When it comes to one’s perspective on individualism, free expression, government, religion, and morality, Europeans and Americans are worlds apart, according to Pew Center. But to really grasp some of these cultural differences, you don’t need to look far.
Think of red Solo cups, free refills, air conditioning, and something as simple as bulk shopping. Now think of Europe, for example, France, where daily trips to local grocers for fresh produce are common, and Italy, where air conditioning is a rare sight unless it’s in hotels meant for tourists.
So when someone put up a question “Europeans who’ve visited the US, what made you go 'What The Heck'?” on Reddit, people had a lot to share about their experiences. 33.8k comments later, the answers are in right below, and it will surely put some much-loved all-American things into a very different European perspective.
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Was staying with the nicest family ever. They worked extremely long hours and lived in the suburbs. I wanted to cook for them as a surprise and set out to the store on foot, with an empty backpack for the groceries. Had to walk along the curb of, and then cross, an 8 lane highway to get to the store. Had to stop a really really old man from bagging the groceries. Then was stopped by police on the way back. They were very friendly, just wanted to know where my car had broken down. Ended up explaining to me that there was basically zero infrastructure for walking out in the burbs. They took me home. On the way, I saw a sign "gas 99 cents a gallon, Bud's Xmas Gift to the Community", blew my dad's mind when I told him later. Got home, thanked the nice officers, made a vegetable casserole. When my wonderful host family came home, they were blown away but also extremely worried. All in all, I would say that no matter how crazy America may be or seem, Americans make up for all of it. They are some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I have ever met.
We stayed in the US and were gobsmacked that you couldn't just walk to the convenience store. Neither of us could drive at the time - it cost a fortune in taxis just for a handful of groceries.
It definitely depends where you live for sure. For example I live in Portland and I'm able to bike to work every day, plenty of sidewalk for walking as well as a great train system. Portland actually almost feels like a European country sometimes.
There's a lot of things i love about the US but the lack of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is absurd. Having 2-3 or more cars in one household bc they can't get by otherwise...i don't know what this does to the air quality but it can't be good.
We are really at danger of losing this spirit, and if we let it go, it’s a pretty big chip away of what makes America America.
I live in New Jersey in a pretty rural area, with the closest city a 25 minute drive. Everyone has a car here because it is too far to walk to work. In my town there are three corner stores and a post office that I can walk to. Many people just take a stroll around town or walk or bike for exercise. I think it depends where you are located. But I agree that much of the US could use better pedestrian infrastructure.
That would be horrible for me. We don't even own a car (there is carsharing) and go to work/shopping/events by foot, bike or local public transport. And it's no big deal. I always wonder about the people from my street who get in the car to buy a loaf of bread (I walk less than 5 min to the next bakery).
I grew up rural, so the idea of having to drive is normal to me. But in urban areas, it drives me batty that you can't just walk around. And, btw, I'm US born and bred, and was pulled over by cops for *walking* ... *sigh*
Depends on where you live in the US. It’s not all like that. For many of us, we intentionally choose to live in walkable places. I would never in my life choose to live in a suburb like that. Sounds like hell.
As you never, as you say, lived in a suburb, you really aren't qualified to judge, are you?
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A lady in my apartment complex walks everywhere she needs to go. When I was a kid, my sister and I would walk from our aunt's house to a nearby grocery store. In fact, for years, you could still see our path through the grass. I am a delivery driver and my town goes from apartment complexes in town to houses out in the country. I would not be able to do my job without a car.
It is really really bad that we have not worked on infrastructure, I make my kids walk or bike to school and I would get asked all the time if I didn't have a car... We live about a quarter mile away folks, they can walk! There is a bus on our street but the hours of availability and route is practically useless too. We don't really pay the proper rate for gas or use of cars here.
Crazy lack of pavements , do people not take a stroll from their door? Or have local corner shops?
In moat area walking the distances required is impractical so we do not go out of the way for it.
You probably aren't a person of cloud otherwise the Police might have just arrested you.
Was this guy white? I lived in the USA for 6 months and being Mexican (not white) I never had this type of interaction with police or any American at all. They were not this nice to me!
When we went to Disneywe wanted to go to the local restaurants which were 5 minutes walk from the hotel. Trouble was we couldnt walk there and to drive would take us 25 minutes :o No paths... dont get it..
i live in New Hampshire. the closest 'convenience store' is 7 miles away. the supermarket is 15 miles away. it's the country. walk all you want, just be prepared to walk a lot!
Depends on where you are! We do have lots of friendly people, but in Europe they do too.
if you meet the right ones, yes, and if you're the right ethnicity/racial makeup....
