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“Red Solo Party Cups”: 40 Things Locals Don’t Think Twice About That Foreigners Find Incredible
Interview
Aside from getting to cuddle cute cats and eat delicious food, travel is one of the best things about being a human being. Travel expands our minds, exposes us to new ideas, and shows us just how different some corners of the planet can truly be, compared to back home. There’s nothing like going on an adventure to make your heart sing!
Redditor u/scoopy-frog sparked a wholesome and interesting discussion after asking internet users to share some of the things that are pretty much mundane in their countries, but foreigners think are utterly amazing. We’ve collected some of the best insights to share with you, Pandas, and a lot of them are related to wildlife, not just culture and customs!
We got in touch with the author of the awesome thread, and they were happy to tell us all about their travel philosophy. You'll find Bored Panda's full interview with u/scoopy-frog below, so be sure not to miss it.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Oh man, one of the absolute cutest things I've ever seen was a work friend of mine at the time who was visiting from Australia. He came into work that day totally beaming because he had seen a squirrel on his way there. I was very confused until he told me they don't have squirrels in Australia. He went on and on about how cute they were and I told him I had a surprise for him when we went to lunch. I walked him a few blocks up the road to a local college campus where the squirrels are so fearless they will literally come and take food out of your hands. They'll even sit on your shoulders so long as you sit still and feed them. This man was absolutely *geeked* when I called over a group of squirrels with some crackers from my lunch. I thought his head was going to explode when I told him to stand still and sat a cracker on his shoulder which a squirrel happily climbed up him to get. He legit froze and started tearing up. I was worried he was afraid or something and I asked him if he was okay, this man looks at me with the biggest smile on his face and says in the most adorable, quietest little voice as to not scare the squirrel on his shoulder away, "This is the single best day of my life!" Squirrels, of all things. Lmao.
Vic 2 years ago
Squirrels got no claws, no fangs, no guns , no machetes.. they wouldn't last a day in Australia..
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Rebelliousslug 2 years ago (edited)
I love this story, I’d like to read it at some point every day
tee-lena 2 years ago
I just got bad news. Came straight to bored panda to get some relief. This helped a bit
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Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
Red squirrels are proper, grey squirrels are imposters who are pushing the red to the point of near extinction in the U.K. . At my old house I had a drey in the trees with red squirrels in it, a joy to watch and brave little souls when it came to any form of nut, they’d happily sit with you if you had a decent Brazil nut shaped bribe 😀
HTakeover 2 years ago
In my part of the world, it's the other way around. The reds have pushed out the greys while the black squirrels are just trying to stay out of the fight but are slowly mustering their forces. But our reds basically look like a slightly smaller version of the greys; they don't have that tea & biscuits look so aren't as cute.
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S M 2 years ago
Can totally relate. Squirrels… awesome. Raccoons… awesome. Deer…beautiful. But holy c**p. Bears. Ain’t no bears in Australia (except drop bears). And people complain about spiders and snakes?
Sue Denham 2 years ago
I would be thrilled silly too. We also have no squirrels in New Zealand and they look so so so cute. Raccoons too.
Bored something 2 years ago
I would be him too. I would go nuts if a squirrel climbed up me to sit on my shoulder and eat a biscuit.
Hokuloa 2 years ago
Awe!! They are exceptionally cute little buggers when there not being, well, obnoxious little buggers
Anonymouse 2 years ago
because they were not trying to kill him, like everything does in Australia
Pink Princess 2 years ago
I'm also australian and would love to see a squirrel they're really cute
On a whim 2 years ago
Same. I would be so stoked if someone took the time to show me squirrels if I were visiting!
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Emma London 2 years ago
I had an American friend who totally geeked out on hedgehogs. We were in Finland on the back yard of a regular house and some hedgehogs vandered near. We gave them lactose-free kefir if I rememeber right. She went nuts. Hedgehogs?! Real ones?! Just making their way on a regular back yard??
Bored Panda reached out to redditor u/scoopy-frog to hear about the inspiration behind the intriguing thread, as well as to shed some light on what they value the most about travel and what to keep in mind when you go abroad.
"I was inspired to ask the question because my husband is from Brazil. When I met him, he had only been in America for 3 years, and a lot of our early conversations were about our different cultures," the OP opened up to us that this topic has long been on their mind.
