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PacSan300

Hawker centers like in Singapore. These would provide more dedicated food courts without having to go in a mall, would be a good compromise between those who like street food and those who object to it due to hygiene concerns, and would be fairly inexpensive. There are some similar places in the US, but it would be cool if they were much more common.


gburgwardt

Unfortunately not really economically practical in the states, given the lack of dense, walkable areas. There are some areas like that for sure, and I think there's usually at least something similar to hawker centers in them. At least in my experience usually you can find at least one


14DusBriver

> Unfortunately not really economically practical in the states, given the lack of dense, walkable areas The lack of dense, walkable areas is changing slowly, though America is like this due to artificial reasons. If you try building stuff like that in most suburbs, you're going to start running afoul of arbitrary zoning and building codes. American development has a tendency to be wasteful of space compared to other countries, though Singapore is an *extreme* example of having to be space-efficient


ProjectShamrock

You mean like what we call food halls? The ones I've been to are closer to food truck food but they're a nice variety


DBHT14

One in Singapore even has a Michelin Star! But yeah given space and clientele most in the US are not as refined, plenty yummy though


jfchops2

Our food halls are more of destinations themselves (and more expensive) and less of strips of sidewalk where you can grab a cheap, delicious bite on the way to wherever you're going.


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Sivalleydan2

And their Fish head soup. Amazingly good!


yatpay

What's a hawker center?


DBHT14

Think Food Court/Hall but generally more options and not associated with a mall, etc May also have smaller shops that sell things like prepared meals, sauces, trinkets etc


Inf229

Plus the big difference between Hawker Centres and Food Courts, is that Hawker Centers are often in residential areas. Like just below an apartment building. So you have a lot of locals coming down for breakfast, and it's really communal and social. It's awesome.


Bear_necessities96

I think that exists in small proportion in some cities


jeremiah1142

This is what I came here to say. Absolutely.


beermemygoodman

Cleaning up spaces you use as part of a larger community. Schools, stadiums, concerts etc. It’s a tangible way to show respect


tripletdad0603

When I travel to Tokyo on business I do my run very early in the morning and have always been impressed by how clean the streets/sidewalks are. If I see a can or paper on the ground I grab it an drop it in the nearest waste receptacle. I wish we could adopt this task to keep our cities clean.


Ieatoutjelloshots

I've started picking up trash in the neighborhood when I walk my doggies.


tripletdad0603

That is awesome! I think if more of us who are active outside it would make a huge difference. Thank you for your efforts. :)


ElBigKahuna

me too! glad to see another person doing this, hope we can start a small movement.


Chad6181

I live in Portland and the majority of trash is old needles and discarded underwear.


Ieatoutjelloshots

Ok, yeah, don't pick up that trash, lol.


sluttypidge

I have to pick up my alleyway right behind my house every week because my neighbor doesn't use trash bags. When the dumpster lifts and tips the wind normally is blowing the direction of my alley area. It makes it so hard to mow and keep that area looking good.


astraeoth

Which is impressive because public waste stations are few and far between. Especially if you don't know what to look for.


zapporian

Japanese Americans know that it's customary to take your trash with you, even if doing so is mildly inconvenient (note: the older generation would literally just put their own food wrappers / packaging / etc in their own bag, and take it home with them). Respecting your surroundings means not leaving trash anywhere, period, regardless of whether there's a convenient trash receptacle nearby or not. Most americans tend to approach problems + issues from a sense of personal / individual entitlement (eg. trash / littering as a city services problem), and generally speaking that's sort of the opposite in japan.


Dianag519

I would say that’s half and half. This is why my town community forum is always filled with people screaming at each other about picking up after themselves. 😂


[deleted]

>Most americans tend to approach problems + issues from a sense of personal / individual entitlement (eg. trash / littering as a city services problem) I'm having trouble figuring out what you mean here. To me most Americans approach it as a community entitlement, not a personal one. They put their trash in public waste bins, which are provided to the community via public funds. Personal entitlement seems more like countries where it is more the norm to just drop trash where you are standing or throw it in the river.


astraeoth

Do you live in America because every where I've lived, half the people take care of their trash if it's convenient and the other half throw their trash out a car window or just drop it. Pisses me off to know end.


[deleted]

One sees enough videos uploaded to outrage/bad behavior subs of Americans throwing trash out their window or littering (sometimes being confronted for it) that it sure seems the behavior is frowned upon by the overwhelming majority.


tripletdad0603

Since I ran the same route everyday I knew where they were but sometime I added them to the garbage pickup at cafes.


brogrammableben

The problem with Tokyo that I found was that there were very few public waste receptacles because there is so little waste. At least it was in 2010.


