Things familiar to Russians that you won’t find in foreigners’ homes
Many things are characteristic exclusively of Russian people. Foreigners, when they enter the homes of Russians and see unexpected objects, fall into a stupor. After all, this doesn’t happen in their homes, and they haven’t seen it with their friends either. Let's see what Russian houses have that foreigners don't have.
The content of the article
What things surprise foreigners in Russian homes?
Of course, citizens visiting from other countries will not show their surprise when they see an unusual object. Most foreigners are very reserved and have remarkable self-control. But at the same time, their surprise will know no bounds, because they have not used these things for a long time or have never used them in their everyday life.
Some of the things presented in the list were used before in other countries, but with time and the development of technology, foreigners completely abandoned them.
Solid soap
The treasured block, which in our bathrooms is solemnly laid out on a special stand, cannot be found in the homes of residents of Europe and America. People there have long abandoned such an addition.
In American homes you will find soap with an antibacterial effect for all parts of the body, but in liquid form. Americans haven't bought bars of soap for many years. They have no idea what laundry soap is.
Zelenka
Children brightly painted in green are the hallmark of Russia.We are used to disinfecting wounds with this green substance. In other countries they are sincerely surprised why they would paint these terrible dots on their bodies with an indelible composition.
Residents of Italy, for example, instead of brilliant green, use colorless substances such as chlorhexidine, mercury chlorine or ethyl alcohol. You won’t find either iodine or brilliant green in their first aid kits.
Lace tulle
The entire environment for foreigners is built on comfort and practicality. They sincerely do not understand why curtain the window with translucent material through which the space of the room can be seen.
In other countries, curtains are closed only at night. And this is usually done with sashes, like shutters, or thick blinds. During the day, the windows are usually open, and no one is embarrassed by the fact that what is happening is visible from the street.
Tea-set
There are several tea nations in the world. Everyone knows that in China and England the tea ceremony is elevated to the rank of a special event. This is a time of self-discovery and maximum relaxation. But in Russia they love tea no less.
In our homes there are always “ceremonial” tea sets, which are solemnly displayed at all home holidays. Foreigners do not understand why they should store dishes if they are not used for their intended purpose.
Of course, a tea set is not a feature of a Russian person. But still, only in our country is this set given such significance.
Slippers
Old, shabby slippers will be offered to you in almost every Russian home. It’s customary for us to take off our shoes after coming from the street, because the sidewalks are dirty everywhere. The cleanliness of the streets abroad is carefully guarded, so they do not need to take off their shoes when they arrive home.
Even if foreigners take off their shoes in the house, they prefer to move around in socks.In Russia, slippers are presented in a large assortment. There are summer and winter models, as well as original pairs, with different finishes and prints.
Package with packages
Europe and the USA have been trying to monitor harmful emissions for decades. You rarely see plastic bags in stores. The vast majority of purchases are placed in paper bags, which are then easy to recycle.
In Russia everything is completely different. Our people are used to buying plastic containers endlessly when going shopping, and then putting them all in one, keeping them in a secluded corner of the kitchen.
The habit is harmful and strange for residents of foreign countries. But the Russians cannot be convinced. They continue to collect bags, hoping that they will soon be useful and at hand.
Cereals
Europeans do not like cereals at all, and buckwheat is a national dish of Russians, which residents of other countries cannot eat and do not understand how we do it. They prefer vegetables and other side dishes, but avoid cereals as much as possible.
By the way, cereals are stored in European countries in factory packaging. Plastic utensils are completely prohibited.
Activated carbon
The mineral is used as an absorbent all over the world. But in America and Europe, the pharmacy will sell you cute pink capsules or white tablets, which are not at all similar to the harsh black round ones presented on the shelves of our country. In Russia, people don’t need disguises.
Cup holders
In the recent past, they were used everywhere to prevent expensive glass glasses from breaking. After the advent of strong mugs and other tableware, cup holders were no longer needed. But many Russians still feel a special attraction in this household item and prefer to drink tea “the old fashioned way.”
It is fair to note that we have recently practically abandoned the use of a cup holder.
Carpets on the walls
Northern peoples and African countries have a tradition of hanging the skins of killed animals in their homes. But they do this more for extra warmth than for beauty. In our country, carpets on the wall have long been considered the main decoration of the home.
