Re:Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, ho...
by tamiral on Wednesday March 10, 2021 @02:36PM
(#26415202)
background: culturally mixed , travelled a lot as a kid(20+ countries), speak more than 3 languages
There are many mannerisms of speech that cultures use and you can learn a lot about them by the time/place it is used at.
Food: Ceremonies in preparing food + eating (slurping in Asian cultures normal vs western countries its rude). How many cultures share food for example or the type of food they eat can tell you a lot about the history of the place (ie a place that was a hub of trade back in the day that got exposure to tons of cultures (Philippines) vs western food of meat and potatoes).
I still go do the top 10 touristy things in a city/country but then always try to find what are the normal breakfast/lunch/dinners in the city/country and try them. Sitting down and observing people at a café or restaurant for example how the Greeks have tables looking towards the street, or how literally the country is all out at night.
What we've found is going to a bar and trying to strike some conversations with individuals.
There are many mannerisms of speech that cultures use and you can learn a lot about them by the time/place it is used at.
Food: Ceremonies in preparing food + eating (slurping in Asian cultures normal vs western countries its rude). How many cultures share food for example or the type of food they eat can tell you a lot about the history of the place (ie a place that was a hub of trade back in the day that got exposure to tons of cultures (Philippines) vs western food of meat and potatoes).
I still go do the top 10 touristy things in a city/country but then always try to find what are the normal breakfast/lunch/dinners in the city/country and try them. Sitting down and observing people at a café or restaurant for example how the Greeks have tables looking towards the street, or how literally the country is all out at night.
What we've found is going to a bar and trying to strike some conversations with individuals.