The French love their “la bise”
Those are the cheek-to-cheek pecks upon greeting someone. It’s totally ingrained in their culture. It’s who they are.
But, in the face of a feared rearing of H1N1’s ugly little head, the French government is encouraging its people to refrain from the kiss. Mon dieu!
And yet, it makes perfect sense.
Here in America...it’s the handshake. And ever since contracting a vicious case of (non-swine) flu from a toxic web developer from Mobile in 2000, I’ve wondered why, in the face of viruses such as H1N1, we don’t agree to stop this time honored practice.
I know...it’s our culture. It’s who we are.
My infection, though, came about when said web developer was late to a lunch presentation. He hurriedly shook my hand upon entering the room...and I returned to my sandwich. A few minutes into his pitch, he started barking a phlegmy hack and then apologized, saying he was just getting over the flu.
I closed my eyes and sighed as I realized I had just consumed his virus. And then got sicker than I can ever remember being, ruining a family vacation to Williamsburg. Well, at least for me.
From that point on, I’ve believed the Japanese have the perfect greeting.
One that I think the world would be good to adopt in the months ahead.
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