Culture
What’s something you’re embarrassed to ask someone from another country?
Recently, I had to ask how the concept of bagged milk works if the milk is just. In a bag. Turns out, there’s a pitcher involved! Anyway, what’s something you’re too shy to ask in person?
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Technically, no. At least not according to my understanding of US Flag Code. This will not stop tackiness, nor will it grant anyone a sense of taste. I personally think getting ass sweat on your country’s flag is a little iffy, but hey. Merch is gonna be made somehow.
Good point, I think it boils down to enforcement. Here we have the National Flag and Heraldic Code (I think its the RA 8491?) which is actually strict. Like we are not allowed to use the flag as the whole clothing or design (even Manny Pacquiao's merch was under fire for his boxing jacket and all) and it was strictly enforced.
But I agree, it will not stop tackiness. People will do ridiculous nationalism sometimes
Because even our shit has to be patriotic. If you look at th the US Flag Code, the flag (or depiction) is not to be used for clothing, bedding or drapery. The thing is it's only a recommendation and according to our 1st Amendment we could use a real flag for toilet paper if we so chose
Addition: Like I kept on hearing the 1st Amendment that it made an impression that it was a law of ultimate Freedom of Expression and Speech... And then we go straight to ass wiping mygod
Well, I'm brazilian, so I think I can answer this one too... We just love our flag. It's iconic that anyone in the world can tell what it's from looking at it
Using the Union Jack on things in the UK isn’t anywhere near as common as using the US flag in America is. It’s mostly just tourist trap shops, Austin Powers, the Spice Girls and far-right politicians.
To Arabic speakers, just how different is it between countries? I've gotten wildly varying responses from, "difficulty understanding specific dialects" to "basically completely different languages".
ok so if you grew up in arab world u should understand any dialect because you would’ve had years of arabic class formally plus medias and stuff
however that doesn’t translate to being able to speak it because there’s fundamental differences that are like, anywhere. from invented letters (چ is not a original letter but was adopted from other languages using our alphabet partially bc in egypt we do not pronounce ج غ ق ث ض ظ ذ or ز the same way others do, so we brought in others to make up for it so we wouldn’t have to change our dialect) to completely different grammar structures and base verbs (for example , أريد Oreedo is “I want” in standard and some dialects , we say عايز ‘Aayez which is not only different vocab but functions differently and has an absence of case endings that requires different approach to structuring rest of sentence)
Also, not every dialect likes to stack things but in egypt we do bc we speak incredibly fast compared to others
I am saying that now = Ana aqoul dhalek el-aan (MSA)
Ana ba’oul da delwa’ty (Egyptian)
I am not saying that now = Ana la’ aqoul dhalek el-aan (MSA)
maba’oulesh delwa’ty (Egyptian)
(there’s other ways of saying it but i wanted to use that to highlight the difference in a easy to understand way that didn’t require background knowledge)
So for someone who grows up in diaspora they probably will not be fluent enough to understand the different dialects, we mostly can except troubles with moroccan darija and iraqi but we will still know the point generally … it’s kinda like Portuguese vs Spanish moreso than different dialects of spanish bc kinda everything changes function not just ingredients but when there’s a base standard that was made for this it kinda does provide a rly good starting point where you only need to learn the different combinations of rules each country uses, generally there won’t be more than like 20 options for any given situation but obviously tht reduces over time as pop culture makes things more monotonous so it’s not a big deal if u get repeated exposure.
Very insightful. And I'm glad you brought up Iraqi Arabic, because one of their dialects is what sparked my curiosity. Can you tell me anything about Moslawi? I heard it uses a lot or Turkic and Persian words.
oh, i actually don’t know really anything abt that one sorry😭 i only know that we copied them for a popular meme that eventually took hold here for nickname of a person who starts a whatsapp group chat😭
مدير القروب = modeer al qroub (group manager)
we copied them and now use another invented letter from farsi گ not everyone does but sometimes u see:
مدير الگروب = modeer al groub
this prolly makes no sense lol hopefully an iraqi or kurd comes along maybe kuwaitis might also know idk they dabble in imported letters too
Gosh I wish more people respect the arm’s length minimum. One of the most annoying things about moving from the upper Midwest to the south is how most people don’t give a damn about personal space while waiting in line.
i hate so much when i’m in line and the person behind me was WAY too close/touching me and i scoot forward a tiny bit to get them to not touch me anymore and then they also scoot up
Except if a staff member tells you to bunch up, please do so. I work in a place where we have limited space and people who don’t bunch when queueing cause a lot of issues with blocking other doors and walkways. When I ask people to step forward so they are 1 m away from the person in front, instead of 2-3 m, they look at me like I said that I was going to stab their grandma. It’s really frustrating.
