Dean Foster, Tom Peterson, and Torin Peterson
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As we rapidly approach the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, many school schedules are preparing to slow down or take a break in the warmer months, as some work schedules do too. With this in mind, please enjoy this special reissue of our 35th episode on work-life balance in cultures around the globe, “‘Work to live’ cultures, and ‘live to work’ cultures”, from October 2022. We here at…
Whether you’re enjoying the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, or autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s a great time for an outdoor stroll – with ‘Oops, Your Culture’s Showing!’ playing in your ears, of course. But when you’re navigating street crossings on this stroll, are there cultural implications attached to what you and those around you are doing? (Hint: There are!) Find out more…
Merriam-Webster defines “talking turkey” as “speaking frankly or bluntly”, but, honestly, where’s the fun in that…so instead, we’re talking about Turkey, the country, in this episode. Dean brings Tom and Torin along on his recent expedition there: from “fabulous, glorious center of the word” Istanbul, to the “fascinating” fairy chimneys of Cappadocia and the “enlightening” ceremony of the whirling…
If you find yourself itching to hear Dean and Tom this month, we’re happy to oblige: here is a special reissue of our January 2020 episode, “Which Body Part’s Itchy?”. There’s certainly no dry spell happening in this episode – enjoy! In this episode, Dean and Tom scratch away at cultural associations related to itchy noses, itchy palms, and itchy feet around the globe – so keep that hydrocortisone…
With Mardi Gras 2026 right around the corner, sink your teeth into a special slice – erm, reissue – of our Mardi Gras-themed episode, “Culture’s Consequences: King Cake At Mardi Gras”, from February 2024. Enjoy this purple, green, and gold delight! Introducing…Dean’s new “Culture’s Consequences” Substack column , in which he reveals the hidden cultural reasons behind the daily headlines! In this…
Happy (almost) new year! In this episode, Dean remembers his experience of ‘rum, rhumba, and remembrance’ in Havana Cuba on a past New Year’s Eve. Tom and Torin join him on this (literally) timeless journey, rum in hand, dancing shoes on, and all clearly being out-rhumba-ed by six-year-olds. Join us on this blur and whirl of an episode, because, as always, we are the walrus: coo coo ca choo! [As…
Please enjoy this holiday-themed episode reissue from Boxing Day 2024, “How Not To Be The Ugly (Fill In The Country Of Choice) Tourist”, and have a happy end of 2025 & start of 2026! It’s a holiday-filled time of year and a heavy travel time across cultures, dear listeners; as such, we’ve been receiving your questions about how not to be the “ugly American (or fill in your country of choice)…
Thanksgiving is back in the US, and so are we with a special reissue of our November 2022 episode, “Holidays of gratitude”! (And don’t forget: Dean’s newest book, “Business Beyond Borders: Stories, Tales, and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World” , IS OUT NOW. Order your copy today!) Happy Thanksgiving to our US American listeners! In this episode, Dean dishes to Tom about…
After recently exploring what certain words and phrases say about culture, we thought it time to re-explore what other certain phrases – idioms – say about – yes – culture! With that, enjoy this special reissue of our 47th episode, “Idiots Talking Idioms”, from March 2024. (And don’t forget: Dean’s newest book, “Business Beyond Borders: Stories, Tales, and Lessons Learned from Working in 100…
We’re back for Part 2 and for our 60TH EPISODE! In this even more culture-lit-laden episode, Dean, Tom, and Torin resume poring over Christopher Moore’s book “The Untranslatables”, about terms representing universal concepts that don’t have a direct translation in U.S. English, like the French term “esprit de l’escalier”, the Mandarin word “guanxi”, and the Bantu word “ubuntu”. Dean’s stories,…
Dear listeners: As you’ve enjoyed nearly sixty episodes of Dean’s stories, tales, and lessons learned from working in a hundred cultures around the world (and if not, why are you here? this is what we do!), we know you’re absolutely going to love Dean’s newest book, “Business Beyond Borders: Stories, Tales, and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World” . It’ll be released Nov.…
