Comment by ravedave5 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ravedave5 | Hacker News Reader

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Unfortunately people are only seeing the bad in this article. I do similar things with my family but not so extreme. I've really found that restaurants/food are the keys to understanding the local culture. I will never forget in Pureto Rico we found a back street lechonera, when we were getting food I asked the woman behind us what was good to eat. She helped us then we sta with her for lunch. My family ended up spending almost 2 hours talking to her over lunch and got deep in to PR politics and such. An amazing experience.

What I've found helps the most is asking questions. Any time you can ask someone a question they open up and you end up making connections and learning so much. Usually it's simple stuff like sitting at a full bar and asking the person next to you how the sandwich is, or what is on their pizza. Next thing you know you're making a friend and you're actually having real conversations with locals.

Speaking as a NW European: talking to random people and asking them random questions is like the perfect way to stand out as a foreigner, probably American :-)

Eat in silence and leave others to their own, that's the key to the local culture here. Especially in situations like public transport, people like their silence on their commute.

Are there any cultures, other than American, that are the exact opposite of this?

I would suggest Costa Rica. I went there and kept to myself, partly not wanting to seem the Ugly American and partly because my Spanish is sh8t. More often than not somebody would approach me in an offputtingly-friendly way, I would be kind of afraid, and it would turn out in the end they were just super friendly.

I look at it as kind of the inverse. Anywhere that isn’t too developed usually has people that are curious and friendly with time on their hands. Its modern urbanized areas where people too busy or distrustful to talk.

I wouldn't take their comment seriously.

Someone who shudders at the thought having to answer "what's a good place to eat around here" before scuttling away into the shadows, wounded, isn't going to give good social advice.

But if you want cultures where it's particularly easy to talk to strangers much like in southern USA, latin america is always good.

Aside, there's nothing wrong with standing out as someone with enough social grace to connect with others around you. Being too scared to talk to someone because nobody is talking is a self-limiting belief. Be someone. Leave an impression. As Matthew McConaughey says, stick in people's minds like wet dogshit. Be the guy so brave that he can risk it all by asking "what's a good place to eat around here" to a stranger.

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