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If you've ever traveled to another country, you probably know that no amount of research can fully prepare you for the little cultural surprises waiting for you. And when it comes to the United States, those surprises can be everywhere. From portion sizes that seem large enough to feed an entire family to endless highways, drive-thru everything, and social customs that leave visitors scratching their heads, America has a way of catching people off guard when they least expect it.
In this post, travelers from around the world are sharing the moments that made them stop and think, "Wait... is this normal here?" Some of their experiences are hilarious, some are genuinely baffling, and others offer a fascinating glimpse into how differently people can see the same place. Keep scrolling to see the moments that left Europeans completely confused, amused, and occasionally wondering what on earth was going on.
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#1
I'm an Aussie who visited USA, hope it's okay for me to crash this thread.
We LOVED our visit - loved the whole bloody place, but i was absolutely gobsmacked when I found Froot Loops with marshmallows. I genuinely did not think it was possible to make Froot Loops more unhealthy, but you guys did it - love your work!
That’s all I yam 14 hours ago
It gets even better. There's another version of Froot Loops, Froot Loops Glazed Donut Holes, that has 20 grams of added sugar per serving instead of 16 grams in the marshmallow variety. It's all relative, though. A standard 12-ounce can of regular Coca-Cola contains 39 grams of sugar.
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#2
Not European (am Australian) but went to a Walmart in Arkansas.
It was just like stepping into the People of Walmart page.
#3
I left my hotel in Texas at 7:00 am - stopped at McDonalds and got enough breakfast sandwiches to last me through lunch. I then stopped at a gas station to get gas and cigs and 2 cokes. I gunned it through Texas sometimes going over 90 miles an hour. I stopped one more time to go to the toilet and get gas and snacks. At 7:30 pm I stopped at the hotel to spend the night. I was still in Texas.
From politics and pop culture to Hollywood movies and endless internet debates, we've all heard countless stories about the United States. It’s one of those countries that feels strangely familiar even to people who have never set foot there. We know about New York's skyline, Route 66, giant food portions, and yellow school buses.
But here's the thing: beneath all the headlines and stereotypes lies a treasure trove of strange, surprising, and downright unbelievable stories. Some sound so ridiculous that you'd assume they're made up. Yet they're completely true. And as today's post proves, no matter how much you think you know about America, there's always another fact waiting around the corner.
#4
Us Germans have the reputation of being deferential to all kinds of authority, and maybe deservedly so. But when there is some trashy drama going on in a U.S. supermarket, there always seems to be someone who at some point threatens to CALL THE MANAGER if those shenanigans don't stop RIGHT AWAY, sounding like they are about to conjure up some omnipotent eldritch deity. Which executive powers do store managers have in America? Are there states where they can invoke some kind of castle doctrine on you?
#5
In 2015 I went to Florida. We walked past a crazy golf place and a guy was holding an alligator in his arms, he also told me he had an 8-foot alligator in the back.
I’m from England, so I don’t think I’ll ever quite get over just how casual he was having an alligator in his arms.
That’s all I yam 15 hours ago
I'm from the US and have never lived in the South. I'm with you on this.
#6
While walking around Austin, random people would just give me a "Hey, how's it going" as they walked past. In the UK, if someone even looks like they might glance in your direction, it probably means they're about to try selling you something. I probably offended a couple of them with how defensive I seemed...
Take the postal service, for example. Believe it or not, there was a brief period when people could technically mail their children. When the U.S. Post Office introduced its Parcel Post service in 1913, the rules didn't specifically forbid shipping humans. Rural families quickly noticed this loophole. In a handful of cases, parents paid postage, attached labels, and sent their children to relatives through the mail system. Thankfully, the kids weren't stuffed into boxes. Instead, trusted mail carriers personally accompanied them on their routes and ensured they arrived safely. It sounds absolutely wild by today's standards, but it also reveals how deeply communities trusted their local postal workers. Unsurprisingly, postal officials stepped in and banned the practice just a year later.
#7
Did a house exchange in New Jersey (from UK) and on the second day a neighbour came to the door with an actual cherry pie to welcome us and ask us to dinner. Was
1. A huge confirmation of stereotype
2. Really touching and sweet (pie was also wonderful btw)
3. A bit weird because we knew our neighbours wouldn't care and we felt bad :/.
lula mura 10 hours ago
Over here (est-europe), if a new neighbor moves in, we welcome them the traditional way: by ignoring them in the hallway for the first six months, tracking their movements through the peephole, and judging their noise levels through the walls. Knocking on a stranger's door with baked goods and an invite to dinner doesn't feel "sweet" to us; it feels like an aggressive breach of privacy and a hostage situation disguised as hospitality. If you want to be a good neighbor in our part of the world, you don't bring a pie—you just don't use your drill on a Sunday morning.
