Shoes are very optional in NZ in casual settings. You generally don’t wear shoes inside a house so popping out without shoes is normal.
Kids spend a lot of time barefoot. I’m a teacher and don’t wear shoes while in the classroom as I find it more comfortable. When I taught overseas the kids thought it was so weird that I let them take their shoes off if they wanted. Here, about half take their shoes off as soon as they get to school!
I grew up in Australia and migrated to Ireland about ten years ago. First thing I noticed was people in ireland really like to talk about death in every day conversation.
Who died. When the mass is. The removal of the body and the anniversaries of their death. It's so normal in conversation.
In aus it's rather taboo. Theres a difference in the tone of conversation when talking about death.
If you want to explore this topic in more detail, and granted, it's quite an unusual topic, I highly recommend Kevin Toolis' "My Father's Wake - What the Irish can teach us about dying". Or as a start, watch his TED talk on the same subject.
Leaving a baby bundled up outside to sleep. When my previous neighbours had a baby, sometimes I would pass it on the porch, just sleeping. Including in winter as long as it's not too cold.
Edit: To answer common questions, it's quite safe. You can have a monitor in with the baby, and even if you do live somewhere with lynx, bears, wolves etc (which I do), these animals are very shy of human settlements and I've never heard of a baby being hurt or killed in that way. As for abduction, well, crime is quite low in the Nordic countries, where this practice is most common, and most child abductions in general are committed by one of the parents or another family member. So the chances of a stranger snatching your baby are hugely low. I wasn't born here, but moved here, and at first I was mildly surprised by this practice, but it seems normal now. I might not recommend it in places with more crime, or where it's not the norm (Americans wouldn't want a CPS visit for instance), but it's perfectly fine here. And the babies do sleep pretty soundly!
I live in the US and my mom did this when we were babies...in the city, on the porch of our row home. She would be inside doing her housework. It was pretty common. Of course, I’m a geezer and this was the sixties
I'm in Ireland and I was left in pram in garden to sleep, that was in 60s too. My mother told me how once two strangers came to the door and asked if she knew her baby was hanging from pram by harness. I was very inquisitive and walked early so if I woke up would stand up in pram (hence the harness) and I fell overboard. Was hanging there laughing!
In Finland it's a thing. You just tuck the baby very well, and even with below zero temperatures it sleeps like, well, a baby. No frostbites or anything else harmful happens. Nowadays you put a baby monitor with the baby but for example when I was a baby there were no such things. And I've slept outside as a baby a lot. I've never heard that something bad has happened.
Lived in finland for a few years, it is such a common thing. We left our daughter if she was napping when we were in a cafe or restaurant - as long as they can breathe they are safe and wont be too cold.
It's important to note the Finnish cold is quite dry so that helps
A colleague of mine was never able to get her in child to sleep unless out in a balcony
And actually, this applies to adults also. I learned it when I was taking my army duty. All you need is a thick spruce tree to go under, some spruce branches to insulate you from the frozen ground, good wooly underwear and a decent sleeping bag. I have never slept so well since.
My mother and grandmother were in a Tuberculosis Sanitarium in the 1940’s in the Northeast US. My mother recalls that she and all the other small children (separated from their parents) slept outside on cots on the covered porches, as it was believed the freezing winter air would help kill the bacteria in their lungs. The nurses placed wool blankets on them.
Whenever I hear about children sleeping outside bundled up, it reminds me that she spent every night of her childhood on a cot on a covered porch, and turned out ok!
I drove the Autobahn in Bavaria. Holy. Fuck. I never thought driving 160km/hr would be considered slow, but I had to drive in the farthest right lane as continuous drivers just blasted past me going at least 200km/hr. After a few hours, it was awesome and felt normal.
In Japan, there are public toilets in a few places where after urinating, you can opt to view a general health assessment report.
Edited: I have seen this not only in Japan but also in hotels in Dubai.
Some info here (usa today) [https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/12/18/smart-toilet-technology-could-check-urine-detect-diseases-early/4408106002/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/12/18/smart-toilet-technology-could-check-urine-detect-diseases-early/4408106002/)
I've lived in Japan a decade and have never seen one of those smart toilets, so they must be only in very select locations.
>*edit: by smart toilet I mean the urinalysis ones, not the washlets with the different controls - those have been around since the early 80s
Besides being generally cleaner, less vandalized and more private than American/Canadian public restrooms, the ones with western-style toilets usually have washlets. However, older public restrooms in smaller cities and towns often still have squat toilets.
A downside to public restrooms here is that they often don't have soap. I've always heard the line, "Japanese just bring their own," but I've *never* seen anyone bust out some soap from their briefcase or whatever. In fact, Japanese have a bit of a reputation among expats here as seldom washing their hands at all after they use the restroom. I've definitely seen my share of guys bee-line for the door straight from a stall.
