There is a great YouTube channel called, “Tribal People Try…”, which features, obviously, people from remote areas of the world, in this case, mostly Pakistan, trying different American foods to see their reactions.

While the videos come with the expected joy of watching someone discovering new treats for the first time, what begins to translate across the cultural divide is how appreciative these people are of the experience. There is a gentle, humble, thankful vibe to all these videos that highlights our similarities as people, despite cultural differences.

I think these videos do more to bridge that gap than most ‘political’ efforts.

This is most evidenced by the avalanche of positivity you see in the comment sections. YouTube is NOTORIOUSLY toxic in the garbage people will leave under videos. But these are surprisingly upbeat, with a lot of love and compassion flowing from the viewers. There is even a ‘comment reaction video’ (included below), where the producers read the comments that have been left under their videos back to the participants. They seem to appreciate the love, and in return, offer much back.

In America, we don’t get a lot of positive depictions of people from the Middle East. There are some HUGE cultural differences (especially concerning women and religion’s role in society) that throw up a lot of barriers to mutual understanding and acceptance. But I have to believe, most people on both sides just wants to be happy, hang with their friends, and have a damn cheeseburger.

Check out some of their priceless reactions to things we eat everyday…

They even had them take a shot at Super Mario Bros. It went over about as well as you’d expect, but there were a few smiles.

I realize there is more than just an American / Tribal People dynamic going on here, as these videos are obviously viewed on an international level. In fact, the channel features other videos with the participants sampling delicacies from around the world. But this video made my heart swell the most. Again, comment sections can be just awful. Faith in humanity restored (somewhat) after seeing this and reading them for myself. The tribal people who have participated in this seem genuinely pleased with the reactions they’ve received. I’d like to think they also come away from the experience realizing that the majority of American people are good people. Just as the commenters seem to have found an appreciation for these people over something as simple as eating the same snacks.

 

There are TON more videos on the channel. Give them a peep here: Tribal People Try YouTube Channel.