The word "taboo" originates from a mealtime in
1777 when British explorer James Cook
invited a Tongan tribe to sit down with him and enjoy the food. The tribe refused, telling Cook it was taboo
for them to do so. Startled, Cook, probably feeling a little taken aback,
asked what taboo meant and after a little time with some help from the tribesmen he found that it meant something that was forbidden
inviolable or even cursed.
Today we all live with our own cultural taboos, for example the average
American is not likely to make a steak out of his dearly departed grandmother,
but for the Korowai tribe in Western New Guinea consuming the carcass of the deceased is not a social faux pas.
It's a rite.
Today we are going to explore our cultural differences in this episode of the Infographic Show
"Taboos Around the World". Don't forget to subscribe and click the bell button so that you can be part of our notification squad
Let's start by traveling to the USA and looking at a controversial taboo that persists today
Having an intimate relationship with our own family member is seen as an immutable
No-no in just about every culture not only because we deem it unethical
But also because the offspring of such a relationship is at risk of being genetically flawed. In the USA one famous incestuous
Relationship happened quite recently and that was with the Mamas & the Papas band leader John Phillips
He started having an intimate relationship with his own daughter Mackenzie
This was quite a shock when the story came out in 2009
Especially as his daughter told the press she had aborted his baby. In most US states
That would be a crime punishable with a prison sentence although in New Jersey an incestuous relationship
Is legal. Marriage for the couple is not. Speaking of genetic flaws the author of "on the origin of species"
Charles Darwin married his first cousin they had 10 kids together and three of them died very young. In the UK incest is illegal
But only for close family. What Darwin did then would be legal today in the UK. Staying in America for a moment,
We know that when the index finger is pointed at someone it is almost universally seen as rude
and that's probably due to the export of Hollywood films. Outside of the USA is more complex. In Asia holding up the fore finger and
Index finger with the palm turned inwards is seen as a sign of cuteness
But in the UK it's liable to get you into a fight
This is because it was the signed English archers of the past
show to their french rivals to prove they still had two fingers. The french would cut them off if they captured the archers so they
Couldn't use them again to pull the straw
on the archers bow. The sign now in the UK is the equivalent of giving the middle finger in the US. In most parts of
Asia don't point at anyone as its seen as impolite, while a thumb-up gesture in Israel where hitching rides is common is offensive
It's the same throughout much of the middle east imagine giving the finger to every car that passes you.
let's now look more at Asia where taboos are perhaps more prevalent. In some parts of Asia pointing at the soles of your feet at
Someone is seen as extreme rudeness and could easily get you into trouble
This is also true in Russia as well as parts of the middle east. That's why when George W. Bush almost took a shoe to
The head from an angry Iraqi journalist it was more symbolic than it was an act of violence
A shoe was a dirty weapon aimed at the highest and most esteemed point of the body. In countries such as thailand and China
Putting your feet up on a chair and certainly any place near to where someone might put their head is seen as very disrespectful
The foot in most of Asia attitude is dirty and the head is seen as sacred. If you are planning to travel to Asia bare
This mind lest you rankle the locals. okay, so the rude American may have upset his Asian host with his filthy big feet
But what about the noise that guy makes when he eats?
Most cultures accept that eating quietly with your mouth closed is just plain good etiquette if you are older than three years old
Not so much in China
We're eating at a restaurant can sound like a chorus of cows
Chomping down on wet grass. well to the chinese the sound emitting from your mouth is a sign of how much you appreciate the food
It's like saying that's delicious without the words. the Chinese slurp and the filipinos often smack their lips. if it bothers
You just remember someone is having a good time. in Asia
How you eat what you wear your body language and even how you write has to be taken into consideration
In parts of Asia be careful when you write something down for someone as writing in red ink is seen as a curse
This is because in some Asian cultures, red ink was reserved for messages applying to the deceased. filling in an official form in red
Maybe even an arrival card in countries such as taiwan Korea
Japan or thailand is seen as bad form and perhaps a very bad omen
Red is reserved for the dead in an official environment. as for what you eat some Asians chow down on
Animals that are strictly Taboo foods in the west. while cannibalism is downright taboo pretty much everywhere in the world there are certain animals
Cultures put on the table that cause out cries in the western Media. the most infamous is the consumption of dog meat something
It's thought around five to 30% South Koreans have done. according to one BBC
Story a bowl of dog soup will set you back about $10 in South Korea
Dog is also eaten in China, Vietnam
Nigeria and Indonesia
In 2014 Newsweek reported hundreds of thousands of people in switzerland each cat and dog meat adding that it's a specialty dish at Christmas. the French
have a penchant for cooked horse. the Thais have been known to eat chicken Embryos on a stick and
Deep-fried Guinea pig as a specialty has moved from South America and is now eaten in the USa for around $45
You can try some at the Urubamba restaurant in New York. If cute Rodent is
Interesting the restaurant also offers veal heart, cow foots stew and rabbit
You don't only relate to what you eat, but how you eat. in many western countries
It's polite to clean your plate of food even if you are not so keen on the cuisine
Leading food might mean you didn't like it, and it's also seen as being wasteful
Well if you do that in China, India or Afghanistan one thing is going to happen: your plate will be refilled
it's seen as polite to always leave a little and a bit greedy or
Expecting to clean your plate as its saying give me more
This has certainly led to situations in which polite westerners have made themselves almost sick by politely eating up what's offered
Only for their guests to think their absolute gluttons, but obliged to fill the plate again. do some taboos carry across every culture?
Insulting someone's mother or father is taboo a pretty much worldwide for Obvious reasons
But in some cultures even mentioning parents in a negative light can get you into trouble or even killed. in Russia a curse with a parent in
It is seen as the worst thing you could possibly say.
In Madagascar children belonging to the Antandroy Tribe are not even allowed to call their father by his name. in some hindu families even the
wives of Husbands are not permitted to call the man by his name although Progressive hindus see this as antiquated and
patriarchal. some westerners May find that strange
But in most western countries it's taboo for children to be on first-name terms with their parents. the curse mother plus expletive is almost
Universal in language. surely public pooping is universally taboo in developed nations, Yes.
But the BBC reported in 2015 that open defecation in India was still a problem mostly due to the lack of toilets. French philosopher
Michel de Montaigne upset his fellow Highbrow intellectuals because he liked to discuss flatulence aka passing gas
Farting cutting the cheese. he even wrote a treatise on farting and other bodily functions one saying kings and philosophers defecate
So do ladies. in spite of his entreaties to help make the human race comfortable with such bodily taboos
Public farting doesn't go down well in most cultures
Well apparently if you are invited to eat in an inuit household you can show your appreciation for the meal by letting one rip postprandial
Even though we fart on average about 14 times a day
We are usually discreet about it. not so much for the yanomami tribe in South America
Where said to fart as a greeting
Taboo or not taboo that is the question
We might do well to remember that our way of living is not the right way
But a way. Montaigne believes we should be curious about our taboos deconstruct them and at times get over them. then again
How would you feel if your granddad turns up to thanksgiving dinner with his new farting fiance?
Who is actually his cousin with a gift of dog and cats stew and an appetite for dinner destruction?
could you handle that? let us know in the comments and please tell us about any unusual taboos in your country. if you like
This video be sure to check out our other video called what a dollar gets you around the world
Thanks for watching and as always don't forget to like share and subscribe see you next time