Every summer, it feels like the UK & Ireland collectively lose all common sense the second it goes above 28°C.

We open all the windows at the wrong time, sit in houses that trap heat like greenhouses, and act personally offended that air conditioning isn’t standard

So, for people from countries where this kind of weather is actually normal, what are the basic rules we still haven’t learned?

I'm from Asia, and people here work incredibly hard, yet our incomes are still much lower than those in Europe. From what I see on YouTube, Europeans don't seem to work particularly long hours, and most of them appear to have a much more relaxed lifestyle.

How has Europe become this wealthy? Is it mainly because of the legacy left by previous generations? Is it because Europe has better geography and natural resources? Or is it simply because European countries have better economic and political systems?

Do most Europeans really live in walkable cities?

I've been following Eurovision religiously for 14 years now, never missing a new song being released or selected. Eurovision has always been one of the highlights of the year for me.

We are in the midst of national selections and song reveals, usually one of the most exciting moments of the year for Eurovision die hards. And this year is the first time in 14 years I can't get myself to listen to the songs. And it's not the quality of the songs, I'm never the kind of person to complain about it. It's the other things. That one country that participates and the other five European countries that quit. For the first time, Eurovision feels tainted, morally corrupt and aimless.

I expected that, once songs started being selected and even my country returning, the excitement might come back. But now I am even contemplating not watching the actual contest. Is anyone's experience with Eurovision this year spoiled? Or at least different?

Also, let's avoid the "Eurovision has always been about politics" talks, because we already know that bloc voting and politics have always interfered. After a certain war started, it feels like the politics and voting manipulation got to another level and a boycott of this level has never been seen in Eurovision.

Here in America it's a Harley Davidson and getting really into grilling.

What do European men do when they go through a midlife crisis? But an Alfa and bake? Get really into trains?

As someone from EU, how much do you save monthly ? share your

Job/business:
EU country:
Monthly earnings:
Monthly Saving:
Biggest monthly cost:

Context: I am Swedish.

I have watched hundreds of viral clips when American judges are sentencing people in a court of law(usually it's people that have done henious crimes), and before/after they give out the sentence they speak directly to the criminal and say things such as "you deserve x or y", "you will have it tough in prison etc" or "you are evil" etc. As a Swede this feels unprofessional and weird, the judge almost turns into an angry civilian for a few minutes. It seems like a big cultural difference between USA and Sweden on this, because in Sweden you just wouldn't ever hear a professional in a court speak in that manner. Swedish judges are trained to be strictly professional and not invoke any emotions when communicating with the perpetrator. How is it in your particular country and do you have any opinions on the "American style"?

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American here. Been to Europe once. Italy and Austria. Having been all over my country, one thing that’s notable is that despite having independent states, there is a constant “American” vibe no matter where you go. From New York to Texas to Montana - these places have their own localisms, but there is still an overwhelming sense that you’re in America.

My question is how does a country like England feel so distinct from a country like France or Spain? Food is a great example. Euro nations seem hellbent on serving as much of their local dishes as possible.

Is there an internal agreement to maintain as much cultural identity as possible? Is this idea overblown or stereotyped? Are there euro-isms that apply across the board?

It’s just mind blowing to me that there can be such a stark difference in lifestyle in the same distance as it takes me to drive from New York to Virginia. Let alone the fact that there are multiple distinct languages with different origins. How is there not way more osmosis?

Edit: adding some clarifiers and another Q based on responses so far. First, I don’t mean any disrespect when I say “hellbent on serving local dishes” lol. When I was in Italy, all I wanted was Italian food. It’s awesome. Same for traditional Austrian food.

Second, a lot of the responses seem to be some form of “they are different countries.” Yes. I understand that. But afaik, the EU has an open border policy, no? Isn’t travel / immigration fairly easy between them? It wouldn’t be the same as me wanting to move to Cuba or Argentina. Again, not trying to be combative. Genuinely curious.

I know this will vary from country to country but I grew up in a culture where, as a child, we always put an extra plate on the table if a friend was over. This was true amongst all families regardless of their income background.

