| |||||||||
 | |||||||||
|
On the tribulations of an expatriate in Europe
Monday, January 06, 2025
Repent with Your Whole Heart
Foods Which Looks Gross But Delicious
Studied at Polytechnic University of the Philippines Updated 6y
I went and visit my friends in Canada for a vacation. We we’re talking about stuff then they open up a topic about foods which looks gross but delicious. So they talked about sausages, meatballs, etc. When it’s my turn to share my food experiences they were speechless, here’s the some of the list.
- Balut
- Pig/Chicken Blood
- Snakes
- Frogs
- Intestines (chicken)
- Insects (worms, beetles, etc.)
One of the girls suddenly hit me and said “WTF man stop making things up!”. Being the curious as i am i asked them “Okay, you don’t eat those kind of foods here?” then they replied in perfect harmony “No!”. I have few friends from Asia and i know that almost everyone of them eat these foods some even eat spiders and scorpions. As a South East Asia’s representative i have the task to show them what those foods looks like and handed them the photo’s of the dishes. As they continue to scroll they started gagging and we never talk about exotic foods ever again.
EDIT: Okay, sorry for including all Asian countries this is mostly from South East Asia (to be specific my country Philippines).
WARNING for curious people who want to see the images! (I looked for the most appetizing ones)
Balot - a developing bird embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell.
Dinuguan - savory stew of pork offal and/or meat simmered in spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili and vinegar
Snake Adobo - snake’s meat marinated with vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic, which is browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade.
Fried Frog Legs
Isaw - a street food from the Philippines, made from barbecued pig or chicken intestines.
Fried Coconut Worms
Sunday, January 05, 2025
Bacha Bazi
Avid Reader, Philanthropist, Afghan true story reflector 7y
Bacha Bazi “boy playing or boy dancing” is a form of pederasty involving sexual relations between older men and younger adolescent men or teen boys. The practitioner is called Bacha Baz “boy play.”
The Bacha Baz ”practitioner” and his Bacha”boy.”
Practitioners and dancing boy.
It is a subculture in Afghanistan. The practice of dancing boy or Bacha Bazi is illegal under Afghan law, being against sharia or Islam. But the security officials are unable to end such practices because of many of the men involved in Bacha Bazi related activities are powerful and well-armed warlords.
The practitioner keeps the cute boy and call him my bacha or boy. He dresses the boy up the best and spend a lot of money on him. The practitioners gather, playing the traditional music, and the boy in lady’s dress starts dancing for them. They are high and enjoy a lot.
I must say sorry for my people.
The Japanese are this way by default
Professional Manipulator of Electrons (2007–present)U pdated 7y
When I was in Japan as a US Marine, I had my ex wife there with me for a couple months. One night we went and had yakisoba at a small restaurant close to our apartment just off base. When we were finished, I left the tip on the table and paid the bill, then we left.
We were maybe 25 yards from the place when I heard this shrill voice shouting in our direction, and I turned around to see the proprietor of the restaurant, a little older woman who was maybe 70 years old, running after us as fast as she could. Believe me, it was a sight you'd never forget. I almost panicked, thinking “what did we do wrong?”.
Aa it turned out, what I did wrong was leave money on the table for a tip, which was already included in the price of the meal. Thus, she thought I'd dropped the money by accident, and risked a heart attack chasing us down to give it back.
I learned in my year over there that the Japanese are saturated with a sense of honor and personal integrity that is so prevalent that it's hard to even describe for me, an American. You could drop your wallet somewhere, and there it would stay, unless a Japanese citizen found it and decided to track you down and return it, with all of the money in it still there.
While there are some folks in the US who have an ethical standard that is comparable, they are few and far between. The Japanese are this way by default.
Took some getting used to, and nearly ruined me for the rest of the world.
Edit: It seems that the time has arrived in which I may need to revisit this issue involving culture shock.. because there is definitely something to be said about the unlooked-for generosity of you upvoting Quorans. Thank you. Sincerely.
True American Supermarket
Born and Raised in Japan 7y
Stepping into my first True American Supermarket on my first visit to the U.S.
I was 12. It was my first time out of Japan.
And oh. My. God.
I thought I was going to faint.
I don’t even remember which chain it was— most likely a Walmart— but it was like stepping into a different world. It was so huge I was pretty sure my hometown could’ve fit into it. Not even joking— my hometown is tiny. And that place blew my mind.
The ceilings were so tall. The aisles were so vast. It smelled weird, like all of California. The shopping carts were inexplicably massive; my two sisters and I could all fit in, and yes, we tried.
The people were so very large. Many of them were in little carts, almost like scooters, that they drove themselves around in. In a supermarket.
