It’s not only customs that differ from one part of the world to the other; things people consider mundane often do, too. So it’s no secret that certain habits or items in the US might not be as common in Europe, for example; and vice versa.
That’s what netizens in the ‘No Stupid Questions’ subreddit recently discussed. User ‘meryse' addressed the American members asking what everyday things Europeans have they would consider a luxury in the States. Their answers covered everything, from food, to healthcare, hygiene habits, and even windows; so scroll down to find them on the list below and see how they compare to your own home.
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I'm just going to assume "Really good cheese" is a legitimate answer.
Yup, because we fork over a significant portion of our income so as to have it (and paid maternity, and university) In Romania, with a minimum wage job, 40-45% (it changes year to year) is given over to the government, largely to fund those programs. The benefit of this is well engrained in countries that have UHC, that those enjoying don't even register it as part of their taxes.
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True, but it has it's downsides too. Like, did you know that Europe is now the No. 1 place in the world for mice to retire to? Not only that, but cheese has a *HUGE* carbon footprint. It takes a lot of fuel to go up to the cheese mines on the moon, which is where 88% of all European cheese comes from. The other 12% is 'forced' in vast subterranean containers and monitored by old and haggard 80s and 90s pop DJs who continuously play Aqua, Steps etc. Because of this, this type of cheese is known to be some of the cheesiest cheese in the whole universe and it has to be stored at an undisclosed location to prevent aliens stealing it. All true.
The things I learn each day on the internet is staggering 😉
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We have good cheese here, too, American cheese isn’t the only cheese that we eat.
Down voted for stating a fact. Sad. WE have some damn good cheddar in this country.
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I see this nonsense about cheese all the time. We have amazing cheese here from all around the world as well as some incredible local cheese. For instance I buy some Vermont cheese that would satisfy any cheese snob. Sure there's sliced American "cheese" but that doesn't negate all of the incredible cheese that we do have here. This is just a silly myth perpetuated by people who just don't know.
That may be true, as far as it goes, but you still have nowhere near the variety that we're used to. Our local village shop probably has more types of cheese that most US supermarkets. Not just more names, but more completely different cheeses.
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Rogue Creamery in Oregon won World Champion Cheese in 2019/2020. We might not eat cheese with maggots wiggling around on it, but we do have a wider selection than Kraft processed cheese slices.
We have amazing cheese here. My breakfast today was cheese toast made with the most amazing cranberry cheddar you've ever tasted. Yesterday, breakfast was a bagel with brie. My supper last night was pesto chicken salad with fresh mozzarella. Tonight, I'm thinking of making pesto and goat cheese pasta.
In the Netherlands the dairy production is so high, European laws regarding Nitrogen deposition dictate now that we are hardly allowed to build new houses. But on the other hand: cheese :)
America has excellent cheeses. While the grocery stores are heavily stocked will lower cost everyday cheese we do have very high quality artisan varieties if that is what you want.
Really good cheese is always a necessity. I'm American, and I approve of this message. Always get the really good cheese.
Go into any major grocery store in the u.s. and the selection is huge
I'm going to be honest: Yes, I completely agree that cheese from Europe is significantly better, but sometimes American cheese can be a good comfort food.
There are gourmet cheese selection here but you won't find them in Safeway or Kroger
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Good cheeses are everywhere, on just need unpasteurised milk and time, then everyone can produce great cheese. That being said there are many great cheeses in Europe too, I'm trying to taste as many as possible.
Some great cheese is unpasteurised, sure, but by no means all, quite a small proportion actually.
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Fresh baked bread for reasonable prices that you can get in walking distance of your home, and aren't full of preservatives.
Also, affordable health care.
The healthcare in Holland is getting more and more non affordable..
Peace of mind that we won't receive a medical bill that might bankrupt us.
On BP I learned that some US Americans won't call an Ambulance because of the price tag. What a frightening thought that is!
Decent quality chocolate available in almost any random corner shop.
Part of my walk to school was through… yes through the Cadbury factory in bournville, my school was built by George Cadbury, this was back in the day when everything was black and white, I’m old
Schools that are not used as target practice
American tourists mistake Edinburgh Castle for a high school, because there's gunfire there every day.
