Photo Credit (Freepik)
Mexicans laugh at death, but the French enjoy a good laugh while they watch the world go by. Here, five multicultural Copenhagen residents share their humorous tales of navigating different cultures.
Retail clerk Nobuko Miyata Petersen
Japanese
For my ex-husband from the West, dining in Japan appeared like a strange experience. When we eat, we don’t converse. Among us, there is just one tongue! We stay silent and concentrate on the food. I remember one time when my parents’ Japanese house was filled to capacity for dinner. Every one of us ate by ourselves. My ex-spouse was looking about, trying to talk to someone, but no one said anything. He thought it was amusing.
In Japan, there are a lot of amusing scenarios in public restrooms. They are mostly automatic, and the only instructions explaining how to use them are in Japanese. The sound of pissing loudly comes from the toilet. The goal of this is to lessen humiliation, especially for those who are waiting outside. But the foreigners panic, get up, and run away!
“People take great care when jesting about foreigners.”
Nobuko Miyata Petersen
Claudia Cohen, a kindergarten teacher and previous head of festival planning
Mexican
My Mexican family and I like to joke around when someone leaves. “And this was the last time we saw her,” we can exclaim. whether they are heading out for a day trip, a vacation, or even just a quick trip to the grocery store. I attempted to convey it in another way, but the joke was a bust. People don’t find it funny. They even think it’s wicked and snarky. But in Mexico, there’s a lot of humor about death. Of course, we don’t want anyone to die or disappear. It’s more about hoping it doesn’t happen than anything else.
“I tried saying it somewhere else, but the joke didn’t work at all.”
Claudia Covington
Author, reporter, and attorney Anne Sophie Allarp
Danish
I was employed by the European Commission while residing in Zambia. At work, there was a dress code. As a woman, your options include a professional suit or safari suit, or a chitenge, a classic figure-hugging Zambian dress with puffed sleeves and a headdress. Since this was before the topic of cultural appropriation was raised, I had purchased a chitenge for myself. One day, I wore it to work. Naturally, I wore a headdress; mine was green and orange. Word of what I was wearing quickly traveled, and one by one, people stopped by my desk to see what I was wearing. My buddy from Zambia laughed so hard when she saw a picture of me wearing the outfit and said, “You look sooo white in that thing!”
“My friend from Zambia started laughing nonstop as soon as he saw the picture.”
Anne Sophie Allarp
Julie Canclini, a communication consultant
France
It’s normal to make fun of strangers you meet on the street in France. Just by looking at someone you see strolling past on a café patio, you can laugh aloud at them based only on their gait or attire. Even with a fleeting glance, you can tell they are thinking the same thing.
It’s not supposed to be hurtful; it’s just a way to establish a connection with the person you’re laughing with. That wouldn’t likely occur anywhere else. Either because they find it insulting, or because they don’t sit and watch other people as frequently as we do in France. I think it has a lot in common with the French terrace culture. At cafés, we spend hours talking and people watching with friends.
“Laughing and connecting with people you don’t even speak the same language as”
Julie Canclini
Yaman Sido, sign painter
SYRIAN
There’s a joke, I think, that only Arabs get. Permit me to say it nevertheless:
Many years later, in a department store, Hassan and Peter—two childhood friends—finally cross paths. They are happy to see one another and inquire about one other’s well-being.
“I’m okay, but I can’t find my wife,” is Peter’s response. She seemed to disappear here at the store.
“Are you serious? “My wife is nowhere to be seen either,” replies Hassan.Let’s go find them. Hassan asks, “So, how does your spouse look?”
She is blonde, tall, and thin. She used to work as a model. What does your partner look like? Peter responds in kind.
Hassan says, “My wife is unimportant.” “Let’s go find your spouse.”
“The joke is then told again, and we laugh once more.”