Happy Thanksgiving to our US American listeners! In this episode, Dean dishes to Tom about both experiencing US American holidays like Thanksgiving while in different countries, as well as immersing himself in different countries’ holidays over the years – from Slovakia to India to China, and many more! Plus, Tom searches for wordplay (but does he find it?) and producer Torin calls out semantic satiation when he hears it (but can he say “satiation”?). Enjoy gobbling up this episode, and thank you for listening!

Check out our NEW YouTube channel here (and/or the playlist below)! In honor of the pod’s upcoming 5th anniversary in late March 2023, we’re posting 2-3 of our original episodes, in the order they were released, each and every Wednesday into March. Our first two episodes ever (“Shaving & Japanese Toilets” and “Tea & Magnetic Pole Flips”) are up now! If you haven’t heard them yet, or even if you have, head there & click Play today, and bring a friend along with you – thanks!

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.

Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

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Listening to this while eating lunch in the workplace? Fais attention (be careful!) because if you’re in France, that’s illegal. In this episode, Dean and Tom get to work contrasting how countries from France to Japan to the US value, and even legislate, work-life balance – and, bien sûr (of course!), how it’s all grounded in culture. Plus, a Grammar Time segment somehow sneaks up on all of us…est-ce possible?

(Here are the referenced NPR articles on the French lunch law and the Portuguese ‘right to disconnect’ law, from June 2022.)

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.

Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

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Why did Dean, the global cultures expert, cross the road? To chat with Tom about navigating street crossings in cities from Rome to Hong Kong, and the corresponding cultural implications – of course! Plus: Don’t miss the exciting premiere of Wordplay!, a subset of Grammar Time, later in the episode. We’re giving you the walk sign to stroll through this episode and enjoy it, hopefully without jaywalking involved (but if you do, we won’t – and can’t – tell on you).

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.

Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

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We hope you’re staying as cool as can be, listeners! Since Dean and Tom will be chatting about global transportation customs in next month’s brand-new episode, we’re ‘crossing the road’ to there with a special reissue this month of our “Taxis & Malaysian Smiles” episode from May 2018. Enjoy this off-the-rails (or whichever transportation idiom you prefer) episode, hopefully while sipping on an ice-cold beverage!

In this episode, Dean and Tom share taxi adventures and delve into what to do, and not do, when in the backseat, or maybe the front seat, in India, Australia, and Japan – all while they swat away malarial mosquitos and sing “Oh My Darling, Clementine” (6:22). Next, Dean answers a listener’s question about cultural differences around smiling and laughing in Malaysia and the U.S. (19:57). Then, the topic of men’s outerwear somehow comes up, so put on your culturally-appropriate listening shorts 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.

Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

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Hey (literal) baby! In this episode, Dean and Tom toddle over from a prior discussion of elders to the other end of the age spectrum: kids, and how we adults view, rear, and set expectations of children similarly and differently across cultures! Pay special attention for mentions of defenestration, Victor Borge, and dunce caps, children, because there will be a quiz afterwards. Plus: Grammar Time boldly returns to ask the question on every child’s mind; where has the semicolon gone? Please be seated criss-cross on the carpet; we need to see your eyes on your phone and your ears listening; now you’re ready to 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.

Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

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Listen up, you whippersnappers! Dean, Tom, and baby/producer Torin impart some wisdom about how cultures value their elders and the “elderly,” especially by comparing perceptions and customs in US culture with those in cultures in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Plus, you’d be wise not to miss the long-anticipated launch of Grandma Time (or perhaps it’s the long-awaited return of Grammar Time, who can say?). Pull down those earlobes, open up those ear holes, and enjoy!

(Referenced in this episode: Stephen Colbert receives broadcasting wisdom from Tom in this Daily Show segment from fall 2001, at around the 2 minute 55 second mark.)

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.

Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

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Dean and Tom are back to talk about the use and importance of symbols across cultures, otherwise known as “going the full Robert Langdon” (you know, the main protagonist in Dan Brown’s novels). Being the super symbologists they are, Dean and Tom decipher what iconic symbols have to tell us about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while also decoding symbols that have arisen from other conflicts, such as in Hong Kong, the United States, and more. We hope you’ll crash some cymbals to commemorate this discussion of symbols, symbolizing a celebration of all our new 2022 episodes coming up!

(For more on protest symbols in Russia, here is the April 15, 2022 episode of the Rough Translation podcast from NPR.)

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.

Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

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In the finale of their two-part gleeful gabfest, Dean and Tom continue to delight in the complexities of humor, language, and culture. Then, they elatedly explore similarities and differences in how joy is expressed communally across cultures, in Bhutan, Denmark, Brazil, and the U.S., and in birthday celebrations in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. Happy holidays everyone, and we’ll see you in (a hopefully far more joyous) 2022!

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.

Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com

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