November 23, 2010

Quote of the Day: Persian Hospitality

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From Keith Humphreys, quoting a friend on Persian cultural norms of hospitality:

Iran is a place where if you walk up to a street demonstrator who is holding up a sign reading “death to the west” and ask for directions to a particular restaurant, you may well get the response “Oh, that place isn’t very good. And anyway, I want you to meet my family and have a proper Iranian dinner. I’ll be done here in a sec, as soon as the cameras leave — do you mind if we walk, it’s only a few blocks, but I can get us a ride, if you are tired…. 

This introduces a post that questions whether high levels of personal hospitality are in fundamental conflict with high levels of customer service in the commercial sector. He thinks they probably are.

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