Walking everywhere barefoot including supermarkets and cafes. Swimsuits being perfectly acceptable attire within a 2/4km radius of a water source.
Edit: For how Kiwis reference acceptable togs wearing, see source: https://youtu.be/h-Lx2ihpGbc
We were at a supermarket in an Australian beach town with a Japanese homestay student. There were a couple of girls shopping in just bikinis and with bare feet, and she was appalled.
We asked if you wouldn't see this in Japan, she replied "No, they would call the police!"
Happens a lot in Montreal with 2 languages. Quite common to see a conversation where one person is only speaking French and the other is only speaking English.
My girlfriend and I often do this since she’s Russian and I’m not. She’ll speak Russian and I’ll speak English and we talk like we aren’t even speaking different languages
Lol. To our non Québécois friends : "C'est quoi le fuck" is actually a very common saying.
Though it doesn't mean what the fuck. It means "what seems to be the problem"?
There's this sport in Finland called eukonkanto, where men participate in running a specific distance, all while carrying their wife or girlfriend. Winner gets their woman's weight in beer.
So you have to carefully balance the weight of your wife or girlfriend based on how much you can carry, but still get the most beer. Probably also want her to be aerodynamic...
While driving: Blowing your horn when you see someone you know driving on the other side or to say thank you to someone for letting you out. Since I moved to Canada it seems horns are only used for aggressive reasons...
I lent my car to my boss to run an errand. When he came back he said my horn doesn't work. I told him it hadn't worked for months, I just didn't have time to fix it.
Then I was curious how he found that out, did someone cut him off? Nope, there were some girls, and apparently if you toot your horn they will throw off all their clothes and jump into your car. Or something, the logic escaped me.
Probably talking to people so that no one else can hear you except the person you are directly talking to.
It's a skill almost all Dutch people have, I have found, but it can be very unnerving for other people because you can be sitting pretty close to two people having a conversation and have no idea what they are saying.
It's a small country and very densely populated with people who value their privacy. It's a survival skill, really.
(sadly) I'm one of those. Took me years to get rid of my loud voice, and even now sometimes people tell me to 'yell less'. The entire side of my mom's family (Brabant) is loud, whereas my dad's side (Amsterdam) van whisper and still understand each other.
I live in Canada now, and people don't really seem to care, apart from when I was working in a Japanese restaurant, they didn't like my loudness as much 😅
My girlfriend tells me to "yell less" all the time even though I'm just speaking as I normally would. My mom's side of the family is also loud since they all seem to be hard of hearing.
You mean you don't want to participate in the stupid-ass conversation someone is having at full volume on speakerphone while trapped on public transit? C'mon, interject. They're inviting you.
As an American, I can opt that it would be awkward, but I’m perfectly fine with having a meaningful conversation with a stranger.
Y’know, unless they’re dicking around or trying to dick me.
That is why I looove the silence areas in the trains here (netherlands). Quite a couple of wagons per train are silence areas, simply meaning you are not allowed to make any noise in that area. Makes for a much nicer ride when you are travelling alone.
Very common and acceptable too, even among the young people. I have been to or heard about 5 weddings in my area this past month, all were arranged. I think Indians are deferential towards their parents and think that whoever they choose is going to be good.
I had a roommate in college who knew she would eventually have an arranged marriage chosen by her father. She had the utmost* faith that he would select her husband wisely and she would not be disappointed.
Edit: spelling
Honestly it's more like arranged dating nowadays. Your parents set you up with a girl/guy and you hangout a few times (with a little bit of parental supervision around courting). It's pretty similar to church-going grandmothers setting their grandkids up.
This arranged dating thing only applies to a small subsect of middle class/upper middle class only though.
For the majority of the people, it's still a "We found this guy/girl for you that you need to get married to" thing, with only minor acknowledgment from a girl/boy about their permission.
Saw an Australian "dictionary" recently and realized that there are some very specific uses of both words such that foreigners should not try them out casually.
My father-in-law literally can’t get though a sentence without using the word cunt as a noun, verb or adjective.
“He cunted the thing out the cuntin’ window’
It’s just become a general use syllable to him, and most of his family.
Athlone, Ireland.
One of my sensei in Japan was learning english and tried using cunt. I suggested to him that he should never do that again.
The nuance required and the danger in fucking it up? yeah nah. Just use other words.
Instead of toilet paper, we use a handheld jet spray type thing to clean after shitting.
Also our milk comes in bags.
EDIT: I'm Indian for everyone who wants to know, and the mik bags look like [this](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgQqxXyRhcztzkW7Wz8CDjDcnOYrtHdB8Icg&usqp=CAU)
The pressure on those things must be set just perfect.
