What customs in other countries are odd to you?

[Lamb]

Some countries have different etiquette and travelers need to learn a bit about them so they don't offend. What kind of customs stand out to you as being odd or unusual?

 

[Josiah]

I've been to Europe a few times..... and most of the variant customs seem to be to be just that.

In Spain, the custom of an hour or so nap in the afternoon still hangs on for some..... I'm okay with that (although I find that a nap of more than 30 min. or so just throws me off and makes me more tired) but then officially dinner is at like 10:00 at night (22:00 their time, lol) which I HATE (I can't sleep if my tummy is full). I learned to make good use of the tapas (which begin around 6:00) - and make THAT my dinner (they tend to be amazingly good - and not infrquently free if you are ordering wine), then at "Dinner" I just order a salad or some soup. A lot of dinner restaurants don't even open until perhaps 8:00 or so (and then it's just a bunch of tourists in there!). MY ideal would be for lunch (about Noon) and dinner (about 6:00) to be about equal in size.

One foreign custom I LOVE is the German Autobaum... WONDERFUL freeways!!!!! The lanes are wide and well marked..... few on-ramps and off-ramps..... few long straight sections (nearly always turning just a bit).... and you can drive FLAT OUT (and people get out of your way if you are in the fast lane). I rented a VW Jetta and had that thing flat out at about 200 (KPH) - about 120 MPH, which is the fastest I've ever driven. It was FUN FUN! If only I could have afforded a Porsche 911....

I once mentioned to my Spanish friend the "topless" beaches in France. He told me that..... unfortunately..... the topless ladies are mostly old and fat....

In some countries, people just don't BATHE as often as I'd like..... I HATE that smell, absolutely HATE it! I once had to sit behind some guy on a plane (won't say his culture, although it was obvious) and he STUNK to high heaven. We had to tolerate that for HOURS. There should be some international LAW that all adults must bathe at least once daily (okay, I know, Americans are a bit obsessed about this but all others SHOULD be!).


- Josiah




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[Lamb]

The non-bathing people tend to bother my sinuses I was in a city last week and couldn't be near the stinky people in the extreme heat. I wanted to gag so bad.

 

[JRT]

I was part of a group of Christians visiting a Hindu temple to observe their service. Culture shock describes it well. What I found most annoying was the constant ringing of small bells. This was believed to ward off demons or evil spirits. Lest we mock this, we should realize that in medieval times Christian church bells had two purposes --- to call the faithful to prayer and to ward off demons or evil spirits.

 

[MoreCoffee]

I was part of a group of Christians visiting a Hindu temple to observe their service. Culture shock describes it well. What I found most annoying was the constant ringing of small bells. This was believed to ward off demons or evil spirits. Lest we mock this, we should realize that in medieval times Christian church bells had two purposes --- to call the faithful to prayer and to ward off demons or evil spirits.

It's interesting that the bells irritated you

 

[IACOBVS]

I was part of a group of Christians visiting a Hindu temple to observe their service. Culture shock describes it well. What I found most annoying was the constant ringing of small bells. This was believed to ward off demons or evil spirits. Lest we mock this, we should realize that in medieval times Christian church bells had two purposes --- to call the faithful to prayer and to ward off demons or evil spirits.

"Bells and smells" ... the signs of a good, high-church, liturgical, Christian parish.

 

[Lamb]

I was part of a group of Christians visiting a Hindu temple to observe their service. Culture shock describes it well. What I found most annoying was the constant ringing of small bells. This was believed to ward off demons or evil spirits. Lest we mock this, we should realize that in medieval times Christian church bells had two purposes --- to call the faithful to prayer and to ward off demons or evil spirits.

Ancient Jews used to use bells to ward off evil spirits.

Thus, the bells on the robe of the high priest (Ex. 28:33–35) recall the use of bells in other cultures in the belief that their tinkling keeps off demons. So, also, horns (Ex. 19:16; Lev. 25:9; et al.), incense (Lev. 16:12–13), smearing of doorposts (Ex. 12:7), the color blue (Num. 15:38), written scripture-texts (phylacteries; Deut. 6:8; 11:18) – all have parallels elsewhere as devices to ward off evil spirits. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/demons-and-demonology

 

[tango]

The non-bathing people tend to bother my sinuses I was in a city last week and couldn't be near the stinky people in the extreme heat. I wanted to gag so bad.

I remember being on a bus in London, in June, in the (c)rush hour with so many people on board you could barely move. Among the people was someone who smelled like he hadn't washed in a month. It was so bad I had to get off the bus.

Another time I boarded a train at the first stop and asked the friend I was with what had curled up and died in the carriage - the stench was horrendous. It turned out to be another passenger. We opened all the windows.

 

[Stravinsk]

I remember being on a bus in London, in June, in the (c)rush hour with so many people on board you could barely move. Among the people was someone who smelled like he hadn't washed in a month. It was so bad I had to get off the bus.

Another time I boarded a train at the first stop and asked the friend I was with what had curled up and died in the carriage - the stench was horrendous. It turned out to be another passenger. We opened all the windows.

I don't understand this. Even a long time ago when I was without a residence as a young man I found ways to keep clean. If one lives anywhere near or in a city a basic cleaning even if it's only 2-3 times a week should not present an issue. One can go just about anywhere and hot water and soap is already supplied. After that it's just about finding a private area - which all public bathrooms provide if only in the form of a stall. Many homeless shelters also have showers.

I used to work customer service at a particular place where for a while every week or so I had a customer who literally made me want to gag he smelled so bad. What's worse - is that the smell lingered after he left. I wound up spraying the entire area where the transaction took place as well as his path through and out of the store - just to get rid of the smell. That, and also because some customers will think that what they smelled was me!