A few notes on Viennese culture

After a few weeks here in Vienna, there have been some interesting details that stick with me. Bearing in mind that Generalization Is Problematic and #NotAllViennese, here's a few of 'em:

1. POCKETS! They have 'em here, but they are rarely used. Even when it's cold out, if you've got your hands in your pockets, you're the weirdo standout American and everybody is looking at you (ok not true but it's oddly Not Done).
2. TABLE MANNERS! As with everywhere in Europe, you keep your hands above the table and your elbows off. Also common over here: keeping utensils in each hand (usually fork-left, knife-right) rather than switching back and forth. Challenging for a uni-dextrous person like myself. But the real kicker for me is that in the past three weeks, it's become apparent that utensils do not leave your hand. Unless you're grabbing beer/wine, you keep your utensils poised throughout the meal like a hungry cartoon wolf. Bonus note: it is weird to try to follow local custom while eating pizza, sawing away at crust pieces while every fiber in your being is shouting "It's finger food now! Why aren't we using our haaaands!" Because we're trying not to look like a monster, dummy.
3. SMOKING! Generally true in Central/Eastern Europe, but while most of Viennese culture follows a more Germanic/Western Europe model, their smoking culture has not eased up. It's surprising that after only eight years of Chicago's own indoor smoking bans, this in particular has registered as such a huge culture shock, but man, No-Smoking sections of cafes are pretty functionally meaningless!
4. CONSERVATIVISM! Not really politically - while Austria barely defeated a scarily far-right nationalist in the Presidential election this week, Vienna follows the nation's model in which urban/College-educated voters skewed left and rural/less-educated voters went for the right-winger. But in general there's a formality to most interactions that takes a bit of getting used to.
5. CELL PHONES! They basically don't use them! Particularly coming from Boston, where the overwhelming youth culture means almost everybody is on their phone all the time, it was jarring to notice how few people ever take theirs out in public unless they're taking a call. Not only that, but almost nobody puts on headphones when they're out and about. It's like they enjoy living in a world-class city and don't need to constantly escape to shallow electronic happiness-simulators? WEIRD. I have started to follow their lead and reluctantly admit that it's refreshing and good, though I expect to abandon this behavior as soon as I'm back in Dumb Ol' America.
6. RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE! Okay, this one actually has an odd relevance to my work here, as I've lost a handful of research days to liturgical holidays! Whit Monday is more commonly taken off as a holiday throughout Europe, but Corpus Christi is also a public holiday here. And when I say public holiday, I don't mean some Columbus Day "some places are closed but who knows beyond the post office and some banks," I mean virtually every shop and restaurant in the city closes down. Grocery stores, the whole nine yards. Some cafes do stay open (ditching their cheap daily menus since they know they're the only game in town) but by and large, pack yourself a picnic and get out for a hike or you'll be wandering an oddly empty city. This is kind of cool, lost-research-days aside, but it is an odd thing, and almost certainly a legacy of the über-Catholic background of the Austrian empire back in the day.

I have also been noticing things about myself (besides "I'm good at making lists that get all judgy about the Austrians but what about MY weird tics, huh, smart guy") but that's a post for another day. (Possibly tomorrow.) (Since everything will be closed for Corpus Christi.) [Runs out to stock up on pastries and sausages]