“The European Mind Can’t Comprehend”: People Poke At Differences Between The US And Europe (New Pics)
Interview
If you often engage in aimless scrolling through social media feeds or enjoy a good meme once in a while (who doesn’t?), you might have noticed that Europeans and Americans like to tease each other from time to time. All in good fun, of course, mostly regarding their bewildering cultural differences.
One of the most recent formats through which they poke fun at each other is the ‘European mind can’t comprehend this’ meme. Since its first known sighting in July 2023, it has successfully continued to amuse Americans and confuse Europeans by showcasing something from the US that might leave someone living in Europe in a muddle.
Today we bring you the freshest collection of these memes, from Dr. Pepper-flavored peeps to highways with 26 lanes. All you have to do is scroll down!
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out a conversation with Elise from Elly Happy Times, a French blogger who traded her life in Burgundy, France, for one in Washington, DC.
This post may include affiliate links.
I've actually tried the Twix and Ding Dong ones. There's also a Twinkie version. The Twix one tastes like a REALLY sweet caramel latte
To learn more about cultural differences between the US and Europe, Bored Panda reached out to Elise from Elly Happy Times, a French blogger who traded her life in Burgundy, France, for one in Washington, DC, and shares her experience online.
She tells us that her decision to move to America was largely influenced by her husband, who was transferred there due to his employer.
Well, with American healthcare... We can imagine.
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That's just dangerous. In "Europe", we like to prevent further harm to the patient by providing enough meds to improve a condition but not enough to kill them.
I routinely buy packs of 100x400mg. Pretty sure that's adequate to do all the harm you like.
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Yep. I have diverticulitis and my intestine got an infection. They told me to take ibuprofin. When i reminded them i have kidney issues, the doc sighed and said " then take alleve".
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I often buy the larger bottles that will last several months because it's cheaper. My SO suffers from migraines and typical post seizure aches and pains. He is on meds for the seizures but this is America and they will only give you so much because they are more afraid of you becoming addicted then actually stopping the seizures.
I was diagnosed with life threatening illness, odds were not good. Nerves in my kegs died and i couldnt evven walk for a few days but eventually could with crutches. They gave me 30 painkillers when i left the hospital. After 30 days , i asked for more. They made me go to a class. It was in the basement and i had to walk a long corridor. It was so painful i would puke. I missed half the classes, becaus it was just so hard to move some days. So no graduation, no pills.
Load More Replies... I can comprehend it perfectly well, TYVM. Used to buy these on visits to the US, still got some Walgreens ones on my bedside table. (I have fybromyalgia, in case you wonder why).
I have fibromyalgia, ibuprofen has no effect, the only thing that helps is gabapentin which I get on prescription
Load More Replies... Wow! That's a mega pack of pain relief! The most you can buy in the UK is 32 in one transaction, unless you buy them over the counter at a pharmacy or have a prescription.
How many tablets? Must make it easier for those wanting to unalive themselves.
For when you can't afford privatized medicine... try excessive amounts of OTC meds!
In the uk there are roughly 16 tablets or capsules to a pack. Only two packs can be bought at a time in the same shop.
Large amounts are dangerous. Not kidding. The danger is really suicidal thoughts.
At the height of my dental problems, I was taking 12 a day, never had any suicidal issues. Other than perhaps caused by the relentless pain.
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I can buy 200mg/ 500ct for $10. If I go to Costco, I can get 2 bottles of 200 mg/ 500ct for about $14 They last a while, I used to buy them to keep at the office for co workers to use as well. Now IWFH, so don't need so many at a time.
Load More Replies... Again, European here, and I get it. These things take years to expire, and if a whole family is using it, what's wrong with that?
Husband and I both suffer from back pain so we go through ibuprofen pretty fast. This bottle would last us a little longer though. I’m gonna have to make a stop by my local cvs
So that's 500 doses (if you're not a child). Still more than I use in a lifetime. Something is very wrong with you if you need this many painkillers!
