Kissing on the cheeks as a greeting

Saipanne

Not the bum cheeks.

You know, like the continentals do. I can't ****ing stand it. A complete stranger kissing me on the face. Give me a firm hand shake any day.

What are your views on this abhorrent greeting?

Mena

It's a cultural thing. Don't like it, stay holed up in Cavan all your life. Ce la vie.

Sunnyisland

Don't have a problem with it.
They don't actually kiss you,but they put there cheek to your cheek, twice maybe three times...

Un Croissant

realies wrote: »

Don't have a problem with it.
They don't actually kiss you,but they put there cheek to your cheek, twice maybe three times...

Maybe four, who knows.

Richard Hillman

I only do it if im really drunk and she is really good looking.

Buona Fortuna

Saipanne wrote: »

Not the bum cheeks.

You know, like the continentals do. I can't ****ing stand it. A complete stranger kissing me on the face. Give me a firm hand shake any day.

What are your views on this abhorrent greeting?

But you're OK with bum cheeks?

Saipanne

Buona Fortuna wrote: »

But you're OK with bum cheeks?

Oh yeah.

Saipanne

Mena wrote: »

It's a cultural thing. Don't like it, stay holed up in Cavan all your life. Ce la vie.

Guess again.

Vojera

My only issue is knowing how many kisses they're going for. Sometimes I've pulled away after two and they're like "No, it's three kisses in this region. Hahahahaha, silly Irish girl."*




*May be paraphrased :pac:

Frosty McSnowballs

I'd rather two wet, sloppy cheek kisses than a weak assed handshake!

Some people are fcuking crap at handshakes.

anncoates

Saipanne wrote: »

Not the bum cheeks

Thanks for clearing that one up.

Saipanne

Senor Fancy Pants wrote: »

I'd rather two wet, sloppy cheek kisses than a weak assed handshake!

Some people are fcuking crap and handshakes.

That is true. A weak handshake is horrible. Like a hand, dissolving in yours.

suicide_circus

My favourite is when people try to be cool and attempt an intricate "urban" hand greeting but they cant quite manage it and it just gets awkward.

Saipanne

suicide_circus wrote: »

My favourite is when people try to be cool and attempt an intricate "urban" hand greeting but they cant quite manage it and it just gets awkward.

Yeah. They never quite know when to pull away. This is why you can't beat the old classic handshake. None of this airy fairy Euro kissy crap. No hippity hoppity street bollix. Just good old fashioned Victorian sensibilities.

suicide_circus

Saipanne wrote: »

Yeah. They never quite know when to pull away. This is why you can't beat the old classic handshake. None of this airy fairy Euro kissy crap. No hippity hoppity street bollix. Just good old fashioned Victorian sensibilities.

I usually just drop the hand

Shenshen

I don't mind the kisses, but as someone else pointed out it's sometimes not easy to tell just how many... one, two, three?
Hugs are good as well.

Handshakes I find rather awkward. The only time I'd shake someone's hand would be when I go for a job interview.

suicide_circus

Shenshen wrote: »

I don't mind the kisses, but as someone else pointed out it's sometimes not easy to tell just how many... one, two, three?
Hugs are good as well.

Handshakes I find rather awkward. The only time I'd shake someone's hand would be when I go for a job interview.

But why would you hug someone you never met?

Colser

Just say Hello ffs..

Paco Rodriguez

Un Croissant wrote: »

Maybe four, who knows.

It's defo 3. I kissed my French penpal twice on the cheek and she told me it has to be 3. She wasn't lying because she really didn't like me. Maybe because I was only a two timer.

Shenshen

suicide_circus wrote: »

But why would you hug someone you never met?

Why would you shake the hand of someone you never met?

Back home if you're being introduced to someone in a social setting (as in, among friends and family), you usually hug.

stunmer

It can get very awkward with the kisses when you go in for 2 and the other person is only expecting one. They are pulling away and you land one straight on their lips. This is especially awkward with relatives.

FullblownRose

I dislike it. Ridiculous affectation.
I don't shake hands, either (unless someone offers their hand, and I am obliged to offer mine back, but I really prefer not to do it at all). A smile and a friendly greeting is sufficient.

bodice ripper

Three times is the done thing over here. Everyone I know has learned that I am too short and too repressed for that ****.

Tokyo

Lived in quite a few countries where that was the standard greeting - between men as well as women. Don't see an issue with it TBH. Always good to figure out the number of kisses and side to go to first though, saves on awkward moments...

Buona Fortuna

mike_ie wrote: »

Lived in quite a few countries where that was the standard greeting - between men as well as women. Don't see an issue with it TBH. Always good to figure out the number of kisses and side to go to first though, saves on awkward moments...

Like where you meet lips

Used to have a French uncle. Well he always said he was French

Tarzana2

It's not just continental. Kissing one cheek is fairly common in Ireland, and has been all my life anyway.

cloud493

Well I certainly hope no one would greet me like that.

James 007

Tarzana2 wrote: »

It's not just continental. Kissing one cheek is fairly common in Ireland, and has been all my life anyway.

Yes, my mum and all her sisters have been greeting like this for a long time. What seems to have happened is that we have lost our way to what was normally doen in the past.

Cupcake_Crisis

People I know, absolutely fine!! Complete strangers..... Naaaah. ..

leahyl

I remember going to mass when we were on holidays in Portugal when I was 9 and when it came to offering a sign of peace it was a big smacker on each cheek! I was horrified!

snubbleste

What about if the other person has a full grown beard?

