Strange cultural differences people don't think about.

[Usenko]

Cultures are different, and it can often be a shock. We often think about BIG cultural differences, like what holidays get celebrated and how. But there are OTHER differences that you might not even think about.

One I was discussing with a friend tonight:

How you behave in an audience.

If you come from a white Anglo-Saxon background, at least in Australia, when you are listening to a concert or watching a musical, there is an expectation that you sit absolutely silently during the performance, and then when the song is done, you clap. Usually the clapping is gentle and restrained, even if the audience is very pleased with your performance (if they want an encore, they just keep on applauding without stopping, they often don't get any louder).

The school where I work has a lot of Pacific Islanders. If they like your performance, they cannot and will not sit silently. They'll cheer loudly and let you know you're doing well. If the audience at our school goes quiet, you know they think your performance is bad!

What are some other small differences that people might not think of?

[radcapricorn]

Smiling at and greeting random passers-by. Here in Russia, it's not widely appreciated. Not necessarily offensive, just unusual, i.e. the other person might think there's something wrong with their appearance, or just might be baffled, i.e. "Do I know you?!". But some are more open to it. On some mass celebrations, of course everyone is a friend and greets and cheers each other, where they would've passed same people on the street without so much as a glance in their direction.

[Gavrushka]

As a guy who's lived most of his life in a small village, I was shocked the 1st time I used the tube in London (was on my way to Heathrow to travel to St Petersburg, Radcapricorn.) There was a pregnant woman and her partner who got on the tube after me, and the man took the last seat available, leaving her standing. It didn't compute, and I nearly caused a scene, but instead stood and offered her my seat. The most striking thing was the momentary look of shock on her face, before her city-neutral expression returned. Her 'thank you' sounded much like she was trying to speak in a language unfamiliar to her. - But there was never any attempt at eye contact. - No one seemed to acknowledge the existence of anyone else. It was the weirdest feeling of isolation I've ever experienced, considering I was packed in a train with so many people.

[RegisterMe]

But there are circumstances in the Tube, though I have yet to codify them, where talking is allowed or even welcomed.

Examples I can think of off the top of my head are:-

* If either party is drunk.
* if it's New Year's Eve / Halloween / Christmas Eve / you're in fancy dress.
* if you're obviously lost
* if somebody else is having a conversation that you feel you can chime in on (see drunk above)
* if London is hosting the Olympics
* if England has just beaten Germany 5-1(*)
* If somebody is obviously in distress

Or more negatively:-

* if somebody, typically a man, is being abusive to somebody, typically a woman (though insert race / disability etc)

My personal weird favourite was standing on the Northern Line one night, headed home, where there was a young woman sat immediately in front of me suffering from a bad cough. I had a cough too, and a packet of Lockets on me. So I took the packet out of my pocket and offered her one, I was going to say something, but then she reached towards the packet so I thought it unnecessary. Then she pulled back. By which time an innocent situation had gone weird. Then she accepted the offer and took a cough sweet. No word was said. I got off at the next stop. It still makes me laugh .

[Morkonan]

...They'll cheer loudly and let you know you're doing well. If the audience at our school goes quiet, you know they think your performance is bad!

What are some other small differences that people might not think of?

"Cultural" differences within the same... "culture."

Culture is basically a set of knowledge passed from one generation to the next. It's often associated with social behavior, traditions, regional knowledge, etc, but it can really be anything that's passed down, generally by parents and family, to the new generation. Institutions can perpetuate culture too. Anthropology is the study of human cultures, which is why it's so often associated with generations, history, group behaviors, etc.. I love me some Anthropology!

Sub-cultures are neat. It seems to me they develop based on how long it takes to walk somewhere... If it's more than a couple days walk, it's a different sub-culture. That makes sense, since traditions and knowledge passed down through generations can only be passed down to those generations that are present at the time. A guy in New York isn't going to experience the tradition of "Southern Chivalry" handed down in the Deep South of the U.S. (Though, it's fast becoming a myth. :/)

What's just as interesting is how people react, like in the above posts, when one's sub-culture isn't the norm in certain situations and how that person reacts. Who'da thunk we'd hold so close to a certain sub-cultural difference within our very own super-culture? And, how severe is the class of subcultures in a society versus the cultural clash being introduced by teh Internetz? Advances in transportation mean that people are going to be put face-to-face not only with much more easily identifiable "super-culture" differences between people of differing nations, but subcultures within their own country.

