Things that baffle you about another country

[Soubriquet]

America:-

Why are the gaps in the toilet doors so wide? Do you really enjoy an audience?

Why can’t tax be included in the price? If I want to buy something for a dollar it should be a dollar! Not dollar plus tax!

Australia:-

Still weird that you have Christmas in summer.

Wonder if they have different Christmas songs there.

Can’t see walking in a winter land being a big hit.

More like hiding from a hot heatwave

Sweden - hotels with kingside beds and two single duvets?

It's much more comfortable sleeping under your own duvet rather than sharing one.

Thanks @Camomila. I'm not actually criticising continental bedtimes for children (although I like mine dispatched by 8.30pm at the latest), but I was just wondering when kids and teeth are scrubbed - I'm sure parents in these countries don't neglect their children grin

That you see someone doing that one day doesn't mean it is what they do every day.
I find that being so inflexible worse tbh, so you'd never do anything outside the home at the time of bedtime/bath, ever?
Not having a bath every day is not that bad either, actually better for the skin!

Why don’t Americans vax their chickens for salmonella

I had to read it twice as read knickers instead of chickens

Yes. You can buy electric kettles. Not big tea drinkers so you will find most use coffee percolators.

Do any other countries do their laundry in the kitchen? So far I have only seen it in the UK.

Objectively I know it's fine but it does still weird me out

I am not from the UK, for me in the UK was
To see carpets in some kitchens and bathrooms (I know it is not that common, but that the fact this even exist in any house and someone thought that's was a good idea leaves me baffled!)

I've been to Germany and USA several times and never seen either the toilet shelf or notice anything in the American toilets (gap)

The thing about the orientation of mountain ranges is to do with plate tectonics. This pic is helpful.

I also don't think laundry belongs in the kitchen!

I think that's because when washing machines started to become common in the 1950s that and the bathroom were the only places with a water tap. Bathrooms were too small and kitchens tended to be bigger and the habit stuck. Except not for me - I had a utility room built. The kitchen was also near the back garden so handy for pegging the washing out.

Before that people sent stuff to laundries or went to laundrettes, when they came in.

@LadyJaye, could you please link to that bum wash gadget u installed, I really want one. Hope I don't have to rip out the bathroom...

SiliconHeaven Do you mean they poo on the shelf and examine it??!! Urgh.......

Do any other countries do their laundry in the kitchen? So far I have only seen it in the UK
Very common to have the washing machine in the kitchen in Spain too, I would say that's the default place where it would be.

@Soubriquet

Poland...

Why is it traditional to celebrate Christmas on the 24th?

It's not just Poland,many countries in the world with Catholic/Christian majority celebrate Christmas Eve. They do celebrate Christmas Day and Boxing Day (it's an extension of Christmas celebrations) but Chrismas Eve for many is most important.

@BNEQLD

As an Aussie, I found paying for public toilets in London and elsewhere baffling! Brighton...beach? Really? I can’t get my head around people flocking to a stony pebble beach as a holiday. The Sunshine Coast is much more like it. And London in a heatwave, just about every park is a sea of varying shades of pale, paler and palest trying to tan! That’s a laugh. For some reason, the sun here burns you to a crisp after half an hour in 31 degrees and high humidity. And yet, three quarters of the way around, and on the opposite side of the world, the sun seems to have bugger all strength in it.

And why is it that most western visitors seems to think Australia is Sydney and Melbourne (and bloody Byron Bay!!) Queensland is much more civilised (sort of).

Oh, and watch out for the drop bears. They look exactly like a koala. That’s why they’re dangerous. Can’t tell them apart...

Come to NZ instead, we are so fortunate not to have the Thylarctos plummetus. Not everything here is trying to kill you

@ChangeyNameyTimey

Italy

• Why are you so bad at saying foreign names? Making up a fake name / word for every foreigner you know is not cute and funny.

Sweden

• Why do you so strongly oppose any kind of parenting? Adults should make decisions for their children and parents having at least some control of their children is a good thing.

Germany

• Why does your toilet have a shelf?

in Germany the poo shelf is to check for parasites

In Netherlands, perhaps Germany too? they have their surnames on the front door,
why dont we?

In the UK, people are very obsessed with dogs and pets in general. If we love pets that much, why are the pet shelters full? Anywhere else such obsession with pets?

Americans are taxed by state, so it varies. While it is pain I miss paying 7% instead of 20%

In Netherlands, perhaps Germany too? they have their surnames on the front door,
why dont we?

For privacy and safety reasons. Also, it's not in our tradition to do it.

This poo shelf discussion will end up in DM 😆

@Cattenberg

Why do Australians watch home and Away when they pretend its summer all year round?

Yes, that really used to annoy me about Home and Away, alongside the sibling groups who could hardly have looked less alike, and the characters who returned from holiday with an altered date of birth and a face transplant.

Isn't that the same with all long-running soap operas ?

We were watching the Glass Blowing competition on Netflix last night. It is American. It is the format of bake-off or pottery-throw-down, but the emphasis was on being the best, and the competition, and they all had to introspect about their "personal journeys." They didn't talk about glass at all, they talked about their personal struggles and how they would win. Whereas bake-off and pottery throw down are all so nice.

YUCK.

(I grew up in USA, so am very sensitive to this after a UK adulthood).

@skybluepinks Oh yea, NZ is a much more agreeable climate And have you noticed that when Aussies and NZers are in UK/US we sound funny? Our accents stick out like a sore bum

@Signalbox

Germany: Why do you have to "validate your ticket"? Why isn't it already "valid" when you buy it?

This is common in a lot of European countries. You buy tickets at a kiosk and validate it with a time stamp so you can't keep using the same ticket. In Prague the tickets last an hour and you can catch different buses or trains but the ticket expires an hour after the first time stamp.

@truthisalie

In the UK, people are very obsessed with dogs and pets in general. If we love pets that much, why are the pet shelters full? Anywhere else such obsession with pets?

We have a lot of unwanted animals because people are the same anyway and don’t always think or prepare carefully before making a decision, so we end up with dumped pets just as we have any other kind of dumped unwanted rubbish. But it’s because we are or claim to be animal lovers that our shelters are full: most other countries don’t have quite the same sentiment towards unwanted animals as we do in the UK so pounds and shelters generally euthanise animals if they can’t be easily rehomed.

@sueelleker

America - why are there males named Randy? That means sexually aroused where I’m from. The Monkees pop group wanted to call one of their singles "Randy Scouse Git" (They'd been watching Till Death Us Do Part) When the English meaning of randy was explained to them, they changed the title to "Alternate Title". (Though as Davy Jones was English, he should have known)

That's hilarious. I remember that song and never knew the reason for the name.