Food that doesn’t have a ton of artificial additives and non-food ingredients that makes you sick. I never realized that was what was causing my stomach problems until I went on vacation in Europe and within a day had no problems at all. And it came back a day after I returned. They can make great food, even packaged junk food, with just real food ingredients. Why can’t we?
Profits. The US truly are a land of opportunities but mainly the opportunity to exploit people or make profit by all means.
Time. Time to eat in a restaurant without being shoved out. Time to sip coffee at a cafe. Time to spend with new children. Time to go on vacation. Seems like an unattainable luxury to this American.
Maternity leave and healthcare come to mind.
Affordable healthcare and maternity leave equally available to everyone. I know some people have healthcare and some companies offer paid maternity leave, but it's not the standard.
I know someone who works 50+ hours a week,, makes just enough to support his small family (child with special needs) and he can't afford to treat his hepatitis C because of the treatment (12 weeks of pills) costing more than he earns in 18 months. He can't afford to pay for health insurance.. (before a-holes start judging, he was born with it).
This just makes zero sense, it’s unimaginable people not getting the healthcare they need because it costs too much, it’s really sad that the land of the free is also subject to such draconian healthcare measures, I’m grateful for the NHS even if it is a bit slow at times
Can't speak for all of Europe, but workers rights. Wtf is "getting fired on the day"? Or quitting, for that matter? You get 3 months here
Or more. I've been with my company for 15+ years now. I'd get 6 months. Have colleagues in the US. Sometimes people get laid off and have like 20minutes to pack their things and say goodbye.
No high fructose corn syrup in everything!!!!
Like you don't even need to check the label for it.
Unlimited sick days. Or just sick days, because it's just not a concept. If your are sick, you are sick and stay at home with full pay until you aren't anymore. Can't get fired for it too.
Not having to hand over your credit card to a server who then disappears with it. In Europe, the machine comes to you and you just tap it with your card/phone/watch.
No gaps in bathroom stall doors. Not the bottom gap, that’s fine, they could be lower for sure, but I mean the ones between the door.
Yeah this one is just weird, I was so self conscious when I went over the pond! Do not make eye contact!!!! Lol
Ability to not require a personal motorised vehicle for literally every single thing in ones life.
Work-Life balance. Paid time off. The ability to receive healthcare without going bankrupt. The ability to seek higher education if desired without going into life-altering debt. Public transportation. Maternal and paternal rights. Kindness.
A safety net. It is incredibly stressful to work in America as an American. You bust your a*s for decades and could still lose everything you’ve worked to maintain at the drop of a hat. One slip, one positive test result, one broken bone, one genetic disorder, one sudden chronic pain… that’s it. No more job. No more paycheck. Savings gone in under a year. House (if you could afford one at all) gone. Suddenly you’re homeless.
It doesn’t even take a medical issue. Anything that could get you fired (because employers can fire you for any reason without any waiting period) can ruin your life forever. Maybe you missed some court date and you went to jail for two days. Maybe your kid is sick and you had to stay home. Your car broke down. You went to the hospital. Your loved one died.
Fired. Now you have no healthcare. You dip into your savings (if you have them). You keep dipping until there is nothing left. The only place hiring is a grocery store that offers $7.5 an hour. You can’t even rent a 1bd apartment in your city. You rent outside the city. Now your commute is 1.5 hours. You can’t pick up your kids from school anymore so you have to hire a babysitter. How do you get ahead? How can you get out of this hole?
F**k the American system. It’s s**t. Most people never get a chance at a good life and those that have one could lose it all through no fault of their own.
And we are all too terrified to fight back because our survival is directly tied to employment.
And to make matters worse, capitalism had completely decimated our built in support systems, like family and community, but that’s a bigger conversation.
Good public transport outside of main cities. Germans in particular love to complain about Deutsche Bahn (and rightfully so) but compared to USA it's just so much more versatile.
This might seem a little weird, but I really liked the windows when I was in Germany. Turn the handle up and it tilted back, turn it to the side and it opened like a door, turn it down and it was locked. I've never seen windows like that installed in the US. I've googled and they're available but just not in common use it seems. At least not in the parts of the US I've been to.
