I learned something new today that I wanted to share. If it is someone's birthday in Switzerland, you should congratulate them, naturally, and the best way to do it is to say "Graduliere!" (Congratulations!) or "Herzlichen Gluckwuensch zum Gerburtstag" (Happy Birthday!) or simply the ever so boring but popular "Happy Birthday" which works fine but doesn't show your super clever German skills... and then you kiss them three times on the cheek, more of an air kiss really... so left, right, left... or was that right, left, right?
Either way, small cultural phenomenon... the Swiss are three kissers. Not two, not four, three.
Anyway, this led me to search for a guide to how many kisses you should do per European country, which led me to this French kissing map, which isn't what it sounds like but is rather a map of how many kisses you do for a particular French region which led me to the Strange Maps blog where what do you know is on the homepage but the Pop vs. Soda USA Map - another map I never knew I needed but can now not live without. (Ps. I grew up in Ohio, which I always knew was a pop sort of place...the coke regions have always puzzled me though - "What do you want?"... "A coke.." "Ok what type?".... "Sprite." Don't get it. Never will.)
Regardless of my ability to go off the topic. The point of this post... three kisses. Don't forget.
7 comments:
Yelp...It's pop no matter what anyone else says!!! My cousins in South Carolina say Coke and it drove me mad. My French husband has been trained correctly and says pop. :)
I didn't know you were from Ohio. So am I.
Yes, I grew up in Wadsworth, Ohio actually... went to school at the University of Akron!
(POP RULES! hehhe)
I went to Miami and grew up around Dayton Ohio. I really miss Ohio in the fall. I love going out to pick pumpkins and on hayrides.
I love the Strange Maps blog! Been following it avidly for half a year or so.
I wonder what "other" was... "soft drink"? I think we just referred to the drink by name. My parents had a restaurant and we used to do the mix up all of the flavors thing. That and sneak sips of plum wine.
In Texas we call all sodas a "Coke"!
The Swiss "3 kiss" is the standard greeting and goodbye for anyone closer than an acquaintance. My favorite is when I meet someone, shake hands with them, have such an awesome time talking to them, that we do the kisses at the end of the night. It's like saying, "I really like you!" haha
Stacy - Good point! It is a good test of whether or not the meeting went well. If you get a kiss - SCORE - friend. If not, well... see you in passing.
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