Today, cities have practically abandoned this “decoration” in favor of modern design. But in villages and towns, carpets on the walls still occupy their “honorable” places.
There are a lot of things that surprise foreigners in Russian homes. There are also iron doors, cotton swabs, incandescent lamps and much more. Foreigners encounter this exclusively in our country and are sincerely surprised by the impracticality and closedness of the Russian nation.
Curious, what kind of foreigners are we talking about? I lived and worked in Germany for 4 years, and in many respects what was described has nothing in common with the life of the Germans:
Solid soap - sold in all stores and widely used;
Tulle - found in most homes (at least in West Germany);
Bag with bags - bags in Germany are quite readily available in stores, and, of course, environmentally conscious Germans do not throw them away, but put them aside and use them as garbage;
Cereals - yes, buckwheat in Germany is sold only in national departments, but rice and oatmeal are in all stores and are in demand.
Well, the carpets on the walls in village houses, believe it or not, perform their original function of thermal insulation - the cracks in the log walls can easily blow.
Indeed, a very strange article, interestingly, on what are such conclusions about Western countries based?
Plastic dishes are completely banned, it sounds like super nonsense.
The fact that now many places are introducing a ban on plastic bags, I can agree with, I heard this from many friends living in the West. But plastic dishes are nonsense.
Well, it’s also nonsense about soap and curtains.
The author, apparently, has not visited foreigners and pulled conclusions out of thin air. Almost nothing coincides with the truth: there is soap, there is tulle, there are also slippers, although not everyone has them.
Another stupid article. There is no need to refute point by point. Why should we adapt to someone? They eat frogs and cockroaches, and we eat buckwheat, vegetables and dumplings. What does this have to do with the closedness of the country? Just think some black or Frenchman was surprised by our things. Yes, they are walking through the forest. There are many things that surprise me in other countries, but we are not saying that they would change. Yes, no matter how mine the street is, it will still be dirty and you’ll walk around the apartment in the same shoes. Especially given the current situation. If the author wants to grovel before foreigners, then it is not necessary to post it on the Internet. By the way, foreigners don’t have this either, they bow down to other people’s orders. The author may take note. This is worse than the set or slippers.
I wonder if the author has ever been abroad somewhere? And are you aware that this concept is somewhat broader than “Europe and the USA”?
Much has been said before me, but I want to note that even in villages, carpets on the walls are not always for beauty. They are more often used for heat and sound insulation due to thin walls. And in some quite civilized countries there are so few toilets that people do everything openly on the street, and openly litter in public places, as in China. Should we also accept these habits as the norm?
As for the slippers, no matter how much shampoo the road from the sidewalk is washed, the dust still doesn’t disappear from the air. But after the rain there will be no dirt and dampness at all? It’s like walking on a clean floor in street shoes... But how can you do without curtains? Maybe a person changes clothes, sleeps without clothes, or do people make love in general? It’s like some kind of “Behind the Glass” show. What about their vaunted individualism and privacy?
After the 2018 World Cup, glass holders are experiencing a real renaissance - bringing a glass holder from Russia as a souvenir is a sacred thing!
What a stupid article. It’s like a person is wishful thinking. About the dirt on the streets - in Japan, when entering a house, people also take off their shoes and eat slippers. This is simply a matter of tradition and climate.
What nonsense. Even if they have something different from us, why should I look up to them? It’s been a long time since anyone looks at foreigners with their mouths open. Well, I like the tulle on the windows.
Curtains are still taboo in many apartments in northern Europe, Holland, Denmark, Belgium. They have been saying this since the time of the Inquisition. Patrols on the street checked what citizens were doing at home... It was very inconvenient for me to walk around the city in the evenings. Willy-nilly, the glance falls into the window... Fuck them
Why endless comparisons? Every nation has its own mentality. And it’s not just that we change our slippers, hang up the tulle and eat porridge. Stop comparing!!!! And how many of them are strange and incomprehensible to us!?!? But the author decided to speak with some contempt about our traditions!!! Stupid!! Not smart at all!!!
And everyone’s age-old traditions are different, and even weather conditions, which also create habits and traditions.
