As an American living in Finland you find that there is no such thing in Finnish culture as an "awkward silence". And (more humorously) when there's a group of people all talking, and someone says something really stupid and embarrassing, it's rare that someone steps in to save the offender's bacon by moving the conversation onward. Instead the stupid just hangs in the air for a looooong moment. Eye contact, knowing smiles. Highly entertaining.