People appreciating other people in a satisfying way
December 20, 2021 7:12 PM   Subscribe

I love this video of Chinese parents trying Mexican food for the first time. I love the dad's low-key appreciation. I love the people in the comments naming him an honorary Mexican dad for reaching for the liquor at first bite. I love the feeling of people digging each other digging each other. Help me find more.

I love the best of the "You Sang My Song" series on YouTube: Singers watch people on YouTube covering their songs, and react with praise and appreciation; then the YouTube artists get to see that praise and react in turn. It's kind of a big pleasant squish of admiration and joy.

I think I'm especially a sucker when someone appreciates someone else's culture: Their food, their art, their customs; and that appreciation is seen and, in turn, appreciated. It may be a little childish on my part and, of course, there may be exploitative versions of this mode. But please don't hook me up with those exploitative versions. Help me find the stuff that feels genuinely heartwarming. I could use it.

Thanks.
posted by argybarg to Grab Bag (28 answers total) 83 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Well, it's not a Youtube video, but there's the story of Brother Orange (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). It's a pretty crazy (but very positive) cross-cultural story about the US and China. And Mexican food plays a minor role, as well.
posted by alex1965 at 7:26 PM on December 20, 2021 [2 favorites]


This white guy shocks and delights restaurant workers by ordering in perfect Chinese. There are several videos about him I think.
posted by Melismata at 7:34 PM on December 20, 2021 [5 favorites]


Best answer: Lin-Manuel Miranda reacting to Weird Al's take on Hamilton.
posted by eponym at 7:36 PM on December 20, 2021 [8 favorites]


I think the Internationally ME channel on Youtube works for this--very simple, low key, and generally not too sensationalizing travel videos made by a woman who went to Japan in high school on an exchange program and decided to move there. It's very gentle stuff--like, I watched a bunch of it with my mom. You might also like Mountain Trekker, e.g. his trip across the US as featured on the blue.
posted by Wobbuffet at 7:44 PM on December 20, 2021


Best answer: Consider Dustyesky; the genuinely fake Russian choir from Mullumbimby on the north coast of NSW, some of whom can't sing, and none of whom speak Russian, but accidentally found fifteen minutes of fame on Russian television (and maybe the first time 'Mullumbimby' has ever been said on Russian television).
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 7:53 PM on December 20, 2021 [3 favorites]


Best answer: this video is of this freestyle rap YouTuber who is making up a rap for people live on chatroulette, which wouldn't normally be my thing at all, but these two young teen boys LOVE it and are freaking out, and Harry Mack is loving them back and they just all have great energy and it always makes me feel nice.
posted by euphoria066 at 8:55 PM on December 20, 2021 [7 favorites]


the margins have more or less melted in this one. Hard to tell where the performers leave off and the audience comes in. Everybody's just appreciating everybody else. Definitely satisfying.

KRAUTROCK KARAOKE vol.3 "I'm so green" by CAN
posted by philip-random at 9:30 PM on December 20, 2021


This video of Congolese teens having a coupé-décalé dance contest has been one of my go-to feelgood videos for over a decade.
posted by mykescipark at 9:32 PM on December 20, 2021


Tribal people try cheesecake. People from a small village in Pakistan try cheesecake for the first time.
posted by fings at 9:56 PM on December 20, 2021 [11 favorites]


I think you might find some gems looking through NY Times Ops Docs (check their YouTube channel). There is Death Metal Grandma
posted by brookeb at 9:57 PM on December 20, 2021


Here's another one of tribal people, this time watching Bob Ross do his thing.
posted by Harald74 at 12:32 AM on December 21, 2021 [4 favorites]


Dance? Derry "The Da" Fleming is a tryer: his family [and 800,000 randomers] appreciate his efforts. MetaPrev going for the bat.
posted by BobTheScientist at 2:53 AM on December 21, 2021


this gentleman is completely AMAZED at a 3D printer and so appreciative of the explanation and the gifts.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/rjqim3/79_year_old_meets_3d_printer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
posted by alchemist at 3:42 AM on December 21, 2021 [2 favorites]


Dance: regular guy in The Pas, Manitoba, eats food, dances, and people LOVE it.

