If you have had even limited contact with'people from other cultures， you know that they differ in both obvious and subtle ways. An obvious cultural difference is in the food people eat， such as the ubiquitous hamburger， which is the US offering to the world's palate. We identify pasta with Italy， stuffed grape leaves with Greece， sushi with Japan，curry with India and so on.
Another obvious difference between cultures is the clothing people wear. Walk down the streets near US Plaza in New York， you will see men wearing colorful dashikis， women in graceful and flowing Indian saris， and men from Middle Eastern cultures with long robes and headdresses.
Other cultural differences are more subtle and become apparent only after more extensive exposure. In defining culture we called the effects of these subtle differences shared perceptionsi. Shared perceptions Iead to actions that are regarded as appropriate and effective behaviors within a culture. Cultural patterns2 cannot be seen， heard， tasted， or experienced because they exist only in the minds of people. Cultural patterns are made up of people's beliefs， values， and norms， and they provide a way of thinking about the world and orienting oneself to it. In other words， cultural patterns may be seen as mental programming that predisposes people to comprehend the world in a particular way.
It is extremely important to understand differences in cultural patterns if you wish to develop competence in intercultural communication. Cultural patterns are the basis for interpreting the symbols used in communication. If the cultural patterns between people are sufficiently different from each other， the symbols used in communicating will be interpreted differently and may be misunderstood.
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