A Raise of the Brow

Every culture has it’s little nuances and interesting practices that distinguish it from the rest. One of the ways Am Sam does this through the raise of the brow :)

In the US, we nod our head up and down to say “yes” and shake it from left to right to say “no.” Here, though, people speak with their eyebrows. To answer “yes,” simply raise your eyebrows once. To answer “no,” raise your eyebrows twice. So when asking a yes or no question, don’t ever expect a simple “yes” or “no;” rather, expect “the brow!”

Personally, I hate it, hate it, hate it! I’m still so creeped out about it. Part of the reason is that many of my kids raise the brow with such a little snotty smirk that you just want to slap off their face! I guess I still find it disrespectful not to answer your teacher with an audible answer, but it’s culturally accepted here so I can’t do anything about it. On the other hand, my friend Matt absolutely loves it. He’s convinced that it saves him about 200 or 300 words a day, so he totally embraces and uses “the brow.” Once day, maybe, I will come to appreciate it, but, for now, I’m still opposed!