h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm in middle of a write-up about the European greeting kiss versus the American handshake, and I don't understand it at all.

I know there are various grades of kisses - air kisses, pecks, cheek kisses, etc. And then there are double and quadruple kisses - depending on whether you're French or Swiss - but are those air kisses or cheek pecks?

And why kiss, which has a myriad ways to mess up, when you can go for a simple and straightforward handshake and save yourself the humiliation?

I took a look at the slideshow attached to this article (http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120657753681167129-lMyQjAxMDI4MDM2MTUzNzE3Wj.html)
and what I most notice is that everyone looks like they wish they weren't kissing.

What's up with the ?

Oh, my point was, I think the etiquette of greeting kisses, as well as how to pick up on which cheek the other person is going for, would make a useful article.

"And why kiss, which has a myriad ways to mess up, when you can go for a simple and straightforward handshake and save yourself the humiliation?"

You can screw up a handshake. I've done it before many times. A handshake can be more complicated than it looks. Sweaty palms, number of pumps, firmness, having things in your hands, etc... all complicating factors.

It does sound like the makings of an interesting entry, though. If you're in the middle of a write-up, why not make it into an entry yourself?

Leo, there's a whole thread on 'Ask' soemwhere, after there was an article about it on the BBC homepage. I don't think it's very long ago, but don't recall the month.

I always thought the handshake was British in origin not "American"

(I seem to remember something about it becoming popular in Tudor times)