• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go to Expat Living Hong Kong
Join our Mailing List

Expat Living Singapore HomepageExpat Living Singapore

Moving to Singapore and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Singapore.

Menu
  • Living in Singapore
      • Environment
      • Finance
      • For Guys
      • Living here
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Property
      • Schools
      • Work And Business
        • stock image for testicular torsion storyI never expected my son to experience testicular torsion
        • best salons blonde highlights singapore expat hairTop salons to visit for blonde highlights
        • IIS teacher and child picking a preschool2 things parents forget when picking a preschool
        • stephanie crespin from styletribute in an outdoor nature shootQuality over quantity: How to shop more consciously in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • What’s On
    • Things To Do
    • EL Events
    • Family
    • Concerts & Shows
    • Wine, Dine & Party
    • Network & Shop
    • Sports & Wellness
    • Exhibitions & Workshops
    • Close
  • Kids
      • Education Enrichment
      • Kids Things To Do
      • Mums & Babies
      • Tots Toddlers
      • Tweens & Teens
        • holiday inn vana nava hua hin6 things to do in Hua Hin, Thailand
        • stock image for testicular torsion storyI never expected my son to experience testicular torsion
        • IIS teacher and child picking a preschool2 things parents forget when picking a preschool
        • image of mother and baby for breastfeeding storyWhere to get help with breastfeeding in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Accessories
      • Decorating Ideas
      • Homes Outdoor
      • Readers Homes
      • Shopping For Home
        • Antique furnitureAntique and reproduction home furniture finds
        • bedRest assured: Readers recommend best places to buy a bed
        • Furniture colour trendsLatest furniture looks to change up your home
        • WTP beige sofa, wood coffee table and consoleThe fuss-free way to furnish your home
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Asia
      • Australia And New Zealand
      • Rest Of World
      • Travel News
      • Travel Tips
        • Australia SydneyEverything you need to know about Australia
        • holiday inn vana nava hua hin6 things to do in Hua Hin, Thailand
        • Hotel cafe royalTravel news: places to stay and play
        • AntarcticaScaling Antarctica’s mountains
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Bakeries & Cafes
      • Bars & Clubs
      • Recipes
      • Restaurants
        • Spicy thai fish cakes Expat Kitchen 2Recipe: Spicy Thai Fish Cakes
        • singapore cocktail festival best barsWhy you won’t want to miss the Singapore Cocktail Festival!
        • Wolfgang steakhouse SingaporeNew York comes to Singapore with Wolfgang’s Steakhouse
        • Ce La ViFoodie News: What to check out this month
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
      • Horoscopes
      • Liv Loves
        • activewear singapore ufitWhere can I find awesome activewear in Singapore?
        • best salons blonde highlights singapore expat hairTop salons to visit for blonde highlights
        • stephanie crespin from styletribute in an outdoor nature shootQuality over quantity: How to shop more consciously in Singapore
        • Mother's Day ideas Littleones photography mother's dayCreative ways to spoil Mum this Mother’s Day
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Dental
      • Fitness
      • Medical
      • Wellness
        • parkway cancer centre singapore cancer treatmentHow to cope with life after cancer
        • activewear singapore ufitWhere can I find awesome activewear in Singapore?
        • stock image for testicular torsion storyI never expected my son to experience testicular torsion
        • NetballWant to join a netball team in Singapore?
      • View all
    Close
  • Magazine
      • Digital
      • Print
        • ELSHOP_800x450px-AprilAPRIL 2018 ISSUE
        • FEB ISSUE_800x450px_IPADFebruary 2018
        • eShop_800x450pxBACK ISSUE: MARCH 2018
        • Home-and-Property-Guide-2018NEW! Home & Property Guide 2018
      • View all
    Close
Home » Living in Singapore » For Guys » Gentleman’s Guide: Asian etiquette

Gentleman’s Guide: Asian etiquette

Updated on 19th December 2017 by Expat Living |

 

Take Joe Swain’s Asian etiquette quiz to find out if you can close a deal no matter what cultural practice you come up against