"I loved the discovery and the way the conversations diversified my worldview, and wondered what perspectives people from other countries might have," the author explained that they were very curious to hear what some of the other Reddit users had to share on this question.
RELATED:
#2
Humming birds. I live in Palm Springs, CA and was visiting the Moorten Botanical Gardens when I overheard someone with a British accent say, "OMG is that a HUMMINGBIRD?" I wasn't aware they don't have hummingbirds where they live. They were just astounded and amazed watching it flit around, stop and hover, then move on.
hitex 2 years ago
I live in a Texas National Forest bird watching area...we still get multiple hummingbirds flitting about daily right now (altho frankly we have some dragonflies also dang bear their size!)
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Roxy222uk 2 years ago
As a Brit I can tell you the idea that you get hummingbirds just turn up at your bird feeders is amazing. I've never seen one in real life and they just look like mythical creatures to me.
Bremusa4u 2 years ago
I grew up seeing them every morning feeding on my grandmother's hibiscus flowers. She kept the bushes at a flowerbed right in front of her bedrooms. As a child I just thought they were so cool. Btw, I grew up in the country side of Puerto Rico.
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yepyepyepuhhuh 2 years ago
I have seen my fair share of hummingbirds, but I will still always stop to watch them. They're so cool.
William Teach 2 years ago
There's a webcam at webcamtaxi from California that has hummingbirds. It's great
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
As a lover of birds my entire life, it’s the one bird I want to see with my own eyes before I snuff it.
Johnnynatfan 2 years ago
I am fortunate to have multiple hummingbirds visit my yard all summer. I just wish they would all get along and not chase each other away. Hummingbirds are mean little buggers to each other
Babs McGurk 2 years ago
Agreed! We have one who sits in the trees, and when another one comes along to feed, she zooms in and chases the second one away. They are very territorial!
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Snow. I had a Mexican roommate in Chicago who had never been snowed on before. She put her arms out, spun around, and squealed, “its just like the movies!”
Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
I get snowed in every year, still love it, the quiet, the isolation, it’s so peaceful 😀❄️ I can totally understand folk who’ve never seen / experienced snow being excited by it.
shawn mckinney 2 years ago
The first snowfall of the season excites me still. Every year. It never fails.
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VioletHunter 2 years ago
I met an Australian in Berlin years ago who was very, very excited about the half dozen snowflakes that had fallen that day. It was so funny.
David A Paterson 2 years ago
Only place I've ever actually seen it snowing was London, and that was poor quality snow, not even one decent snowflake.
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EarthGrowl 2 years ago
I had a student that was almost 40 and had lived her whole life in Hawaii. We were in Pennsylvania when it snowed. Her shock and amazement was unreal, like a little kid, until we had to drive in it.
ApplePie123eat 2 years ago
In my hometown snow is turning into something more rare with every passing winter... Don't you tell me climate change isn't real
Ray Perkins 2 years ago
Friend's elderly parents visited Canada from Jamaica. They were amazed at a spring snowfall, started throwing snowballs.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
We hardly ever get snow in our cities in SA so I would also get excited. First time I built a snowman I was like 35 or something, in the UK.
shawn mckinney 2 years ago (edited)
I live in Minnesota. One year a company I worked for hired Mickey and Minnie Mouse to attend a work function. They looked so cute playing in the snow. If I remember correctly the actors were from Florida
We were interested to hear the redditor's thoughts as to what makes for a truly good traveler and what everyone should probably keep in mind when interacting with various cultures abroad. The key here—as in most areas of life—is having respect and being flexible.
"Be respectful. Remember that you are the foreigner, and your location isn't required to conform to what you're comfortable with," u/scoopy-frog stressed the fact that it's up to the individual to adapt.
"Take the opportunity to go outside yourself. If something seems extraordinary, don't be afraid to question it to learn more, but be mindful that you're experiencing someone else's way of life."
#4
Opossums. In America they’re big, light colored, and pink nosed, with a hairless skinny tail. The Indian workers saw one and ran over with their arms wide exclaiming, “I just saw a mouse and it was **this big**!”
JessieJ&LilyLovebug 2 years ago
🤣 Saw one crawling along the wood stacked on my retaining wall just the other night...honestly, I think they are weirdly cute...and useful, since they eat ticks.
Greta Toločkaitė 2 years ago
I love them, we don't have them in Europe. Very cute and shy, it's a shame they get so little to live♥️
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Snorky The Pig 2 years ago
They eat things that are less nice, like ticks, which can cause disease.
