Social etiquette/quirks in your region/country

[Sleepy Sol]

I have had some awkward moments with people from the US because they hug or kiss as a greeting and that's just so strange for me. Arghhh get our of my personal space! I don't know whether you'd consider that a US quirk or if it's a quirk for us not to do that.

Well, I can sorta get the whole hug as greeting thing if it's family or a close friend, and sometimes a kiss too, but that still sounds pretty weird to me. Like, I'm not gonna hug someone as a greeting unless they're one of my best friends or my family. And I don't have many of those.

Maybe that's just me, since I don't get out much and I generally strongly dislike in-person conversations.

 

[Dr. Thrax]

It's also true that we generally don't date; we "Fika" or well "Fikar" would be the correct term.

The part about how relationships starts is actually 100% accurate. You hang out until such a time it's agreed upon that you are now officially in a relationship. Disagreements or confusion about when you've become a couple is not uncommon, even more so for other people - like friends or family of the supposed couple. Just ask and you might get a reply that makes sense to you - no guarantees though.

Spoiler: Optional information about what fika is and why everyone should do it; because cookies, pie, cake and cinnamon buns are great and if you claim otherwise you're dead to me. You hear that: DEAD!

Essentially eat cookies and other baked goods and drink coffee or whatever you'd like (mostly while talking), only unlike a date it's fine to do in groups or just as friends. I can totally "fika" with my sisters, my mom, my grandmother or a guy friend and it's social and nice, or I can fika with someone I'm romantically interested in and it's still "fika" but also kind of a date. I can even fika by myself, and there needs to be at least two fika breaks in the workday - nuances (with cookies, or pie or other great things you want in your life).

Swedish society would probably collapse without fika to make everyone get along keep us focused on the threats posed by large wildlife, strangers and cold weather. <- This sentence is wild speculation with little basis in fact added because it amuses me to make fun of my country's quirks, in case that wasn't already abundantly clear.

The US seriously needs to pick this up.
I remember reading about this somewhere a while back and I was just floored at how simple and just what an impact it could have on your work attitude if you could just drop everything, have a 10 minute coffee and snack break, and then get back to work. Here in the US, the only breaks we get are our standard lunch breaks.
The fact that it's also so flexible of a concept is cool, too.
It's not a "date" thing, it can be, but it's a simple get-together and relax moment.
Unfortunately, I know that Fika during workdays would never catch on here, it'd hurt their precious profits!

 

[inmunitas]

In Northern England "lad" refers to a boy/man and "lass" a girl/woman.

 

[Ragnoon]

Warning: This post has naughty words in it. If you're easily offended, avert your gaze, lest your sensitive virgin mind be sullied.

Here in Australia, the words "**** and mate" actually mean the opposite of everywhere else.

You see, here in Australia we call our mates **** and we call anyone we think is a **** mate.

Examples:
"Oi, mate!" means you've pissed me off.
"Oi, ****!" is a standard greeting.

I take it that you're from the eastern states?, because here in Western Australia "****" is normally replaced with "fuck" or "******", can't speak for everyone though. That comes from my experience with the local bogans.

also what anime is your display pic from?, I see it everywhere and it is strangely hypnotic.

 

[VanQ]

Warning: This post has naughty words in it. If you're easily offended, avert your gaze, lest your sensitive virgin mind be sullied.

Here in Australia, the words "**** and mate" actually mean the opposite of everywhere else.

You see, here in Australia we call our mates **** and we call anyone we think is a **** mate.

Examples:
"Oi, mate!" means you've pissed me off.
"Oi, ****!" is a standard greeting.

I take it that you're from the eastern states?, because here in Western Australia "****" is normally replaced with "fuck" or "******", can't speak for everyone though. That comes from my experience with the local bogans.

also what anime is your display pic from?, I see it everywhere and it is strangely hypnotic.

Yep, I'm from Queensland. Also, the avatar is from The iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls, which is currently airing this season.

 

[Barbas]

Here in Australia, the words "**** and mate" actually mean the opposite of everywhere else.

You see, here in Australia we call our mates **** and we call anyone we think is a **** mate.

