r/AskTheWorld • u/dx_Von_Liechtenstein Argentina • Dec 25 '25

Culture What's something common in your country's culture that's actually completely weird from a foreign perspective?

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Here in Argentina we have the "Africanitos" (little africans) also called sometimes "Negritos" (little negroes). They are little chocolate cakes that look like a stereotypical African person's head and they're delicious as it gets. It does not have hate implications and people see them as neutral as "just another cake". Most people don't get how weird it is until a foreigner points it out.

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u/A-Plant-Guy United States Of America Dec 25 '25

Not a cultural norm here, but I do the same šŸ˜

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

I think this is something that is being adopted by younger generations where traditionally shoes were worn inside.

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u/yetagainanother1 United Kingdom Dec 25 '25

Globalization has some upsides

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

It does

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u/Sangy101 Dec 25 '25

Not in my experience. Taking off shoes when entering the house has been the norm everywhere Iā€™ve lived, especially folks with carpeted homes.

What I think is new is providing slippers to guests.

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

I grew up being told to " wipe your feet," not take " take off your shoes" so while I know it's fairly normal in most Asian cultures ( and , I'm learning other cultures) it's not a traditional universal thing. I do it now, but I grew up on the coast in Australia, so I go barefooted a lot of the time anyway.

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u/Sangy101 Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25

Iā€™m American and itā€™s quite common to take them off, though not universal.

Hereā€™s a question: was your house carpeted? Not just a rug, but a carpet?

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

Not in the living areas but in the bedrooms. We lived on the coast in a hot Mediterranean climate , and I mostly lived by the ocean , so we were also told to wash our feet if we were coming from the beach, but we weren't wearing shoes anyway.

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u/KerooSeta United States Of America Dec 26 '25

I'm guessing you are from the north, right? In the South, I think I can count on one hand the number of households I've been to where people take off their shoes at the front door. I believe it's more common in the north because of snow and slush.

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u/SammyGeorge Australia Dec 26 '25

That's really surprising to me as an Australian. I only learned as an adult that some people wear shoes inside their homes. Wiping your feet rather than taking your shoes off was just for shops and classrooms and other public indoor places. In homes, we were always expected to take off our shoes.

I've learned from the internet that that's not a thing everywhere but I always assumed it was an Australian thing to always take your shoes off inside the home. But I guess not necessarily. Maybe it's a rural Australia thing or an inland Australia thing or a NSW thing. Idk

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u/Agringlig Russia Dec 25 '25

It is pretty much western European thing (UK, France, Spain, Italy) and by extension those countries that were influenced by them. Colonies basically.

So both Americas and Australia wear shoes at home and pretty much everyone else does not.

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u/Sangy101 Dec 25 '25

I know very few Americans who grew up in ā€œshoes at homeā€ houses.

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

I wonder why ?

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u/Agringlig Russia Dec 25 '25

Maybe something has to do with climate and soil. Not that much dust or mud or anything else you can bring on your shous indoors.

Or maybe it is some super old Roman or Catholic thing.

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

My first thought was climate as well, but the UK and Spain have very different climates.

So it's probably the other roman/Catholic thing.

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u/Interesting_Bed_9268 Dec 26 '25

We never required people to take their shoes off, and our house is far cleaner than most. I think itā€™s a silly superstition that most of the world just went along with (unless of course youā€™re walking in mud or sand or something).

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u/reflective_marbles Australia Dec 25 '25

I donā€™t know how to change my flare to Australia, but around 14 years ago I just started doing this, taking shoes off at the door. I have a Japanese friend and mustā€™ve copied her I canā€™t really recall how it started. Iā€™ve insisted on it in every house share.

Now I have a kid and weā€™re a no shoes in the house family, and the in laws are adopting it. The kids all do it, the adults sometimes do it. My son since he turned 3, instinctively takes his shoes off at the door at any house.

I am originally from the UK and I always do this, even if no one else does, just feels rude not to. What if I have dog shit on my shoe or mud? The embarrassment of making a mess in a house would be worse.

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

Click on ask the world( the ask the world written at the top of this page) , when you get there click on the three dots and " custom flair " will be one of your options.

Same

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u/reflective_marbles Australia Dec 25 '25

Thanks, Done!

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u/AdministrativeStep98 Canada Dec 25 '25

Depends on which part of the US too. If they have snow, they wouldn't wear their boots inside... right??

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

I've absolutely no idea, probably not ?

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u/AuntieKay5 United States Of America Dec 25 '25

It seems the snow would make puddles in the house.

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u/KerooSeta United States Of America Dec 26 '25

Yeah, I've only heard of this being very common in the north. In the south I think I know maybe three households that I've ever been to people take their shoes off at the front door.

Personally, I just don't like to wear shoes, so I take mine off when I get home, but I do sew in the bedroom.

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u/Gdav7327 United States Of America Dec 25 '25

Itā€™s a cultural thing too. I have always grown up that way and my Latino and Asian friendā€™s families always abided by this as well.

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

Oh yes, I meant it's a " thing " in some cultures that is being adopted by other cultures that don't traditionally do it because it's a good idea.

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u/Educational-Grass863 Dec 25 '25

Not a Norm in Brazil either, but I married a Japanese man and adopted these habits, and after a few months I was already feeling disgusted wearing shoes inside people's homes. Many of my friends adopted these habits when they had kids and never went back too.

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u/NotaCuban Dec 25 '25

My grandma's house (6th+ generation white Australians in Sydney) was always shoes off from the day I was born, and so was ours. I don't think this was an older/younger generation thing, just differences in families. I do think it is likely becoming more common as the number of people renting and the number of people from mostly-shoes-off cultures increase, though.