Such as having a condition that might be painful, but doesn't necessarily have a cure, so you can only treat the symptoms? I'm fairly certain that people all over the world have such issues. Pain due to some medical condition isn't exclusive to the US. Medical conditions that have no known cure exist all over the world. Be grateful you don't have such conditions and stop pooping on people that do just because you can't wrap your mind around it.
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I can comprehend it, I get headaches every day, buying a pain reliever in bulk, makes perfect sense to me.
Do they purchase by the headache over there, or something? Why is this weird?
Americans tend to buy in bulk more so partially because of the distance to a major store (for me it's 125 miles/201 kilometers) sure we can get a smaller size at a local mom and pop store but the cost is much higher.
I take a lot of headache/body ache meds...but enough then 1000 would last me longer than a year. The expire date has to be at least 3 years beyond.
What I can't comprehend is how overpriced aspirin is in Germany, the country where it was invented. It's 4-10 times the price of aspirin in England, depending on the store.
Vitamin I. Buying generic and in large quantity saves a LOT of money (like, over 50%). I just re-up my bathroom, purse and backpack (travel) bottles with the "bulk" ibuprofen. As you age, Vitamin I can* be your very best friend! (*some people can't use Ibuprofen, you can buy large-quantity generic tylenol and aleve as well, saving tons of $$!)
In the UK you're limited to a max of two boxes of 16 tablets in a single purchase (more at a pharmacy). I was in a shop where I heard an assistant tell her manager that two people pretended not to know each other so they could buy 4 boxes. She'll understand one day. EDIT just checked they're 200mg
European Mind can't comprehend buying more than the next couple days' worth of ANYTHING, why should pain medication be any different?
Because half of america live in rural area where it is 30 miles to a decent store. You dont shop every few days , you shop twice a month.
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In the Netherlands you're often advised to take stomach protection meds if you take ibuprofen for a few days... This amount seems dangerous for suicidal folks, and for people taking it regularly. I understand there's maybe people that have no other options but dang, that's sad.
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Popper packs reduce accidental, or spur of the moment suicides. They take so long people change their minds. That is why, among other places, the UK changed to that design.
Nobody takes that much at a time 🙄. Usually people buy these huge bottles and then have them in their homes forever or they split them up between home & emergency packs for the car or to pop in your bag. You can buy big bottles of meds in Canada as well, it's not as huge of an issue as people are making it.
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I can buy ibuprofen for 2 euros but only 8 tablets i guess. Seems enough...
These are promoted by the pharmaceutical companies because they cause stomach bleeding so then the patient has to buy another medicine for the ulcers.
This exact reason, surprisingly, isn’t rare, as a survey conducted in 2023 found that employee relocation and love were the second and third leading motivations for people to move abroad.
As a result, 4.7 million Europeans were living in America as of 2022, comprising 10% of the 46.2 million immigrants in the United States.
Someone has never heard of the Gravelly Hill interchange. Aka,Spaghetti Junction.
Moving abroad is a big challenge, especially when the country has very different norms than they are accustomed to. Getting used to a new country can be fairly intense and may cause feelings of uncertainty, confusion, or anxiety.
Such an adjustment period is called culture shock. Although it has a negative connotation, it’s completely normal, as it’s simply a result of being immersed in a culture that one hasn’t faced before. Those who successfully resolve their feelings often overcome it, further having a favorable experience.
We don't want to comprehend this in Europe or any other part of the world.
My American mind would rather be playing video games and watching YouTube. I have no interest in games I'm not playing.
For Elise, there were quite a lot of things that confused her European mind when she first stepped foot on American soil.
Tipping culture, portion size, healthcare system, diversity, school system, and driving culture are just a few that she named. “Everything is big and far; there is no sidewalk, and most of the time you can’t walk to go somewhere—and no public transportation!” she adds.
