Nah, I gotta disagree on that one. Keeping a hand on the swing brake locks you out of the other controls you might need way faster. If you're already tipping, you need the boom and the hoist, not the swing. That foreman's tip sounds like a good way to get stuck when things go wrong fast.

Check the train next time, seriously.

Normalizing it for small talk is smart, makes it less weird when you really need it.

Wait, how thin are we talking here? That's a great way to burn up a machine.

My aunt once gave me a cactus for my birthday and I was weirdly offended, so I get it. @the_willow is right, it's a shortcut for respect. You don't have to be an expert, but a quick google search before you buy a gift for someone from a different culture is just basic manners. It's like avoiding a social pothole, saves everyone the trouble.