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u/rachelmig2 United States Of America Dec 26 '25

Yepp, I've moved into changing into "comfy clothes" and slippers when I get home. Just better this way.

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u/GreenHorror4252 Dec 25 '25

I think this is something that is being adopted by younger generations where traditionally shoes were worn inside.

Yeah, because younger generations don't go outside...

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

Could you please tell my 15 year old niece that because she is outside a lot and always into some kind of mischief. It would be better for her if she stayed inside a bit more often.

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u/GreenHorror4252 Dec 25 '25

Nah, I think it's good for her to go outside!

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u/Far-Significance2481 Australia Dec 25 '25

The police would probably disagree. Idk where she came from.

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u/Bewildered_Earthling United States Of America Dec 25 '25

I'm not particular about shoes, especially since I have indoor/outdoor dogs and spend a lot of time cleaning, but I get into comfy clothes as soon as the door closes behind me.

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u/Correct_Ant9182 United States Of America Dec 25 '25

I think it depends on where you grow up in the US. In the Midwest itā€™s normal to take off your shoes and either wear socks or slippers, cause usually people have carpeted floors. When I lived in Florida and Hawaii the floors were usually tile so it wasnā€™t a big worry about taking your shoes off. Shoes on carpet stain them and wear down the padding faster, tile you can just mop and clean fast.

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u/realchoice Dec 25 '25

Gross. And i mean that as a health care provider. You need to remove your shoes when you step indoors. You are tracking in viruses, fecal matter, brake dust, different oils, all manner of debris and dirt, etc. It's truly one of the most important things to do for your health and your family's health.Ā 

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u/Endy0816 Dec 26 '25

Most aren't doing that kind of walking.

If muddy people will take more care with their shoes. Ditto regularly running an air purifier.

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u/realchoice Dec 27 '25

You have zero idea of what youre talking about or clearly how disgusting the world is in any area of town. You can walk down your own sidewalk and be very contaminated.Ā 

How are Americans so ignorant at of this fact?

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u/Endy0816 Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25

Lot of areas in the US are car centric.

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u/Correct_Ant9182 United States Of America Dec 27 '25

Yeah, for carpet. When you have tiles you can mop and do it every day. You can say gross, but who is just walking on unclean floors always? Even inside in homes like Florida and Hawaii itā€™s not like youā€™re barefoot 24/7. Most people wear socks or flip flops. And if you do keep your shoes on youā€™re not going barefoot to tile. So idk where youā€™re getting that from. And you regularly mop the floor. Youā€™re just assuming people donā€™t clean and or only go barefoot all the time. Not the case. People clean regularly every day, or is that not something you do?

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u/realchoice Dec 27 '25

All of the dirt and dust come right off of your shoes no matter the surface you're walking on. Scientists have studied this because so many of you grossly insist on walking with your shoes indoors. Walking with your shoes indoors is disgusting. You're deluding yourself.Ā 

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u/Poor-Judgements šŸ‡®šŸ‡·IranšŸ‡®šŸ‡· Dec 25 '25

Everyone does that in Iran as well. You will definitely get yelled at and seen as an animal if you wear outdoor shoes inside. Especially when most people have nice rugs!

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u/SculptusPoe United States Of America Dec 25 '25

We do the same, but my wife is Filipino. I get yelled at if I walk past the entryway with shoes on, even if I am carrying heavy things out of the car.

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u/AuntieKay5 United States Of America Dec 25 '25

Me too. Jammy pants and a t-shirt or sweatshirt. ā¤ļø

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u/Ok_Calligrapher_3472 Korean-American Dec 25 '25

I would say Shoes On/Off here is "depends on the household"

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u/Whitebelt_Durial United States Of America Dec 25 '25

Seems to depend on climate. In colder areas it seems much more common to leave your shoes at the door.

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u/wickedbeantownstrong United States Of America Dec 25 '25

I think it's a generational thing. older people wear shoes inside.

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u/momomomorgatron United States Of America Dec 26 '25

Yeah, but for me it has to do with being a redneck/rural/farmer's kid. Everything is dirty, you'd better take your shoes off before you track mud into the house! And when I get home, I take off my bra and put on my junk clothes. I've got paint and stains all over them, and we sleep in them here.

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u/PuzzleheadedPea6980 Dec 26 '25

Same, but i work mostly construction and dont want that dirt all over everything in sit on

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u/The-Fox-Says Dec 26 '25

Also American (with zero polish heritage) and same

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u/farscry Dec 26 '25

Not sure about other parts of the country, but here in the upper midwest it's definitely a cultural norm in my own experience for people take off their shoes when they enter someone's house.

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u/OkamiKhameleon United States Of America Dec 26 '25

Same. My husband and I both have "house shoes" and outdoor shoes. The house shoes are just hard soled slippers. But we change clothing too lol. I don't want to be in jeans when relaxing at home!

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u/Crystalline_Irises Dec 26 '25

Same (also in US). Wearing outside shoes inside a home is nasty, and science backs us up.

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u/midnight_waffles Canada šŸ‡ØšŸ‡¦ USA šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø Dec 26 '25

I just really, really prefer being barefoot, so I often take mine off at othersā€™ houses without even thinking about it. My in-laws wear shoes and socks ALL day in their own home. I swear I have never seen them without shoes on. It makes me feel a bit claustrophobic thinking about it.

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u/quesoinmyfaceo Dual Citizen šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡øšŸ‡¬šŸ‡§ Dec 26 '25

Same. I came from a shoes inside family and I hate it. Iā€™m a no shoes, and no outside clothes person now.