Los Angeles, CA -- If you're wearing a green hat for St. Patrick's day today (Mar. 17), make sure you don't walk into a Chinese restaurant.

To the Chinese and Vietnamese, when a man wears a green hat, it means his wife is cheating on him.

That's according to Chinese intercultural consultant Angie Ma Wong, who says the "faux pas" goes back to a mythological story of a turtle who was having an incestuous affair with a snake, and hid his head under a lotus leaf to hide his shame.

Ma Wong admits something gets lost in the translation, but recalls when the U.S. Army's Green Berets fought in southeast Asia during the Vietnam War their green hats made them lose all credibility.

In her words, "They thought they were so macho, but they were laughingstocks."

Women can feel free to wear green hats today. Ma Wong says there's no alternative meaning when a women wears it.

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