culture

Whether you live in "Tinseltown," Hollywood, or La Ville Lumière (the city of light), Paris, locals have customs and slang that demonstrate they belong. Finding a sense of community is important to a person's general health. Using unique ways to express togetherness through gestures or local sayings builds stronger bonds and more vibrant life experiences.

A fun Reddit thread posed the question, "What is YOUR country's / region's version of the Inglorious 3 fingers scene that subtly gives away that someone isn't from your area or culture?" This question references the iconic 2009 movie Inglourious Basterds. In the scene, a secret agent accidentally reveals himself by holding up three fingers to order drinks from the German bartender. Unfortunately, the character doesn't use his thumb, which is the normal way to express the number 3 in the region. A gunfight ensued that might have been avoided if the character had known the appropriate hand gesture.

Michael Fassbender holds up 3 fingers in the movie Inglourious Basterds.Image from X/Twitter on ImgFlip

Unique quirks that tell a community you belong

Redditors responded to the question with all kinds of ideas about what makes their own individual communities unique. These are some interesting options from around the world:

Showing some Australian flavor, u/Single_Ad5772 says, "Referring to the country as 'Aussie'. That's how we know they are a Kiwi spy."

A playful New Zealander comeback from u/SpartanKiwi was, "Please, no self-respecting Kiwi would call it 'Aussie'. It's West Island."

Sticking with an Australian continental theme, u/QuixotesGhost96 offered, "I lived in Australia for three years and whenever I see the word 'Aussie' I hear 'Oi Oi Oi' in my head."

For a more polite themed response, u/Doittean-feargach555 suggested, "Not waving at random cars passing by you while driving. That's a clear sign that you're not from the West of Ireland."

Sticking with etiquette, u/AceWither proclaims, "Pointing at anything with their index finger. Mongolians will rather point with their hands outstretched. Pointing is seen as rude as it seems like you're accusing a person of something."

Heading up to the top of North America, u/n3rdsm4sh3r highlighted, "Anyway who pronounces Toronto 'Toh-RON-Toe' is a dead giveaway they're not from the area. It's 'Trah-nah'"

Understanding what words actually mean, u/Nicholas_Bearforest says, "When they use 'pierogis' as plural. Pierogi is already plural, singular is pieróg."

Explaining Italian hand gestures, u/suitorarmorfan reveals, "A lot of people misuse Italian gestures. The famous 'hook hand' gesture means something along the lines of 'what the hell are you talking about?', when not used properly it’s a dead giveaway you’re not Italian"

This was pointed out as a demonstration of proper eating etiquette by u/slashleverusername: "Canadians also continue holding the knife and fork, while the Americans will drop the knife and move the fork to the other hand, then do it all over again."

Following the food theme, u/citabel wrote, "Sweden: If you’re at a crayfish CD-rom party and you don’t suck out the crayfish juice from the head using a loud 'SHHLLLRRRUPPP'-sound"

California, Texas, Georgia, and New YorkPhoto credit Canva

Some regional-specific thoughts from the USA

The United States of America is such a large and populous country that each region tends to move to its own rhythm and holds specific ideas about what makes a community. It can be the pace or the complexity of activities that defines one place from another. Here were some of the more popular thoughts:

Offering a general breakdown, u/ledzepplinfan reported, "I lived in the north of USA growing up, then moved to the south with my souther wife and noticed various changes. White running shoes are 'tennis shoes', not sneakers. Rather than iced tea, locals ask for sweet tea. Semi trucks are now tractor trailers."

User Kresnik2002 shared, "Some of my relatives in Michigan call skiing 'snow skiing' because skiing to them is water skiing."

Dealing with inclement weather, u/Send_me_duck-pics acknowledges, "In the Seattle area, carrying an umbrella. It rains often here but the rain is usually so gentle that you can just dress for it and your clothes will dry quickly once you are indoors. No need to carry an umbrella. People who came here from outside the Pacific Northwest can take a while to learn this."

Commenting on big city living, u/FindOneInEveryCar remarks, "New Yorkers wait 'on line' rather than 'in line.'"

Giving some East Coast feels, u/Affectionate_Elk_272 confesses, "if you know people who’ve followed the miami-nyc pipeline back n forth, any form of ground at all is “the floor”[:] sidewalk, interstate, grass field, tile, all the floor."

Sharing a brief soda pop history, u/Icy-Astronaut-9994 assures, "We also call it Pop in Minnesota. Leave a 12 pack in your car at -40 F and listen to what it sounds like when it bursts."

A southern charm accent comes through with u/GotWheaten admitting, "When I lived in North Carolina, there was a nearby town named Cherryville. People from the county called it 'chur-vill'; anyone not originally from the area called it 'cherry-vill'”

Understanding some little hints about West Coast flavor, u/tenor41 explains, "Can't speak for the whole country, but I know you're most likely not from California if you say just the number of the freeway you're referencing to. Where I live it's 'the 101, or the 405' instead of just '101 or 405'."

Feeling confident about the unspoken rules of American practice u/therealflameman declares, "Handshaking and no cheek kissing your friends."

Giving a proper reframing of local accentuation, u/thedude37 reveals, "I'm not from New Orleans, but lived there for 5 years. No one calls it 'Nawlins' with that aggressive drawl."

Breaking it down and getting specific, u/1984was asserts, "In NJ, you go to 'the Shore', not 'the beach', once at the Shore, you go to the beach."

Hands around a paper world.Photo credit Canva

Why are the communal details important?

Belonging is multi-dimensional and involves acceptance, social connection, participation, and ongoing relationships. A 2022 study in Springer Nature Link found that connectedness to nature, family, and cultural identity are all important components to a person's health. It is also necessary for the evolving health of the community that new people feel included.

For example, countries with similar levels of "tightness" or "looseness" with cultural rules and expectations tend to trust the same kind of people. A person's own trust patterns usually look much like their country's patterns. A 2023 study in the National Library of Medicine found that matching your country's trust pattern only makes people happier if they live in a "loose" culture. For people living in countries with strict cultures, matching the trust pattern didn't make people more satisfied with their life.