What is culture shock?

Culture shock is:
 
The overall volume of the foreground noise.
 
Learning how to shop in the "mega mall" grocery store.  It is an exercise in gap analysis... I need to eat ergo, what is available?  What is a usual meal for the nationals?  How do I take the selection and adapt my stock of recipes to the selection?  Seems that processed food is king around here.  There is a remarkable underselection of simple spices (tho processed mixed packages for everything are available).  yoghurt and cheese is rare and expensive.  Seems that eliminates nachos and pizza.  Bummer.  So my selection is an amazing array of flavored ichiban noodle packages  and cans of tuna.  And eggs.
 
Respect.  Lots of it.  It is often respect gained through status and not exemplary practices and that is contrary to our western philosophies.  Hence my need for pants and leather shoes.  I am a white guy ergo I get respect and so I need to dress for it whether it is desired or warranted.  No opportunity to be a fly on the wall here. 
 
Mall security.  Seems that every building has a highly armed security staff.  One piece of armourment is a wooden stick.  That stick is used to poke through every bag to make sure there are no bombs going into the mall.  But as a whitey I often get the respectful nod to pass through...
 
Food is king and is the social glue.  This I can deal with, I am all over over-eating.  The crux is that the food I am allowed to have is not that found by the common man at the tin sheds.  No I must eat at the high end or at the Starbucks.  After all why would I lower myself?  Being cheap has its drawbacks...