Andy Saputo
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I love to draw. Every single day.
I post on Instagram @Artistandysaputo
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love-hate-things-usa-non-american-tourists
Love: Convenience. Everything is so damn convenient. Shops stay open later, basically everywhere delivers, and the consumer generally has much more choice. This applies to everything from banking to retail. In general in the US, it feels like the customer truly is king.
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Love: American diners and their huge portions of pancakes, bacon, and eggs galore.
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Love: The sandwiches. In America, there are so many glorious sandwiches, like the Reuben, piled high with delicious corned beef on nice artisan bread; Philly cheesesteaks; thin-sliced rib-eye, dripping with salty, gooey provolone; and even the po'boy, a stunning creation.
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Love: Bagels! Give me a New York everything bagel with egg and cheese and a cup of coffee, and I’m a happy camper.
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Love: The cereal selection. You can get breakfast cereal with marshmallows in it. MARSHMALLOWS. I find that fascinating, exotic, and maybe just a bit horrifying.
dorothy_the_dodo reply
Having lived in both for two years, here's my take on both. In Europe I lived in Germany, but travelled around the neighboring countries a bit and now I live in VA. I'm also speaking as a student with limited income lol. I'm mostly writing about what I like, as it what I dislike contrasts pretty well with the other (i.e what I love about Europe I grow to appreciate even more in relation to my time in the US, and vice versa). Europe Love -Public transport, bikes and walking. I don't have a car, but that was never a problem in Europe. I could get anywhere I wanted to pretty feasibly and in good time. -Healthier food options. I felt so energized my whole time living there, and when I come back, because I feel like I'm eating simpler and healthier most days. I'm Southeast Asian, so it did take a while before I got used to simple foods (like cold cuts, cheese and bread for meals), but I do miss eating that minimally every now and then. -Prices. Now, it might just be where I live in both, but I found Europe a lot more affordable than the US. Granted, I only had to worry about buying food and going out, but still, I find myself a lot more conscious about my spending when I was in the US. -Safety. I felt a lot safer in Europe than the US. As a student in both, gun violence is one difference, yeah, but even then in cities in Europe I felt that there were always all sorts of people (especially women and the elderly) around even in the early morning by themselves, which made me feel that if locals thought it was safe, then I felt safer. Whereas in the US, in large cities, I often have locals warn me about certain areas, especially at night. Fortunately I've never had incidents in either country, but still. -LGBT life. Speaking as a gay person, Europe has more options. I feel safe in most places in both, especially with friends around, but I feel that European cities had more diverse and um... Liberated venues, so to speak. Which I'm a fan of. US: -Friendly and open people. I actually think the Europe I saw was very friendly! But people in the US are next level friendly, and as an outgoing person myself, I really do enjoy that about being in the US. I often chat with people at stores, bars, in rideshares and around my college campus too, which I didn't get to experience as much in Europe (though that might also be the language barrier at play). -More food diversity. I lived in two cities of comparable size in both, and even in other cities that are similarly large, I just think the US' history of migration has led it to evolve such a rich and diverse food culture. There're so many options for dining places. Again, not to say Europe didn't have options, but the US just has a lot more places that are also a lot more mixed at an accessible level. Tipping still sucks though, but I still make sure to tip as well as I could. Just because I disagree with the conditions that led to tipping doesn't give me the right to screw over my server. -Speaking of diversity, the US definitely feels more diverse as a whole, even outside of large cities. I get along with most people, but there's a quicker level of connection I'm able to get with US PoC for some reason that I didn't feel as much in Europe. Even though I have more things listed that I like in Europe, I really do enjoy both for their own merits! Didn't expect my comment to be this long though
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Love: The landscapes. I've been to America many times, and I have to say the diversity in landscapes is incredible. You have deserts a few hours from ski resorts, and huge, modern cities next to thousands of square miles of Great Plains.
Jakisirtaki reply
European (Belgian) here who just came back from a one month road trip in the US. I'm so jealous of the magnificent nature you have in your country, I saw so many beautiful sights! Please treasure it. I disagree with the low quality food, I had both really good meals and really poor ones. Best Thai food I ever had was in LA. Also, so many places sell drip coffee just the way I like it, not some watered down espressos. Loved that! Another like were the many (mostly) clean and free restrooms, Having to pay for using a dirty restroom in a rest area along the highway in Europe sucks. That being said, some restrooms in the US really didn't care about my privacy with one inch gaps everywhere. Driving was so convenient, being a pedestrian not so much. I biked through SF but couldn't say I felt very safe. Dislikes were the tipping culture and prices listed pre-tax. I mean, I ordered food or drinks to go a couple of times where I often had to tip in advance only for something to go wrong with my order. Not getting my tip back am I? Overall I had a great time, met a lot of friendly people and saw amazing nature and wildlife. I can't wait to go back!