It's nice to read someone vouching for American's. There's a lot of negative global press about the US, and although some of it may be warranted, the majority of its citizens are likely perfectly wonderful people.
When I was in the UK there was no walking to the store, either. We were in the countryside and the only thing in the village was a pub, so we had to take a weekly bus to town to buy stuff.
And they are so friendly with anyone who is hosted by the illuminati chapter leader? Wonderful people, indeed.
The cheerful, smiling faces on a medication TV add while the voice over mentioned that death is a possible side effect.
Roadside billboards scattered along the interstates in the South.
Billboard # 1: JESUS
Billboard # 2: PORN AND BOOZE, NEXT EXIT
Billboard # 3: GUNS! GUNS! GUNS!
To find out more about what it’s really like for a European to move to the US for studies and life, Bored Panda reached out to New York-based filmmaker and video producer at NYL Studio 51 Ieva Lukauskaite. Ieva, who spent her school days in Lithuania before immigrating to the US, said that as a European living in the US, she has noticed a lot of cultural differences, some good and some bad.
“The thing that perplexes me the most is the lack of selectiveness and authenticity when it comes to creative education. Everybody knows the United States as the land of Hollywood and legendary cinema; however, when it comes to teaching cinematic art, it falls short.”
Having obtained her BFA at a respectable American art college, Ieva said she was surprised by the curriculum and the mix of students. “A creative portfolio or any proof of your creative process is optional to get in, all you need is decent grades from high school. Of course, that attracts a colorful assortment of students, like the guy in my Intro to Film class who told me that he chose to study film because he was 'bad at math.'"
Especially as a bloody introverted Finnish person (stereotypes kicking in) it was terrifying how people had a ton of chitchat and were really talkative. Wished me a good day and asked about useless stuff
DON'T TALK TO ME PLEASE I AM NOT QUALIFIED FOR THIS
The political ads on TV that do not promote but instead demonize candidates!
“So and so is a devil from hell that will eat your newborn for breakfast if you vote for them! Don’t do it if you love America!” Scary music and black and white footage included. Weird, very weird.
. . . And we HATE those ads SO much but they don't stop until the election.
Was on an exchange. 2 most memorable questions were "Can you see the moon in Europe" and "Do you have Pizza in Europe". Something else I'll never forget was the map of Europe in the school I went to which still showed the country of Yugoslavia (which doesnt exist anymore) and all the borders were messed up. A map IN THE SCHOOL.
However, Ieva believes that some higher education establishments may have low standards on purpose. “With the ridiculously high tuition costs, they gain quite a bit of profit cycling through misguided students who go through the years switching majors, repeating classes, or dropping out altogether,” she commented.
Another big difference that surprised the NY-based producer was that in US film education, you are taught more technical trade than an art subject. “The focus is on what kind of software you can use and which equipment you can name and operate. This is not necessarily a negative difference because most students will never get to be very creative in their future careers anyway.”
With all that being said, Ieva concluded that American film education is more focused on future employability through technical skills instead of abstract concepts like inspiration or unique story building. “The approach does usually result in a better-paying job than in Europe,” Ieva concluded.
The amount of obese people. Obese people riding electric scooters at shopping places. Being handicapped because you are obese.
You don’t really see the type of morbid obesity in a lot of other parts of the world that you do here. Those other countries have the same illnesses and diseases we do so it’s really down to a matter of lifestyle, including eating habits, not diseases that’s causing the obesity.
-Everyone drives everywhere
-Toilet bowl has a lot of water
-Toilet stalls have large gaps
-Portion sizes in restaurants are huge
-Advertising anti-depressants etc. drugs on tv and billboards
-Bumper sticker politics
-Liquor stores everywhere
-Jesus everywhere
-Lot of homeless people
-Most people have manners and are friendly
Went there as a german soldier on a semi work related trip, wearing uniform. The sheer number and the way people thanked me for my service (apparently as a german I qualify for this by extension), gave me discounts or even stuff for free (Starbucks) was astonishing. In germany, the public treats its servicemen with what one federal president called "a friendly non-interest". The US showed me a different world... But I also gotta admit that it was frightening to a certain degree. It feels like... a bit too much of everything. Too much admiration, too much trust in what the uniform stands for, too much "automatic repetition" of the phrases and as a result too little normality. Still a memorable and enjoyable one-time experience
There are huge amounts of patriotism behind this. Americans are normally told that we need soldiers and constant military action, otherwise we would be speaking Chinese and slaving away to an emperor/dictator. Frankly speaking, police and judges do more every day to protect our livelihood, but it's just not as "heroic" as our image of soldiers.
