Recently, Reddit user u/monitonik posed the question, "What's normal in your country that's considered weird in others?" The thread quickly went viral and received nearly 6,000 responses! Here are some of the most interesting answers:
1. "In Singapore, the sale of chewing gum is banned. So citizens rarely chew gum."
2. "Shoes are very optional in New Zealand in casual settings. You generally don’t wear shoes inside a house so popping out without shoes is normal."
"Kids spend a lot of time barefoot. I’m a teacher and don’t wear shoes while in the classroom, as I find it more comfortable. When I taught overseas, the kids thought it was so weird that I let them take their shoes off if they wanted. Here, about half take their shoes off as soon as they get to school!"
3. "In Japan, there are public toilets in a few places where after urinating, you can opt to view a general health assessment report."
4. "I grew up in Australia and migrated to Ireland about 10 years ago. First thing I noticed was people in Ireland really like to talk about death in everyday conversation."
"Who died. When the mass is. The removal of the body and the anniversaries of their death. It's so normal in conversation. In Aus, it's rather taboo. There's a difference in the tone of conversation when talking about death."
5. "Eating horse meat. Told a few American friends about it, and they were appalled because they considered horses more like pets."
6. "In Argentina, there's a tradition where if a lost child is found at the beach, an adult will pick them up on their shoulders and go up and down the coast clapping. People on the beach will also clap with them, so the parents will more easily find their child."
7. "In India, instead of toilet paper, we use a handheld jet spray type thing to clean after shitting."
8. "In the Caribbean, blowing your horn when you see someone you know driving on the other side or to say thank you to someone for letting you out. Since I moved to Canada, it seems horns are only used for aggressive reasons."
9. "Leaving a baby bundled up outside to sleep. When my previous neighbors had a baby, sometimes I would pass it on the porch, just sleeping. Including in winter, as long as it's not too cold."
10. "Talking to people so that no one else can hear you except the person you are directly talking to. It's a skill almost all Dutch people have, I have found, but it can be very unnerving for other people because you can be sitting pretty close to two people having a conversation and have no idea what they are saying."
"It's a small country and very densely populated with people who value their privacy. It's a survival skill, really."
11. "In Germany, going full speed whatever the vehicle gives you on the highway."
12. "I live in Malaysia. Nearly everyone here uses at least three languages in a sentence."
13. "Kissing elderly people's hand and putting it to our forehead. They get upset if you don't do it and sometimes pressure you by holding their hand up the whole time."
14. "No fences between houses. It's almost considered rude to put up a fence."
15. And finally, "There's this sport in Finland called eukonkanto, where men participate in running a specific distance, all while carrying their wife or girlfriend. Winner gets their woman's weight in beer."
"Some responses have been edited for length or clarity."