Vincent and I went to our first Spanish lesson at a local tapas bar. We had met a really nice young Spanish woman at a restaurant a few weeks before. I had exchanged numbers with her, and we had been texting regularly. Vincent and I wanted to learn Spanish, so we asked her if she could help tutor us once or twice a week.
When we arrived at the tapas bar for our first lesson, our Spanish tutor wasn’t there yet. We waited for about 10 minutes, and then she finally arrived and approached the table.
Vincent and I weren’t really sure how to greet her. We didn’t know her very well, so we were clueless as to what was culturally appropriate in this context.
I took a risk, stood up, and leaned over to kiss her twice on either cheek—starting with the right side. Vincent then proceeded to do the same thing. However, he didn’t start on the right side. He started on the left side!
That made for a very uncomfortable and awkward greeting as they almost met in the middle—kissing on the lips!
Oops!
This has happened to me on more than one occasion while kissing a man in France. Depending on the region, you start on different sides of your cheeks.
This is definitely one of those cultural questions that you will want to ask a local upon arriving in a new foreign “kissing culture.” You need to make sure you know what side to start the kisses on!
In Spain, Vincent learned the hard way. Kissing starts on the right side—not the left—and certainly not in the middle…unless, of course, he is kissing me!!!!!
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
Let’s Weave Cultures!
Have you ever been in a “kissing culture” and didn’t know how to do it? Maybe you didn’t know which side to start on or how many times to kiss. How did you eventually figure out the culturally appropriate greeting ritual?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