Almost all food tastes sweet, including bread.
Yup. Subway sells bread in the Netherlands but due to the sugar content it is taxed as cake! And therefore has a higher tax. Bread is considered staple food, cake luxury food.
The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas absolutely blew my mind. The fact that outside it they have what looks like a scale for use on a farm, but for weighing people, and if they weigh over 350lbs they eat for free, was horrendous and it took me ages to get my English mind around it.
I ate a blue slurpee ice-drink thing in a theme park and three hours later, I kid you not, I did a VIBRANTLY BLUE [POOP].
No food in Europe has ever contained an ingredient that made my [poop] come out blue.
That made me go go "WTF" - I was WTFing so hard that eleven years later I still remember that blue [poop].
Thanks America! Fond memories...
Went to L.A. a week last year for work.
Things like portion sizes, the average weight of people, quality of food and commercials etc. are just what I thought they would be. But the surprises for me:
1. I do know the modeled Los Santos in GTA from L.A. but I didn't realise how well they did it. People talk and behave basically the same way. The sound, the light, the landscape, the frickin RADIO! I thought a big part of it was just exaggeration. Nope! This was actually kind of fun, driving around looking at things going "oh wow this is where that thing happened in the game". Awesome!
2. There are a lot of homeless people and you can tell a lot of them are sick and/or have psychological problems. This sure doesn't remove any of my prejudice about american healthcare and social security...
3. The extreme differences between neighbourhoods that are right next to each other. Sure, I understand why one street might have houses that look nice and are well taken care of and another not so much. But why is there a difference in how well paved the road is? Why is the "poor" street in such decay with lots of potholes and the "rich" street so clean and free from pot holes? Aren't things like fixing the roads the responsibility of the city? Mind boggling that they care more about rich neighbourhoods and the poor ones. If they did that so blatantly back here there'd be some things and a big fan involved.
Generally the social class differences are of a magnitude I've never seen before. Honestly I thought the things I heard before where somewhat exaggerated. I was wrong. And it is right in front of you basically all of the time! Really really sad to see.
Generally speaking, this is why city folk tend towards liberal/welfare views: They see it every day. Even if you keep your head forward and just continue your role in your social standing, you'll still see it. Living in rural areas separates people from the variety, diversity and disparity of individuals in our country.
French married to a US citizen here. The one thing that surprised me most, apart from the portion sizes and the overload of sugar eveywhere that everyone mentions, is the convenience culture.
As long as you have a car, you can go buy anything and everything at virtually any time of day or night. And, oh, the amount of stuff you can have delivered at your place in less than an hour ! The workers do not seem to enjoy such a huge quality of life. Who would, if they had to work the 2am-12pm shift in a fast food place for minimum wage ?
On top of that, one other thing is how people are proud of working themselves to death, picking up all the overtime they can and not sleeping. Some of them have to to make ends meet, but most I know do not need the overtime and could use it to catch up on sleep, but don't. Instead, they drink coffee... It seems like companies managed to make the people link personal worth and pride to how much one works. Not the quality of it or the enjoyment of the job, but simply the amount of hours.
On the first day of our US roadtrip we stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant south of San Francisco. When we tried to pay the waiter told us that another customer that just had left paid for our meals and whished us a nice trip.
WTF, who does that. So nice! Totally made my day and honestly the whole vacation.
I live in San Francisco and I am so pleased to know that. Most of us here really do love visitors from other places and I am so proud to know that my neighbors welcomed you and treated you so well!
Tax not included in the price tag. It's...weird!
It's bad enough for normal retail items. Then there are dozens of industries which have carved out their own special "fees". Hotels will add a "room tax" and "city tax" on top of "sales tax"; Restaurants require a tip as if the service is an optional extra; car dealerships will add maintenance and destination fees, etc. The bottom line is: there is no way to pay the advertised price and get the advertised item.
It’ a minor thing, but everyone asking “how are you” without wanting to know the answer.
The worst part is when you ask someone, 'How's it going?' and then the start to tell you.
Flags everywhere. Not just in front of people's homes, but in front of everything. I even saw a US flag in front of a supermarket. WTF.
Ads for prescription medicines. Like what the actual hell.
This is where anti vaxxer were born... The Americans all think they know better because ads have made it seem so. They start telling doctors which medication they want since they saw it on tv
Extreme air conditioning — like fridge temperature inside.
