many because it helps to explain why people dress the way that they do especially here in Philadelphia, a very diverse center for culture. While what you wear may not offend someone else, what someone else wears can explain his/her feelings, personality and culture.

The business with my Business.. CARD!

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Today I was thinking about the entire concept of business cards and I started to wonder if there was a certain “business card etiquette” around the world, or if it varied. Here’s what I found out:

Business cards originated as social cards or trading cards and eventually combined forces to create the modern day business card. Check this out to catch up on the history.

In the U.S. we use business cards as a point to showcase our title, position, ranking, etc. along with what we are affiliated with and basic contact information. We are proud of our business cards and we pass them out modestly so as not to seem too obsessed with ourselves. We even hesitate to ask others for their business cards depending on the social situation and may consider it a personal success to obtain specific cards, because it ultimately means that we are expanding our own network.

Things to know:

  • In Japan, when receiving a business card, you put down whatever is in your hands and you take the card with both hands and bow to the giver to acknowledge receipt. Business cards display your ranking in society and from that initial interaction, the receiver can determine from your card on the formality or informality with which to greet you in the future.
  • In some Latin American Countries, a person will bend the corner of his/her business card to signify that he/she has delivered the card to the recipient in person. Personal relationships are extremely important in Latin America and are a priority before proceeding with any business transaction.
  • Unlike Japan, when receiving a business card in Korea, put it away immediately because it is considered rude to stare at a business card in front of the giver.
  • In India, a golden rule is to always give and receive with your right hand. This applies to almost every situation (I’ll discuss this more in later posts). For now, this certainly applies to business cards.

I must say that when I get a business card, I usually toss it into my pocket, purse, wallet, etc. I usually don’t pay them much attention. I try to record the information I need as soon as possible and tend to lose the cards after that. It seems that in other societies that business cards hold a much larger meaning than a paper product with contact info.
The card signifies trust, respect, a relationship and more.

What are you looking at?!

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For today’s social [not so] norm, I’ve picked eye contact!

So much can be said, interpreted, and most importantly – misinterpreted through the exchange of a glance. Let’s start with the United States. Maintaining appropriate eye contact is crucial in establishing a confident demeanor and propelling yourself in a business environment. There are variations of eye contact that can be flirtatious as well. Eye contact with a stranger can be seen as showing an interest in that person. Well this makes it difficult to get through your day doesn’t it? This rule generally applies to most European countries as well, including Spain and France.

Typically in Asian, African and Latin American countries, it is important that you don’t make intense eye contact with someone who is considered above you in ranking. This can be seen as a challenge to his/her authority. For example, students should not stare professors in the eyes, employees to employers, etc. So…If a Japanese woman is not looking directly at you while engaging in conversation, it does not mean that she is uninterested in what is being discussed, or that she’s nervous. This simply projects that she is showing politeness and respect towards you.

In many Middle Eastern countries, eye contact between a male and female is frowned upon, but within the same gender is socially acceptable.

Advice of the day? You never know what kind of signals you’re giving off. While you may just be politely acknowledging someone, you might be giving off the vibe that you’re prepared to arrange a marriage with the recipient! Now I’m not saying to walk around staring at your feet, but just be conscious of your facial expressions and don’t be shocked if others don’t look so confidently at you in your presence.

How to say Hello

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Do you always assume that you greet someone with a handshake wherever you are in the world?

This may not be the case and you should be careful if you’re planning to travel, you might offend someone. You can never do-over a first impression, so do it right the first time around. Let’s take a look and see what is considered the “social norm”:

In Europe, Latin America and the Caribbeans, it is common for people to kiss on the cheek when greeting one another. The embrace can consist of hugs and other prolonged contact. It is even customary for a man to kiss the back of a woman’s hand following a fairly ‘limp’ handshake. If the woman pulls her hand away before the entire ‘handshake’ is completed, it is interpreted as rejection

The Malay handshake consists of both hands touching the other person’s hands, and sometimes even pulling the hands to one’s chest.

Many Asian countries incorporate variations of a bow. In China it is customary to bow slightly, while in Korea it is a combination of a slight bow and a handshake (with one, or even both hands like the Malay handshake). The Japanese also utilizes the bow, but with the individual’s palms placed on his/her thighs and doing a 90 degree bow bending at the waist.

In India, the greetings vary by age. If greeting someone older than you that you respect, you will put your hands in “prayer” and bow slightly while saying “Namaste”. Family members may hug one another but, if it is someone elderly that you are greeting, you are to bend down and touch their feet. This symbolizes a request for their blessings for a good marriage, healthy children, and more. Kissing is completely frowned upon and is only accepted when it is upon small children.

In Cambodia, one is to put their hands together in prayer. The height at which the hands are presented represents the level of respect the individual has towards the person he/she is greeting.

Those in the UK usually greet one another with a handshake, or for even less contact – a smile.

So the next time you meet someone, be conscious of what you are used to and what he/she may or may not be used to. It’s usually safe to go with a smile and a nod acknowledging someone, and a handshake if you feel appropriate. Don’t be shocked though if someone you don’t know kisses your cheek and touches your grandfather’s foot!