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#5
Free public electric BBQs. In Australia, at many beaches and parks, there are free BBQs. They are nearly always clean and work very well. Everyone uses them and cleans them after they finish cooking.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Not only have I used one, I burned three fingers when I touched one when I was 7, because I didn't know it would be on (no one around using it)!
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Jeevesssssss 2 years ago
Wow, FR??? In the UK we're banned from using the little disposable ones in most public places (like parks and beaches). Mind you, there are so many tossers who just leave their litter behind it's understandable, sadly.
Carrie Laughs 2 years ago
Many shops and supermarkets banned the sales and some parks and open spaces banned their use, as you say parks and beaches were common zones doing this, but it's not UK wide. What they've done in the park near me is put up fire proof plinths and fireproof bins so that people can use disposable BBQs. We've had them for several years now. Similar to some on the coast near me.
Load More Replies... Pieter LeGrande 2 years ago
Dozens of them scattered around Canberra parks and nature reserves.
Tucker Cahooter 2 years ago
I used to enjoy the wood ones at Pine Island, pity they removed them all after the bushfires
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RavenTheCat 2 years ago
We have grills at parks usually in America but like old charcoal ones you typically bring your own supplies for
Richard Michael 2 years ago
That's not the case with bbqs at parks in the US. They are rundown and rusty because everyone thinks the next person should do the cleaning.
Nikki Gross 2 years ago (edited)
I live in the Southern US and a lot of our parks and lakes have outdoor grilling areas. They use charcoal, which you have to supply yourself but they are there for public use.
Mila Preradović 2 years ago
We have thousands of public grill places but you have to bring your own grid.
Joseph Limbrick 2 years ago
They used to be coin opp bit people kept vandalising them so local councils just made them free .
#6
Castles, castles everywhere. Wales had the most castles per square mile of any country. Just on the Gower peninsular (which is about 70 square miles) there are 6 castles (or castle ruins). They’re just part of the landscape here, some are in city centres, overlooking marshes or beaches or up on top of hillsides. I find them both endlessly fascinating and simultaneously just part of the backdrop.
Penguin Panda Pop 2 years ago
Wales is beautiful, but please do not expect to see Hogwarts if you visit.
gerard julien 2 years ago
this is true about Wales . in southwest France practically every single small town has a castle (sometimes two) this is the one in the town where I live (population 2000), built in the 11th century and restored in the 15th century : 1024px-Mon...e052e5.jpg 
Hokuloa 2 years ago
I loved exploring castle ruins as a child. Maintained one’s too of course. However, climbing all around the numerous overgrown castles in various states of disrepair was SUCH a fantastic adventure
gerard julien 2 years ago
fortified city of Aigues Mortes, southeast France aigues-mor...29265d.jpg 
However, there are lots of people around the world who have never even taken a single step abroad. Bored Panda asked u/scoopy-frog what advice they'd give someone who's scared of travel.
Here's what they told us: "No matter where you go, there will be someone you'll connect with. Humanity's deepest instinct is for connection and camaraderie, and even cultural or language barriers won't hinder positive interactions and experiences."
The OP continued: "It's jarring to be taken out of what's familiar, but what will be discovered is beyond imagination."
Travel is much more than just about the amazing sights, nature, and architecture. Sure, they're an essential part of any trip. But what truly turns a trip into an adventure is the people we interact with.
#7
Raccoons. Some of my co-workers are from Japan, and one was quizzing me about the best way for his sons to get to see a raccoon when they got there.
“Visit a restaurant dumpster just before dawn? Tear open a box of kitten chow on the back patio?”
“They like cat food?”
“Yes, the like cat food and if you actually do that you will see 6 raccoons the following evening…”
I understand that Japan later developed an invasive raccoon problem….so not quite the novelty.
Six months later my co-worker asked “where do skunks live?”
“In the woods.”
“Exactly where in the woods?”
“I think they dig burrows at the base of….wait a minute, are you going to take your sons skunk-watching?”