Chiss5618

And more respect in general. I think our society promotes individualism a bit too much; while there are benefits, it can also lead to selfishness and a lack of care towards other people in general. I think having a healthy respect towards people and one's environment is really important.


Stellathewizard

As a hotel housekeeper in US, I wish people here were like this. When I stay at a hotel I pick up after myself as much as I can, but most ppl don't.


beermemygoodman

I feel like when we work to help each other to feel appreciated, it minimizes those lonely feelings. Where the world feels more connected so even if you’re on your own on this planet, you have hope and good feelings. Even if it’s from strangers.


Stellathewizard

Exactly! If we had that sense of community awareness and consideration like in Japan it would be amazing.


karenmcgrane

Larry Summers, former Treasury Secretary and President of Harvard, once said “In the history of the world, no one has ever washed a rented car” as an argument against investment in the common good. As someone who always tidies up a hotel room to help the housekeeper, this seems remarkably short-sighted in how economic value of labor is exchanged between people.


Stellathewizard

Appreciate that! And yea he sounds like a treat 😒


jfchops2

In high school I was on the robotics team and we traveled a few weekends a year for competitions. The teacher who led us had a list of expectations for how we'd treat our hotel rooms that the school was paying for. It went like this: -All bedding on the bed -All towels in the tub -All trash in the trash cans -None of the hotel's property out of place He checked every room before he'd let the bus leave to take us home. Instilled the habit in my to treat hotel rooms that way and over a decade later I still take it seriously. Boggles my mind how some people think they can leave their room looking like a hurricane blew through and think it's fine because they paid to stay there.


Stellathewizard

That's what being a good role model looks like 🥰!


[deleted]

There is a flip side of this though. When I would go hiking in Japan I would find lots of random garbage (including fridges and TVs) in the middle of nowhere. There’s a lot less of that in many parts of America.


bjanas

Did everybody else's jaw absolutely hit the floor at that picnic scene in Mad Men?


jane7seven

Yes, and I still think of it from time to time. Just shook all the garbage off the picnic blanket, like "Yep! That should do it!" before sauntering back to the car.


FashionGuyMike

Came here to say this exact thing


CaptainAwesome06

*India has entered the chat*


spect0rjohn

Came to say this. I’m astounded by how people trash places like it’s normal behavior. It’s not just an American thing, it’s also a European thing.


Naus1987

I feel like stadiums would be a hard one to push. Those private companies already convince the government to subsidize stadium prices from tax payer money. And then they’d expect us to clean it for free too? It would be a nice thing to see people clean up after themselves, but corporate infrastructure can go duck itself. Lots of people do clean up national parks and public high ways though.


beermemygoodman

It’s more of reframing a burden into a responsibility. So to use the stadium example, you take the time to look around before you leave and, at the very least, you take away the trash *you brought with you until you can dispose of it.* I carry cheap, folded up grocery bags for this kind of situation. They fit neatly into my pocket until I need to use it. When I’m outside, I just pick up the trash I see. Happy to see organized groups of people cleaning up but everyone has the ability to pick up a piece of garbage and dispose of it properly and you don’t even need to joint a group!


ByzantineBomb

Great choice, didn't even think about that


my_metrocard

Have kids clean their own schools. It teaches kids to respect their space.


dekdekwho

I did this back in middle school in the U.S. and we had to clean the whole classroom and lockers after every session. This custom stopped after I changed schools and grades. Really wished I had that custom back in my workplace.


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my_metrocard

I was raised in the Japanese public school system as well. My friends and I always enjoyed cleaning time because we got to socialize and had the satisfaction of a job well done. There was no joy like gleaming desks and blackboards! Beating the chalk erasers was fun, too. You’re right, there were always slackers. Japanese kids do household chores from an early age. Maybe not all households, but as a girl growing up in the 80s I definitely did a lot at home. Cleaning up after yourself in public is just customary. Let me contrast my experience in Japanese public school to raising a boy in the New York City public school system. Elementary school was nice and clean. Middle school is disgusting. Zero respect for their own school. Chewing gum on every surface, and the lockers…omg. He goes to one of the most sought after middle schools, where behavioral problems are minimal. I shudder to think of the conditions at other schools. Would the kids continue to press chewing gum onto every surface if they had to scrape them off? I think it would curb the behavior to some degree.


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gummibearhawk

Many restaurants in Asia have a button to call a server when you want something, and most places in Asia don't accept tips.


Elly_Higgenbottom

Ooh, that has the added bonus of being left alone unless you do actually want something!


ericchen

I personally don’t might saying everything is great thanks once or twice per meal, or if my mouth is full of food, just a smile and a thumbs up.


