08.02.2026 21:51
After starting to live in Turkey, Brazilian actress Jessica May, who closely experienced the cultural differences in daily life, gained significant attention on social media by explaining the habits that surprised Brazilians the most in Turkey, from the tea tradition to rich breakfast tables, from the shoes in front of houses to the use of horns in traffic and the habit of using cologne.
Brazilian-born actress Jessica May has brought to the forefront the cultural differences she encountered during her years in Turkey through social media this time.
Known to a wide audience with the series "Yeni Gelin" in 2017 and having acquired Turkish citizenship in 2022, May detailed the habits that surprised Brazilians the most in daily life in five points.
FIRST ON THE LIST IS 'TEA'
Emphasizing that the lifestyle in Turkey has been a discovery process for her, the famous figure placed the tradition of drinking tea after meals at the top of her list. While describing this habit, she stated: "It's almost impossible to get up from the table without drinking tea after a meal. It is said that tea helps with digestion, and you are definitely persuaded to drink it. It's really hard to leave without having tea."
SHOES LEFT AT THE DOORSTEP
Jessica May then mentioned another detail that caught her attention during home visits, stating that shoes left at the doorsteps are quite unusual for her. She shared her thoughts on the subject with the words, "In Brazil, there is no culture of leaving shoes in front of houses. When I came to Turkey and saw the shoes at the door, I was really surprised."
"HERE PEOPLE ARE PREPARING THE HORN, NOT THE GEAR"
Stating that she observed cultural differences in traffic, one of the busiest areas of daily life, May particularly pointed out the prevalence of horn usage. May said, "You don't hear this much horn noise in Brazil. Here, people are preparing the horn, not the gear. They honk even before the light turns green."
"THE TABLE IN TURKEY IS SO FULL THAT..."
The richness of Turkish tables is among the topics that have affected her the most, according to the famous actress, who emphasized that the breakfast culture is very different from that in Brazil. She expressed this difference with the following words: "Breakfast in Brazil is very simple; coffee, a small bread, a bit of butter, and cheese... In Turkey, the table is so full that sometimes you can't even find a place to put your plate."
THE LAST ITEM IS COLOGNE
At the end of her list, the tradition of cologne was mentioned. Expressing that she encountered this habit in almost every environment in Turkey, Jessica May stated that she really liked it in terms of hygiene and freshness, saying, "Wherever you go, there is cologne. It's very hygienic, and you smell great in an instant. I think it's a wonderful thing."