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You read about the way the US and Europe treat areas like education and health care, and start to understand that even though both sides of the Atlantic belong to the Western world, life can look pretty different depending on which one you're on.
It's evident without diving into difficult social policies, too. Last week, Redditor Jrusj asked other users: "Americans that visited Europe, what was the biggest shock for you?" and the answers immediately started pouring in.
As of this article, there are already over 14,000 comments under Jrusj's post, many of which reveal that the Old Continent can surprise even its descendants. Below, you will find the most popular answers, so continue scrolling and enjoy.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I went to Europe I drank all the booze, ate all the food Stayed 2 months and lost 20 pounds Americans aren't overweight because we're lazy or gluttons or anything else we're overweight because we are being fed s***
Caro Caro 3 years ago
That's the truth. Of all the threads and posts here on BP this one is the most true and sad. Americans are being poisoned with all that bad quality food and the very healthy fresh produce is expensive which of course makes it even more difficult for those with a tight budget to eat a healthy meal.
Baleygr 3 years ago
One problem is that US junk food is so cheap and normal food is more expensive.
Aliquid 3 years ago
It isn't just that... everything has sugar and additives in it. If you buy a loaf of bread in the US and compare the ingredients to a loaf of bread in Europe, and you will see a huge difference.
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Phil DeBlanc 3 years ago
I lost 20 kilos (44lbs) within the first 6 months of moving to Belgium and the only thing that changed significantly was my diet.
Martine 3 years ago
My brother gained 20 kilos in the first 6 months he moved to Arkansas from Belgium! Haha!
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cybermerlin2000 3 years ago
There are a lot of additives in American food that are actually banned everywhere else. For example, brominated vegetable oil, Butylated Hydroxytoluene, milk products containing growth hormone rBGH which also goes by rBST, azodicarbonamide, Chlorine-Washed Chicken, Butylated Hydroxyanisole, ractopamine, potassium bromate, Zeranol, Trenbolone acetate, and Melengestrol acetate.
Jude Last 3 years ago
@cybermerlin2000 I have trouble digesting corn, so I read labels. Everything and I mean everything processed in the US has some form of corn added to it. I also found out that a lot of fresh products have some additive. It is almost impossible to get away from additives in your food. I am trying to grow my own produce but even that is expensive to begin and not everyone has that option.
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James Smith 3 years ago
Bingo. 42% of American adults are obese, so I have a hard time blaming the individual. Especially in poor areas, healthy food is so hard to come by, while lax laws, ads, and the diet industry confuse us about what food is safe.
Marlowe Fitzpatrik 3 years ago
That's actually another good thing about universal healthcare. If you have to be insured and the insurance can't just kick you out if they feel like it, they'll have to pay a lot of money if their customers aren't healthy. So the insurance companies incite people but also the government to enforce healthier food because the healthcare needs to be paid for (partially) by the government. It's in their own best interest to make people not eat crap. And the sugar-lobby would lose a big part of their foothold, which would be a really good thing for the whole country!
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Trillian 3 years ago (edited)
That is so true. You have sugar in everything, even the bread tastes sweet. I lived in the US for a year when I was 20, and me and all my friends from all over Europe (we were au pairs) gained weight, which we all lost with no trouble and no dieting involved once we got back home.
Alma Muminovic 3 years ago
In the 1950’s American’s weren’t over weight like they are today. When corporation’s put profit over everything and the government let’s them that’s what you get.
Dutchdancemum 3 years ago
Every single thing you have has tons of corn syrup etc in. Things like sauces and condiments and dressings etc have twice/triple the sugar level
Jill Hojnacki 3 years ago
Bet they didn’t spend their days in Europe sitting at a desk, though.
Nunya 3 years ago
Come on.....don't try to play it like that. Yes, Americans consume processed garbage, lots of fast food, and their is sugar in damn near everything. But....their portion size is 2-3 times larger than almost anywhere else in the world, and they call walking to their car to drive two blocks to hit the drive thru "exercise"
steven 3 years ago
also it might be that you weren't sitting on your backside all the time and were outside walking seeing things
Alex the Country Dog 3 years ago
The argument itself is as lazy as the insinuation.
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Sean Conner 3 years ago
actually, its because you were visiting and travelled all over, not the food intake, sorry
Heather Evans 3 years ago
I have 2 friends that moved to Denmark obese and 2 years later moved back remarkably thin
Lutz Herting 3 years ago
If you compare the original recipes of American products and their special recipes for the European markets, it is pretty scary to see how many ingredients in American food are actually ILLEGAL here...
the landlocked mermaid 3 years ago
This actually happened to me! I was in France for 2 weeks and I ended up losing weight! I don't know if it was because the food was better or if it was easier to walk everywhere but whatever it was it worked!
Eilean Luna 3 years ago
Try Asia next. As European I always get thinner there 😁 And Britain was bad, I got +10kg in a month once
Donny Cromwell 3 years ago
Not surprised. I was in Thailand and Japan for 2 weeks and ate as much as I could and when I got home realized I lost weight.
Hanni 3 years ago
I agree with the "not lazy/gluttons". But there are other reasons. In Europe you use your feet and public transport more than your car. Even if going to McDonalds or other fast food. In the USA it's "get breakfast, sit in your car", "get lunch, sit in your car". The whole culture is built around cars.
Zaza 3 years ago
This is definitely a thing, but how healthy you eat and how much you lose also depends on the country. My (I'm Dutch) friend from Bulgaria would come over for work twice a year. She would eat healthy, sometimes even strictly diet, but always gained weight. Go back home for some months, eat a lot of "junk"food, drink wine and beer and lose it all. We have a lot of added crap to foods too. Not as bad as in the States, but still. Even canned veggies often have some sugars and/or salts in them and almost everything that comes in a box/packet/sachet (be it burrito spices or pasta mix, or be it curries or ready meals (not even tv dinners, everyone knows they are bad, but also the 1 portion meals that you still have to cook have tons of crap in them)
Notyomama 3 years ago
The labeling laws in the US are garbage. If people only knew how much soy they were consuming, they would do something about it. As it stands, there are about 90 different names for it. Soy contains phytoestrogens. Soy=fat. I've lost 50 pounds since becoming allergic to it.