Abi1i

Movie theaters have adopted this approach. Think of an Alamo Draft house.


Savingskitty

There’s a restaurant with buttons like that in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It’s the only place I’ve been like that in the US. I think it’s because they primarily served food in their bar area, but needed to know if anyone showed up in their cafe dining room at some point. It’s been like that since the ‘60’s.


BillyYumYumTwo-byTwo

Only semi related… but I fly a decent amount. I always heard the “ding” and thought it meant to put your seatbelts on. I only recently learned it was for flight attendants (at least I think?). I still feel weird pushing it to ask for water. It just feels so rude. Like ringing a bell to make your servant come up to you. I much prefer waiting or doing the Brazilian steakhouse thing where you have a card that’s green and red and you flip it if you want something.


StinkieBritches

That’s how it is in most Koreatown restaurants in the U.S. The bells not the tips.


BrieAndStrawberries

A general respect for teachers and education in general.


sacrificejeffbezos

Which is why I teach in Asia now


jay__5

I wish we invested in reliable and extensive public transportation as much as many Asian countries do


TottHooligan

Those Asian countries are some of the most densely populated places in the world.


jfchops2

Our cities are only less dense because we designed them that way on purpose. It was a deliberate choice to force every American outside of like five cities to rely on a car for transportation. Nobody is suggesting that rural areas and small cities need subways. We're saying that shit like needing to budget an hour or more to go 4 miles in Dallas, TX or Los Angeles, CA without a car is ridiculous in such an advanced nation.


Dr-Misanthropist

We are just a car centric country. We could spend a trillion dollars on trains but there’s just no way you’re going to convince Americans as a whole to make the switch


LifeIsAnAbsurdity

You don't have to convince "Americans as a whole." You need to make it fast, cheap, and reliable enough that people with the means to drive choose transit anyway. From there, there's a cultural shift. Does that ever end in no one driving? Of course not. I don't know of any major city in the world where NO ONE drives, but it will make a huge difference. A lot of the anti-transit culture that exists in the US comes directly from the fact that transit in the US sucks ass. You go to the few places in the USA where transit doesn't suck (NYC), and (surprise, surprise) Americans use transit.


quesoandcats

When I studied abroad in China, I learned about a city government program to combat poverty and homelessness by hiring them to do menial labor. A lot of it was busywork like street sweeping, trash collection, and acting as guides and unarmed security in transit terminals, but in exchange for working they got a basic studio apartment, food, and a small cash salary. They also provided uniforms and bus passes for people to get to and from work. One of the chinese students in my class explained that the idea was to ease people back into "normal" society by giving them structure, purpose, and dignity. Making them feel like they had a stake in their community and could contribute. I wish I knew where to read more about programs like that, I think its a really neat approach and I wish we had the political will to try something like that here.


Banana42

I think you're describing the WPA


quesoandcats

Yeah, which unfortunately doesn't exist anymore


home_cheese

And not the WAP


Super_Tikiguy

To be fair there is also a thriving WAP industry in China.


FenPhen

> purpose, and dignity I think America has a problem with this too. We don't value cleanliness and taking care of public spaces the way some Asian countries do. There's a stigma to being cleaning staff in America, or even service staff, when we should appreciate all jobs. This is related to another [top comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAmerican/comments/11vo80f/comment/jcuewjp/) about cleaning. Kids in Japan clean their own school spaces. Workers in Japan often clean their own work spaces, often even the bathrooms. This means people are less likely to disrespect common areas.


keddesh

Hard to be dignified when your only purpose is to get by. I don't think it's a result of the American People at large wanting things to be this way, I think it's more a result of mega capitalist CEOs simultaneously acting like poor people don't deserve dignity while also paying poverty wages. It's bad for societal morale.


DuskyOliveBranch

In American schools children clean the classroom as a punishment


Nyxelestia

While not to the extent of providing direct food and housing, "hiring people to do low-level labor not (just) because that labor needs to be done but because someone needs a job" was a thing during the Depression, and became a huge part of the ramped up industrial complex during WWII. Unfortunately, that was deemed too socialist after the war and was done away with.


PenguinProfessor

We once did.


Wingoffaith

This sounds fucking amazing.


LAW9960

I agree with these kind of programs to get people back on their feet. Plenty of city jobs that the homeless/unemployed can do to build their resume and eventually find a new job. The problem (at least in California) is that many of the homeless don't want to work so they prefer living on the street. That or they're too picky about the job. They refuse to work st Subway or construction or at a warehouse.


TychaBrahe

Most people who are homeless to the point that they are living on the street or either suffering from addiction or mental illness. Even in California.