I thought the gap in bathroom stall doors was a myth until I visited the US. Didn’t get privacy for my five-day stay. How do you s**t when someone can look you in the eye?!
Seeing an 80 year old woman working behind the register at a supermarket
The general weirdness surrounding alcohol. Us Brits went for a drink at lunchtime once and our American friends were referring us to AA
I mean in my home country the alchool is allowed to 18+ costumers and America to 21+
The choices of cereal at the breakfast in the hotel all had at least 20% sugar.
Was there a law that almost banned food companies to use cartoon characters in snacks for advertisment to children?
Australian here.
I did a lot of hiking in America around Cali and the south west. My first comment is how amazing your national parks are, backed up by an organised park service. I haven’t seen camp sites in Australia half as organised as yours.
Second was how cheap food is! as i was road tripping I originally planned to cook for myself out the back of my van. But honestly it was cheaper to eat at Denny’s, where I only had to hit breakfast and dinner and I was set for the day - the portion sizes were huge.
Third. Wtf is with your toilets! They are filled to the brim with water, and your poo just sorta floats around until you flush where it then goes around in circles until it goes down the drain. My first few poops in your great nation was really unsettling. But I got used to it by the end.
Fourth. The disparity between rich and poor. Like you see it in Australia a between suburbs bit - but it was just so pronounced in America.
When in Boston someone realised we were British and came over to have a conversation:
"Oh my god, I have a friend in England. She lives in London. Do you know her?"
Hmm, there are 9 million people who live in London, and 65 million in the UK. The chance of me knowing one individual is quite remote!
The amount of homeless people. People straight-up walking past an elderly woman living on the streets to get to the 7-Eleven.
Our homeless problem, IMHO, has more to do with American's contempt for what they perceive as failure. We venerate success, but have no tolerance for poor people because they are failures. But, we give money and aid to other countries, aid we don't give ourselves, because that proves the idea of American Exceptionalism. We are better than they are and they need us to survive. So it reinforces the belief in most Americans that we are the best. But, poor people are an affront to that. They prove the idea most people have of America is wrong, so we have nothing but contempt for them.
I saw a woman put sugar in her coke at Ihop for breakfast. I've been told that's gross even for other Americans.
Indoors feels colder than being naked in the winter
Yeah I never got this. Why set the temp to like 18 degrees celcius if it's 35 outside. Set it to 25 or something. That's still a 10 degree difference. which is huge!
Went to Mc Donalds and ordered what i always order. But it tasted completely different. And fanta was just weird orange juice Syrup.
McDonald's fries in the UK have 3 ingredients - potato, oil, salt (sometimes a tiny amount of dextrose). McDonald's fries in the USA have 14 ingredients.
The sheer size of the place is amazing. Each state is its own little country. I lived there for 7 years and visited some different places, and each time I crossed a state line it was like crossing a border in Europe — everything was different again.
Part of why we’re “uncultured.” You can vacation here forever and see tons of different things but still be in America. Of course it’s not nearly the same as international travel, and of course as the years go by, things in the US have become more homogeneous and lame.
How low down the toilets are compared to here in the UK. Went to sit on one, dropped as I thought I'd missed the darned thing then felt like I'd broken my ass on impact. It's like missing the bottom step of the stairs, but even worse.
I never noticed a big difference when I was in Europe. But, I think the holes in the floor in Korea would freak this person out.
During my first visit, I was astonished at the number of small airports and incredible number of small aircraft. So much freedom to fly across a vast country. Amazing.
That’s a really interesting perspective that I have never heard anyone say before. Thank you for that!
Tipping being obligatory, whether it was good service or not.
The federally-mandated minimum wage for servers is maybe 15% of a living wage -often just enough to cover income taxes. This allows the restaurant industry to effectively outsource labor costs. The diner pays the restaurant for the food, and pays the server separately for the service. It's a horrible system, and income varies widely from business to business according to the clientele. But until the system is changed, tip your server!
Movies set in New York prepare you for everything except the smell of [poop].
It doesn't even smell that bad....I mean here and there but it's not like you have to walk around holding your breath
I was going to count the number of American flags I saw on my two weeks in Florida.
I gave up on the ride from Miami Airport to South Beach.
I am probably going to get down voted, but I think it’s good to be proud of who you are and where you’re from. I don’t like it when we turn that healthy enthusiasm into boastful nonsense, but I think all of us should be proud of ourselves, our families and our communities.
Jay walking and the lack of pavement/sidewalk on many roads. I found it so hard to just get from one place to another.
