Article created by: Mindaugas Balčiauskas
There are tons of things that unite us no matter what corner of the globe we might live in—like forgetting if you locked the door immediately after doing so. At the same time, the closer you look, the more you realize that everyone has their own quirks. All of that individual uniqueness and weirdness adds up with everyone else’s, until you zoom out and you realize that it becomes part of a country’s culture, heritage, and traditions.
This post is all about the small differences that make people’s countries unique, like rolling cheeses down hills for the heck of it, having saunas literally everywhere, and serving hot chocolate with slices of salted cheese, as shared by folks on r/AskReddit in these two delightfully informative threads.
Remember to upvote the posts that you found insightful or that made you laugh as you scroll down, Pandas. And when you’re all done enjoying this list, we’d love to hear about the things that happen only in your country.
Oh, and in case you need something great to read during your next coffee break, check out Bored Panda’s previous post about the peculiar things that seem normal in some countries but not in the rest of the world.
Bored Panda got in touch with author, investor, and mentor Rick Orford, who has traveled extensively around Europe. He told us about what Covid-related regulations look like right now in Italy and how certain inconsistencies have been causing him a lot of stress. After all, it's far harder to enjoy all the unique culture abroad when your travel opportunities are limited and there's a lot of anxiety in the air.
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In India, it's normal for your parents to find your life partner and there's a chance you could get killed if you love someone.
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United Kingdom. I don't believe any other countries have the annual 'chasing cheese down a hill' competitions.
In New Zealand it is normal to be barefoot in public. In the mall, the supermarket, fast food places etc. It's even normal for kids to go to primary school barefoot. It's recognised this is unusual and has become a point of national pride for some people.
Don't get me wrong, it's not like everyone is doing this, but it's a noticeable minority and would be seen on a daily basis, even in winter.
Wales. Place names like this llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Faroe Islands. More sheep than people in my country.
Finland. Saunas in most apartments or at least apartment buildings, haven’t lived in a building that doesn’t have one.
A lot of great well known (and underground) metal bands.
And a nuclear power plant that is at this point 11 years behind schedule and according to Wikipedia the 3rd most expensive building in the world.
Milk dispensers at school cafeterias (or restaurants but it's not as common). I live in Sweden where food and drinks such as water and milk is provided free for students. Whenever i tell someone outside of Scandinavia that we have milk dispensers they're always very surprised.
USA. The imperial measurement system.
Have farms larger than Connecticut (14,357km2)
Australia has 4 of them. The largest is larger than Israel, 44 of them are larger than Delaware, and this is still more than three times the size of the largest Ranch in the US, the Waggoner Ranch in Texas.
I live in Belgium and I doubt there are many other countries where two people who are both lifelong citizens of the same country cannot speak to each other.
This happened to my friend, a Walloon, who met an old Flemish lady. She didn't speak English or French, he didn't speak Dutch. They legit could not speak to each other, but they were both Belgians through and through.
Such cheap olive oil. And eating incredibly late. Lunch is more or less at 1-3 pm, and dinner at 9-10 pm. That is why in Spain we have snacks between foods.
Luxembourg. People who speak 4-5 languages fluently.
National Crate day! In NZ we have Crate day to celebrate the first day summer which is basically celebrated with a crate of local beer, a bbq and sports, usually at a mates flat or the beach.
South Africa. Scheduled blackouts to reduce pressure on the electrical grid.
United Kingdom.
Pantomimes at Christmas.
Real ale.
Separate hot and cold taps.
Mint sauce.
Brown sauce.
Thanking the bus driver (with a 'Cheers, drive' in my neck of the woods).
Apologising when someone else steps on your foot.
In Colombia, hot chocolate is served with slices of salted cheese in it.
South Africa. Calling traffic lights 'robots'. Caught myself doing this with foreign friends and being treated like an idiot.
In Mexico we experience paranormal stuff very close. Even people like me, who doesn't believe in it, have parents, siblings, children or grandparents who have experienced ghosts or other entities very close.
Not in the "friend of my friend" kind of way. It is really really common to be in the same room, and someone just says: "I saw my great-grandfather coming out from the well" or stuff like that. And nobody makes a fuss about it. We just process it and move on. But really, I don't know anybody who hasn't experienced a close encounter with something paranormal in one way or another.
And again, I'm an atheist and a skeptic. I haven't experienced something at first hand. And that makes me an exception. Not the average.
Iceland here. We have a music festival held inside a glacier and deep inside a volcano. We also charge $1,000,000 for a ticket too
Bonus fact: This was the same festival where last year Bam Margera was knocked out.