1. You’re going out for dinner with business associates in Manila when one of them suggests a detour to a balut vendor. Should you:

a) Pretend to faint. Slurping down a fertilised duck embryo straight from its shell is too much for your weak Western stomach to bear. No contract is worth that much.

b) Go along with the idea with as much gusto as you can muster. Go as far as to shout: “Dalhin akin ang higit pa ng mga maliit na beauties bago ko sumabog na may kagalakan” (Bring me more of these little beauties before I explode with joy) at the top of your voice. Then close your eyes and munch one down, thinking only about that promotion.

c) Explain to your business associates that when you were a child in Siberia (or somewhere else suitably remote) your only friend was a duck. And that ever since then you’ve been unable to eat poultry of any kind.

 

2. You find yourself on the wrong side of a bottle of sake when one of the Japanese business delegations you’ve been schmoozing for the last few months announces that it has a space for you in its Kiotoshi team the following day. Should you:

a) Punch the air in a display of unbridled joy at the thought of sitting astride a 20-ton ancient log as it careers down the side of a mountain at speeds of up to 100 miles an hour. Laugh off the unusually high death rates of the centuries-old tradition and take a moment to relate the story of how you once represented your school at Buckaroo.

b) Explain that as far as you are concerned chopping down ancient trees is an act of international terrorism and that you are ‘that’ close to picking up the phone to Kofi Annan and reporting the whole blinking lot of them.

c) Agree to do it but back out the next morning blaming food poisoning and a moment of sake madness.

3. You’re out for dinner with a prospective client in Beijing. He orders noodles and to your surprise begins to slurp rather loudly as he eats them. Should you:

a) Slap him firmly round the back of the head and shout, “Stop slurping boy, get your hair cut and some sensible shoes.”

b) Try as hard as you can to cast off the shackles of your upbringing and, no matter how disappointed it’ll make your ma, join in. Even if you can only manage a miserable little whimper slurp.

c) Out-slurp him and then some. The best way to do this is to slurp your entire bowl of noodles down in one go, while simultaneously downing a pint of lager and humming the final verse of Die Fledermaus. If this fails to impress, simply regurgitate your noodles back into your bowl and start all over again. 

4. You’re invited out for a meal in Seoul by your prospective Korean boss. He orders a curry. You ask what sort of meat is has in it. He asks, “Why, does it matter?” Should you:

a) Realise that you have just parked yourself right in front of the biggest taboo there is in epicurean Korea and that anything you say now will help you about as much as a chocolate teapot. Maybe faint again?

b) Say: “Yes, I was actually hoping it would be dog meat. I love eating dogs, especially cute ones that used to be someone’s pet until they couldn’t afford to feed it any more. Do they do Chihuahua?”

c) Reply, “Look, a flying saucer,” and do a runner.

5. You are at the French embassy in Vientiane. You ask the French ambassador’s wife what she is looking forward to most when her husband retires. She replies, “A penis.” Should you:

a) Spit your soup all over the table and half kill yourself choking as you try not to laugh.

b) Offer your services on a freelance basis.

c) Realise (too late) that what she actually said, in her strong French accent, was happiness. Excuse yourself from the table, take a couple of deep breaths to calm your laugh box and return saying something along the lines of “ Forget all your troubles, get happy.”

 

CORRECT ANSWERS:

1. a) or c) – or any other way you can think of to avoid eating that embryo.

2. a) Kitoshi does indeed involve sledging down a mountain on a giant tree stump and is not for the faint-hearted or those without good life insurance. Except it’s an honour to be asked.

3. b) Slurping noodles is of course acceptable in most parts of Asia.

4. b) Try the dog meat. You’d be barking mad not to.

5. c) The sun is shining, come on get happy.

Categories: For Guys Money Career

About Expat Living

Expat Living is your trusted guide if you are moving to or living in Singapore! Our team will help you find out about shopping, dining, entertainment, schools, travel, fashion, finance, health and beauty.

