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I (an Intl. student) usually try to buy meals of my friends (mostly Americans i.e.) but hardly get anything in return (I really don't expect anything in return

I (an Intl. student) usually try to buy meals of my friends (mostly Americans i.e.) but hardly get anything in return (I really don't expect anything in return any way) i.e. they act cheaply sometimes even though they have the $$ and live affluently - this is the trend I've noticed since my undergrad years (some of my other Intl. friends have echoed similarly) Yes, I was born in a different culture, where guests mean a lot to us, but it's more than that - a sense of gesture and common-sense (may be?).

mahmud 17y ago
If you're oriental you're in for a shock. Westerns tend to be a little, ummm, cheap. Gifts are not valued by them as they're in the east. OTOH, some orientals, specially arabs and chinese will probably bankrupt themselves hosting lavish dinners for others; while not a good idea, it at least buys them some social capital. Whoever takes care of the others is taken care of by all. While to Westerners, if you're out of money you have no recourse but the bank.