#8
I went to pay with card in a restaurant and the waiter just took it and walked off.
#9
European gone to Texas, the difference in religion is astounding, its so much more prevalent in people's lives here. There are some beautiful churches in Europe, but they dont seem to have the same spirit as Texas.
Also the driving distances are immense. An hour commute in the morning is normal for people.
SM 12 hours ago (edited)
This isn't uniform across the country. One of the most ironic things I saw on this was when I was stationed in Louisiana for a couple of years. It seemed like there was a church and a bar on every other block. And they had the "blue law" where stores were closed on Sunday, but the bars where open.
According to National Postal Museum historian Nancy Pope, writing for The Washington Post, one of the first documented cases occurred in Ohio in 1913. Jesse and Matilda Beauge mailed their 10-pound infant son to his grandmother's house, located about a mile away. The trip cost them 15 cents in postage, plus $50 worth of insurance just to be safe. If that sounds unbelievable, wait until you hear about Edna Neff. The six-year-old girl was reportedly "mailed" from Florida to Virginia—a journey of roughly 720 miles. Today, the idea sounds absurd, but at the time it was viewed as a practical solution in close-knit communities where mail carriers were trusted almost like extended family members.
#10
While in Florida, we went through a drive through and the lady couldn't understand what i was ordering regardless of how slowly and carefully i spoke so, i decided to go inside instead where the lady behind the counter couldn't understand me either, i am a northern brit but not too too broad an accent.
My little sister had to put on her Florida accent to order for us, the manager who eventually took the order said she was sorry as the staff were only used to "normal" English lol.
#11
My brother lived in Tampa for a while. When I went to visit any American I spoke to told me their life story: their military career, how many jobs they have, kids they have, how old they are etc.
I took a 40 minute trip in a Uber from the Keys to Ebor and, I’m not kidding, this guy talked, seemingly without taking a breath, the entire time.
As a Brit this was very very uncomfortable.
#12
I'm a Brit who spent 6 months touring the USA with a show. Visited 33 states in total, some things I noticed include:
- You can't walk to places. Even if the nearest Walmart is a mile down the road, you'll be walking along a slither of grass or dirt by the side of a twelve-lane highway. And people will think you're weird, especially walking back with your shopping.
- although walking is a pain, it's easy to navigate because everything is in a grid system. Flying over the country you can see endless straight roads intersecting. I found myself missing the winding streets of the UK, the nooks and crannies and irregularities steeped in history.
- Nothing is near anything. In the UK, we have high streets, mostly pedestrianised streets with all the main shops and restaurants in one place so you can get a bus or drive, park, and walk around all day doing your shopping or hanging out. In the USA, if you want a smoothie, you drive to the smoothie place; if you want to buy some clothes, you drive to the clothes store; if you want to go to the movies, you're driving there. Admittedly they have malls, but even then they're often a few miles out of town down a freeway.
- Come to think of it - towns! America has a totally different concept of towns, cities, and settlements. In the UK major towns and cities are spaced relatively far apart, with the settlements in between acting as commuter towns or villages. In the US, a settlement of 3000 people might be called a city, and a massive city like Phoenix might have 3 or 4 other places within it that are also called cities. It's confusing.
- Customer service is almost always excellent. Even in a cheap market in a poorer neighbourhood, people at the till always smile and ask how you're doing, have a nice day, etc. As a Brit used to 'meh' service this both pleased me and worried me; it wasnt quite genuine friendliness. It felt a bit like I was paying these people to be nice to me. Which, I guess I was.
- Sugar is hard to avoid. And if you do avoid it, you'll then have to avoid sweetener too. Some places I had to specify that I wanted no sugar or sweetener in my coffee. Oh, and the coffee is almost always bad. Sorry Americans. The exceptions I found were hipster places, one in Charlotte NC and a place in Billings MT. They were nice.
- The landscape is ridiculous. As a trail runner and outdoorsy guy, I was stunned by the richness of the scenery in the Midwest and west coast. To get off the tour bus and see a city surrounded on 3 sides by mountains was one of the most exhilarating things I've ever experienced. To live with such a landscape within a few hours drive...I can't even imagine. It's fantastic. Use it more.
