Oops, Your Culture's Showing!

Listen to this juicy rumor: In this episode, would you believe that Dean and Tom ‘spill the tea’ on the value and function of gossip and secrecy across cultures? From investigating the use of tsismis in Manila, to eyeing gossip’s impact on decision-making in sub-Saharan Africa – plus secrecy’s impact on drapery in Brussels – they manage to make a splash at proverbial water coolers in both the Global North and Global South in just thirty minutes…all while serving up some fresh scuttlebutt of their own. Don’t believe it? Well, you’ll just have to listen for yourself, lest the rumor mill pass you by! ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

Last month, Dean entered a ryokan in Japan, so this month he – and we – are re-entering the Japanese bathroom in the FIRST-EVER episode of the “Oops, Your Culture’s Showing!” podcast. Enjoy this special reissue of our March 23rd 2018 premiere episode, titled “Shaving & Japanese Toilets”! World cultures expert Dean Foster and longtime friend Tom Peterson dive into bathroom habits around the world in this episode, with the act of shaving and, yes, using the toilet. Join them as they dissect the features and cultural origins of the Japanese toilet, and why perhaps it isn’t catching on in the U.S. (Or is it? No!) So relax, heat up your toilet seat, and turn down your 1812 Overture, because you’re going to want to hear this. ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

Clink clink! Dean and Tom would just like to take a moment (actually, several moments across this episode) to toast toasting and public speaking across cultures. After toasting all night long with a tamada in Georgia, they toast Dean’s May 2024 article for Toastmasters – Speaking Across Cultures: Top 10 rules for communicating around the world – and Tom tries to guess some of the top 10 rules before Dean reveals them. If you can guess them correctly, dear listener, we’ll happily toast you all night long as well! Enjoy and cheers! ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

Hoping a magic carpet ride whisks you away to a magical “far far away” place this week? Well, you’re in *luck*, because we’re reissuing our August 2019 episode, “Do You Believe In Magic?”, for that very reason. Enjoy being transported to Dean and Tom’s realm of magic and wonder, and we’ll see you on the other side! In this episode, Dean and Tom explore magical thinking across cultures, conjuring up the origins of good luck charms while clutching their rabbit’s foot, knocking on wood, and spitting to ward off the evil eye. They also dive into how and why myth-making, from Harry Potter to Groundhog Day to Loch Ness, appeals to so many of us across cultures – but not before our friends at Licensing return to cut off Dean’s rendition of “Do You Believe In Magic?”. Listen and enjoy now before this episode goes *poof*! ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. listeners! In this episode, Dean and Tom thank local caregivers for helping Dean survive sudden maladies across three different continents. They also explore culture’s impact on the care he received, as well as lessons learned (and salt balls rolled…by butterflies?). Plus, the exciting premiere of not one but TWO spinoff segments (and soon-to-be fan favorites!): “Bad Wordplay” & “Grammar Time with Metaphors”, introduced by an “interesting” harmony. We’ve pulled out all the stops and the rehydration salts for this episode, so if you overindulge in anything today, make it this! (Maybe listen two, three, ten times – why not?) ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

Hungry for more food talk after last month’s “Somebody Feed Dean” episode? We’re serving it up to you on a silver platter with this special reissue of our July 2018 episode, “Fish Cheeks & Dining Myth Explosions”. Bon appétit! This episode, Dean and Tom remain hungry for traditional foods across cultures: fish cheeks in China, black pudding and haggis in the U.K., guinea pigs in the Andes, and many more (1:45)! Next, Dean answers a listener question about visiting the Middle East during Ramadan (15:30), and does his best to drink liquified yogurt on his recent trip to the Balkans (23:20). Then, take cover as Dean explodes pesky myths regarding perceived dining pretensions in France, Italy, Hawaii, and Japan (32:09). Please, slurp up this episode as loudly as you’d like – it’s not at all rude! ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

We’re popping open a bottle of Mirto from Sardinia in celebration of our 50TH EPISODE! First, Dean caps off our prior episode about music and dance with the happiest song he’s ever heard, Jambo Bwana, from East Africa, and with an Italian version of the card game Spoons in which the losing player sings an aria. From there, Dean and Tom explore divisions between the north and south of Italy, the cultural prominence of “la bella figura” across Italy, and the intersection of transactions and personal relationships throughout Italy as well. Lastly, our friends at Licensing check in on all of the celebratory singing going on (and perhaps to enjoy some Mirto too?). Thanks very much for laughing and learning with us over these 50 episodes! Ciao bella, until next time! ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com