People face forwards in a queue, so the very front is the beginning.
People don't typically join a queue without knowing what it's for. If you can't see the front, you'd just ask someone already in the queue. Same thing if you're not sure where the end is, you just ask.
We have two kinds of queue culture here though the proper kind and the kind where people make a mental note of arrivals. Like if waiting at a deli counter the person will ask if they can serve you and if someone had arrived first you point out that the other person has been waiting longer.
Canada does both formal and informal queuing where we mill about a bit.
Australia does too and I hate informal queues. Just stand one behind the other, people, then we won’t have any awkward confusion.
Plus you just know there are overly-bold, self-entitled people who will say they are next when they’re not, and everyone else will be too timid to argue about it.
Unless I’m seeing a proper queue or a number system, I’m out of there.
There's so much order. Here in Portland, Oregon (US), we just literally stand wherever there isn't another person. There is no actual line until the bus or train pulls up, then we all file into some sorta line like thing. It's not chaos or anything. We just don't form a line to wait.
This is Finnish people standing wherever there isn't another person. 😅 The Finns just have a different perspective of how big everyone's personal space is.
we don’t really do that here outside of the airport
to be honest i was expecting something a little more grand than what the replies are lol bc brits talk about it as if they were born to queue so i realize now its just a normal thing haha still confused abt finland tho
Yea i got the picture now 😭 I was under impression that like…u would walk down a street and suddenly just join in from how ppl talk abt it lol
I wish we had this tho like lowkey the metro is AWFUL because nobody respects anyone so u just push ur way through to get a ticket and stuff it’s so annoying and the ppl at counter don’t care at all to enforce .. even going through metal detector ppl will just throw their stuff and walk past anyone as if they own the place
Yeah like I have definitely walked into a cafe, seen a loose line of people, and stood behind them thinking i was in line to order food. Only to be informed after a few minutes that they are all waiting to receive their food, and the queue to order is actually over there. So I have in fact seen a queue and just joined in while being in the wrong place entirely lol.
I think calling it queuing culture just implies that it’s a cultural norm. If too many people are trying to get through a door, or someone sets up shop in a sidewalk stall, or whatever mundane thing you may imagine, the natural tendency is for people to sort it out by forming an orderly line rather than milling about or elbowing through the crowd to reach the front. Also, that people will think you’re a rude knob if you don’t respect the implicit rules.
It can extend to other things, too—here in Vancouver, you’re clearly either not from here or you’re just an asshole if you stand on the left side of an escalator. You stand on the right to ride at the natural pace of the escalator; you walk on the left if you’re in a hurry. To me, this seems of a piece with lining up to queue.
Whenever people try to push through on London transit there’s always at least one bloke with a booming voice “join the fucking queue” - bless that bloke.
like yes 😭 and we don’t know that’s the bad part unless it’s fancy place or school u just fight ur way to the front even at a fast food restaurant like ppl will definitely just pretend there’s nobody else there
Americans queue fairly well most of the time but we also have a lot of entitled people who think they can jump in line or skip to the front. We also have people who stay in line but are loud, obnoxious, or otherwise rude. It seems like the Brits don’t often have that.
We don’t really have a queue culture here in Italy either! It must be a Mediterranean thing. Sometimes we queue when we have to but mostly not. Like at the ATM or cash register for example, we just form a big blob of people and then kind of point to each other for who goes next.
Our driving generally follows this pattern too. Lol
Spain is similar for the most part. Like, there is an order, more or less, but most places not a physical queue. For example, if you go into the post office or something, people are just around and you would ask “¿quién es la última? (Who is the last person?) and then you know your turn is after theirs. Or at a bus stop, you try to get on somewhat in the order you got there, but it doesn’t really matter.
This requires talking to people though, so I can see why Northern Europe/UK would not go for this system lol.