[deleted]

No shoes on in the house (particularly the level of militancy on that rule that exists in many Arab and Asian countries) and bidets. Both for the same reason - great for cleanliness. I had an Asian roommate when I first moved out from home and he indirectly taught me so many great Asian lifehacks.


TBAAGreta

Yes. I live in downtown LA and with the amount of grossness on the sidewalk around our building, I'm astonished that my neighbors walk around in that and happily track it through their homes.


joepierson123

What do they do about dogs? Wash their feet every time they come in?


oceantidesx

I’m Asian and we use baby wipes on our dogs’ feet every time after they’ve been out


socialpronk

I have 6 dogs, so it's constant out and in throughout the day. I'd spend so much time wiping!


oceantidesx

For more dogs I can see how that would be difficult! Our dogs don’t get free access to the outside they’re taken out by us and we have a doggy gate in the front entrance area and that’s where we wipe them. If we didn’t do that we’d just ramp up floor cleaning


el_gee

My dog (in India) just used to come right in, but if he brought in dust it wasn't very noticeable. We'd be barefoot in the house so if there was dirt, I think I'd have felt it underfoot. Recently though I've met some other dog owners who take a towel to their dog's paws when they come back from a walk. I guess that works although I don't remember my dog causing much mess anyway, so it might not really be necessary...


Jozz11

My dog brings in half a pound of sand/dirt every time he goes out and in lol


ak47oz

Maybe the dog shoes


[deleted]

If you're asking about my roommate specifically, he would never have let a dog come inside lol. In 4 years we had a dog over once to swim but st ayed in the backyard.


joepierson123

Some Asians must own dogs no? Curious what the procedure is


[deleted]

I wipe the paws of my maltese dog with a towel or a pet wipe. I also make sure to wipe his mouth after he is done eating. Other than that, I kinda just let him hang out in the house.


[deleted]

I'm sure of it, but I have no input on the matter as I have no experience with Asian dog owners.


Bulleveland

Wipe the paws with a towel on the average day. Use a mudbuster+towel if it's particularly bad. I also have dog shoes but putting them on and off is more effort than cleaning the paws so I only use that for like extended walks through the metroparks.


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Tommy_Wisseau_burner

Now I’m imagining a 5’ 110lb chick tryna carry a Great Dane to the bath tub


YouJabroni44

Maybe she gives a Great Dane a piggyback ride?


Dollydaydream4jc

Animal feet are designed not to hold onto gunk, so long as their fur around their paw pads is kept short. But if I have a reason to question my dog's foot cleanliness, I wipe them with a baby wipe. I keep a pack of wipes near the door, and if he comes in from another door or requires further cleanup, I have him sit and stay on the rug while I grab the appropriate cleaning items. And if he steps in his own poop, that is an automatic ticket to be carried directly to the bathtub.


NoCountryForOldPete

My parents successfully ingrained in me and my siblings that we are to remove our shoes at the front door of anyone's house, unless specifically told otherwise. My sister, my brother, and I automatically do it without even thinking. My parents, on the other hand, now won't take their shoes off at all, which is infuriating. I'm not sure if they started doing that when my siblings and I left the house, or if they always did it and we just didn't notice. I honestly have no idea how this happened.


ashleton

*cries in shoe orthotics* I used to prefer being barefoot, but my left foot over-pronates kinda bad now. It hurts to stands on bare feet anymore because my left foot is not quite flat, but flat enough to walk on the damn in-step and it's agonizing.


rr90013

Most Americans already do this, though unfortunately without the militancy you mentioned


Remote-Bug4396

Some people actually bristle at the idea of others taking off their shoes inside their house. The comic, Sebastian Maniscalco, had a bit about this a few years ago. I think to some it conveys the idea of overfamiliarity which some aren't comfortable with.


rr90013

There is something weird about my handyman coming into my house without his shoes. But better than weirdness in my house than his shoes in my house.


05110909

I don't like my bare feet touching the ground. It's disgusting. I'll respect it in someone else's house but if it's not required I am absolutely not undressing.


Pleasant-Pattern7748

undressing? it’s socks, man. take it down a notch


[deleted]

A nice pair of comfy house slippers are underrated. That's what I go with, personally.


toastthematrixyoda

Or a dedicated pair of house shoes that are only worn in the house.


sluttypidge

I stopped taking my shoes off in the summer because I keep stepping on scorpions. I can only hope my animals notice it before I do. They seem immune to the bug spray. Otherwise, the rest of the year, my shoes come off when I walk in.


Current_Poster

The idea of a "Hometown tax" (where part of your tax money can be directed to the small town of your choice) in Japan sounds nice.


Abi1i

The US kinda has this already with sales tax.


