Last year, I went to California in the US of A. The people are very friendly and welcoming, which is a very pleasant experience unlike here in Singapore where we normally do not speak to strangers.
Once, we ate at this Italian restaurant in Santa Monica. (By the way, there are lots of Italian restaurants in the US, Americans love them!) It was nothing fancy, comparable to a Pizza Hut outlet here. I was wearing a cap that day, and as soon as we sat down, this waitress said politely, “Would you like to remove your hat sir, please?”
I obliged even though I was a bit puzzled at this request. Furthermore, my hair was messed up after wearing the cap! My girlfriend laughed at this and our American friend explained that it is considered rude not to remove hats indoors. Removing hats indoors is considered gentlemanly, good manners and part of proper hat etiquette which also includes tipping off your hat when passing by a lady or talking to her. Women can keep their hats on as it is usually cumbersome to remove them as they may be fastened to their hair. The waitress smiled as my friend finished.
I was amazed and realized I do know about this from TV but I never considered that my cap is just another form of hat and thus the same rules apply. However, I am glad that the waitress was very understanding and informed me nicely about it instead of reprimanding me. It was an enlightening experience and I will definitely remove my hat indoors next time!
Once, we ate at this Italian restaurant in Santa Monica. (By the way, there are lots of Italian restaurants in the US, Americans love them!) It was nothing fancy, comparable to a Pizza Hut outlet here. I was wearing a cap that day, and as soon as we sat down, this waitress said politely, “Would you like to remove your hat sir, please?”
I obliged even though I was a bit puzzled at this request. Furthermore, my hair was messed up after wearing the cap! My girlfriend laughed at this and our American friend explained that it is considered rude not to remove hats indoors. Removing hats indoors is considered gentlemanly, good manners and part of proper hat etiquette which also includes tipping off your hat when passing by a lady or talking to her. Women can keep their hats on as it is usually cumbersome to remove them as they may be fastened to their hair. The waitress smiled as my friend finished.
I was amazed and realized I do know about this from TV but I never considered that my cap is just another form of hat and thus the same rules apply. However, I am glad that the waitress was very understanding and informed me nicely about it instead of reprimanding me. It was an enlightening experience and I will definitely remove my hat indoors next time!
Hi Reza,
ReplyDeletethis is a very interesting post! I never knew about this. Glad that I have read your post, if not I would have thought of the waitress being ridiculous. (But in fact I'm the ridiculous one. Haha.)
The waitress was indeed nice in being understanding and informing you nicely to remove your cap. You are lucky for the fact that you have an American friend with you to explain for why you have to do this. Otherwise, it would have been quite an awkward situation for the waitress to tell you that you are actually being rude.
Differences in cultures are indeed a very interesting topic to study. It is important to learn more about people's culture and respect it. Otherwise, it may bring along unhappiness and disputes, and this is often how intercultural conflicts are resulted.
Xiujun =)
Heyo Reza!
ReplyDeleteWhat an appealing post you've got here! Me three, I never knew it is only polite to remove your cap indoors, thanks for letting me know too! :)
And also to note, the waitress and your friend are thoughtful people who explained to you about this culture of California's restaurants.
Your post is a good example of how different cultures can be across the globe. It is definitely demanding to be aware of all cultural circumstances, but nonetheless still important to learn more about other cultures and understand the different nuances of cultural habits. :)
Best regards,
Collen
Hey Mohammad! (haha) I agree that sometimes you might see something on television or read of it in books a million times but when it happens in real life, you'll not only forget to do it, but also feel appalled when you're asked to do so even though deep inside, you already know it. I remember that when I was in US of A, the same thing happened, but I quickly thought of the American movies and it all dawned on me then. Too bad we both like to wear caps eh?
ReplyDeleteLester
Hey reza, I am appalled that such a culture exists amongst Americans. I rarely wear a hat so I think I will not face the same scenario as you if I were to visit a restaurant in the States. In addition, I doubt they will ask me to take off my hat that is fastened to my hair as it is cumbersome like what you have mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI feel that you a lucky chap as the waitress went up to you and tell you to remove your hat politely. Although it is of utmost importance for people in the service industry to be polite, the waitress did not in any way gestured that she was unhappy when you obliged to take off your hat.
To sum it up, I feel that it is necessary for one to read up on some main aspects of the country’s culture before visiting a foreign country. This additional effort helps tourists from being in a awkward position and also minimize the probability of them offending citizens in the country. (commented by ramani)
HEy just dropping by... just don't let your CAP drop anymore man hahah
ReplyDeleteHey hr that was funny :) Haha.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I didn't know that such culture exist till i read your blog. Lucky I'm a girl. So i get to keep my cap on in a US resturant next time.
Sherri
Hey reza,
ReplyDeleteThanks to your post, I got to learn about a new culture. I didn't know that it is rude to keep the cap on. I think you were certainly really very lucky to have met the waitress who kinly asked you to remove the cap. Else, who knows, you might end up being stared at by people from the other table for the entire meal without even knowing why.
cheers,
siewcheng
hey reza,
ReplyDeletesorry for the spelling mistake. I had meant "kindly" :)
cheers,
siewcheng
Hey guys n gals!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the overwhelming response! Haha... Anyway, I just realised another thing about my 'hat etiquette'. Actually this practice is carried out in the Army and Police where we are supposed to put on our berets when we're out in the open and take them off when we're indoors. In this cases, if we forget them we'll probably be punished! I totally forget about it!
Well, I'm glad that many of you have learned something from me!
Cheers,
reZa