Applauding in Germany

[lethargic_man]

There's an episode of Star Trek (the original series) in which the Enterprise crew visit a culture where people show their appreciation, not by applauding, but by rapidly switching the lights on and off at the tables where they are sitting. Scotty, however, cannot overcome his conditioning in this regard, and applauds loudly despite being the only person in the room to do so.

In Germany one applauds not by clapping, but by rapping one's knuckles on the table. Even after two years, I think of this episode of Star Trek every time I encounter this.