Elise believes that the teasing between Europeans and Americans about their differences helps them discover new things they don’t see in their own culture and understand certain ways of thinking. “Personally, I don’t mock American culture; I simply make comparisons between what I know from my European culture and this American culture that I am discovering from the inside since I now live here.
It seems to me that what people enjoy is curiosity, and discovering things they don’t see in their own culture. This can help understand certain things, certain ways of thinking.”
It's like a three year old makes up some daft food combination and the Yanks then put it on the menu.
She illustrates this point with an example. “As a European, it seems completely mind-boggling to see these huge cars in the USA. Now that I live in the USA, I understand a bit better why: excluding major cities, people are always in their vehicles because to go anywhere, you need a car; nothing is accessible on foot. They therefore want comfortable cars because they do a lot of driving.
They have very little vacation time, but they often go away on weekends (and they travel long distances), so they need a lot of space in their vehicles to take everything with them. The roads are very wide, allowing them to have large cars. Everything is planned: I have rarely seen parking problems. Everything is planned around cars.”
Indeed, something that can help adjust to different norms abroad is being open-minded, willing to learn about the new surroundings, and understanding the reasons behind the dissimilarities. Preparing beforehand is also great, as you will already have a general idea of what to expect. This can include learning about their customs, cuisine, and transit system.
Additionally, it’s advisable to avoid comparing the new surroundings and home too much, as well as trying to be more active and socializing. But don’t forget that it’s normal to feel disoriented and confused. Asking for advice from others or writing a journal of your experience, including the positives and negatives of the new culture, might help cope with these feelings better.
The uk has biscuit flavoured tea, and jaffa cake tea too ( NOT a biscuit) 🤣
JUST MAKE YOUR OWN! The recipe is so simple I learned it at 6yo.
A medieval peasant would refuse this monstrosity, even if s/he were dying of hunger.
Note: this post originally had 84 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
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Maybe its just because I'm literal, but I hate this "so-and-so can't comprend" whatever. It sounds so condescending and obnoxious. Different countries and cultures have different ways of doing things.
The only entries on this list that fit the title are the ones which I can't comprehend why they're apparently *proud* of it (the easy accessibility of guns being the biggest one).
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I feel like this should be titled "Why do Americans do this?" Nothing to do with Europeans.
Should be titled "Why the US has an obesity crisis"
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this is too much for me. i think it's the last time i come to BR.(fremch here). God knows i tried hard to 'forgive' these america bashings. but i'm tired now. America did great things, and whatever the s.. they're going through righ now, they deserve better. these posts depicting americans like r******d are just exausting
As someone who lives in America, they absolutely do NOT deserve better.
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Once again, a post full of people criticizing others for not being like them. The day we all agree that it's ok for people to be different is the day wars end.
BP made a bad post criticizing a group of people for having a slightly different culture? How shocking!
many of these things originate from europe or other places outside of the US. So why wouldn't we be able to comprehend it?
Some of these could be renamed to "Why do Americans act like they have free healthcare?"
I only read the first 30 or so. This European Panda mind can't comprehend articles like this no more. How about 100 cool things about the US? Or any country. OK, some here were positive, but most weren't. We all have our up and down sides. Let's share the good things...
Yes, because remember the one time we had a post like this featuring African stuff, everyone was actually completely confused and didn’t understand any of it! (Edit: aside from the people living there ofc.)
Load More Replies... A very misleading title. Nothing particularly unusual or special about these.
To be perfectly honest, my American mind “can’t comprehend” most of these
I cannot comprehend how the vast majority of these are just normal stupid stuff you’d get anywhere. Is it the European mind cannot comprehend low level trolling? In that case you win I suppose
This is called a joke or a gag. I believe that most of the posters are aware about what Europeans can comprehend. I'm a European who was mildly amused by these. Judging by the comments the post has served to further alienate Europeans and Americans, which is disappointing. The ongoing BP sponsored U.S - European War will continue it seems.
At the beginning they were kind of good, but as they got lower they just got stupid. I’m also American, so that just tells how bad they were.