Briana Kessler 3 years ago
Yup. 100% true. Start making your own food and stop buying processed. They are poisoning us.
K Witmer 3 years ago
It's easier said than done for the middle class on down. Middle class can if they don't have more than one kid. Even single people working a normal every day job can't afford to buy healthy food all the time. I spend 200$ a week for a three person household at Whole Foods and I just make it w healthy meals. I don't know how others do it wo that budget. Regular grocery stores everything is processed. You can only shop from 3 aisles that aren't.
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Alvin Rendell 3 years ago
You are not being forced to eat any kind of food, you are choosing s***, all by yourself.
Maggie Dinzler Shaw 3 years ago
I had just nbeen diagnosed diabetic when I went on a trip to Europe. I was worried about my blood sugar with all the continental breakfasts and pastrries. I indulged but kept an eye on my meter. I ate a peach made of cake and marzipan in Austria, all kinds of deliciousness in Italy and France and lost a few pounds. Sat on a bus mostly so it wasn't the walking. I walked miles at home. Yes, what is in our food?
Nahkaparturi X 3 years ago (edited)
It's also because you drive everywhere. I've seen several videos where Americans drive the goddamn driveway to the mailbox. Like 50 meters.
Sheri Primrose 3 years ago
Absolutely agree, no issues with gluten or dairy. It was amazing to me, 2 weeks lost 15 lbs. but I ate amazing food and sweets.
Ross Duncan 3 years ago
It has to make you at least pause when you realise the bread used in Subway is classed in the EU as cake.
Tamara Kroonen 3 years ago
That too but also the miles you walked in a city because you are tourist and want to see everything.
Tom Hanlin 3 years ago
If he's being fed s***, perhaps he should take that up with his Mom or, y'know, learn to cook. Sounds like that is a lazy American.
crazy-dog-lady 3 years ago
Huh, my friend went to Ireland for 3 months, drank all the beer, and gained 15lbs.
Baali Venomax 3 years ago
you were probably a bit more active too but yeah too much added s**t in American food products.
Jennifer Brown 3 years ago
High fructose corn syrup!!! It's illegal in the EU....but it's practically in EVERYTHING we eat in the US
Pamela Blue 3 years ago
You should have figured that out a long time ago. The American processed food industry appears to be determined to give everyone diabetes, cancer, strokes, etc. And with NO decent universal health care, a goodly number of Americans are going to die way ahead of their time. It's almost as if they are trying to kill off the poor, so that only the somewhat, and really, rich survive.
Troy Parr 3 years ago
Yes, definately this... I have been watching loads of American youtube videos of Homesteading and small farming families. Something they all have in common is how they all say how so much better their produce is compared to shop bought products. They are able to avoid the highly processed food products.
Crysta Perak 3 years ago (edited)
true..was 79kg (158cm) when I came to Croatia (2019 oct.) now I am 60kg.. from Canada
julien 3 years ago
typical question : Why are French food portions so small? It's mainly because French usually have three-course meals: an entree, a main and a cheese or dessert. So each course comes in a relatively small portion but altogether it's a big amount of food and it's dietary balanced.
Shortstuff 3 years ago
American food is complete junk. Everything we ate there was processed, sweet, starchy and full of carbs. Worst "food" of anywhere we have travelled to.
Rosie McLeod 3 years ago
I couldn't believe the taste of food in America, so salty or sweet and I couldn't find anywhere to buy fresh fruit or vegetables.
RafCo 3 years ago
There's another big difference though. In other parts of the world we rely heavily on our feet for transport. Suburbs are not places people want to live, it's where they're forced to live do to economic circumstances. Those are people who can't afford cars, so they have a great bus system. People are still walking. This was true when I was living in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Suburbs and cars seem to be an Anglo cultural infatuation
Allen Lavine 3 years ago
So your telling me the Big Mac and shake I got is bs food I don't believe it
Jennifer Biness 3 years ago
Probably also how much easier it is to walk and take public transportation
Anne Mitchell 3 years ago (edited)
Americans WHO (that/which/it are for animals and inanimate objects, not people). And who is in charge of what food you eat?
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 3 years ago
One thing that this person failed to mention is that Europe is a lot more walk-able as well. I also think there is an entirely different culture regarding food and eating in most European countries. It is meant as something to be enjoyed and savored with friends and family.
Tamra Stiffler 3 years ago
Not to detract from the point of the post, but that first sentence sounds like a life goal for me. 😂
A Jones 3 years ago
That's true, there is like extra stuff in many processed American foods such as sugars, salts, and alt-fats. Also with meats, they have growth hormones that do heavily contribute to weight gain (quote: you are what you eat). I lost much weight after stopping eating that nonsense. ages ago I enjoy free-range eggs (real deal ones) also free-range non-hormone meats (also in addition no antibiotics). It's a bit pricier, but worth my health and support the good meat farmers too. I get like straight frozen veggies (one ingredient ones) to save on cash too. I still live in the states though.
Lance d'Boyle 3 years ago
I'll hazard a guess here and suppose you also walked a lot more than you did in the US. Unless you come from NYC, chances are you don't walk all that much, while in Europe, if you're in an urban environment, you walk more. That can make a big difference.
Sinam Khamsene 3 years ago
You’re not „being fed s**t”, you eat gargantuan portions of s**t! No one forces you to make your food choices. Take some responsibility 🙄
Micah Chips 🇺🇦 3 years ago (edited)
i mostly agree with you, but tell that to a lot of america, which is working/middle class low-income families who really can't afford the expensive ass healthy organic stuff and will take anything cause we need to live.