As I Brit watching US tv/movies I always wondered what "Jay walking" meant. We have no such thing over here. When I found out I was like "You can get arrested for crossing a road??" Mind blown. How are you supposed to walk anywhere? I guess you can't. Another reason they have an obesity problem.
1. You guys do not seem to have have touch and go card payment systems. A lot of places still rely on signatures.
2. Almost all food tastes sweet, including bread.
3. Credit history anywhere outside of the US isn’t considered “real” and will not hep prove you’re a real person when you want to open a bank account.
I've heard some crazy stories in Suze Orman show about "my mom opened a credit card in my name and didn't pay".........isn't there checks and balances in place?
Perfect strangers asking me how I am doing.
Note: this post originally had 79 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
The strangest thing to me (which most visitors would not see) is having to recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag every day as a student (13 years of your life). To me, it's like being forced to read your marriage vows to your spouse every morning, or read the company guidelines to your boss at the beginning of every workday. Looking back, it feels very cultish, and I would be curious how many other countries require daily repetition of your pledge.
I don’t think we even have a pledge in Australia. Although when someone gets approved citizenship they have to take an oath. But that is it, we don’t really sing the national anthem either. I personally don’t know ANYONE that knows the second verse of our national anthem lol.
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And it's always the same stuff. Portion (and people) sizes, gaps in bathroom doors, tipping, drug ads, driving everywhere.
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This seems to be one of the latest Bored Panda "go to". Lets talk about how America is weird or messed up. It feels like there has been one or two of these a week as of late.
As a Native American, I was asked all sorts of weird questions. "Do you live in Teepees? Or do you have houses?" "CAN...YOU...SPEAK..ENGLISH..REDSKIN?" And I went to a bar with my friends and the bartender said he couldn't serve drinks to me because my people get violent. Positives? Some people are actually quite nice, and you have some cool snack food I can't get here at home in Canada. And thirdly, holy heck what's up with the portions?
That's awful im sorry you have to deal with that kind of stuff. As someone who was born in a different country but grew up in the US ive been asked some really strange questions and heard some hateful comments over the years as well. But yeah i agree most people are pretty nice and friendly here.
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I was expecting a lot of people to mention portion sizes. wasn't disappointed lol
A family member had to go there as part of his job. Apart from the huge food portions and the fact that Times Square is in fact quite small his biggest surprise was being expected to tip a person he had asked for directions.
Most people would be glad to give you directions. Whoever made your family member pay was just taking advantage of them.
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Okay, mostly the same comments over and over. But why not do it the other way round? I mean Europe is not a country, we have so many cultural differences! I'm German and I can tell you we have some really ridiculous habits here! 😂
I wonder why being a cold and distant as the Scandanavians do is endearing (old Pandoid article), and being openly friendly (or pretending to be, just to be polite to strangers) is a crime of WEIRD STRANGE AWFUL AMERICANS. Maybe it's just a Lith uanian thing.
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I love this type of post as much as the next person, but at this time when most of the world is drawing conclusion about the US (and it's citizens) based on the actions of one man I wouldn't mind seeing a post about what America is doing right. Might be a tough shout though.
12th day into 2021 and this is the second "USA bad!" article. It's not even as if there's something new.........the same old points we've seen gazillion times. Cover more countries Boredpanda!!
the article is about "weirdest things visiting America", it is not about how "bad" the US are. I wa only one in the US four years ago and I loved it.
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I´ve got an idea! how about to ask Americans what their mind-blowing experiences in Europe are? I mean, I see lots of US people in Germany, Austria, England... They are everywhere!
My snobby cousin from Austria visited. I took her to the Air and Space Museum, in semi disgust she said, "Only in America." Damn right, only in America, Austria doesn't even have a space program! She is an exception, most of my family in Europe are awesome.
We see so much of the US on TV and film that we think we know it. We share a language so we think it is only slightly different. The truth is that the culture of the US is much more different to Europe than we'd find to Africa or China. The US reminds me of what we see of Russia, same nationalistic attitudes etc..
I'm American, I get it, but you're really beating a dead horse, Pandoids. Like Vuun said. At this point, it's more like kicking a wounded dumb dog. This regurgitation is almost done more than the middling "My dozens of cartoons about my relationship/pets/young family/death". Change your [figurative] vinyl album, already, this old ripped wax has become WAY more scratch and skip than the good pop hooks.
Oh, and... LOW TOILET SEATS? Around #32. Some Brit ranting against Yanks about LOW TOILET SEATS. Literally, how low can you go?
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You always hear about Americans showing their asses in other countries. It's nice to know that visitors to America are meeting a lot of nice people.
