I grew up on a farm in rural Iowa. When I went back for our annual picnic last weekend, I got a dose of rural Iowa culture at its finest.

Between forkfulls of baked beans and slices of home-grown pork chops, the conversation progressed much, as it has many times before. Based on that picnic and other experiences growing up, I have come to realize there are some pretty stark differences between rural and urban culture. I think it’s a difference that’s parallel to differences between people who come from various cultures of the world.

Take weather, for example.

At the picnic, the weather made up a large part of the conversation. From my experience, most people who come from Chicago or any other large urban area care about the weather enough to know whether or not to carry an umbrella to work or to decide if they’ll spend the afternoon hitting the links.

Not so in the country. For good reason, tracking the weather is an integral part of the day to many of my hometown neighbors. The timing and amount of rain, wind and heat are critical factors to the health of the crops or when a farmer can get into the field. For example a hailstorm in Kansas City may dent cars and chip a few windshields, but the same storm in Palo Alto County, Iowa could obliterate entire corn and soybean fields, causing huge financial losses.

People in large cities watch a forecast of a different kind on the news every morning – the morning traffic report. The average John or Jane in Houston needs to know if there is an accident or construction on the freeway for the morning commute.

By the same token, many people who have spent their lives amongst the hayfields may feel intimidated by the pace of big city life. Navigating the mass transit system, hailing a cab or waiting hours in chocking traffic congestion are largely foreign concepts to rural folks.

I could describe the proper techniques to coax a frenzied ewe into a lambing pen, but I couldn’t tell you a thing about ordering drive-thru espresso.

Despite obvious differences in culture, natives of Buenos Aires, Osaka or Berlin for example share remarkable similarities. They know how to handle big-city life. The unpredictable traffic, oppressive pollution and the best nightspots are all familiar territory.

But drop them in Eddyville, Iowa and ask the difference between corn and soybean plants and the scene changes. I know it’s hard to believe, but not everyone is able to tell the difference between a Berkshire or Duroc hog.

The city slickers, though from incredibly different backgrounds (for example Argentina, Japan and Germany) would probably exhibit more similar behavior with each other if they found themselves in New Vienna, Iowa. Many people from large cities have never seen eating, breathing cattle before. They don’t know that a rooster doesn’t just crow at dawn or that potatoes grow underground.

And likewise, the country folk from very distinct places in the world are more than likely to behave similarly were they to be plopped down in downtown Tokyo. They wouldn’t know if a certain subway is too busy at certain times, or will have ever seen so many cars on one street.

I don’t know about ya’ll, but when more than two or three cars pass on my gravel road in a five-minute span, it’s cause to take a look outside and see what all the commotion is about.

Perhaps the next time we discuss the incredible cultural differences between people of the world, maybe we could take a closer look at an equally distinct disparity between two cultures of our own.

The most interesting part is that all of these people can be found on our own campus. Take the time to get to know someone from another culture, be it from Shanghai or Chicago, and it’s amazing what you’ll find.

Omar Tesdell is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Slater. He is online editor of the Daily.