Not everyone greets (问候) in the same way around the world. Here are four interesting ways to say hello in different countries. Let’s have a look.

Clapping (拍) hands

In Zimbabwe, people clap hands as part of a hello. The first person claps once, and the second person twice. In northern Mozambique, people also clap, but three times before they say “moni” (hello).

Holding khadag (哈达)

In Mongolia, people greet each other by holding a scarf called khadag. There are five different colored khadags—yellow, white, blue, red and green. They have different meanings.

Touching foreheads (额头)

In the Philippines, younger people bow and put the right hand of the elder on their foreheads. They call this gesture “Mano”. It means “hand” in Spanish. And it’s used to show respect.

Touching noses

In Saudi Arabia, the most common way of greeting is a handshake. But if two men are very close friends, they may greet each other by touching noses. This shows friendship and deep respect.

Tea culture is varied in different countries by the way tea is made and drunk, and by the places for tea drinking. How to make tea may be different. According to the ways of making tea, tea is classified (分类) into white tea, green tea, black tea, etc. And how to prepare tea may be different too. In Tibet, tea is commonly boiled (煮) with salt and butter (黄油). People may drink tea at home or in public, for example, at tea houses.

As part of culture, tea has a relationship with history, health, education, communication and so on. It is commonly used at social activities. For example, afternoon tea is a British custom. Families or friends can communicate with each other while having afternoon tea. Tea has remained a way of daily life in China and drinking tea has a lot of advantages. It makes people less tired, clears heat in the human body and helps people lose weight.

Chinese people are good at using tea to make other things delicious. Tea, originally (最初) served as a medicine in ancient times, is now not just a kind of drink, but also excellent seasoning (调味品).

Here are two delicious dishes made with tea:

Tea Eggs: You can find them cooked and sold in street markets in almost every city in China.

Dragon Well Tea Shrimp (龙井虾仁): It’s one of the most well-known dishes in Hangzhou.

Before you drink tea, please check the following tips:

Drink tea hot.

The best time to drink is in between meals. It is bad for your stomach if you drink tea just before meals, during meals or soon after meals.

Do not drink too much strong tea.

Most people drink tea in the world. But tea does not mean the same thing to different people. In different countries, people have different ideas about drinking tea.

In China, (1)______, (例如) tea is often served when people get together. Chinese people drink (2) it at home or in tea houses at any time of the day. They often use hot water to boil tea leaves.

Tea is also important in other Asian countries. People in these countries have a special way of serving tea. They hold a tea ceremony (仪式) in their houses when important guests come. (3) It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in their houses.

In the United States, people usually drink tea at breakfast or (4)他们有时在饭后喝茶. Americans usually use tea bags to make tea. This way is faster and easier than the way of making tea in teapots. In summer, most Americans drink iced tea. They like to put some ice in their tea.