I'm keen to hear about examples of people in other places being more overtly braggadocious. I've only lived in the UK. I'm trying to think about foreigne friends who might do this but struggle. I just can't imagine being clearly boastful and it not being really awkward! Like what do you say if someone says I've got a new 4x4 just smile and nod?!
@Hotandknackered
Yes! Here it really is like that, people are also blatantly competitive so a friend was telling me yesterday the story of two neighbours (friends of each other) who in the course of one summer bought four caravans between them as each had to get one better than the other. It ended farcically when one of them bought one that was so big, their car wasn’t big enough to tow it. I can’t imagine that ever happening in the U.K.!
People have told me boastfully about the school they went to (adding that it is the best in the country for my ignorant foreign benefit). The price and size of their new house + that they are ripping everything out and replacing it from scratch. And I have had so many conversations about new cars I can’t count, usually prompted by their barely disguised contempt for my serviceable but definitely not stylish Citroen! It sounds horrendous but actually it is still only a tiny minority of the conversations I have and people are very straightforward here about what they want, have and think so it’s actually quite refreshing- not sure I will ever feel ready to “go native” and do it myself though!