Universal healthcare (in most countries). A family member in Italy needed an MRI of the brain. if she waited a few weeks it would be free. She didn’t want to wait so she paid out of pocket: $120. That would be a few thousand dollars in the US.
Practically free higher education. They pay fees, not tuition. Minor costs.
Health care costs in America are high but affordable if you have health insurance. If you don't have insurance it is unaffordable (half a million for routine sinus surgery). I swear it is designed this way to force Americans into employment for corporations and discourage independent business.
You might enjoy the documentary Where to Invade Next by Michael Moore. It's about how just as Europe has looked to America, America should look to Europe.
He covers these topics. Summarized with chat gpt.
Education system in Finland.
Workers' rights and work-life balance in Italy.
Healthcare system in France.
Drug policy in Portugal.
Prison reform in Norway.
Gender equality in Iceland.
School meals in Slovenia.
I would put environmental and consumer protection up there e.g. EU banned ingredients in food and consumer goods.
Another thing the French have that is a good idea - 6 weeks of political campaigning for high office. That's it. Rather than the YEARS of manure flinging we have to endure here in the US.
Chocolate that doesn't taste like splenda infused vomit.
Soft drinks that don't taste like windex with a drop of food colouring mixed in.
Legitimate castles that aren't mock ups built by people that missed having a history that goes back further than a middle aged greenland shark
I don't usually drink soft drinks. But there are some excellent examples, like Pellegrino from Italy, or Almdudler from Austria. Anything from CocaCola doesn't even come close.
Quieter cities because there are fewer cars. And along the same lines, smaller cars. And, continuing on those lines, obviously, better/more convenient public transportation - even non-major cities.
Mmmh... it's the first one on the list I kind of disagree with (about quieter cities with fewer cars). There's a few notable exceptions, and it depends from one country to the next. But big cities are still overcrowded with cars. I live in Brussels, and traffic jams are a daily occurence.
Can’t believe it’s not more prominent, but the right to privacy, and recently digital privacy.
GDPR was an excellent piece of legislation.
Funny that they show a camera. Pretty sure e.g. London has more cameras than anywhere in the US. It might be changing but the Brits (and others) are way ahead of the US with regard to cameras being everywhere run by a government entity. Ring and other cameras are everywhere here though.
A sense of community that isn’t based on the color of some old loser’s tie.
«A sense of community» is very very American in essence. Europeans do not refer to their «community», whatever that means, all the time.
Tomatoes that are actually red, flavorful and delicious.
It kinda depends on where you buy them from, I think. And what country you're in. Here in romania, if you buy from a bigger brand (kaufland, lidl) they're not all that good, but the ones from a local shop are way better. When I went to Austria for like a week or so,in Vienna, the tomatoes from a random grocery store(billa I think) were pretty damn awesome
The ability to travel to other countries without a lot of money. From Paris, France to Warsaw, Poland is the same distance from one side of Texas to the other side of Texas. I don't think Europeans understand that when they sneer and tell Americans they should travel. Americans can travel up to nearly 3000 miles and still be in the US (2906.2 miles.from San Fransisco to NYC) That's not cheap. Travel is expensive.
Museums and art everywhere.
Local food/wine
Healthcare paid for
Guaranteed vacations.
The "travel more" is more about "learning about different cultures". Otherwise I don't really understand the idea that "Europeans don't understand US distances". So far, all the Europeans I've met have been aware that there is an entire continent between the Atlantic and Pacific, that due to its size the US lies in several different climate zones, and that there are four time zones between the east and west coasts, plus time zones for Alaska and Hawaii...
Easy walking routes and biking routes. I bet I'm going to see a lot of healthcare it may not be affordable but it's probably the quickest healthcare there is.
Mandatory 4+ weeks vacation
It's kinda like those random 4-week long breaks that some year-round schools have off
A better environment for labor. More union protections and rights. I dream of having Norway's broad trade union system in the States.
*Vastly* better consumer protections. The EU has been really good for the world in that regard by forcing changes to products.
Latest example: the new iPhone finally comes with an USB-C, thanks to the EU legislation.