Somewhere around here, I related an experience I had with that. I held the door to a store open for a lady and she thanked me and told me how pleased she was to see that a man would still hold the door open for a lady, something that she rarely experienced where she was now living. We were in the Southern US and she had moved to live above the Mason-Dixon Line... Or something like that. (Ignore the Wiki's verbose explanation. The true definition is based upon one's ability to obtain Sweetened Iced Tea at a restaurant.) To me, that's an automatic response. It's ingrained in my nature and practically unconscious. But, these days, there's a growing, yet still thankfully minor, sub-culture that would take offense at such an act. They would interpret it as an example of ingrained male superiority... When, to me, it's simply a sign of respect, deference, and service. I don't get angry when a woman can make tiny humans and I can not... It's that primordial of a sub-cultural response to me.

My neighbors are great people and invite me to dinner fairly frequently. So, no matter who's house it is and no matter if there's a reason for the gathering or not, I bring something. Typically, it's a bottle of wine. Why? In my "subculture" one does not accept an invitation to an informal dinner at a neighbor's house and arrive empty-handed. (Formal dinners or celebrations are handled a bit differently.) And, inevitably, my neighbors question the formality, but appreciate it nonetheless. As a consequence, they're usually happy to have me attend. I think...

[Gavrushka]

Or more negatively:-

* if somebody, typically a man, is being abusive to somebody, typically a woman (though insert race / disability etc)

This is what I love most about the basic humanity ingrained within the majority. Most of the time, it's the volume of the toxic minority, together with 'clanning' on social media, that gives them a sense of acceptability. But when these dribbles of puke feel the confidence to publicly express their vitriol, they're more likely than not to be both slapped down *and* publicly outed as a racist / misogynist / *other*-ist. There's a well-followed account on Twitter that spreads videos of offenders, asking for them to be identified. I know there's a counter-argument against such a public trial, but it's the fear of consequences which has such people adapt their behaviour, not a sense of morality.

[Morkonan]

This is what I love most about the basic humanity ingrained within the majority. Most of the time, it's the volume of the toxic minority, together with 'clanning' on social media, that gives them a sense of acceptability. But when these dribbles of puke feel the confidence to publicly express their vitriol, they're more likely than not to be both slapped down *and* publicly outed as a racist / misogynist / *other*-ist. There's a well-followed account on Twitter that spreads videos of offenders, asking for them to be identified. I know there's a counter-argument against such a public trial, but it's the fear of consequences which has such people adapt their behaviour, not a sense of morality.

Some people spend all day in an echo-chamber of their own choosing and then get offended when they finally put down their smartphone and are then confronted with "reality." And, they'll be sure to let you know how you've offended them. Somehow, it's everyone else's fault... Or, their chosen targets.

Ever see one of those "conspiracy" or "big heist" or "terrorist" or other seedy sorts of movies where a strong core group of otherwise intelligent people look for shmucks to recruit for their "cause" for their own personal gain? Who do they look for in those movies? The "lost." "Broken" people. The belligerently disenfranchised. The perpetual victims. The ignorant. The uniformly "outraged" and those looking for a cause, any cause, so they can finally anchor their life to something. The more of those sorts of people one has to choose from, the more recruits one will have... It has happened in every society since "society" began.

The internet just makes it easier to find these people and, worse, it's even easier for recruiters because they'll come of their own accord. They'll come because of a link that seems to promise them whatever it is they think they need or an article they read from a whackjob website. Google will feed them what they want to read. Heck, every search engine today is a personalized feedback mechanism for extremists and they're designed to fulfill that very function! It's what they do. In the name of "money," there isn't a top-tier website that isn't designed to give the visitor exactly what they want and more of it every second, just to keep them on the site so they can get fed... even more of what they might want. Even Global Warming doesn't have a feedback mechanism that darn strong.

Add: Do we need Internet Police? And, what in the heck would they do if not impose someone else's standards? Maybe we do need a General AI to shepherd us and keep us from stumbling into the dark woods...

OT: How is "culture" actually being formed on the 'net? Everyone talks about "Internet Culture" but there's so many definitions that I don't think anyone knows what it is. When it manifests itself "in reality" it usually ends up being a dumpster-fire.