Satriale

leahyl wrote: »

I remember going to mass when we were on holidays in Portugal when I was 9 and when it came to offering a sign of peace it was a big smacker on each cheek! I was horrified!

Lol, the priest shakes hands with the altar boy here (doesnt he?) so im not going to ask the obvious!

TheBeardedLady

Common practice here. 2 kisses. I'm used to it now but when I walk into a room of 15 people and I have to walk around kissing every bloody one of them, I let out an internal groan.

What I don't like is the insistence by some of them that because we don't kiss when greeting someone normally, us Irish are cold people. Nothing cold about greeting someone warmly and saying "hi" or shaking their hand. All depends on the delivery. A kiss on the cheek can be just as distant if you're only doing it because you have to.

I've met some people here who don't like it and particularly in formal business settings where the men would shake hands and the women would get a kiss. The women would prefer to shake hands in this context too.

Gummy Panda

I like being kissed on the bum cheeks :P

smash

Saipanne wrote: »

Not the bum cheeks.

You know, like the continentals do. I can't ****ing stand it. A complete stranger kissing me on the face. Give me a firm hand shake any day.

What are your views on this abhorrent greeting?

Next time try to finger them and say them that's how you do it in your country!

KungPao

Kissing the arse cheeks would be an amazing greeting, if I am meeting a girl of course. I wouldn't be so enthusiastic though about puckering up to plant one on some dudes hairy, stinking buttocks.

Sounds like a possible South Park episode actually, where the residents try to be more European but get it horribly wrong.

I've been to Brazil, and there it's a half-assed hug and one kiss (maybe more) on the cheek - for men to women, and women to women. An old-fashioned handshake is okay for dudes, but generally they do this kind of odd sidewards hug too, and slap each other shoulders...if they know each other well.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

I hate it. I´ve just met you, I don´t really feel comfortable pecking you on the cheek.

TheBeardedLady

snubbleste wrote: »

What about if the other person has a full grown beard?

Give their beard a kiss.

The Backwards Man

Around here we raise our right forefinger a couple of millimetres, same as we do on the road.

One eyed Jack

KungPao wrote: »

I've been to Brazil, and there it's a half-assed hug and one kiss (maybe more) on the cheek - for men to women, and women to women. An old-fashioned handshake is okay for dudes, but generally they do this kind of odd sidewards hug too, and slap each other shoulders...if they know each other well.

I used think that kind of greeting was more common in North America and we'd kind of adopted it over here (well, in saying that it's mostly immigrants I've met that greet me that way), odd alright, kind of like you go for a handshake and next thing they have the other arm out for a hug?

People I've only just met, handshakes are sufficient, or a simple 'hello', good friends or work colleagues get hugs or kisses, depends on my mood really.

Areyouwell

Senor Fancy Pants wrote: »

I'd rather two wet, sloppy cheek kisses than a weak assed handshake!

Some people are fcuking crap at handshakes.

Nothing worse that a limped wristed handshake, especially from a man. From the gentler sex it doesn't bother me so much.

AnLonDubh

KungPao wrote: »

Kissing the arse cheeks would be an amazing greeting, if I am meeting a girl of course. I wouldn't be so enthusiastic though about puckering up to plant one on some dudes hairy, stinking buttocks.

Just go in with the assumption that you'll have to kiss his hole, then when it turns out it's only the cheeks you'll be pleasantly relieved.

riffmongous

It's not a kiss where I am anyway, just a bumping of cheeks, I don't particularly care for it but the only time it's ever awkward is when I meet an Irish or English girl and then I'm not sure whether to do it or not since I wouldn't do it at home

cajonlardo

Worked for an international company a while back.
There was a meeting of americans and continentals and our own lot. American woman asked an Irish lad if we went in for the kissing bit. He said " No, we settle for a good old hand job" Very awkward trip silence after that.

my teapot is orange

I do it when I'm meeting someone I know or like well who I haven't seen for ages or saying goodbye to someone I won't see again for a while. I don't do it as a formality every time though.

c_man

Fuk that, ye'll all be getting ebola.

Lingua Franca

bodice ripper wrote: »

Three times is the done thing over here. Everyone I know has learned that I am too short and too repressed for that ****.

I'd a friend over here give me one kiss before when I was going in for the three and he said "No, in Amsterdam it's just one". Fair enough. Last saw him last week, I went for one kiss, he went for three, I reminded him of what he said before and he said "Yeah, but I just like fcuking with you."

I HATE the kissing thing, hate it with a fiery passion, and it makes me dread social family occasions when I know i'm going to walk into a room with 15 or more people and be expected to three-air-kiss all of them.

I've also done the "Woops wrong amount of kisses now I've just snogged my mate's da" thing.

Handshakes for acquaintances, hugs for mates is what I'm used to and comfortable with.

Micky Dolenz

Saipanne wrote: »

Not the bum cheeks.

You know, like the continentals do. I can't ****ing stand it. A complete stranger kissing me on the face. Give me a firm hand shake any day.

What are your views on this abhorrent greeting?

Where've you been?

It's highly unusual to greet a stranger with a kiss.

I've lived in Belgium and Italy in recent years and kissing friends, both male and female, is all the go. The only thing that changes is the number of kisses.

Richard Hillman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqlJ6g-fT5g

guitarzero

*kiss, kiss, squeeze bum, slap*

Son Of A Vidic

Saipanne wrote: »

Kissing on the cheeks as a greeting

Not the bum cheeks.

Feck, feck, feck, feck, feck..............not the bum cheeks? Now all those strange looks make total sense.