Bum Guns. I want bidets to be widely accepted in the US
The right to cross the street.
The right to drink beer outside.
The right to drink alcohol before we're adults.
Free at delivery medical care.
Government mandated maternity leave.
Vacation time.
Historic architecture and cultural heritage: Europe's rich history and cultural heritage provide unique opportunities to experience historic architecture, museums, and traditions that may be less prevalent in the United States.
The United States has amazing indigenous history that goes back thousands of years. Why do they not see that?
For the most part European countries value their history and preserve buildings that would be torn down and replaced by modern architecture in the US. I put Italy at the top of the ladder in this respect.
The downside is, that it can be a legal and financial hassle to remodel.
Drinkable tap water
I live in the US and my city has some of the best tap water in the world
Ability to purchase good, unadultrated food at reasonable prices. You can get the same stuff in the USA if you are willing to pay 100% more than "regular" prices for it, but in Europe you can get it for even cheaper than the US price for HCFS laden c**p.
This is just so sad, serious question to any American panda, why is your food so laden with sugar/ additives/ whatever? We have this kind of food too but have the option to buy better for just a little more, don’t you get the same?
Paid parental leave and healthcare access that doesn't require you to be enslaved to corporate America. And they tend to accommodate bikers.
Affordable high-speed Internet. Like 1gigabyte/s (up and down!) for under €20 per month. With negligible installation fees. And it includes over a hundred cable channels.
Universal healthcare, eldercare and other social initiatives, election campaigns that don't last three years, gun control, an incredible variety of cheeses, sensible alternatives to automobile travel, religious secularism as the norm, schools that teach children how to learn and thirst for knowledge, rather than just how to pass a test and what to do in an active shooter situation.
I know that those things might not seem like luxuries to many folks, but just imagine how great life in the US could be, but isn't.
Cheap internet. Cheap phone plans. Clean, delicious, healthier food, better diets in general. Worker protections. Healthcare instead of for profit insurance companies. Trains. Busses. Public transit in general. Language diversity.
BMW and Mercedes taxis
And nowadays there are a lot of Skoda/Volkswagen made taxis due to their longevity, reliability & spaciousness. German made = reliable
BOYCOTT these posts. At the very least downvote the whole article and then move on. I know I'm commenting, but I've not read anything (assume it's the same old, same old) and only come here to say this. Ignore these posts the next time (in about 36 hours) one comes up! BP knows these stir people up - don't let it.
Naw, people in the US needs to read about all the things they need to fight for to change the train wreck the country has become.
Load More Replies... Really can't be bothered scrolling through yet another list like this. Please let me know if,by some miracle, there's something original on here.
To save time why doesn't Bored Panda just write F**K AMERICA! 3 times a week and we can all just get on with our lives...
How come, once again, this list is so redundant? The same elements appears three or four times. Can't you just keep less elements and make them more to the point?
better yet, can you stop regurgitating the same posts over and over
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Straight answer - because it creates a lot of clicks and comments (from justifiably outraged people) and BP use those to sell advertising. I read none of it but came here to say that we need to boycott these posts. Don't even click on the next one that comes up - just as someone else has suggested.
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Nobody criticises America for the things it deserves criticism for. A virtual monopoly on weapons of mass destruction. A bubble around the president so big that you have to just about evacuate every city he visits.
Sure those Ruskies don't have nukes, actually more than thr u.s.
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All right. Can’t even finish this regurgitated screed. I’m sooooo sick of these repetitive incendiary lists of the same comparisons. We get it BP, the powers that be think America sucks and Europe is perfect. I love Europe. I also love where I live., and I’ve found that every place has something to commend it and something that’s terrible.
"Europe". Around 45% of Europeans are living in countries that are either dictatorships, failing economies, or an active war zone (f**k you, Putin). When we're talking about land mass, that rises to 60%. Russia alone takes up around 40% of all of Europe's land mass, and 15% of it's population, and there is also Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Greece, etc. Throughout recorded history, there has not been more than 20 years straight without brutal armed conflict in Europe. "Europe" has never had its s**t together. Only a small number of countries, which are wealthy from looting Africa, Latin America, and SE Asia, not to mention the the exploitation of their own people, as well as the murder of minorities and the theft of their property, who now have the luxury of having amazing social systems. All Western European countries, including Sweden, had extensive colonies across the world.