It’s not even a matter of dirt on the street, it’s just nice to change into soft slippers after wearing street shoes and let your feet rest. And also a dressing gown. And carpets in villages are not only for warmth and comfort. In the cities you can hang pictures, the walls are smooth, but in the villages they are made of logs, with tow in the grooves. The carpet hides this; previously there were thin tapestry hangings. It’s also beautiful with tulle, especially since there is such a variety in stores now.
Nonsense!
I bought liquid soap, the bottle slips in my wet hand.
Zelenka is not important, and I haven’t seen painted children for a long time, they are sitting at home.
Light transparent tulle visually enlarges the room and is generally beautiful. Are blinds better (lattice)?
A beautiful service for holidays and guests? Emphasize the significance of the event and respect for guests. Walking around at home in street shoes is simply disgusting, and then falling on the bed in your shoes.
I don’t have enough bags, I keep cats, so I use them when cleaning. 30 days - 30 packages for 5 rubles, you will add them!
It is more practical to store cereals in jars than in paper bags, they can break through and generally spill out, or it is environmentally friendly, but the cupboard is a mess!
Coal is, well, a flaw in pharmaceuticals, you are right here, but the quality does not depend on the color.
Cup holders are needed for glasses, but they have not been in modern kitchens for a long time; they are truly a souvenir, memory and antique.
Carpet! It is for warmth and beauty. The carpets have been removed from the walls, but there is no brain to decorate the walls. They will hang a picture with a dog and rejoice - they say, the interior! And to buy anything expensive, it’s better to have a carpet behind your back than a dog.
Did I respond to your article?
“There are a lot of things that surprise foreigners in Russian homes. There are also iron doors, cotton swabs, incandescent lamps and much more. Foreigners encounter this exclusively in our country and are sincerely surprised by the impracticality and closedness of the Russian nation.”
And what do foreigners, excuse me, use to clean their ears? A bottle brush?
We have already written about carpets in village houses earlier. Believe it or not, carpets used to be hung in Soviet apartments for the same purpose: to protect against cold and noise. And they also put carpets on the floor for warmth. When the underfloor heating system was not in use. And where there are still carpets on the walls in apartments, either people have not moved from one era to another, or there are no funds for repairs. Or both together.
This is how it is done here, but in other countries it is different. And what? Why are they better? It's disgusting to read.
Of the above, the only thing you cannot find in France is a cup holder. Instead of green paint - red mercury chrome. The skinned knees of children are not green, but bright red, but the meaning is the same. Everything else is there: bags and bags, and solid soap, and cereals (more and more rice, bulgur and couscous), and curtains, and here and there slippers.
Carpets on the walls are more common in houses of families of Arab origin, but in principle they will not surprise anyone.
And my stepfather uses cup holders. And what…?
As many times as I read such articles, I am amazed: what kind of passion is this - to compare us with Europe or America, and for example, not with Nepal or Papua New Guinea? And we don’t give a damn what foreigners like or don’t like there! The French don't like jellied meat, but they eat frogs. Scandinavians do not understand much about okroshka, but they eat cod that has been specially brought to rot. Italians do not like lard, but they “know” about cheeses with maggots infested with them.
And yesterday I found out that the Chinese eat live cockroaches! And what? Should this be an example for us? If not, then why make these comparisons at all?
It seems that the author does not know any foreigners, and has never been abroad. I haven’t seen carpets on anyone’s walls for 20 years; they lie on the floor, just like in Europe. There are much more trash bags in Europe than we have in Russia. There it is customary to sort waste: paper, plastic and glass - all into different bags. In Europe they also use house shoes. At least in those families where I visit. Moreover, they leave street shoes outside the front door.
Author, do you seriously believe that cup holders were used to “avoid breaking expensive glasses”? I haven't laughed so much in a long time! Glasses, as a rule, were cut, i.e. the cheapest. And the cup holder was used because... You can’t hold a glass of hot tea in your hands!
They are wild, so how can we not have a carpet on the wall?
Well, okay, carpets are understandable - no use. But everything else... Zelenka, for example, washes off perfectly. Don't know laundry soap? Well, yes, and purple for us.They may not even know how to wash by hand, but so what? Should we take foreigners as an example in such nonsense? Live your life! For me, let them do as they are used to, and we will do it our own way. Moreover, if we don’t interfere with each other with our way of life, why worry about it?
stupidity on stupidity and drives stupidity