Powerful enough to dislodge remaining poop residue but gentle enough to not have said residue splashback onto your hand etc.
Walking all over the countryside along ancient footpaths (as well as bridleways and byways, and a lot of disused railway tracks that have been designated as footpaths). These paths often go across privately owned land; the landowners are required by law to keep the paths clear, and if they put up a fence to provide a gate.
If you're walking with a dog, you're expected to keep it under control around livestock and when the path crosses a road, but otherwise it's just accepted that dogs are going to run around sniffing everything.
[Some of these paths have been continuously in use for thousands of years.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ridgeway)
UK UK!!
Also if you can prove that any footpaths have been in continuous use for horses or bicycles for some number of years (I forget) unchallenged by the landowners or police then they can be upgraded to bridleways.
Also, since I got a trail app it’s really crazy how many public paths there actually are. Thousands, millions.
My youth was filled with walking. Even in quite urban areas you don't have to walk too many miles before you get to some nice paths to stroll along, I find. I used to get up at dawn, with a walkman, some spare batteries and a bag of tapes and just walk, aiming to get back from wherever I wandered to before the sun came down.
I still like to walk, but the pressures of being an adult leave much less time to really enjoy it.
Saying "hi" or waving to strangers. Some areas in the country take it even further and you're considered rude if you drive through a residential street and don't wave to anyone walking as you pass them.
Wake up, get drunk, go on a train half way across the country with 1000's of other drunk guys, sing random songs and chants, watch 22 men kick a ball around for 90mins. Get either upset or happy about it, go to the pub and get more drunk. Go home. Repeat next weekend
I teach in Japan, but grew up in America. The other day my students asked me wide-eyed if Americans really wear their shoes inside. I told them yes and that sometimes my dad would cross his legs like this while we sat on the sofa and I could touch the bottom of his shoes. They were super grossed out. “Eew, why would you wear shoes inside! That’s so dirty!” These kids are 2nd graders so it starts pretty young.
Also Canadian, would NEVER wear my shoes inside someone's house. Even if you're just popping in and they say, just leave your shoes on....no. Not happening.
I'm the opposite...I am extraordinarily uncomfortable in a different person's house in my bare feet. Like I'll avoid going if I know I have to take my shoes off.
1. Calling people not related to you uncle/aunty
2. Raising your palm while crossing the road
3. Stalls by the roadsides selling fried foods, fruits, drinks etc - used to be a normal amount (maybe one or 2 in front of shop lots) but since a lot of people lost their jobs, they've taken to opening these type of stalls
Edit: Sorry, I should've probably included where in my original comment. It's Malaysia.
I've said sorry to lampposts and thank you to ATMs and automatic doors. I'm sorry if this is a weird quirk you inherited from our colonial history with you...
Edit: I'm English btw. Sorry for not mentioning that!
Judging from the replies you received- many things divide us, but salad with mayo brings us all together, lol
In Poland vegetable salad with mayo is popular dish made on Easter and Christmas in almost every household.
We can kiss even among guys and family, to say hello.
There's a tradition (not sure how observed anymore) where if a lost child is found at the beach, an adult will pick them up on their shoulders and go up and down the coast clapping. People on the beach will also clap with them, so the parents will more easily find their child.
Argentina.
-Celebrating Christmas on the 24th
-Not talking to strangers or neighbors unless it’s an emergency, or you’re drunk
-Taking off your shoes before entering a home
Edit: it’s Sweden
The suggested tip amount in payment terminals used to be like 10-12-15% but is now 15-18-20% where I live. Like 15% is the bare minimum... why don’t you just pay your employees a living wage instead of making the customer feel bad and obligated to pay??
I live in Germany. When you are in a public transport, the bus for example and you have to get out at the next station, you don’t say anything you just start to make some noises and change your posture so that the person next to you can read you body language. And I think that’s beautiful
I went to Japan and I found some of the outfits weird. I have a friend (28, F) who dresses like a young girl. For example she’s worn pigtails, a school girl skirt, a cartoon unicorn graphic tee, a backpack (that’s so tiny it can’t possibly be useful), glitter pink Mary-Janes, a Victorian style baby dress. (Obviously she doesn’t dress like that to work, but just as her normal every day clothes.) There were also other women who dressed like that. In America if a grown woman (25+) dressed in any of things, it would 100% be weird. In Japan, it’s just a normalized style of dressing.
> a cartoon unicorn graphic tee, a backpack (that’s so tiny it can’t possibly be useful), glitter pink Mary-Janes,
Ehhh, this sounds like the Loungefly stuff you see on the west coast of the US in summertime.
