10 people share things from their native countries that are still not known by many

Wishing these were popular.

What if you visit another country and the thing that comforts you or makes your life easier in your home country is nowhere to be found? It is not unusual to face these situations because every country and region has its inventions, customs, products and practices, which you can't find in your home country. Or the problem can explained in vice versa. You might stumble upon something not available in your home country, which makes your life easier and makes you wonder why isn't that particular object world famous yet. Well, u/VividThinking asked the community to share about one product from their home countries that made people question the lack of its popularity around the world. Here are ten of the most interesting answers provided by fellow Reddit users, which is making us wish to have access.

1. Dish drying cabinet 

I’m a Finn living in the UK and yes, while it’s lovely to look into my garden while doing the dishes, it’s annoying to only be able to do a small amount at a time and then leave them to dry on the narrow counter where my cat can knock over the whole dinner set. In the cabinet, they would dry safely! Cause who has time to hand-dry dishes in this economy. u/sea-sharp. Try washing and rinsing with the hottest water your hands can tolerate. When placing dishes on the counter, whether in a drying rack or just a towel, place a clean dish towel over the whole thing. They sort of steam dry within 5 minutes, the time it takes to wipe the counters and stove down. u/lisaloo1968

2. Bottle recycling machines 

Kinda not a product but a bottle recycling machine/reverse vending machine. When you buy a drink in a bottle/can, you pay a little “pawn fee” (like 20 cents) and when you later go put the empty bottle/can in the machine, you get the fee back. We usually collect the bottles until it is like 6 bags and then go cash out like 16€ at once. It's pretty neat. It encourages recycling! I'm glad to read from comments, it's a thing in so many more countries! Cans and bottles have different fees. You insert the bottles/cans one by one, bottom first, the machine has to read a certain symbol on the packaging otherwise, it won't go in. There is usually a worker on the other side, making sure it doesn't overfill. They are fairly clean and there is usually a sink in the room. In the last few years, there have been newer machines where you can just dump your entire bag into the machine and it does the whole sorting on its own. And to those who were interested, I am from Estonia. u/rarelulu

3. Cream cheese

Cream Cheese. I visited a very nice newer all-inclusive in Central America. They had bagels but no cream cheese. I inquired if they had some and everyone in the kitchen had never heard of it. As I ate breakfast, a manager found me at my table and started asking questions about it. I told him it wasn’t a big deal, but he had to know so they could have it for future guests. I wish I was there to see them taste it. u/GodToldMeToPostThis. Fun fact: Philadelphia cream cheese did not originate in Philadelphia. It was a company from New York that chose the name because the region of Philadelphia was known for high-quality dairy. Pretty deceptive, but the stuff sure is delicious. u/zootered

4. Using a bidet

Bidet. I cannot believe they are not more popular in the US! They can be very inexpensive and it was a quality of life type change. u/wrighterjw10. Got a bidet during the pandemic. I was incapacitated from some surgeries and the doctor suggested I get one to help better clean myself. I am never turning back. Not only do I have the cleanliness on point, but I can't remember the last time I bought toilet paper. I just use a few squares to dry off and a roll lasts forever. It did not substantially impact my city water bill either. If I have to make a dump somewhere else, I feel grossed out now and will rinse out when I get home. Love me a bidet. u/ThisIsTheHoneyBadger

5. Special carrier on bikes

Bakfietsen (bikes with a kind of wheelbarrow front for carrying kids or groceries). I’ve seen a few Bakfietsen in the States lately, which is cool. But without dedicated bike lanes, I would guess carrying kids in them would be a terrible idea. u/plumpynutbar. Lived in Copenhagen for years and had to have a Christiania bike when I moved back to the States. A cargo bike is so much better than a regular bike because you can just use it like a car. u./Longwayfromhome10. Plenty of these in the Bay Area too, at least in relatively flat parts. I see people carrying small children to daycare in them pretty often, and they're occasionally used for deliveries. u/fubo

6. Unique blinds for windows

Italy. Tapparelle. They're essentially roll-up plastic blinds for the windows, but instead of simply being curtains, they're inserted in a crease in the wall so that no light can pass through when they're down. You can easily recognize an Italian home interior if you see a window with a flat vertical rope on one side and a big boxy thing at the top. How well do they work? When the tapparelle is down, the house is dark. Complete, utter darkness. The sun could be shining right against the window and you wouldn't know. When you wake up, it's like waking up in a void of nothingness. No sign of life, nothing outside your walls. It makes for quality sleep, that's for sure. Other perks include privacy when you undress and safety against strong winds. u/TinTamarro

7. Poutine

We went to Quebec for our honeymoon and live in a Mid-Atlantic Beach town in the US. My husband and I have had dozens of conversations about how somebody could make a mint down here opening a poutine truck. Great hangover food for tourists in the summer and great winter food in the off-season. And all the boardwalk fry places already have all the equipment! But nobody has done it yet and we aren't food truck opening kinds of people. Somebody steal my idea, please! u/Yellowbug2001. Let me blow your mind when I drove out with my wife, on our honeymoon, to the East Coast, we stopped at a place in New Brunswick that did poutine as you get off a mountain in Quebec paired with a lobster roll as you'd get in Baston. u/Billbapaparazzi

8. National Health Scheme

The NHS. Walk into a hospital, get fixed and leave without worrying about paying, I've nothing more to say. u/Dodel1976. I just did a 16-day stint in a hospital here in Australia, including multiple operations, ICU and a private room on the ward. I'm typing this while waiting for my first outpatient appointment with an ENT specialist. Total out of pocket? The $20 petrol I had to buy to drive here today. Medicare rules. u/RightLegDave. I know tons of people complain about the NHS, but I'd much prefer it over the healthcare-for-profit nightmare that we have here in the US. At least in Massachusetts, I know I'm getting top-tier treatment, though. u/TheConeIsReturned

9. Touch-free bathroom wares

We have sinks that are controlled using your knees at my ceramics studio. There’s a hot and a cold pedal that you push in with your leg when you step up to the sink. Very handy when you’re covered in mud. u/Charizard1729. I was so infuriated when touch-free soap dispensers became popularised but not touch-free faucets. I’m going to wash my hands anyway after touching the soap dispenser! I don’t want to touch the dirty handle with my clean hands when I’m done! I might as well have not washed my hands! u/starfall_13

10. Accident Compensation Corporation

In New Zealand, we have a thing called ACC (accident compensation corporation), which is a public body that pays for hospital care, physiotherapy, etc. if you get injured. It is also written into our law that you can't sue someone if you get injured. The effect of this is that: 1. People get quicker and better quality care and the focus is on recovery 2. You don't have to sue someone for minor accidents that lead to disproportionate injuries (eg tripping on a public footpath and breaking your leg) 3. People don't get injured and then try to profit from it by suing for stupid amounts of money 4. We don't have predatory lawyers trying to make money out of injuries, and none of those were 'you got injured and it wasn't your fault' adverts everywhere, etc. I don't know all of the figures, but my gut feeling is that this is a more efficient and better-quality system than what many other countries have. u/Guppy1985