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29 Things That Are Normal In Some Countries, Yet Make The Rest Of The World Confused
Travel is awesome. It opens your mind, makes you more empathetic, lets you meet new people, gives you an excuse to eat tasty food, and allows you to go on actual adventures. What’s not to love? One of the best things about going abroad is that you get to experience cultures that might be very different from what you’ve known all of your life.
At times, those cultural norms can seem quite bizarre to outsiders. Some of the members of the r/AskReddit community shared the weird and cool things that are completely normal in their home countries but would confuse or amuse tourists. We’ve collected some of their most interesting insights below. Put on your hiking boots, grab your backpack, and scroll down to start your trip.
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#1
In Sweden, it's a common tradition to watch Donald Duck (known as "Kalle Anka" in Swedish) cartoons on Christmas Eve at 3 PM sharp. This isn't just a casual thing - it's a national event!
Every year, millions of Swedes gather around their TVs to watch a specific 1958 Disney special called "From All of Us to All of You" (or "Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul" in Swedish, which means "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas").
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#2
Actually telling people how you’re doing when they ask you how you’re doing. We don’t use a lot of polite phrases just for the sake of being polite, so when people ask “how are you”, it’s interpreted as a genuine question rather than polite smalltalk or a greeting. My grandma once asked a cashier how she was doing and she replied “Not great. I have type 2 diabetes.”
(I’m from Norway)
#3
I'm Irish, and we tend to swear a lot in ordinary conversations. It means nothing most of the time, just a normal part of speech, but some of my non-Irish friends seemed a bit taken aback by it.
#4
In India, arranged marriage is still the norm. I went to law school with a guy who already had an engineering degree. He told me he only enrolled in law school because his family expects him to return to India when he's finished schooling and have an arranged marriage. As a result, he keeps enrolling in new higher education programs to postpone his engagement.
#5
Going to the sauna with the whole family naked. Completely normal where I live but for almost the whole planet it would be very confusing.
Edit: yes, Finland.
#6
People dying because they don't have free universal healthcare. A lot of people will choose to not get medical attention because they don't have health insurance. So they end up dying. It's cheaper to die than have insane medical debt.
#7
In Vietnam, you can buy anything you want (and as much of it as you want) from the local pharmacy without doctor's prescriptions
#8
I've been living in China for two years and I still can't bring myself to shout in a restaurant to get a server's attention. I'm British, so I'm so used to awkwardly raising my hand and saying, 'Excuse me' when the server looks in my direction. But in China, oh boy, you just have to shout and hope you're louder than the next table.
#9
In New Zealand being barefoot out of the house is considered normal. Many children walk barefoot to school (they have shoes, just choose not to wear them). You'll also see barefoot people in supermarkets and fast food restaurants
#11
Rootbeer floats. I tried to introduce this American delicacy to some German friends. They thought I was playing a trick on them. Thought it was so weird and gross they wouldn't even try it.
#12
In Asian culture. Relatives fight with each other. Because each one wants to pay the bill for the whole family, eating out.
'I will pay. I am the most elder person. I have responsibility to the family'
'No I will pay. Even though I am young. I earn well enough. To cover. Let me pay this time'
That sorta argument happens.
When I tell it to westerners. They don't believe it.
#13
Here in Sydney, the police regularly deploy d**g detection dogs at train stations. They bring them into pubs as well. People visiting from overseas seem genuinely shocked by it, but most people here seem to ignore it.
#15
Having a maple syrup reserve. The most lucrative heist in Canada's history was the Maple Reserve. Many millions of dollars in maple syrup were stolen. I just listened to the 'My Favorite Murder' podcast episode about it
#18
Living with parents is common in India. People aren't considered 'losers' for living with heir parents. I never understood why being 30 and living with your parents was considered as something 'bad'
#19
Weights and measures.
I’m 5’10” and weigh 195lbs
My over cooks at 350 degrees
My pool is 72 degrees
But
I drive 80km/h
The temp outside is 21 degrees
I buy meat in either lbs or kg
Milk comes in 1 litre bags
Liquor in 26 fl oz bottles
Lumber in 2”x4” (which are really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2) plywood in 4x8’ sheets.
#20
Flashing headlights to warn incoming traffic of police presence or speed traps. Got a few awkward reactions doing it abroad.
#21
In my family's home country, it is normal to "try" things out in food stands, like, just shove your hand in the pile and try one, you like it? You buy by weight from the pile of whatever it is you tried. And it is apparently totally acceptable to just snack on whatever while you shop and browse through the store, as long as you buy something at the end.
I had a massive cultural shock on my first visit ?.
#23
If we're having a casual gathering at a house, we usually don't sit on long tables but put newspapers on the floor as a makeshift "dining table" and sit around it to eat
I've had parties like this my whole life and it was only when my foreigner friends got culture shock from it did I realize it's not a norm in other countries.
#24
Bringing your own alcohol to parties, being naked in saunas, ice bathing, no gendered toilets.
#26
Asking “how are you?” after greeting someone, and no, you are not supposed to answer this question. Goes like “how are you” ping pong. Especially weird when you switch to silence right afterwards (shop/taxi/store).
#29
Tipping.
It's very strange going to Asia or Europe and walking away from a meal without leaving money on the table or adding an extra $10 to the receipt.
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