Listen to this juicy rumor: In this episode, would you believe that Dean and Tom ‘spill the tea’ on the value and function of gossip and secrecy across cultures? From investigating the use of tsismis in Manila, to eyeing gossip’s impact on decision-making in sub-Saharan Africa – plus secrecy’s impact on drapery in Brussels – they manage to make a splash at proverbial water coolers in both the…
While we’re sorry to possibly offend, we’re not at all sorry about reissuing our apologies-across-cultures episode, “Sorry?”, from June 2019. We hope that you enjoy it, and if you don’t, what else can we say but…sorry? We’re very (not) sorry to say that Dean and Tom are talking apologies across cultures, particularly in the U.K. and East Asia, in this episode. Also, Producer Torin brings in a…
Last month, Dean entered a ryokan in Japan, so this month he – and we – are re-entering the Japanese bathroom in the FIRST-EVER episode of the “Oops, Your Culture’s Showing!” podcast. Enjoy this special reissue of our March 23rd 2018 premiere episode, titled “Shaving & Japanese Toilets”! World cultures expert Dean Foster and longtime friend Tom Peterson dive into bathroom habits around the world…
Happy spring! With cherry blossoms blooming all around, Dean and Tom float into an exploration of ikigai , a concept for finding happiness and purpose in everyday life, in Japanese culture. Along the road of their discussion, they also stay at a ryokan and relish wabi-sabi – all while occasionally being interrupted by the Licensing department. Whether you’re subtly finding beauty in the…
Clink clink! Dean and Tom would just like to take a moment (actually, several moments across this episode) to toast toasting and public speaking across cultures. After toasting all night long with a tamada in Georgia, they toast Dean’s May 2024 article for Toastmasters – Speaking Across Cultures: Top 10 rules for communicating around the world – and Tom tries to guess some of the top 10 rules…
O Canada! With all the recent talk of Canada being the 51st U.S. state – it’s not, and won’t be! – Dean and Tom venture into the vast expanse of cultural differences between Canadians and U.S. Americans in this episode. Meanwhile, Dean encounters polar bears on the Canadian Shield, Tom’s Canadian relatives enter the melting pot, and Torin searches underground for Montreal’s Nuit Blanche (White…
Hoping a magic carpet ride whisks you away to a magical “far far away” place this week? Well, you’re in *luck*, because we’re reissuing our August 2019 episode, “Do You Believe In Magic?”, for that very reason. Enjoy being transported to Dean and Tom’s realm of magic and wonder, and we’ll see you on the other side! In this episode, Dean and Tom explore magical thinking across cultures, conjuring…
It’s a holiday-filled time of year and a heavy travel time across cultures, dear listeners; as such, we’ve been receiving your questions about how not to be the “ugly American (or fill in your country of choice) tourist” while traveling abroad. On this Boxing Day, Dean and Tom pause their gifting to unpack fears about this, and then to wrap up practical advice about it into a festive 40-minute…
Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. listeners! In this episode, Dean and Tom thank local caregivers for helping Dean survive sudden maladies across three different continents. They also explore culture’s impact on the care he received, as well as lessons learned (and salt balls rolled…by butterflies?). Plus, the exciting premiere of not one but TWO spinoff segments (and soon-to-be fan favorites!): “Bad…
Are Burma and Myanmar the same place? How long does a zat pwe last? Why are only foreigners allowed into a certain garage in Mandalay? In this episode, Dean and Tom travel along Myanmar’s central river, the Irrawaddy, to answer these very questions, all the while observing Buddhist temples and pagodas, holding hands with new friends, and donning a mustachioed purple t-shirt. They also seek to…
Hungry for more food talk after last month’s “Somebody Feed Dean” episode? We’re serving it up to you on a silver platter with this special reissue of our July 2018 episode, “Fish Cheeks & Dining Myth Explosions”. Bon appétit! This episode, Dean and Tom remain hungry for traditional foods across cultures: fish cheeks in China, black pudding and haggis in the U.K., guinea pigs in the Andes, and…
