Earlier today, Reddit user u/youfoundmeyo asked people, "What are some of the things normal in your country but weird or rude outside in other countries?" I never knew a lot of these, and they're super interesting to read.
Here's what they said:
1. Russia:
"No smiling, no small talks, no contacts with strangers unless necessary."
2. Italy:
"Blowing your nose in public. Sniffling, on the other hand, is considered quite rude, and if you do it someone will offer you a tissue 9 times out of 10."
3. Australia:
"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 Australia, it's rather taboo. There's a difference in the tone of conversation when talking about death."
4. Norway:
"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 small talk or a greeting. My grandma once asked a cashier how she was doing, and she replied, 'Not great. I have type 2 diabetes.'"
5. England:
"As an American, when I lived in England for three months, I realized just how rude and unacceptable Brits view the act of pointing fingers. Not that I was ever doing shit like pointing at and/or making fun of people, but just any kind of pointing even remotely in the vicinity of anyone’s direction was just a straight-up no-no, regardless of context."
7. India:
"In our country, at a wedding, the bride’s sisters steal the groom's shoes and give them back only if they’ve been paid a specific sum."
8. Japan:
"Tips are not encouraged. I left a tip at a bar in Japan and the waitress chased me down the street to return it."
9. Most countries:
"Referring to your friends as 'cunt' is normal in Australia, but in most countries it's considered rude."
10. America:
"When you talk during the national anthem, you really do get angry looks in the United Staes. European countries don’t take it THAT serious."
11. Thailand:
"In Thailand, these things are considered rude: touching someone's head. Pointing with a finger. Ushering someone over to you with your hand up as opposed to down. Showing the soles of your feet to another."
12. China:
"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, which is normal. I'm British, so I'm so used to awkwardly raising my hand and saying 'Excuse me?' when the server looks in my direction. In China, oh boy, you just gotta shout and hope you're louder than the next table."
13. Germany:
"I am from Northern Germany. We don't talk as much as e.g. Swiss people do. A friend told me that this is considered rude."
14. Mexico:
"Mexican here. We use offensive sayings and slang more often than regular Spanish people in some situations. Also, we are fond of dark humor and are known historically as 'the people who laugh at death.' It's an art for us to just say the most horrible things, and as an introvert in college, it was a skill I had to develop in order to become friends with my classmates."
—u/Trizkeler
And finally:
15. Spain:
"I live in Spain. Straight-up shouting to someone across the street/plaza is considered rude elsewhere, but not here. We're loud in general — especially in towns."
What do you think? Did they miss any? Let me know in the comments below!
Responses edited for length/clarity.