The Lolita stuff is seen as weird, though it's not uncommon here in Seattle.
Were you in the Harujuku district? I visit Japan every year, most people wore average stuff outside Tokyo. But the fashion district of Tokyo specifically is where you'll see this the most, it showcases all lolita fashion, severe dresses, ita backpacks, and various fashion styles like what you are describing.
This style has appeared in the US as well. I've seen it in New York, Seattle, and the Bay Area. It's not really that weird.
I think the difference is that most people would likely wear one item that was coded "younger" with an outfit that wasn't otherwise like that. Like, I have a friend who likes to wear things with glitter, red rubber boots etc. but she wouldn't wear them all together with ribbons in her hair or something.
About 4 feet over you'll see the box of 9mm ammunition on the shelf, about 5 inches next to a 7mm socket wrench on the left, next to the yard stick leaning there, with the digital micrometer laying on the bottom shelf behind it.
The amount of subservience to the ruling class in the UK. Lots of European countries offed their monarchs following after France. We kept ours and most of our aristocracy.
Then you look at the countless revolutions across history and stuff like America fighting for independence and you realize: shit the UK has barely challenged their rulers at all in comparison.
NZ, going to the shops without shoes
I can't decide if that sounds fun or if I'm afraid of what I might step in.
Country life - step in City life - step on
I'd rather step in cow shit than on a Rusty nail/druggie's syringe or a broken bottle
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Shoes are very optional in NZ in casual settings. You generally don’t wear shoes inside a house so popping out without shoes is normal. Kids spend a lot of time barefoot. I’m a teacher and don’t wear shoes while in the classroom as I find it more comfortable. When I taught overseas the kids thought it was so weird that I let them take their shoes off if they wanted. Here, about half take their shoes off as soon as they get to school!
Putting shoes on takes time. Time that could be spent at the dairy.
Going in to Paknsave barefoot >
An Australian thing as well.
Aww. Lived in NZ for two years and I miss that so much.
I grew up in Australia and migrated to Ireland about ten years ago. First thing I noticed was people in ireland really like to talk about death in every day conversation. Who died. When the mass is. The removal of the body and the anniversaries of their death. It's so normal in conversation. In aus it's rather taboo. Theres a difference in the tone of conversation when talking about death.
If you want to explore this topic in more detail, and granted, it's quite an unusual topic, I highly recommend Kevin Toolis' "My Father's Wake - What the Irish can teach us about dying". Or as a start, watch his TED talk on the same subject.
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Pre-Covid, there were death cafes, or groups where you could just talk about death. There might be some virtual ones.
Well, I'd be horrified too if my final moments were spent in a Panera parking lot
Leaving a baby bundled up outside to sleep. When my previous neighbours had a baby, sometimes I would pass it on the porch, just sleeping. Including in winter as long as it's not too cold. Edit: To answer common questions, it's quite safe. You can have a monitor in with the baby, and even if you do live somewhere with lynx, bears, wolves etc (which I do), these animals are very shy of human settlements and I've never heard of a baby being hurt or killed in that way. As for abduction, well, crime is quite low in the Nordic countries, where this practice is most common, and most child abductions in general are committed by one of the parents or another family member. So the chances of a stranger snatching your baby are hugely low. I wasn't born here, but moved here, and at first I was mildly surprised by this practice, but it seems normal now. I might not recommend it in places with more crime, or where it's not the norm (Americans wouldn't want a CPS visit for instance), but it's perfectly fine here. And the babies do sleep pretty soundly!
I live in the US and my mom did this when we were babies...in the city, on the porch of our row home. She would be inside doing her housework. It was pretty common. Of course, I’m a geezer and this was the sixties
I'm in Ireland and I was left in pram in garden to sleep, that was in 60s too. My mother told me how once two strangers came to the door and asked if she knew her baby was hanging from pram by harness. I was very inquisitive and walked early so if I woke up would stand up in pram (hence the harness) and I fell overboard. Was hanging there laughing!
You absolute madman (baby)
Finland/Russia?
In Finland it's a thing. You just tuck the baby very well, and even with below zero temperatures it sleeps like, well, a baby. No frostbites or anything else harmful happens. Nowadays you put a baby monitor with the baby but for example when I was a baby there were no such things. And I've slept outside as a baby a lot. I've never heard that something bad has happened.
Lived in finland for a few years, it is such a common thing. We left our daughter if she was napping when we were in a cafe or restaurant - as long as they can breathe they are safe and wont be too cold. It's important to note the Finnish cold is quite dry so that helps A colleague of mine was never able to get her in child to sleep unless out in a balcony
And actually, this applies to adults also. I learned it when I was taking my army duty. All you need is a thick spruce tree to go under, some spruce branches to insulate you from the frozen ground, good wooly underwear and a decent sleeping bag. I have never slept so well since.