- Americans vary in temperament as much as Europeans do. Someone from Oregon and someone from Florida might as well be from Italy and Norway.
- Whole Foods is your go-to place if you are stuck and need healthy food. But be prepared to burn a hole in your wallet.
- Trump voters aren't all idiots or racists.
- nothing is the price it says it is, and you have to tip everyone.
- the TV is terrible, the news is sensationalist, and if you popped the kettle on every time there was an ad break you'd burn the house down.
- but you can't, because they don't have KETTLES!!! Can't even begin to express how lost I was. I never realised how much I depend upon having access to a kettle.
- People are very respectful generally, in an independent, 'you keep to yourself and I'll keep to myself' kind of way. It's not isolating, its kind of empowering. In the UK we tend to avoid really seeing each other.
- Americans aren't all fat, but some of the fat ones make British fat people look like they aren't really trying.
- the scale of the place is awesome. You can't disappear in the UK on a multi-day hike or bike tour, except maybe in northern scotland. In the USA there is so much wilderness you could spend a life time exploring it and you'd never come close to seeing it all.
Then there's one of America's most iconic landmarks: the Statue of Liberty. Most people know it was a gift from France, but fewer know that there was a moment when the entire project nearly stalled. The statue itself had arrived safely in New York Harbor, but there was one major problem; the city didn't have enough money to build the pedestal it needed to stand on. As public interest began to fade, newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer launched an ambitious fundraising campaign.
He promised to print the name of every donor, no matter how small the contribution. The response was incredible. Children donated pennies, workers sent what little they could afford, and baseball fans passed collection hats through stadium crowds. In just five months, more than 120,000 ordinary citizens helped raise the remaining $100,000 needed to complete the monument.
#13
I was extremely surprised that in fast food restaurant you will find unlimited soft drinks from time to time (like a refill cup). Yet people pay extra for a bigger cup. So they don’t have to walk to often I guess?
#14
I'm Canadian not European, but still the first time I saw a dude walk by me (into a bank no less, and he stood near a cop) with a gun on a holster, and not cause trouble, it blew my mind.
*edit: for those of you wondering: it was somewhere in Texas, it was something like 30years ago, and for all I know he was breaking the law and just didn't get caught in the minute or so I remember looking at him.
Upstaged75 14 hours ago
I'm so glad I live in a state that's not gun-happy! I've only ever seen the police carrying guns.
#15
Boston: didn’t notice I had left Europe.
Houston: the people were as friendly as they were huge. And loud. Hugely loud. And loudly huge, I guess.
Nashville and other places I went kinda blend together in my head, except for the delicious food.
Oh, and the person who asked if my country had coins and traffic lights. I.. what.. yes? I mean.. wat.
Upstaged75 14 hours ago
I'm guessing that happened in Texas. 😂 That person is an embarrassment to us all!
Another remarkable story comes from the world of medicine and one man whose decision changed millions of lives. In 1955, American virologist Jonas Salk successfully developed the first effective polio vaccine. At the time, polio terrified families around the world, leaving thousands of children paralyzed every year. When a television interviewer asked Salk who owned the patent for the vaccine, he gave a response that would become legendary. "Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" By choosing not to patent the vaccine, Salk gave up what could have become an enormous personal fortune—estimated by some to be worth billions of dollars today. Instead, his decision helped ensure the vaccine could be distributed widely and save countless lives around the globe.
#16
Jacksonville Florida 2010 during some jazz/blues street festival. A lady across the street shouts "Hi There" I shout back "Hello". She clocks my accent immediately.
"Britain! Wooooooo Briiitttaaaaainnn"
I nod slightly.
I go back there in a month for the first time since.
#17
When I ordered a cappuccino at IHOP and it came in a bowl-sized mug with cream on top and was filled with sugar and vanilla.
#18
In Florida, how amazingly friendly people were whilst talking absolute nonsense to make us happy.
We are from Wales in the UK, this guy at a burger store asked where we were from and started to tell us how he loves Wales, then went on about how his mum lives there.
We asked what part of Wales does she live?
His reply, “Paris, I think”.
ChakatBlackstar 3 hours ago
To be fair the US has a dozen of it's own Paris's, so why couldn't other countries have one?