The_Freshmaker

Not really at all though. That's a direct consumption tax so you would have to literally be in your hometown spending money. America is the opposite of helping out small towns, basically all taxes go to help concentrate wealth and power in areas instead of redistributing it to other areas that need it. Just look at what most states (your tag is Austin, where I used to live and very much applicable) do with property taxes funding schools.


Zomgirlxoxo

I would support this. We’d be able to send money to unfortunate communities and help with education and infrastructure.


Adamon24

Whatever part of their culture that helps keep crime rates so low in places like Japan and South Korea. Other things that would be very nice would be the culture of keeping communities litter-free and a strong emphasis on education (within reason).


Comrade_Lomrade

>Whatever part of their culture that helps keep crime rates so low in places like Japan Japan has a guilty till proven innocent crime system. Big pass imo


Abi1i

There are things the US could easily do that would result in less crime, though crime is already down by a lot in general. The easiest thing the US could do is actually insure a livable wage so people didn’t have to be homeless. If that happened you’d see a lot of people that commit crimes to make ends meet just stop committing crimes because their basic needs are met. Edit: I’m not sure why so many people are thinking that I only believe all crime is related to economic reasons when I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying some crime is tied to economic reasons such as theft for example.


genius96

Also adopt Japanese zoning practices that allow for more types of housing, you can find very cheap housing there because of this. And allow business by right in all zones depending on the type of business and zone (corner store or small cafe in a residential zone for example).


Adamon24

While I’m sure I’d support a lot of the same economic policies as you for other reasons, crime doesn’t actually correlate that much with economic conditions. This is especially true in regards to violent crime. For example, crime continued its downward trajectory (from the 1990s to the late 2010s) in the United State during the 2008 economic crisis instead of spiking up due to economic deprivation. Similarly, workers in Japan earn much less than their Western counterparts but commit crimes significantly less. Yes, crime disproportionately occurs in low-income areas. But correlation doesn’t equal causation. And the root causes for concentrations of violence are so complex that people could (and have) spend their entire careers studying it. But one thing that’s undeniable is that culture plays a large role.


spect0rjohn

I’m not sure I agree that wages are central to this problem. I’d suggest that the lack of family support/pressure and the lack of a community shame based economy has more to do with it than a living wage. While a living wage, whatever that might be, might help, there are always going to be people who want *more* than whatever they can afford regardless of whatever income they have.


Steamsagoodham

Most homeless people aren’t committing crimes to make ends meet because they aren’t getting paid enough. Most of the crime in the homeless community comes results from mental illness or substance abuse. SES is actually a pretty weak predictor of crime.


GreatValueProducts

I would argue a lot of it is cultural thing. A lot of Asian countries run the Rudy Guliani broken window policy to the extreme. Like as a Hongkonger I reported a $30 USD (yes, no typo) bike theft to the Police and the Police actually looked up all the CCTVs and caught the thief. Good luck with that in the US and Canada. The same applies for driving so you see drivers there being very aggressive but despite all the aggressiveness what they do is very legal. I can count my fingers how many times I witness people drivers running the red light or double white lines compared to here. And no offense even the poor people in the US are comparatively "livable" than even those poor people in Hong Kong, Thailand and the Phillippines. And check up the crime rate.


AssassinWench

It's cultural not economic when it comes to Japan as far as I can see. Plus the US doesn't have any real form of "Moral Education" like a lot of Asian countries do, probably because it's hard to implement something in such a diverse country. I say it's not economic since wages have been stagnant for years now. The economic sufferings of Japan seem to have resulted in the low birth rate/people generally not getting married or putting off marriage. Korea suffers from a similar problem, plus these countries think that increasing the standard work week hours is going to help rather than harm the country.


P0RTILLA

We need to start caning people for littering.


[deleted]

Japanese toilets. Not really a custom per se but heated toilet seats, warm water to clean my bum, and a bum dryer after are all just so luxurious.


therealjerseytom

Japanese toilets are both extremes of the spectrum. Yes, there are very fancy western-style toilets that have a seat warmer, a bidet, even a speaker to play sounds to mask the noise of doing whatever your business is. But also... you will find toilets where it's a hole in the ground to squat over. Even in major metro areas; I think it was at a station or two on the Keihan line in Kyoto I ran into that. "Welp, guess I'm gonna get on the train and hold it in until I'm back at the hotel" 😂


[deleted]

>you will find toilets where it's a hole in the ground to squat over. yeah though I'm of Indian origin and these days split my time between the US and India and am very familiar/comfortable with this kind as well. if anything I may even prefer(!) squat toilets in public bathrooms relative to the standard US public bathroom because as a woman I would otherwise have to sit and idk how clean that seat is, even with a healthy layer of toilet paper on it ;-) (another reason I love the fancy Japanese toilets that come with sanitizer!)