Comments (In order of popularity) 1. We have that too! 2. Eww that's gross. 3. Diabetes. 4. Guns. 5. USA sucks. Why is this getting posted again? Do people enjoy these tired and recycled posts?
Bored panda can't go too long between threads bashing the US.
This was such a waste of time. I was not ignoring anything important still this was a waste of time. Didn't even cross 30.
Dumbest list I've ever seen. Most of the things are absolutely comprehensible to Europeans and the rest of the world.
The person that compiled this needs to do some more research as some of the pics do not match the topic
I can't believe no one posted a picture of a $100,000+ hospital bill. That is something Europeans want no part of comprehending. As an American, it's something I want no part of comprehending.
this went from "hmm" to "silly" to "absolutely mind wrecking stupid" very quick. Comeone, BP you can do better.
Subtext seems to be 'proud overconsumers of ultra-processed food and guns'? OK.
So many entries sound so needy. If at least it was really fun stuff: "Americans will never understand this" 0_JS222087...24602a.jpg 
I must admit it took quite a while before I got this. These are all a joke, they are all examples of this that the 'European Mind' can very easily understand. Initially I thought it was simply BP baiting us to make us angry (as they often do) but then realised that it just wasn't possible that these weren't a joke..
I have been on BP for I don't know how many years beyond this account. It USED to be mostly artistic and cool things. Now, it's just Reddit and putting down America. The thing is, MOST non US people don't want to realize is we are not all the same. I live in the North and some of these are more Southern US. Most of us want gun control. Most of don't eat meals like these, I have never seen some of these products, this is NOT normal American stuff. One person decides to try a crazy drink they never had before, take a pic, then non Americans steal the pic and generalize it to normal American diet. Bored Panda, do better.
Scrolled through the whole thing and the only thing I learned is that Europeans have real difficulty comprehending things.
More America bashing. I guess Putin's latest check cleared the bank. If I were an American company I would never advertise on this site. I hope they pull their money and go elsewhere, this site is nothing but a propaganda platform for Putin's talking points. Ld8RW1L-2.jpg 
You're right! I remember Putin really laying into 7-11 slushies in his last press conference!!!1
Load More Replies... I always find it funny how Americans think Europeans can't comprehend, like, dudes, you stem from Europeans, we invented most of that s**t, you just added sugar or fat and called it yours.....
I'm reasonably confident that "The European Mind" can comprehend all of the examples given. Know what I, as an American, struggled with in Ireland?. No wash cloths. Little 8 x 8 terry cloth . I actually asked a native about it. Apparently what I call a hand towel is a wash cloth.
Another poll fail. They left out inbreeding and white yanks never getting over the end of slavery.
Most of these are because of stupid Americans never leaving their home towns. I'm an American and was cringing for my fellow citizens. Many of these weren't the flex they were expecting.
capitalism (it's more profitable for the seller)
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Maybe its just because I'm literal, but I hate this "so-and-so can't comprend" whatever. It sounds so condescending and obnoxious. Different countries and cultures have different ways of doing things.
The only entries on this list that fit the title are the ones which I can't comprehend why they're apparently *proud* of it (the easy accessibility of guns being the biggest one).
Load More Replies... I feel like this should be titled "Why do Americans do this?" Nothing to do with Europeans.
Should be titled "Why the US has an obesity crisis"
Load More Replies... this is too much for me. i think it's the last time i come to BR.(fremch here). God knows i tried hard to 'forgive' these america bashings. but i'm tired now. America did great things, and whatever the s.. they're going through righ now, they deserve better. these posts depicting americans like r******d are just exausting
As someone who lives in America, they absolutely do NOT deserve better.
Load More Replies... Once again, a post full of people criticizing others for not being like them. The day we all agree that it's ok for people to be different is the day wars end.
BP made a bad post criticizing a group of people for having a slightly different culture? How shocking!
many of these things originate from europe or other places outside of the US. So why wouldn't we be able to comprehend it?