1. Many are incorrect (I've been to Europe, folks, I've been to Latin America, I've been to Canada, if you want crappy construction or weird people or bad food .or bigotry or or or ... they're everywhere people are!) 2. DO NOT FEED THE BP TROLLS. Downvote the article, don't comment on any individual bits of it, let BP get no clicks from this bait!
Commenting here does also add to BPs rates I'm afraid... Sorry to have added to it but we need to not comment or click on it at all.
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Can't we just get more positive posts? all these American bashing posts are getting tireing. And if not and board panda still posts these, can they at least share some ways to help fight against this?
This article is a bunch of c**p. I am so sick of snobby Europeans and American catastroporn addicts.
One not mentioned- the ability to take critiscm of our countries without raging about it. The ability to laugh at our own shortcomings with self-depreciating humour and wit.
It's probably a typo but depreciating means diminish in value over a period of time - I suspect that any humour in this subject absolutely has diminished! Of course they can't laugh at it anymore. If you hear the same criticisms day in, day out that can be psychologically damaging. Yeah, okay, you meant deprecating but you hit the nail on the head anyway.
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From this Bored Panda writer alone, she posted two articles bashing Americans in just last week. Last week, she posted 40 Things Americans Weren’t Aware Were So Blatantly American Until They Traveled Abroad and 30 Things Europeans Do That Leave Americans Raising Their Eyebrows. So, not even a full 2 weeks she already posted three recycled, reused articles bashing Americans. No wonder these are getting old very quickly.
What most gets me is school shootings. Recently a visiting US colleague mentioned his kids, and my first thought was how worried he must be each morning when they go to school. He later confirmed that. Imagine, having to fear for the life of your kid every day. It may be rare, but it happens. Here in Scotland it's not something people have to think about. It's a possibility, much like an asteroid crashing into the school is a "possibility".
Have to say. I do nothing where i live. And I still get money and have a home, I am born a lucky place. Still I don't like my country for other reasons. Why you people get so angry about other people don't like Us. I think this list is Silly. Cheese that's a minor thing and not really a problem. But really there is alot wrong in a modern country like USA. And I don't talk about people in general. There is a lot of lovely people there like every other country. But it is really not a good place to live if you have real problems no good back land and is poor. And what is this cult s**t mixed in whit politics. Pushing there religious beliefs down the throat of the people. That's just fuckd up.
Are you f*****g kidding us!??! Health care, full stop. Nothing else warrants mention in the grand scheme….
They don't have Donald Trump. That makes Europe instantly superior in all respects. Plus public transit, trains, healthcare, functioning governments, good social support networks, nobody is shooting 50 people a day with a handgun, I could go on...
I would add one more, freedom in your own home. No HOAs. If you want to grow tomatoes on your garden, you can. If you want to replace lawn with flowers, you can. It is YOUR garden, so nobody can tell you what to do with it.
If only you had some real information about the u.s.
Load More Replies... BOYCOTT these posts. At the very least downvote the whole article and then move on. I know I'm commenting, but I've not read anything (assume it's the same old, same old) and only come here to say this. Ignore these posts the next time (in about 36 hours) one comes up! BP knows these stir people up - don't let it.
Naw, people in the US needs to read about all the things they need to fight for to change the train wreck the country has become.
Load More Replies... Really can't be bothered scrolling through yet another list like this. Please let me know if,by some miracle, there's something original on here.
To save time why doesn't Bored Panda just write F**K AMERICA! 3 times a week and we can all just get on with our lives...
How come, once again, this list is so redundant? The same elements appears three or four times. Can't you just keep less elements and make them more to the point?
better yet, can you stop regurgitating the same posts over and over
Load More Replies... Straight answer - because it creates a lot of clicks and comments (from justifiably outraged people) and BP use those to sell advertising. I read none of it but came here to say that we need to boycott these posts. Don't even click on the next one that comes up - just as someone else has suggested.
