What was your biggest culture shock when you started living in us

Addressing senior colleagues just by their first name or nick names.

 

My unabsorbed shock on reaching western shores is alien food.

Having eaten Indian food heretofore with only cheese in pizza being pardesi import I was blown away by the choice in the cafeteria at pan-Asian, stir-fry, salad bars, pasta stations, deli and so on. I had no idea how to pronounce some of the dishes or even identify the style or ingredients: zucchini, gnocchi, stroganoff, tanihi, black bean, hoi sin, and cod, haddock, trout, tench, what are these fishes? On top of that, confounded with aquatic squish like scallops, mussels, winkles, squid rings. Is that meaty, is that grainy, how do they even taste? 'May be I should ask the station chef. He will think I'm an idiot who landed from boonies.' Why is curd called 'yogurt', why many variants like chips, crisps, wedges out of atleast twenty varieties of starch. What the hell is new potato? Miss my mamma's spicy potato fry of those muddy and mangy spuds back in India. I was scared and embarrassed. I used to spend my evenings at local supermarket jotting down all the unfamiliar names and look them up on Internet. Borrowed books from library on continental flavours, chow, desserts and taught myself how to pronounce Italian, Gallic, German names and brands. Used to buy admixture of curious breads from the bakers for breakfast: baguette, polka, brioche, ciabatta, listen to the pronunciation on forvo, savour a bite, and assimilate this new world of gastronomic cornucopia.

Yes, that was undoubtedly my greatest cultural shock on landing aboard. I still favour Indian food to any ritzy tapas. But I don't have anxiety attacks anymore when I see a menu the size of an album with outlandish vocables.

 

Kanith! Well noted. Next time you see big hippy Indian grinning on roads…think of me ! Jokes part I think its more of cultural thing…dnt be too friendly we are told !

Iam not shock rather amused at the liberty enjoyed by Europeans…in terms of clothing and thinking. Iam myself not comfortable with such dleighful mornings and good evening beamed at you. My attempts to sneak out and sneak in office and quietly work fails everytime.

When iam asked every week what ur plan for weekend…I feel shy telling them I want to sleep to the core…for sleeping more than appropriate hours is a no plan unless for you are ill and if you are ill you should take LEAVE. dnt come to office and boast .

Sarcasm: they have a dry sense of humour, and once you will get used to it you will enjoy it. In fact they do not mean anything…



Suddenly I realised it was about Amrica…..so stopping!

 

Kanith! Well noted. Next time you see big hippy Indian grinning on roads…think of me ! Jokes part I think its more of cultural thing…dnt be too friendly we are told !

Iam not shock rather amused at the liberty enjoyed by Europeans…in terms of clothing and thinking. Iam myself not comfortable with such dleighful mornings and good evening beamed at you. My attempts to sneak out and sneak in office and quietly work fails everytime.

When iam asked every week what ur plan for weekend…I feel shy telling them I want to sleep to the core…for sleeping more than appropriate hours is a no plan unless for you are ill and if you are ill you should take LEAVE. dnt come to office and boast .

Sarcasm: they have a dry sense of humour, and once you will get used to it you will enjoy it. In fact they do not mean anything…



Suddenly I realised it was about Amrica…..so stopping!

 

@ashima10 ha ha ...hmm your post vanished elsewhere n here double!!
PS : Also love your typos!

 

My wife, son and I were driven from the airport through a long 12 mile bridge over the bay and just before we entered the bridge, there was a big neon sign which said, "Nude Girls". That was our maiden trip overseas and that too to settle down in the US.

Viswa

 

it is fixing play dates for kids, in India the kids would just walk into their friends houses to play
Wait for the people to get out of the elevator, not pushing yourself even before people would exit

 

Although I have never been outside India even for a trip, I would love to just go outside to see what you all have said. I have moved away from my hometown but even only in India nobody cares to even smile at each other forget about greeting. So weird that we fellow citizens are not smiling but foreigners are.

I think besides not smiling people are becoming rude day by day. Sad on our part.

 

Not only in U.S every where