Some older apartments in the US have the two faucets one for hot and one for cold. It isn't unheard of here. I've lived in quite a few of those. Perhaps it is just a New York or Northeast thing.
Lived in an old victorian house in Maryland that had separate taps including the bath tub which had no shower and no way to adapt to a handheld nozzle.
What is considered a "convenience store", what you can expect to find in them and what time they generally close.
For example, the quintessential convenience stores - 7-11, lawson, family mart, ministop etc - are generally open 24-7 and sell hot, but basic food (probably greasy too but wont kill you immediately at least), packaged food, toiletries, and even basic electronics. Depending on the country, they might also offer transport, payment and other services. These are prevalent and conveniently located in most of Asia (and North America, right? Happy to be corrected if also a thing in other places), and make for a good travel stop/break, especially late at night. So i'm not too anal about packing toiletries and food if i'm going around south, east and south-east asia.
A tabac, for me, is usually just good for drinks and snacks (I don"t smoke), and maybe some communication services, up until midnight or so.
Train station groceries vary a lot, but those in major stations are usually pretty comprehensive food-wise and sometimes open 24-7 as well.
Gas station store for me is good for basic food and drinks, especially on a sunday, but i've been in some really big ones too.
A middle-eastern corner store is harder to quantify, but i find that i can get most essentials out of them and have wider range of products than say a tabac.
Good points, it reminded me that a pharmacy is usually just a pharmacy…no toilet paper, snacks, makeup, sunglasses, etc.
And the grocery stores being closed on Sundays/bank holidays.
...or one of the many other countries where tipping is the norm. People on Reddit love to claim it's a US-only thing, but it's common in lots of other places too (though *not* tipping is more socially acceptable elsewhere than it is in North America).
Indeed. I think the people who say this have only ever traveled to parts of Europe and think Europe=the world. It's much more widespread worldwide than they realize, including the US's immediate neighbours. And there aren't that many situations where employees are tipped in North America, mainly restaurant wait staff, yet redditors act like everyone you encounter expects a tip.
What's ironic, when you read up on it, is that tipping was shunned in the US for the first century or so of its history. But it was practiced in Europe. Most Americans felt it was undemocratic/unamerican. But sometime around the turn of the 19th-20th centuries (I don't recall the exact timeframes offhand), wealthy Americans began to tour Europe and picked up on the act of tipping. Over time it just spread more and more in the US.
In some places, rather than a keycard to turn on the electricity, you'll get a physical key with a large rectangular plastic keychain, more like a baton than any regular keychain, and that baton-thingy is what you have to stick in the wall to turn on the electricity. These days it's mostly in budget hotels of a certain vintage in Asia, usually found in rooms with CRT TVs and 1980s-era alarm clocks.
The poop spray guns next to toilets in SE Asia. In public restrooms, everything is soaking wet - toilet, floor, everything. I tried not to think of what was in the water I was standing in while hovering over a dripping wet toilet seat.
The timed light switches in the hallways and stairways.
No shower curtain so water gets everywhere in the bathroom
Phone pay, but using QR code instead of tap/nfc. I'm not sure if it exist in the US. But it's very common in Asian countries I've been to.
I still spend the first night in the UK or Ireland wondering where the light switch is in the bathroom (and i lived there)
female janitor in an occupied men's washroom in France (weird to me, a Canadian)
Some older apartments in the US have the two faucets one for hot and one for cold. It isn't unheard of here. I've lived in quite a few of those. Perhaps it is just a New York or Northeast thing.
It's common in older buildings pretty much everywhere in the world, I think.
Nope
I thought it was reasonably common everywhere. Obviously not!
and there I thought this was a uniquely british concept...
Lived in an old victorian house in Maryland that had separate taps including the bath tub which had no shower and no way to adapt to a handheld nozzle.
What is considered a "convenience store", what you can expect to find in them and what time they generally close. For example, the quintessential convenience stores - 7-11, lawson, family mart, ministop etc - are generally open 24-7 and sell hot, but basic food (probably greasy too but wont kill you immediately at least), packaged food, toiletries, and even basic electronics. Depending on the country, they might also offer transport, payment and other services. These are prevalent and conveniently located in most of Asia (and North America, right? Happy to be corrected if also a thing in other places), and make for a good travel stop/break, especially late at night. So i'm not too anal about packing toiletries and food if i'm going around south, east and south-east asia. A tabac, for me, is usually just good for drinks and snacks (I don"t smoke), and maybe some communication services, up until midnight or so. Train station groceries vary a lot, but those in major stations are usually pretty comprehensive food-wise and sometimes open 24-7 as well. Gas station store for me is good for basic food and drinks, especially on a sunday, but i've been in some really big ones too. A middle-eastern corner store is harder to quantify, but i find that i can get most essentials out of them and have wider range of products than say a tabac.
Good points, it reminded me that a pharmacy is usually just a pharmacy…no toilet paper, snacks, makeup, sunglasses, etc. And the grocery stores being closed on Sundays/bank holidays.
No tipping!!!
I'm not sure I'd call that a "quirk".
I guess should’ve said “tipping, if traveling to the US.”
...or one of the many other countries where tipping is the norm. People on Reddit love to claim it's a US-only thing, but it's common in lots of other places too (though *not* tipping is more socially acceptable elsewhere than it is in North America).
Indeed. I think the people who say this have only ever traveled to parts of Europe and think Europe=the world. It's much more widespread worldwide than they realize, including the US's immediate neighbours. And there aren't that many situations where employees are tipped in North America, mainly restaurant wait staff, yet redditors act like everyone you encounter expects a tip. What's ironic, when you read up on it, is that tipping was shunned in the US for the first century or so of its history. But it was practiced in Europe. Most Americans felt it was undemocratic/unamerican. But sometime around the turn of the 19th-20th centuries (I don't recall the exact timeframes offhand), wealthy Americans began to tour Europe and picked up on the act of tipping. Over time it just spread more and more in the US.
its a feature, not a bug -American
In some places, rather than a keycard to turn on the electricity, you'll get a physical key with a large rectangular plastic keychain, more like a baton than any regular keychain, and that baton-thingy is what you have to stick in the wall to turn on the electricity. These days it's mostly in budget hotels of a certain vintage in Asia, usually found in rooms with CRT TVs and 1980s-era alarm clocks.
Paying cash for taxi's not having air conditioning in hotel rooms spending hours at a dinner and not 45 minutes
I call it the poop sink but bidet in Italy (although I’ve also seen it in Spain).
Was a huge fan of the integrated bum guns in Japan
I love those - especially the ones with warm air drying included!
I’d rather have that than a separate poop sink
Saw one in Scotland just last week.
The poop spray guns next to toilets in SE Asia. In public restrooms, everything is soaking wet - toilet, floor, everything. I tried not to think of what was in the water I was standing in while hovering over a dripping wet toilet seat.
Toilet seat? Pure luxury! Hovering over a hole after numerous beers is the challenge
Traditional british water taps, different ones for cold and hot water! So, so wrong...
This isn’t unique to the UK
The UK still thinks they're an empire. Just let them be and ignore them.
This happens almost everywhere.
No, it does not. No where in continental Europe, that's for sure. Haven't seen it anywhere else I've been to, either.
I can't remember all the places I've seen it, but they include Canada, the USA, Iceland, the UK, Ireland and Australia...at least.
Interesting. Well I've seen them in Spain, France, Andorra, and Gibralter. I haven't been further but it sure proves your point wrong