[Mightysword]

Talking about culture shift and culture contrast:

- Asian used to have a very strict concept about male and female contact. You go back to old time and there is this belief of men and women, if one or both of them are unmarried, should not be alone in the same room (something like Mike Pencer said awhile back). As kids, we were taught in under no ambiguity term that a self-respect woman will not let a man touch, and if a man try to touch the woman without good reason is considered inappropriate and even harassment. And it's not something applied to adult, kids got this drilled into their head since their younger day. I remember I held the hand of a girl once in my entire K12, and the reason because she ran away from cleaning duty. As we opened the door and do business with the western worlds, things get a bit looser. You damn liberal (by our standard) and your cheek kissing and hugging. THAT took a while to become social acceptable, and even then it's only done "officially", like in front of a camera or something in officially capacity (like a reward or signing ceremony).

- So as we looked to the other side of the ocean and see all of this freely body contact everywhere, the old people look at it and think it's wrong and immoral. The young looked at them and admire the "free and open spirit" of the Western worlds. I think nowadays the standard for body contact in Asian is no longer as strict, but probably still suffocating by Western standard. As for me, growing up in the old days, even living here in the US for one and a half decade I'm still extremely reserved about it. The most body contact I ever had is a few hugs (that I can count on my fingers) that initiated by female colleagues when they were quitting and going away, other than that it's just a few occasional handshake here and there. I remember when I go to highschool and a girl came sit next to me in the lunch room, I became very uncomfortable. And not because of a gender conscious thing (like a boy's blush), it's more like "shouldn't she sit a bit further away?"

But you know what funny? In recent years as I see the whole "sexual harassment" come to to forefront, I can't help but think it's a little bit amusing. As I was sitting there in these training about what is acceptable and how to avoid sexual harassment, I thought to myself "they taught this since kinder garden back at home!" It's amusing because I wonder if it was the Asian culture had it right all along? And these "free spirit and freedom" that we thought we admired from the Western culture is actually some immoral act that nobody actually were happy with?

Cultural confluence is a thing.

[Morkonan]

...Cultural confluence is a thing.

When one goes down the list of "Social Mores" and their "universal" nature, a subject hotly argued at one time, one gets to the subject of "Sexual Taboos." Personally, I still hold to the idea of Universal Social Mores, but not the idea of any shared specifics, just certain categories human societies seem to need to establish behaviors for.

Sexual Taboos are weird... They're so very different. Some, like the ones you're describing, are related to formal relationships and "Courting Behavior." Maybe concepts of personal space and implied intimacy? Forced intimacy?

As a Westerner, I find the idea of such strict taboos a bit strange and uncomfortable. There is, of course, a limit even in Western culture. But, it seems there are more in your birth-culture that we would find somewhat strange.

If there was a train car with a limited number of seats, would it be appropriate for a man to sit beside a woman? Would that be an "uncomfortable" situation in that culture? Would it be equally uncomfortable for a woman to choose one of the limited seats next to a man? Would it be the same level of social discomfort? Or, would that be a situation in which this sort of social constraint would be ignored or the significance of it would be reduced, due to necessity?

ie: A culture forbids a man to touch a woman who is not his wife or immediate family member. A woman is drowning because she has fallen in a lake and she dies because all the men standing on the shore are prevented from saving her due to a sexual/social taboo... It's not so far-fetched as it might seem.

I'm reminded of something a friend of mine told me in "High School." In his family's culture, it was forbidden for young men to interact with young women. (Muslim culture, particularly Bangladesh and Egypt.) This started for children somewhere around the time of early adolescence and lasted for the rest of their lives, until marriage. So, in his culture, in hard-line areas where the true archaic practices held sway, it was not unusual, maybe even acceptable, for young men to develop "relationships" among themselves. (adolescent homosexuality) But, these relationships were not condoned once they reached sexual maturity. (As a side-note, he was very thankful that this was not the norm in the US, since it would have made his relationship with his girlfriend somewhat awkward. However, it was still awkward, as his parents did not approve due to their conformance to the social conventions of the cultures they were born in.)

