Alex y.com10/14/04


>
> "Michael Plant" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Alex igy.com10/14/04
>>
>> Sasha, not so simple, I think. "Common" courtesy is surely not common, but
>> what it means is culture specific, not universal. When we say Pu-erh -- or
>> Durian, for that matter -- is stinky, we speak affectionately, right guys?
>
> Michael, I appreciate your diplomatic stance, but no, this is not about
> liking or not liking things - which would qualify as culture specific.
> Saying that "Having a respect for many aspects of Asian culture (I'm not
> Asian) doesn't stop me from thinking that Pu-erh is stinky, that natto is
> like snot and smells worse, and that I'd probably rather eat ground glass
> than kimchee." is not "affectionate" and you know that.
> And not calling what others eat "snot" is a universal "common" courtesy, to
> put it mildly.
>
> Sasha.

Admittedly, that would be quite a stretch of the cultural warp. Point well
taken. But, in a broader sense, I think how we express our likes and
dislikes can be as culture specific as the likes and dislikes we express.
JMESHO. (When I typed my post, I was thinking of some durian loving Chinese
friends who referr to it as "stinky fruit," and my own feeling about Pu-erh,
which can be many things, not all of them pleasant, but always an adventure
and a journey worth taking.

Michael