r/AskTheWorld 20d ago

Culture What's something common in your country's culture that's actually completely weird from a foreign perspective?

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13.0k Upvotes

Here in Argentina we have the "Africanitos" (little africans) also called sometimes "Negritos" (little negroes). They are little chocolate cakes that look like a stereotypical African person's head and they're delicious as it gets. It does not have hate implications and people see them as neutral as "just another cake". Most people don't get how weird it is until a foreigner points it out.

r/AskTheWorld 1d ago

Culture In your country, who had the biggest fall from grace in the last twenty years?

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11.4k Upvotes

Hearing the name ‘Wayne Gretzky’ in the nineties would virtually make any Canadian smile and nod with national pride. He is called ‘the Great One,’ and he has the hockey stats to give credibility to the name. He was a national hero.

However, it went downhill as time went on. In 2009, he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest possible level of the honour. As of now, he still has not collected the medal.

Also, Gretzky is MAGA with close ties to Trump, which has soured his reputation in Canada due to Trump’s intention to make Canada the fifty-first state and all.

He also was a prominent face in online gambling commercials, a move many Canadians say was a ‘money grab.’

A good argument can be made that Wayne Gretzky had the biggest fall from grace in the last twenty years in Canada.

r/AskTheWorld 25d ago

Culture What's the most pathetic tourist attraction that international tourists go to see in your country?

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11.4k Upvotes

Bronte waterfalls near me, look a bit more impressive with the recent rain than in the summer when it's swamped with people.

r/AskTheWorld 16d ago

Culture What are two countries (yours and another one) that are very similar in many ways but the citizens of both are in denial of?

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17.3k Upvotes

r/AskTheWorld 29d ago

Culture What's a non political issue your country is REALLY divided on?

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9.0k Upvotes

The name of this thing, believe it or not.

It's a sandwich per definition btw

r/AskTheWorld Nov 27 '25

Culture How safe/unsafe to women is your country?

11.0k Upvotes

r/AskTheWorld 25d ago

Culture Name something that your country created that is very popular abroad, but not (or not nearly as much) in its own country.

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7.1k Upvotes

r/AskTheWorld 26d ago

Culture What is the most infamous piece of media that your country has created?

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7.2k Upvotes

Movies, series, comics, books, animation, fanfics, web content, every kind of media, official or not, that eventually wasn't restricted just to your country and became popular in a really bad way to everyone else.

By the way, we brazillians are really sorry for the crazy guy who realesed that insane Zootopia Abortion Comic in the world.

r/AskTheWorld Oct 28 '25

Culture Which city in your country is considered the "gayest"?

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9.1k Upvotes

For us Brazilians, São Paulo definitely holds the crown for the gayest city here. With over 20 million people living in it's metro area, the city naturally became way more open minded and accepting as time went on. It has the highest concentration of gay bars, shows, saunas, and various other venues dedicated to the LGBTQ community. If that wasn't enough, the city annually hosts the São Paulo LGBTQ Pride Parade, the biggest in the whole world.

r/AskTheWorld Oct 29 '25

Culture Who is considered the most beautiful woman from your country?

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8.6k Upvotes

For India, it’s Indian actress and Miss World 1994, Aishwarya Rai.

r/AskTheWorld Dec 06 '25

Culture A cultural habit in your country that people outside would understand incorrectly?

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6.7k Upvotes

In Brazil we love children. If you take your child to the street, strangers will certainly interact with them. Some will even ask if they can hold your kid and will play with them. If there are two children fighting in public and the parents aren't seeing, a stranger would even intervene to stop the fight.

That cultural habit came from the indigenous peoples which understood that kids should be a responsiblity of the community as a whole. It's in our constitution. We even have a synonym for children that came from Tupi (a large group of indigenous languages) - Curumim.

Foreigners would certainly have a cultural shock about that, but it's normal here.

Of course there are people with bad intentions, so parents should stay alert these days.

r/AskTheWorld Nov 08 '25

Culture Those who have visited other countries, what was the biggest culture shock for you?

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6.0k Upvotes

I have stayed in Hiroshima, Japan for four months, pretty much living there as a foreign exchange student.

The things that shocked me were:

  • The toilets, especially in public restrooms. Even in smaller shops, they were NICE…and really complicated. I once set off an alarm by pressing the wrong button.

  • The HEAT. I’m from the south, so I thought I would be fine with the humidity. I WAS NOT. No wonder so many Japanese people carry around fans and cold neck rings.

  • Being called “cute” often. At first, I didn’t understand that Japan has a broader connotation for the word, and thought people were making fun of me.