I know that's a somewhat taboo topic for people to discuss, but it's significant in that it's a glaring social behavior that flies in the face of the dominant sexual mores of a society based solely upon physical age. That is not unusual in human societies, either, less someone think that this strange allowance is dictated by some religious fervor. Plenty of human societies base such behavior on age, going to various degrees to separate young/adolescent males and females at certain times, almost always based upon sexual maturity. As a result, the society develops conventions for child, adolescent and adult behaviors and constraints based upon age/sexual maturity. These things get really complex. In at least one society I can remember (sorry, can't remember the tribe atm), men and women are separated by sex for almost their entire lives, only coming together for procreation/consumation.

I'm sure some might think that stuff like this isn't really that big of a deal, but it shapes both human societies and conflict, which we all love talking about. Anyone remember the movies "Dances with Wolves" or "Lawrence of Arabia?" Remember the social concepts of "Personal Property?" In the societies depicted, American Indians and Arabs, personal property laws were basically "It's yours if it's in your possession or you have immediate control of it." (Or, for the purposes of those movies, that sort of idea.) Taken to a situation in which this rule is written large, like in international conflict, how would a culture's attitude towards "Personal Property" be played out? Would it stretch to include the ground one stands on? (Not singling out these cultures, just using the concept.)

[Mightysword]

...Cultural confluence is a thing.

Sexual Taboos are weird... They're so very different. Some, like the ones you're describing, are related to formal relationships and "Courting Behavior." Maybe concepts of personal space and implied intimacy? Forced intimacy?

As a Westerner, I find the idea of such strict taboos a bit strange and uncomfortable. There is, of course, a limit even in Western culture. But, it seems there are more in your birth-culture that we would find somewhat strange.

If there was a train car with a limited number of seats, would it be appropriate for a man to sit beside a woman? Would that be an "uncomfortable" situation in that culture? Would it be equally uncomfortable for a woman to choose one of the limited seats next to a man? Would it be the same level of social discomfort? Or, would that be a situation in which this sort of social constraint would be ignored or the significance of it would be reduced, due to necessity?

My culture is not as extreme as what you would find in say ... a Muslim culture. In K12 the class room usually contain 2 column of 4-seats benches, and the boys and the girls are usually sit alternately in a boy-girl-boy-girl format. The idea is you put all the boys or all the girls next to each others and we would just talk talk talk, the gender barrier is supposed to keep us discipline. So for the better part of 12 years, you are probably flanked by 2 girls or 2 boys depending on your gender. All the more amazing if you think despite that, there are still minimum body contacts. The culture and our upbringing are so consistent across the board that we already started forming opinion since when we're young. Getting touchy as a girl and you'll be called a slut, getting touchy as a boy and you'll be viewed as a womanizer. Unlike overhere where I see those labels come across as joke more often than not and just be laugh off, your Asian peers tend to be a lot more judgemental on those labels.

I know that's a somewhat taboo topic for people to discuss, but it's significant in that it's a glaring social behavior that flies in the face of the dominant sexual mores of a society based solely upon physical age. That is not unusual in human societies, either, less someone think that this strange allowance is dictated by some religious fervor. Plenty of human societies base such behavior on age, going to various degrees to separate young/adolescent males and females at certain times, almost always based upon sexual maturity. As a result, the society develops conventions for child, adolescent and adult behaviors and constraints based upon age/sexual maturity. These things get really complex. In at least one society I can remember (sorry, can't remember the tribe atm), men and women are separated by sex for almost their entire lives, only coming together for procreation/consumation.

In my culture it has nothing to do with the physical/biology or religious reason. The view is strictly practical: get your education and career settle first, before that everything else is unnecessary distraction. Now I'm not saying everyone follow that wisdom, but the point is the culture keeps that pressure consistent across the board.

[Stars_InTheirEyes]

I recently did a Uni assignment on comparing HR between different cultures, specifically the US and Japan. One of the sources we were expected to use were the cultural profile comparison tool from the research group Hofstede Insights.
Here's the one comparing the UK, China and Japan:
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/count ... an,the-uk/

It is quite interesting how cultures differ and cause much difference to working habbits. For instance, a high uncertainty avoidance country like Japan makes for interesting reading:

