When in Rome, Shanghai, Tokyo...

In keeping with my last blog, here are some more tips on "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."  

I try to fit in whenever I travel.  Obviously, when I am in Japan, I can never look Japanese, but I can look like I know the ropes.  Learn some words in Japanese. Prepare for taxi drivers who do not speak English.  Moderate your speaking style to be more consistent  with those with whom you are talking. Walk on the correct side of the sidewalk (not always on the right.) Look both ways when crossing the street...that is something your mother always told you, but when you are in another country, it is particularly important because driving styles and rules of engagement are very different in other places.  

I recall one time when I was crossing the street in Shanghai.  The "Walk" light was indicating it was safe to cross.  I was almost to the other side when the light changed to "Don't Walk."  I'd seen a bus in the distance, but by my calculations, I would be out of the intersection before it would even get close to me.  I heard the sound of heavy and rapid footsteps behind me, only to be passed by my business associate who was only two steps behind me.  He was in a dead gallop and grabbed my shirt as he passed by.  The bus, which had been nearly a half block away, was traveling at an outrageous speed and was timing it to hit the intersection just as soon as the light turned green...leaving no margin for error.  Any slow pedestrian was going to be a fatality.  I was expecting the bus driver to show some caution, similar to bus drivers in the USA.  Not this guy.  He was focused on speed, not safety and it was up to anyone in the street to stay out of his way.

Another example comes to mind which deals more with business etiquette than with safety.  I had a boss one time who tended to wear sunglasses every time he stepped outside.  This is not the norm in the USA, but not totally unusual.  When he traveled to Japan, he noticed that the Japanese salesmen were suppressing laughter each time he put on his sunglasses.  After a few incidents, he asked the most "American" of the Japanese salesmen about it.  He was told that in Japan, no one wears sunglasses on the street.  They only wear sunglasses under certain conditions, such as when they go to the beach.  Each time he put on his sunglasses on city streets, the Japanese found it to be hilarious.  This was all good clean fun until they approached the office building where they were to meet with an important customer.  At this point, one of the Japanese salesmen turned to by boss and said, "Larry-san, please remove the sunglasses...it makes you a stranger."

If he'd been thinking about it, he would have realized that anything that made him standout as different should have been minimized when doing business in another culture.  Keep your eyes open and follow the lead of those who live in the culture you are visiting. 

James Snider is an global marketing professional with 15 years experience in the semiconductor and high-tech industry. He is currently working as a consultant while looking for the next great thing and earning inbound marketing certification.

www.linkedIn.com/in/jamessnider

What to eat

I was told by a TI sales rep in Korea that I have a "marketing stomach." I actually like kimchi, eel, and tofu. I have eaten octopus so fresh it was still moving (I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me), a fudgesicle made out of red beans (I thought it did not have much chocolate flavor), sea cucumber (squishy and tasteless), and Taiwan's national dish "stinking tofu" (and it tastes pretty much the way it smells.)

What do you do if you are not an adventurous eater? You are going to have problems. If you are staying at an American brand name hotel, there will be American food there but it will probably not be to your liking and will cost a small fortune. They simply do not know how to make American food the same way it is made in America. All the same, if it is a choice between a $12 hamburger that tastes a bit off or sushi, you are probably better off with the hamburger.

Most hotels have a breakfast buffet which will have something you can eat but if your eggs must be dry and your bacon must be crisp, you may have problems. If you can not face eating cucumbers for breakfast or a lunch meat sandwich, then eat rice in Asia and bread in Europe.

I shared a taxi from Chang Kai-shek airport in Taiwan with a guy from Israel. He was terrified because he was a very delicate eater. I invited him to eat dinner with me since it was his first trip to Taipei. We went to a seafood restaurant recommended by the concierge at the Sheraton but when we arrived, the floors were bare concrete and all the fish were in aquariums. We had to select our own and my new Israeli friend was backing out the door with eyes as big as saucers. I decided it was time to hop in a taxi and go across town to Hollywood Underground in the basement of the shopping center next to the Far Eastern Hotel. There, the food is decidedly Euro-American.

On our way out, I picked up a matchbook and handed it to him, "In case you want to return," I said. Four days later, as I was checking out of my hotel, he came up to me to thank me. He'd eaten dinner there every night. You have to do what you have to do.

Personally, after about 10 days in Asia, my system starts to complain. It needs something familiar. Having traveled a lot, I normally keep my eyes open for an American chain restaurant close to the hotel. When home, I normally do not eat under the golden arches, but during a long trip, even Mickey Ds starts to taste pretty good.

And finally, when traveling in Europe, it is easy to gain three or four pounds. The food there is great. In Asia, I expect to lose about five pounds. It is not so much that I do not like Asian food. It is more the fact that they tend to eat less fat in their diet than Americans do. If I am in Asia for two weeks, it is an adjustment to get used to the fat content in American fast food upon my return. Everything tastes like it is coated in Crisco. We should probably be a little concerned about that.

James Snider is an global marketing professional with 15 years experience in the semiconductor and high-tech industry. He is currently working as a consultant while looking for the next great thing and earning inbound marketing certification.
www.linkedIn.com/in/jamessnider