Nine-Inch-Nipples reply
If you’re willing to look for it—the U.S has no shortage of great food. Combined with cultural diversity, you’re given a lot of different options as well. Maybe you just chose some mediocre restaurants.
dominashe reply
I’ll add as a New Zealander living here.. Like: sports culture, have-a-go culture, general enjoyment of life, being encouraging of people that are willing to try something or hustle, low barrier to entry for someone starting a business, online shopping, gas stoves, diversity across the different parts of the country, super friendly, most people are big on values, pride in keeping towns tidy. Dislike: tipping (I know you have it already but seriously what gives), treatment of indigenous history, lack of consumer protection, level of poverty, strange policy making that reinforces lack of trust in government, occasional respect for road rules, hard to access to good quality produce at a reasonable price, no ring-pulls on tinned food. Just pet peeves. Overall I freaking love being in US!! This country rules and will continue to rule! Edit: I forgot to add innovation. It feels like this country could invent anything.
love-hate-things-usa-non-american-tourists
Love: The friendliness. I love the random friendliness in the USA. In the US, it's easy to pick up a conversation with mostly anyone. In my experience, Dutch people are kind but much more reserved in public.
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I have been touring the United States for several weeks now, visiting multiple states. I am from Europe. The Netherlands specifically. This is not my first time in the US but it is my most extensive. It strikes me how vastly different the USA is compared to my country or Europe in general. I'd just like to give my thoughts here from a European perspective. Which things I think are better here and which are worse. I am also keeping this limited to a tourist perspective, so I'm going to stay away from things that are only relevant when I would actually live here, like healthcare, taxes and politics. I am aware that the vast majority of Reddit users are American. I do not intend to offend in any way. Just putting my personal opinions here. Thinks I like Nature. Raw, wild and untouched and - most of all - VAST. The sheer vastness AND variety of nature and pure wilderness here is definitely unmatched in Europe. Specifically the little nature we have in The Netherlands is laughable compared to the USA. People are generally approachable and friendly. Yes I do like Americans, at least their overall demeanor. I would be greeted and asked where I'm from even by someone at the 7 eleven. In general Dutch people are quire rude. Free refills! This is a small thing but really unheard of in the Netherlands. In my country you pay the same price for just one tiny cup of coffee. In fact, all drinks you order are tiny in The Netherlands and you pay for each one. Traffic lights across the street. I can't for the life of my understand why we still have to lean over the steering wheel and get a sore neck looking straight upwards at the traffic lights in Europe. The doggy bag. You MIGHT be able to get to take your leftover with you in certain places in The Netherlands, but it really not the norm and would surely raise an eyebrow if you ask. Here it is normal and I find it very good to not let the food go to waste. Besides, I did pay for it so its nice to be able to take it with me. Things I don't like Tipping! Why the heck do I need to be partly responsible for a proper salary for these people? Also it is just annoying to have to calculate the tip every time. It is also annoying that listed prices are almost exclusively without tax. In my country - and across most of Europe as far as I'm aware - you pay exactly what is listed as the price. No hidden surprises. The food, especially breakfast. Almost everything contains sugar. Breakfast is never with fresh bread and fresh good meats and cheese. In fact American cheese is awful, but maybe I'm spoiled living in cheese country. For dinner the food isn't quite as bad, but its still nowhere near the quality and variety that you find in Europe. Plastic! Too much plastic is a problem in Europe also, but the amount of plastic (and styrofoam or other disposable crap) used here is bizarre. I also find it really bizarre that in every hotel breakfast its all disposable cutlery and plates also. You really NEVER see this in Europe, not even in the cheapest hotels. Imperial measurements. Gallons, miles, feet and especially Fahrenheit is so bizarre. Also because the conversion factor to metric is odd. Almost all the world, as well as the scientific world, uses metric which makes so much more sense in every way. Why does the US hold on to such an archaic system?This Panda hasn't followed anyone yet
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