Reply to: Anyone been out to Saudi?

[threaded]

Quite true. I'm still curious as to why holding a shoe in your hand and showing it to someone is viewed as being deeply offensive.

Why is waving two fingers around one way considered bad, yet twist your hand around and it's like OK man?

Anyways I would imagine most of your students will probably be from Pakistan/India.

[Moscow Mule]

Quite true. I'm still curious as to why holding a shoe in your hand and showing it to someone is viewed as being deeply offensive.

To them, it's a bit like picking up a tulip and waving it at somebody in the high street.

[Moscow Mule]

Shouldn't the Saudis just accept that people from a western culture behave differently to them instead of getting all uppity?

Probably, but they have the oil & the money...

[EC4N]

Shouldn't the Saudis just accept that people from a western culture behave differently to them instead of getting all uppity?

Quite true. I'm still curious as to why holding a shoe in your hand and showing it to someone is viewed as being deeply offensive.

[OwlHoot]

Sight-seeing: Well I'm a camel head, so blasting about the desert on anything with an enormous hump is great for me.

FTFY

[gingerjedi]

Shouldn't the Saudis just accept that people from a western culture behave differently to them instead of getting all uppity?

[threaded]

Don't show anybody the soles of your shoes.

Good point. Some people like to sit cross legged and waggle their foot or leg, or twist their foot around and abouts for exercise. Try not to. It can be taken by a person who thinks you're using your foot to point at them like someone giving you a two finger salute.

[Moscow Mule]

Don't accuse them of sponsoring terrorism - it may be true but hey, it would be most impolite.

To be fair, the Sauds don't sponsor terrorism. They were the main reason Bin Laden got upset in the first place.

[vetran]

You sure thats not the tail wagging the dog?

Many religious observances have a sensible basis on medical grounds. Avoiding pork, ritual animal slaughter (priest is experienced in detecting bad meat). etc.

[Churchill]

Don't accuse them of sponsoring terrorism - it may be true but hey, it would be most impolite.

[EC4N]

Don't tell me, the left hand is used for winking so would be disrespectful to use the same hand to eat or pass things to others with?

It's more to do with religious emphasis and requirement on personal hygiene and ensuring all traces of impurity are removed from one's body when visiting the loo including preventing any drops of urine from touching the clothes. Hence the use of water.

[Moscow Mule]

Don't show anybody the soles of your shoes.

[Moscow Mule]

Take your own bog roll.

[vetran]

don't use left hand. even if you are a scout.

Nope left hand is for wiping. The toilets are squat ones with shower heads if you are lucky the civilisation is very old and they didn't have leaves around to cause them to invent toilet paper. Thats why you always use the right hand.

Threaded is right they do have a lot of unspoken rules. Just think you are at grannies and be on your best behaviour. No off colour jokes, if they give you accept, but unless its necessary don't ask for things. They value good appearance and if they think you did good work then you will be treated very well.

Thats according to my Brother in law who spent 3 years in middle east and one of our sales manager who lived there for decades so its 2nd hand. I only spent a week working in Dubai so I can't really comment.

[Fred Bloggs]

DIfferent cultures or different types of madness ? Oh come on, not using the left hand -jeeeez.

Don't tell me, the left hand is used for winking so would be disrespectful to use the same hand to eat or pass things to others with?

They use it for wiping their arse. That's why it's disrespectful, seriously.