Music:

TwoSet Violin does a violin vs. recorder video and they get properly roasted by professional recorder players and TwoSet love it. Absolutely hilarious. Start at 6:20 (first half isn't as good)

Three random strangers make a song (there are other videos like this, search "three strangers song" and you'll get more hits) Follow up video!

Stevie Wonder's electric keyboard broke so he improvises a song about it :D Start at 2:15.
posted by foxjacket at 6:00 AM on December 21, 2021 [1 favorite]


Sorry, here's the correct TwoSet Violin link!
posted by foxjacket at 6:17 AM on December 21, 2021 [1 favorite]


Best answer: This video of the great Dutch free jazz drummer Han Bennick playing for a lively and appreciative crowd in Ethiopia may do the trick.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:34 AM on December 21, 2021


This one went viral a little while ago, two young black guys enjoying the music of Phil Collins. In their channel, they also listen Dolly Parton and others.
posted by Leontine at 7:45 AM on December 21, 2021 [8 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks for everything so far, and let me tithe back with this clip of an Irish woman who is totally unprepared for Mister Rogers.
posted by argybarg at 9:04 AM on December 21, 2021 [5 favorites]


The Pharrell listens to Maggie Rogers NYU masterclass is great for this.
posted by true at 9:14 AM on December 21, 2021 [4 favorites]


This scratches the same itch for me: Beryl Shereshewsky. She used to produce travel videos, but the pandemic shut down her previous employer and she pivoted to videos she could make at home. She sets a theme of a simple food/meal (like "toast" or "midnight snacks") and collaborates with people (mostly outside the US) on their submissions to get a first-person description and then makes and eats it at home.

It's not that every single thing is a winner, but her joyful appreciation and open-mindedness is so infectious and her collaborators are very often telling heartfelt stories about their lives and families. I've also learned some pretty great recipes, as everything is generally pretty easy to source and make.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:25 AM on December 21, 2021 [3 favorites]


The Pharrell listens to Maggie Rogers yt NYU masterclass is great for this.

speaking of Pharrell ...


Nardwuar Top 20 Reactions
posted by philip-random at 10:22 AM on December 21, 2021 [2 favorites]


Nigerian husband of American wife tries buttered corn on the cob for the first time, and various other stuff on their shared socials.
posted by Occula at 11:45 AM on December 21, 2021 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Ooh, I also forgot this beautiful little exchange across cultures, from magician to magician, at the 19:28 mark (warning: Teller speaks!).
posted by argybarg at 11:52 AM on December 21, 2021


Some of my favorites of Penn and Teller being fooled by fellow magicians, time-stamped to their entries on stage.

Richard Turner (I skipped the intro where they reveal he's blind)
Eric Mead
Shawn Farquhar
Shin Lim
posted by dobbs at 1:53 PM on December 21, 2021 [1 favorite]


argybarg: "I love the best of the "You Sang My Song " series on YouTube: Singers watch people on YouTube covering their songs, and react with praise and appreciation; then the YouTube artists get to see that praise and react in turn. It's kind of a big pleasant squish of admiration and joy."

One of the best parts of Aretha Franklin's (phenomenal) 2015 performance of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" at the Kennedy Center Honors is the absolutely deliriously happy reaction of honoree Carole King, who originally co-wrote the song for her.

More subdued, but I always loved the verklempt reaction of author Jose Saramago to the film adaptation of his novel Blindness, and how it so thoroughly delights director Fernando Meirelles.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:01 AM on December 22, 2021 [4 favorites]


Late to this question, but a gospel choir in the audience singing "Take Me to Church" to Hozier as he's onstage is a truly beautiful thing (kicks in at2:30 and after, watch the whole thing).
posted by MonkeyToes at 12:41 PM on December 22, 2021 [5 favorites]


Whoops, saw this in my Recent Activity and noticed I totally forgot to include the link to that Saramago video.
posted by Rhaomi at 6:40 PM on December 22, 2021


I know this is a stale thread, but I was watching the Hozier video and reminded of the time Adele performed (while disguised) to a group of Adele impersonators. The whole setup is delightful, but her performance (the last of the group) is at 6 minutes in. The best is the pair who know after literally the first line.
posted by Superilla at 11:12 PM on December 27, 2021 [1 favorite]


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