Episodes

  • 52: Myanmar: From A Zat Pwe To Mandalay

    52: Myanmar: From A Zat Pwe To Mandalay
    Oct 24 2024
    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 build bridges across a river of differences - and despite Producer Torin having just mixed river metaphors while writing this description, he (foolishly) continues his literary journey for one more sentence. In closing: Join us for this episode’s journey to and through Myanmar; you won’t soon forget it. ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com
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    44 mins
  • All You Can Eat! Special Reissue

    All You Can Eat! Special Reissue
    Sep 26 2024
    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 many more (1:45)! Next, Dean answers a listener question about visiting the Middle East during Ramadan (15:30), and does his best to drink liquified yogurt on his recent trip to the Balkans (23:20). Then, take cover as Dean explodes pesky myths regarding perceived dining pretensions in France, Italy, Hawaii, and Japan (32:09). Please, slurp up this episode as loudly as you’d like - it’s not at all rude! ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com
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    56 mins
  • 51: Somebody Feed Dean

    51: Somebody Feed Dean
    Aug 22 2024
    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 risk to both venture out to that bus station shawarma stand with the long line, and into the artichoke heart of this episode - you (likely) won’t regret it! ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com
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    36 mins
  • 50: 50th Episode Celebration In Italy! From “Jambo Bwana” To “La Bella Figura”

    50: 50th Episode Celebration In Italy! From “Jambo Bwana” To “La Bella Figura”
    Jul 25 2024
    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 cultural prominence of “la bella figura” across Italy, and the intersection of transactions and personal relationships throughout Italy as well. Lastly, our friends at Licensing check in on all of the celebratory singing going on (and perhaps to enjoy some Mirto too?). Thanks very much for laughing and learning with us over these 50 episodes! Ciao bella, until next time! ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Hosts: Dean Foster & Tom Peterson Audio Production: Tom Peterson & Torin Peterson Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com
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    32 mins
  • 49: Dancing To The Music (Of James Joyce?)

    49: Dancing To The Music (Of James Joyce?)
    Jun 27 2024
    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 move your feet! (Well said, Gloria Estefan!) ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here for all of Dean’s CultureQuizzes, “Culture’s Consequences” articles, and much much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com
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    33 mins
  • Must Love Dogs (And Pets)! Special Reissue

    Must Love Dogs (And Pets)! Special Reissue
    May 23 2024
    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 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 X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com
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    47 mins
  • 48: Antarctica, Climate, Culture…And Lots Of Penguins

    48: Antarctica, Climate, Culture…And Lots Of Penguins
    Apr 25 2024
    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 climate leader Christiana Figueres on how cultural “DNA” underlies the US-American case, the Asian case, and the Latin American case for addressing climate change. As Dean writes in his July 2023 Substack article about this: “To ignore culture’s role in how we advocate for climate and the environment ensures a protracted struggle, even with all the best science, and the best negotiations. However, when we understand culture, and leverage that understanding in the strategic service of global goals, like climate, we accelerate the success we need to have. When it comes to climate, in the limited time we have left, we cannot afford to overlook or ignore the cultural advantage.” ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here to read the whole July 2023 article titled “Climate & Culture”, plus check out Dean’s “Culture’s Consequences” articles, CultureQuizzes, and much much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com
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    32 mins
  • 47: Idiots Talking Idioms

    47: Idiots Talking Idioms
    Mar 28 2024
    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 this idiotic idiomatic episode “as soon as possible” (when is this? that’s up to you!) because you’re all “pieces of bread”, “salt of the earth”, and other figurative fundamental foodstuffs! ***Subscribe to Dean’s Substack here to find all of Dean’s “Culture’s Consequences” articles, CultureQuizzes, and much much more!*** Have a cultural question or episode idea? Reach out on X/Twitter & Facebook (@OopsCultureShow) or by email at oopscultureshow@gmail.com. Music: “Little Idea” – Bensound.com
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    35 mins