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#2
The amount of casual nudity on TV. I had to chuckle at all the naked breasts frequently visible. Europeans are just healthier in their views of sexuality and nudity. We Americans are ridiculous prudes by comparison. Oh and Belgian chocolate is better than sex. Often.
#3
The age of all the buildings. Walked into a pub in the UK with a plaque that read something like “This building was constructed in the year 2 and was used by monks to fend off dinosaurs”. Maybe not the exact words, but you get it.
#4
I was surprised at how much walking I did. I did it because it was easy, not because I had to.
#5
Apparently you can get hurt and not go into debt
#6
Cashiers in grocery stores sat in chairs as they rang up my yummy non-gmo cheese and bread. They also didn’t feel any job pressure to chat or smile or act like your best friend. They just worked and DGAF. It was amazing!
#7
How much better all the food was. Everything was fresh, made from minimal ingredients, and most of it was grown locally. (Going from US to France) I also lost about 15 pounds even though I stopped exercising in a gym. Also my skin and hair looked better than ever. I think preservatives and high fructose corn syrup might actually be bad for you.
#8
Holidays. Europeans get so much paid time off. I've gotten into arguments with some of my American friends because they legitimately believe tons of Europeans opt out of taking their PTO because there's so much work to do. I don't buy that. People would riot. Anywhere I went in late July-August, there were tons of shops closed cause people were spending the month with their families enjoying their time off.
That and public bathroom stalls going all the way down to the floor. Y'all understand privacy.
MagicalUnicorn 3 years ago
well duh, that's called personal life :D also if you don't book some of your 5 weeks off by april, your boss will remind you about it
#9
That tax was included on the price tag.
troufaki13 3 years ago
Why is it so hard for Americans to include the tax on the price tag? I don't get it
#10
First time in Spain… 22:30… Sun still out… parents sitting, drinking, relaxing while kids run up n down… felt so completely safe and comfortable.
BakedKahuna 3 years ago
It's the time of a year where many happy memories are created, especially when you are young. Mostly involving friends, family, campfire and guitar music. Looking forward to summer again
#11
I was not ready for how many overwhelmingly beautiful ancient buildings and cities I saw in only two weeks. I actually couldn’t fathom what I was looking at. It was a surreal experience like I was really in touch with a completely different era of humanity. There is absolutely nothing like this in America. It blew me away and made me really care much more about European history, urban planning, and architecture!
Martha Meyer 3 years ago
This person seems to have had a good experience but those tours, where people are carted around half the continent within the space of only 2 weeks are really not a good invention. It's all so rushed, half the time, they barely know which country they are in at a time.
#13
I heard a story of a lady who was dumbfounded that there weren't going to be fire works celebrating the 4th of July. Couldn't conceive the idea that other countries don't celebrate America's independence day
#14
Young children were using public transportation (i.e., city bus, subway)—not escorted by adults—to get to and from school rather than a designated yellow bus. Where I am from, public transportation is barely useable by adults much less children.
Ivana Bašić 3 years ago
That's why so many of us don't have cars. We actually don't need them.
#15
History. I followed a tour of American tourists into the church in downtown. Question gets asked: Is this the oldest church in town? Heard reply: (Chuckle) Oh no, the old church is on the North side of the river. This church was built in 1310. Just a different perspective on history.
#16
I went to Scotland. Ran across some German tourist who asked us to translate what the scot was saying. We were all three speaking English. They just couldn’t understand each other
Nadine Bamberger 3 years ago
They tend to only teach us Oxford English in school, you do pick up other accents and dialects through movies and stuff but Scottish is a whole different kind of beast lol.
#17
American living in Sweden: Most people don’t respect Americans until they meet you and confirm that you’re not one of “those” Americans People drink literally at any chance they get. Every apartment has an electric bath towel warmer. It’s pretty standard apparently. Boobs on TV. The vegetables are exponentially smaller, bc theyre not genetically modified. Fruit-flavored sodas are required to have fruit juice in it so the Fanta sodas here are more like a spicy Sunny D They are hardcore about recycling out here. Tipping culture doesn’t really exist. The bank is never f*cking open. Ground floor is not the first floor. Its the 0 floor. Celcius
#18
I was in Switzerland for a few days. I felt like the fattest person in the country at 6’0”, 210 lb. It was also amazing to me that it felt like two different countries going from Geneva to Zurich. The language went from French to German with the architecture completely different between the two cities. Absolutely beautiful country.
#19
How old a lot of the cities are. People still living in buildings older than the U.S. Walking down some of the old streets feels like you’re time traveling into a medieval fairytale.
julien 3 years ago
buildings ? entire towns are ! this one on the picture is in France and was built in 1285 !! there are hundreds of them in Europe ! just get off the beaten paths, see the real things ! monpazier-...b91f8b.jpg 
#20
The only thing that really surprised me was how much pedestrians trusted cars to not hit them
#21
For me, it was how well I was taken care of as an artist. In America, a musician is treated like help at the bar. You’re paid whatever the minimum amount they can possibly give you is. You might get 2-4 drink tickets. In Europe they respected you, fed you, found you places to sleep. Free drinks. Enough said.
Jill Chambers 3 years ago
We're just so happy to have someone from far away. We aren't that nice to people from the same country.
#22
This may sound weird, but how much they ate. Americans are the fat ones who eat too much so the stereotype goes but I took a semester in rural Germany in middle school— breakfast, morning break snack, lunch, afternoon break snack, snacks in town after school let out, dinner when you got home and occasionally this late night meal when my host parents got home, etc. Don’t get me wrong, all of it was more fresh and 10x better than the literal plastic Americans think is OK to eat on a normal basis, but I was constantly full for like the first week because I was too awkward not to eat the snacks my host mom had packed. Eventually ended up refusing things, and my host sister thought I was sick because I wasn’t eating every time the group was or something. Ironically I actually lost weight during the trip, probably because the food is just generally better for you. We did live on a farm too so it was insanely fresh.
