Ask Europe

See title. For me it's bicycle pathes, they are ubiquitous but outside of the Netherlands, they are incredibly rare or not extensive.

Lately we've seen the EU do several amazing things to make platforms more open and user respecting by forcing:

• Microsoft to allow uninstallation of some of their apps
• Apple to allow browsers based on engines other than WebKit on iOS
• Apple to allow third-party app stores
• messaging apps to be able to interoperate
• etc.

I haven't delved really deeply, so maybe I misunderstood some details, but I have a question that I don't seem to find answers for anywhere: what makes certain platforms different from the others in so that, if they function in certain ways that make them depend on the vendor for certain functionality, they can be regulated into opening up more? What I notice as the common denominator is that maybe external parties are involved or user decision is being restricted, but I wonder if, for example, iOS had its store only host Apple-made apps making it a completely closed platform, would they be safe from regulation that forces them to change operation? If not, what makes it different from, say, a router with a proprietary OS that can in no way be changed, or any other appliance that hosts its own software and nothing else?

For me it was bryndza (sheep cheese). My whole childhood I heard about how unique it's for Slovakia. Turned out they have bryndza in Romania, Poland, Ukraine, ... all over carpathian region

When browsing a US centric web, I have a feeling that people always play some crazy games while drinking (or jump from roofs or slide stairs or something).

In Slovakia this is rarely the case, when you drink, you drink, you don't play games. We usually just talk, listen to music etc. The only time I saw some drinking games was on college and even that was rare.

Are drinking games common in your country? Do you have some country specific drinking game?

Edit: Not sure about the downvotes but I apologize if I offended someone, I meant no harm

Title. In the Netherlands we often have the Vierdaagse, which is a 30-40-50 km walk done every year in summer. It's insane, so many people partake!

I live in Slovakia and in certain parts this is a very common thing - if you're about to have a birthday/wedding/any other gathering, you book a restaurant or some bigger place, you agree on what meal they should prepare for you and they prepare tables. The waitresses are there for you as usual.

But when it comes to alcohol and drinks in general, the restaurant doesn't serve it, you bring your own and also serve it.

I always found it weird that we bring our own alcohol to a restaurant even though the restaurant offers alcohol aswell.

Is this common in your country also? Do you bring other things for a party/gathering in a restaurant?