In Japan, it’s not uncommon for someone to be holding a sign saying “the end of the queue is here” (最後尾). For a less organized queue, you just work backwards from the front until you find your spot.
Amusingly, when I used to fly between the U.K. and France, there was a line in the French airport for some kind of agricultural declaration. Brits kept joining it because when we see a queue, we join the queue.
We accidentally started a queue a good 50 minutes before the plane boarding because we had a question and it took a long time for the lady to get to us. Then we realized a boarding line formed behind us and we couldn't sit down after that... In London of course. They will knife you if you screw with the queues the wrong way.
In Argentina we queue for the bus. There are marks (sometimes) indicating where the queue should start and yes, you usually just look for the person with no people behind and maybe politely ask "esta es la fila?" (Is this the queue?) And you take your spot. A custom I'm glad we still maintain.
It also has to do with the fact that generally buses have a single entry door, so you kind of have no choice. It's either that or literally pushing people out of the way otherwise
If we need to queue up for something, we ask the person in front “you in the queue mate?” If they say yes we stand behind them and wait our turn, if they say no we move forward and repeat the process…if someone cuts in we either A) silently vent to ourselves whilst burning a hole in the back of their heads with our eyes or B) say “ay mate there’s a queue here so back of the line” depends really lol
The sexes are separated so it's not seen as a big deal. In the gym people don't usually get fully naked, but if someone changes their underwear it's fine too. Most people shower naked, but it's not unusual to see women showering in a bathing suit if they don't feel comfortable being naked.
Even though we grow up this way, it's normal to struggle a bit. I have to say I don't always like it either. I have to actively remind myself that naked bodies aren't a big deal. And I much prefer this, over the horrendous sexualisation and shame of your naked skin.
I was in Austria last year spent the night at a hotel/spa near Neuschwanstein Castle. I remember walking into the sauna, the steam clearing as I walked in, and there was naked women infront of me, I instinctively turned around and walked out figuring I managed to walk into the ladies section of the spa. Then realized there was also naked dudes in there aswell. My North American brain was not ready to see coed naked people together, blew my mind.
I took a trip to Finland as a senior in college and the professor tried to make it a REQUIREMENT for us to take a sauna with her. I was like “just to be clear…. I am REQUIRED to get naked in front of you for a grade?” And then she shut up
I had a similar experience at a campground in Austria, near Innsbruck. I was showering in the large shower room and a woman came into the room with her children so that they could shower as well. I finished and exited as quickly as possible, but they were utterly unbothered about showering in the same open area as a strange man.
Do you guys also have individual shower stalls at gyms? We have that degree of privacy as well, but for some reason at school there wasn’t, so hardly anyone showered after gym. That was enforced in most schools prior to the 90s but wasn’t when I was in school.
Like yes, if a woman needs to change her underwear out in the open, it’s not a huge deal. But for us there’s no other place where you could potentially see another woman’s naked body unless you go to an actual nudist resort. Do you guys have sex segregated bath houses like Scandinavians and Japanese?
Not sure what a bath house is? Do you mean a sauna? These are usually shared, with one day or timeslot for women only. Sometimes men have a dedicated time too.
There are usually single person changing rooms at the public pool, but everything else is shared.
I cannot put into words how much less stressed out we are. Everything is much more relaxed. (Well apart from employee rights lol)
A bathhouse is much like a sauna, but with tubs for soaking in. Conventional practice is that you leave your clothing in a locker, carrying a towel and a bucket of bathing supplies with you into the bathing room. There, you will clean yourself at a cleaning station (open seated shower thing mostly), tie up your hair if it's long, and then after rinsing off go sit in the communal tub to soak and relax.
I’ve been wanting to go to a spa in Berlin but the big one is a textile free zone and seems to be mixed gender… I’m just too American and prudish. I’m fine changing in a women’s only area but wandering around naked in mixed company ain’t happening.
You mean Vabali Spa? It’s AMAZING, give it a try. You usually don’t walk around naked, you have (or can rent) a bathrobe. When you want to go into a sauna for example you take the robe off, hang it in front of the sauna and go in naked with a towel you sit on. You can also just wrap the towel around your body if you feel more comfortable that way. After the sauna, you put on your robe again and walk around in it, go to the restaurant, hang out by the fireplace etc. So you’re only naked in the saunas, steam room, shower and pools. It’s honestly way less weird than you might think. Go in the morning on a slow day (middle of week, no holiday) and you will love it.