"At 92 Japan is one of the most uncertainty avoiding countries on earth. This is often attributed to the fact that Japan is constantly threatened by natural disasters from earthquakes, tsunamis (this is a Japanese word used internationally), typhoons to volcano eruptions. Under these circumstances Japanese learned to prepare themselves for any uncertain situation. This goes not only for the emergency plan and precautions for sudden natural disasters but also for every other aspects of society. You could say that in Japan anything you do is prescribed for maximum predictability. From cradle to grave, life is highly ritualized and you have a lot of ceremonies. For example, there is opening and closing ceremonies of every school year which are conducted almost exactly the same way everywhere in Japan. At weddings, funerals and other important social events, what people wear and how people should behave are prescribed in great detail in etiquette books. School teachers and public servants are reluctant to do things without precedence. In corporate Japan, a lot of time and effort is put into feasibility studies and all the risk factors must be worked out before any project can start. Managers ask for all the detailed facts and figures before taking any decision. This high need for Uncertainty Avoidance is one of the reasons why changes are so difficult to realize in Japan."

[RegisterMe]

I recently did a Uni assignment on comparing HR between different cultures, specifically the US and Japan. One of the sources we were expected to use were the cultural profile comparison tool from the research group Hofstede Insights.
Here's the one comparing the UK, China and Japan:
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/count ... an,the-uk/

It is quite interesting how cultures differ and cause much difference to working habbits. For instance, a high uncertainty avoidance country like Japan makes for interesting reading:

"At 92 Japan is one of the most uncertainty avoiding countries on earth. This is often attributed to the fact that Japan is constantly threatened by natural disasters from earthquakes, tsunamis (this is a Japanese word used internationally), typhoons to volcano eruptions. Under these circumstances Japanese learned to prepare themselves for any uncertain situation. This goes not only for the emergency plan and precautions for sudden natural disasters but also for every other aspects of society. You could say that in Japan anything you do is prescribed for maximum predictability. From cradle to grave, life is highly ritualized and you have a lot of ceremonies. For example, there is opening and closing ceremonies of every school year which are conducted almost exactly the same way everywhere in Japan. At weddings, funerals and other important social events, what people wear and how people should behave are prescribed in great detail in etiquette books. School teachers and public servants are reluctant to do things without precedence. In corporate Japan, a lot of time and effort is put into feasibility studies and all the risk factors must be worked out before any project can start. Managers ask for all the detailed facts and figures before taking any decision. This high need for Uncertainty Avoidance is one of the reasons why changes are so difficult to realize in Japan."

Fascinating stuff. But more fascinating is the ignored elephant in the room.

[Mightysword]

It is quite interesting how cultures differ and cause much difference to working habbits. For instance, a high uncertainty avoidance country like Japan makes for interesting reading:

Like I said, a lot of cultural difference are born out of necessity, here are few other contrast points that may related to the study you mentioned:

- In the US: a blue collar/labor worker can still get decent pay and support a family with normal standard living.
- In Asia: blue collar/labor workers are vastly undervalue (understandable if you look at population density). There is an idom in my country: a white collar can feed a family, a blue collar can only feed himself.

- In the US: one can technically enter higher education at any point in their life, and there are scaffolding system in place for those under-prepared (college transfer).
- In Asia: the only window to get into higher education is right after highschool. You can say at 18 years old Asian teenage face with their most important life choice: get into college or don't. You miss that window, you'll never get it again. Not that it's impossible to start later, but it would require titanic efford that you would make national news if it happens.

- In the US: there are social safety net, there are cushions, there are seconds chance. For the young, early failure in life doesn't spell the dead end of your career, you can often try and try again. As a retiree, most parents don't have to depend on their children for material support.
- In Asian: most of those do not exist, or exist at very minimum level. The only one that can bail you out a failure is your family, the society offer no sympathy on your be-haft. For most parents, the prosperity of their twilight years depend largely on the children success, in a way, your children IS the most of your retirement.

All of those factors combine and you would understand why Asian culture put a high expectation and pressures on children. The angle I often hear from Westerners is "oh the pressure is because of family pride and honor", and that's not it, it's mostly a practical things. The parents must be extra harsh on you because they know if you fall, there will be no one else to pull you up. And they make sure you are aware of that pressure early. "School must be fun too" is a common demand from parents in the US, hell even in college that mindset is also there. In Asia, they flat out tell you "school is NOT supposed to be fun, you are here to study, not to screw around!" , right at your face in elementary school. And that mindset basically set the tone for how schools are run overthere. I kid you not, as a 5 years old I had to take a test to be admitted into the city's kindergarten center. You go to South Korean these days and there exist "Prep-schools" for ... kindergarten. And of course, I bet most people had heard before how Asian commit suicide for failing to get into University, because in our culture, for the average person that's effectively a "game over" for life.

