As an American, I found this and the other cultural anecdotes very interesting. We definitely do a lot of obnoxious things, or at least things that can seem obn

As an American, I found this and the other cultural anecdotes very interesting. We definitely do a lot of obnoxious things, or at least things that can seem obnoxious to other cultures. No arguments there. We should be better. =) To an Australian, introductions in the US can sound boastful, but they can also be useful as a quick way to share one's specialties. But this one puzzles me a bit. Typically, we talk up the people we're introducing - I'm not sure I've ever heard anybody talk themselves up during an introduction! "Sally, this is Bob. Bob's been doing some really cool stuff with XYZ lately. Sally, I know you have too!" (At which point Sally and Bob often politely insist that no, they're nothing special at XYZ) I've always thought of this as gracious and not boastful. I definitely agree it would be obnoxious to talk one's self up!