Valentine's Day

Contrary to popular belief, Valentine's Day is not entirely the construct of an evil axis led by the florist's guild, les chocolatiers, and a few profit-mongering greeting card conglomerates. Was it made popular by these nefarious forces? No question. But it had a history long before.

It All Started With A Matchmaking Saint...

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three martyred saints called Valentine or Valentinus. The legend most attributed to the holiday, though, is about a man executed by the Roman Emperor Claudius for marrying people clandestinely. The legend further states that Valentine sent the first, well, Valentine—a note to the daughter of his jailer, with whom he was besotted. This, if it occurred, was around 270 AD.

Some scholars conjecture that our current timing for celebrating St. Valentine's Day (mid-February) is a holdover from a Roman fertility celebration that culminated in singles randomly being paired off. Like an Italian key party.

The bones of someone presumed to be St. Valentine were given to an Irish church by Pope Gregory XVI in 1836. You can see the casket any Valentine's Day at Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Whitefriar Street in Dublin. Meanwhile the oldest-known Valentine in existence—sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife after his capture during the Battle of Agincourt—is on display in the British Museum.

The Valentine's Day that we celebrate probably kicked off in Great Britain in the 1600s. And Americans probably got into it around the 18th- Century. The first cards to be mass-produced in the US were created by Esther Howland in 1840. This earned her the moniker Mother of the Valentine. She should be called the Mother of Hallmark.


How We Celebrate Today

The Greeting Card Association estimates that 1 billion cards are sent annually. Hallmark claims that 50% of its V-Day cards are bought in the 6 days preceding Feb 14th. 180 million roses were purchased for Valentine's Day in 2005 and accounted for 34% of the annual sales dollars. $2.4 billion was spent on jewelry in February 2005, presumably largely for Valentine's Day. And sadly 15% of flowers are self-sent.
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And for some fun


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The red wine and the duck fat makes you healthy ?

Eat duck but even better eat the fat of the duck and drink a glass of red wine for a healthier lifestyle ? What ? Am I crazy you could ask. Well, I am not and I will tell you why.

It’s actually a beautiful tale. Somewhere in the beautiful France, more precisely where the Three Musketeers were sharing a bottle of wine in the Gascony Region , situated in the south west, people eat duck and goose fat like cereals and they are proud of their national product Foie Gras. Ah and next to their meal they share a glass of French red wine to be even more satisfied about their delicious food. Why they do that (sounds insane) and why should you care about what others are doing ? Maybe because the same people who eat more fat than anyplace else live longer and their rate to die from a heart attack is 80 to 100 000 compared to 315 in US or 145 in other places in France.
I hope I captured your attention because it’s more. Fact is they know a secret and are happy to share it with the rest of us. It’s called the French Paradox but actually it’s not so much a paradox if you can explain it with science and this is what doctors in the region try to do.
To cut the long story, duck and goose fat has a good balance between the principle fat types, has a more appropriate combination for human body, meaning is compatible and easy to process. It’s like olive oil, really. It’s not that we can’t eat fat or that vegetal fat is healthier than animal one. It’s all about the composition of that fat meaning its quality. And here comes the duck. In Gascony, duck is eaten completely and used wisely to prepare the best recipes which won’t hurt your heart.

Ok, for such a discovery many doctors started polemics, being hard to admit that is really a connection between eating this kind of fat instead of other makes you healthier. But the local doctors know that this fat doesn’t increase cholesterol like all other fat and they suspect is even something more than that. Who knows, maybe it’s the way they’re cooking the ducks and gooses or because they combine the food with red wine. There are surely some interesting facts to consider and try like an option. Labeling Foie Gras like health food would be for sure a revolutionary and amazing success.
Really the whole craziness about this fat lately is under many disputes because it’s hard to see the exact magic formula. And I’m asking myself why they don’t associate this kind of “fatty” lifestyle with their wine drinking since it’s obvious that the French prefers wine more than other nation and people from Gascony are no exception. They study the effects on the heart from the fat perspective, but I would go on both together. That’s why I combined this article. But I come back to wine later.

Now about this duck fat it’s important to know that Gascony region is known like being truly environment friendly with a long agricultural history, with rights for animals and using natural methods to raise their birds. And this is maybe one of the most important aspect if you ask me. When we humans will understand that pumping food with hormones and other artificial chemicals will just make us weak, ill and mentally down ? I hardly wait to finish my article about general health and especially about overweight to share all the infos I got. These Gascon farmers have also lawyers specialized in animal rights who militate against force-feeding to fatten the livers for just a bigger quantity of bad quality Foie Gras.

