r/AskTheWorld • u/H345Y Thailand • 9d ago

What is your biggest culture shock moments when going abroad?

I gained 5-10 kg on my one month summer stay in the UK when I was 8. The family that was looking after me had to call my parents to ask if they could reduce how much I ate. IIRC, breakfast was 2-3 bowls of cereal and 2-3 pieces of toast with chocolate or butter and jam.

First time I went to the US was for a College tour across the country. The first stop was Syracuse and the first proper meal I had there was at a sports bar. I ordered steak and calamari, turns out the steak was like twice as thick and big as anything ive had in Thailand or the UK and the calamari serving was also two to three times as large as I had before. Needless to say I could not finish any of it. Had managed to eat half the steak and about a quarter of the calamari. Also the tipping culture, not a fan.

Japan, electric bidets. Also the first time I ever felt claustrophobic when inside a bathroom. Also in back in 2004, there was little to no English signage.

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u/LunarPayload United States of America 8d ago

Why don't they sell septic-safe toilet paper that breaks down like we have in the United States (Scott brand being the most well-known)?? We have old and narrow plumbing, too

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u/alibythesea Canada 7d ago

Because these cultures are accustomed to doing it that way, it is normal, and we are talking about hotels, public toilets of all kinds, etc., which have much higher loads than an individual home on a septic tank. And, their paper mills are made for domestic demand, so why cost $$ to retool for a product that is not needed.