It is a glorious mess, and I love how well we do it. When I'm buying meat or fruit and veg by weight I ask for the amount that's less words to say. If I want a certain amount I'll ask for 'a pound' because it's less effort to say than 'five hundred grammes' but if I want twice as much I'll ask for 'a kilo' because it's less effort to think about than 'two pounds'.

I used to lodge with a Bangladeshi family and the elegance with which they could all eat a curry and rice with their hands was inspiring. So neatly done. I make more mess using cutlery (as my jumpers will bear out).

I never understood this. It's way more comfortable without them so why wear them when you don't need to?

The Italian side of my ethnicity feels sorry for that poor tortured pizza. u.u (Jokes aside, it might even taste good, but I don't think my stomach would survive this)

As a Canadian, when these types of lists are published I think everyone forgets we are not part of the United States. 75% of the "weird" stuff about the U.S. exists here too, like these gaps. I just stuff a length of toilet paper in there, not because I have anything to hide, but it's weird to make random eye contact with someone when you're pooping

That's how they grow cold-resistant ?

I worked in the UK for a time. Tax was automatically taken from the monthly wage payment. Say what you want about that country, but that bit seemed pretty well put together.

They are the best source for amusement. The demands are amazing and quite specific.

the people who came up with representative government say they don't want "mob rule" since open democratic town hall meetings where everyone has an equal vote tend to turn into a shouting match followed by mob violence and riots. What they are really afraid of is that they will lose control. It is much easier to control a small group of representatives than the people at large. It's a control thing, based on the "Golden Rule". The Golden Rule says he that has the gold makes the rules.

We yell "Taxi" when that happens. It's a joke insinuating that someone has knocked a glass over coz they have drank too much so they need a taxi to get home.

Pole here. It's a tradition that symbolises washing off dirt, diseases and sins at the end of winter time, when spring comes around. Nowadays, the tradition is mostly gone, and instead pouring water on girls, they are sprinkled with perfume.

And in Iceland alcohol was banned between 1915 and 1989. Apparently all the elves were getting rowdy and boisterous when they'd had a drink. And that just had to stop.

TIL I learnt the correct name for "wife-carrying" as a sport

Thats just sad

Same in Belgium

That's not weird at all. What's weird is the puritanical USA making people wait to 21 when you can get a gun and join the army at 18 but you can't have a beer?

Lots of places allow consumption of some alcohol at 16, and any age at home, at the discretion of parents/guardians.

In France, you can't sell alcohol to minors (under 18).... but that doesn't really stop them from drinking it.

Here in Italy there's no legal age for drinking. it is just illegal to SELL alcohol to anyone under 16.

Unofficially, same in US, if we're realistic... ;-P

Legal age is 18 in Italy but wine and “liquore” are part of growing up, pretty much every family will have a recipe passed down from generations ago of a “digestivo” that is always offered, a young child may place their little finger in the glass to try, a common sight. Or wine making, La vendemmia is very family orientated . The children help all year to nurture and protect the vines and grapes, then help pick them and stomp them, of course they try the wine when finally ready.

And yet all ages drank beer or wine when the Mayflower came over to America. There was no water purification system and water would go stale quickly out at sea. It was used to purify the water. All ages drank it. No problem. I assume it was that way all over Europe.

Isn't it 5 in France? I think that's in the family home, which I now think is similar in other places.

And it is legal to drink in parks and stuff

US kids start drinking around that age (and before) so it should be legal here I think. They're doing it anyway.

NZ has no minimal age, though to buy it it is 18+ Even as a local it still baffles me

That I believe (correct me if I’m wrong as I could be) is a fairly standard age for a lot of Europe.

Same in Scotland

Like it should be

same in France

Sure, but it's Germany. It's cold and wet 9 months out of the year, has cold long nights half the year and doesn't see true night the other half. (Berlin and Calgary are at the same latitude). Traffic is bad because tourists clog the arterials and all the other roads were built almost a century ago. It's not all that great but hey, that's why my ancestors left in the 1800s.

In Denmark you can buy beer and wine in stores but not get served at a restaurant until 18.

Same in a lot of European countries.

And when your parent is with you and allows it, you may drink it at age 14

16 for beer and wine (under 18%) in Denmark to

Legal consumption of alcohol in the UK is too, probably.

now i kinda wanna try that..

This isn't allowed in the UK anymore. While the right wing press like to whinge about burglars having too many human rights, it's basically because anyone might need to, or actually, vault that wall, such as the emergency services or a passerby being a good Samaritan, and it isn't the luxury of anyone to cause that level of injury.

Um, England alone has over 100 English dialects and several languages that each have their own way of speaking. 50 accents doesn't even cover half of England let alone Scotland, Wales, and NI (who also have multiple dialects and accents themselves).

My fiancée has been known to go to the shop over the road in just his dressing gown. Once, I even got a cheeky moon.

To be fair, most Americans also find it odd

what if you have a dog?

I found the sauna culture really healthy for society when I was in Finland. It is very normal for young children to go into the sauna, for example at the swimming pool, and see naked adults of their sex of all ages, shapes and sizes. Amongst family and friends they are going to be comfortable around naked bodies of all sexes and experience everyone treated all shapes and sizes as perfectly normal and not worthy of comment. People don't care that their significant other was naked in a sauna with other people, and so on. Not saying Finland is perfect or there's no problems, but I found that part of the culture admirable.

This is a bit vague. If you mean for prescription-only medicines, then USA. If you mean that the TV is full of ads for over-the-counter remedies, then Poland would be very high on that list. And they're not complete without someone in a white coat and a disclaimer that is in such tiny text you can't really read it and usually it is repeated by the world speed-talking champion!