I love learning about all the different cultures of the world modern or ancient. I used to watch history videos of ancient civilizations. All of them just fascinate me. Even today, if I visit a place I love to learn about not only present culture, but the history too cause that is what makes culture. When I was a baby, we lived in Okinawa Japan on a military base because my dad was in the military. I was still born in the states though. But we brought back all kinds of furniture and decoration stuff that are actually antique now. But the artistry in the wood work and vases etc are amazing. I own all the furniture now which is over 40 years old and still in great condition. They simply don't make stuff like that in the USA. But we grew up having a lot of respect for them.
I love to always try food from different areas of the world if I eat out and being around Houston, there are many great ethnic restaurants. Most restaurants in this country aren't even close to what they actually eat in the original country, unless of course you go to an authentic restaurant. Even though my DNA is very mixed, I'm not sure that is what drove me to appreciate all cultures. And that makes me extra sensitive to racism because I just can't fathom the hate. When I did live in the Houston city area, I lived in a white neighborhood, black neighborhood, hispanic, and chinatown. And each one of the areas was diverse itself: white has different European, black has African, Hispanic has people from all over Latin America, and chinatown has everything from southern asian to northern, to Indian, and middle eastern. That was Houston, so I can't say the same for other cities. Was being exposed to different cultures what made me appreciate them more, or my appreciation of different cultures that brought me to live there? I don't know. Because my family sure as hell didn't bring that to the table.
I can't really say I favor any specific culture. I can go to any country and be amazed by what I learn. The USA itself being diverse, we can learn a lot from the different cultures here, from the people, immigrants, and different regions across the country. The east coast is different from the west, then the dirty south, and the midwest. From deserts to forests to mountains to everglades, to beaches, to the farming plains. Unfortunately, the USA is in a culture war declared by extremists. Where one loves culture, others want to abolish it. I really think they should teach cultural psychology in all grades of school. I took it in college and learned a great deal. For example, something as small as looking someone directly in the eye while talking to them is a sign of aggression in many cultures. I easily see that. "Friends sit side by side; enemies look at each other in the face." And many parts of the world are culturally passive. Which means they tend to shy away from debate. Westernized societies are very opinionated and that brings fear to some.
I've travelled to Italy and France once and it's pretty amazing. I'm not a fan of people watching, but those Italians are interesting to watch. They really do talk with their hands a lot. It's pretty cool. And please don't put the orange buffoon in that same category. He's a clown. But I would love to visit all the regions my DNA is from. Interestingly, I saw a lot of doppelgängers of myself in France. Was weird. Is that how people feel when they live in an area where everyone is the same??? I will never know.
Every time I meet someone from another country, no matter where from, it's like we are long lost brothers. Because it's as if Americans are so culturally insensitive, that even a person like me feels lost as does someone that is new to this country. It's refreshing to meet people from another culture. And I am craving some falafel. Mediterranean is my favorite food.