Cultural Dos and Taboos
1. A firm handshake with direct eye contact is the customary form of greeting. Men will need to wait for a woman to extend her hand first if she wants her hand shaken. Friends and relatives will often greet each other with a kiss and/or a hug -- called the
abrazo in Spanish. Men, however, do not usually hug other men. A pat on the shoulder is a sign of friendship.
2. Generally, greetings among Latin Americans are lengthy endeavors involving both greetings and many inquiries about health, travels, relatives, friends or acquaintances. Quick greetings are interpreted as disrespectful and thoughtless.
3. As in all parts of Latin America, formality is the norm. Always address people by their title and last name until invited to do otherwise.
4. Yawning or coughing in public, especially while in conversation, is very rude. Always cover the mouth if you must yawn or cough.
5. Eating in public is also not advised.
6. Never stand with your hands on your hips, as this will be perceived as a sign you are angry. While such aggressive stances are normal in North America, they do not translate well elsewhere.
7. Of course, one should also expect Latin Americans to communicate in close proximity than in North America. Try not to be too uncomfortable with this distinction.
8. Sit only on chairs and couches, not on tables and other things unintended for seating. Also, do not rest your feet on tables or pieces of furniture.
9. Punctuality, although not strictly adhered to in daily living, is expected in business circles, particularly with foreigners. If you are invited to a party, never be on time. For dinner parties, it is appropriate to arrive up thirty minutes late if you are alone. At large parties you may arrive up to an hour late.
10. Sports (especially soccer which is called "
futball" locally), sightseeing, culture, literature, dance, music, family and travel make excellent topics of conversation. Try to be informed about the local cultural life in this regard. A familiarity with Panamanian history, sites, culture, and art will impress your counterparts. Be careful not to remark how "Americanized" the culture or people are, or refer to U.S. citizens as "Americans," since everyone from North, Central, and South America is an American.
11. Panamanians believe in the intrinsic worth of the individual, and treat one another with respect and dignity, regardless of a person's social standing or material wealth. Therefore, it is very important not to pull rank or publicly criticize another person.
12. To avoid embarrassment, Panamanians rarely disagree with anyone in public. Lukewarm affirmatives, like "maybe" or "we will see," are polite ways of saying "no."
13. Like other Latin Americans, Panamanians have a tradition of hospitality and may invite guests to their homes. Dinner is normally eaten between 7:00 and 9:00 P.M., but a dinner party will begin and end later. A dinner party will end soon after the meal, but a cocktail party may go until later. One should not, however, drop in for an unscheduled visit at someone's home.
14. Dining is formal with diners keeping wrists on the table and elbows off the table. The fork should remain consistently in the left hand and the knife should be used in the right hand. The "fork flip-over" from left-to-right, common in North American usage, is inappropriate in Latin America.
15. Note that business is not usually discussed at social dinners, although business dinners at restaurants do occur frequently. Know the difference between a social occasion and a business lunch and expect differences in conversation accordingly.
16. If you are invited to dinner, it is appropriate (although not expected) to bring a gift for the host or hostess. Flowers, expensive and imported chocolates, pastries, cognacs, whiskey and other upper tier brands of liquor make fine gifts. Inappropriate gifts include knives (they symbolize the dissolution of a friendship) or certain kinds of flowers (some flowers may be associated with funerals). A wrapped gift may not be opened in the presence of the giver for fear of appearing greedy, but if you are the recipient of a gift, profuse appreciation is expected.
17. Dress is generally casual but fashionable and one should always dress with good taste. Latin Americans are very conscious of self-presentation. Business attire is somewhat more orthodox, including suits for both men and women. Shorts should be confined to private homes and are not generally worn on the street.