What is your favourite thing you've learnt from another culture?

[SandGroperNomad]

I thought this would be a lovely thread to start and to see what other people's experiences were.

I have a few, and it's a hard choice but I would say the concept of blessing the children on Shabbat before I was Jewish. I love it, and it's now the favourite part of my week.

The concept of “face” and specifically that you should do your best to prevent other people losing face in a disagreement. You have to leave them a dignified exit route. It makes for much less aggro and loses you fewer friends. It does mean that in a corporate environment things take longer but the decisions tend to be more consensual.

Also rice cookers- sorry Persians!!

We use them too.

Just saw the recipe. Sounds amazing.

The right way to eat bananas by my Polish friend. From the bottom up, easier to open and never 'mushes'

I was going to say this. Persian rice with a nice crunchy crust is the only way to eat rice.

This is lovely. I'm not Austrian but I have - for the last decade - sent my mum a card on my birthday.

I can't remember how it started.

I learnt the art of generosity and how to treat a guest from Pakistani friends. It's a mind set.
From North Africa, eating from one plate as a family (on the floor, with hands, and I swear this is why my kids aren't picky eaters).

Agree re the rice but I do an easier version from Persiana.

Basically wash then parboil basmati for 4-5 mins, drain & rinse in Cold water in sieve.

Get a piece of greaseproof paper the size of pan & scrumple it up. Flatten then put it in the saucepan, drizzle some oil onto the paper, then Add a few bits of butter around the bottom. Sprinkle sea salt flakes on buttery oil & then pour in the wet rice & add a tight lid.

Have hob on med high for 10 mins, then low for an hour or 2. Serve with anything but always a dollop of Greek yogurt. Could eat it every day!

The loveliness of being in the company of Syrian women, chatting and eating. So much chatting and laughter ! Just time spent enjoying each other's company.

And as someone else has said, the generosity of - in my case - East Africans. Been married to a Sudanese man for over 20 years, it's not been easy at times but he ( and many of his friends and family) would give the coat off his back for someone in need.

No, I have hard floors in all rooms except one bedroom. And that will eventually have hard floor. I wear slippers in the house.

How beautiful the muslim call to prayer sounds.
Chai tea recipe.
How to care for cats that are semi wild.
Beautiful colourful clothes in India (not fast fashion )
The hospitality of Canadian people.
I've learned so much through travel.

Technically not another specific culture , but something that is being lost in some western cultures. How physically doing something which takes time , braiding hair, making laborious fiddly meals that take hours, creates opportunities to talk and bond with family members.
These are the type of activities that others sometimes look down on as a waste of time, or to be outsourced to others at all costs. They often only see the physical outcome rather than the invisible gifts that they bring.

Kintsugi (literally, gold seams) is a traditional repair method that takes the broken or chipped parts of cherished vessels, glues them back together with a Japanese lacquer, and paints the seams with gold or silver powder.

I took that from Google but I did it during lock down as part of a online course that focused on women's lives and we just all sat around mending something and chatting about our lives and I just loved it so i know use it when something breaks, and keep it for ornsmental purposes. Friends also come to me and get me to do this with broken things that mean something to them so they can keep it and it has a story

Is it the drying of the groans in oil and salt? I've got the wrong genes as I've tried and cannot make it work!

Drying of the groans? Jeez. Fat fingers. Frying of grains is what I meant but was miles off anyway ! 😓. Sounds lush

In Russia unless it's for a funeral you send an odd number of flowers.

In the Netherlands, they serve chips in a paper cone with salt and mayonnaise - delicious!

As a vegetarian, I love that many restaurants in India advertise themselves as “Veg and Non Veg”, in that order. And the food is amazing.

In Bhutan, the government measures Gross National Happiness and a previous King said it was more important than GDP.

Also in Bhutan, there are no traffic lights. In the capital, Thimphu, there’s a junction where a traffic policeman directs the traffic using hand signals.

Agree about Kintsugi - what a gorgeous approach to life in general.

Also, Ikigai - identifying what brings us meaning in life and fashioning work and leisure around that.

I love having yoghurt with most Indian food now, as it is normal with most meals there. And thank got I went to Mumbai and experienced proper Bhel Puri.

I have a huge wistful response when hearing the Muslim call to prayer. And thanks to other Islamic countries, I experienced the joys of the hamam.

How to greet people. Where I live, people ask how you are, give you a hug/kisses on each cheek and actually want to know how you are. Very warm and affectionate even if you only saw them two weeks previously 😅 Men black slap each other, shake hands and make a massive fuss with lots of shouting When covid hit, this comforting, familiar greeting was missed.

On the other hand, I've never seen my compatriots queue so properly 😂

Someone always has to do this! Britain has a population of over 67 million and believe it or not not everyone of those 67 million like their steak “chargrilled to within an inch of its life”. So how about stopping with the sweeping generalisation.

Chicken parmo from Middlesbrough 😆

As I learnt with ex’s Malaysian Chinese family -

1. To eat a small bowl of food at a time, instead of it all piled on a large plate at once like we do
2. To choose a balance of dishes per yin and yang
3. To leave the best morsels for our elders and betters
4. To have chilli sauce or chilli oil with practically all dim sum (except the sweet stuff) or dinners
5. To not to be self conscious of eating noodles in a messy way
6. The best meat is near the bone
7. To eat rice porridge when we have a sore throat
8. To use a rice cooker - I only have basmati rice
9. To play Mah Jong all night

Really, going back to English food was horrible after years of Chinese or Malaysian food; but DH doesn’t want to live on Chinese food unfortunately!

Funnily enough, it’s my family from Iran that like their done like a burnt offering (steak and salmon).

What does this mean. Mothers are celebrated.