Examples:
"Oi, mate!" means you've pissed me off.
"Oi, ****!" is a standard greeting.

Does this also apply to Alf "Suck Shut Cunts I'm A Fuckin' Winner" Stewart??? :/

OT: I've picked up a lot of weird and wonderful little things from Europe and Asia and probably more than I'm aware of from the States, so it's more difficult to remember the oldest ones that were commonly employed in China. Still, ones thing that does stick with me is the practice of, when alighting from a minibus and thanking the driver, referring to them as "brother" or "uncle" (depending on their age). It was nice, it created a real sense of community.

Here in the UK, I met a Spanish woman who said to me, "You know, things are so strange in this country. People are so uptight. Where I come from, we greet a new person and ask if they have any brothers or sisters as a matter of course. If I ask that here, people can be so rude!"

 

[Silvanus]

I can't tell what's culturally odd, because I've spent too long in this culture, so I can only see everything we do as universally normal.

For instance, our habit of launching ourselves head-first into strangers as a manner of greeting. People do that everywhere, right?

Pft. It's "fizzy drink". It's a drink, and there is fizz. End of.

Definitely agreed. The word "pop" even makes me a little bit irate.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

In Canada we really are generally almost overly polite to each other, including apologizing in cases where an apology probably isn't required.

Sorry.

OT: I don't know if its particularly a Saskatchewan thing or something that's coast to coast but wearing a hat indoors is considered rude, even if you aren't that new a guest. I take off my hats for restaurants and when I've come in to hang out at a friends place. Could just be something my family beat me over the head with but it came from both sides of the family so... :?

 

[Thorn14]

First of all, anyone who calls it soda can go sleep in a pile of bugs.

Michiganders apparently have a bad habit of adding possessive plural to stores. Its Meijer not Meijer's but we call it that.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Well, everybody greets each other with a kiss on the cheek. Or rather, lining up cheek with cheek and making kissing noises. You get the picture. This applies more or less to friends, family, friends of friends and broadly speaking any member of your karass, if anybody gets that. So it's always awkward when you travel abroad and you naturally try to kiss a guy that's offering you a handshake. Countries where you do two kisses - one for each cheek - also weird me out. Seems like a bit too much. One kiss is good enough.

I got caught out because the country I used to live in has shifted it's standards over time.

It used to be 3 kisses, now it's 4... >_>

Also I'm not longer used to doing it at all, so uh, it was just generally confusing.

 

[the December King]

Soda pop, fizzy drink, soft drink, none of that matters.

As long as it comes in a 'tin'.

 

[Cavouku]

In Canada we really are generally almost overly polite to each other, including apologizing in cases where an apology probably isn't required.

Sorry.

OT: I don't know if its particularly a Saskatchewan thing or something that's coast to coast but wearing a hat indoors is considered rude, even if you aren't that new a guest. I take off my hats for restaurants and when I've come in to hang out at a friends place. Could just be something my family beat me over the head with but it came from both sides of the family so... :?

I'm gonna go with Saskatchewan thing. Here in Nova Scotia, you only ever really need to remove your hats in class.

Actually, now that I'm in University, it's only for tests and exams and such. You can wear your hat all day most of the time. No restaurant or whatever would ask you to remove your hat lest it's some classy shit. Though your parents may still find it a touch rude if you're with them.

OT: Is it something to say that being too polite can be considered rude in some circumstances? Well, I guess that's not THAT weird, but as an example: If I know you well enough, and you're being extra polite in the way you speak, and compose yourself, I'm gonna get the impression you're being a tightwad, or I'm making you uncomfortable, or there's otherwise some issue with my hospitality.

We like to make people feel at home, I guess, so if you don't feel at home we're a bit upset about it. I know in a lot of cultures it's rude to accept a gift right away if it's been offered. Here, you really only refuse if you genuinely don't want it, because if you turn it down it's assumed that you just don't want it. If they offer it again, and you really do want it, you were just being "polite", take it now, last chance.

That said, we still have the Canadian over-sorrying thing going on, which is acceptable to overdue even if we're on casual basis. Sorry about that.