PeepPeep the duck 2 years ago
Am Australian and I would go bananas to meet or even see a raccoon 😂 and a skunk, and an opossum and a mole
Greta Toločkaitė 2 years ago
I am European, and I went crazy in Mexico, because they have both opossums (my favorites) and raccoons, and in the south they even have coatis, aka Mexican raccoons, so yeah, spent good part of holidays feeding them after purposefully looking for and finding some. With moles you're on your own though😃
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Donkey boi 2 years ago
Ohhh I wanna see a skunk soooooo badly! I've played with racoons in the US (surprised a lot of the locals with my Disney princess style ability with animals), but I've never seen a skunk! I wanna hug those little stinkers so bad!
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
They are awesome <3 <3 I have an older one and a younger one that eat under my bird feeders. I love them <3 and the opossums too
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Shadow 2 years ago
I met a skunk when I woke up to go to the bathrooms in the middle of the night while camping. Both of us were terrified and we ran each our way.
Susan Reid Smith 2 years ago
Same, only he told me about how upset he was before he left.
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Hokuloa 2 years ago
🤣 Careful what you wish for. I’d happily give anyone our populations of both. Trash Pandas and stinky cats!
Jaya 2 years ago
I'd happily take them! Who cares about nuisance and damage when you can see those cute little things!
Load More Replies... Bremusa4u 2 years ago
Any of the local parks around my area. I seen coons raiding my box of goodies at a camp site after we forgot to close the trucks back door. Have a couple more, when in Key West grabbed and eat all of my oreos and cheerios. Another help itself to our mixed nut package while we were picking at a beach park. It just got close to our and table and before we could react, it grabbed the bag and ran off like a bandit.
Panda-sized Potato 2 years ago
An anime from the 70's (Rascal the Racoon) based on an autobiographical book from the 60's (Rascal, A Memoir of a Better Era) sparked a racoon craze that lead to the import of racoons, about 1500 a year. Unfortunately, the Japanese found out how unacceptable they are as pets, since they are wild animals. Cute when young, wild as adults. So they got released, and then they became a problem.
Becky Samuel 2 years ago
The opposite has also happened, where people further West thought that Tanuki (racoon dogs) were cute. They are now found all the way across to Scandinavia and are an increasing problem. Many places have banned both racoons and tanuki as pets because they are so invasive.
Load More Replies... Dr Robert Neville 2 years ago
My next door neighbour is from Hong Kong and as such has never lived in a house before. He's developed a pathological hatred of all wildlife, he has cameras set up with motion sensors so he can chase the foxes away.
#8
Nightless nights, reindeer, some people really like our metal music.
Emma Goransdottir 2 years ago
Finland.. is this you? It could be any of the nordic countries but I know you guys are really into metal music 🙂❤️
Rastilabo 2 years ago
...aand the tourist who was disappointed by the midnight sun "it's just the same one as the daytime one!"
Tähtikarhu (he/him) 🇫🇮 2 years ago
As a finn, I'm pretty sure this is 🇫🇮, for yötön yö (lit. nightless night) is definitely a finnish expression
Rebelliousslug 2 years ago
I think I’d survive for periods without sunshine but don’t take away my nighttime!
Bored Retsuko 2 years ago
Yayyy Opeth! But they're from Sweden, I think the pic refers to Finland
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Our enormous parking lots.
Americans don't even blink at a 3 acre parking lot. The Europeans are astonished, every time.
Jake B 2 years ago
Oh! Like I-5 in Portland OR. But I think it’s bigger and “supposedly” a freeway.
SkyBlueandBlack 2 years ago
Indeed. The I-5 in California acts like a massive parking lot at times, too. Like... in the daytime.
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VioletHunter 2 years ago
Not sure astonished is the right word. More like appalled. It's not like parking lots are a pretty sight.
Potato 2 years ago
I don't think the purpose was to look pretty. People need somewhere to put their car when they visit a place, and this looks a lot better than parking just anywhere without structure. Things are very spread out here and it's not practical to walk.
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Potato 2 years ago
Some of the bigger amusement parks actually have trolleys to take you between the park and your car.
Load More Replies... Donkey boi 2 years ago
My house is older than the USA, but their carparks are bigger than my farm.
The Scout 2 years ago
I find it kind of sad that cities give up most of their space for parking instead of actually creating a liveable environment.
madbakes 2 years ago
In my experience, those big lots are in the suburbs. Cities often have parking garages.
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Remi (He/Him) 2 years ago
it's over 12000 m². Had convert it too to see what we're dealing with
Load More Replies... Richard Michael 2 years ago
That's because we let the gas companies design our infrastructure.
