Bonjour mes amis! In this episode, Dean and Tom promenade along the riverbanks of French culture, from Descartes and Cartesian Logic to French cheese, wine, champagne, fashion, and art, to bringing dogs inside of restaurants. We invite you to revel in the hosts’ joie de vivre without delay, s’il vous plaît; à bientôt!
Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
Oi! With the U.K. being in the news a lot lately – from the G7 summit to Wimbledon to England’s heartbreaking loss in the Euro 2020 final – we feel it’s bloody high time that we reissue our U.K. (and U.S.) focused episode, Brits & Yanks, from September 2018. The episode description is below, and we’ll be back soon with a new episode about another European country with a massive cultural influence regionally and globally. Until then, enjoy, mates!
In this episode, Dean and Tom hop across the pond to explore cultural differences between the U.K. and the U.S.! The two begin with some surprisingly different customs between the two countries, like how Britons order two pints in a pub (a.k.a. two beers in a bar) versus how U.S. Americans use forks and knives inefficiently while eating (7:50). Next, they dive into an extended round of “Grammar Talk” to parse out some scary differences in English on both sides of the pond: for instance, should Tom ask for a “bathroom” or a “loo,” compliment a “fanny pack,” or eat “spotted dick” (19:35, 28:30, 37:00)?? Finally, the two chat about the royals in light of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent wedding, and why perhaps U.S. Americans care about the royal family at all (35:25). Don’t get your “knickers in a twist” waiting in the “queue” for this episode to drop; listen and enjoy today!
Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
While remembering pets both old and new, Dean and Tom take the op-purr-tunity to discuss which animals do and don’t constitute pets across dif-fur-rent cultures. (Without any pet puns in the actual episode, we just had to include some here; thank you for understanding.) Plus: Wondering how long pet parrots can live, or where you can safely cross a piranha-infested river in the Amazonas? Well then, you’ve certainly come to the right pawed-cast (that’s the last one, really)!
Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
Fully vaccinated, Dean and Tom jump into a discussion of changes, as well as the lack of changes, in behaviors and cultures resulting from the pandemic this past year (and thankfully, they also decline to bungee-jump naked off of a building in Queenstown New Zealand, at least for now). Plus, Dean offers some tantalizing cultural predictions. Cue the trumpets!
Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
In the grand finale of their two-part shroom-inations, Dean and Tom return to the Balkans, where they find literal dividing lines in Sarajevo as well as cultural similarities & differences between Serbia and Croatia, plus a few no-nos to bear in mind when traveling between countries, and much more. We recommend that you sip some rakia (fruit brandy popular in the Balkans) while you listen and enjoy!
Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
In this new episode (recorded September 2020, when it was still warm enough in the northeastern U.S. to record outdoors!), Dean and Tom repel giant squirrels while they ruminate (or perhaps shroom-inate?) on mushroom-picking in the Baltics. Plus, they dig into differences between the Baltics and the Balkans (hint: start by looking to the ends of one’s “Bal”s). Mycologists and non-mycologists alike, enjoy!
Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
Last Wednesday’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was a tragic & unprecedented example of what happens when elements of culture are manipulated by powerful political interests at the expense, in this case, of democracy. Politics, like every aspect of human activity, is profoundly determined by culture, which can be manipulated for good or bad by those with the power to do so, and last week in the U.S., fundamental elements of U.S. culture, following a harrowing historical playbook, were abused for political ends. We discuss this phenomenon of manipulating culture for political agendas in our “The Political Climate. Ahh!!” episode from October 8th 2020. In advance of the upcoming inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States, we felt it critical to re-release this episode now. The episode description is below, and we’ll be back with new episodes starting next month. Until then, stand up for those aspects of your culture that advance democracy, wherever you are.
It’s the biggest October surprise of all! We’re dropping this episode on the same day as the previous episode because there’s no time to waste: it’s October of a presidential election year in the United States. Millions of votes have already been cast through mail-in ballots and early in-person voting, so Dean and Tom head outdoors again to explore how U.S. culture has directly affected today’s political climate. Make your voting plan TODAY at iwillvote.com.
Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
Happy holidays! When you’re giving holiday gifts to friends or colleagues in other cultures, how, I ask, can you possibly have an idea whether your gift may delight or distress them? Well, I’ll tell you: By listening to and enjoying this reissue of our Gift-Giving: Tips & Taboos episode from December 13th 2018! The episode description is below, and we’ll be back soon with new episodes in 2021. Adiós 2020! Enjoy!
In this episode, Dean and Tom present you with tips for giving culturally-appropriate gifts in the U.S., Europe, and East Asia, along with plenty of taboos to avoid as well. For instance, you’ll learn how to give money to a friend on their birthday in New Orleans, whether to give someone an even or odd number of flowers in Europe, and why giving a colleague four clocks in a white box is not exactly the best idea in China.
Subscribe today! Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
It’s the biggest October surprise of all! We’re dropping this episode on the same day as the previous episode because there’s no time to waste: it’s October of a presidential election year in the United States. Millions of votes have already been cast through mail-in ballots and early in-person voting, so Dean and Tom head outdoors again to explore how U.S. culture has directly affected today’s political climate. Make your voting plan TODAY at iwillvote.com.
Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
Dear listeners, we hope you’re doing well and staying safe in this novel coronavirus pandemic. Dean and Tom head outdoors and stay six feet apart to discuss how culture has impacted responses to this pandemic in societies around the world. Listen to Dr. Fauci, and listen to this episode. (Those are two separate statements, though maybe Dr. Fauci would also recommend this episode. Who’s to say? Oh, he is?)
Have a cultural question or episode idea for Dean and Tom? Reach out on Twitter and Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com.