Thread: Cultural Differences Between Americans and Russians

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

Another one for Deborski's list: Russians -- or at least Russian men greeting other men -- will insist on shaking hands EVERY TIME they see each other. Americans, generally, shake hands as a greeting only on first making acquaintance (or if they haven't seen each other in quite a long time -- but not every single time they say "Hi" to friends).

Yes, Russian men shake hands as a greeting also it would be weird to shake women's hands (hello to feminists ). Americans say "good morning" every day. I so got used to it that haven't even remembered this difference but it's true. Russians on the other hand have couple jokes about mornings: "Morning cannot be good" and "If you have a good morning that means yesterday's night wasn't that good"

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

So my friends Sasha and Dima would want to shake my hand, and I'd be thinking, "What, again? I just shook your damn hand yesterday, dude! I haven't forgotten who you are in the past 24 hours!!"

Right and why do you people insist that morning is good every day than I can clearly see that it isn't

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

On the other hand, it makes no difference to most Americans if you shake hands across the threshold of a door -- but this is a big no-no in Russia!
In fact, you never do ANYTHING через порог -- "across the threshold" -- whether it's shaking hands, saying goodbye, giving/receiving a gift, etc. And a Russian-American immigrant that I know is a big fan of Halloween in general, but she says it still makes her uncomfortable when she sees her non-Russian husband (or other Americans) giving the trick-or-treaters their candy "across the threshold".

I wouldn't generalize it, because it's a superstition. I, for example, don't have this problem However it is widely spread among Russian people (women especially)