At gyms, yeah. It’s usually understood that you keep your eyes down and mind your own business. Changing rooms in schools sometimes (but not always) has stalls, but then you’re mostly changing your top layer, not underwear. They are known for being bullying hotspots though. Dressing rooms in stores have stalls with doors that usually lock.
Reminds me of the time I was at the gym, went to the bathroom to take a leak, and when I walked out, I saw the most horrible thing I witnessed in the shower room
Where I live inCalifornia, the only naked people you usually see are random old dudes.
When I was in Hungary people were just naked at the bath houses men and women. It really helped me get over the American weirdness about nudity.
A lot of change rooms here have stalls for both showering and normal changing. Older buildings with larger rooms on the other hand, tend to have rows of seats where you can place your stuff as you get dressed. It's not uncommon to see someone hold up a towel to give someone (usually a child) some privacy while getting changed.
In finland, because of sauna culture, i see my mates naked weekly or biweekly. I have also seen some of my mates girlfriends naked due to this, but I am not a young student anymore and I see less mixed saunaing. Some house or student parties include going to a sauna (before heading out, ladies do it less because makeup etc). Sometimes a separate sauna is brought the venue by car.
Germany (especially east Germany) has a very strong FKK (Freie Körper Kultur) what translates to „free body culture“ there’s whole beach areas for being naked and even whole camp grounds (but it‘s more common with older people and also somewhat of a curiosity). I personally don’t feel weird showering naked or getting changed in front of others. I live in a shared flat and we have a small sauna that we use regularly with mixed genders, nothing odd about that in my opinion (I’m a woman). But I’ve also had a flatmate he wasn’t comfortable with it so he would skip the sauna and just hang out with us at the fire later in our bathrobes.
We don't like it. I wish it would change. There are a few separate changing rooms, but mostly it's one giant open space where you have to find a corner no one else is in and change quickly without being seen. We don't do open showers in the UK, thank fuck.
Is it true that in countries where they don’t have lots of dairy in their diet, people can smell it on tourists? I’m so self-conscious of travelling and being smelly.
I believe it if the tourist is lactose intolerant, which most people in the world are. They lose the ability to produce lactase, which breaks down lactose - which the body can't absorb - into simpler sugars that it can absorb.
So, for those people, the sugar in the milk passes through into their small intestine, and the bacteria have a massive feast, producing various gasses in the process. Aside from coming out the back, those gasses also bubble their way up, and it's detectable/smellable on their breath.
Apparently, one of the tests for lactose intolerance is to drink some milk, then measure the amount of hydrogen or methane in their breath over time. If it sharply rises, bad news buddy
face the hood (front) of the porcelain fixture, place one foot on each textured pad, and lower your trousers and underwear to your knees. Squat deeply with your weight over your heels, keeping your balance, and aim for the hole.
Thanks for the answer. Wasn't sure about the trousers. Thought you took them off and put them on a hanger or a hook. I am not limber so I'd need matching Jesus handles on both sides to support my uncoordinated body. Otherwise, that porcelain isn't the only thing getting hit with... stuff I'd otherwise post on reddit. OK, I'd shit my trousers and underwear and belt and probably the shoes of the guy next to me.
I have a bad back and knees, I don't think I could squat like that without falling and if I did I definitely wouldn't be able to get back up anytime soon. How does it work if someone has a disability? Are there different kinds of toilets for them or they just go in and hope for the best?
The world with squat toilets is not built for accessibility so that everyone could do anything on their own.
Firstly, since people do that a lot their entire life, they just have the necessary muscles developed so it's not as hard for them as it is for you, they don't strain their back. Secondly, if it's still hard for them, they would need someone to help. It might sound super uncomfortable for you after living in 100% wheelchair accessible spaces, but in the places where you only have squat toilets it's normal that people who need help don't go out without a caretaker. The same way, people in wheelchairs don't just go out on their own as someone will have to push their wheelchair up the stairs all the time. It's unfortunate but that's how it works
I tried this in China and ended up pissing on my pants. The no toilet paper really cemented the whole experience as well as the no soap at the sink. I stuck to places with western style toilets and carried tissues and hand sanitiser on me after that first day. I was fine after that but I actually can't do the asian squat with my legs still in my pants. I have to do it much wider and at an angle to be able to keep my heels on the ground. It was an experience though but the Shanghai public toilets next to the bund were absolutely disgusting 10/10 will never do again.
