Blowing your nose in public
I don't know what everyone else uses now to blow their nose, but I now use tissues. Reason being is that after living in Japan, I started to feel that using tissues to blow one's nose is much more hygienic than using a handkerchief.
In Japan, handkerchiefs are only used to wipe the sweat off your face or drying your hands after washing them.
Many Japanese find it disgusting when I tell them in the western world we blow our noses into handkerchiefs and then wash these handkerchiefs with the normal laundry.
Re: Blowing your nose in public
Where I come from, it's usually the guys who use handkerchiefs. The girls use tissues. I don't why there's a difference, but it's always been like that, and a lot of girls (including myself) find carrying handkerchiefs a hassle... prolly because you have to stuff it in your pocket. With tissues, you can just stuff them in your bag.
But my dad doesn't wash his hanky with the normal laundry - he handwashes it himself. ^^;;
Re: Blowing your nose in public
Even more interesting. The Japanese don't blow their nose in public. EVER!
They go to the bathroom for that.
About the tissue/hankie thing. Of course using tissues is more hygienic and the Japanese are total hygiene nuts. But think of the large amounts of paper waste.
Re: Blowing your nose in public
The reason they find it disgusting is because of the fact if you use a handkerchiefs to blow your nose or sneeze and put it in your pocket or where ever you put it and walk off. When you do this you are carrying around all those germs/bacteria that came out of your body. They think it's nasty when you wash it with your clothes because you are mixing the germs/bacteria into what you are going to be wearing and they don't want to be touching your germs/bacteria. Even though you have washed your clothes for some reason they think that the germs/bacteria are still there. As for you using a tissue in public when you sneeze or blow your nose they find it easier because you can discard the tissue and not worry about carrying around the germs/bacteria. They also wonder how many times you use your handkerchief before washing it I bet. With a tissue 1 use only, handkerchief as many as you want to before you think it needs to be washed. So therefor they feel alot comfortable when they see you use a tissue rather a handkerchief when sneezing or blowing your nose.
This is a little guess made by me so if I'm wrong then please let me know the correct answer via private message.
Re: Blowing your nose in public
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Hassun 
Even more interesting. The Japanese don't blow their nose in public. EVER!
They go to the bathroom for that.
About the tissue/hankie thing. Of course using tissues is more hygienic and the Japanese are total hygiene nuts. But think of the large amounts of paper waste.
Well, if you throw them into those special bins for recycling... :)
Yeah, I remember feeling awful because I was the only one in class who blew my nose... +__+ The Japanese kids must have thought I was one heckuva sick exchange student. I tried not to, but things got even more disgusting that way. Bleargh. Generally I try not to blow my nose in public though, unless I've got a cold or something.
Re: Blowing your nose in public
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ky-lyrra The reason they find it disgusting is because of the fact if you use a handkerchiefs to blow your nose or sneeze and put it in your pocket or where ever you put it and walk off.
Funny, I read in some guys blog from there that it was because the handkerchiefs are used to wipe sweat off their brow when they're hot and that the thought of blowing your nose in something meant for wiping your face with grosses them out.
Thinking of it that way grosses me out as well. http://planetsmilies.net/vomit-smiley-9529.gif
Re: Blowing your nose in public
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Arrianna Funny, I read in some guys blog from there that it was because the handkerchiefs are used to wipe sweat off their brow when they're hot and that the thought of blowing your nose in something meant for wiping your face with grosses them out.
Thinking of it that way grosses me out as well.
http://planetsmilies.net/vomit-smiley-9529.gif
Well thinking about that to would gross me out. Eww why would you want to wipe your brow with something that you blow your nose or sneeze into. That just makes me want to puke.
Re: Blowing your nose in public
O.k. just for the record, blowing your nose in a handkerchief is just sick & wrong. I've seen people blow their noses in handkerchiefs, walk around for a while and do it again in the same handkerchief!! Don't they realize that they are carrying around a cloth full of snot? Plus they have the audacity put it in their pocket... *shudders* that's as filthy as it gets! I didn't even know they washed them with their laundry... That's like washing a child's poopy underwear with the rest of the clothing! It makes me wonder... Haven't these people ever heard of "excellence" or "integrity"? Just use a tissue & throw it in the recycle bin when your finished, it's not that hard... really. :o
