“ Throw in a handful of random customs - like women or men of a certain level of society being required to wear a veil or a pendant of some type.”
“ Golden coins that turn to lead within a few hours of being taken from their place of origin, causing a lot of trouble for whoever spends them.”
“ In ancient China, women bind their feet for cosmetic reasons, resulting in them not able to walk without help and walking in a shuffling gait.
Possibly this can be modified such that people do it for less stupid reasons.
Disclaimer: This is NOT a racist remark since I'm Chinese myself and hence entitled to freely judge Chinese customs. NOT sexist either since I'm female as well.”