How do you think your country deviates from the rest of European countries? What's common in your country that is NOT as common in Europe as a whole?

[u/sapphicor]

I'm from Spain and I'd say: how late we apparently eat. I'm used to having lunch at 14-15h and dinner at 21-22h, sometimes later if I don't have to wake up early the following day. Every single time I travel to another european country and I have to eat dinner at like 19:30 or earlier my stomach gets so confused, because that's usually the time I'm eating merienda (a snack before dinner time). It's not easy to adapt!

I think in Portugal they also have dinner at 21h or so, shout out to my Iberian siblings :D

Tell me how your country differentiates from others, I'm curious!

[u/ForeignHelper]

I found out when someone didn’t want to go to their SO’s family member’s funeral, then the day before it, felt guilty so said they’d go but it was too late as the numbers and names of attendees had been finalised. It’s obvs not every British scenario but it’s the most common one. They also have to wait weeks before they get a funeral, which is wild to me. Like you just have to carry on as normal, doing normal life stuff waiting to say goodbye.

[u/FakeNathanDrake → u/ForeignHelper]

That's fucking wild! In my head a funeral is very much an open affair.

Somewhat fittingly we're somewhere in between Ireland and England; it's very unusual to go weeks waiting for a funeral, but we also probably aren't planting them within three days.

[u/ForeignHelper → u/FakeNathanDrake]

Yeh people in Ireland go nuts if it’s even a day or two over 3-days as the process I guess is so important in our culture. 3-days is just the perfect length for coming to terms with the loss using all the rituals which are part of the fabric of recognising the end of a life - obviously grief takes a lot longer. The English way is so cold and impersonal.

[u/wirldbyelza → u/FakeNathanDrake]

In my country, anyone can come to a funeral, but only those invited can come to the dinner afterwards.