People Are Sharing The "Normal" Customs In Their Countries That Really Surprise Outsiders, And It's Wildly Intriguing
Reddit user moonveil96 recently posed this intriguing question to the r/AskReddit community: "What's a super 'normal' thing in your country that would completely confuse or shock someone visiting for the first time?" The thread quickly filled with tons of interesting and educational replies. Here are some that really stuck out:
1.Netherlands: "Droppings. And no, I'm not referring to poo. It's where you put a bunch of blindfolded kids in a car, drop them in the middle of nowhere without phones, and tell them to find their way back on their own. Usually, there's an adult with the younger kids, but they don't help."
2."Going to the shops barefoot is common and normal in New Zealand."
"Not exactly scandalous, but it seems to shock a lot of Americans. We go barefoot a lot. Everywhere. The supermarket, driving, public transport, shops, the doctor's office, libraries, etc. Some people kick their shoes off at work (if they're not public-facing or there aren't rules against it), at school, and more. Yes, we know we could step on glass or dogshit. Yes, we know it's a bit dangerous for driving. In winter or when visiting, we put on our fancy jandals (or thongs as our weird neighbours call them).
Also, our main highways seem to shock and sometimes kill tourists (and locals) with regularity. Slow down, please. We had to carve those roads into mountainous terrain on a tiny budget; they aren't interstates.
And I'm not sure if this is weird, but it's pretty normal to call out 'thanks' when getting off public buses or leaving cafes."
3."In Finland, we're naked in the sauna. But what if it's at a public pool? Naked. Changing cubicle? Nope, we have communal spaces and communal showers. Naked. There are even signs next to the public sauna doors with a picture of a swimming costume and an X over the top. In fact, if you go to the Yrjönkatu public pool in Helsinki, you can be naked in the swimming pool during dedicated times. Certainly, at most private homes or cottages, you'll be naked in the sauna, possibly in mixed gender company, and naked into the frozen lake to swim too. It's just human bodies. We all have them."
4.Northern parts of Canada: "Leaving your car unlocked so people can escape polar bears."
5."Only in America do we treat healthcare like ordering from a mystery menu. You get the treatment first and find out the price later. Hope you enjoyed that $7,000 Band-Aid 😭."
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6."Right to roam. The UK has no laws against trespassing. So long as you don't force entry, cause a disturbance, or do anything else illegal while you're there, you can go where you like. Obviously, it's treated as a bit rude to walk into someone's garden, but absolutely not against the law. Walking across a field? Totally legal. Camping on private land for the night? Totally legal. The most anyone can do, under the law, is ask you to leave and charge you a shilling. If you get shirty with them at that point, that is a breach of the peace, that can get you arrested, but that's very rare."
7."My wife is from Ecuador, and one of their many delicacies is eating guinea pigs. I've seen them roasted on a stick. I am eager to try it that way."
8.Scandinavian countries: "Putting babies alone outside in their strollers in the winter so they can nap."
9.Portugal: "Nightclubs are pretty much empty before midnight. That's when people start entering the club. If they go out for drinks before that, they will only start drinking at around 10 p.m. The night at the club ends no earlier than 4 a.m. and might go until 6 a.m. Also, a typical wedding starts in the late morning or early afternoon and lasts until deep into the night. A rough schedule would be appetizers served at 1 p.m., soup at 4 p.m., fish at 5 p.m., meat at 6 p.m., dessert at 7 p.m., a second, smaller course at 10 p.m., and dancing until all the guests leave. The last guests to leave are usually school or college friends of the couple, so they'll be young and will stay until 2 or 3 a.m."
10.USA: "Tipping. The idea that your meal costs $20 but you're expected to leave an extra $5 just because someone brought it to you? That throws off a lot of visitors real fast."
11."In Germany, envy is the highest form of compliment. Phrases like 'I'm happy for you' or 'Good for you' are automatically perceived as sarcastic."
12.Australia: "We have multiple levels on our bushfire risk scale. 'Very high' is in the middle. The final level is 'catastrophic.'"
13.Ghana: "Selling food on the top of their heads."
14."Mettbrötchen. Raw, fresh, finely minced pork with onions on top of a bread roll. You can get it at any butcher's counter in Germany. The hygiene standards for this are very high, so there is no danger. Foreigners often are disgusted or question its food safety, but it's safe to consume."
