Expats, tell me what aspect or social norm of your new country was strange to you?

[AjasLipstick]

I am a Brit in Oz and for me, the hardest thing to get used to was Sunday trading hours being like the UK in the 70s.

The weirdest thing was how much less formal people are...kids are dressed very informally and parties for children never have kids dressed up in party dresses but in shorts and t shirts. I like it now I'm used to it though.

I'm intrigued, I've only really ever eaten soft cheese from France (brie, camembert etc.) What French cheese should I be trying that's not a soft cheese?

Actually that's not true, on French exchange we had babybel!

durla felt the same as a Scottish person in England, as regards to swearing. People were always quite taken aback that every second word was 'fuck' so I had to reign it in a bit.

I think toploaders are going out in NZ. I see fewer of them in the shops and suspect only old people get them.

Brit in Asia, when a student being frequently asked three things, did I like rice ,course, what religion was I, christian, and did I find it hot, yea really. And then in Ramadan accidentally walking into the late evening hall were all the Moslems were breaking fast, not sure who was more stunned them or me.Fortunately a kind fellow student recognised me got up very quickly and guided me out

China again..love complete strangers insisting on inviting you over for a meal or personally accompanying you on a sight seeing tour. The way they dote so much on kids and elders are respected absolutely.

Hated the bread. Horribly sweet.

France -everyone so beautifully dressed! Again this may have changed now but coming from a thongs and tshirts wearing culture it was quite an eye opener.

Ireland- mac and cheese in fish and chip shops. Had never seen that before but it was delicious.

Oh, and in China I always felt 100% safe day or night when out and about. Not so here at all.

Dulra - even within supposedly the same country (uk) there are national differences as it were. I'm scots, when first dating my now ex (English to the bone culturally) he was dumbfounded by the fact I'll talk away to anyone 😂 at first he thought I must know them if eg I was chatting away to someone at a bus stop or in a cafe - he couldn't understand it at all. Also the swearing but I'm also a weegie so swearing is very much part our language 😂😂

Anyone else thinking China sounds amazing? Wish I had the money to travel more widely.

wow. that does surprise me DamnCommandments! I thought that it was one of the least racist places.

My exDP loathed China - especially the casual cruelty to animals He said the food was awful too (very rural, undeveloped area).

I really want a cornish pastie now. I will make them at the weekend. Proper ones, like I used to buy in Surrey

The only cheese I ever disliked was a British cheese. Wensleydale I think it was called. It was sort of sloppy, like curds squashed back together. It had bits of fruit in it to try and make it nice though. I'm a cheese fan. I'd eat any cheese so it was a shock to discover one I didn't like.

Yeh bitofpractice I've heard that 90% of chinese food is a bowl of rice with a tiny tiny bit of flavour from a shoot of a plant

Heard that from somebody who lived in China.

Italians working in public-facing roles are spectacularly vile to customers. It's as if their MO is to make customers feel like it would have been better if they had never been born. It's so bad that I almost wish I'd known about the head-tilt and didyoumeantobesorude when I lived there.

For the culinary deprived in France...
Our favourite hard French cheeses are cantal and ossau iraty, plus other ones from the pyrénées.
Plenty of cava and prosecco now in Carrefour, Lidl’s prosecco is great but only there in Italian week.
In fact Lidl’s has made it much easier for us to buy forrin foods and wines in rural France. 😀

Plenty of cava and prosecco now in Carrefour

Oh Emily you may be my favourite MNer now

😀 Signor Giuseppi is a good one. Our Carrefour now has a section for “les bulles”.
Lidl’s was hilarious in the last Italian week. We were all trying to buy up the four cases of Prosecco that they had put out. People turned up at 0835 and were furious that it had all gone. The staff were 😮

Most people have put that on their first post and then not subsequent ones.Just read back

Yep, in posts that are maybe pages apart separated by different conversations.

just an overall sense that 'foreigners' are 'different' and their foreignness is the main thing about them. I can pass for German on most days and detest people picking up on my accent, because they always, always have to mention it - usually in a positive way, but I hate that being made into the main thing about me

yes I experienced this too. It was a bit irritating.

Wel I'm awfully sorry EastMids that we have failed to make it convenient for you!

LoveInTokyo you are the worst offender with that user name, posting about France and I suspect you are neither French or Japanese. EastMids is not angry with you, just disappointed

*@EastMidsMummy
*
Er I forgot. It was late. Wine may been involved.

Apologies.

Hahaha! British, living in France. Never been to Japan (but would love to!)

Have