[Morkonan]

...The idea is you put all the boys or all the girls next to each others and we would just talk talk talk, the gender barrier is supposed to keep us discipline. So for the better part of 12 years, you are probably flanked by 2 girls or 2 boys depending on your gender. All the more amazing if you think despite that, there are still minimum body contacts. ...

I find that amazing! So, teachers use social taboos in order to control discipline in the classroom, but those very same taboos are not reduced in significance due to familiarity with the opposite sex? It has to be mightily reinforced outside of school for it to continue to be effective. As soon as class is over, the overwhelming social/sexual taboo HAS to immediately come into play and remain strong both during other times in school and, especially, outside of school. I'd assume, since I can't find another way to weaken it, that's the case - It remains constantly reinforced outside of that forced arrangement in class.

If I had been forced to sit next to girls my entire school career... There's no way. At least in "the West" I feel confident in saying that most young boys past a certain age have been completely unable to go to the front of the class and write the answer to the problem on the chalkboard. (Sure, that happened to me. I wasn't the only one, right? Right? Uh... right? ) After all, I gave my favorite "Hot Wheels" ™ car to my first "love" in Fourth Grade. That's a pretty big commitment... That's like one step away from getting engaged or something. (I don't know if a "Hot Wheels" ™white Porsche with racing stripes is a suitable dowry or not. I thought it was.

Note: Most classes were "free seating" once we got to a point where "alphabetical" was a bit childish. Teachers would occasional move problem children to new seats.

In my culture it has nothing to do with the physical/biology or religious reason. The view is strictly practical: get your education and career settle first, before that everything else is unnecessary distraction. Now I'm not saying everyone follow that wisdom, but the point is the culture keeps that pressure consistent across the board.

That's interesting. It's not too far removed in concept from some Western subcultures. ie: Be a "Provider." But, the focus in what you relate seems to be on individual achievement. That may be a late-era addition, something associated with a much more urban lifestyle. In my early childhood, that was certainly a driving force, but it was also understood that one could "date" a potential mate without a marriage obligation. Even so, parents were always cautious and some would not approve of who their child "dated" if they didn't also believe that they'd be a good spousal choice.

...
Here's the one comparing the UK, China and Japan:
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/count ... an,the-uk/

It is quite interesting how cultures differ and cause much difference to working habbits. For instance, a high uncertainty avoidance country like Japan makes for interesting reading:...Managers ask for all the detailed facts and figures before taking any decision. This high need for Uncertainty Avoidance is one of the reasons why changes are so difficult to realize in Japan."

I understand the concept behind why they may have chose the term "Masculinity." But, it doesn't really make much sense in any comparative sense.

The risk-taking behavior, or lack of it, is understood. But, any downside in terms of successful enterprises is generally made up in innovation and work ethic. "Work Ethic" meaning Japanese are some of the more harder-working employees in the modern world, perhaps only second to South Korea in that respect. In terms of hours and productivity, that is. The US is still very high in terms of productivity and work-week hours.

While, our great European bros who have gifted us with so many great and wonderful X games have, what's considered in the US and probably in Japan and Korea, outrageously lenient work hours and vacation days... I sometimes wonder how in the heck Europe keeps functioning with some of the work-place policies that appear common. Must be much better than Turkey, since X4 got produced LONG before friggin' Warband:Bannerlord, which is fast-becoming vaperware...

[jlehtone]

Have we mentioned kitchens yet?

* Kitchen furniture (fridge, stove, cupboards, etc):
Group A: are part of the apartment and stay with the apartment
Group B: are mine, and move with me

* Dishwashing: brush or sponge? We see sponges only in the "How our culture differs from others?" "periodicals".

* What is that motorized thingy in the sink that every action movie uses for ad hoc hand surgery? We have just a pipe for the water to go away.

[radcapricorn]

Have we mentioned kitchens yet?

* Kitchen furniture (fridge, stove, cupboards, etc):
Group A: are part of the apartment and stay with the apartment
Group B: are mine, and move with me

* Dishwashing: brush or sponge? We see sponges only in the "How our culture differs from others?" "periodicals".