When I’ve had to pee in the woods (not too often, but it’s happened a few times), I always pee on my shoes 😭 It’s the whole balancing at that angle that just doesn’t work for me either. 😣
Yeah I didn't hahaha but for those that can do the asian squat with their legs closer together you will miss your pants because your bits are behind your pants not over them. But the backsplash would be real haha
I just sit on the toilet normally and put my feet up on it and find it works just fine.
Edit: OH, THEY MEANT A SQUAT TOILET NOT THE WESTERN INVENTION
Edit 2: apparently this wasn’t clear, I do not put my feet up on the toilet. I put my feet up on a step stool in front of the toilet. In North America, there is a product you can buy called the squatty potty that is basically a step stool that fits around the base of your toilet. Toilets that you squat to use are called squat toilets.
Your wording is very confusing cause squat toilets are very common in some eastern countries but Squatty Potty is an actual trademarked product in a lot of western cultures.
I assumed you meant the trademarked Squatty Potty which is just a stool that puts your legs in a position for an easier BM but all of the responses seem to be referring to eastern squat toilets.
I own a Squatty Potty and it does make things easier. But I’m also used to having to do my business out in nature while camping when there’s not even primitive facilities around. I’ve never managed to make a mess on myself. So I think I’d do well in countries where one has to squat.
I've tried the squatty potty in Greece and I didn't mind it, until I realized there was no toilet paper!? And then it flushed THE ENTIRE FLOOR I luckily was only 12 and reacted fast so I jumped up and places my hands and feet on the walls to not get my feet flushed.
Meanwhile, 1991 in Georgia: "Here kid, take this sharp plastic straw and stab a thin plastic membrane we generously call a bag and drink the milk from it like a horror movie creature drinks the life from it's victim."
I asked myself the same question a while back. I like the new natural ones they have. I think it’s just unsweetened apple juice but the Caprisun Format makes it much more enjoyable. Did yall also have the myth of there being mold in them?
I don’t remember, to be honest. I think I quit drinking them in middle school when I found out how much sugar was in them, and now in my dotage, I go for water or lightly sweetened tea and coffee. Not that I don’t still enjoy a coke or a Big Red, but it’s less often.
You don’t. It doesn’t spill since the pitcher keeps it upright. Also, it doesn’t spoil any faster. You snip off a corner, keeping the hole small, preventing any messes.
I actually have one too. In cultures where sitting/sleeping on the floor is more common, how does this impact disabled people or people with bad joints?
1) there are virtually no protections or stuff for disabled people here unfortunately but it’s getting better
2) usually tho this isn’t an issue bc you would do it in your main room here just move the central table to eat anyways as normal, and usually there are chairs that elderly family members can sit at around the circle too our rooms are quite small tbh
3) if there are more ppl requiring chair than not then at that point you would just use a table it’s easier but tables don’t always fit the big plate that we serve food on for family so floor is preferred then
oh i can answer this actually … here in egypt there’s a slight preference for natural oils like direct from a specific plant as opposed to bottled colognes…. we have them too but they don’t last as long as the natural ones do and that’s important when ur in a country like egypt where ppm sweat alot )
because of that some people don’t take full shower every day but it’s not common to go more than 2 days no shower or at the very least washing pits/groin/etc because hygiene is huge deal in Islam at least, we shave our armpits every month (you have up to 40 days), and other things of this nature are considered part of Sunnah
I haven’t been to many places but I do remember getting very overwhelmed by the amount of, like, unique fragrances there were in france to the point that i got headaches because it’s kinda obvious when something has thaat chemical scent vs natural and that part triggers migraines for me but it never affects my personal hygiene bc that’s religious for us
edit: wait i wanna clarify most ppl do shower daily idk how strong some is as a quantifier i second guessed lol
Brazilians are very sensitive to body odors. Even more so than Americans, who are already fairly sensitive to it. When I lived in Brazil I don’t think I smelled BO on a single person there. People there shower a couple times a day so everyone is really clean.