#19
I was in Pismo Beach California two years ago. In a Surfshop the owner asked where we were from and we said Germany. The guy pretty much went pale and asked how it is to live in Germany with all the turmoil going on. Then he turned to my wife and asked her how it feels to walk freely on the streets without any foreign people / refugees attacking her.
We were both shocked at the state of information people seem to get over the media. Note this was during the Trump Election rally so in hindsight I am not too shocked anymore.
Mary Ann Chambers White 3 hours ago
Ignorance is universal. You just happened to talk to an American idiot that day.
Sometimes history-changing discoveries come from the most unexpected places. During World War II, scientists were racing to produce enough penicillin to treat wounded soldiers and fight deadly infections. The problem was that existing strains of the mold weren't producing enough of the life-saving medicine. Then came an unlikely hero named Mary Hunt, a laboratory worker in Illinois. One day, while shopping at a local market, she spotted a moldy cantaloupe that looked unusual and brought it back to the lab. Remarkably, the mold growing on that fruit turned out to be a strain that produced around 200 times more penicillin than previous versions. That single cantaloupe dramatically boosted production efforts and played a major role in making penicillin one of the most important medical breakthroughs in human history.
#20
The space. You guys have so much unused untouched space, it's crazy. In Europe there is barely anywhere that isn't owned or isn't being used. In Europe we have protected forests, in America you have some unrestricted, uncontrolled forests that are massive!
#21
So many freaking homeless people in SF.
Alex Meurissen 11 hours ago
this!!! SF is in my top 3 of most horrible cities ive ever visited. Ive been to 35 countries on 5 different continents and ive never seen that many homeless people! (Sao paolo, Brazil, wins second place)
#22
Also when I was in my family there was a party around a bonfire that we were invited to. First weird thing is that it was pretty close to the road but I thought, alright whatever.
Since I knew underage drinking was a pretty serious I only took what the girl I went with gave me which was ridiculously low in alcohol, like 1,2% or something.
So basically I'm drinking lemonade.
At some point we hear a commotion and turns out the cops had come. My friend dragged me into the forest to hide and I was like "??? But we didn't drink anything ?? I could have had more alcohol in my veins if I'd eaten a coq-au-vin so why the freakout...
Anyway we sorted of "escaped" and walked behind houses to try and go home on foot but the cops FOLLOWED US??? How did they even know we were at the party... any way they found us, let us off with a warning but I mean.
It's ridiculous and I am sorry for you guys in America cause in France we're only scared of cops showing up bc of the noise but even if it's underage drinking they'll let it go and don't care.
TL;DR: I went to a party where I drank 1% beer. The cops showed up and my friend hid us. Even though we'd only drank 1% beer. It's ridiculous how serious cops take underage drinking.
Upstaged75 14 hours ago
They take it seriously because of the prevalence of drunk driving. And when you add in young people/inexperienced drivers the accidents can be devastating.
Stories like these are a great reminder that history isn't just shaped by presidents, inventors, and famous leaders. Sometimes it's shaped by a determined newspaper publisher, a scientist who refuses to profit from a medical breakthrough, or even a grocery store cantaloupe sitting on a shelf. The little details often end up being the most fascinating. They remind us that real life is often far stranger (and far more interesting) than fiction. And when you dig beneath the surface of any country, you'll usually find stories that are equal parts inspiring, bizarre, and unforgettable.
#23
There's flags everywhere. The American flag density per square km is so much higher than any other place I've been. It's like every other house has a flag.
Janelle Collard 3 hours ago (edited)
Not all places do this. Mostly the people in the red states do. Same with them pushing *their* version of religion.
#24
All the prices are pre-tax.
#25
When I was in Las Vegas I saw this 300 kg specimen pouring *three* packets of sugar/sweetener into his pepsi, ***at the breakfast buffet***.
Becca not Becky 15 hours ago
You sure that was sweetener? In Vegas, it could easily be something else...
#26
I’m from Europe and moved to Seattle just over a year ago. I had a few of these.
The weirdest is probably the fact that Americans don’t like the word “toilet”. The toilet rooms in restaurants and malls are called “bathrooms”, even though there’s no bath is there. When I went to grocery store the first time after just moving, I needed toilet paper and spent 15 minutes walking around the store looking for it until I decided to google what’s up with it. Apparently it’s called “bath tissue” (I saw it initially, but assumed it was a different product like a paper towel or something).