But what for others is something weird or hard to believe for a normal Gascon farmer is the obvious. This farmer will just say simply:
"The people in my family live to be 90 years old," he said. "We cook everything in duck fat. We have foie gras on Sunday. Everybody knows this is the long-life diet."
Other locals were equally surprised that such common knowledge could be a marketing tool. "Scientists say we should be dead by 40 because we eat duck and liver and salt and wine," said Bernard Verduzan, 87, as he laid out his fattened livers at the foie gras market in Eauze in southwest France recently. "And then they say it is big news when they read the obituaries in the newspaper and see how long we live." Straightening his shoulders and puffing out his chest, he said, "I am still young."
Robert Jacquerez, 95, who dines daily at the Hotel de France in Auch, contends that the key is balance. "Always have a salad with your cassoulet, bread with your foie gras," he said. "Always drink as much mineral water as wine." His eyes dropped to the menu of the hotel, where Andre Daguin, the chef and owner, is renowned for creating entire meals of foie gras and has earned two Michelin stars for his rich regional fare. Instead of describing the various preparations, the menu simply states, "The fat of birds may be good for health." Quotes from The New York Times

So the simple people mention the wine ? And we’re talking about the red wine which by the way it’s included in the famous “Mediterranean diet”. But who are the most famous nation for its red wine and also for its consume ? You’ve got it ! France including “our ” Gascony part. And it’s says that Cabernet is the best. But don’t worry because specialists from France affirm that red wine is healthy all over the world if it’s produced same old way with oak barrel and all that.
I’ve promised myself to try reducing the length of my articles but please stay a little bit more to finish.
So about the red wine many of us heard that's why I won’t develop. But here is the thing, both duck or goose fat and red wine (1 glass not more/day) seem to have positive effect on heart diseases. So would be really interesting for this 2 to be studied together to see if the Paradox of Gascony is not really related to both together. The fact we have so far is that people here use them both, a lot. And it’s also a fact that everything tried kept naturally will give invaluable benefits for anything regarding your physical and mental health together.

Cheers.

Other sources here and here

Worldwide customs - Hong Kong (supplement to China)

I tail on Hong Kong to my previous article about China since there are many differences to tell. You can’t generalize all what you read about China to Hong Kong. For 99 years Hong Kong was a British colony or better said Great Britain rented Honk Kong from China during a contract which expired in 1997. Even though China reintegrated Hong Kong, the long period spent under the British power changed people. We can identify similar models between Singapore and Hong Kong where the occidental enterprising spirit combined with hard oriental labor style resulted in a very successful combination, mentioning that in Hong Kong everything is higher including salaries compared to Singapore.
The fact that Hong Kong became a colony had no bad effect on China in general, on the contrary because created the perfect connection between China and the occidental world and a perfect backup for relations with Taiwan and South Korea.
Anyway the reintegration process can’t be too easy when China and Hong Kong don’t share so many things in mentality and communication. Hong Kong is more US then China style, the rush, the rhythm to create more and more new business possibilities makes Chinese living in Hong Kong different. Taking these facts we can admire China’s approach to not try to interfere and change too much Hong Kong, showing a wise decisions for a place which really works well.
How to interact with Chinese living in Hong Kong? It’s actually easy, they are opened, like Americans and British people, easy to adjust to new and are less superstitious.

The Hong Kong Chinese is cosmopolitan so rules are more relaxed compared to the rest of China. Still similarity regarding etiquette, meetings, dinner exists. So if you know already Chinese customs, using them you will be welcomed here as well. In business meetings you will feel more personal touch in discussion and no need to feel embarrassment since they just want to establish a more complex relationship with you and know you better, although a long standing personal relationship is not required but appreciated. Will be much easier the meeting here because they are used to treat constantly people from all over world. It’s good to maintain silence time to time since it’s considered a form of communication so if your host becomes silent respect it and don’t rush to interrupt. They are like all Chinese regarding the “no” word, they don’t like it and rarely use to avoid offense or confrontation.

Normal meeting and negotiating rules from all over China applies here, so you can keep them. Some extra info would be that appointments here need to be made 1-2 month before the meeting. For all Chinese the New Year is important so better don’t set any meetings around that time. Contract signings and other important dates are many times set after Astrology dates or Feng Shui so don’t be surprised. Don’t forget to use your title in presentation and on your business card because of their hierarchism.

Gift giving tips (applicable in China and Hong Kong)

• Use both hands to receive or give a gift.
• Take care of anything implying numbers: 4 is forbidden and 8 rules.
• Don’t use just any colors: red and gold are considered lucky colors, but never red flowers.
• No to: red and white flowers; cutting utensils; clocks; handkerchiefs or straw sandals; white, blue or black wrap paper; green hats for children.
• Gifts won’t be opened when received and many times accepted just after 1 or 2 refusals.
  