#23
You hear about how big the Roman empire was and all the advanced building tech they had. But it doesn't really sink in until you see it with your own eyes.
DS 3 years ago (edited)
This still blows my mind. I lived in France, next to an old Roman amphitheatre. Moved to Germany, where Roman artefacts kept getting uncovered in the castle grounds in our town. Then moved to London, where I can be walking through the middle of the city and run into a piece of the old Roman wall. Basically have lived in three countries in Europe, which were culturally SO distinct, and have never left the boundaries of the ancient Roman empire.
#24
Cats. Cats everywhere.
#25
In France people get two hour lunches. Like some stores will have two separate open and close times cause they’ll just shut down for two hours a day to enjoy themselves. Most people seemed much happier and relaxed as a whole.
#26
I’m Dutch, but I’ll never forget my American girlfriend’s reaction to seeing rows and rows of parked bicycles in front of the train station when she came to visit the Netherlands. “Oh my God look at all those bikes!!”
#28
Not a shock per se, but something of an immediate reorienting of perspective in terms of history and how young the US really is. We have cool historical sites and artifacts, but it’s weird to suddenly be confronted with the reality that for as historical as Ben Franklin and the liberty bell were/are, they’re borderline infantile on a global historical scale. I especially remember being at a church in Italy, reading about its history and initially felt a bit deflated when a sentence began “this is not the original church, the original burned down and was rebuilt on the same site…” and thinking ah bummer, so this is the knockoff replica, not the real thing— and then getting to the end of the sentence “…in the 12th century.” The “knockoff replica” is 600 years older than the Liberty Bell.
#29
I've lived in Europe for most of the last 20 years...when I first moved here the main things were: the quality and efficiency of public transportation. Where I am from (Oklahoma City) there is almost no public transportation. The fact that sometimes when you go to the doctor they basically just tell you, "yeah, you're sick. You need to go home, drink lots of fluids, and rest." In the US it seemed like regardless of what the ailment was you were gonna get a prescription for something. In my experience, people here communicate much more directly and if you are not used to it, it might seem rude. The lack of a copay for things like doctor's visits, physical therapy, etc. along with a price cap on prescription drugs. The attitude toward customer service. "back home" in the US I was a customer service manager at a retail chain in college. The standard practice was that if someone complained, regardless of how ridiculous the complaint was, we just gave them a coupon for 10% off or something. Here, if you are unhappy with the service at a store and ask to speak to the manager, the manager is probably just going to tell you to "go shop somewhere else if you don't like it here."
kathoco 3 years ago
Funny, I’ve lived in France for 20 years and my doctor experience is the opposite. Doctors always load you up with tons of prescriptions, even if it’s just a cold. And people go to the doctor for EVERYTHING. I don’t see the point of going for a cold or stomach virus - just rest and liquids but loads of people will see a doctor for a minor virus that can’t really be treated.
#30
Finally, I can walk to a store
#31
Complete privacy when taking a dump in a public restroom. It was hard to come back home just from that.
#32
The amount of public transportation and in many places people not driving or not even knowing how to drive.
Nadine Bamberger 3 years ago
Unfortunately that only works in larger cities, but there's at least a way for our students to get to or from school with public transportation pretty much everywhere.
#33
How small things were like appliances, paper towels, toilet paper. I really wanted to take that idea home with me. It makes so much sense.
Also, how conveniently close shops were so we only drove when visiting other cities. I love it and I want it!
Nadine Bamberger 3 years ago
I think our cities are planned differently, we don't have those huge suburbian living areas, there's always at least a supermarket and a small business area sprinkled in between lol.
#34
In Italy the shower at one of my hotels had no barriers to keep the water in one general area. It was just a drain in the floor. Luckily it was just that one and it was definitely an older hotel.
Also I was really surprised that the price was exactly what the price tag said. I love that the tax is rolled in, especially while I learned the currency.
Jill Chambers 3 years ago
You mean a wet room. Useful for some disabilities and can be much more luxurious than a small shower.
#35
My grandma took me back to England at the end of my 8th grade year to see my nanna as well as where she grew up. I still remember quite vividly finding out that there's a very big difference between what's allowed on TV in England and what was allowed on TV in the United States regarding nudity. As a young boy this was a very exciting discovery.
Edit: I should also add that my entire experience with British culture had up until this point been through my grandma who was very formal and proper. I played soccer at an incredibly high level in the states so she managed to arrange a time for me to go play with a local academy team in Norwich for the afternoon. I'm still not sure how she managed to do this. I will never forget how foul mouthed everyone was - coaches included. This took me entirely by surprise. I will also never forget how humbling that experience was because I was nowhere near as good as I thought I was. I could hold my own, but my goodness I was certainly in the bottom half of the talent pool that day.
Nadine Bamberger 3 years ago
I will never understand how it's acceptable to walk around with a gun hanging on your belt and showing the most graphic violence on TV but they have to say "heck" and "freaking" on the same show where they've just decapitated a guy. That's such a weird double standard.
#36
How friendly everyone was. I was always told everyone hates Americans. Wasn’t my experience at all.
#37
How polite everyone was. How fresh the food was from restaurants. The simplicity of fruit stands/markets. How easy it was to get around by train (backpacked Europe for a month in 2017: england, France, Italy, Switzerland) edit- I live in South Florida. What is a train?
