Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with CulturalDifferences

So what do they feed kids in other countries, anyway?

Zinger — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:38:41 -0800

Infant feeding: Having just had my third baby, I'm struck once again by the rigidity of North American guidelines on feeding wee ones. I'm curious as to what is done in other countries and cultures, and what we did in the past. Resources? For example, the 'rules' here suggest breastfeeding ONLY until at least six months, and then introducing foods one at a time, starting with the cereals and so on. Health care workers react with unmitigated horror if you suggest doing anything different - and I typically find that with my kids, introduction of solids has to happen earlier.

So does anyone know of any studies on what's done in other countries and cultures? Can anyone living abroad tell me what the guidelines are in your area? What did we do in the past? What about your experiences?

Differences between the midwest and the eastcoast?

bobdylanforever — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:57:30 -0800

My mother says I'm "too midwestern" to move to Boston. What does this mean? I'm thinking about moving to Boston (there's a particular grad school/job I'm very interested in located there) and I've lived all my life in fairly diverse suburbs of Chicago and spent my college career in Wisconsin. When I told my mother this, she expressed that I'm "too midwestern" and would probably be unhappy. She started talking about how different my ideology/outlook on life is than your typical East Coaster.
Now, I'm aware that there are some differences between the Midwest and the East Coast (I'm also aware of the fact that I'm asking a question on mefi in regards to something my mother said...maybe it IS time to move to the East Coast...) but I don't have a clear idea of how Midwesterners and East coasters differ ideologically or what cultural differences there are that would really put a damper on my spirits. Any insights?

How do Kosovar Albanians differ from Albanians in Albania?

jason's_planet — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:26:01 -0800

How do Kosovar Albanians differ from Albanians in Albania? Kosovar Albanians and Albanians in Albania proper share a nationality but their historical experiences seem so different that I wonder if the division has produced cultural differences between the two. The historical analogy that comes to mind is that of Germany, where the Iron Curtain produced distinct “Ossi” and “Wessi” identities which persisted even after reunification

So, how are Kosovar Albanians different from Albanians in Albania? Do they speak a different dialect of Albanian? Do they speak with a distinct accent? How did their experiences under Yugoslav Communism affect them culturally? And how do the two groups view each other?

Many thanks in advance.