When Cultures Collide: How a Canadian’s Petty Burp Sparked a Hong Kong Showdown at the Gym
If you’ve ever traveled or moved abroad, you know that culture shock is real—and sometimes, it’s loud, unexpected, and comes from the digestive tract. Case in point: A Canadian Redditor, u/Mandalorian_Ronin, recently took to r/PettyRevenge to vent about his biggest pet peeve since moving to Hong Kong—public burping. But instead of suffering in silence, he decided to fight fire with… well, burps of his own, sparking not just a standoff at his local gym, but a raucous comment section debating etiquette, cultural norms, and the passive-aggressive powers of Canadians everywhere.
So, what happens when politeness meets petty revenge in a city that’s as international as its cuisine? Let’s dive into the story of one expat’s quest to restore some peace and quiet—and the internet’s hilarious, heated, and occasionally gross reactions.
When in Hong Kong… Do as the Locals Do?
For u/Mandalorian_Ronin, leaving the polite, apology-laden streets of Canada for the bustling, anything-goes sidewalks of Hong Kong was an adventure—and an education in new norms. As he describes it, “Walking down the street, on the bus, sitting at a public park, it’s free for all”—with seniors leading the charge in the burping department. While our hero admits he can (sort of) respect the elderly’s IDGAF approach to public decorum, it’s the younger, gym-going burpers that really get under his skin.
On one particularly noisy day, the burping at his gym became so relentless that it started driving other patrons away. One woman glared, fetched her headphones, and soldiered on; another simply abandoned ship. The OP finally snapped. If burping was apparently fair game, why not join in? So he chugged water, belched (not as expertly as the local), and kept at it until the original offender finally confronted him. The exchange, muddled by language barriers, ended with a deliciously petty retort: “I’ll stop when you stop.” And just like that, the serial burper was silenced—though not exactly thrilled.
But was this a victory for etiquette, or just a cultural faux pas wrapped in passive-aggressive righteousness? The Reddit comments came in hot, with opinions as diverse as the international city itself.
Burping Battles: Culture Clash or Personal Annoyance?
The reaction online was split between those who applauded the pettiness and those who pointed out that, hey, when you move abroad, you sign up for new customs—burps and all.
Some Hongkongers in the thread, like u/KarleBoy, cheekily knighted the OP with “Passive Aggressive LV.5,” while others added, “Canadians spawn at level 7 passive aggressive” (u/orvn). The Canadian contingent seemed to wear this badge with pride. Meanwhile, a chorus of commenters pointed out the obvious: “It’s almost as if you’re living within a different culture…” (u/unusedtruth). In other words: Don’t expect everyone to follow the rules you grew up with.
Yet, the story wasn’t quite so simple. As u/ChronicSassyRedhead, a Hong Kong native, noted, “That’s part of the culture there and getting mad or petty won’t change it. Suck it up or leave are your options.” But even within Hong Kong, there’s a spectrum—one commenter explained that young women tend to burp less, and that while public burping isn’t taboo, it’s not exactly a free-for-all either. Another, u/MyGruffaloCrumble, observed that if the loud burper himself was annoyed by a retaliatory burp, maybe, just maybe, it’s not such an untouchable local custom after all.
And as u/PropaneTurnip sarcastically put it, “It’s cool when people go to other countries and expect them to follow the same norms as their home country and get disappointed when they are different.” The thread quickly filled with travel tales of burping, slurping, and snot rockets from around the globe—proving that every culture has its own, sometimes stomach-churning quirks.
The Science (and Art) of the Public Burp
While some commenters chalked the gym guy’s behavior up to cultural norms, others made a clear distinction between involuntary bodily functions and performative rudeness. “Air can be released unobtrusively. Choosing to be brazen about it is what everyone gets mad about,” wrote u/sorry-i-was-reading. Another, u/Minimum_Address830, explained that they’d always burped quietly, even alone, likening it to sneezing: “Trying to keep it down is still noticeable, but I see it the same as sneezing. It’s mostly involuntary and I will notice you but not judge you for it.”
For some, the very idea of mocking someone for a bodily function—especially if it’s a medical issue—seemed unfair. As u/Sekelton admitted, “I burp like crazy and have no control over it. I do make my best effort to keep them discrete, but sometimes one sneaks out.” The thread became a support group for GERD sufferers everywhere, united by the struggle to keep things discreet in a world of varying tolerance.
Still, others had seen enough performative burping to develop strategies of their own. “I started clapping every time he burped. He stopped,” shared u/Mutilid, recalling a similar showdown at the Guggenheim museum. From clapping to exaggerated snot rockets and even crop-dusting suggestions, the petty revenge playbook is as creative as it is gross.
When Etiquette Goes International: The Takeaway
So, was OP’s burp-for-burp battle justified, or just another culture clash gone sideways? The answer, as always, is complicated. Public decorum isn’t universal, and what makes one person cringe might barely register for another. As u/Budget_Management_86 wisely observed, “In some cultures slurping your soup is rude and disgusting…but in others slurping is a sign that you really like it.”
Ultimately, OP’s own follow-up summed it up best: “If anything, I probably annoyed [other gym-goers] as much as this guy did.” In the end, his petty revenge may not have changed the culture—but it sure gave the internet something to chew on (or burp about).
Have you ever experienced a culture clash over something hilariously trivial—or totally gross? Would you have joined the burp battle, or popped in your headphones and kept the peace? Share your stories in the comments below… and remember, when in Rome (or Hong Kong), sometimes you just have to let it out.
Original Reddit Post: Burp out loud? See how you like it