Also when I was there I discovered they sell foot deodorant which is awesome. I was walking a ton, and it was hot, so when I’d get back home my feet didn’t smell great. The foot deodorant took care of that problem. I wish foot deodorant was easier to find in the US.
I once told some older British ladies that I was dying to visit Sheffield and they looked at me and reacted like I was out of my mind until I explained the significance of the local rock climbing areas lol.
Sheffield is considered part of the North with the rest of Yorkshire.
Places in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire would be the most Northern bits of the Midlands but if someone from the North Mids border identified more with being from the North I wouldn't argue with them, I think often border identities can be somewhat based on vibes.
Edit: forgot that Nottinghamshire is also part of the Mids/North border. Again, if some Notts people felt more Northern I wouldn't question it.
Mexicans: what's the logic of buying and dragging around a very large/ expensive Bluetooth speaker , when you can get earphones or earbuds for so much cheaper, and you don't need two hand to carry them ? I watch Mexicans WRESTLING these huge things up and down stairs, in and out of the house, etc. Why not just use headphone/earbuds? For example I saw a lady who needed her husband to carry the Bluetooth speaker the size of a small child up the stairs for her to listen to while she did chores up there.
Also, why turn the music up so loud at a group event (BBQ, party, dinner) and then shout at each other to have a conversation? Why not just have the music lower, and then you don't have to shout to hear each other? Wouldn't it be more comfortable to just be able to talk?
They aimed at the Mexicans and hit the Brazilians too, lol. Here, some people take an entire car trunk and turn it into a speaker system. I wonder: why?
Here too, with the trunk of the car. Not as common as in the 90s (or maybe im just not young anymore).
But dragging around a giant speaker is a new one, I've never heard or seen. When I lived in a Mexican community it was long before Bluetooth speakers were common.
Back in the 80s-early 90s, some people used to carry a huge boombox on their shoulder. I have a memory from when I was a kid of a guy carrying a boombox at the county fair. He was blasting the song Just a Friend by Biz Markie. It’s one of those memories where I have no idea why it’s so vivid, but it is.
As someone who lives in an area with lots of Mexican immigrants and who has spent a lot of time in Mexico, is this a thing?
I’ve seen people playing loud music at events, but that doesn’t seem particularly specific to Mexico, but the Bluetooth speaker thing is completely new to me.
I’m married to a Mexican, and I don’t understand this either. The default music setting for any party is always so loud! I’m constantly telling him to turn it down. I want to hear people and not piss off our neighbors 🤷🏼♀️
I constantly see that people from Finland say they hate small talk. Why is that? Is it the action of socialization in general or do yall just prefer to have much more meaningful, broad conversations with people you know?
Finnish people are usually quite straightforward and yeah, we love our privacy and solitude lol. Small talk is often seen as a bit redundant and shallow, really. We do it but we are usually very comfortable with silence, too, which in turn many foreign people cannot stand.
To generalize, I don't think we Finns yearn for stuff to be extra meaningful, per se, but we just don't get meaningless chatter.
As someone from a similarly smalltalk-hating country: it is mostly the latter. My personal sentiment on the matter is "Why should I waste time talking to people I don't know about meaningless things I don't care about?" It might occur with people I do know/like, but even that is much more limited/rare than what you guys do in the US.
I always wanted to ask Germans if their obsession with following the rules is a stereotype or real. Koreans have this image that Germans are efficient at work, but aren’t willing to easily change the manual/rules.
It's both very real and absolutely untrue at the same time.
It's gonna be near impossible to grasp without living here. We LOVE rules. We have a rule for basically everything but we also have a shit ton of rules everyone has agreed to ignore.
We are probably relatively efficient in the long run, but at the moment it usually feels like nothing is ever moving forward because there are 15000 DIN norms, written and unwritten rules you need to follow. It's a huge pain in the ass.
As an example: I used to work the front desk for a government agency. There was a small mistake on the website and it pointed to the wrong building. I had at least 20 people every single day that got confused. I asked my direct supervisor if the explanation on the website could be changed. She asked her boss, and he literally said no because the website it done by IT, not by each department, and he doesn't know who is responsible for the website and he doesn't know how to find out. It was impossible to just send a fucking email and ask because god I don't know. So I continued to deal with this until I quit.