Load More Replies... Nobody criticises America for the things it deserves criticism for. A virtual monopoly on weapons of mass destruction. A bubble around the president so big that you have to just about evacuate every city he visits.
Sure those Ruskies don't have nukes, actually more than thr u.s.
Load More Replies... All right. Can’t even finish this regurgitated screed. I’m sooooo sick of these repetitive incendiary lists of the same comparisons. We get it BP, the powers that be think America sucks and Europe is perfect. I love Europe. I also love where I live., and I’ve found that every place has something to commend it and something that’s terrible.
"Europe". Around 45% of Europeans are living in countries that are either dictatorships, failing economies, or an active war zone (f**k you, Putin). When we're talking about land mass, that rises to 60%. Russia alone takes up around 40% of all of Europe's land mass, and 15% of it's population, and there is also Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Greece, etc. Throughout recorded history, there has not been more than 20 years straight without brutal armed conflict in Europe. "Europe" has never had its s**t together. Only a small number of countries, which are wealthy from looting Africa, Latin America, and SE Asia, not to mention the the exploitation of their own people, as well as the murder of minorities and the theft of their property, who now have the luxury of having amazing social systems. All Western European countries, including Sweden, had extensive colonies across the world.
1. Many are incorrect (I've been to Europe, folks, I've been to Latin America, I've been to Canada, if you want crappy construction or weird people or bad food .or bigotry or or or ... they're everywhere people are!) 2. DO NOT FEED THE BP TROLLS. Downvote the article, don't comment on any individual bits of it, let BP get no clicks from this bait!
Commenting here does also add to BPs rates I'm afraid... Sorry to have added to it but we need to not comment or click on it at all.
Load More Replies... Can't we just get more positive posts? all these American bashing posts are getting tireing. And if not and board panda still posts these, can they at least share some ways to help fight against this?
This article is a bunch of c**p. I am so sick of snobby Europeans and American catastroporn addicts.
One not mentioned- the ability to take critiscm of our countries without raging about it. The ability to laugh at our own shortcomings with self-depreciating humour and wit.
It's probably a typo but depreciating means diminish in value over a period of time - I suspect that any humour in this subject absolutely has diminished! Of course they can't laugh at it anymore. If you hear the same criticisms day in, day out that can be psychologically damaging. Yeah, okay, you meant deprecating but you hit the nail on the head anyway.
Load More Replies... From this Bored Panda writer alone, she posted two articles bashing Americans in just last week. Last week, she posted 40 Things Americans Weren’t Aware Were So Blatantly American Until They Traveled Abroad and 30 Things Europeans Do That Leave Americans Raising Their Eyebrows. So, not even a full 2 weeks she already posted three recycled, reused articles bashing Americans. No wonder these are getting old very quickly.
What most gets me is school shootings. Recently a visiting US colleague mentioned his kids, and my first thought was how worried he must be each morning when they go to school. He later confirmed that. Imagine, having to fear for the life of your kid every day. It may be rare, but it happens. Here in Scotland it's not something people have to think about. It's a possibility, much like an asteroid crashing into the school is a "possibility".
Have to say. I do nothing where i live. And I still get money and have a home, I am born a lucky place. Still I don't like my country for other reasons. Why you people get so angry about other people don't like Us. I think this list is Silly. Cheese that's a minor thing and not really a problem. But really there is alot wrong in a modern country like USA. And I don't talk about people in general. There is a lot of lovely people there like every other country. But it is really not a good place to live if you have real problems no good back land and is poor. And what is this cult s**t mixed in whit politics. Pushing there religious beliefs down the throat of the people. That's just fuckd up.
Are you f*****g kidding us!??! Health care, full stop. Nothing else warrants mention in the grand scheme….
They don't have Donald Trump. That makes Europe instantly superior in all respects. Plus public transit, trains, healthcare, functioning governments, good social support networks, nobody is shooting 50 people a day with a handgun, I could go on...
I would add one more, freedom in your own home. No HOAs. If you want to grow tomatoes on your garden, you can. If you want to replace lawn with flowers, you can. It is YOUR garden, so nobody can tell you what to do with it.
If only you had some real information about the u.s.
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