You May Also Like

stock image for testicular torsion story

I never expected my son to experience testicular torsion

200-day T-bone steak from Hubers' Butchery

Butchers in Singapore: 14 stores for quality meat on the island

Valentine's day gift

38 genius Valentine’s Day gift ideas

Like what you've seen?

Enter your email address to stay in touch!

By subscribing, you'll receive our monthly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

Primary Sidebar

Editor's Picks

April international patient pre-existing conditions

Can you get health cover for pre-existing conditions?

SAIS online social media awareness

What your kids are really doing online

Ethnicraft online teak coffee tables

Coffee tables for all spaces: Tips on finding the right one

legally blonde the musical mbs singapore

Catch Legally Blonde The Musical and dine for free

monice bakes singapore birthday cakes

Birthday cakes: Customised, store-bought and more

Home insurance advice

Key reasons to have home insurance, whether you own or rent

What's On

Sirri na Pesse Exhibition

Indian Heritage Centre

Symbols and Scripts : The Language of Craft

Madame Tussauds' Marvel 4D Experience

Madame Tussauds’ Marvel 4D Experience

AWA Drop-In Coffee Mornings

AWA Drop-In Coffee Mornings

Treasures of the Natural World Exhibition

Treasures of the Natural World

Art from the Streets

Art from the Streets

Follow us @expatlivingsg

Can’t wait to tuck into this beautiful Tiffin style afternoon tea served at The Ritz Carlton’s Colony restaurant....read more in our June issue #expatlivingsg #theritzcarltonsingapore #colonyritzcarltonsingapore #afternoontea
Chocolate Truffles workshop this morning- yumm! Thank you Expat Kitchen and Fossa Chocolate for a wonderful morning- Susan  @expat_kitchen @fossachocolate  #expatlivingevents #expatlife #workshop #chocolates #makethemyourself #learning #singapore #singaporelife #expatlivingsg
Enjoying Circus 1903 at Marina Bay Sands...no elephants were harmed in this production 😘. Tickets available from Sistic #expatlivingsg #circus1903 #mbs #marinabaysands #mastercardtheatres #weloveelephants🐘
PR questions being answered by the Hawksford Dream Team- thank you Cafe Melba for hosting us!  @cafemelbasingapore
Ultimate Performance @upfitnesssg has launched a new meal preparation service! The EATUP service includes delicious and healthy dishes like veggie fritters & scrambled eggs, and Thai-style coconut chicken. We threw in some crisps as a little mid-week treat 😅 - Anthia // #expatliving #expatlivingsg  #expatlivingsingapore #health #healthy #upfitness #upfitnesssg #healthyfood #picnic #mealprep #fitness #scrambledeggs #brunch #lunch #dinner #breakfast
Easy, breezy living on the East Coast in this gorgeous penthouse. Full story in our April issue 🙌🏼 #expatliving #expatlivingsg #singapore #eastcoast #familyhome #homedecor #penthouse #furniture #furnishings #interiorinspo
Being wined and dined by Chef Milind Sovani at Rang Mahal as part of the World Gourmet Summit...amazing food and service and loving their new menu #expatlivingsg #rangmahal #worldgourmetsummit #wgs2018 #indianfood
We’re always on the lookout for women who have their fashion game on point, and this month we spotted Elisa (@tropikelle) from Spain 🇪🇸 Read our April issue to find out where she shops!
Loving these cute kids themed suites and deluxe rooms at Shangri La Singapore...one floor has been fully transformed into suites and themed interconnecting rooms with all you need for staying with kids and babies in tow. They really have thought of everything. Buds, the indoor play space is also brimming with things to do. 2150 square metres of play space...it’s open to the public too - Jacqui #expatlivingsg #shangrilasingapore #staycations #travellingwithkids
It’s a tough job, but somebody has to preview the Singapore Yacht Show. Go! It’s great fun!  #singaporeyachtshow #thingstodoinsg #singapore #expatlife #livingthelife #jobwithperks #howtheotherhalflives #gottagetmeone