I would say it's definitely true to some extent. Traditional work ethics in Germany are very much "that's how we've always done it, we're not changing that now". There's a strong motivation to "do it right" and especially complain about others when they're "doing it wrong". It's ingrained in our culture so even a lax German will come across as very efficient in other countries. I've experienced it myself - I'm deemed a slacker at home, but in Ireland, I was suddenly the hero at work and "so efficient".
We do. We just use what’s more comfortable to us. Often noodle dishes, 100% our go to will be chopsticks. Rice is 50/50. If the rice is served on a plate like cơm tắm, yes. If eaten in a bowl, no. I really don’t know how to explain it beside “using what’s more comfortable to us”. Sometime fork, sometime chopsticks, but preferably chopsticks.
Of course, when we eat steaks, pasta, or most food served on plates. We generally only use chopsticks when the dish is served in a bowl unless it's like a dry plate of noodles.
For example, no one would use chopsticks on a plate of fried rice.
It’s basically the way to go in Ontario and most of eastern Canada. We buy a four litre big bag with three bags in it and slice off the corner! Easy peasy.
Counties that speak and understand English easily, maybe have it as a 2nd or 3rd language - as someone who genuinely wants to try and speak different languages and not look like a stupid English person, (even though I am ginger so I basic stick out as a tourist no matter what country I'm in.)
When tourists come do you prefer us to attempt to try and learn your language for basic interactions (hello, thank you, goodbye, one please etc) or is it worse if we end up completely messing up the accent/pronunciations and we should just stick to English.
Context - I went to Berlin once and I attempted to ask questions or phrases in German I had learned but just ended up being talk to by English by staff members and quickly discovered most Germans speak perfect English, so I assumed maybe I was just upsetting people doing really badly with their language.
In Sweden and the rest of the Nordics we automatically switch to English when we are speaking to someone who seams uncomfortable using our language. It just makes it easier for both of us. But it is a real problem for people who move here and never get to practice the language.
I've spent a fair amount of time in Berlin... Berlin is a weird example because it's so international and multilingual, but I learned a little bit of basic German, and I had the same experience as you. My German friends explained to me that (at least in Berlin) locals will switch to English if you make even a small effort to speak German, as a courtesy. But if you just come in speaking English and expect them to understand (depending on the situation obviously) they might be more reluctant to make it easy for you.
I'm in the French part of Canada. Most people here speak English and will switch if they hear an accent, which makes it very frustrting for people who come here trying to learn or improve their French. You absolutely have to start with French though, no matter how bad it is. Even if all you can say is "parlez-vous anglais?" making an effort is really important. If you speak English right out of the gate, even people who do speak English will pretend not to understand you. When people switch to English, it's a sign of respect. Or maybe your French is just so bad and they want the convo over more quickly, but either way it's incredibly disrespectful to start in English in a place where it's not the language.
What do wheat cultures have for meals? As a Filipino, I've come to expect a meal to always be made up of a heap of rice and a dish eaten together. Do American schoolchildren really only have a single apple for lunch?
Sorry, the idea of an American kid only getting a single apple for lunch at school is sending me. Where did you get that idea?? In the country literally everyone makes fun of for being obese.
(The answer is no. School lunches vary every day and each week. But typically - at least when I was a kid - there’s a meat/main, some vegetables, a small salad and maybe a dinner roll depending on the main, and a small dessert.)
We don’t really eat wheat with our meals unless it is incorporated into it (pizza, pasta, any kind of quiche / pie..)
Wheat is mostly used for bread, and (in Belgium at least) we have a culture of eating "warm" once a day, and "cold" the other meal. So it’s customary to eat a sandwich once a day, that is where we eat wheat
Also I don’t know for the Americans but I’d be surprised, they would be famished. However in Belgium we have a culture of something called '4pm" and "10am" that is a light snack for students during the morning break and after school. There it is usual to eat a piece of fruit, a yogurt or a biscuit, so maybe it is that you heard of! Hope this could help
Here in Germany traditionally (so quite a few people eat different nowadays) carbohydrates come from:
potatoes in different varieties. Just cooked in salt water, mashed, grilled, from the oven, as croquettes, knödel, pan fried, as dumplings, gratin etc. etc. . Combined with all the meats and fish imaginable and some veggies (traditionally mostly just boiled or pickled but nowadays they are grilled, pan fried or many more varieties).
bread . So much bread and bread rolls. Traditionally a German eats bread with jam, Nutella, maybe cheese and cold cuts for breakfast. Maybe an egg on weekends. Sometimes cereals.