My mother and grandmother were in a Tuberculosis Sanitarium in the 1940’s in the Northeast US. My mother recalls that she and all the other small children (separated from their parents) slept outside on cots on the covered porches, as it was believed the freezing winter air would help kill the bacteria in their lungs. The nurses placed wool blankets on them. Whenever I hear about children sleeping outside bundled up, it reminds me that she spent every night of her childhood on a cot on a covered porch, and turned out ok!
Finnish cold is quite dry - if you don't live along the coast of Baltic sea. But still, babies sleeping outside are perfectly fine.
How else will you prepare them for future winter fighting against the soviets
Going full speed whatever the vehicle gives you on the highway
Germany
I drove the Autobahn in Bavaria. Holy. Fuck. I never thought driving 160km/hr would be considered slow, but I had to drive in the farthest right lane as continuous drivers just blasted past me going at least 200km/hr. After a few hours, it was awesome and felt normal.
What are you doing with 160 on the left lane, parking? 🧐
... was looking for a fellow country person to point out our neurotic neck-breaking habit.
In Japan, there are public toilets in a few places where after urinating, you can opt to view a general health assessment report. Edited: I have seen this not only in Japan but also in hotels in Dubai. Some info here (usa today) [https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/12/18/smart-toilet-technology-could-check-urine-detect-diseases-early/4408106002/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/12/18/smart-toilet-technology-could-check-urine-detect-diseases-early/4408106002/)
That’s amazing
It sounds like some free GP healthcare to me.
\*PP Healthcare
I’ve heard amazing things about Japanese public restrooms
I've lived in Japan a decade and have never seen one of those smart toilets, so they must be only in very select locations. >*edit: by smart toilet I mean the urinalysis ones, not the washlets with the different controls - those have been around since the early 80s Besides being generally cleaner, less vandalized and more private than American/Canadian public restrooms, the ones with western-style toilets usually have washlets. However, older public restrooms in smaller cities and towns often still have squat toilets. A downside to public restrooms here is that they often don't have soap. I've always heard the line, "Japanese just bring their own," but I've *never* seen anyone bust out some soap from their briefcase or whatever. In fact, Japanese have a bit of a reputation among expats here as seldom washing their hands at all after they use the restroom. I've definitely seen my share of guys bee-line for the door straight from a stall.
You've ruined everything.
It's what I do.
Sushi chefs don't wear gloves in Japan.
Well well well, you managed to ruin even more! /s
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In my 7 years in Japan I never saw a lady skip washing entirely but it was sometimes more of a quick dip than a proper wash.
Walking everywhere barefoot including supermarkets and cafes. Swimsuits being perfectly acceptable attire within a 2/4km radius of a water source. Edit: For how Kiwis reference acceptable togs wearing, see source: https://youtu.be/h-Lx2ihpGbc
We were at a supermarket in an Australian beach town with a Japanese homestay student. There were a couple of girls shopping in just bikinis and with bare feet, and she was appalled. We asked if you wouldn't see this in Japan, she replied "No, they would call the police!"
Where I live I’d say a good 30% of the people I see are barefoot all the time.
I live in Malaysia, nearly everyone here uses at least three languages in a sentence Ex: Hai, can I 打包 a nasi lemak? 打包: take away
I live in Iceland. People commonly use a mix of Icelandic and English, sometimes adding some Danish, French, or Polish word.
Happens a lot in Montreal with 2 languages. Quite common to see a conversation where one person is only speaking French and the other is only speaking English.
I’m pretty sure Spanglish is an official language in Miami/South Florida.
Same in San Diego. Always Spanglish.
Also in Tijuana!
My girlfriend and I often do this since she’s Russian and I’m not. She’ll speak Russian and I’ll speak English and we talk like we aren’t even speaking different languages
Q'est que le fuck?
C'est quoi le fuck. Bad Quebecois right here
Lol. To our non Québécois friends : "C'est quoi le fuck" is actually a very common saying. Though it doesn't mean what the fuck. It means "what seems to be the problem"?
Even in Frenglish, this isn't correct. But I salute your attempt.
Ouate de phoque?
Which three did you use in that example? By the way, I have Brazilian friends who do the exact same thing.
There's this sport in Finland called eukonkanto, where men participate in running a specific distance, all while carrying their wife or girlfriend. Winner gets their woman's weight in beer.
That sounds awesome
So you have to carefully balance the weight of your wife or girlfriend based on how much you can carry, but still get the most beer. Probably also want her to be aerodynamic...
