# When local culture is stupid

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-local-culture-is-stupid/484070>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [February 2, 2009, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-local-culture-is-stupid/484070 "2009-02-02T03:05:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-local-culture-is-stupid/484070/1 "2009-02-02T03:05:44Z")

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Kind of strange being a stranger in a strange land and observing the irony of:

1. Taking one’s kid to a crowded temple to pray for her health, at which place she gets burned on the face by a stick of incense and develops a week-long cough triggered by all the choking clouds of incense indoors.

2. Watching one’s in-laws throw “spirit money” into a flaming trashcan indoors to pray for the safety of the household in the coming year. With not even a fire extinguisher or bucket of sand nearby. (Last year I suggested this, and was dismissed as a silly foreigner with silly foreign ideas of fire safety.)

I am really glad Chinese New Year is over, 'cause sometimes, local culture is just stupid.

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**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-local-culture-is-stupid/484070/2 "2009-02-02T03:12:20Z")

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In fact, if a mod passes by and has a free moment, could you help me out and change the thread title to: “When local culture is stupid” ?

Thanks. Xin Nian Kuai Le! Gong Xi Gong Xi! (gaah, blech)