The amount of homeless people on the street is pretty disturbing. They’re everywhere.
People seem to get offended very easily if you are direct with them. It took me over 6 months to figure out how to “sugarcoat” my speech when talking with people I don’t know very well.
Vacation culture. People were surprised when I said I’m going on a 3 week trip after working for over a year and saving enough vacation days. It just seems like it’s not a usual thing to do.
Bed sheets. Duvet covers are very uncommon and instead Americans usually use a flat sheet and just put the comforter on top. Which means several things:
* There’s nothing holding comforter so when you move and turn at night it all gets messed up and separated.
* Since there’s nothing covering the comforter, it will get dirty and smelly eventually (sweat, dust, whatever). And what are you supposed to do then? Dry clean it? Washing a goose down comforter will make it never be the same.
Lastly, the water pressure in the shower seems to be really weak. Now, I don’t know if that’s universal, but it has been so in all my apartments and everywhere I visited (hotels and AirBnBs) in WA, CA and OR. When I lived in Europe, water pressure when set to maximum was almost enough to hold the shower head in the air if you’re pointing it down, and you couldn’t really put it down as it would start moving and spraying in all directions. In the US, you can only control (again, in my experience) the temperature and the pressure is constant and pretty weak in my opinion (it doesn’t even more the shower head if it’s placed on the bath floor).
SM 12 hours ago
The part about toilet is certainly true, but I thought I would mention that restroom is used a lot too. I think bathroom is used a lot because that is what you would call it at home. On the water pressure, yes that is by design, at least in California. There is a real water shortage, and conserving it is a top priority.
That's part of what makes posts like these so much fun. They reveal the surprising side of a country many of us think we already know. A place can feel completely normal to the people who live there, yet seem utterly bizarre to someone visiting for the first time. From giant drink cups and endless free refills to unexpected social norms and uniquely American habits, these little moments remind us just how fascinating cultural differences can be.
So, Pandas, what about you? Have you ever visited another country and found yourself completely confused by something that seemed perfectly normal to everyone else? Or if you're from the US, which of these reactions surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments—we'd love to hear about your biggest culture shock moments!
#27
Getting a normal whole wheat bread or the likes, without 300grams of sugar is mindblowingly hard to find.
#28
Worked at a camp in the northeast for a week and a half and travelled a bit before and after.
Loooooved Boston, but NYC made me homesick. Nobody bothered being friendly in NYC.
Mostly, though: the unhealthiness of the food. At camp we’d have cereal that made my teeth want to escape my mouth. Every hot meal had something deep fried. I was stunned by the “Dino nugget pizza with smiley fries”. If we have pizza that’s enough, there are no fries to go with it. And chicken nuggets on pizza???? In the shape of dinosaurs???? In Sweden, kids eat normal nuggets and that’s it. And every hot meal was followed by dessert. And we’d probably bring snacks and candy to the cabin between meals, just in case someone got hungry. (Breakfast - snack - lunch - snack - supper, when would you get hungry???????)
I told one kid that in Sweden we don’t have cereal with tiny marshmallows. She looked at me and asked, seriously, “Is Sweden a poor country????”.
Also: price tags where the taxes are not included.
#29
Ads for antidepressants and the ad telling you to ask for a prescription to your doctor.
SM 11 hours ago (edited)
I'm from the US, and I find it strange too, especially when the side effects they have to report can take longer than the rest of the commercial! I can't imagine walking into my doctor's office and telling them that I saw a d-rug commercial and wondering if "it is right for me".
#30
I’m actually in NYC right now, so that was good timing! I’m from the UK.
Yesterday I went to Central Park and there were literally two guys just driving around on swegways with giant snakes around their necks. Occasionally they’d take them off and drape them around the nearest random person. I was actually frozen with horror.
Edit: wow this blew up more than I expected!! Clearly this is more of a regular occurrence... I also saw even more of these snake dudes at the Statue of Liberty today. Maybe they’re following me.
Gingersnap In Iowa 15 hours ago
Yes, the snake guys are following you. There was a big meeting and every snake guy was assigned a tourist to follow.🤣
#31
Repost from a similar question that was asked about three weeks back:
I'll preface this by saying I love the USA - been there a couple of times and can't wait to go back.
The only things I found properly unexpectedly weird were financial stuff as I thought it would be much the same worldwide.
- Signing for card payments. In the UK we've have chip-and-pin for about 10 years so it had been close to that since I've had to sign a receipt. You're handing me a pen.... What is this, the dark ages?