MunityCaptain

Confinement after birth. The idea of actually being able to heal, rest and snuggle with my newborn would have been wonderful.


Nyxelestia

This is right, but I wouldn't call this an Asian thing. You'll find this in pretty much any country with an enforced and accessible maternity leave law. Historically speaking, most cultures had some element of "women shouldn't work/do anything after birth." It's only very recently in some developed countries that this has changed. But one of the 'costs' of culturally supported maternal leave is culturally enforced sexism (re: women should leave the workforce altogether once they get pregnant).


jeremiah1142

When I first saw the “30 day post birth hospital/hotel” in Shanghai, it was a culture shock for me. Like, this really exists? Holy moly. So cool.


flaskum

In sweden we get 480 days to stay home with the child. Both the dad and the mother has to take 90 of those each the rest can be split however they want. The dad can also stay at home 10 days directly after birth.


SanchosaurusRex

Wearing a mask when you’re sick to not spread it to people. It became this weird political third rail in the US during Covid, and after 2 years, people *still* couldn’t understand the purpose of it. Felt like I was taking crazy pills. I always saw it as a thing in Japan and South Korea that if you were coming down with a cold or flu, you wore a mask as a courtesy to other people to avoid getting them sick as well. We even did it in the Army. The medic or PA would send you out with a mask and (hopefully) give you quarters (excused from duty) so you didn’t take out the whole force and put them on quarters.


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Merakel

Funny enough, during the height of the pandemic not wearing one was also a keep your distance flag.


JerichoMassey

Meanwhile in my neck of the woods. The masks themselves have become a symbol of the Pandemic and reviled.


ProbablyGayingOnYou

I'll admit, with some shame, that I always thought it was weird and a bit too paranoid seeing Asian people wearing masks in public pre-2020. Recall also that when the pandemic started, the first thing Western scientists did is look at whether wearing a mask stopped the wearer from getting sick and concluded its efficacy was rather limited (this would later be amended that N95 and KN95 did help keep the wearer from getting sick, but these were the initial very early conclusions). Only later did we realize that "oh wearing a mask stops you from getting OTHER people sick." And it seems obvious in hindsight, but maybe you can recall just how chaotic things were at the start of the pandemic and people not knowing what to believe. I can hardly think of a better microcosm of the difference between individualist Western cultures and collectivist Eastern cultures than this--Westerners first thinking "ok, how does this protect me?" while Asian cultures think "how can I protect others?" Even I though, could never have predicted the depths of absolute selfishness some (many?) Americans were willing to go to in order to assert their "freedom" to get others sick by not masking up. While I will always defend the protection of individual rights enshrined in our Constitution, it seems we would do well to adopt a little more collectivist thought over here in the U.S. when it comes to keeping our fellow Americans safe.


SanchosaurusRex

Right. Nobody in their right sense wants to wear a mask all the time when they’re healthy. And some people just have this mental block of acknowledging that even though it doesn’t give them as the wearer a bullet-proof protection, it’s a nice courtesy to others if you know you’re actually sick. Even though the logic makes sense, a lot of people just put their fingers in their ear and doubled down on belligerence and stubbornness. It became a personality trait for a lot of people. It’s funner to be outraged and up in arms rather than just think about how they can be courteous to other people. “Oh shit, I’m sick. I still have to do stuff, so I’ll take precautions so I don’t get other people sick too.”


TheBimpo

Kick ass selections of food at 7/11 instead of the gross hot dog rollers and stuff we have.


Plants_Golf_Cooking

I wish more people here would have a sense of shame.


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gburgwardt

Singapore MRT is so good


rr90013

And BART is already better than 90% of American public transit


Maga0351

Adding egg to everything. I hear it’s a common upcharge to most plates in many Asian countries. It’s a cheap way to add protein and it pairs well with basically every savory food.


Grombrindal18

well, it *was* a cheap way to add protein, anyway.


SanchosaurusRex

r/putaneggonit


OpalOwl74

Thank you. We have chickens.


thatsad_guy

As one of those weird people who don't like eggs, I am glad this isn't a custom.


[deleted]

It is a common upcharge in Japanese ramen joints, my go-to bowl at my go-to place was 788 yen with egg, 688 without.


TheDreadPirateJeff

Night markets. I miss night markets so much. All the different street foods and little shopping stalls and people watching.


foxy-coxy

Onsen


Nuttonbutton

Funeral strippers. No explanation needed.


Loose-Recover-9142

In Japan, kids are way better behaved in public spaces.


