The recent baby formula discussion got me thinking about cultural differences.
One fascinating cultural difference I learned this year thanks to Tim Ferris and Derek Sivers is about addresses in Japan. In the Western world, the streets are named and houses are numbered in sequential order. In Japan, the blocks are named and the houses are numbered in the order they were built. For the Japanese, the streets are empty spaces and the blocks contain all the importance (i.e. the people in buildings).
I think this is a brilliant perspective which I've never given 2 seconds of thought to previously.
Started this topic in case others have discovered other fascinating differences and wanted to share or ask questions about.
Happy 2019 Everyone and thank you for the contributions. As a tldr, some I really liked;
dust super quick to comment and pointed out that in Asia, people say their family name first.
thevofa fired up the discussion around cruelty to animals in different countries.
Shadowsfury don't start eating before the elder at the table or drink whilst looking at the elder in Korean culture.
sqleonhart "no shoes inside" policy for many Asian households.
MissG gave insights to spraying yourself after going to the toilet rather than wiping with toilet paper.
chumlee shout out to our Kiwi friends and their delightful accent when prouncing sex - I believe they think it means six.
Wiede in the Middle East, you tear bread with your hands, not cut it using knives.
DiscoJango plenty of great examples, particularly around Japan.
Tripnfelt interesting fact on filler words (i.e. um, ah, you know).
p1 ama USA imperial system vs the rest of the world.
munecito Venezuela's street names!
zeoko German toilets. Possibly more funky than squat toilets.
Yes, Canada is a heinous place indeed.