Karin Jansen 3 years ago
Wait, wait, wait. Did this person just claim the French to be polite? I call b******t 😅
#38
I lived in Europe for 5 years (2011-2016), specifically in Amsterdam. There were a lot of interesting little cultural quirks, of course, but there was only one thing I saw while living there that literally made me slam on my bicycle breaks and go back to see if I saw it right, which was of all things a Sesame Street Live poster. You see, turns out Big Bird (or his equivalent) in the Netherlands and several other countries is blue. The Dutch will insist that it's actually Big Bird's cousin, Pino, but I wasn't fooled. You know he just escaped to the Netherlands to seek an alternative lifestyle. So yeah I'm sure OP wanted something more serious and profound, but that was the biggest shock for sure because who expects that?!
#40
I was surprised how many people still smoke cigarettes and how common it was to have people smoking in outdoor restaurants and bars. It has gotten to the point you almost never smell cigarette smoke in those places in most of the USA.
#41
Italy-The abundance of inexpensive and very good red and white wines. Amazing! Amsterdam-most things are designed to be practical. The people are polite and practical as well. No large, fancy cars. Both places-the fact that I could jump on a train and get to most places in Europe was really cool.
Jon Steensen 3 years ago
Well the center of Copenhages dates back to the medieval times, and hence the streets are so narrow there that two big cars cannot pass each other, since when the houses was placed, there only needed to be space between them for a horse cart to pass. Hence a big car is a rather impractical vehicle in that setting. I do not know it, but I can imagine that the same thing is the case in Amstadam, as capitals have a tendency to founded long time ago.
#42
How everything is less sugary/sweet.
How people just walk away from minor vehicle bumps/scrapes. In the US they would pull over and at minimum exchange info, if not call the police.
In France, the lack of casual wear in public(like tshirts, sports clothing).
How restaurants aren't about pumping people in and out and no one is really in a rush (Paris)
Much smaller size vehicles. Go to a typical parking lot in America and >50% will be suv or trucks. I barely saw any suv/trucks in London or Paris.
Laugh or not 3 years ago
How would you park a suv/truck in Paris or London? They sell the Smart car for a reason.
#43
The infrastructure there continued evolving and is “modern”. It really takes leaving to understand how the United States has barely done anything to make transportation or infrastructure better since the 70s. It’s like we’re still living in the past.
#44
Those statues on the streets of London that people walk by and don’t even spare a single glance? They’ve got a longer history than the United States
#45
Ground floor is 0. The one above it is floor 1. The one below it is floor -1. Because, math
#46
When I was in Rome, individuals simply walked into crosswalks and autos came to a complete stop.
I'm from New York. I can jaywalk with the best of them...but f*ck dude, I'm going to need my pedestrian crossing signals! The majority of my vacation was spent crossing streets in Rome...it was like playing a terrifying game of double dutch.
Those drivers, on the other hand, are sensitive to weakness.
Martha Meyer 3 years ago
In Southern Italy, traffic lights are merely a suggestion. Car crashes aren't more common than elsewhere though. People know to pay attention because anything can happen.
#47
Remember in the sopranos, when Tony comes back to jersey from Italy? And everything is ugly? I spent a month in NL and Louisiana looked so bad when I got back.
MyOpinionHasBeenServed 3 years ago
I felt the same way coming back from Manchester to the Canadian prairies. My city is suffering from a bad case of mid 20th century architectural blandness.
#48
You can drink a beer anywhere, anytime. I mean I woke up in Berlin and bought a bottle of beer at a small breakfast stand in a park it was like 6am.
Martha Meyer 3 years ago (edited)
In Berlin, when you see people sitting around, drinking beer, being really loud and grinning stupidly? Tourists.
#50
Just spent my first week in Europe last week. Walking was awesome. Bikes were awsome.. so many different languages, unpasteurized food and very fit people
Frédéric Jirou 3 years ago
stop talking about Europe as a country... we have so many countries and so many differences XD
#51
Boobies on billboards. When I was around 4 or 5 back in the early eighties I lived in Germany. We were driving down the street one day and I was extremely surprised and embarrassed to see casual nudity in public. Now that I'm older, I realize America has some prudish sensibilities. lol
Mari 3 years ago
When I was a kid, I lived in a neighbourhood with a lot of stripclubs and more. There were huge pictures of the lady's in tiny underwear. I was always ashamed when I had to walk by. When I got older I was scared of the men hanging around. Now there are still clubs, but they can't advertise no more. Now it's just a plain wall, no pictures and it's better for everyone who lives around.
#52
Tipping just not really being a thing.
Richard Liu 3 years ago
Tipping is the biggest shock when anyone from the rest of world visit U.S..
#53
Europeans dress up for the day. Y’all don’t wear athletic shorts and tennis shoes. Like just going to the store, ya gotta dress up decent enough
Johan van Luijn-Hermans 3 years ago
Stongly dependant on the country, region and person though.
#54
I arrived to the Netherlands. Rode about 1.5 hrs worth of trains from Amsterdam to my destination. When we hit my final destination, a woman in her late 50s (eyeballing here, so five or take) is in front of me. She has a long black cloth case strapped to her back that looks like it might have a guitar or similarly shaped object. No. It was a longboard. She pulls it out and skates off into the distance. I’m flustered and just stood there for a minute thinking through what I just saw.
Susie Elle 3 years ago
The Dutch are paradoxal in this sense; you'll see people doing what they feel like at almost any age (more so in the west of the country) and other Dutchies looking like "Tch, kids and their weird toys" and then just shrug and continue our day. We'll find things we do weird and cool at the same time. "Doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg".
#56
The amount of smoking! I have a close friend in Europe, she's talked about the public transportation and the way the cities are laid out to be beneficial to walking and biking. But nothing prepared me for the amount for smoking I saw when I was in Paris, Helsinki, Tampere, and Turku
Martha Meyer 3 years ago
We are decades behind here on getting rid of that cancerous crap. The US started their health campaigns about 20 to 30 years earlier and it shows.