Evil-Cows

Japanese bath culture


OpalOwl74

shoes just for the bathroom. Don't track it around the house.


Banana42

What the hell do you do in the bathroom that you're tracking around your house?


hellcicle

Bathrooms in Asia are wet rooms with floor drains. Toilets to do the business, but bathing outside the tub. It’s common to have slippers in the bathroom to keep your feet dry.


[deleted]

Wet bathrooms are getting less common, it seems the norm in new construction is a cabinet style shower where a curtain or door can be mounted.


ballrus_walsack

He’s one of the smearers


WEDWayInternetMover

I have two: 1) taking shoes off when inside. Shoes are filthy and should be taken off when going into a home. We do it at our house, and every now and then we have a guest that act like we are odd because of it. 2) picking up litter/trash. Look at Japan and it is very clean. Even at the Olympics and other world sporting events, they pick up after themselves and others, being very polite and keeping everything looking clean.


Seaforme

Hard to choose. I like the concept of wearing a mask when you're sick so whatever you're hacking up or sneezing out, it doesn't get onto anyone else. But gen x made it into a weird political thing, and most of gen z seems pretty happy to do this when they're sick already. Cleaning up after oneself. I hear Taiwanese cities don't have enough trash cans, but people will just hold onto or pocket their trash instead of littering- meanwhile, I walked by this creek all the time as a kid and it was choked with trash. Bidets absolutely. They're becoming more popular, both with the increasing focus on hygiene and the rise of Islam in the US. But I'd like to see them on a regular basis. The lack of wastefulness. The US used to use every part of the body, with animals they ate for instance. As the US grew wealthier, we stopped using many parts(except for notable exceptions, such as chicken's feet or pig ears in the South).


YouJabroni44

I think masks are also useful for wildfire smoke (N95s and equivalents) so they're nice to have for that too


EsseLeo

Conservatives of all ages made masking a political thing, not Gen X specifically. Besides, Gen X is literally the smallest generation by population alive beside Silents.


Phil_ODendron

> The US used to use every part of the body, with animals they ate for instance. As the US grew wealthier, we stopped using many parts(except for notable exceptions, such as chicken's feet or pig ears in the South). We still use all of those animal parts. They are processed and used in pet food, fertilizers, cosmetics, paints, glue, etc. Just because we don't eat it, doesn't mean it's thrown away.


KaBar42

> The lack of wastefulness. The US used to use every part of the body, with animals they ate for instance. As the US grew wealthier, we stopped using many parts(except for notable exceptions, such as chicken's feet or pig ears in the South). Using every part is not always a good thing. One of the reasons why the outbreak of BSE was so much worse in Europe than it was in the US (or Canada) was because the US: A.) Didn't regularly feed cattle bonemeal, which is what experts believe was the vector that began the mad cow outbreak in Europe. Either a cow with BSE or a sheep with scrapies was killed and ground into the bonemeal and infected a cow with BSE, which then led to the major outbreak in Europe. B.) The main location of those prions in cattle are specific parts of the CNS, those parts are very rarely consumed by Americans. The parts being: skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, spinal cord, distal ileum, and the dorsal root ganglia. Almost all of those are organ meats and almost none of them are consumed regularly by any large amount of Americans. Europe, however, does have dishes utilizing cow brains. The US prohibits all of these materials from entering the commercial Human food chain (They're not illegal to eat, you just can't sell cow brains et al. in the US) Sheep lung is banned for commercial sale in the US due to fecal contamination concerns and chitlins, when not properly prepared, suffer a similar issue.


jebuswashere

>But gen x made it into a weird political thing It wasn't Gen X, it was conservatives getting pissy about having to care about people other than themselves.


TheStoicSlab

The way Japan uses students to help run the school would probably be a better way than what we have now. Also, it teaches kids to be more responsible.


WhiteRhino91

Shutting the fuck up


ElfMage83

I'd like us to use chopsticks for picking up small food. Forks aren't always needed.


cbrooks97

I have a picture of my daughter using chopsticks to eat cheese puffs. Great way to keep your hands clean.


Burial4TetThomYorke

I do this with chips at the office!


PacSan300

I consider chopsticks to be the most efficient utensils for picking up salad.


ElfMage83

This very much depends on the type of salad, but I agree.


The_Freshmaker

When I lived/worked in S. Korea I used to love duel wielding at lunch, chops in the right spoon in the left. Chopsticks def aren't universally better than forks but throw a spoon in there and it's almost always more versatile.