Some of these could be renamed to "Why do Americans act like they have free healthcare?"
I only read the first 30 or so. This European Panda mind can't comprehend articles like this no more. How about 100 cool things about the US? Or any country. OK, some here were positive, but most weren't. We all have our up and down sides. Let's share the good things...
Yes, because remember the one time we had a post like this featuring African stuff, everyone was actually completely confused and didn’t understand any of it! (Edit: aside from the people living there ofc.)
Load More Replies... A very misleading title. Nothing particularly unusual or special about these.
To be perfectly honest, my American mind “can’t comprehend” most of these
I cannot comprehend how the vast majority of these are just normal stupid stuff you’d get anywhere. Is it the European mind cannot comprehend low level trolling? In that case you win I suppose
This is called a joke or a gag. I believe that most of the posters are aware about what Europeans can comprehend. I'm a European who was mildly amused by these. Judging by the comments the post has served to further alienate Europeans and Americans, which is disappointing. The ongoing BP sponsored U.S - European War will continue it seems.
At the beginning they were kind of good, but as they got lower they just got stupid. I’m also American, so that just tells how bad they were.
Comments (In order of popularity) 1. We have that too! 2. Eww that's gross. 3. Diabetes. 4. Guns. 5. USA sucks. Why is this getting posted again? Do people enjoy these tired and recycled posts?
Bored panda can't go too long between threads bashing the US.
This was such a waste of time. I was not ignoring anything important still this was a waste of time. Didn't even cross 30.
Dumbest list I've ever seen. Most of the things are absolutely comprehensible to Europeans and the rest of the world.
The person that compiled this needs to do some more research as some of the pics do not match the topic
I can't believe no one posted a picture of a $100,000+ hospital bill. That is something Europeans want no part of comprehending. As an American, it's something I want no part of comprehending.
this went from "hmm" to "silly" to "absolutely mind wrecking stupid" very quick. Comeone, BP you can do better.
Subtext seems to be 'proud overconsumers of ultra-processed food and guns'? OK.
So many entries sound so needy. If at least it was really fun stuff: "Americans will never understand this" 0_JS222087...24602a.jpg
I must admit it took quite a while before I got this. These are all a joke, they are all examples of this that the 'European Mind' can very easily understand. Initially I thought it was simply BP baiting us to make us angry (as they often do) but then realised that it just wasn't possible that these weren't a joke..
I have been on BP for I don't know how many years beyond this account. It USED to be mostly artistic and cool things. Now, it's just Reddit and putting down America. The thing is, MOST non US people don't want to realize is we are not all the same. I live in the North and some of these are more Southern US. Most of us want gun control. Most of don't eat meals like these, I have never seen some of these products, this is NOT normal American stuff. One person decides to try a crazy drink they never had before, take a pic, then non Americans steal the pic and generalize it to normal American diet. Bored Panda, do better.
Scrolled through the whole thing and the only thing I learned is that Europeans have real difficulty comprehending things.
More America bashing. I guess Putin's latest check cleared the bank. If I were an American company I would never advertise on this site. I hope they pull their money and go elsewhere, this site is nothing but a propaganda platform for Putin's talking points. Ld8RW1L-2.jpg
You're right! I remember Putin really laying into 7-11 slushies in his last press conference!!!1
Load More Replies... I always find it funny how Americans think Europeans can't comprehend, like, dudes, you stem from Europeans, we invented most of that s**t, you just added sugar or fat and called it yours.....
I'm reasonably confident that "The European Mind" can comprehend all of the examples given. Know what I, as an American, struggled with in Ireland?. No wash cloths. Little 8 x 8 terry cloth . I actually asked a native about it. Apparently what I call a hand towel is a wash cloth.
Another poll fail. They left out inbreeding and white yanks never getting over the end of slavery.
Most of these are because of stupid Americans never leaving their home towns. I'm an American and was cringing for my fellow citizens. Many of these weren't the flex they were expecting.
capitalism (it's more profitable for the seller)
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