#57
Okay this is dumb but in the states I always get my cappuccino with cinnamon because it's glorious and of course I always have to ask because that's not the standard. A couple of years ago I was in Stockholm Sweden and asked for a cap with cinnamon and the lady looked at me like I was crazy.... Because apparently that was standard and she didn't understand why I was asking for something it already had. The rest of the trip I never asked and I always received. Not sure if that's just their traditional take on cappuccinos or if I just got lucky every time but I think I found my people.
#58
The difficulty of finding a public toilet, and then having to pay to use it. I went to Rome in September. Walked miles and miles checking things out, drinking tons of water to stay hydrated, and not a toilet to be found.
#59
Two things: German Taxis use large Mercedes Benz to get around. Topless women in French shampoo commercials.
#60
Personal bubble is very different. It shocks you at first, and you feel sort of claustrophobic, but then you get used to it, too. It's kind of subtle until you come back to the states and unconsciously stand so "close" to someone else in a line that they start shooting you dirty looks.
#61
The architecture. Just amazing. I knew,, but I never truly understood how young the US is
#62
How good the food was - going to Italy ruined pizza for me for many years, it still is not the same; even the authentic pizza here doesn’t taste nearly as good because of the generally poor quality of ingredients here in the states compared to in Europe. On the other hand, I was surprised I almost chipped a tooth on authentic French Bread, pretty sure it scuffed up my gums too - I don’t know if they just gave us stale bread because we were Americans, but all of our bread was literally inedible and hard as a rock.
#64
Spain: Okay, it's afternoon; it's time to run some errands. It took me a week to learn that on days 2-5, the entire country shuts down.
#65
I always forget the electrical outlets aren't the same. I went to Ireland once, then had to get a different one for France. I think the two I have cover all the varieties now though
Trond Øien 3 years ago
When in doubt: https://www.travelguide-en.org/power-plugs-and-sockets-used-in-europe/
#66
Using the restroom while a woman cleaned the urinal next to me..
What do you think ?
Janet C 3 years ago
Every country here has its culture, flavor, tone, foods, style, etc. However, taken as a whole, it's all still much older, historically richer, healthier, and has tons more transportation infrastructure than the US.
Load More Replies... Anony Mouse 3 years ago
Thank you for reposting all these. I had almost forgotten about all these points that haven't been raised since... Maybe ten days ago?
Blarrg 3 years ago
This comment makes me happy. The "tell us why America sucks" is one of those threads that pandas seemingly never tire of.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
We get it. Nothing shocking in Europe is bad. Spend a month or three, you learn. And what I learned is that some people will share their last loaf of bread with you, and some will walk away rolling their eyes at how pathetic you are to need help, same as anywhere I've been in the world so far.
Milan 3 years ago (edited)
Once i’ve got in NY free meal in restaurant, because they were very sorry, but had only the half of portion of food. So they gave it to me for free. I was still stuffed 😀 Left a very generous tip above 20% though ☺️
Neal Patrick 3 years ago
These series are always the same…everywhere outside of the USA is better, thinner, healthier, kinder, cheaper …. If only that were reality. Every occupied location in the world has good things and bad things, sometimes more of the other or less of the other.
Ren Karlej 3 years ago
Yep and I think most ordinary people realise that. Posts like these... aren't generally helpful. Though maybe some people learn (said with huge amounts of optimism!). I mean people who might just make broad assumptions about Americans and then read some of the comments... maybe something clicks. 🤷
Load More Replies...
Anton Kider 3 years ago (edited)
My street is 2000 years old and my apartment is from 1640. I can get the underground round the corner and get off at any European capital without walking in the street.
Wesley Lucas 3 years ago
This article just made me sad. I'd love to flee the US for Europe but we just can't afford to do it. Maybe, MAYBE, in like another decade we could put away enough to do so...The other thing is that so many of these wonderful aspects COULD be a thing here in the US but due to our political dysfunction and the fact that half the country seemingly takes pride in being loud, dumb, and constantly consuming crap, we'll never be able to implement them. Reading about how much more healthy the lifestyles are because of the lack of sugars and food additives really hit hard...
Lucas 3 years ago
I wouldn't come now if I were you anyway... things are getting scarily expensive due to wars and whatnot! We could send food parcels maybe?!! It is a shame about your political dysfunction. Does campaigning for change get you nowhere? Just wondering what could be done to improve the food situation. Nowhere is perfect, no consolation I know. In the UK anyone, theoretically, can be our PM but we do end up with too many clueless posh boys in the Cabinet. Thankfully we do have a great many ordinary people as MPs and a cap on how much can be spent on campaigning so money, or lack, is not a barrier to stand. There is still a lot of dysfunction and money exchanged illegally for favours etc though.
Load More Replies...
Agfox 3 years ago
It continues to surprise me that people don't realise that fruit & vegetables have been genetically modified ever since people realised that selective breeding could produce larger yields of better quality, better-tasting products. The expression "genetically modified" is much wider in meaning than something done in a laboratory by people in white coats https://www.sciencealert.com/fruits-vegetables-before-domestication-photos-genetically-modified-food-natural
Gandalf the Pink 3 years ago
Careful around the ones who also wear gold watches and pinky rings
Load More Replies... Vivian Ashe 3 years ago
Even when I study the language before I travel, I get caught up in awkward situations because the phrase books often don't cover a lot of common things. For example, when you walk into a restaurant in the U.S., they usually assume you're a customer, so they ask whether you're here for dine-in or take-out, and how many people are in your party. Before I went out to a restaurant for the first time in Germany, I studied all I could about what was likely to be on the menu. But when I walked in, all the host said was, "Yes?" And I realized I didn't know how to say I wanted to sit down and order lunch. Tiny cultural differences like that can really throw you.
Ren Karlej 3 years ago
For anyone unsure you'd say 'may I have a table for x (number of people) please.' It IS the little things that often catch you out!
