“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About

“Shoes on or off?”, you might wonder stepping into someone’s house. Well, it depends on where that house is located: if it’s somewhere in the US, for instance, walking inside with outside shoes might not be that big of a deal, but doing that in Japan is likely to be frowned upon.

This is just one example of how the same situation might be viewed very differently in different locations; and there sure are many more. Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community recently discussed such situations, after one of them asked netizens what is considered a taboo in their country but absolutely fine elsewhere. If you’re eager to learn something that might be good to remember when visiting one country or another, scroll down to find redditors’ answers on the list below, and feel free to share what are some things considered taboo in your own country in the comments.

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“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Lobbying. We call it corruption or bribes in Iceland.

fridgehawk , Mikhail Nilov Report

125points

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DE Ray 10 hours ago

I so wish the US could get away from this. But I honestly don't see it in my lifetime. The corruption is baked into the system, as it is - maybe in 30-40 years.

32points

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“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About In Alaska you can be put in a phone registry to go and pick up a road kill moose off the side of the road. This is considered a super lucky phone call as even the worst road kill moose has 100’s of pounds of good meat. Everyone is normally stoked for you if you get this call also and if during the day time people will normally honk and cheer driving past you getting the dead moose. I never realized the weirdness of all of this till explaining the excitement of road kill moose to some friends in San Diego. .

Next_Emphasis_9424 , hitbug Report

74points

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Mia Black 15 hours ago

Afaik in Germany only hunters are allowed to take road kill for food and the veterinary still had to check it if it's safe to eat.

14points

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“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Not offering a cup of tea to anyone entering the home including servicemen.
In the UK not doing so is punishable by death.

Captain_Parsley , Ahmed Aqtai Report

64points

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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 16 hours ago

I have black teas, yellow teas, green teas, purple teas, red read and more. if drink the teas in the correct order then later on in the day I am pissing a rainbow.

15points

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Some things in the world are pretty universal, that’s true. However, one can’t argue that most things we say, do, or experience differ not only with each country but with each region or household even; what is completely normal in one, might be considered out of line in another.

Such out-of-line things are usually considered taboo – “a subject, word, or action that is avoided for religious or social reasons”, as dictionaries describe it. And they can relate to any and every thing there is, from food to periods, and beyond. According to the person who started the thread, redditor ‘Auelogic’, even such a seemingly humdrum thing as chewing gum can be a taboo in certain places.

“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Universal healthcare

asfacadabra , Kaboompics.com Report

63points

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Tobias Reaper 16 hours ago

I don't understand why so many yanks are opposed to this its nice to have to worry about how much it costs to go in an ambulance or get treated at hospital. Its absolutely scandalous how much you have to pay for things And health insurance being linked to you job that just takes the p**s.

33points

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“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Sitting on a desk or table. In Maori culture it's insulting to plonk your a**e on a surface where food might be prepared.

TooOldToBePunk , Pavel Danilyuk Report

59points

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Kathi Coyle 15 hours ago

Tables are for plates and glasses, not feet and a$$es

29points

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“In my country, there are many minor taboos, like the idea that selling gum is frowned upon. This made me curious about what other taboos exist in different countries,” the OP told Bored Panda in a recent interview, sharing why they decided to ask this particular question.

Discussing the netizens’ answers, the OP shared that they were interesting to read, especially as they related to numerous different countries. “I’ve learned a lot from this,” they admitted.

As an iranian, where do you want me to start?

Hungry-Calendar-5532 Report

52points

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SirWriteALot 10 hours ago

ok, you win!

28points

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“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About I just went to Germany for the first time (I’m from the US). My colleague (from Germany) went to grab me a glass for my beer and I said that I could just drink it from the bottle, and you could almost hear a pin drop when about 10 Germans spun around to stare at me. One of them said “….. wafflekween, that’s a WHEAT beer. It must be drank out of a glass!”.

wafflekween , Darlene Alderson Report

51points

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Ralph Kretschmer 16 hours ago

And he's right.

25points

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“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Foraging or even walking through private land (“safe passage”) -

In many countries foraging on private property is quite acceptable if you are only taking small amounts, as well as safe passage (hiking through private property but not staying there).

But in the USA, even WALKING onto someone’s personal property without express permission can get you shot. And taking something?? Omfg you have a death wish.

Foraging isn’t permitted on most public lands either. “Take nothing, leave nothing,” is the rule.

Every European person I have told this to is stunned.

Remarkable-Escape267 , www.pexels.com Report

48points

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Simon Chen 13 hours ago

Then this person has not been to germany yet. Walking trough someones garden here is not something normal. You will not get shot, most likely, but people are not very excited about it either. That is why we have fences and hedges....

17points

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It’s safe to assume that the redditor wasn’t the only one who learned new information while browsing the list, as while we might be well-familiar with things that are considered taboo in our country, we might also be completely oblivious to what we shouldn’t say or do elsewhere.

That’s because our morals and values, as well as our mindset, tend to be shaped—or at least, largely influenced—by the culture we find ourselves in. As one TED speaker put it, “We all see the world through cultural glasses.”