Now, THIS is my idea of #planking! Loving Jamie's Italian's brand new meat and vegetarian planks for two - Amy G. #expatlivingsg #jamiesitalian #charcuterie #meatplank #italianfood #igsg #sgig #foodstagram
Last night's dessert was almost too pretty to eat (don't worry, I managed)! - Amy G. #expatlivingsg #comocuisine #dessert #igsg #sgig #instafood #dempseyhill #sweettooth
Lived here nine years and this is the first light show we’ve seen! Such a lovely end to the day ❤️ Amy BP // #expatliving #singapore #nofilter #marinabaysands #lightshow #touristforaday #thingstodoinsingapore #skyline
Are you or a friend looking to adopt a dog? 🐶 Meet Simona, Ed, Georgie and Dash. These gorgeous dogs are looking for homes 🏡 tag any friends or family who could take these cuties in or help support @causesforanimals_sg ❤️ Head to our site or @causesforanimals_sg for more details
Cappuccino, sweet treats and our Home & Property guide - is there a better combo?! We think not! Thanks @carrotsticksandcravings for the gorgeous shot 💗 - Michaela
Swinging into the Easter break with a quick trip to Rawa! Great excuse to celebrate with a 30th birthday and surprise engagement for Ufit physio @mccmaire ❤️. Amy BP #expatliving #singapore #beachbreak #islandlife #malaysia #tropicalisland #ufit #celebrations #quicktrip #takemeback
A fab morning at the newly revamped Forest Adventure at Bedok Reservoir, choose from the Kids, Junior or Grand course...great fun for all of the family - Jacqui #expatlivingsg #expatliving #forestadventuresg #treetops #weloveclimbing
Hope you are enjoying your Sunday 🐣
How cute! Love this Easter twist on devilled eggs 🐣Thanks @expat_kitchen! Instructions below ✨ Full recipe on our site
.
.
.
.Instructions:1. Peel hard-boiled eggs. With a sharp knife, slice off a very thin layer from the base of the egg so it can stand. Cut a generous top off the egg, and set top aside. Using a small melon baller, scoop out the yolk carefully (be careful not to break the white part!).
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine 10 cooked yolks and mash well with a fork. Add mayonnaise, Dijon, garlic powder and salt. Mash everything together until smooth. Transfer mixture to Ziploc or pastry bag and pipe generously into egg bases. Place top 1/3 back over the base and press down slightly to adhere.
3.  For the eyes, poke through an olive with a plastic straw several times, then gently squeeze down the straw, and the little circles of olives will pop right out. For the beaks, thinly slice a few rings of carrot and cut each ring into sixths. Insert two olive spots for the eyes and two carrots wedges for the beak. Set chicks on a platter and garnish with noodles, or parsley or dill to give them that “free range” feel.
So much fun @artzooworld tonight! Check it out before it ends this Sunday. Don't forget water and sunscreen! - Amy G.  #expatlivingsg #artzoo #marinabay #igsg #sgig #singaporekids #inflatablepark
Loving the cool AJHackett bunjy jump at Siloso Beach in Sentosa...even though I was not brave enough to jump off 😬 if you are, then you better check out their special opening offers ajhackett.com/sentosa - Jacqui #AJHackett #ajhackettsentosa #bunjyjumping #expatlivingsg
IT’S BACK! In 30 days the HSBC Rugby Sevens will be on 🏉 Tune in on our FB page this Sunday for a chance to win tickets.
Who do you think will come out on top? 🏆 - Michaela
Here’s a quick video and some snaps from our Floral Styling Workshop 🌸Head to our page to see what other events are coming up!  Thank you to the dream team: @susanknudsen, @floweraddictsg , @frankfoodcompany , @carrotsticksandcravings & @casapurijewellery 💗
Behind the scenes look at our #Pilates shoot with @ufitsingapore. Check out some beginner moves in our April issue! - Amy G.
#expatlivingsg #fitness #pilatessingapore #ufitsingapore #igsg #sgig #singaporefitness
  • Competitions
  • Noticeboard
  • Directory
  • About
  • advertise
  • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2018 Expat Living Singapore, All Rights Reserved.

Website by WordPress Website Design Singapore

Near me
40 km