When sitting at a café in Belgrade with my Serbian friend Lazar and his two co-workers, his co-workers ordered a bottle of champagne. We chatted in various levels of English, and when the glasses were low on wine I stood up and filled each glass again. The coworkers spoke in rapid Serbian, and Lazar responded. They seemed concerned. “What is it? Is something wrong?” I asked Lazar - the mood at the table was suddenly weird “No, no,” he said, “it’s just that women don’t usually pour the wine.” I was confused. “Was it offensive for me to do that?” I asked, concerned. I was just trying to be polite - I pour wine all the time in America. “No it’s okay! It’s just polite in Serbia for the men to pour the wine for the women, not the other way around.” When I told this story to my Serbian friend Jovana later, she couldn’t believe I had been so bold to pour the wine. I hadn’t even thought twice about it. Chivalry in Serbia is on a whole different level - my American background didn’t prepare me to be served as graciously as I have been in this country. It has been eye opening to compare how Serbian and American cultures treat women differently.
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