Load More Replies...
JuniorCJ82 3 years ago
The one thing I just will never understand is having to pay to take a piss/dump in a public washroom.
Ren Karlej 3 years ago
Thinking about it, I haven't seen anywhere I needed to pay in a long time. However, if it was a choice between no public loos, dirty public loos or paying a few pence I will happily pay.
Load More Replies...
Mad Mar 3 years ago
My goal is to move to Europe or Britain and just exist like this. Grow fresh food. Paint. Relax until I pass away. Less stress. More history to explore and admire. Right bow I'm growing my own food an cooking but I'm sure it will be 100% better there.
Emmydearest 3 years ago
Uh well, not to break it to you but you're describing the lifestyle of a 1800's rich person or something. Europeans don't just relax all day, we don't all grow our own food, we do have to work you know. It's not like we all live in "A room with a view" Tuscany... (I wish 😅)
Load More Replies...
Amanda Reicha 3 years ago
I went to Germany during college as a transfer student (1999) and years later I took a small tour of a few countries in Europe. I didn't need to worry about my health, it was nice to be able to walk everywhere, the food was better, and the prices were good. So many different cultures so close together we're beautiful.
Monica Pryts 3 years ago (edited)
Yes! I lost weight while visiting Madrid and Rome. Didn't really snack between meals and did a lot of walking. Also they don't make a big deal out of the younger drinking age.
Barbara Vandewalle 3 years ago
A number of times I manage to get lost. Every time someone would make sure I got back to where I needed to be.
DOMENICO CUTRONE 3 years ago
Gli americani dimostrano costantemente arroganza ed ignoranza... Qualunque stato europeo possiede un livello di cultura, civiltà e intelligenza che gli americani non raggiungeranno mai. Basta vedere il loro sistema sanitario. Ridicoli
Berni W. Love 3 years ago (edited)
Please stop calling the United States citizens "Americans". America is a whole continent, with like 35 countries and is not our fault that their country has not a real name... In Spanisch we call them "Estadounidenses" that comes from "Estados Unidos" which is the translation from "United states"... Maybe you can call them "United-statesers" hahaha I don't care, or just USA-citizens.... Whatever, but America is not 1 country and most of the people on this continent don't feel identified with the USA.... I know it take more than a post to change this, but I am just asking you, lovely reader, if you are those which call the USA citizens "Americans", please stop... Is disrespectful with the rest of this rich countinen full of different cultures. Please.... PD: I bet most of the people who complains about my comment are US-citizens....
Bad Mole 3 years ago
What surprised (and pleased) me the most was that people thought about each other and not just themselves like Americans do. In America people are so focused on their individual liberties they completely forget about their social responsibilities.
Vladimíra Matejová 3 years ago
this depends on what kind of ppl are around you. there are ego maniacs in Europe as well as altruists in the US.
Load More Replies...
Bi-Polar Express 3 years ago
Americans who lived in cities are surprised by the buildings still standing in cities occupied by those who destroyed the civilizations of early American civilizations.
Ren Karlej 3 years ago
Looking at stats found: "The European Union’s share (so not all of Europe) in worldwide immigration to the US is quite small. In 2013, 54 356 EU nationals received green card status in the US. This represents only 0.01% of the total EU population in 2013 and 5.5% of all green cards issued by the US in that year and is in decline". Comparing it to Australia I believe the stat is 0.02% (not 100% sure). I don't think that less US citizens going to Europe is something we should assume means anything much. English is taught in European countries but vice versa? Too many different languages so that presents a barrier to some. US is currently a Flawed Democracy so very few see it as the answer to their dreams anymore, sorry. The US isn't in the Top 10 Countries with Highest Human Development Index, 2020 Report by United Nations. Not US bashing but let's be realistic. All the 'benefits' you list exist in Europe.
Load More Replies... Janet C 3 years ago
Every country here has its culture, flavor, tone, foods, style, etc. However, taken as a whole, it's all still much older, historically richer, healthier, and has tons more transportation infrastructure than the US.
Load More Replies... Anony Mouse 3 years ago
Thank you for reposting all these. I had almost forgotten about all these points that haven't been raised since... Maybe ten days ago?
Blarrg 3 years ago
This comment makes me happy. The "tell us why America sucks" is one of those threads that pandas seemingly never tire of.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
We get it. Nothing shocking in Europe is bad. Spend a month or three, you learn. And what I learned is that some people will share their last loaf of bread with you, and some will walk away rolling their eyes at how pathetic you are to need help, same as anywhere I've been in the world so far.
Milan 3 years ago (edited)
Once i’ve got in NY free meal in restaurant, because they were very sorry, but had only the half of portion of food. So they gave it to me for free. I was still stuffed 😀 Left a very generous tip above 20% though ☺️
Neal Patrick 3 years ago
These series are always the same…everywhere outside of the USA is better, thinner, healthier, kinder, cheaper …. If only that were reality. Every occupied location in the world has good things and bad things, sometimes more of the other or less of the other.
Ren Karlej 3 years ago
Yep and I think most ordinary people realise that. Posts like these... aren't generally helpful. Though maybe some people learn (said with huge amounts of optimism!). I mean people who might just make broad assumptions about Americans and then read some of the comments... maybe something clicks. 🤷
Load More Replies... Anton Kider 3 years ago (edited)
My street is 2000 years old and my apartment is from 1640. I can get the underground round the corner and get off at any European capital without walking in the street.
Wesley Lucas 3 years ago
This article just made me sad. I'd love to flee the US for Europe but we just can't afford to do it. Maybe, MAYBE, in like another decade we could put away enough to do so...The other thing is that so many of these wonderful aspects COULD be a thing here in the US but due to our political dysfunction and the fact that half the country seemingly takes pride in being loud, dumb, and constantly consuming crap, we'll never be able to implement them. Reading about how much more healthy the lifestyles are because of the lack of sugars and food additives really hit hard...