- For that matter, swiping the card at one point then having the transaction done sometime later. I don't think this is even possible in the UK, the card payment goes through the machine with the card and card holder present. Main example is hotels where they swipe the card when you check in then charge it when you check out. Another example would be restaurant type purchases (correct me if I'm wrong, my memory might be failing me) but it seems like they present the receipt for the food, you supply your card which they take away, swipe and return with the receipt which you then write on to say how much of a tip you're leaving, then they charge the card that amount.
- The usual 'price tags then add tax at the till' confusion. I get that - different places, different taxes - but as a non-american I have no idea what the tax rate is to even guestimate what I'm about to be charged. Not an issue if I'm paying by card, but I don't recognise the coins well enough to pay promptly and don't want to hold up the line, etc.
- Pre-paying for fuel. In the UK I've been driving to the pump, pump fuel, go into shop and pay. Quickly learnt that I had to go into the shop, let them know how much I wanted (I had no idea - you measure it in a different unit and pay a lot less."Enough to fill about 3/4 tank please," didn't seem to help.
- Handing over a card and being asked "Cash or charge?" (or something like that) - no idea what that means. In the UK you hand the card and they charge it. Makes no difference to the retailer whether it's a credit card or a debit card.
Now, I accept that some of this may have changed (I was last there in 2015) and that there are going to be perfectly reasonable explanations for these things.
Edit:
Thought of another one - Often there were card machines on fuel pumps. "This'll make it easier" thought I the first couple of times. No - first thing is it asks for a zip code. I didn't have one, so moved on to the pre-paying mentioned above.
#32
24 hour open grocery stores. So no excuse if you forgot to buy milk. In Nederlands some days markets close at 6pm!
#33
The whole restaurant culture. Here in Europe it's common to go to a restaurant or terrace to socialize and it's not uncommon to spend the whole evening there. You'll typically have a bunch of beverages and restaurants typically want to stretch your stay as long as possible so they can sell you more booze.
In America (and Canada for that matter) I felt that restaurants were purely functional. Terraces so you can cozily sit outside were scarce. You're led to a table, brought your food very quickly, if you're lucky the waiter/waitress asks you if you want a drink for a second time, and the minute you finish your meal they ask if you want to check out or want dessert (and immediately ask you to check out). Felt very rushed and baffled me every time.
It's a lot more of a fun experience in Europe. And it's more profitable for restaurant owners as well as in the long run, they'll be profiting more from customers who spend 3 hours or longer in their restaurant or on their terrace.
Jonas Fisher 8 hours ago
I think this person is 100% wrong about their last point. How would a restaurant profit more from people sitting around for 3 hours chatting over coffee than they would profit from three more full meals being ordered in that time?
#34
First thing I saw after sitting down to have my first beer in Portland was some guy walking in the middle of the street, dressed as a ninja, with two swords on his back.
Oh, and before that some homeless guy told me and my friend to "go back to your country". Then some slightly hippie looking girl apologized for his behaviour. We just laughed at how scripted the situation felt and went to have the beer above.
Also, when you play Grand Theft Auto you hear strangers on the street yelling and talking about weird stuff. That just felt exaggerated until I went to the US and realized it actually happens all the time.
#35
A guy casually selling scorpions on the Vegas strip probably.
Raymond Core 3 hours ago
We have a saying, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" so stop telling tales out of school.
#36
I'm from Sweden, visited Chicago in 2016. Everyone is sooo nice! And all the fast food places, everywhere, around every corner. Free refills. Oh and cheese, on literally everything.
Oh and also, pretty much everyone drives automatic cars.
nottheactualphoto 13 hours ago
In the US, you'll be hard pressed to find a car that isn't automatic. It doesn't matter what you want.
#37
My dad was in Tennesse last year. He said it was really strange that everyone says hi to you.
#38
We whent out for dinner and our waiter acutually ASKED for a tip.
Sarah Belt 6 hours ago
Verbally asking for a tip is very rare. They might have thought you didn't know, but even still, that's odd.
#39
I had that moment in almost every restaurant, way too much food on my plate and even a small coke is a large coke in my opinion.
Raymond Core 2 hours ago
Complaining about getting too much food and drink? That's a new one on me.
#41
This in 2013:
- Paying water bill by sending a cheque in the mail
- giving credit card information trough the phone
- the entire tipping concept.
