Snot

Here is a question I am sure you have never considered: how do the Beninese blow their noses?

Well, for starters, they do not use tissues. So the natural assumption would be that they use handkerchiefs, right? Wrong again.

The answer is actually pretty gross when you have grown up with American standards. If the snot is dry, they just pick their nose. It is perfectly normal to do that in public and no one is offended by it. If the snot is wet and mucus-y, they do a "snot rocket." For those of you who do not know this term, that means that you hold down one nostril with your finger and blow hard through the other nostril to send the snot flying out of your nose and onto the ground.

And what if your baby has a stuffy nose? Well, the technique I have seen is that the mom puts her mouth over the baby's nose, sucks the snot into her mouth, and then spits it out onto the ground.

You will be glad to know that on the subject of snot, I have retained my American habits and still use tissues to blow my nose. This is one area where I have decidedly refused to follow Beninese practices!