15.Colombia: "Our food practices confuse most people until they try them themselves. For example, we put cheese in our hot chocolate and fruit salads, honey on our fried chicken, and we eat a milk and water 'soup' with an egg inside for breakfast."
16."In the USA, we celebrate a day called Groundhog Day where grown men wear top hats and pull rodents out in order to have them predict the weather."
17.Romania: "People are so afraid of air currents/gusts, and they think it can get you sick or give you aches. People are afraid of opening two windows at the same time (in a home) and getting an air gust going, or driving with the window down. They're convinced it's unhealthy. Also, everyone is convinced that leaving the house with wet hair will also get you sick. Of course, you'd freeze in the dead of winter, but I don't need to blow-dry my hair during a heat wave, Mom!"
18."In Germany, Sundays are for silence. No mowing lawns, working outside, loud parties, or annoying anyone with your choices. Sundays. Are. For. Silence. And it's the best thing ever."
19."I'm from Appalachia (US), and what always makes outsiders curious is how we wave to people on the road, even if we don't know them. It's just a short acknowledgement, a light lifting of the fingers from the steering wheel. It's literally just a sign of respect to your neighbors on the road."
20.Belgium: "We eat mayonnaise on our fries. And it's the best thing ever, because we have proper mayonnaise."
21.In Israel, there's a country-wide siren (it goes up and stays up) on Memorial Day and Holocaust Day, and when it happens, you need to stop whatever you're doing and stand for a minute of silence. I know someone who visited, and his hosts forgot to tell him about it, so when he was walking on the street, the siren suddenly came on, and he saw everyone just standing still. He was very confused."
22."Not a country but my state. All gas stations in New Jersey (US) are full-service. You can't pump your own. An attendant does it for you."
23."Quiet talking. People from America (North and South) especially told me this. Here in Switzerland, it is considered rude to disturb others, so you'll talk in a volume that does not bother others. Especially in public transport. And don't you dare to talk in a cinema."
24.UK: "Baked beans on toast is a standard working-class dinner."
25."Public transportation decoration in Mexico. Some buses can have bright colors, paintings, quotes on the windows, bright lights, and loud music. It's like going to a disco."
26."Mate culture. People cannot comprehend how casually Argentines and Uruguayans will share their drink and the ONE SINGULAR STRAW we drink it from with strangers."
27."Not the case anymore, but up until a few years ago, all pubs in Ireland closed on Good Friday. It was good sport seeing the look of utter bewilderment on the faces of stag groups who arrived for a wild weekend in Dublin, only to be faced with every pub closed. 😂"
28."In Germany, stores tend to be closed on Sundays (and those who are open need a special permission to be this way)."
29.Australia: "Using the C word when talking to or about close friends. I mean, as Aussies, we drop the C word super casually."
30."I've seen people (mostly Americans) confused by this one a few times, but it's pretty popular in France (and I think in other European countries too). We greet close guests and friends/relatives by kissing both of their cheeks. The tradition seems to be dying a bit because COVID restricted it, but ever since I was a child, I had to greet family, friends, and guests by kissing their cheeks. It's not really full-lips kisses, though. Sometimes it's just pressing your cheek against the other's. I heard you have to give three kisses in some regions, whilst you only give one in others."
31.Canada: "How we measure anything. How tall are you? Measure in imperial. Measuring distance? Metric. How far is a destination? Measuring distance to a location? Travel time. Temperature outside? Metric. Oven temperature? Imperial. It throws anyone not Canadian off. A flow chart explains it if you ever want to look."
32."In Luxembourg, public transport is free."
33."Canadians say 'sorry' for literally everything, even if you didn't do anything."
34.Chile: "Earthquakes. 7.0 Richter is the threshold for starting to care a little bit. Anything below 7.0 is taken as a small tremor."
35.Poland: "Visiting someone for 'only tea/coffee' and being offered a whole table of food you'll never be able to eat in one sitting."
36."Canadians put milk in bags, and that confused the hell out of me."
37.And: "In Denmark, we have a hunting tradition where if you shoot a special small bird (sneppe in Danish) for the first time, you have to kiss its ass."
Does your country have any customs that are totally normal to its citizens but may be surprising to visitors? Tell us in the comments or share anonymously using this form.