I’ve never traveled abroad/overseas. Unless Wales and Scotland count! But the country I most want to visit is America. We share the same language (well, nearly - Aluminium anybody!) but there are so many cultural differences to experience.
i live in the usa if you want to see beautiful countrysides pennsylvania is a must if you want to see the big city than new york is a must
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This has been a hilarious and interesting read! Every time ive been to america it has been pleasant enough minus one time a border guard who was excessive and extremely rude to us (this was shortly after 911) but we were just a young couple at the time and had nothing to deserve such nastiness. Americans I met while up in Canada have been the most disgusting human beings i've ever met and that says a lot as I work in an ER dept.
Americas building boom came after WW2, millions of homes build in bedroom communities, automobile dependent. We pay for it now, especially in California where public transportation is an afterthought at best, inefficient as well. Unfortunately even knowing the downfalls of this practice, we still build to 1950 standards, which are not good for anything, especially the planet. SMH, humans prefer a certain thing or way and don’t want to budge. HOAs are a perfect microcosmic example
To be fair on the blue poo one, unless you eat a lot of highly dyed foods your system isn't used to it. I went to a nephew's party the other week and freaked out at red poo. I was like, "What is going on? Oh, my God! I have cancer." then remembered the red and black frosting on his cupcakes.
i remember when i was in new york. i was pushing my brother in his stroller on a busy sidewalk. i needed to catch up with my family and i was in a rush to get back to them (it was a really busy sidewalk, i might've got lost), but i accidently touched the wheel with someones foot. She gave me a dirty look then pushed me, an 8 year old. like bruh. Or i just might be too used to Canadians.
One important point here. I lived in Germany for 1 1/2 years, between my freshman and sophomore year in college. Dad was stationed there in mid-60s. The strange differences were staggering, so both sides have their reasons for all this. HOWEVER, one thing comes to mind, even 55 years later. We were driving in the countryside. One person came up to another person taking a whizz, which was common in public. The whizzer immediately changed hands, and shook the other's hand in greeting, and not worrying about the hygiene. This has stuck in my mind for decades now. What's that Doors song, "People are Strange"?
*Me as a happy tourist noticed police officers patrolling. Standing outside their police cars in nice uniforms and shiny badges (just as i seen in movies). It was the first time for me to see this so I got excited and went to ask to take a pictures with them, my american friend wanted to stop me from doing it but I went anyway. They were friendly, smily and happily took a picture with me. *I started to gain weight rapidly after few weeks in US, as I was explained - corn starch, sugar and oil in virtually any product. *sizes of shampoo bottles, plush toys, meals and anything else are just huuuge. *To have a fast food meal is way cheaper than to cook healthy dish at home. *almost no one was carying expensive phone as iphone, majority phones that i seen couldn't recognize the brand, unlike in europe where majority are carying iphone, or well knows android phones. *amount of homeless are overwhelming. *strangely segregated neighborhoods :( *people curious and friendly :) easy to talk to
The thing I noticed most was the awful coffee. I'd had American friends be horrified I drank instant and realised pretty fast that instant coffee in the US is dire. My friend took me to get "the best" coffee, and it tasted like Australian instant.
I noticed the attentive level of customer service. Shop assistants going out their way to help- we were given Michael Kors-labelled bottled water at the brand store in NY n the assistant gave us her card for if we returned. It verged on overkill at times, but they really do have it down to a fine art...but maybe that’s cos hospitality etc staff rely on tips to get by. However it did make a difference to the shopping experience
My WTF was when I tried to buy cigarettes, I was refused, I was 25 at the time.
Funny how Europeans only post what they don't like about the US. I think they come here wanting to hate us, already hating us,then look for reasons. And Panda just loves to roll in it. Europe- just don't come here if you don't like us. We're fine with that.
Hey Linda, I'm from the United Kingdom and actually commented earlier in this post saying that I am sick and tired of "listacles" like this that just serve to perpetrate stale, old stereotypes. Many of us have actually thoroughly enjoyed our time in the United States and have met some lovely people and seen some amazing sites. Listacles like this can come off as mean-spirited.
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Don't really give a care what europeans think or are bothered about.
We're still the laughing stock of the world. Maybe we should care.
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Ok about the ads ones- do people actually watch tv? Cable is expensive! I thought it pretty much died out with Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, etc. This is kind of random but I was curious.
yeah most people only watch movies on netflix and very few people watch things on disney+ unless you have kids younger than 8
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I'm convinced Disney World doesn't have any other food than milk and chicken nuggets. Nothing else. Not a smidge. Milk and Chicken Nuggets. Milk and Chicken Nuggets. MILK AND CHICKEN NUGGETS.