* What is that motorized thingy in the sink that every action movie uses for ad hoc hand surgery? We have just a pipe for the water to go away.

And the everlasting 40 years old fridge that "isn't going anywhere, it works just fine, even if it rattles the whole block and leaks every other Monday morning!".

Dishwashing: "ah, you're still stuck in stone age and wash by hand?" No, smarta$$, I've nowhere to put the machine

That last one, heh. I think first time I saw this was in Critters (the first one, IIRC)? I was like 12 maybe, and immediately demanded my parents to explain why must I pull all of the gunk from that sink by hand when people "obviously" can just stuff it in?.. Took a while to find out what that was exactly, actually. Talk about exotic equipment.

It's culture intermixing with technology, I think. I heard that some Japanese toilets talk to you and even can take medical samples for you

On that same note, the washing machine drain. There are various ways to plug that in. Mine is connected to an extra outlet under the kitchen sink (even though the machine itself is in the bathroom: it was just closer and easier to connect that way because of the funny (not) room layouts). Of course, when the machine is on, the kitchen sink starts pulling the "Darth Vader with a severe case of flu" act. Raised some eyebrows with unaware guests a few times

[Morkonan]

Have we mentioned kitchens yet?

I'm sure the mods are very thankful for your Christmas gift to them... (ie: You mentioned the "k" word, summoning classic "k" spam. )

* Kitchen furniture (fridge, stove, cupboards, etc):
Group A: are part of the apartment and stay with the apartment
Group B: are mine, and move with me

"Appliances" for anything electric in the kitchen used at some stage in food-prep/cleanup, at least in the U.S. I've never lived in an Apartment. (Lived in a condo, though) Most kitchen standard appliances are considered permanent installations, even if they're just plugged into the wall. ie: Stove/oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, etc.) Any permanent installation, even if it's replaced/paid-for by the renter, is the property of the property owner. (Includes ceiling fans, too. It's usually against lease terms to replace/repair any appliance without approval because of this.) Counter-top appliances include toaster, toaster-oven, blender, coffee-machine, etc, and those are "mobile" unless supplied by the renter like in a "Corporate Apartment." (Corporate Apartments are rented by corporations for their traveling employees, guests, VIPs, etc. Everything is furnished in a corporate apartment, including utensils, plates, pans, coffee-machine, etc.)

* Dishwashing: brush or sponge? We see sponges only in the "How our culture differs from others?" "periodicals".

Brush. I refuse to use a kitchen sponge. Those things are nasssssty. The only exception - I used to have some cooking pans that required me to use a sponge instead of a brush. I am sure there is at least one old kitchen sponge living in the cabinet under my sink. I don't bother it and it doesn't bother me. Though, if I ever happen to watch Jeopardy or some other television quiz show, I sometimes hear muffled answers coming from there... They're usually wrong, though.

* What is that motorized thingy in the sink that every action movie uses for ad hoc hand surgery? We have just a pipe for the water to go away.

In U.S., commonly called a "Disposal" or "Garbage Disposal." "Disposol" was a brand name, I think. These days, the most popular brand I know of is appropriately named "Insinkerator."

They're made to grind up food particles and such so they travel through pipes better.... and to mangle eating utensils you didn't realize had gone down the drain. So many spoons have died to kitchen garbage disposals.

[jlehtone]

I'm sure the mods are very thankful for your Christmas gift to them...

That gets up back to OP's "how you behave". Do you pretend to be thankful and hide your disgust, or do you frankly tell your [unprintable] opinion? That has obviously individual variation, but there are cultural trends too?

Someone did claim recently that Germans|Dutch not only take the stove with them; that they strip the floor too. For the love of laminate?

[Morkonan]

I'm sure the mods are very thankful for your Christmas gift to them...

That gets up back to OP's "how you behave". Do you pretend to be thankful and hide your disgust, or do you frankly tell your [unprintable] opinion? That has obviously individual variation, but there are cultural trends too?

"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." <- Culture or not? (A common saying passed down from mothers to children in the US.)