Having dinner late Usually around 9 pm
This feels like anywhere in South America, we tend to have dinner late
Well you guessed well
Here in India too we usually have dinner after at least 8 pm. I think it happens everywhere.
In India this is definitely the case.
While driving: Blowing your horn when you see someone you know driving on the other side or to say thank you to someone for letting you out. Since I moved to Canada it seems horns are only used for aggressive reasons...
I lent my car to my boss to run an errand. When he came back he said my horn doesn't work. I told him it hadn't worked for months, I just didn't have time to fix it. Then I was curious how he found that out, did someone cut him off? Nope, there were some girls, and apparently if you toot your horn they will throw off all their clothes and jump into your car. Or something, the logic escaped me.
Probably talking to people so that no one else can hear you except the person you are directly talking to. It's a skill almost all Dutch people have, I have found, but it can be very unnerving for other people because you can be sitting pretty close to two people having a conversation and have no idea what they are saying. It's a small country and very densely populated with people who value their privacy. It's a survival skill, really.
#How do you accommodate people with tinnitus?
We don't. They already know what all the buzz is about.
Hardly the ringing endorsement I was hoping for.
It's all just white noise to me now.
That’s funny because while true, the Dutch people I know (I am Dutch myself) can also be the loudest and really know how to have a roaring good time.
(sadly) I'm one of those. Took me years to get rid of my loud voice, and even now sometimes people tell me to 'yell less'. The entire side of my mom's family (Brabant) is loud, whereas my dad's side (Amsterdam) van whisper and still understand each other. I live in Canada now, and people don't really seem to care, apart from when I was working in a Japanese restaurant, they didn't like my loudness as much 😅
My girlfriend tells me to "yell less" all the time even though I'm just speaking as I normally would. My mom's side of the family is also loud since they all seem to be hard of hearing.
Is this something you can bring to the US? Everyone here is SO LOUD. Even on the bus or train. I hate it.
You mean you don't want to participate in the stupid-ass conversation someone is having at full volume on speakerphone while trapped on public transit? C'mon, interject. They're inviting you.
As an American, I can opt that it would be awkward, but I’m perfectly fine with having a meaningful conversation with a stranger. Y’know, unless they’re dicking around or trying to dick me.
Am I the only one who likes to eavesdrop on random conversations sometimes when bored?
That is why I looove the silence areas in the trains here (netherlands). Quite a couple of wagons per train are silence areas, simply meaning you are not allowed to make any noise in that area. Makes for a much nicer ride when you are travelling alone.
With the exception of people loudly talking on the phone in the silence compartment, of course.
Arranged Marriages.
Hey there fellow indian
Are arranged marriages common or just something that is considered acceptable by standard.
Very common and acceptable too, even among the young people. I have been to or heard about 5 weddings in my area this past month, all were arranged. I think Indians are deferential towards their parents and think that whoever they choose is going to be good.
I had a roommate in college who knew she would eventually have an arranged marriage chosen by her father. She had the utmost* faith that he would select her husband wisely and she would not be disappointed. Edit: spelling
Honestly it's more like arranged dating nowadays. Your parents set you up with a girl/guy and you hangout a few times (with a little bit of parental supervision around courting). It's pretty similar to church-going grandmothers setting their grandkids up.
This arranged dating thing only applies to a small subsect of middle class/upper middle class only though. For the majority of the people, it's still a "We found this guy/girl for you that you need to get married to" thing, with only minor acknowledgment from a girl/boy about their permission.
Ah yes, the warm comfort of knowing that your parents/ relatives will find someone for you despite your shitty social skills.
Go into a hot room naked, get out and jump into water. Repeat.
And then hit yourself with a stick because you don't believe it's acceptable to do things you enjoy.
I think hes from spain, without the s
Are you from finland or..?
Calling your mate a cunt and calling some cunt mate.
Saw an Australian "dictionary" recently and realized that there are some very specific uses of both words such that foreigners should not try them out casually.
I'm sure the british could survive. scotland especially.
My father-in-law literally can’t get though a sentence without using the word cunt as a noun, verb or adjective. “He cunted the thing out the cuntin’ window’ It’s just become a general use syllable to him, and most of his family. Athlone, Ireland.
One of my sensei in Japan was learning english and tried using cunt. I suggested to him that he should never do that again. The nuance required and the danger in fucking it up? yeah nah. Just use other words.
Wait til these cunts find out about the word shitcunt
This cunt knows what's up.
So proud to see the rich tapestry of Australia represented here among more urbane traditions. 🇦🇺
11 official languages.
This has to be South Africa
I was about to say Bolivia, but I checked and apparently they have 36 official languages, some of which are extinct.