Child marriage (thank god).

Piece-of-Whit Report

46points

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WindySwede 16 hours ago

Please go vote!

25points

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#10

“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About USA: eating horse meat. Apparently this is relatively common in France or Italy, but would be greeted by horror over here.

Ulfhethinn09 , Pixabay Report

45points

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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 16 hours ago

Used to be common in the UK. Gained popularity in WW2 as beef was rationed, horse meat wasn't. Also became unknowingly common not so long back when horse meat was found in Iceland beef lasagnes.

17points

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#11

“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Standing next to a stranger closer than 6 ft, unless the lack of space forces you to stand thay close.

(Google "Finnish bus stop".).

AavaMeri_247 , Lucas Prado Report

45points

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William Teach 11 hours ago

The best part of COVID: keep your distance.

13points

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The aforementioned TED speaker, a cross-cultural expert and a rocket scientist, Julien S. Bourrelle suggested that people tend to view the behavior or emotions of others through their own cultural glasses.

“The lens through which your brain sees the world shapes your reality,” he said, which explains why people might be surprised to find that something that seems completely normal to them, is considered taboo in other places of the world.

That’s why lists as such can be not only fascinating, but useful, too, as not knowing that something is considered taboo when visiting a foreign country can create some rather awkward situations.

#12

“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Any kind of physical punishment for children. Maybe not exactly a taboo, rather downright illegal, but it’s shocking how normalised using physical punishment is in so many parts of the world.

digl3tt , Yan Krukau Report

41points

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Cammy Mack 8 hours ago

For the right age, and the right temperament, there's absolutely no harm with a little swat on the bum. This is not beating, just light reinforcement. It is not always appropriate, though. Discipline takes many forms. Kids get away with murder these days.

10points

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#13

“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Waltzing in someone's home wearing shoes.

Frick-It_Ralf , Erik Mclean Report

38points

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LaserBrain 14 hours ago

I grew up in Japan and I still find it mildly shocking if someone walks into a house with their outside shoes on.

16points

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#14

“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Being gay

MahWahf , Monstera Production Report

38points

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Pyla 6 hours ago

Dangerous in Turkey

7points

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If you enjoy browsing content about cultural differences and life in different parts of the world, you might like this list of funny illustrations that depict the cultural differences between the East and the West, too. You might also want to consider viewing these stories about the biggest culture shocks people have ever encountered.

#15

Any form of nudity shown in public. Americans sexualize everything, so nudity here is far more taboo than in France, for example.

ChewingGumPubis Report

38points

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WindySwede 16 hours ago

Please go vote! 🗳

13points

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#16

“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Mowing your lawn or other noisy activities on a Sunday.

OctoMatter , Magic K Report

34points

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Jihana 16 hours ago

Must be Germany

12points

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#17

“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About Breaking spaghetti.

AdElectrical8222 , Pixabay Report

34points

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Mrx Mrx 15 hours ago

I mean why would you? You're not throwing Sushi in a blender and eat them with a straw.

6points

SirWriteALot 10 hours ago

because the pot is not big enough and you don't want your spaghetti to have a soft and a hard side, or a soggy and al dente side.

14points

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WindySwede 14 hours ago

no, rice are already broken spagetti, you know rice are just risoni/orzo? #TruthMustComeOut! risoni-47287-1.jpg /jk

2points

Lila Allen 3 hours ago

Pot isn't big enough to manage the whole strand

1point

Tango Wox 2 hours ago

Well besides the issue of not cooking evenly in my pot, I also find the noodles are often way too long for me to eat comfortably, I always break them in half, also makes serving them much easier. If someone would make half length spaget, then i would buy that but alas I have never seen it.

0points

Heras buddy 5 hours ago

Put it half way into the pot and slowly start moving it with a fork till all is submerged. Then stir so it doesn't stick. It will come out fine.

2points

cerinamroth 9 hours ago

Biting noodles in many Asian countries is also taboo. The noodle signifies the length of your life, so it's considered very unlucky to shorten them in any way! Just slurp em up (you get used to it).

1point

Hobby Hopper 6 hours ago

Do you swallow them whole, or is it okay to chew them once they're in your mouth?

1point

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realenancy170 2 hours ago

I break spaghetti in thirds if I am putting it in soup.

0points

ILoveMySon 3 hours ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Mr. Jones 4 hours ago

What's the difference of breaking it or cutting it? Who really wants spaghetti hanging out of their mouth in a restaurant?

0points

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#18

“Mowing Your Lawn On A Sunday”: 30 Taboo Things Other Countries Don’t Think Twice About The word “c**t”. It’s a HUGE insult here in the US but it’s barely a swear in the UK and practically term of affection in Australia. (I might be stereotyping a little here though).

disgruntledhoneybee , Helena Lopes Report

32points

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Ace 14 hours ago

Not really true. Yes, it can be, carefully, used between friends, but use it as a real insult it's still pretty much as 'strong' a swearword as is possible.

14points

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