"You're a dirty, disgusting pig!" - Blowing nose

Europeans and Americans use handkerchiefs or paper napkins for blowing their nose. In Asia, snort and spit. Naturally, the behavior is not similar to the usual, it seems unpleasant and disgusting. The reason for such obvious national differences lies in the spread of tuberculosis in Europe in past centuries. For Europe, tuberculosis was a kind of AIDS of the past. There was no medicine for this disease, so governments legally ordered people to blow their nose into headscarves to avoid the spread of contagion. That is why people in Western countries are so sensitive to spitting - because spitting can be a source of tuberculosis. If AIDS had spread in this way, I suppose few people could spit on the streets with impunity.

The modern habit of blowing nose into scarves was the result of the past epidemic of tuberculosis.

If tuberculosis was as common in the countries of the East as in Europe, the national response would be the same as in the West. The Japanese are shocked when a person pulls out a handkerchief, blows his nose and puts it back in his pocket, handbag or under the cuffs. The habit of the British wearing a handkerchief in the top pocket of his jacket seems ridiculous to the Japanese. In their opinion, this is the same as proudly carrying a roll of toilet paper in your pocket in case of an unexpected accident. Asians reasonably believe that spitting or blowing his nose directly on the ground is much healthier. However, this habit is disgusting for residents of Western countries. That is why business meetings between Asians and Europeans often end in failure precisely in cases where the negotiators have a cold. So our advice to you: do not be offended if an Asian resident spits in front of you or blows his nose directly to the ground, and never blow your nose in the presence of the Japanese