Cultures you find strange...

[dragibus]

Did you know that...
The Mangyan tribe of Mindoro consider canned sardines as wealth. They even go to neighboring islands and even to Manila to trade their goods for cartons of canned sardines. If you happen to visit the Mangyans and they serve you sardines, it means that your special to them.
I also heard stories that the Mangyans love the smell of sardines so much they use the sauce as some sort of a perfume. They applied it to their skin like lotion and sometimes even to their hair. :eek: :eek:
I have nothing against this but i find it interesting...

Do you know any strange/interesting cultures....?

[^Dm3nted^]

i don't think this counts as strange, but i heard that in amsterdam, hashish and marijuana are legally sold. :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin:
yung legal age pa yata nila is 15 or 16. so that means that if ur 15 or 16 y/o, u can buy and smoke jutes w/o hassle and parental consent. tsalap tsalap :goon: :goon:

[|ostsou|]

that a the father should have sex with her daughter first on her wedding night before the groom...

[sugarlumps_jr]

Dm3nted,not just dope.You can also shoot up heroine on the streets plus prostitutes show their goods like mannequins in display windows.Window shopping anyone?

[ChiQui]

I watched in Oprah a couple of weeks ago that in Africa, they cricumcise females so that their sexual drive will be lessened. I find this really weird and very demeaning... weird because I don't think that that'll deter the sexual drive, demeaning because it's not done and that it endangers women.

[benjiep]

Well while living in Switzerland, I discovered all men of recruiting age are compelled to join the army where they're all issued standard battle rifles, and they're asked to keep them in their homes. They do this to keep a ready militia in case of sudden invasion.

That's one paranoid country.

[f0r5aK3n]

Originally posted by benjiep
Well while living in Switzerland, I discovered all men of recruiting age are compelled to join the army where they're all issued standard battle rifles, and they're asked to keep them in their homes. They do this to keep a ready militia in case of sudden invasion.

That's one paranoid country.

same in Israel and Most countries in South America. Military Service is a requirement

[benjiep]

Swiss are something else. They've no known enemies, yet they routinely practice the ability to cut their country off from the rest of the world by blowing up roads, tunnels, bridges, etc. Their current operational standard for this is 15 minutes. They're trying to get it down to 10.

Every major highway is designed to allow landing of military jets. Every border crossing is multiply mined for instantaneous remote detonation. Most mountain ranges conceal great underground military bases and vaults, secret roads and railways, and some of the most sophisticated anti-air defenses in the world.

High military rank is a plus in advancing one's career in most industries. They're the only country which can shelter and supply their ENTIRE population from say, a nuclear war for many months. They haven't been invaded in any major way for at least 400 hundred years. In their form of direct-consent democracy, they always vote in popular referendums to keep things the way they are, by a wide margin. The Israelis and North Koreans have got nothing on these folks.

[:Þ]

I would say friggin ARMENIANS. This is based on a real life fact that they kill any GAY armenian on their country.. now that's a violation of human rights..

[benjiep]

man, that's sick. They'll kill off some of their most creative types if they're strict about this gay-free thing.

[NOKiE]

Female circumcision somewhere in the mid-east, usually without modern medical technology (not even anesthetic). Their culture believe that sexual pleasure of any form is unholy. They either slice off the female clitoris or suture up the opening--maybe both--to effectively discourage sex outside marriage, stimulation, and other enuendos.

Some say this is also practiced in the New York underground to maintain tradition/culture. I apologize to those nations when I say "THAT IS BARBARIC!"

[NOKiE]

Binanggit na pala ni ChiQui...sorry :D :D :D

Anyway, on the contrary, its effectiveness is why a large number of women grow up traumatized for life. Unfortunately, it's effective to a point that interracial marriages were not ideal since the guy would look for that sexual factor--it would then most likely lead to divorce/separation. Grabe, their only sin was being born women.

[f0r5aK3n]

Originally posted by benjiep
Swiss are something else. They've no known enemies, yet they routinely practice the ability to cut their country off from the rest of the world by blowing up roads, tunnels, bridges, etc. Their current operational standard for this is 15 minutes. They're trying to get it down to 10.

Every major highway is designed to allow landing of military jets. Every border crossing is multiply mined for instantaneous remote detonation. Most mountain ranges conceal great underground military bases and vaults, secret roads and railways, and some of the most sophisticated anti-air defenses in the world.

High military rank is a plus in advancing one's career in most industries. They're the only country which can shelter and supply their ENTIRE population from say, a nuclear war for many months. They haven't been invaded in any major way for at least 400 hundred years. In their form of direct-consent democracy, they always vote in popular referendums to keep things the way they are, by a wide margin. The Israelis and North Koreans have got nothing on these folks.

oh damn.. you're right.. that is pretty weird... and to think that they're always NEUTRAL. Maybe it's the fact that almost EVERY MONEY goes to their banks.. :)

[p.i.joe]

Hard-line Hindus, bent on stopping love struck couples from celebrating Valentine's Day, went on a rampage Wednesday in many parts of India, invading gift shops, burning cards and disrupting festivities.

The protests capped several days of uproar over the soaring popularity of the lover's day that right-wing Hindus denounce as a desecration of India's traditional culture.....

BOMBAY (Reuters)


it's so difficult to understand why the second most populous country in the world would see the celebration of valentine's day as offensive. how can one be offended with a simple card, flowers or even chocolates? now i'm wondering how the hindus of india express their love to their mates.

