Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to see one's own culture and practices as superior to another's. I think it's a natural tendency to cling to one's own traditions, and without realizing it, we are all ethnocentric to a degree. Small things, like the direction of silverware in the dishwasher, and large things, like how marriage is to be performed. (a friend of mine was on a humanitarian trip in Uganda and accidentally got married to a local - it was a very simple ceremony, and she had no idea what was going on).

When I was in Romania, small irritations were based in ethnocentrism. For example, it bugged me that at the grocery stores, there are several cash registers. If you want to buy eggs, bread, or dairy products, you wait in line at one register. If you want household cleaner, razors, etc, you wait at another. If you want fruit or sugar or rice, you wait at another. If you want a banana, a loaf of bread, and a can of ajax, you have to wait in 3 lines. It was mildly maddening to this girl of a Walmart mindset. I couldn't figure out why on earth "they" were so inefficient. I chalked it all up the their communist past, I suppose. Then later through conversation I realized that this system works efficiently for the European way of grocery shopping. I'm the kind of person who keeps a 2-week supply of everything. I go shopping twice a month if I can get away with it. 'Tisn't so in Europe. They go to the market everyday and eat fresh food. In that sense, it's very convenient to have multiple counters. That way if you're only getting bread, you don't have to wait in line behind all of the people getting fruit and cigarettes.