You're being sarcastic, mister. Sarcastic hugs for you! And Heart emojis!
Load More Replies... The strangest thing to me (which most visitors would not see) is having to recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag every day as a student (13 years of your life). To me, it's like being forced to read your marriage vows to your spouse every morning, or read the company guidelines to your boss at the beginning of every workday. Looking back, it feels very cultish, and I would be curious how many other countries require daily repetition of your pledge.
I don’t think we even have a pledge in Australia. Although when someone gets approved citizenship they have to take an oath. But that is it, we don’t really sing the national anthem either. I personally don’t know ANYONE that knows the second verse of our national anthem lol.
Load More Replies... And it's always the same stuff. Portion (and people) sizes, gaps in bathroom doors, tipping, drug ads, driving everywhere.
Load More Replies... This seems to be one of the latest Bored Panda "go to". Lets talk about how America is weird or messed up. It feels like there has been one or two of these a week as of late.
As a Native American, I was asked all sorts of weird questions. "Do you live in Teepees? Or do you have houses?" "CAN...YOU...SPEAK..ENGLISH..REDSKIN?" And I went to a bar with my friends and the bartender said he couldn't serve drinks to me because my people get violent. Positives? Some people are actually quite nice, and you have some cool snack food I can't get here at home in Canada. And thirdly, holy heck what's up with the portions?
That's awful im sorry you have to deal with that kind of stuff. As someone who was born in a different country but grew up in the US ive been asked some really strange questions and heard some hateful comments over the years as well. But yeah i agree most people are pretty nice and friendly here.
Load More Replies... I was expecting a lot of people to mention portion sizes. wasn't disappointed lol
A family member had to go there as part of his job. Apart from the huge food portions and the fact that Times Square is in fact quite small his biggest surprise was being expected to tip a person he had asked for directions.
Most people would be glad to give you directions. Whoever made your family member pay was just taking advantage of them.
Load More Replies... Okay, mostly the same comments over and over. But why not do it the other way round? I mean Europe is not a country, we have so many cultural differences! I'm German and I can tell you we have some really ridiculous habits here! 😂
I wonder why being a cold and distant as the Scandanavians do is endearing (old Pandoid article), and being openly friendly (or pretending to be, just to be polite to strangers) is a crime of WEIRD STRANGE AWFUL AMERICANS. Maybe it's just a Lith uanian thing.
Load More Replies... I love this type of post as much as the next person, but at this time when most of the world is drawing conclusion about the US (and it's citizens) based on the actions of one man I wouldn't mind seeing a post about what America is doing right. Might be a tough shout though.
12th day into 2021 and this is the second "USA bad!" article. It's not even as if there's something new.........the same old points we've seen gazillion times. Cover more countries Boredpanda!!
the article is about "weirdest things visiting America", it is not about how "bad" the US are. I wa only one in the US four years ago and I loved it.
Load More Replies... I´ve got an idea! how about to ask Americans what their mind-blowing experiences in Europe are? I mean, I see lots of US people in Germany, Austria, England... They are everywhere!
My snobby cousin from Austria visited. I took her to the Air and Space Museum, in semi disgust she said, "Only in America." Damn right, only in America, Austria doesn't even have a space program! She is an exception, most of my family in Europe are awesome.
We see so much of the US on TV and film that we think we know it. We share a language so we think it is only slightly different. The truth is that the culture of the US is much more different to Europe than we'd find to Africa or China. The US reminds me of what we see of Russia, same nationalistic attitudes etc..
I'm American, I get it, but you're really beating a dead horse, Pandoids. Like Vuun said. At this point, it's more like kicking a wounded dumb dog. This regurgitation is almost done more than the middling "My dozens of cartoons about my relationship/pets/young family/death". Change your [figurative] vinyl album, already, this old ripped wax has become WAY more scratch and skip than the good pop hooks.
Oh, and... LOW TOILET SEATS? Around #32. Some Brit ranting against Yanks about LOW TOILET SEATS. Literally, how low can you go?
Load More Replies... You always hear about Americans showing their asses in other countries. It's nice to know that visitors to America are meeting a lot of nice people.