- perhaps bury their women's head in the desert sand so not to offend them when they say i love you? OR, simply not take a bath for a month as a sign of their undying love that will last till the stench goes away.
:inluv:

[benjiep]

Give or take a few, by one count there are 261,418 bomb shelters in Switzerland. No figures as to the number of hidden minefields.

[Raf378]

So benjiep, does that mean that there are no hidden minefields? :) :bop: :bop:

As for strange, has anyone ever eaten haggis? It's a Scottish dish. You take a sheeps innards (kidneys, entrails, etc) and you boil it in the sheep's stomach with garlic and onion. I actually had some in Edinburgh on a trip without actually knowing what was in it. Sounds horrific, but it taste's like bachoy!

And only in Scotland did I wear a skirt (kilt) out in public!

[green grin]

switzerland was a country of mercenaries for centuries. since they had no real industries or natural resources to sustain their country, they hired themselves out to neighboring kingdoms to fight in wars or suppress insurrections. did you know that the swiss guards in the vatican are actual swiss citizens?

remarkable.

[benjiep]

Originally posted by Raf378
As for strange, has anyone ever eaten haggis? It's a Scottish dish. You take a sheeps innards (kidneys, entrails, etc) and you boil it in the sheep's stomach with garlic and onion. I actually had some in Edinburgh on a trip without actually knowing what was in it. Sounds horrific, but it taste's like bachoy!

Wow that's exotic. But I bet if you crack a balut in front of these Scotsmen they'd run away screaming...



And only in Scotland did I wear a skirt (kilt) out in public!
Raf, you must've looked raffish!

[benjiep]

Originally posted by green grin
switzerland was a country of mercenaries for centuries. since they had no real industries or natural resources to sustain their country, they hired themselves out to neighboring kingdoms to fight in wars or suppress...


Read somewhere just the mere *presence* of Swiss mercenaries on medieval battles was enough threat to make the other side flee. "Dour" and "Stout" were the usual words used to describe at least the Germanic- and Romansch-type Swiss. They've been known to be brutally tough, and it seems they've been keeping up appearances.

[benjiep]

Then again, maybe they're just pig-headed to the max. Check this out:

News from March 26, 2001 - "Switzerland is planning to disband it's elite bicycle regiment. The 3,000 troops use mountain banks and train hard to stay in shape so they can quickly move on roads and cross country carrying rifles, machine-guns and anti-tank weapons. The bicycle troops can cover 200 kilometers a day, somewhat less if cross country. While there was a lot of grumbling when Switzerland disbanded their cavalry and carrier pigeon units in the 1970s, many see the bicycle regiment still useful. But the brass see the army as a high tech operation that has no place for the century old bicycle regiment."

[badtzmaru]

switzerland sounds like one smart bunch of muhphuckas. the phils should learn a thing or two from them

[benjiep]

Funny, maybe I find them strange because Switzerland is basically the opposite of the Philippines:


Switzerland, a country:


built of several cultures yet is politically united;
centrally landlocked yet rarely ever invaded;
which is more productive per-capita than the US;
which has few malls and almost no outlet stores;
where people are orderly and law-abiding;

where businessmen can be military officers;
whose people work most of the time for most of their lives;
where crimes are quietly handled, not sensationalized;
where locally-made goods are considered the highest quality;
of several languages which very rarely makes an issue of it;

where high-rise buildings are considered low-class;
where wine is drunk during meals and fancy water at bars;
whose people bring home assault rifles and don't abuse them;
whose people are usually described as "cold";
in which tradition and respect for history thrives;

where people are trusted to vote directly on big issues;
where bad road traffic is an abnormality;
of an ancient military tradition and which is at peace;
whose people travel and always come back home;
has a better standard-of-living than the US;

where 400-yr-old churches and buildings look like new;
whose people watch stock listings on TV more than sports;
where train movements are on-schedule enough to set time by;
in which English usage is an advantage, not a class issue;
where sausages have more meat in them than extenders;

where huge fortunes come to, rather than run away from;
which organizes cultural diversity more than boasts of it;
which is officially neutral yet makes sophisticated weapons;
with a militia system other nations want to emulate;
which currency rate vs. USD is at a higher ratio than 1:1;

where fresh, good water is free and the air is clean;
whose small wild animals get photographed rather than eaten;
which is a role model for Singapore, not the reverse;
with a precision manufacturing and engineering reputation;
whose people their gov't intends to protect, every last one;

[Edited by benjiep on 04-29-2001 at 10:19 PM]

[^PoloBOY]

Someone told me that when your a guest of an Eskimo, he is obliged to offer you his wife for the night.... hmmm... makapunta nga ng Alaska.

[green grin]

Originally posted by benjiep
Funny, maybe I find them strange because Switzerland is basically the opposite of the Philippines:


Switzerland, a country:

xxxxx


benjiep - you seem to know a lot about the country. do you live in switzerland?

[Lightspeed]

I admire Switzerland.

That charming country of the picturesque villages, and snow-capped mountains. The country of chocolates and timepieces.

Has also one of the most well-armed, highly-trained, and the among most sophisticated combat force in Europe.

[benjiep]

Originally posted by green grin
benjiep - you seem to know a lot about the country. do you live in switzerland?

Been there a few times. I also vacationed there for a while with a working relative, so I got to know this marvelous country. Did you know during summertime it's so warm you can almost go topless at beautiful lakeside beaches?