BarkingSquirell 1 hour ago
A lot has change since you were there. We have auto-payments and EVERYthing.
#42
A New York firehydrant got me. "Wow! Just like in all the cartoons!".
Doug Moyer 2 hours ago
I remember walking in Shanghai. The sidewalk was very crowded. Apparently, everyone knew about the steel post in the middle of the sidewalk except me (it was about waist high) and they effortlessly avoided but I did not. Ouch!
#43
Went to Florida in 2014 (I’m from England) and there’s people in the supermarkets who pack your shopping for you. I always felt so lazy standing there while someone packed my food for me.
Brian Droste 2 hours ago
A lot of major stores do have self checkout now if you want to use them which I do.
#44
Went to Florida for holiday and it felt like every 3rd car was a toyota (corolla i think). There was an absurd amount of the exact same car in mostly the same color (red) and it was blowing my mind :D.
#45
My girlfriend (German) has a lot of family throughout different states and also spent an exchange semester at Drake University in Iowa. She says what baffled her most was the absolute ignorance people had about the world outside the US. In the age of internet, people asked her if Germans had cars (they invented them ffs) or electricity.
Which is bad per se but the US is a global player, has its troops everywhere, wages war all around the globe all while the average person can't even point out Iraq or Vietnam on a map.
EDIT: It's interesting how many people get incredibly angry and offended over this. If you weren't the individuals in question because you know these things, that's good on you. Don't try to invalidate other people's stories because your immediate surroundings aren't like that.
Jonas Fisher 8 hours ago
The edit is ridiculous. This dude is telling his girlfriend's story, and then tells other people to shut up because THEY weren't there. Neither was he! It's not his story!
#46
I went to Florida to visit my family. First of all I thought I was in Cuba again. ppl talking to me in Spanish all the time ( i am a Cuban who speaks little Spanish because I grew up living in Germany) so naturally on my first time over the pond I assumed my English would serve me well... ok and I was overwhelmed by how many plastic. Aha ppl get (for free) when you buy stuff at Walmart... like every single item was packed in a bag... well and your gas prices are way lower than in Europe...
#47
Having my finger prints recorded upon passing through the airport, the security at stuff like the Empire State Building and the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty... Oh, and the amount of people in NY, and tipping.
#48
Cheese, cheese, cheese.....EVERYWHERE!! Even on stuff where there's already cheese, like pizza! Insanity!!
What do you think ?
Tabitha 13 hours ago
So the positive articles about America have run their course, and we’re tiptoeing back to bashing the US—-by rerunning old articles that have little to nothing to do with the World Cup tourists’ discoveries that the US is NOT like they were told?
Laszlo Larthlanc 2 hours ago
People who are actually happy with where they live don't go out of their way to be unhappy about other places, including places they've never been, or go out of their way to visit places they already believe they're going to dislike unless they're the kind of people who thrive on being miserable. I know a few of those -- they're the ones who come to this town and tell everyone how much better things were where they used to live. We always wonder who put the gun to their head and forced them to move here, and with the worst of them we just eventually suggest that they return to their previous paradise.
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Janissary35680 13 hours ago
A line from Burns kept running through my head while reading this list: Oh, would some Power the gift give us / To see ourselves as others see us!'
Petra Schaap 14 minutes ago
just for the record, enough places you CAN walk, and American cheese, chocolates and bread CAN be tasty. its not all bad out there.
Tabitha 13 hours ago
So the positive articles about America have run their course, and we’re tiptoeing back to bashing the US—-by rerunning old articles that have little to nothing to do with the World Cup tourists’ discoveries that the US is NOT like they were told?
Laszlo Larthlanc 2 hours ago
People who are actually happy with where they live don't go out of their way to be unhappy about other places, including places they've never been, or go out of their way to visit places they already believe they're going to dislike unless they're the kind of people who thrive on being miserable. I know a few of those -- they're the ones who come to this town and tell everyone how much better things were where they used to live. We always wonder who put the gun to their head and forced them to move here, and with the worst of them we just eventually suggest that they return to their previous paradise.
Load More Replies... Janissary35680 13 hours ago
A line from Burns kept running through my head while reading this list: Oh, would some Power the gift give us / To see ourselves as others see us!'
Petra Schaap 14 minutes ago
just for the record, enough places you CAN walk, and American cheese, chocolates and bread CAN be tasty. its not all bad out there.
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