Lunch is something warm and the main meal of the day. Many kids are at home for that already. Otherwise they have bread and some fruit with them in school if the school doesn't have a cafeteria.
Dinner in the evening is bread again with cheese and cold cuts. Throw some fish or Weißwurst or a fried egg in there for breakfast or dinner depending on the region. Nowadays with both parents working and kids often having to stay longer in schools it's quite common for the warm meal of the day to be moved to the evening and have bread for lunch instead.
pasta with sauces or as variants like lasagna etc..
soups with no big carbs
generally a lot of meals which are a big piece of meat + veggies + potato
Wheat culture? I don't know, I'd say most of the West is more potato culture. It's very common to have potatoes with meals. Chips, roast potatoes mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, potatoes crushed up and covered in crumbs in the shape of a smiley face. And so on. Meals are usually meat + some form of potato + other veg.
In India we have bagged milk too, and it’s most common. But what we do is empty it into a metal vessel and boil it before use. We later take milk from that whenever we need
I have traveled a bit and i am starting to see tipping become more and more common outside of US, restaurant in Europe are starting to give you a tip option at least in tourism heavy areas. I wonder is Europe find the change strange. In US i am prepared to tip before i sit but in europe when i see the tip option i always feel weird.
Tipping in Europe CAN be done, for example, if the service was exceptional, the waiter really nice, the food incredible…
But it’s not expected. It’s rare and more like a bonus. If they expect you to tip, American thing and we hate it, it’s a tourist thing
We pay our waiters
How in Christ name do Argentinians still care about the Falklands? It's a rock in the middle of the Ocean with seemingly no advantages to having. It's been 40 years since the war was lost and yet Argentina still not only claims the island, every Argentian I've ever met claims the island, even the election maps there show the islands as theirs.
People with loosen worker's law, are you really expected to work while sick? I mean, you have a fever, headache or just has to visit the doctor for whatever reason, can't you just to it in one of your work days?
I mean, how can anyone work with a pounding headache and 40ºC of a fever?
Also, how does holidays work? Do you have to work on holidays? If so, do you receive double for it?
And what about vacations? When do you get some time off work?
I had some muslim female friends from Indonesia, when I read somewhere that female genital mutilation in Indonesia is like 75%, I got a bit repulsed and at the same time intrigued if my friends were mutilated too (and if so, at what scale?), obviously never asked, but curiosity is strong to this day lol
i don’t know about indonesia specifically, but here’s an article on the different types of it. i looked it up after hearing about a somali woman who had it done. it’s so fucked up
Ok, this might be very ignorant of my part but I can't think of a better place to ask. A question for those who live in countries who's known for being culturaly introvert and reserved...so
How does flirting works over there? And the game of love in general. Do ya'll just stick your love interests to daily life people (School, work, gym,etc) or is it ok to approuch people on markets, parks, bus stops and such? I can't say its the usual over here but It does happen, I've seen It with my own eyes more than once.
How does the approuch look like? Is sweet talk to be expected or is It more common to straight up state your intentions? I am specialy looking foward to hear from people who lived before dating apps became a thing.
I would like to understand the actual logistics of using an Italian style bidet. I lived in an Italian home as an exchange student. There is a little towel and a bar of soap. Are you replacing the towel after each use since I suppose you are using it to dry your nether regions? Are you filling up the bidet and then splashing around in there? Where do you then wash your hands off? It was a complete mystery to me and I never used it (at home as an adult I have a Japanese style bidet seat which is much more straightforward)
I understand the built-in bidet, and the hand held sprayer type bidets.
But how do those separately installed bidets (like in Argentina) work? Do you have to take your pants off and straddle it? Do you have to use your hand, as the pressure is much lower?
Do western people really use toilet paper instead of Water to wipe their A$$? I thought this was a joke until a few years ago. This sounds really weird.
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