Ophelia Vandergurgleduffen 2 years ago
They’ve never been to Trader Joes. I swear store developers cram as many parking spots per square foot on small lots when setting up a store location.
dbildbo 2 years ago
We've got a couple that took over space from previous business and those ones have acceptable sized parking lots. Otherwise I agree with you.
Load More Replies...To put it simply, people are social animals and they need deep, meaningful relationships to thrive. An 85-year Harvard study conclusively found that it's not wealth or our careers that truly make us happy, healthy, and living longer—it's the positive relationships we have in life.
So it only makes sense that you try to connect to as many locals as possible during your travels. And many of them will be happy to connect with you, in turn, provided that you show them and their culture the respect they deserve.
#10
Baguette vending machines
gerard julien 2 years ago
also fresh fruits and vegetables vending machines fruits-652...8470f3.jpg 
Minecraftemery (he/him CisHet) 2 years ago
Yes please! One order of baguette vending machines, thank you
The Goo King 2 years ago
How else is any self-respecting French person supposed to walk around with a baguette under their arm or sticking out of a bag 24/7?
Annik Perrot 2 years ago
I've seen some here in France, in small villages where the bakery has closed, or the bread truck doesn't make the rounds anymore. Not a progress, alas.
gerard julien 2 years ago (edited)
I am in a hamlet in southwest France and we still have two different bakers delivering bread and pastry at you doorstep if you want to.
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#11
Tumbleweeds I live in Texas, had a friend from Sweden lose his s**t when he saw one blowing across a field
Elizabeth 2 years ago
Saw one for the first time while living in AZ. True story, it was rolling down the road, stopped for the red light, and then continued rolling when it turned green.
Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
Obviously aware they are a real thing but I only saw them in cartoons as a kid.
Powerful Katrinka 2 years ago
I was once attacked by a mob of tumbleweeds on the highway north of Albuquerque, NM. I didn't see them lurking by the side of the road because a hill intervened; as soon as I came over it, BLAMMO! I had to pull over because I couldn't even see the road for the leaping, rioting hordes.
Jumping Jellyfishes 2 years ago
They absolutely lurk by the side of the road! I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed this. We'd seem them roll up to the side, and then pause until you about to pass by, then they suddenly roll out right in front of you
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HARRY KOPPERS 2 years ago
Russian thistle is an invasive species that spreads far and wide by - wait for it - tumbling about in the wind
Alecto76 2 years ago
We don't have tumbleweeds in Chicago. My friend and I on vacation in Arizona, driving in a storm. We saw tons of tumbleweeds coming at us across the highway. We didn't know what to do, and they're dead plants, so we just hit them. We didn't know that when it by a car, they sounded like littke bombs. It was scary for a few seconds.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
It's because we've seen it in yalls movies that's why we are excited about it.
Em 2 years ago
Yeah, I once got stranded in San Antonio overnight while taking the bus from California to Florida. For some reason they halted all greyhound service out of the station for several hours. Went outside for a smoke and was very amused to see a tumbleweed rolling down the street as if to say "yep, you're in Texas."
JayWantsACat 2 years ago
I geeked out when I saw my first tumbleweed and I'm American. Our country is huge and most of us don't get to experience everything it has to offer.
#12
A Coca-Cola delivery truck was in the parking lot where I was working. There was a couple from the UK that was very excited about it. They took selfies next to the truck and the driver let them sit in the driver's seat for more pictures. Seemed like a real treat for them.
Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
Coca Cola branded trucks are rare in the U.K., they are associated with the Christmas adverts over here ‘the holidays are coming etc etc’.
ADJ 2 years ago
Same in Poland. We see them only in these Xmas commercials.
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EarthGrowl 2 years ago
I was parked at a truck stop in California the first time I looked up and saw a large group of people gawking at my truck and taking pictures. It was surreal, it took me a few minutes to realize they were European tourists swooning over the American Big Rigs. Then they freak out even more when they discover the driver is a tiny woman. There are many many pictures of me with my truck in European collections.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Speaking of tiny women, my mum's life dream is to drive a large truck! Not sure she would reach the pedals though :)
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Wilhelm-Rafael Garth 2 years ago
as i was a child, there were Coca Cola Truck Events for Christmas in Berlin, Germany. It was a big event back then!