It’s a food travel show for your ears! Dean ventures to his favorite worldwide hole-in-the-wall restaurants, street stands, and more in this episode, experiencing the best meals of his life from Sri Lanka to Shanghai and everywhere in between. Meanwhile, Tom risks losing his head in his search for the most spectacular chocolate mousse in and around Paris. We hope that you’ll take the calculated…
We’re popping open a bottle of Mirto from Sardinia in celebration of our 50TH EPISODE! First, Dean caps off our prior episode about music and dance with the happiest song he’s ever heard, Jambo Bwana , from East Africa, and with an Italian version of the card game Spoons in which the losing player sings an aria. From there, Dean and Tom explore divisions between the north and south of Italy, the…
We’re groovin’ to the tunes in this episode! Join Dean and Tom as they explore varying expressions, along with common purposes, of music and dance across cultures: from an indoor wedding in Cairo and music bar in Dublin, to an outdoor opera in Rome and the salsa-filled streets of Havana. Everybody gather ’round now. Let your body feel the heat. Don’t you worry if you can’t dance. Let the music…
If you’ve paid attention to U.S. national news recently *ahem Kristi Noem ahem*, you’ve surely been reminded that many U.S. Americans love love love dogs and have them as pets. Therefore, we thought it would be the perfect time for a special reissue of our May 2021 episode, “Pets Around The World! Meow.” Enjoy! While remembering pets both old and new, Dean and Tom take the op-purr-tunity to…
Earth Day 2024 was this past Monday April 22nd! In honor of our one and only Earth, Dean brings Tom (and us) along with him on his recent excursion to Antarctica in this episode, where he walked among thousands of non-tap-dancing penguins and giant calving glaciers on the warmest day ever recorded there to-date. Specifically, Dean details his conversations on his Antarctic journey with global…
Dean and Tom have truly “fallen down the rabbit hole” in this episode as they explore different idioms across cultures, offering context as well as advice on what to do when faced with unknown idioms on your travels. (A preview: An idiom in another country may feel like it “comes out of left field,” but give yourself some grace – you’re not an ‘idiom idiot’!) We know that you’ll enjoy listening to…
Introducing…Dean’s new “Culture’s Consequences” Substack column , in which he reveals the hidden cultural reasons behind the daily headlines! In this episode, Dean and Tom bite into Dean’s February 2024 “Culture’s Consequences” article about Dong Phuong Bakery’s luscious King Cake, available only during New Orleans’ Mardi Gras season, and how it represents a melding of New Orleans, Creole, French,…
With next month marking 10 years since Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea in Ukraine, and 2 years since the start of the current war there, we will continue to keep Ukraine & Ukrainians in our ears, hearts, and minds with this special reissue of our “For Ukrainians, the sunflower is an incredibly powerful symbol” episode from April 2022. 🇺🇦 Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 Stay well & stay strong,…
Happy holidays, dear listeners! Welcome back for the thrilling conclusion of our Cornucopia series, in which Tom and Torin now face off in the final two of six of Dean’s CultureQuizzes: that is, brief quizzes about fundamental culture concepts in different regions of the world. They’re playing for the prize of, well, it’s unclear, as the culture-curious fellows are now into their third successive…
Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. American listeners! Before, after, or perhaps while you’re feasting at the dinner table, enjoy feasting your ears on this continuation from last month’s episode about Dean’s CultureQuizzes, or brief quizzes about fundamental culture concepts in different regions of the world. This time, Tom and Torin take on quizzes about countries in Asia and then in Europe, while…
As the three culture-curious mates remedy last episode’s sangria-lessness with beer and chianti, Dean (our resident global cultures expert) challenges Tom and Torin (our very-much-not-experts) to play six of his self-written CultureQuizzes – that is, brief quizzes about fundamental culture concepts in particular regions – against each other. Perhaps due to their mild inebriation or Torin’s…
