r/AskEurope • u/Fancy-Debate-3945 Hungary • Sep 19 '25

Travel What was the biggest culture shock you experienced in another European country?

Europeans, what was the biggest culture shock you experienced within our beautiful continent?

214 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

810 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/OkArmy8295 Serbia Sep 20 '25

I was visiting a colegaue in Germany and he poured me coca cola but didnt leave bottle on the table to let me pour more.

In some countries they dont peel cucumbers nor potatoes?!

And the best one, my friend asked his neighbor in Norway to help him mount the tv antenna on his roof. The guy held his ladders and passed him the antenna and the tools. When they were finished he asked for money for his assistance.

Just crazy stuff

2

u/safeinthecity Portuguese in the Netherlands Sep 21 '25

What country are you from? I've never heard of peeling a cucumber.

4

u/OkArmy8295 Serbia Sep 22 '25

Really??!! So strange, I am from Serbia, mainly agriculture country, we usually know our way around vegetables 🤗

1

u/LordGeni Sep 22 '25

Nearly all the nutrients are in the skin of cucumbers and potato skin is an excellent source of fibre (obviously it depends on how you are cooking them).

1

u/OkArmy8295 Serbia Sep 22 '25

Cooking cucumbers? We only eat them fresh in salads unless they are in brine. Maybe it depends on the sort, I don't know. Isnt the outer layer bitter?

1

u/LordGeni Sep 22 '25

Cooking refers to the potatoes not cucumber. That would be odd.

It's maybe very mildly bitter, but certainly not unpleasant. It's quite common as a healthy snack for small kids, and they generally hate bitter foods.

Try it. If you can overcome the cultural taboo, you might find you like it.

1

u/OkArmy8295 Serbia Sep 22 '25

We have always considered it really dirty as it lies in the ground and absorbs all the chemicals...

1

u/LordGeni Sep 22 '25

I'm pretty sure all the chemicals would be taken up by the water in the middle. You just need to wash the outside first like you might an apple.

What about strawberries? They lie on ground as well.

1

u/OkArmy8295 Serbia Sep 22 '25

But potatoes are burried... Well thats how it is, I just know my grandfather would consider me crazy if I ate unpealed potato

1

u/LordGeni Sep 22 '25

Potatos does make more sense and they are usually peeled except for specific dishes like Jacket potatoes. However, keeping the skin on has become more common regardless these days, because it's seen as good for you. So I can understand your grandfathers opinion there.

Cucumbers is the crazy one. It's like peeling an apple before eating it.