There were what seemed like thousands of cashiers lined up by the exit, with weird conveyor belts— plus people whose actual job seemed to just be bagging your stuff? With even more staff lingering around entire aisles devoted to exactly one type of thing like, for example, cereal?? JUST CEREAL? Or, like, sugar. Licorice, oh my god, the licorice.
And I’m not sure why, but one of the things that knocked me outta my socks the most was the produce section.
All of that produce, just stacked on top of each other, willy nilly?!?! Bared to every shopper’s touch, every fruit fly? Friendly towards the environment?!?! I mean, please. I nearly had a heart attack.
For reference, this is the produce section that I grew up with up until that point:
See? All packaged neatly! Not a stray orange in sight!!! No one passing by and unsubtly plucking a grape off to eat as they shopped— if they did, they’d have to be really sneaky about it, because digging your fingers under a bunch of protective plastic is no easy feat, man.
Anyway. Just a really, really strange experience. Everything was too freakin’ big in the States. Freaked me out.
Give me claustrophobic Tokyo any day.
A few more culture shocks about China..
Traveled all over Asia. Updated 7y
I grew up in the US and recently spend a year and a half living in China.
I lived in a smaller city (actually it was a city of about 6 million people but still considered small for China's standards) and there were very few foreigners living there. I have blonde hair and blue eyes and stood out like a sore thumb. Many of the people in this city had never seen a white person before.
Basically, I would have people constantly staring and pointing at me if I went out in public and yelling "hello!" to me as I walked past. People would ask to take their picture with me on a daily basis, or sometimes they would sneak pictures of me with their phones. It was very strange.
A few more culture shocks about China..
1. They use almost every part of the animal in their food. It was a shock when I ordered Chicken in my hotpot, expecting just the meat and find that there is literally a chicken head, chicken feet etc. in my soup.
2. The bathrooms. Seriously this was a huge shock. Instead of toilets where you sit down they have a hole in the ground where you squat down to pee, etc. They are usually really gross bc the pee splatters everywhere. They also do not provide toilet paper, so you have to always carry tissues. I have some true horror stories about the toilets in China.
3. There are so many people and no personal space. People crowd you really badly
4. They do not form proper lines. This would drive me crazy. People just bunch together and push and shove their way to the front. Its really frustrating.
5. They spit, like all the time (mainly men). Its really gross, and I don't know how a group of people have that much phlegm in their system. It must be the pollution. We would call it "dodging jellyfish" when we walked down the street bc you had to avoid where you stepped.
6. Little babies and small children do not wear diapers. Instead they wear pants (trousers) with holes in the butt and they just squat down and pee or poop in the street.. or sometimes in the mall.. or on the subway. Its actually pretty cute to see toddlers waddling around with their little butts sticking out of their pants.
7. One of the worst culture shocks: Trying to adjust to their horrible internet that is sooo slow and blocks a majority of western websites (google, facebook, etc.).
8. Pollution. You rarely saw blue sky. I quickly picked up on wearing a surgical mask over my nose and mouth, which is very common in China.
There are actually a lot more but this is really long. It's a very different place.
Although it's a really different culture than the states, I actually had an awesome experience in China. It definitely opens your eyes to a whole different side of the world. I met some really awesome people and it's very safe.
My memorable characteristics and experiences in Japan
Lives in Jakarta 7y
Born and raised Indonesian, living in a country like Japan has had it’s many shock factors, I literally have a list of memorable characteristics and experiences. (note: Has travelled there frequently, and had done an exchange program last year in Tokyo.)
- Lost my phone once at the airport, literally an hour before boarding. Very stupid, I know, am very forgetful and had a migraine at that time. But after a measly twenty minute talk with the nearby security, my phone was back in my arms. Apparently a local returned it, made me genuinely think that if a foreigner had found it, would they have called it in?!
- I have seen two public suicide attempts in the capital, one was a high school student.. the other, an old man trying to jump down the railing at the train station. Rather traumatizing.
- Theaters don’t turn the lights back on until the entire credits finish, up to even post credits. They’re that respectful. Indonesians would never bother, lol.
- You rarely see kids or babies! It counts as something surprising for me since living in Jakarta, with young parents always tallying their rowdy children and additional set of nannies everywhere, my ears felt oddly hollow without an infant weeping nearby.
- Escalator culture, Tokyo has educated me to stand on the left. However, for Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto (although tad more lenient), it’d be on the right.
- Waste disposal system in Japan is very meticulous, you need to remember details as far as bin locations and truck pickup schedules, this I considered a big culture shock. My aunt who lives in a smaller city like Yokohama has it more complicated.
- You could line for hours and hours just to purchase something (in this case.. *ehem*concert merchandise*ehem*) and you won’t find yourself feeling restless because seriously, the locals are just that patient and proper. In Jakarta, you’d line for a freaking KFC order for just 10 minutes and some old lady behind you would most likely start complaining, also probably find an attempt to shove or distress. The environment that surrounds you is what matters.
