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“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 19 Things Other Countries Don’t Do
“Shoes on or off?”, you might wonder stepping into someone’s house. Well, it depends on where that house is located: if it’s somewhere in the US, for instance, walking inside with outside shoes might not be that big of a deal, but doing that in Japan is likely to be frowned upon.
This is just one example of how the same situation might be viewed very differently in different locations; and there sure are many more. Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community recently discussed such situations, after one of them asked netizens what is considered a taboo in their country but absolutely fine elsewhere. If you’re eager to learn something that might be good to remember when visiting one country or another, scroll down to find redditors’ answers on the list below, and feel free to share what are some things considered taboo in your own country in the comments.
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Some things in the world are pretty universal, that’s true. However, one can’t argue that most things we say, do, or experience differ not only with each country but with each region or household, even; what is completely normal in one might be considered out of line in another.
Such out-of-line things are usually considered taboo – “a subject, word, or action that is avoided for religious or social reasons”, as dictionaries describe it. And they can relate to any and every thing there is, from food to periods, and beyond. According to the person who started the thread, redditor ‘Auelogic’, even such a seemingly humdrum thing as chewing gum can be a taboo in certain places.
#4
I just went to Germany for the first time (I’m from the US). My colleague (from Germany) went to grab me a glass for my beer and I said that I could just drink it from the bottle, and you could almost hear a pin drop when about 10 Germans spun around to stare at me. One of them said “….. wafflekween, that’s a WHEAT beer. It must be drank out of a glass!”.
“In my country, there are many minor taboos, like the idea that selling gum is frowned upon. This made me curious about what other taboos exist in different countries,” the OP told Bored Panda in a recent interview, sharing why they decided to ask this particular question.
Discussing the netizens’ answers, the OP shared that they were interesting to read, especially as they related to numerous different countries. “I’ve learned a lot from this,” they admitted.
#6
USA: eating horse meat. Apparently this is relatively common in France or Italy, but would be greeted by horror over here.
#7
Standing next to a stranger closer than 6 ft, unless the lack of space forces you to stand thay close.
(Google "Finnish bus stop".).
#8
Any kind of physical punishment for children. Maybe not exactly a taboo, rather downright illegal, but it’s shocking how normalised using physical punishment is in so many parts of the world.
It’s safe to assume that the redditor wasn’t the only one who learned new information while browsing the list, as while we might be well-familiar with things that are considered taboo in our country, we might also be completely oblivious to what we shouldn’t say or do elsewhere.
That’s because our morals and values, as well as our mindset, tend to be shaped—or at least, largely influenced—by the culture we find ourselves in. As one TED speaker put it, “We all see the world through cultural glasses.”
#9
The word “c**t”. It’s a HUGE insult here in the US but it’s barely a swear in the UK and practically term of affection in Australia. (I might be stereotyping a little here though).
#11
Being a bubbly positive person in eastern europe = you're crazy and delusional and lots of red flags
being not bubbly positive person in USA = something is wrong with him avoid him.
The aforementioned TED speaker, a cross-cultural expert and a rocket scientist, Julien S. Bourrelle, suggested that people tend to view the behavior or emotions of others through their own cultural glasses.
“The lens through which your brain sees the world shapes your reality,” he said, which explains why people might be surprised to find that something that seems completely normal to them is considered taboo in other places of the world.
That’s why lists as such can be not only fascinating, but useful, too, as not knowing that something is considered taboo when visiting a foreign country can create some rather awkward situations.
#14
Belgium: call them “French fries” and get effed up!
(Also: there is no such thing is as “a Belgian waffle”. You are likely referring to a Brussels waffle and not knowing there are quite a lot of different kind of waffles in Belgium.).
If you enjoy browsing content about cultural differences and life in different parts of the world, you might like this list of funny illustrations that depict the cultural differences between the East and the West, too. You might also want to consider viewing these stories about the biggest culture shocks people have ever encountered.
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