We all have quirky little habits and ways of doing things, but so routine are they that we sometimes assume they’re the norm.
And while that’s true of most of our friends, family and neighbours, to foreigners our collective actions can often seem strange, too.
Take the things that American people do, for instance. So many of these activities are perceived to be a little… odd to those across the pond – but not to those from the United States.
And while this list is by no means exhaustive, here are just a few examples…
More water in the toilet means a more powerful flush, apparently. So there’s logic to having a bowl that fills up quite high.
But try explaining that to non-Americans when they head to ‘the john’ and get a splashy fright.
The US is a big country. It’s enormous, in fact.
At 3,809,525 square miles, it means there are a lot of places and different climates to navigate – with some cross-country journeys taking days.
So where a Texan might think nothing of a four-hour trip to visit pals within the same state, the notion would likely appall many Brits.
In the US, after eating, you scrape your leftovers into the sink and let ‘the garbage disposal’ take care of things.
Outside of America, this concept is so alien it’s almost frightening. ‘WHAT IF YOU GET YOUR HAND STUCK IN THERE?!’
Root beer is an… acquired taste, but it’s a favourite among our American friends.
But for the uninitiated, it can taste a little bit like fizzy medicine.
Go to Europe and there’s often a somewhat surly demeanour from serving staff in bars and restaurants.
In the US? Staff are generally incredibly pleased to see you and extremely friendly and chatty.
Why? Well, it could have something to do with America’s tipping culture (more on that later…), but if you’re less cynical, perhaps they’re just nicer.
Sugary food first thing in the morning isn’t the norm worldwide. Syrup-drenched pancakes, Pop Tarts and doughnuts are seen as desserts in most countries.
Yes, Europeans are partial to pastries and fruit in the morning, but generally speaking we wouldn’t go overboard with the sweets at that hour.
There is an unreserved and open nature to the majority of Americans that tends to see chit-chats with strangers result in a rather familiar tone pretty quickly – and that’s probably a good thing.
But to most cultures abroad, it’s seen as overfamiliarity. Such openness is reserved for close friends and family only.
Provided your shoes are clean, who cares if visitors wear them in your house, right?
Well, that’s the US way of thinking, anyway. Not so in a lot of other countries.
Sometimes, as in Europe, it’s a politeness/cleanliness thing. Whereas in many Asian cultures, it’s a sign of respect to remove footwear when strolling into another person’s abode.
Know anything about cheerleading and you’ll be all too aware how complex, athletic and difficult it is. But to outsiders, it’s not as commonplace to see.
A team of hype merchants shaking pom-poms and shouting before a sporting event? It’s a mystery to many.
In the French-speaking world, it refers to the meal served before the main meal – the starter.
So why it refers to the main course in the US is anyone’s guess. Sacre bleu!
The wide range of weird things available to buy from American pharmacies is a bit of a running joke among most Americans.
Go elsewhere in the world, though, and you’ll find that these places exclusively sell medications and medical equipment.
Sometimes, at a push, cosmetics and a cheeky meal deal, but never, ever, plastic bucket and spade sets – or Pokémon cards for that matter.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you would have seen a red cup in at least one or two teen movies growing up.
And while you can technically buy red coloured drinks holders overseas, they’re just not the party staple elsewhere that they are in the States.
Coffee is everywhere. The world is addicted to caffeine. Yet nowhere drinks as much as the country that invented modern coffee culture.
In fact, a lot of foreigners are shocked when they visit the States and see just how many people walk around slurping from huge coffee cups.
That said, they lean towards filter and drip coffee, which is much weaker tasting than, say, a punchy espresso.
Most Americans aren’t that aware just how sweet their store-bought bread is, compared the baked goods sold elsewhere on the planet.
The sugar can help preserve the bread, but it’s mostly to make the dough softer and balance out the sometimes quite yeasty flavour of bread.
If you’re not used to it, though, it tastes kind of odd.
The United States is fiercely a patriotic nation. This isn’t something to be ashamed of, of course, but it can feel a little OTT to outsiders.
In America, it’s month then day. Everywhere else, it’s day then month.
So, naturally, it’s a bit jarring to see ’11/30/2024′ written down if you’re not an American citizen.
Americans drink soda. Like, a lot of soda. So much that the cup sizes are giant and the refills plentiful – and usually free.
This will surprise dry-mouthed Europeans who are used to drinking tiny little bottles of Coke and paying for each and every one.
While we’re on the topic of soft drinks, we have to talk about the soda-to-ice ratio.
One or two cubes? Sure. But when the majority of the cup is full of the cold stuff, that’s just weird.
Globally, currency tends to be colour coded – each denomination being a different hue.
The only way to really differentiate each bill in America, though, (beyond the number in the corner), is if you know your presidents.
In the US, there are generally around six to eight minutes’ worth of adverts for every half an hour of TV content – which is significantly higher than most other countries.
As we’re discussing things about commercial breaks that people from outside the US find bizarre, let’s deal with the idea of advertising medicines.
The idea that much-needed prescription meds have been commodified and commercialised is quite an unpleasant thought to many.
It won’t come as a huge surprise to you to learn that the US is renowned for its obesity problem. So it stands to reason that most non-Americans would consider the average portion size to be quite hefty.
And they do – it’s often a topic of conversation in American restaurants when someone from abroad is at the table. There are only so many doggy bags you can ask for…
Every country sets up their healthcare differently, but most visitors to the US are surprised about how the insurance healthcare system works and how there is such limited free healthcare available to people.
Japan, Europe, Australia. Pick pretty much anywhere in the world and it has a pretty impressive, reliable and wide-ranging public transport system.
The United States, on the other hand, has quite a limited infrastructure, especially given its scale and wealth.
On the face of it, most exchanges with strangers in the US tend to be very pleasant. But Americans tend to get to the point and do away with the pleasantries.
This is streamlined conversation, but often tends to be regarded (especially by the English) as quite rude.
Ordinarily, if you walk into a shop and see a price tag for an item it will state how much it costs – with tax.
But that’s not so much the case in the Land of the Free. You’ve got to add the tax on top. Which, you have to admit, is extra arithmetic that none of us really want to undertake.
Alright, so Lithuania and Spain like basketball, and Japan plays baseball.
But generally speaking, a lot of American sports don’t have the same hype abroad.
The metric system was introduced as a universal weight and measures language so the world could all be on the same page.
Some countries took their time adopting it and adapting to it. Some, like the USA, just flat our refused (even though the old imperial set-up is infinitely harder to understand and calculate).
Of course tipping isn’t exclusive to the US, but there is a certain pressure to do it in America that just isn’t observed elsewhere.
Not only can you expect to pay a tip on your meal out, you’ll be obliged to pay extra for even a cup of coffee.
The average American worker gets 11 days of paid holiday (or ‘vacation’) a year. That’s just shy of one day for every month worked.
In the UK, it’s more than double that number and in Iran it’s 27!
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2024-05-08T06:34:38Z