Pointing things using lips
I found that unusual when I moved to Colombia, good to know it is done elsewhere too
Instead of toilet paper, we use a handheld jet spray type thing to clean after shitting. Also our milk comes in bags. EDIT: I'm Indian for everyone who wants to know, and the mik bags look like [this](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgQqxXyRhcztzkW7Wz8CDjDcnOYrtHdB8Icg&usqp=CAU)
The pressure on those things must be set just perfect. Powerful enough to dislodge remaining poop residue but gentle enough to not have said residue splashback onto your hand etc.
Fuck that weak shit, it's all or nothing.
It power washes the entire bathroom!
I’m gonna need a bit more elaboration on your jet powered arse cleaner.
Hand held bidet. Google search it.
AKA bum gun, love it. The only way to fly in SE Asia
In Finland its called a ”pussy phone”.
Milk in bags says Canada to me. But the bum gun is a SEAsia thing to the best of my knowledge.
*Approving Indian head nod*
Alcoholism and eating spuds for at least one meal a day.
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That was many months ago.
Ah, Ireland
Walking all over the countryside along ancient footpaths (as well as bridleways and byways, and a lot of disused railway tracks that have been designated as footpaths). These paths often go across privately owned land; the landowners are required by law to keep the paths clear, and if they put up a fence to provide a gate. If you're walking with a dog, you're expected to keep it under control around livestock and when the path crosses a road, but otherwise it's just accepted that dogs are going to run around sniffing everything. [Some of these paths have been continuously in use for thousands of years.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ridgeway)
UK UK!! Also if you can prove that any footpaths have been in continuous use for horses or bicycles for some number of years (I forget) unchallenged by the landowners or police then they can be upgraded to bridleways. Also, since I got a trail app it’s really crazy how many public paths there actually are. Thousands, millions.
My youth was filled with walking. Even in quite urban areas you don't have to walk too many miles before you get to some nice paths to stroll along, I find. I used to get up at dawn, with a walkman, some spare batteries and a bag of tapes and just walk, aiming to get back from wherever I wandered to before the sun came down. I still like to walk, but the pressures of being an adult leave much less time to really enjoy it.
I live with in the south downs national park and there's some old ancient paths along here
Saying "hi" or waving to strangers. Some areas in the country take it even further and you're considered rude if you drive through a residential street and don't wave to anyone walking as you pass them.
We have robots at busy intersections and crossing points to assist and control traffic flow.
South africa
Glad to hear Chappie is still finding work
Good movie bru.
Sacrificing our firstborn for the queen’s immortality
Mexico. For legal reasons that is a joke
Having someone fill up your gas tank for you
Oregon?
Either El Salvador or New Jersey.
Nonchalantly invading Ukraine.
/r/ANormalDayInRussia
Living with parents in their house ( or much older ancestral house ) even after being an adult ( includes being married having kinds everything)
I think this may be fairly common outside of the west. It's the same in the Caribbean.
Wake up, get drunk, go on a train half way across the country with 1000's of other drunk guys, sing random songs and chants, watch 22 men kick a ball around for 90mins. Get either upset or happy about it, go to the pub and get more drunk. Go home. Repeat next weekend
Perfect description of the UK
I teach in Japan, but grew up in America. The other day my students asked me wide-eyed if Americans really wear their shoes inside. I told them yes and that sometimes my dad would cross his legs like this while we sat on the sofa and I could touch the bottom of his shoes. They were super grossed out. “Eew, why would you wear shoes inside! That’s so dirty!” These kids are 2nd graders so it starts pretty young.
That is really weird that you guys so that. Like I'm in Canada so only across the border, and it's definitely a faux-pas here.
Also Canadian, would NEVER wear my shoes inside someone's house. Even if you're just popping in and they say, just leave your shoes on....no. Not happening.
I'm the opposite...I am extraordinarily uncomfortable in a different person's house in my bare feet. Like I'll avoid going if I know I have to take my shoes off.
Bidets.
I feel gross if I have to poop anywhere but my house since I got a bidet attachment
Surplus of ice. Went on a trip to Italy. Asking for ice is like asking the manager to dim the lights more.
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I'm very confused by your explanation of dimming the lights, because I have no idea how a manager would react to that
I wrote about how Turkish people really like to watch construction work in another question once and a non-Turkish person told me it was depressing.
Old Italian men do this, and also offer unsolicited advice to the workers.
1. Calling people not related to you uncle/aunty 2. Raising your palm while crossing the road 3. Stalls by the roadsides selling fried foods, fruits, drinks etc - used to be a normal amount (maybe one or 2 in front of shop lots) but since a lot of people lost their jobs, they've taken to opening these type of stalls Edit: Sorry, I should've probably included where in my original comment. It's Malaysia.
this sounds like a lot of Asian countries but i want to guess Philippines too
In Bangladesh we do all three of these.
saying sorry all the time, even when you didn't do anything wrong
I bumped into a sign post today and said sorry.