I'm currently reading a book that has a Celestial Kingdom Court Mandarin and a Confucian Judge having a conversation... By the description, they basically spend half the evening apologizing to each other and being self-deprecating. This is before they actually get to the subject they're going to talk about, which takes about four lines of dialogue and is actually only addressed through allegory. <- Cultural or not?

I think that most interpersonal culturally reinforced behaviors are designed to reduce internal conflict.

"Honey? Does this dress make me look fat?"
"No, it looks great on you!" <- Cultural or not... or survival instinct?

But, there could be a lot of interactions dictated by subcultures, right? Like interpersonal interactions between those who share a religious belief. Or, maybe taboos where certain interactions are forbidden except between people who share a specific relationship.

I think that in general interactions, conflict is to be avoided unless the cost of avoiding conflict is something that one of the participants isn't willing to pay. So, if someone is insulted or outraged, they may choose to "voice their opinion" on that directly, heedless of the consequences of possible escalating conflict. That, in itself, might even be a way to reduce conflict in the long-run, depending upon the other person's values and personal investment. After all, one can not truly apologize for something if one is not aware they have given offense, right?

In the OP, I wouldn't mind people enjoying something the way they would normally, but I would want to see that they also modified their behavior in consideration of the desires of people who may not appreciate that. That would be "courteous." And, if they didn't show that degree of recognition, if they were aware of the habits of others in the audience, I might be a bit offended. Nobody likes to think their desires are being willfully ignored by others.

Someone did claim recently that Germans|Dutch not only take the stove with them; that they strip the floor too. For the love of laminate?

??? They take the... floor? Uh, do new renters have to bring their own floor with them?

[Bishop149]

The one that probably shook me the hardest: Differences in drinking culture, specifically in America.

Now some such difference are obvious, I have visited countries that are (mostly) "dry" due to the morality of the pervading religion.
I am familiar with various variations across Europe, the cafe culture of the French, the Beer halls of Germany etc.
None of these differences caught me out because I expected them, but the one that did was the US of A.

For all that we bleat about our differences we Brits, Yanks and Aussies all share a common cultural root and I perhaps expect more similarity than not. I also know from experience that the Aussies can certainly drink with the best of them in a manner not too dissimilar to the British. The Americans however. . . damn it came as a bit of a shock.
A few sayings I subsequently learned that cover the difference:
- When Americans suggest a drink after work they mean it bloody literally.
- The first drink is served with a smile, the second drink is served with a look, the third drink is served with the bill.

Some examples from my personal experience.

- Was with a group of friends in a supermarket shopping to host a BBQ / Party, one of our number asked an employee where the spirits were. Once said employee had crossed the language barrier she effected her most disgusted tone / look and loudly stated that "We don't sell liquor!" . . . I think she'd have liked to have kicked us out for even asking. We did eventually find a "liquor store" in the back of a biker bar (which looked just like one out of the damn movies) and was fortified as if was selling firearms instead of booze . . . . it was mostly full of whiskey with pictures of bald eagles on the bottle and I then effected my best British accent as asked if they'd "Got any gin?" . . . . . annnnnd we nearly got kicked out again.

- I attended a wedding in the US being held on July the 4th (so two reasons for celebration) and I saw two lads ordering a round of tequila shots at about 8pm, "Damn, they're starting early!" methinks, "If they keep that up they'll be smashed by midnight!". Needn't have worried, everyone was in bed by 10pm.

- At that same wedding I listened to a chap drunk brag that he'd but away "2 pints and a whiskey!" (over a whole damn afternoon /evening!), as I sheepishly sipped probably my 6th pint of the day and prayed this guy NEVER attend a wedding in the UK.

- Whilst out on my own I stopped at a bar for lunch, quite a craft beery kind of place so I ordered a tasting platter of 4 of the local brews . . . half pint each . . . for myself . . . clearly alone. . . I was first asked to repeat my order and then given a dirty look that made it pretty clear this item was intended to be shared by a group.

Add to this that the old pythonage that American beer is like making love in a canoe is no longer entirely true. Certain areas have a truly awesome brewing scene going on. I visited a bar that had something like 80 beers available, loads of really interesting ones so my wife and I wanted to sample more of the menu than was realistic in a single night. As we were in the area for two days so we resolved to return the following night. . . . only to discover the bar now had a mostly DIFFERENT 80 beers available! The combination of this kind of beer culture with one of not wanting to drink much I find particularly odd.