But yeah, around here, for the most part, you better learn to act casual fast (at least in my experience). People can and do stop and chat you up about some nonsense in the middle of the sidewalk, just to comment on the weather or something and hear a reply. I am more than very guilty of this, and once had a minute-long conversation with some dude I didn't know, nor ever came to know.

Though the air-cheek kissing thing is different, and hugs are typically reserved for good buddies, family, or romantic interests, not often newly-met strangers.

I think that covers it, in far too many words. I suck at trimming my posts.

 

[Recusant]

Soda pop, fizzy drink, soft drink, none of that matters.

As long as it comes in a 'tin'.

In the US, China, Canada, it is made of aluminum. In Ireland and the UK, it's made of steel. Granted, that's only five countries, but between them, they're the majority of the English-speaking world. If it ain't made of tin, it really has no business being a "tin", now does it? It's a can.

 

[Pandalisk]

I'm Irish, but more importantly I'm from Cork and Corkisms manage to confuse the fuck out anyone not from Cork.

One that annoys my online friends when we play DOTA or War Thunder is how I refer to anything I talk about as "Yer man" which isn't very descriptive or helpful and only confuses the fuck out of everyone.

We also punctuate the start or end of a sentence with "Ah sure". We also over use the word "dose" and "trek" which means varying degrees of shitness happening and the word "grand"

Also to "shift" is to get with someone which confuses the fuck out of foreigners because when you ask them for a "shift" they just move politely to the side </3 Curse these language barriers

It's called pop!

Spoiler: See these?

It's not soda! It's not soda-pop! It's pop! Come to accept it, everyone that doesn't live around Ohio!

We just call em' "cans" here.

 

[the December King]

Soda pop, fizzy drink, soft drink, none of that matters.

As long as it comes in a 'tin'.

In the US, China, Canada, it is made of aluminum. In Ireland and the UK, it's made of steel. Granted, that's only five countries, but between them, they're the majority of the English-speaking world. If it ain't made of tin, it really has no business being a "tin", now does it? It's a can.

And yet I learned the term here in the Maritimes, in reference to soda pops. Weird, huh? But that's what makes it a local quirk, I reckon. Also, an old one- if I remember correctly, I picked it up from an older crowd. Might be a hold over from when cans in general were made more from tin.

 

[Souther Thorn]

Playing 'Marco Polo' with a pipe or joint at a party or social gathering. If there's no rotation, whoever has it will call 'MARKO' whoever gets the 'POLO' out first gets the piece and moves it on to the left.

 

[CymbaIine]

It's called pop!

Spoiler: See these?

It's not soda! It's not soda-pop! It's pop! Come to accept it, everyone that doesn't live around Ohio!

Completely agree, it is also pop in some parts of North-West England.

 

[Albino Boo]

I am rather surprised that no one has posted this yet

 

[Aesir23]

In Canada we really are generally almost overly polite to each other, including apologizing in cases where an apology probably isn't required.

Sorry.

OT: I don't know if its particularly a Saskatchewan thing or something that's coast to coast but wearing a hat indoors is considered rude, even if you aren't that new a guest. I take off my hats for restaurants and when I've come in to hang out at a friends place. Could just be something my family beat me over the head with but it came from both sides of the family so... :?

It's definitely a Saskatchewan thing. I'm in Manitoba and we only really need to remove our hats in class and potentially in a professional setting depending on the job.

Also, I would definitely agree on the part about Canadians being overly polite/overly apologetic. I used to confuse the hell out of my friend from Connecticut (now currently in South Carolina) because I would apologize just to be polite instead of something I actually needed to apologize for.

 

[schubi]

German speaking and most Slavic countries:

If you meet someone for the first time, address them in plural.
If you talk to someone you are not on very friendly terms with, address them in plural.
If you wish to express respect towards someone, address them in plural.
If you talk to someone older than you, address them in plural.

Children used to have to address their parents in plural.

Some foreign companies even got in hot water for not addressing their customers in plural on their billboards (IKEA).

Weird concept to explain to someone in english.