I’ve never traveled abroad/overseas. Unless Wales and Scotland count! But the country I most want to visit is America. We share the same language (well, nearly - Aluminium anybody!) but there are so many cultural differences to experience.
i live in the usa if you want to see beautiful countrysides pennsylvania is a must if you want to see the big city than new york is a must
Load More Replies... This has been a hilarious and interesting read! Every time ive been to america it has been pleasant enough minus one time a border guard who was excessive and extremely rude to us (this was shortly after 911) but we were just a young couple at the time and had nothing to deserve such nastiness. Americans I met while up in Canada have been the most disgusting human beings i've ever met and that says a lot as I work in an ER dept.
Americas building boom came after WW2, millions of homes build in bedroom communities, automobile dependent. We pay for it now, especially in California where public transportation is an afterthought at best, inefficient as well. Unfortunately even knowing the downfalls of this practice, we still build to 1950 standards, which are not good for anything, especially the planet. SMH, humans prefer a certain thing or way and don’t want to budge. HOAs are a perfect microcosmic example
To be fair on the blue poo one, unless you eat a lot of highly dyed foods your system isn't used to it. I went to a nephew's party the other week and freaked out at red poo. I was like, "What is going on? Oh, my God! I have cancer." then remembered the red and black frosting on his cupcakes.
i remember when i was in new york. i was pushing my brother in his stroller on a busy sidewalk. i needed to catch up with my family and i was in a rush to get back to them (it was a really busy sidewalk, i might've got lost), but i accidently touched the wheel with someones foot. She gave me a dirty look then pushed me, an 8 year old. like bruh. Or i just might be too used to Canadians.
One important point here. I lived in Germany for 1 1/2 years, between my freshman and sophomore year in college. Dad was stationed there in mid-60s. The strange differences were staggering, so both sides have their reasons for all this. HOWEVER, one thing comes to mind, even 55 years later. We were driving in the countryside. One person came up to another person taking a whizz, which was common in public. The whizzer immediately changed hands, and shook the other's hand in greeting, and not worrying about the hygiene. This has stuck in my mind for decades now. What's that Doors song, "People are Strange"?
*Me as a happy tourist noticed police officers patrolling. Standing outside their police cars in nice uniforms and shiny badges (just as i seen in movies). It was the first time for me to see this so I got excited and went to ask to take a pictures with them, my american friend wanted to stop me from doing it but I went anyway. They were friendly, smily and happily took a picture with me. *I started to gain weight rapidly after few weeks in US, as I was explained - corn starch, sugar and oil in virtually any product. *sizes of shampoo bottles, plush toys, meals and anything else are just huuuge. *To have a fast food meal is way cheaper than to cook healthy dish at home. *almost no one was carying expensive phone as iphone, majority phones that i seen couldn't recognize the brand, unlike in europe where majority are carying iphone, or well knows android phones. *amount of homeless are overwhelming. *strangely segregated neighborhoods :( *people curious and friendly :) easy to talk to
The thing I noticed most was the awful coffee. I'd had American friends be horrified I drank instant and realised pretty fast that instant coffee in the US is dire. My friend took me to get "the best" coffee, and it tasted like Australian instant.
I noticed the attentive level of customer service. Shop assistants going out their way to help- we were given Michael Kors-labelled bottled water at the brand store in NY n the assistant gave us her card for if we returned. It verged on overkill at times, but they really do have it down to a fine art...but maybe that’s cos hospitality etc staff rely on tips to get by. However it did make a difference to the shopping experience
My WTF was when I tried to buy cigarettes, I was refused, I was 25 at the time.
Funny how Europeans only post what they don't like about the US. I think they come here wanting to hate us, already hating us,then look for reasons. And Panda just loves to roll in it. Europe- just don't come here if you don't like us. We're fine with that.
Hey Linda, I'm from the United Kingdom and actually commented earlier in this post saying that I am sick and tired of "listacles" like this that just serve to perpetrate stale, old stereotypes. Many of us have actually thoroughly enjoyed our time in the United States and have met some lovely people and seen some amazing sites. Listacles like this can come off as mean-spirited.
Load More Replies... Don't really give a care what europeans think or are bothered about.
We're still the laughing stock of the world. Maybe we should care.
Load More Replies... Ok about the ads ones- do people actually watch tv? Cable is expensive! I thought it pretty much died out with Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, etc. This is kind of random but I was curious.
yeah most people only watch movies on netflix and very few people watch things on disney+ unless you have kids younger than 8
Load More Replies... I'm convinced Disney World doesn't have any other food than milk and chicken nuggets. Nothing else. Not a smidge. Milk and Chicken Nuggets. Milk and Chicken Nuggets. MILK AND CHICKEN NUGGETS.
You're being sarcastic, mister. Sarcastic hugs for you! And Heart emojis!
Load More Replies...