Lucas 3 years ago
I wouldn't come now if I were you anyway... things are getting scarily expensive due to wars and whatnot! We could send food parcels maybe?!! It is a shame about your political dysfunction. Does campaigning for change get you nowhere? Just wondering what could be done to improve the food situation. Nowhere is perfect, no consolation I know. In the UK anyone, theoretically, can be our PM but we do end up with too many clueless posh boys in the Cabinet. Thankfully we do have a great many ordinary people as MPs and a cap on how much can be spent on campaigning so money, or lack, is not a barrier to stand. There is still a lot of dysfunction and money exchanged illegally for favours etc though.
Load More Replies... Agfox 3 years ago
It continues to surprise me that people don't realise that fruit & vegetables have been genetically modified ever since people realised that selective breeding could produce larger yields of better quality, better-tasting products. The expression "genetically modified" is much wider in meaning than something done in a laboratory by people in white coats https://www.sciencealert.com/fruits-vegetables-before-domestication-photos-genetically-modified-food-natural
Gandalf the Pink 3 years ago
Careful around the ones who also wear gold watches and pinky rings
Load More Replies... Vivian Ashe 3 years ago
Even when I study the language before I travel, I get caught up in awkward situations because the phrase books often don't cover a lot of common things. For example, when you walk into a restaurant in the U.S., they usually assume you're a customer, so they ask whether you're here for dine-in or take-out, and how many people are in your party. Before I went out to a restaurant for the first time in Germany, I studied all I could about what was likely to be on the menu. But when I walked in, all the host said was, "Yes?" And I realized I didn't know how to say I wanted to sit down and order lunch. Tiny cultural differences like that can really throw you.
Ren Karlej 3 years ago
For anyone unsure you'd say 'may I have a table for x (number of people) please.' It IS the little things that often catch you out!
Load More Replies... JuniorCJ82 3 years ago
The one thing I just will never understand is having to pay to take a piss/dump in a public washroom.
Ren Karlej 3 years ago
Thinking about it, I haven't seen anywhere I needed to pay in a long time. However, if it was a choice between no public loos, dirty public loos or paying a few pence I will happily pay.
Load More Replies... Mad Mar 3 years ago
My goal is to move to Europe or Britain and just exist like this. Grow fresh food. Paint. Relax until I pass away. Less stress. More history to explore and admire. Right bow I'm growing my own food an cooking but I'm sure it will be 100% better there.
Emmydearest 3 years ago
Uh well, not to break it to you but you're describing the lifestyle of a 1800's rich person or something. Europeans don't just relax all day, we don't all grow our own food, we do have to work you know. It's not like we all live in "A room with a view" Tuscany... (I wish 😅)
Load More Replies... Amanda Reicha 3 years ago
I went to Germany during college as a transfer student (1999) and years later I took a small tour of a few countries in Europe. I didn't need to worry about my health, it was nice to be able to walk everywhere, the food was better, and the prices were good. So many different cultures so close together we're beautiful.
Monica Pryts 3 years ago (edited)
Yes! I lost weight while visiting Madrid and Rome. Didn't really snack between meals and did a lot of walking. Also they don't make a big deal out of the younger drinking age.
Barbara Vandewalle 3 years ago
A number of times I manage to get lost. Every time someone would make sure I got back to where I needed to be.
DOMENICO CUTRONE 3 years ago
Gli americani dimostrano costantemente arroganza ed ignoranza... Qualunque stato europeo possiede un livello di cultura, civiltà e intelligenza che gli americani non raggiungeranno mai. Basta vedere il loro sistema sanitario. Ridicoli
Berni W. Love 3 years ago (edited)
Please stop calling the United States citizens "Americans". America is a whole continent, with like 35 countries and is not our fault that their country has not a real name... In Spanisch we call them "Estadounidenses" that comes from "Estados Unidos" which is the translation from "United states"... Maybe you can call them "United-statesers" hahaha I don't care, or just USA-citizens.... Whatever, but America is not 1 country and most of the people on this continent don't feel identified with the USA.... I know it take more than a post to change this, but I am just asking you, lovely reader, if you are those which call the USA citizens "Americans", please stop... Is disrespectful with the rest of this rich countinen full of different cultures. Please.... PD: I bet most of the people who complains about my comment are US-citizens....
Bad Mole 3 years ago
What surprised (and pleased) me the most was that people thought about each other and not just themselves like Americans do. In America people are so focused on their individual liberties they completely forget about their social responsibilities.
Vladimíra Matejová 3 years ago
this depends on what kind of ppl are around you. there are ego maniacs in Europe as well as altruists in the US.
Load More Replies... Bi-Polar Express 3 years ago
Americans who lived in cities are surprised by the buildings still standing in cities occupied by those who destroyed the civilizations of early American civilizations.
Ren Karlej 3 years ago
Looking at stats found: "The European Union’s share (so not all of Europe) in worldwide immigration to the US is quite small. In 2013, 54 356 EU nationals received green card status in the US. This represents only 0.01% of the total EU population in 2013 and 5.5% of all green cards issued by the US in that year and is in decline". Comparing it to Australia I believe the stat is 0.02% (not 100% sure). I don't think that less US citizens going to Europe is something we should assume means anything much. English is taught in European countries but vice versa? Too many different languages so that presents a barrier to some. US is currently a Flawed Democracy so very few see it as the answer to their dreams anymore, sorry. The US isn't in the Top 10 Countries with Highest Human Development Index, 2020 Report by United Nations. Not US bashing but let's be realistic. All the 'benefits' you list exist in Europe.
Load More Replies... You May Like 30 Americans Living In Canada Reveal The Differences Between The Two 99 Places In Europe To Add To Your Travel Bucket List 45 Underrated Cities In The US Of A That Are Worth The Visit
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