One Kiss or Two?

Every encounter begins with a greeting. Air-kissing, handshakes, high-fives, nose-rubs, cheek-sniffing and foot-kissing, sticking out tongues, floor-spitting, applause, and face-slapping--different cultures have developed innumerable ways of showing pleasure at someone's arrival. Humans have been greeting each other for thousands of years. It should be the most straightforward thing in the world, but this seemingly simple act is fraught with complications, leading to awkward misunderstandings, intercultural fumblings, and social gaffes that can potentially fracture relationships forever.

"[This book] takes a closer look at what greetings are all about in discovering how they have developed over human history"--Amazon.com.