Cultural differences

[Bruno]

When traveling you always see cultural differences. For example in Belgium if you go fill up your car, literally every station has a card terminal where you select a pump and then authorize your card, beforr filling up and driving away. The pumps don't operate otherwise.

In Germany and Austria you just fill up and then go inside and say what pump you had. The pumps are always operational and there are no card terminals.

Anyone else have an example they noticed while traveling between countries or states?

 

[Bruno]

Found another one: everywhere here they have public water fountains with potable water. In city centers, elevator stations, etc. You find those in Belgium literally nowhere.

 

[32t]

Here it is moving away from the honor system. Not many left. Mostly in rural areas. Many times it is the pump that looks away from the worker that require prepay.

Prepay pumps are the one thing that made me move to credit card usage. My older truck had no workable fuel gauge. I filled it up and used the odometer. I didn't want to walk in and give them $100 to find out that it took $79.43 and go back in to get my change.

The hospital I worked in removed most drinking fountains because of Covid and that they were harder to maintain. And then sell someone a bottle of water for $2.00!

I go to a different one now in the same area and it is interesting that they still have fountains.

The water sprays high enough that I am not woried about catching anything.

 

[verndahl]

I find this kind of differences in culture interesting. There is only one gas station in town that doesn't require pre-pay. I will go there unless it is markedly cheaper else ware.

 

[32t]

My mother years ago an a small stor/gas station. They had no credit card readers at the time.

If she had a drive off there went her profits for the day.

 

[verndahl]

Just saw a question asked on Quora about why so many Americans carry pocket knives (asked by a European I guess). I thought every body did!

 

[32t]

I feel naked without a pocket knife. I carry a smaller one and take the pocket clip off the first thing so it fits in my pocket nicely. Or maybe it didn't come with one....

I laughed when I read about one guys Get out of Dodge pack. { I carry a get home pack!}
One of the things he recomended was a pencil sharpener. But he included 3 knives.

Trim my finger nails, open a letter, or sharpen a pencil are just a few of many examples of a daily use of a pocket knife.