- As for actual concerts, it was honestly underwhelming to see how timid and un-rowdy Japanese are, they would either cheer momentarily or just clap the entire time, kind of a bummer for a concert junkie like me who likes to scream and shout all around. Seeps the adrenaline away. (Plus the ticket culture there also revolves around lottery bids, another downside, I’m always out of luck.)
Lastly, another concert-related story. (Disclaimer: long)
So, I watched a Kpop concert in Osaka, took a one-way that morning from Tokyo, since from the start I had the intention of just heading back right after (hotels were also super expensive at that time in all thanks to that concert), and I figured it would last a standard 2–3 hours and the train station was only five quick stops ahead. But nope, it was close to 5 hours (I’m dead serious.. SM has too many artists), excluding the effort to get out of the venue. It was around 10, I had completely missed the last bullet train to at least Kyoto (I could’ve spent the night at a friend’s place).
I was completely baffled, but with my efforts to be as optimistic and anxiety free as possible, I figured I should just take a taxi to the train station and see what’ll happen from there. Took a cab since the subway was that crowded, and once I entered the cab and said my destination, the driver then was surprised, like “Oh?! Where are you heading..?”, “umm.. Tokyo..”, “????? Aren’t they closed by now?!” He then actually called the station to check if they were still open, which was a confirmed no, he then looked at me as if I was crazy. Ended up checking nearby hotels but most of them was fully booked thanks to Koreans or overall foreign fans booking them prior to concert (it was 2-day show so I wasn’t that surprised). Eventually after about two hours, I managed to check in at a small motel, with his help, only had to spend 3500Y/night. (note: my Japanese isn’t even close to moderate, lots of “uhh” and stutters, and the driver had little to zero English comprehension, a very simple old Osaka uncle.)
Now, the big plot twist, I thought after that, I’d say my goodbyes and leave an extra tip to thank him for all he’s done, then I’d go and find another cab to hitch the next morning, but he ended up offering to pick me up tomorrow and drive me to the station. Believe me when I said I was close to crying. He was very genuine to take me back home. The next morning, he called my room from the front desk, and when I came down, he was indeed there, and bought me God damn bread. That was probably the 1000th time I became utterly baffled. He charged me a flat 5000, but literally I would have slapped him with another 5k if only I had extra change in consideration to ticket fees. The trip ended with a good smile and a simple “safe travels” from the driver and all I could’ve said to him was “Uncle, I am so thankful! Thank you!” and that was the end of it.
I seriously regret not finding out his name since if I had asked, it would have sounded disrespectful as he is an elder, and my Katakana skills were still horrible at that time, I could only decipher “-kasa” on his surname. My mind was all over the place and I didn’t even bother thinking to take a snapshot of his ID. Concerned of privacy, anyway.
Really the most shocking experience my 19-year old self that time had gone through. Kindness comes in so many forms, but that was the real true kicker, culture clashes didn’t matter. I always hope that he remains healthy and lives a good life, and that his efforts will be returned in much bigger rewards.
Weighing and billing my own grocery in Switzerland!
Graduate Researcher at Uppsala University (2017–present) Updated 7y
Weighing and billing my own grocery in Switzerland!
OK, I come from India and there in malls, after shopping, usually a mall staff scans the barcode of each individual items, bills them, I pay and bring them. Further, at the exit, a security guard usually verifies by matching the items in the bill with the contents in my bag, so as to check that I am not stealing anything.
I was completely bewildered here in Zurich when I found that in the COOP malls, there are self-service counters, where you scan the barcodes by yourself, deposit the amount to the cash machine, and pack the items in your bag. There are state of the art sensors and security systems to check theft, and no person does any verification physically. While buying vegetables too, you weigh them on the machine yourself, put a tag for the weight, and pay accordingly to the cash machine, which looks something like this:
You are further allowed to carry your own bag into the shopping center, in which you can carry the items after you have bought them. In India, people are usually instructed to keep their bags outside the mall at a designated counter, and are allowed to carry only transparent polythene bags inside, so that they don’t use their bags to steal items from the mall.
Furthermore, there has never been any checking for tickets in the buses and trams running within Zurich, in the two months I have been here. It is your own responsibility to buy and keep valid tickets for your journey, but even if you don’t, you probably wouldn’t be caught. Sure, as some readers pointed out, there are occasional surprise checks, and hefty fines for travelling without tickets, but most of the time, they just trust you to be honest.
This came completely as a shock to me. I admit that such a system works because there is enormous wealth here and they can afford such perfect security systems. Furthermore, no one has any need to cheat or steal as almost everyone is well off. This is extremely efficient as it significantly reduces the number of staff required to carry out such chec . king and verifying activities.
Edit 1:
Thanks to the comments that helped to refine some points in the answer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)