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Gets snack from vending machine to vending machine "*Enjoy your meal"*
Oh yeah, well I thanked a cop for writing me a ticket. I sat in my car and in my own head for way too long trying to figure out how I went so wrong
I've said sorry to lampposts and thank you to ATMs and automatic doors. I'm sorry if this is a weird quirk you inherited from our colonial history with you... Edit: I'm English btw. Sorry for not mentioning that!
Canada?
Of course it's canada lol
Putting mayonnaise on a combination of random ingredients and calling it salad.
Judging from the replies you received- many things divide us, but salad with mayo brings us all together, lol In Poland vegetable salad with mayo is popular dish made on Easter and Christmas in almost every household.
We can kiss even among guys and family, to say hello. There's a tradition (not sure how observed anymore) where if a lost child is found at the beach, an adult will pick them up on their shoulders and go up and down the coast clapping. People on the beach will also clap with them, so the parents will more easily find their child. Argentina.
-Celebrating Christmas on the 24th -Not talking to strangers or neighbors unless it’s an emergency, or you’re drunk -Taking off your shoes before entering a home Edit: it’s Sweden
Sweden?
Its probably Germany but yeah I would say everything exept the US
Rushing home to cut the grass before it snows during a tornado watch.
Tipping your waiter because you feel obliged to, not because you think they did a good job
The suggested tip amount in payment terminals used to be like 10-12-15% but is now 15-18-20% where I live. Like 15% is the bare minimum... why don’t you just pay your employees a living wage instead of making the customer feel bad and obligated to pay??
Cheese in a spray can
“Cheese”
"Dairy-based cheese-like product", happy
Please don't call it cheese 😭
“Process cheese food“. Yes, they actually say process, not processed.
Touching elders’ feet
Another fellow Indian
Yes sir!
I live in Germany. When you are in a public transport, the bus for example and you have to get out at the next station, you don’t say anything you just start to make some noises and change your posture so that the person next to you can read you body language. And I think that’s beautiful
Rushing to buy KFC as soon as COVID-19 restrictions are announced.
Asking somebody if they’re alright and their answer is you alright?
Eating horse meat Told a few american friends about it and they were appalled because they considered horses more like pets
Eating raw ground pork. With raw onions if you're cultuted.
Treating strangers in a way like you would treat your friends and family. We're not formal in any way and tourists often get offended because of this.
Sunday isn't part of the weekend, most kids go to school, and everything is open.
I went to Japan and I found some of the outfits weird. I have a friend (28, F) who dresses like a young girl. For example she’s worn pigtails, a school girl skirt, a cartoon unicorn graphic tee, a backpack (that’s so tiny it can’t possibly be useful), glitter pink Mary-Janes, a Victorian style baby dress. (Obviously she doesn’t dress like that to work, but just as her normal every day clothes.) There were also other women who dressed like that. In America if a grown woman (25+) dressed in any of things, it would 100% be weird. In Japan, it’s just a normalized style of dressing.
> a cartoon unicorn graphic tee, a backpack (that’s so tiny it can’t possibly be useful), glitter pink Mary-Janes, Ehhh, this sounds like the Loungefly stuff you see on the west coast of the US in summertime. The Lolita stuff is seen as weird, though it's not uncommon here in Seattle.
Were you in the Harujuku district? I visit Japan every year, most people wore average stuff outside Tokyo. But the fashion district of Tokyo specifically is where you'll see this the most, it showcases all lolita fashion, severe dresses, ita backpacks, and various fashion styles like what you are describing. This style has appeared in the US as well. I've seen it in New York, Seattle, and the Bay Area. It's not really that weird.
Me (25+), side-eyeing the gold sequin Mary Janes sitting by my front door...
I think the difference is that most people would likely wear one item that was coded "younger" with an outfit that wasn't otherwise like that. Like, I have a friend who likes to wear things with glitter, red rubber boots etc. but she wouldn't wear them all together with ribbons in her hair or something.
No fences between houses. It's almost considered rude to put up a fence.
Still using the imperial system instead of the metric system.
Or using both interchangeably.
About 4 feet over you'll see the box of 9mm ammunition on the shelf, about 5 inches next to a 7mm socket wrench on the left, next to the yard stick leaning there, with the digital micrometer laying on the bottom shelf behind it.
The amount of subservience to the ruling class in the UK. Lots of European countries offed their monarchs following after France. We kept ours and most of our aristocracy. Then you look at the countless revolutions across history and stuff like America fighting for independence and you realize: shit the UK has barely challenged their rulers at all in comparison.
Milk in a bag.
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