Jacky Newman 2 years ago
Yes, they were in my hometown too & I live in a small town near Cologne 🙃
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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 2 years ago
This is sweet. I never would have thought of a coca cola truck as a big deal before.
Going abroad can be overwhelming at first. Though, if you already know a bit about the local culture and you’re willing to learn the language, things are far easier.
Theory and practice are very different beasts, however. Learning about a country from articles and videos won’t fully prepare you for the nuances of actually living there. That’s why having a friendly local (or two!) to help you out is so important. They can clue you in about the various nuances and faux pas of everyday life.
#13
Parrots. I live in Melbourne and have had American friends quite startled by rainbow lorikeets, thinking they were escaped pets or something.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Yep we have a lot of pretty birds in SA as well. We recently have had an explosion of lovebirds in my city. No idea how or why. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebird ... but my personal favorite is the red bishop, attached. download-6...7c505.jpeg 
Donna Peluda 2 years ago
I live in Malaga, on the south coast of Spain we have monk parakeet as an invasive species idiots bought them over from south America as pets but now they have established themselves and are effecting the local fauna, not so nice. At first the struggled in the winters and their nest didn't resist the winter storms and the population would drop in the winter but now with the warmer weather longer summers they are thriving very well. They also build better stronger nests now. I've ben watching them for 20 year.
Libstak 2 years ago
They are little pests, you can't leave your balcony door unlocked, they find a way to open it and then the fridge too, they rip into everything and leave a freaking mess of crumbs, chips and wrappers everywhere. They work in teams too and watch you so they know when to strike, if they weren't so damned smart I'd really hate on them.
PeepPeep the duck 2 years ago
I never had this happen and I used to live next door to Currumbin sanctuary for a bit, I’m glad they weren’t like this on the Gold Coast areas. They are a lot nicer, these ones sound like they are channeling their inner Kea 😂 (those New Zealand birds that like to pull cars apart etc).
Load More Replies... David A Paterson 2 years ago
Australia has been called the land of parrots. Sure there are other places that have a few, but many places don't. Rainbow lorikeets used to be a tourist attraction in Queensland, for Australians! Since then have spread almost everywhere because they like to sleep with the night light on. And we do keep some as pets.
PeepPeep the duck 2 years ago
I’m Perth they are a pest and I found out the s**t way. Cos the Gold Coast we love them and cherish them, I rescued one who got hit by a car in Perth and went to the vet out of instinct and I handed it over and then was told they had to put it down cos it’s not a pet and it’s a pest in WA. I felt so s**t I murdered one
Load More Replies... Kate Hill 2 years ago
I was baffled by the white cockatoos, they were everywhere (Melbourne, great ocean road and 500km inland)
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
The other day I saw two pairs of black cockatoos in Gippsland, Vic. The white cockies often came in large flocks to my school ovals and other large grassy areas.
Load More Replies... JayWantsACat 2 years ago
We have wild parrots here in San Francisco that descended from some that escaped.
Nancy Lynch 2 years ago
If they come to San Francisco, there is a colony of parrots at the base of Telegraph Hill (the one with Coit Tower). It started when some pets escaped and could never be recaptured.
Alpacas_Are_Life 2 years ago
I can't imagine seeing these beautiful colored birds in the wild.
#14
Old buildings. 50% of the people in my city live in buildings build before 1800.
Emma Goransdottir 2 years ago
Yes, its difficult to narrow it down based on this 😅
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Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
Yup, I’m sat in flat in Buxton, Derbyshire, 2 foot thick solid stone walls, cool in summer, warm in winter, built 1782ish as a meeting house / social building for a woodcutters association.
The Scout 2 years ago
That's quite a recent upstart, as far as european pubs go...
Load More Replies... gerard julien 2 years ago
15th century houses in downtown Dinan, Brittany dinan-652f...6dcbb8.jpg 
Wilf 2 years ago
My UK house was built about 1660-80. It is not considered especially significant in our village. The house next door is from the 1480s. In the next village along there is a very old cruck-framed house, and when they did some re-thatching work on it recently they found the base layer of thatch dated to the 1350s.
Donkey boi 2 years ago
My American friend can't get over the fact that my house is older that his country.
Tamra 2 years ago
Understandable. I live in the US in an "old" house - it's only 110 years old, but old for us, though.
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Carrie Laughs 2 years ago
Yeah, but not even in the top 10 newest countries.
