Against my expectations, the most interesting part of this article is turning out to be the customs of our own United States. Things like "Not looking someone directly in the eye when speaking can be seen as evasive; this is in contrast to much of the rest of the world, where looking someone directly in the eye may be rude" is completely obvious to me but of course that is because I'm not a foreigner here. 

posted by natedogg at 02:13PM CST on November 14

It is a often considered impolite to return a gift fruitcake received in one year to the giver the following year.

But regifting, in general, is acceptable. 

posted by javelina at 06:04PM CST on November 14

In India, asking a person to a social event (e.g. a bar or restaurant) implies that the person offering the invite will be paying for everything. Inviting a person out and then expecting them to pay for their own drinks, etc is considered extremely rude.

HHmmm..... Maybe that's why I didn't get very far with Priya. No, Dude, you are not getting another date! 

posted by javelina at 06:09PM CST on November 14

Farther down the page, it says In the US, asking a person out on a date and not offering to pay means you are not romantically interested and sends a mixed message. Especially if you're a dude. 

posted by mrflip at 01:44AM CST on November 15

Dadgum sumbucks! 

posted by javelina at 11:04AM CST on November 15

so, I don't know if it is how English is taught in other places, or if it stems from rules in other english speaking countries, but in Deutschland, whenever someone (non-native speaker) said "I invite you ..."(in english), they meant, I will pay for said event, including your cost.

posted by reid at 04:59PM CST on November 16