Do I Have To Kiss Everybody???

[jurarol]

No really?! I am a bit annoyed about this whole kissing on a cheek thing. As i walk in at the party, do i really have to kiss like 20 ppl, that half of them i don"t even know. And do you kiss your plumber too?

 

[sgibson123]

Lol.
I giggle only because my kids ask the same.

The answer is simple. No.

But be prepared to be thought of as rude.

 

[Girino]

I found it's faster and easier just to go along with the kissing thing than explaining that I don't like it/I am not used to it/I don't feel like kissing.

You can kiss the plumber if he is your husband or if you're single and he's cute :lol:

Weirdest kisses I got involved into:
- The kiss with my dentist after the first appointment (I probably still had splashes on my face, and she did the same kissing with other patients before me... WTF?!)
- The kiss with a real estate agent as soon as we entered her office for the first time (Do I know you?)
- The kiss of the GP after the first visit (and then they put hand sanitizer on after each patient...)

If you are a male, you stand at least the chance to get a handshake, instead. But if you are a female, you should live with kissing.

I forgot to mention the times where I instinctively put my hand forward and the other person instinctively leaned toward me to kiss me, resulting in a punch in his/her belly.

 

[Rich One]

In the kiss ritual there is the kisser and the kissee some women I find always forward the cheek to be kissed as they deserve it , Well I will next time also forward the other cheek,,! :wub:

 

[Crema Americana]

You don't have to, but you might be seen as rude or odd - although people might understand if you're a foreigner. At a party where you don't know people? I wouldn't, unless presented by a mutual friend. Usually I just greet whoever comes forward to greet me - I normally don't initiate the kissing.

The plumber, no. No service people/workers. Family, friends, coworkers, people you are presented to, etc.

 

[icaroballa]

Yes. Everybody. Everybody.

Just kidding. Hey, it's better than where I come from, people usually kiss three freaking times on the cheeks. Gets old very fast.

Even coming from another kissy culture I still won't kiss other men on the cheeks. Just won't happen.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

You don't have to, but you might be seen as rude or odd - although people might understand if you're a foreigner. At a party where you don't know people? I wouldn't, unless presented by a mutual friend. Usually I just greet whoever comes forward to greet me - I normally don't initiate the kissing.

The plumber, no. No service people/workers. Family, friends, coworkers, people you are presented to, etc.

Your CEO?

 

[icaroballa]

Your CEO?

Depends, do you want a raise?

 

[DontMindMe]

Parties where I have to kiss 20 people who have zero intention of actually mingling or talking to anyone other than the friends they came with have always irritated me. It's so fake. (Also, why go to a party if you plan to be antisocial??) Other than that, I got used to all of it with time...but now that I am thinking about it, kissing doctors still feels like overkill. No need to kiss lab techs at least!

And yeah, if you're new in town and female, it's possible that all sorts of random dudes will come at you with the cheek kiss who shouldn't. I'm sure plenty of people kiss the plumber a time or two before they learn better hahaha.

 

[mmoon]

I kind of like the kissing thing in Argentina, especially because it makes kids acknowledge that something else exists in the world besides:
A. themselves
B. their boy/girl friend or BFF
C. a XBox, Wii or whatever

Now that I'm back in the States, it's amazing how many kids come over to our house and walk right in without even acknowledging that I exist! My husband pretty much blocks the door until they make eye contact and say hi, but it's pretty much a lost cause at this point. I loved it in Argentina when a group of surly teenagers would come home to their parents' house and dutifully say hi and kiss every person present. I find it very polite and human. Maybe I don't feel like kissing everyone everywhere I go, but it's better than not noticing that other people exist.

And no, I didn't kiss the plumber, but pretty much everyone else.