Cultural misunderstandings in "Interpreter of Maladies"

As an assignment for Ms. Pyle's AP Literature course we had to read "Interpreter of maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri.
The story was about a middle-aged Indian man named Mr. Kapasi who gave a tour to an American family and believed that the American wife was romantically interested in him because she was very open and friendly. She really wasn't.
Silly Mr. Kapasi.
Yet, Mr. Kapasi was not a dumb guy. So why did he come to the wrong conclusion about her intentions?
A lot of it is about cultural differences.
In America it is not unusual for one to be very friendly, open, and often touchy. It just means that you're being nice and welcoming. It is also very unusual for romantic relationships to occur with people whose ages are more than two decades apart(as were Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das).
In India, it is very different. My sister is living in Northern India for 6 months and before she left she was given a few warnings.
1.) Never show any leg (where pants or long skirts only)
2.) Don't smile at men. They will see it as a come-on.
3.) If men are smiling at you they are coming on to you.
Of course there were more warnings, but these three are the most relevant to my point.
When Mr. Kapasi met Mrs. Das she was wearing a skirt above the knees and was very friendly and inviting. It would not be very out of the blue for an Indian to see this behavior and determine it flirty.

How Mrs. Das was probably acting:
 
How Mr. Kapasi perceived her to be acting:



The misunderstanding is simply cultural. In America Mrs. Das actions would be considered reasonably normal. In India they're considered very flirtatious. The result of this misunderstanding is that Mr. Kapasi gets a serious letdown. :(
More fun examples of cultural differences
1.)Shaking the head in a horizontal direction in most countries means "no”, while in India it means "yes"
2.)Laughing is considered in most countries a sign of happiness, while in Japan it is often a sign of confusion, insecurity and embarrassment.
3.)In Africa, saying to a female friend one has not seen for a while that she has put on weight means she is physically healthier than before


You can see how cultural misunderstandings can quickly get out of hand...