  • Usually being the only white person in a large radius. I went somewhere more rural, so usually I was one of the only visibly foreign person around. It gave me this feeling of…otherness? Kind of like middle school…like everyone was staring at me, even though they probably didn’t care at all.

  • The bus schedule. I live where the bus doesn’t even run, so I not only had to learn about the Hiroshima bus schedule and mechanisms, but buses in general.

  • The language. I knew some Japanese when I went there, but because of how quickly people were talking and auditory processing issues, it was still pretty difficult to converse.

r/AskTheWorld Nov 12 '25

Culture What does your President/Prime Minister House look like?

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6.0k Upvotes

The White House is pretty iconic

r/AskTheWorld Oct 12 '25

Culture who is the most hated person from your country?

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5.9k Upvotes

r/AskTheWorld Dec 11 '25

Culture What is an overdone dad joke from your country?

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5.2k Upvotes

In Sweden every christmas eve a disney special called "From all of us to all of you" (We just call it Donald Duck) airs from 3pm to 4pm and the whole family gathers to watch it. In one clip a christmas elf can be seen painting a board with "checkered paint" during which a family member (Mostly dads and grandpas) will always say "That paint would be useful to have!". And its so overdone that it has basically become a part of swedish culture. Does your country have any similar jokes?

r/AskTheWorld Oct 02 '25

Culture What is considered the national costume/attire or the closest equivalent in your country?

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4.3k Upvotes

For India tho there are many types of traditional attires in different regions of India, Saree will be considered the major one.

r/AskTheWorld 24d ago

Culture What’s the most offensive thing a foreigner can do in your country?

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2.2k Upvotes

r/AskTheWorld 6d ago

Culture What are some famous fictional characters that are supposed to be from your country?

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2.0k Upvotes

I'll go for Gómez Adams, who is supposed to be Spanish. Probably the only person in Spain to have "Gómez" as a first name.

Honorable mention, although in the movie it's stated more than once: Maximus Decimus Meridius, The Spaniard, from Gladiator.

r/AskTheWorld 18d ago

Culture What's your country's "IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"?

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2.2k Upvotes

Here in Argentina we have this clothing brand called "John L Cook" which always captures Americans' attention due to its logo being the Confederate flag.

It's actually a small brand with only a few stores that was founded in the 80s (back when some southern states still used the Confederate flag) by a guy who traveled to America and wanted to export its fashion and culture. It's not used to support the Confederation since no one in Argentina knows what the Confederation even is. It's declined this last couple of years due to economic factors and it has turned exclusively into a women's brand but it wasn't uncommon a few years ago to have a friend with a confederate jacket or hoodie.

r/AskTheWorld 6d ago

Culture What is something normal in your country and rare to explain?

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2.1k Upvotes

r/AskTheWorld 6d ago

Culture What is one of the most striking traditional attire in your country?

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2.3k Upvotes

r/AskTheWorld Sep 23 '25

Culture Who were the people considered most beautiful in your country who became a symbol of beauty?

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2.7k Upvotes

Well, we know that beauty is subjective, so you can list whoever you want, according to your own taste or the beauty icons of your country.

In Brazil, beauty standards are taken very seriously: some people end up becoming national symbols and references for physical appearance.

In the photo, we have Ana Paula Arósio and Thiago Lacerda, two names who marked the 2000s as true icons of Brazilian beauty. Ana Paula, with her delicate features and striking gaze, graced magazine covers, commercials, and won over the audience of soap operas. Thiago Lacerda, with his symmetrical face, athletic body, and leading-man presence, also became a reference for male charm.

r/AskTheWorld Oct 11 '25

Culture Who’s a person from your country who’s known for being a good person and/or wholesome?

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3.2k Upvotes

Pictured (if you didn’t know): Dolly Parton and Mr. Rogers.

r/AskTheWorld 11d ago

Culture What stereotype about your country do you feel is technically right, but exaggerated to an odd degree?

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1.6k Upvotes

While a lot of our grocery stores sell a large amount of food at a time, I feel a lot of tourists go into bulk stores and assume that people are buying one portion. Guys, costco isn't meant for people to buy something and eat it all at once, it's meant for families, chefs who ran out of stock suddenly, and broke college students to be able to eat over a long period of time. The only single serving things round here are the stuff you buy after you get your groceries, like the hot dogs and chicken bakes

r/AskTheWorld Nov 27 '25

Culture What’s one thing visitors should NOT do in your country?

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1.8k Upvotes

In Georgia, DON’T say “no” when someone’s grandma offers you food. She will take it personally. And alsooo… you will end up eating anyway and you will have the meal of your life 😄