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Level 10

Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

This may come as a surprise or a shock more like to mostly people from the Western world.

 

In the part of Nigeria where I’m from, you’re mandated to greet your elders after you’re done eating and also great them after they’re done eating. It may sound hilarious but it’s true. The greeting word in my dialect is “Ike” which is translated in English as “Strength”

 

Something strange happened to me when I travelled to the States early 2017 to visit my older brother who’s lived in the States for over 35years and had also become an American citizen. The day I got to his house, the wife fixed a sumptuous dinner, though most of what I ate where sort of alien to me but I went on and on with the food out of curiosity.

 

When I was done eating, out of respect and custom I greeted my older brother in our native language and the wife and kids where stunned. All they gazes was fixed at me and I almost jumped out of my skin. Consequently, my brother chuckled, cleared his throat and went ahead to explained to them that what I just did is customary and honorable back home in Africa. Immediately I noticed they all heaved a sigh of relief.

 

Later that evening my brother pulled me aside and said, “this is America, bro! Nobody greets you after a meal”. And I was like, do you mean your kids don’t greet you after meal?” And he smiled and whispered, “those things don’t matter here, bro!”

Well, to finalize my experience, I had no option other than to conform to their ways all through my stay.

 

As Local Guides from different backgrounds kindly share with us if as a custom you’re mandated to greet your elders after every meal and what is the word in your native language and the meaning in English. @TraciC @KarenVChin @SoniaK @IlankovanT @SanyaOdare @HelloSamsonR @bassey @OSAMA @Osaka78forTRUMP will almost crack their ribs laughing 🤣🤣🤣

 

This motorcycle is a mean of transportation in my villageThis motorcycle is a mean of transportation in my village

 

112 comments
Level 8

Re: Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

This is a great story and a great custom @U-royFelixA!

 

Unfortunately there is no real culture in the U.S.A. that follows yours. Our meals tend to be very casual, so other than a "Thank you for a delicious meal.", there are no asks/expectations from hosts who provide you good (or bad!) food. 🙂

Level 10

Re: Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

For us in Kenya its different for every ethnic group(we haveover 42 ethnic groups all with their own cultures) ... There are some places you greet your elders by bowing your head and the person you are bowing to touches your head other places i know you cant eat certain foods if you are young... A man... A woman etc but what i have seen my dad and grand parents do is pour abit of drink on to the ground (for the ancestors)  before they poured the whole drink into the glass... So the would pour abit of soda into the glass the pour onto the floor which would bug me so much coz i was the one to clean it up but now he stopped after we complained too much 😁

Nairobi local Guides Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/581726852313311
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Level 10

Re: Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

Lol. It's quite an honorable thing to do as a mark of respect and appreciation. Interesting to see how cultures varies across regions. So what works here may likely not work over in another country. But then, I'm curious. Did you prostrate so much that they were stunned or how did you do it? 😀

Isaac
Level 9

Re: Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

Africa, we hail there!

I am from Nigeria and it's beautiful greeting after meals. Whenever I greet my mother of blessed memory after meals she just starts praying and blessing me.

 

I am expected to always greet people older than me after meal and those younger than me should greet me as well; thus, we pass on our culture from a generation to another.

 

Cultural relativism makes it easier for everyone to understand and accept cultural diversities, what you have done is noble @U-royFelixA. Maybe we all need to learn other cultural practices everywhere you go and live by what is being practise there! 

Sometimes as strangers we may fall out, but the beautiful thing about that is that helps our new friends to learn our culture.

Some other things we Nigerians must do with respect to greetings:

--Greet and elder anytime of the day you both cross path

--Greet elders after eating each meal

--Greet the very elderly especially your in-laws after they(your in-law) has finished eating the food you served them

--Greet anyone who gives you a meal or who is responsible for your upkeep after each meal

--Greet anyone who gives you something/anything especially the elderly.

--Greet the elderly anytime they correct you or advice you even when the elderly abuses you, you greet them too.

--Greet before and after a telephone conversation.

--Greet before you can enquire or ask questions from anyone when in a new environment and looking for directions.

In Africa You Must Greet!

 

A-Beta
Level 10

Re: Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

🤣🤣🤣 @JR_Curley Hey Bro, I absolutely understand. Thank you enormously for elucidating further. 

Level 7

Re: Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

Hahaha... 

I'm laughing so hard. 

My place requires that you greet using the word - Mma nma to give thanks.

@Mayford you're so funny.....

 

Keep doing cool things that Matters!!!
Level 10

Re: Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

@KoffiK Hmm... interesting. 😂 Thank you for sharing.

Level 10

Re: Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

🤣🤣🤣 @Mayford I didn’t prostrate at all. The strange greetings had caused enough drama already.  

Level 10

Re: Cultural Disparities: Does Your Culture Mandate You to Greet Your Elders After Your Meal?

Wow! @AnitaAO Thank you for these details. Very enlightening. 👍