  Good luck !
  
  

Read also: Worldwide customs – India – Learn negotiating like and Indian ! *** Worldwide customs – Quick guide to prevent mistakes – Asia (I) *** Worldwide customs – China – Understanding Chinese people

Worldwide customs - China – Understanding Chinese people

Another superpower candidate is China like I said in the previous article. Do you know why ? Let’s say because it’s huge (biggest country in the world). Not enough ? Ok, than let’s say because it’s the oldest civilization on the planet. So ? (you would say ).Then let’s say because for the last 16 years marks constantly the title of the biggest economical growth with more investments then United States has since 2005; because its army is the biggest also and has more and more allocated money with 10 % more every year; because uses half of the world concrete production and a third of its steel; because if you want to compete in prices wherever you are on this globe you need to have something in China if you want to survive, and so on … I would say we have real reasons to think China is far from be ignored. Who still has that old image of poor China with pollution, with no technology where people are just mediocre, is living in a different universe regarding the country with the oldest lifestyle on earth.

Let’s try to see now who a normal Chinese really is. For 2 millennium China was an isolated super country ruling all over its neighbourhood and asking for tribute including from Japan. Such a long history and power mentality makes even today any Chinese to feel proud and superior to any other country. For Chinese we, the rest of us are just some inferior specie, corrupted, disloyal and inconstant. So they could really just smile at us and tolerate whatever we do since we can’t more.
Beware that such a strong belief is not easy to change so it’s better for you to know and respect this about them. It is a big deal to consider yourself this way and for me it’s an invaluable information to know whenever I have or will have a contact with any Chinese.
It’s not that they can’t see value in others, they do but regarding spirituality and morals they believe are the best. But alike Russia and Muslims (although they never liked or respected Russia) they combine a form of moral equity with tuff critic for occidental countries. They see now how countries which jubilated in so many fields before are in decline now and how they lost their shine.

Chinese values ?
- modesty
- tolerance
- providence
- amiability
- filial piety
- patience and respect for old people
- tenacity, self sacrifice, trustfulness
- kindness, moderation, patriotism, harmony, diligence
- generosity, respect for hierarchy, education, opposition for corruption,
- adaptability, sense of duty, prideful
- friendship, kindness, undemanding,
- gratitude for favors,
- wisdom, impartiality, purity.

How to compete with that ?
A helper element could be that they believe in Confucianism, meaning – the good of the nation is determined on unequal relationships, it’s the only way to maintain order and long term stability. The family represents the best this prototype, it’s about the whole group (family members) never just 1. Same rule applies in society, school, career, everywhere. You need to respect your bosses, your family and society, respect titles and education, treat fair everybody and humiliate no one. Keep a balance in everything, be calm and avoid any kind of excesses. They are influenced by many things: nature, Taoism, Feng Shui, Buddhism, Chinese Astrology, Acupuncture, Phytotherapy and if all this seam for some superstition for Chinese is a lifestyle.
A Chinese will be always a group member, not 1 but 4: job, family, school and community and will always need to handle all. So you can deduct that any decision for them it’s never something to take over night, it’s something very complicated especially if it’s about changes. If an American failed in 1 city can move in another and start over, but a Chinese will feel the consequences very hard inside the community and his reputation will be damaged in all 4 fields. “Every person means a lot for many.” And every person needs to help the society exactly in the same manner like the society helps that person. So a homeless for example has no rights since doesn’t bring his own contribution to the society.

Negotiating or meeting a Chinese. How to …?
They will always prefer etiquette and formal events even if they are dressed more casual.
Respect hierarchy when sitting to a table (or better respect it always). The oldest one needs to be treated with special respect, even if it’s not the main character in the “game”.
Exchange visit cards.
Vice-president or adjuncts are mostly those who take the decisions.
They hardly will say “no” to you but they will start to talk about difficulties.
The big decision comes after meetings since meetings are considered having informational and briefing purposes.
Meetings are long or very long and very polite, never with confrontations.
You will hear “we” or “us” more than “I”.
No one will assume alone any kind of responsibility since is a group ideology.
They want long term relationships and a meeting has the purpose to evaluate the reliability of the partner like a long termed one.
No rush, no hurry, step by step moves are followed and determine everyone’s role in the business. They prefer more days for negotiation, the typical American rush is something they don’t like at all.
You need to be patient and set up a real trustful relationship to have success.
They know their market and will fix the prices according to that.
If the answers (who, what, when, how) were answered you can rely on them.

