From Anna Friedlander
I have just read the very enjoyable “Mind the mistletoe” (23 December 2006, p 42). I was surprised, however, to read in a sidebar that “The ‘Malay kiss’, which consists of nose rubbing and sniffing is the ‘French kiss’ among… Maoris”. The hongi is a common Maori greeting, but consists of a nose-press, and sometimes an exchange of breath, rather than nose rubbing and sniffing. It is a formal greeting, not an erotic “kiss” as comparison to a “French kiss” might suggest. And the plural of “Maori” is “Maori”.
Wellington, New Zealand
