Last Updated on January 7, 2021
© iNewsOne of our dreams is to travel the world, learn about other cultures, and explore the strange lands of this globe. But how can you do it without offending others?
The ultimate destination dream that most of us share is Europe. It is multi-cultural with hundreds of gorgeous landscapes that we would love to witness, and of course, the unique cuisine that changes from one country to another.
While visiting a different country, we enjoy talking to locals to learn more about their lives, beliefs, history, and lifestyle. But since we came from a very different culture, many of our “normal” habits could be offensive to them, and that’s the last thing we want to make others feel.
After all, it is “us” the strangers who came to their homeland. So before you book a tick to Europe, get to know these 8 unexpected things that are actually offensive in Europe.
Chewing gum
Chewing gum is no big deal at all in our beloved country. In fact, we enjoy chewing it day and night to keep our jaws busy and our breath fresher. But if you walked around the streets of Europe with gum inside your mouth, you will be seen as impolite.
Usually, Europeans chew gum after a meal and then spit it out after a little while. In France and Belgium, chewing gum in public is considered vulgar, while in the Netherlands, it is considered rude!
Flowers as gifts
You may come across a nice family that would invite you to their home for dinner, so you wouldn’t want to go without a gift in your hands, and the first thing that could come across your mind is flowers.
Well, don’t do it!
The symbolic meaning of flowers is different in each country, and most of those meanings are not very “polite”. For example, France sees Chrysanthemums as the funeral flowers, and so does Latvia with red roses.
