【2018年10月号】有礼行遍墨西哥

Manners Matter in Mexico

    Acustomer yells at a fast-food worker for getting her order wrong. The workerapologizes and corrects the order, but the woman continues to make a scene. Theother customers and staff in the restaurant may attempt to remedy thesituation. However, if this happened in Mexico City, bystanders would likelyturn their gaze elsewhere or even flee the scene.

     Losingyour temper in public is frowned upon in Mexican culture. From a young age,Mexicans are taught to remain calm in every situation. Politeness and respectare a big part of their culture. For example, before entering a room, a personwill ask for permission to do so as a courtesy to others in the room. Evensimple requests are treated with much formality. Rather than saying, “Pleasepass the salt,” Mexicans will ask, “Could you please pass me the salt if youwould be so kind?” In fact, Mexicans are so polite that they are reluctant togive any negative response. If you’re in Mexico City and you ask a local fordirections, instead of telling you they don’t know the way, they will likelyact like they do.

    Mexicanculture is greatly shaped by its rich history. The country was home to severalindigenous civilizations before coming under Spanish rule for 300 years. Overthe centuries, the respectful language handed down by Mexico’s ancestorsblended with courteous Spanish customs, resulting in the strict level ofetiquette practiced by Mexicans.

    Though poverty, crime, and pollution continue toplague Mexico, its citizens still behave politely. It’s these courtesies thatmake life bearable despite difficult times.

有礼行遍墨西哥
    一名顾客因为她点的餐被弄错了，而对着一名速食餐厅员工大吼大叫。这名员工道歉并送上了正确的餐点，但这名女子仍持续大吵大闹。餐厅内其他顾客及员工或许会试着补救这个情况。然而，若这件事发生在墨西哥城，旁人可能会将目光移到别处或甚至是逃离现场。
　　在公开场合发脾气在墨西哥文化中是不被认同的。墨西哥人从小就受到教导要在任何情况下都能保持心平气和。礼貌和尊重是他们文化很重要的一部分。举例来说，一个人在走进一间房间之前，礼貌上会徵求房间中其他人的同意。即使是简单的要求也会很正式地对待。墨西哥人不说：「请把盐递给我」，而是会问：「你能不能大发慈悲把盐递给我呢？」事实上，墨西哥人是如此多礼，以至於他们不愿意给人任何否定的回答。如果你在墨西哥城向当地人问路，他们不会告诉你他们不知道路，而是会表现得好像他们知道路一样。
　　墨西哥文化深受其丰富历史影响。这个国家曾是几个原住民文明的发源地，其後被西班牙统治了三百年。几世纪间，这种墨西哥祖先传下来的礼貌语言与多礼的西班牙习俗相互交融，促成了这种墨西哥人实践的严谨礼节。
　　虽然穷困丶犯罪和污染一直困扰着墨西哥，墨国人民举止仍然有礼。尽管日子艰困，让生活还过得去的正是这些礼节。