42 Items That Are Only Popular In Some Countries, Even Though They Should Be Popular Worldwide
By
maks in
Interesting
On 7th January 2024
Have you ever traveled to another country and spotted something incredibly unique or just plain different that you've never encountered before? It might be something incredibly innovative or perhaps even something that seems rather pointless. On the flip side, we all have those everyday items or features in our own countries that we take for granted. It's only when we travel abroad and discover their absence that we realize just how essential they are to our daily routines.
To give you a clearer idea, a Reddit user recently asked people to share one product from their homeland that they're surprised hasn't become a global phenomenon yet. The responses range from practical dish drying cabinets to specific local foods.
In New Zealand we have a thing called ACC ( accident compensation corporation) which is a public body that pays for hospital care, physiotherapy etc if you get injured. It is also written into our law that you can't sue someone if you get injured. The effect of this is that:
1) people get quicker and better quality care, and the focus is on recovery
2) you don't have to sue someone for minor accidents that lead to disproportionate injuries (eg tripping on a public footpath and breaking your leg)
3) people don't get injured then try to profit from it by suing for stupid amounts of money
4) we don't have predatory lawyers trying to make money out of injuries, and none of those 'were you injured and it wasn't your fault' adverts everywhere etc.
I don't know all of the figures but my gut feeling is that this is a more efficient and better quality system than what many other countries have.
Toilets with pedals instead of levers so you don’t have to touch anything with your hands
The NHS. Walk into a hospital, get fixed and leave without worrying about paying, I've nothing more to say.
Kinda not a product but - **bottle recycling machine/reverse vending machine** (?lol) Basically when you buy a drink in a bottle/can, you pay a little “pawn fee” (like 20 cents) and when you later go put the empty bottle/can in the machine you get the fee back. We usually collect the bottles until there is like 6 bags and then go cash out like 16€ at once. Its pretty neat. It encourages recycling!:)
EDIT: This is how they look like! I'm glad to read from comments it's a thing in so many more countries! More info: Cans and bottles have different fees. You insert the bottles/cans one by one, bottom first, the machine has to read a certain symbol on the packaging otherwise it wont go in. There is usually a worker on the other side making sure it doesnt overfill. They are fairly clean and there is usually a sink in the room. In the last few years, there have been newer machines where you can just dump your entire bag into the machine and it does the whole sorting on its own. And to those who were interested, I am from Estonia :)
Bakfietsen (bikes with a kind of wheelbarrow front for carrying kids or groceries). I’ve seen a few bakfietsen in the states lately which is cool. But without dedicated bike lanes I would guess carrying kids in them would be a terrible idea.
Bidet. I cannot believe they are not more popular in the US! They can be very inexpensive, and it was a quality of life type change.
Italy. Tapparelle.
They're essentially roll up plastic blinds for the windows, but instead of simply being curtains they're actually inserted in a crease in the wall, so that no light can pass through when they're down. You can actually easily recognize an Italian home interior if you see a window with a flat vertical rope on one side an a big boxy *thing* at the top.
How well do they work? When all tapparelle are down, the house is *dark*. Complete, utter darkness. The sun could be shining right against the window, and you wouldn't know. When you wake up, it's like waking up in a void of nothingness. No sign of life, **nothing** outside your walls. It makes for quality sleeping, that's for sure.
Other perks include: privacy for when you undress and safety against strong winds.
EDIT: Tapparella fixing tutorial with example (at one point the tapparella is completely down and you can see how no light passes through from outside)
As an American who lived in France for a year in college, I am really surprised that late night European style kebab joints aren't really a thing that has taken off yet here.
Sourdough rye bread. Freshly baked with butter... So good! Great taste, great nution and good for the digestion.
I wish towel radiators and bidets would catch on more in America
Still amazed that my US friends don't regularly use electric tea kettles. My friend was tickled pink that I sent her one for Christmas.
Tablet from Scotland. It's like fudge but more. So much more.
Not my home country, but heated vending machines from Japan
The pasty.As a concept it's food designed to be eaten on the go that's contained and resists dropping the contents all over the floor as you eat it. It's crust can be used to hold the food if you have dirty hands or the contents are hot and the crust can be discarded afterwards guilt free because it's biodegradable.
