I really enjoyed this article and thought it was spot-on. I do cultural awareness training for staff who deal with people from other cultures and the biggest problem we face is that the staff want basically an 'A-Z of other cultures', ie 'OK - you're Chinese - this is what you think - this is what you believe'. We don't do that, as we find that it leads to stereotyping- they see the nationality, not the individual. The bottom line is that we are all coming from our own culture(s), from where we grew up, how things are done in our family, what we eat, if/where we worship, where we work - it's not just 'they're different'. In fact, most cultures have an awful lot of fundamental values in common, around respectful treatment of others. As you said, if you're not sure, just ask. But I must admit, this handbook worries me! - I suppose knowing a bit is better than nothing, but also 'a little knowledge is a dangerous thing'! People are just people, take us all as individuals.