Indeed, sugarcoating the story is lying in some places, de rigueur in others. I come from California, where newcomers usually have difficulty telling true opin

Indeed, sugarcoating the story is lying in some places, de rigueur in others. I come from California, where newcomers usually have difficulty telling true opinions from meaningless pleasantries. (The locals of course can tell.) And I spend a lot of time in Germany, where the imperative towards honesty often leaves politeness strangled in the dust; but also in Hungary, where honesty has a lot to do with who's speaking to whom. But so far I don't have much business experience outside the US, and I wonder whether the interpersonal and/or political norms apply to business. Any insight into how that differs in whichever East you're referring to?