Meat pies such as Steak and cheese, bacon and egg, classic mince, lamb & mint, potato top. all in lovely pastry served in a white paper bag, gotta love NZ
Pålægschokolade (Denmark) - thin sheets of dark or milk chocolate to eat on your breakfast bun over a thick layer of butter.
Finland - dish drying cabinet.
From India: cardamom. I know the spice is not exclusive to India, but I'm surprised it's not used in more applications. I've had cardamom infused cocktails in the past (mojitos, margs, etc.) and they are absolutely incredible. I'm surprised it hasn't taken off in the world of mixology at the very least.
Cream Cheese. I visited a very nice newer all inclusive in Central America. They had bagels but no cream cheese. I inquired if they had some and everyone in the kitchen had never heard of it. As I ate breakfast a manager found me at my table and started asking questions about it. I told him it wasn’t a big deal but he had to know so that they could have it for future guests. I wish I was there to see them taste it.
So if you order a whisky in Scotland, if the place is anywhere decent they will give you a wee jug of water so you can add a drop or two to open it up as required. I’ve not had that once anywhere else, and I’ve leaned from experience to explicitly say “no ice” in the US. So, that wee water jug.
For the US, biscuits and gravy. Every single person I have introduced to it, fell in love. For whatever reason, I found British people go absolutely bonkers for it. One co-worker in London Skyped with my wife so she could walk him through the gravy. Edit: yes, Americans mean something very different by “biscuits” and “gravy”. Also, no they are not scones. Buttermilk biscuits are much softer and richer. I’ve found no exact counterpart in Europe. Sort of between a scone and a croissant.
Tartiflette, and Raclette nights.
Old Bay and malt vinegar on French fries, seafood, almost anything. Why only Maryland and Virginia? It’s freaking delicious.
"Hagelslag", chocolate sprinkles that, contrary to the American sprinkles which are just brown sugar, contain a minimum amount of actual chocolate.
Irn-Bru (Scotland’s number 1 fizzy drink)
Just got back from England. America needs halloumi fries!!
Root beer and peanut butter
Chicken salt and Dim Sims
Cadbury Flake and Aero chocolate bars (preferably in mint). There are some Cadbury products in the US but they're made with inferior chocolate and the Flake has never been a thing. Aero is made by Nestle (which has plenty of presence in the US) and for a few years they were distributed by Hershey (a US company)
Whittakers chocolate from NZ. Puts Cadbury to shame. Also lolly cake, therefore by extension malt biscuits.
Lemon lime and bitters. Tall glass, add ice, drizzle Angostura bitters around the inside of the glass, add a shot of lime cordial then fill with Sprite/7up. Fantastic non-alcoholic drink (ok there’s a tiny bit of alcohol there)
Greggs - for those Redditors outside of the UK, it is a British bakery chain. They're known for making sausage rolls that are cheap (£1.20 a sausage roll), but cheerful and delicious. They also make other stuff like steak bakes, sandwiches, and also doughnuts too. All in all, they are a favourite in the UK and can be found in pretty much every town and city in the country.
Guaraná Antartica, from Brazil. Very unique softdrink.
Garbage disposals. I’ve seen so many posts recently of Europeans shocked these things exist. They’re great. Get on board everyone.
Brunnost- "brown cheese", but it's not a cheese, but rather a dairy product by heating the water cheese is made in and the lactose polymerizes. Then they add cream and it turns into a smooth, brown cheese sort of that is sweet and has a butter-caramel flavor. It's amazing with a salty ham. One thing I wish I could do is try Brunnost with Icelandic Roggenbrod.
I travel often, so I'll hit a few:
US (mine): No-bake cookies. I get that they're not mass produced, but they're delicious.
Turkey: Sahlep. A smooth, sweet, creamy drink.
Georgia: Khachapuri. This is popular in many places, but not North America. It's an amazing rendition on pizza. America needs this!
Peru: Cherimoya. God's greatest fruit.
Russia: Сырники + good cottage cheese. Delicious and cool of protein. I love this for breakfast.
Cheezies from Canada. The superior extruded cornmeal cheese puff snack.
