News You Can Use - Really. Especially if going swimming with Europeans

An unnamed, 28-year-old male research assistant got a lesson in cultural differences when a visiting Spanish professor at Academia Sinica (中央研究院), Jesus M.De Miguel, 61, offered to help the assistant with his project.

Having met at a gym the day before, the prof suggested they meet again at the gym the following day. They met the next day and the prof suggested they first have a swim.

After the swim, while they were in the showers, the professor burst into the assistant's room and began applying body wash to the assistant's head, back and abdominal region, and then touched his genitals.

The assistant gave up on further research help and ran away from the Spanish clean-freak.

The professor however insisted that a misunderstanding had occurred due to cultural differences, and explained that Europeans tend to expose their bodies and touch others in ways that are different in Asia.

I'm not planning any European trips in the near future, but there are plenty of Europeans here so I would appreciate anyone with knowledge sharing other, lesser known (to me) cultural Do's and Dont's.