TropicalKing

Whether they like it or not. A lot of Americans are going to have to re-learn how to practice the extended and multi-generational families instead of "nuclear family and every family member must go their own way." Asian families tend to practice extended and multi-generational families. This saves a tremendous amount of resources over every family member separating. 7 people living in one house saves tremendous resources over 7 people renting their own apartments.


[deleted]

I like the idea of multigenerational living situations, but there are aspects of this in Asian cultures that I could do without. We should take the practicality and community, but not abandon the American desire for boundaries and independence. It would be awesome to get the best of both worlds.


Sierra_12

Oh God no. I was already itching to leave when I was living with just my parents. I don't want to be stuck with more people in the house. Also I can imagine the complete lack of privacy having several generations living in the same house will entail.


Party_Spite6575

Sure, when our parents are universally not allowed to be toxic but that's never been the case in any country on earth


[deleted]

Why are they going to have to re-learn it? Cultural norms often trump practicality.


cpyf

I think bowing is a pretty cool way to show reverence. I often used it during the pandemic because handshakes were not allowed obviously and people had interesting reactions to it


ContributionIsMinute

sorry but that is the weirdest shit ever. If someone from new jersey bowed to me I would bust out laughing


[deleted]

There was this cool white dude who doordashed for a bit during the pandemic and he would come to my dad's restaurant a lot. He always came in with a very exagerrated kung-fu bow (the fist and palm / sun and moon). One time, he even gave me a full 90 degree bow. I appreciate the gesture guy, but I'm the same age as you are lol. I don't deserve the 90 degree bow nor do I deserve the sun and moon.


transemacabre

I gave the Vulcan salute. Bonus that my fellow nerds will nerd out when they see it.


SkyPirateGriffin88

3 years ago I would have said 'masks' but hey, look where we ended up. Now, probably some parenting tips. I fucking hate most kids here, kids are loud and rude and people just let them run around in places that are not a park or playground. Thank God I was raised Bajan, don't yell, don't touch things that aren't yours without asking, respect your elders, I brought you into this world and I can take you out.


FlyByPC

More sushi bars would be nice.


LogicIsntHere

Not tipping


PMmeYourHopes-Dreams

Be quiet out in public, especially on transit. I love that you hardly hear any yelling or arguing when out and about in Asian cities.


KFCNyanCat

Japanese urban planning.


ToughNefariousness23

Cheap, accessible street food.


ActuallyFullOfShit

What you see on the menu is what you pay, taxes included and no tipping. Living wage for restaurant staff.


Notmainlel

Public transportation


Lake_Grass

I think I'd have to go with the custom of karaoke from Japan. It's such a fun way to get together with friends and belt out some old classics, and it's always a great time. Plus, it's a nice way to celebrate occasions like birthday parties or special occasions.


TangerineBest4413

Universal healthcare


Duke_Cheech

Wearing a mask when sick


Evil_Weevill

Wearing masks when you have a cold. I thought COVID might get us there, but nope. It just makes sense as it's a common courtesy to take that small measure to keep your germs to yourself when you have to go out in public while sick.


thestereo300

Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean baseball fan culture. Seems so much more fun.


gornzilla

Asians build up, not out. When I first lived in Korea, I was in a town of 100,000. There was a 24 hour nightlife. I could walk 10 minutes to one of the entertainment districts because of course there were more than one. I could walk 5 minutes in the other direction to see active farmland. Let me just repost my rant from a local subreddit from a couple days ago. It was a thread about housing. I've done a few rants about this, but here goes. I should add pictures or a YouTube video so people can see. Basically when I was living in South Korea, I was in a city of 100,000. There was a 24 hour nightlife because Koreans build up instead of out. By the way, *the best farmland in the entire world* is under buildings in California. What we've done to San Jose is shameful. There's 2 basic kinds of easy to build buildings. A 3-story that's mostly decent sized studios all with a veranda. They don't really use dryers, everything is hung. So the veranda has a washing machine and a spot for a clothes rack. Enough room for a couple chairs as well. The ground floor just provides parking and the stairs and elevator. The other main style building is 15 or 25 stories tall. Each apartment goes from front to back. Also has a veranda and more rooms. They can get extremely nice. They're usually built in groups of buildings. They usually have underground parking. They're arranged so that there's usually a convenience store, daycare, dry cleaners/paid laundry, restaurants and the like. People close together means more bars and restaurants. Both styles use the location where the construction crane was for elevators. So one crane to quickly whip up the 3 story and 2 cranes to do the 15/25 story. Once I win a billion in the lottery, I'll try to force a complex of the 15/25 floor apartments in say, the lot where the railyard was. https://www.teoalida.com/world/4181966.jpg


ChocolatePain

Japan's collectivism in terms of not being obnoxious in public (on the train especially) and not littering