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Every place in the world is just a little bit different. It makes it feel like home to the people who live there, even if they never really take the time to think about the things that makes their country unique.
For this Askreddit, though, people were digging deep to think up the things they take for granted that would totally cause anyone else in the world to stop and go hmmmmm?
15. I was not a fan of the food in Ireland.
Blood pudding and fermented fish
14. Do you want to have some Golden Gay Time?
It is an ice cream in Australia, called Golden Gay Time as in Golden Happy Time. It is pretty delish.
13. Any way food gets into my face is okay by me.
Eating with our hands.
In 1969 (the same year the man landed on the moon), Miss Gloria Diaz coveted the Philippines’ first Miss Universe Crown. During the preliminary Q&A, she was asked “Is it true that you Filipinos use your hand when you eat?” To which she replied “Why? Do you use your feet?” and went her way to winning the crown.
12. They mean traffic lights, but I get the distrust.
I moved to Namibia from Canada years ago and people kept saying “just head to the top of the hill and turn left at the robots”. It took me about three months to stop looking for weird robot signs or statues, cause that’s what I figured they were getting at.
11. Why are those cracks there, anyway?
The cracks that are just wide enough to be able to see in and out of public restroom stalls. (United States) I’ve heard it’s thought of as weird since many other countries enjoy the luxury of privacy.
10. It’s a thing in the Philippines.
Having Spaghetti in McDonalds.
9. Americans are real prudes, you guys.
Going into the sauna naked while sharing the sauna with the other sex(es).
It’s about Germany but we always welcome the Finnish, origin of a welcome invention. As this got somewhat hijacked about Finnish sauna culture, German sauna culture is very easy:
In public saunas usually everyone is naked. If you feel uncomfortable, you can wrap a towel around your waist and/or chest. Between sittings you’d usually wear a robe.
Most public saunas have half a day or more during the week reserved to female only. Check their website for details on that, if you are interested.
Be prepared that it will get crowded in the sauna when “Aufguss” are scheduled. Aufguss is the process of throwing scented water on the heater to increase humidity.
I don’t know a public sauna where swimsuits are allowed. If there are pools, you’d swim naked but you can wear swimsuits there if you want to.
As long as you are in the sauna, you don’t want to get too romantic with your spouse or whoever you are with.
There is a difference between nudity and promiscuity. There are special clubs reserved for that. (I was asked to tell that these are so called sauna clubs. Hence I called them clubs. Basically those are brothels.)
In hotels you will often find a small sauna. Unwritten law is, the first to enter the sauna decides if it’s fine to be naked. But in hotel saunas it’s way more common to wear a towel than in public saunas.
Private saunas of course are up to the owners and/or users. Do what you are comfortable with – naked or towel.
8. I sure wish that it wasn’t, though.
Men holding hands in public as a display of friendship is normal in Afghanistan but super weird in the west.
7. You leave your baby outside to nap.
My daughter was born in Copenhagen Denmark (Frederiksberg actually). We lived there for a few years after she was born. We learned from our Danish friends to let her sleep outside in the back garden of our flat in her pram during snowfalls. We kept an eye on her from the window. It was very soothing to her, and she would sleep very soundly. Sometimes when we would go out to check on her we would find her awake but quiet, just watching the snow falling around her. Some of my fondest memories of her time as a baby.
It’s such a pure experience of love that it makes my heart ache to recall it. That was almost 18 years ago but I still have crystal clear memories of her lying in the pram with snowflakes falling all around her little face. She would turn her head and smile at me for a moment and go back to looking up at the snow. I will never forget it.
6. I’m sorry, where do these birds live again?
Putting cable ties, branches, fake eyes etc on helmets, buckets and hats in spring time to scare away the birds. Magpies are vicious bastards
5. I hear this often works out better than choosing for yourself.
Marrying someone without knowing them and only seeing their face once the marriage is agreed on.
4. South/Central America FTW (though I’ve seen this in New Orleans, too).
Putting broken glass bottles on the walls around your house so burglars cant jump it and rob you. I moved to Canada and they don’t even have walls around the houses!
3. I bet American professors would actually love this.
In university we thump the tables to “applaud” our professors. Instead of actually applauding. Or doing nothing.
During my exchange semester everyone not from Germany was looking at me confused why I did this.
2. Hahaha that British sense of humor again.
Whole restaurants cheering when a plate or glass is smashed (UK). Once was in a Canadian bar/restaurant on holiday and a waiter dropped a tray of glasses, the local looked horrified when i was out of my seat screaming “wheyyyyyy”
1. I mean, again. Americans are real prudes.
Cunt is a term of endearment.
I love reading about little things like this – it really reminds you how much diversity of experience is out there.
Please, add something from your country to the list!