It’s always nice to imbibe with a companion, so this month, we’re pairing up last month’s “Alcohol Across Cultures” chat with a companion piece on what to do (or not do) when drinking tea and other libations across the globe. So grab your potable of choice (potent or not) and please enjoy this special reissue of our second-ever episode, “Tea & Magnetic Pole Flips”, from March 2018! (Also: It…
Dean may have neglected to bring sangria for this episode, but that doesn’t stop Dean and Tom from sliding into a spirited dialogue on Dean’s experiences with alcohol across countries & cultures: from gin amidst the dizzying dunes of Libya, to the “easy going down” caipirinha of Brazil (with subsequent lizard-negotiating), to early-morning Unicum in a Budapest boardroom, and much more. Plus, do…
In this episode, Dean lights some powerful incense (can you smell it?) before recounting his travels through the massively multicultural nation of India, and exploring personal instances of cultural dissonance in Pondicherry and elsewhere. Plus, Tom points out the elephant in the corner (of a Hindu temple), and Producer Torin needs to know if Dean walks the walk there. Remember: Everything will be…
As Dean and Tom (metaphorically) cross the Rio Grande in this episode, they find themselves wading into the rich complexities of Mexican culture and identity – particularly, into the shifting impact of the historical figure La Malinche. Plus, Dean revisits his great Mexican cultural faux-pas, which may or may not have involved male genitalia; you’ll have to listen to find out! Then, don’t forget…
After Dean and Tom kicked off last month’s episode by recalling their very first island-hopping episode, “Island Hopping: Iceland & Malta,” we felt it’d be the perfect time for a special reissue. Here is that legendary land-leaping conversation from September 2018, provided for you in its entirety. Enjoy! Don’t despair, dear listeners! While the days may be getting shorter, Dean and Tom are back…
Drumroll please! In the thrilling conclusion of this two-part series, we crown the winner of last month’s game show, and discover what Dean and Tom can possibly remember about the first ten episodes of their own podcast – all in celebration of FIVE YEARS of ‘Oops, Your Culture’s Showing!’. Plus, vital questions for humanity are broached in this episode, such as: Is five years, in fact, “more than…
Join us, dear listeners, as we celebrate FIVE YEARS since the launch of ‘Oops, Your Culture’s Showing!’…with a game show! In part one of this jubilant two-parter, Dean and Tom begin accessing their “brain castles” to recall what in the world (literally) they gabbed about in selected episodes over these past five years. We invite you to play along with them – AND, a quick reminder that ALL…
Want more Oops Your Culture’s Showing!, but not too much? In this episode, Dean and Tom deliver just that as they comfortably wade into an exploration of how the Swedish ethos of ‘lagom’, which roughly translates as “just the right amount,” relates to Scandinavian, Dutch, and in some ways, Japanese cultures. Plus, after returning to fan-favorite segment Wordplay!, they can’t help but go a little…
New Zealand’s iconic prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has announced she’s stepping down in the coming days. In honor of her 5+ years of Kiwi leadership, we’re heading back ‘down under’ with a special reissue of our “Island Hopping: New Zealand” episode from November 2019. Enjoy! We’re back with a special “island hopping” episode: between the North and South Islands of New Zealand! Dean and Tom dive…
Happy holidays, dear listeners! We’re doubling your dose of joy this holiday season with BOTH parts of our ‘two-part gleeful gabfest’ from Nov/Dec 2021, “Joy To The World!” – packaged together in this supersized, super-special reissue. Both episode descriptions are below, plus the link to our new YouTube channel (while on a plane ride or road trip these holidays, head there to hear or rehear our…
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…
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……
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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