17 Things That Are Normal In Lebanon But Weird Everywhere Else

We always knew Lebanon was unique but when you stop to think about it, you realize we're quite "special."

There are many things that we think are normal in Lebanon but the moment we leave, we realize it definitely wasn't. Some of the ideas in this article were crowdsourced from our Instagram followers - be sure to follow us there.

#1 Greeting people with 3 kisses

While some countries greet with one or two kisses on the cheek, or none at all, Lebanese go for three!

#2 Taxis beeping for passengers

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If you live in New York, you know how it goes. You run after the taxis for them to stop for you. If you step out of the airport in Montreal or Toronto, for instance, you know the drill. You have to wait for your turn. In Lebanon, taxis run after you!

#3 Casually running red lights

Somehow, many in Lebanon become temporarily color blind when it comes to the red traffic light.

#4 Driving without seatbelts

There are still some who don't know what seatbelts are for....even if they have been driving for ages.

#5 Daily electricity cuts

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Let's not get started on the cables...

#6 Paying 2 bills for electricity

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It doesn't mean you get double-service, or twice the amount of electricity. That just means that, with or without electricity, you still have to pay two bills: One for state-run (that doesn't run) electricity and another for the backup generator.

#7 Canned corn on pizza

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#8 Extra toum (garlic)

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What to say? We do love toum and toum and more toum . Plus, it helps lower the blood pressure and, with all the continuous frustrations we deal with in the country, we do need as much toum as we can get.

#9 Saying "sorry" when you want to order something at a restaurant

Yep, we don't like to bother the waiters...

#10 Saying stuff like "to2borne" (bury me) fondly

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Weird and macabre endearment, we admit. Lebanese sayings and expressions are quite something.

#11 Living with your parents after 18

It would be actually weird in our culture that children leave the family home once they are 18 or past that age if it is not to build their own families, aka, getting married. Some youth do move to dorms for university or find housing in a different city to be closer to work. Eventually, many end up leaving the country .

#12 Shisha (argileh) accessible everywhere