Etiquettes to know
The host will invite you probably to dinner, usually 2 hours long, finished when the host will make the first move. Taste all the dishes but never empty your plate (you will offence your host). In rest it’s very easy, Chinese are known how messy they are at the table so if you know how to eat with sticks, never use hands and don’t try to pay the bill before your host offered first than you are set.
Chinese are punctual or even come 15 minutes before the meeting starts so don’t be late. Also they inform you about their leaving when the meeting starts, never in the final moments like in other cultures. They prolong their leaving on the street and many times accompany you part of the way. If you have a meeting with an official than set it 1-2 weeks in advance, with a manager you need just 1-2 days in advance.
They love gifts and usually the value of the gift represents the favor asked for it.

Be always respectful, don’t hurry and keep modesty all the time. If you talk Chinese this will be a huge advantage, at least try a couple of words.
Good luck !

Read also: Worldwide customs – India – Learn negotiating like and Indian ! or Worldwide customs – Quick guide to prevent mistakes – Asia (I)

Worldwide customs – India – Learn negotiating like an indian !

India continues its way to become a global superpower, we can’t just ignore that. Nowadays the balance in this world is really shaky and I don’t know who could predict exactly which countries will take advantages or better said are most prepaired to handle the reality. India is one of the options.
Like I promised this time I will talk about Indian customs and especially what you should know about their native negotiation and sales techniques.
Indians have a unique and special culture. Communication is more open with them compared to Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. They are very active, used in crowds so intimacy is not something usual. That’s why they respect groups like family. They don’t have any problems showing their emotions, good or bad doesn’t matter. Success in business, creativity, technology and any kind of innovations are respected, they are willing to protect their own kinds and the reputation of their group or family always. Innovation is very important in their culture since competition makes any business old in 2 -3 years. So without innovation a normal business becomes easy target to be erased by concurrence. Even marriages are many times arranged for their business success and prosperity. The honesty is not such a value if you can achieve your goals, if you steal someone else’s fruits it’s noble as if you grow them yourself. They are fatalist and believe in destiny so this can make them risk takers also. They embrace failures seeing it like experience which makes them a powerful nation. Feel sort of rivalry with Chinese especially when they work overbroad and I can really understand that since China and India are competing for the first positions like future superpowers.
The English influence can be remarked in any area of life. Family tradition and hierarchy it’s showed everywhere, in family business the older son rarely can choose his own career, he needs to continue the family business or big storms can invade inside the peaceful family life. They see time as cycle and believe in reincarnation, so time keeping is also something relative. Women usually listen to men. They prefer compliments instead of critics since bad things are usually seen as karmic factors.
When you talk to them be correct, fluid, humble and respectful. They tend to be good listeners and love pomposity in vocabulary. Did you know that Indians hate to say “no” to any business proposal ?

And know let’s learn something from them like one of the best negotiators. Negotiation is their powerful tool and can be a big disappointment if you refuse to negotiate in the first place. They will let the money issues at last after all the other details were settled. Don’t think you will win a negotiation with an Indian easily, be patient before you go to “battle”. Better develop the relationship first and try to know them, rarely Asians make quick decisions.
Indians are flexible and accept to loose for now if the long time perspective is favorable, they think that in any business someone needs to loose and someone to win.

How they do it ?
Let’s see some valuable tips in negotiations. The list below is one of their negotiating method in sales presented in expressions they use, especially when comes about big business proposals. These can be generalized in other kind of transactions and create sort of an image about their "knack".

1. I don’t have any intention to sell.
2. I am not interested in money.
3. This is the most important business field my family has.
4. I don’t want to sell but if I would change my mind you would be the first to know.
5. If I should sell I have no idea about the real value of my business.
6. If it’s about to sell my business I would orientate myself about similar transaction made in the past.
7. When A sold X to B made a good deal.
8. Maybe I would love to sell to you but my family will never accept.
9. I heard your price but I really feel I need to leave this room.
10. I need to tell you honestly I have someone else who offered more than you did.
11. I don’t expect you to pay more than them but at least to offer the same price.
12. I am willing to close this deal with you not with them since I promised you.
13. I know that this price it’s not exactly according to the profit of my business but how could you evaluate a business which own x % of that specific market ?

Rules to keep in mind:

- offer on one item at a time;
- the true price for any item is what you pay for it;
- don’t accept less than 30 % off but try 70 %;
- say “too high” a lot, at least 2 times the salesman needs to lower his price;
- make them show you a lot of merchandise
- wait for the pad of paper – when they start to use it than think it’s just the first step;
- now you can imply a bundled purchase – after you reached your 30 % off you can expect another 5% off for any extra item, around 50 % off you can be satisfied.
! But if the Indian is smiling when you leave he won.

Sure there are many other strategies so be aware, it’s never easy. But keep in mind that they always have something prepared even if you don’t think they have.
Good luck !

P.S. If is any Indian around here and wants to share some extra tips with us I would be glad to hear them.