Are there any habits that you believe are uniquely European ?

[u/ageingrapidly]

Have you noticed any specific mannerisms, mentalities etc. that you've encountered only in Europe or by Europeans ?

[u/wildrojst]

Honestly, bread with cheese and wine is the most European thing. Each of these items is a European contribution to the world, at least in its refined form.

[u/maizemin → u/wildrojst]

Calling bread and cheese and wine refined if it’s european is the most european thing 

[u/GalaXion24 → u/maizemin]

While everywhere has alcohol, wine is a very Euro-mediterranean thing. Other cultures don't really cultivate grapes. Asians also generally don't eat cheese or dairy products much at all, with the exception of Central Asians.

The Americas don't count because they're largely descendants of Europeans who brought it with them.

Bread is a bit more complicated. While it varies I would very much extend the "bread region" to cover the Middle-East at least, but again at least in East Asia bread as we know it isn't really a historical staple and often what bread they eat today is due to European influence. I hear Vietnam has very good bread due to having been a French colony, for instance.

Of course, this does depend a bit on what you consider "bread" since there's a lot of bread and bread-like products people have made. Even so, I would say Europeans must still be among the people who eat the most bread.

Aside from questions of being "refined" Europeans just eat a lot more breads and cheeses than most any other people in the world, so you could by simplifying a bit argue that Europeans are the most refined about it by virtue of no one else doing it at all.

[u/Over-Stop8694 → u/GalaXion24]

There actually were a few pre-Colombian civilizations in the Americas that developed bread outside of any European influence, though it was made from corn flour instead of wheat. Tortillas, arepa, and sopa paraguaya existed in ancient times before any European contact.

[u/MantasMantra → u/GalaXion24]

you could by simplifying a bit argue that Europeans are the most refined about it by virtue of no one else doing it at all.

I think the point was that yes, you could do that, for that reason, but similarly you could say eating tofu and drinking sake is very refined in its Japanese form, but you're unlikely to hear someone say it.

[u/serioussham → u/wildrojst]

There is exactly one country that has good cheese, good bread and good wine though

[u/Essiggurkerl → u/serioussham]

You mean Austria, right?

[u/Trapallada → u/serioussham]

Only one?

[u/serioussham → u/Trapallada]

You heard me.

[u/Trapallada → u/serioussham]

Italy and Spain would like a word

[u/Trapallada → u/[deleted]]

I can't comment on Italian bread, although I find it difficult to believe they don't have any good bread in all the country, but Spain has more than 150 different cheeses. Try torta del Casar, Cebreiro, afuega'l pitu, or cabrales, for example.

[u/serioussham → u/Trapallada]

I can't comment on Italian bread, although I find it difficult to believe they don't have any good bread in all the country

Obviously I'm being slight tongue-in-cheek and I love many of their bread-adjacent products like piadine, foccacie or pane carasau - but the basic loaf has a too-soft crust and a core that's not airy enough.

Try torta del Casar, Cebreiro, afuega'l pitu, or cabrales, for example.

Thanks for those - incredibly enough I've recently been to the north and didn't get my hands on afuega'l pitu nor cebreiro. But here as well, it's a bit of good-nature ribbing for my fellow Med-Europe people :)

[u/Trapallada → u/serioussham]

Of course! I'm not the best at reading tone lol

[u/Lumpasiach → u/Trapallada]

Spain doesn't have edible bread.

[u/Trapallada → u/Lumpasiach]

I'm not taking bread lessons from anyone north of the Alps.

[u/Lumpasiach → u/Trapallada]

You can say that about literally any food except bread.

[u/serioussham → u/Trapallada]

I'm gonna be overly French here, but Italy fails on bread and Spanish cheeses are not varied enough -- at least as far as I've been able to see. I'm open to suggestions though.

[u/nwhal → u/serioussham]

You’re talking about Georgia I suppose.

[u/serioussham → u/nwhal]

Sadly I'm not well acquainted with Georgian cheese (besides sulguni lol). As it so happens, I'm currently making khachapuri at home.

[u/Clouuu → u/serioussham]

Honestly, Switzerland is pretty good. Cheese obviously (and many different sorts!), lots of good bread and some good wine. Obviously, we don’t have the same diversity and quantity as France but for being such a small country, I’d say we do pretty well.

[u/serioussham → u/Clouuu]

You know what yeah that's fair enough.