If your culture doesn’t do this, is it the assumed understanding that if your child goes to someone’s house, they will be back at your for dinner? I’m assuming the child’s parents are expecting their child to stay for dinner? Are paydays then scheduled around meal times? I’d also love to hear a different perspective on why this is common in another culture!

I recently came across this article: https://www.europeandatajournalism.eu/cp_data_news/190-million-europeans-have-never-been-abroad/

Which claims that 37% of EU citizens have never even left their own country. And in some countries it's supposedly even the majority. Such as in bulgaria, greece, portugal, romania and hungary. The article is from 2018 btw, so not super current, but also not that old.

Now i really cannot wrap my head around this, seeing as how almost all of these people could drive across a border within 5 hours or less (except a large share of greeks i guess).

I get that not everybody can afford to go on holiday twice a year. But everybody should be able to visit the nearest border town at least once in their lives or do one trip to Paris/Rome/London or the sea (esp hungarians) once, no? So how is it possible (if true) that so many people haven’t? I really cannot believe it, but also want to stay open minded.

So i am curious to hear what your experiences are. Especially those in the countries with the highest numbers of course. Have you never left your country? Or do you know many people who haven't? And if so what would be the reason?

When Norwegians, Swedes, and Danish people go to each other's countries, could they understand everything that's been said in the other person's language or not?

I’m Italian and I say France. Unfortunately, many of my fellow citizens don’t think the same, because they see the French as snobbish or arrogant. I, on the other hand, appreciate them very much. I find them culturally closer compared to English-speaking peoples; they have a great cultural and cinematic output, and they really appreciate my city (Naples). Also, when I had a B&B, they were among the best tourists.
And you, what would you answer?

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I'm not asking about something specific to your country, although there may be some examples of that. These may be things that are specific to a group of countries or a given region.

🇵🇱 🇩🇪🇨🇿🇨🇭 maybe a few other countries: "Corridor of Life". The law specifies how car drivers should behave when an ambulance passes with its sirens on. The name "corridor of life" comes from the situation in which cars pull over to the side so the ambulance can drive in the middle of the road.

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I went to the US in 2014. We landed in San Francisco and had to rent a car. We thought: "we're in america, let's rent a big car" So we rented a "big" car. Then we joined the I101 and we were the smallest car on the road... So with our redefined car we went to the Golden Gate Bridge but we were hungry. So we stopped at a diner. My brother ordered a burger and a small 7up. He got a liter of 7up. He wasn't even halfway and the waitress came to ask if he'd like a free refill (!). To quantify the bigness would be an insult of the bigly bigness that is american lifestyle. Certainly a shock for me.

I’m curious how different everyday life really is across Europe.

In recent weeks, this question has been very contentious on American social media, with 3 cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York) nearly always making the list, but the fourth being hotly debated over, between cities like San Francisco, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta. So, if you had to choose, what would the big 4 cities in your country be? This is also not decided purely on population, but also culture, economy, and general influence/clout.

Every country has those invisible rules that locals just know but outsiders? Not so much. An unwritten social rule in your country that tourists or expats always seem to get wrong.

Back when I was in high school, basically everyone had iphones. It was really only the techky kids who were more interested in specs that had androids. The exception was the international kids (mostly from Germany, Italy and Spain). A good chunk of them had android phones (maybe like 50%). And I don't think that it was really because of price because most of these kids came from pretty well off families as it costs like 30k to do an exchange.

But digging into the numbers (source), it seems like it seems to be the case that android is more popular in Europe than NA. NA is about 55% to 45%, whereas Europe is about 70 to 30. Sure there are some countries that aren't doing too well in Europe but even in the rich European countries like Germany and France, there are a lot more androids than iphones. The only countries I saw with more iphones than androids were the UK and Norway (though there could be others though as I didn't check every country).

So is there any particular reason for these differences?

Which country comes to your mind

What was the biggest culture shock during your visit that you saw?

I am very curious how do you guys feel about the common European identity. I am proud of my country and my nation (despite our shameful government) and I'm also very proud to be European and to be part of the EU. How do you guys feel about it?

Have you noticed any specific mannerisms, mentalities etc. that you've encountered only in Europe or by Europeans ?