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Ramirez rachael 2 years ago
This is really cool, I did an internship in Providence, Rhode Island when I was in college. Went to my friends house downtown and smoke some marijuana. On my way back to the bus. I really thought that I had time warped into the colonial times. Thank goodness I didn’t.
Mark Karol-Chik 2 years ago
Not meaning to bag on my country, (USA), but it sure seems like history does not mean s**t architecture wise, when an overpriced cheaply built McMansion or multiplex can be built on the site of an old building.
#15
Singapore - our crosswalk buttons have a pad that elderly people can tap their ID/bus card on to get more crossing time. I've seen so many "amazing tech inventions that the whole world needs" tiktoks and they always feature them. I've only seen an elderly person use it once. Still neat though.
Marvin HeartofGold (she/them) 2 years ago
Did Grace & Frankie help them establish the proper amount of time for elderly crossing?
Kristie Jones 2 years ago
That’s such a good idea! Use for disabled, or temporarily disabled, too.
The sign of a good guide is that they’ll be aware of at least some of the common questions and problems that foreigners have upon arriving. We’re often so used to daily life that we forget how some ‘common sense’ things aren’t all that clear to others from abroad.
It’s only by changing our environments that we become acutely aware of all the things that we take for granted. Whether that’s orderly traffic, the super friendly local wildlife, or literal castles everywhere.
#16
I asked a colleague from India what he found most interesting since moving to the US and he said the orderly traffic. He did a mind blown motion and everything.
Ramirez rachael 2 years ago
There are a lot of things in India they do not have any organization. Trash removal is one of them.
Lady Lestrange 2 years ago
Sure that is an issue, but fyi, the cleanest village in the world is also in India. So, India is very diverse. In all forms. No particular issue finds its place throughout the length and breadth of the country.
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Samantha Mannion 2 years ago
I was absolutely dumbfounded with the way traffic works in India. I went for the first time to meet my husband's family about a year ago. I did not attempt to drive in the month we were there lol. And about the trash thing it is pretty dirty around the city I was in but at the same time they also had people sweeping almost every street and sidewalk all hours of the day so at least the trash would be in piles around and picked up later. With the immense amount of people in an area it's definitely hard to upkeep when everyone throws everything on the ground. Him and his family would laugh because I wouldn't throw my trash just anywhere and would bring it home or at least find a gathered trash pile to throw it away. Cannot bring myself to do it 🤣
Bobby 2 years ago
I already get aggravated at the people here (US) for not following traffic rules. I'm guessing this means I shouldn't drive in India
Sunny Day 2 years ago
My brother spent a year in Turkey. He said there were like 4 lanes on the road, and 7 lanes of cars using them.
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Robert Trebor 2 years ago
He obviously hasn't driven from Ogden to Spanish Fort, Utah recently (Salt Lake city urban corridor). Interstate 15 was like bumper cars all the way (123 miles)(198km)
Erik Biesemeier 2 years ago
Doesn't even come close to the madness that is traffic in India.
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#17
The wildlife. I don’t think I’ve met a tourist who didn’t have “see a koala” on their to-do list. But I probably wouldn’t consider them mundane, because I get super excited and really happy when I see a koala and I live here. “Mundane” would probably be kangaroos.
Thee8thsense 2 years ago
I held a koala once and it's breath smelled so strongly of eucalyptus, which I love, just not to eat. She was so gentle with me and sweet.
Mav Mav 2 years ago
Live in Australia. Nighties in warmer weather you swear you hear a 600 pound hog heavy breathing and snorting down the road. Just koalas in the trees having sex by moonlight. If my partner made those noises I'd run!!!
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lily jones 2 years ago
I live near a reserve, kangaroos come down and eat the grass off your front lawn in the summertime - totally normal thing to see
Raymond Core 2 years ago
I was shocked to see how small a duck-billed platypus is. I imagined them as much larger.
Foxglove🇮🇪 2 years ago
I visited Australia 20+ years ago. I had no idea how many kangaroo-type creatures there are, from relatively tiny ones to the big guys. Red kangaroos, grey kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, pademelons, bettongs. We just called them all "hoppies" - big hoppy, cute hippy, little hoppy!
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
When I was a kid, I couldn't say kangaroo properly. One time we went to a park where the were lots of kangaroos. Apparently I kept saying something along the lines of 'don't step on the kana-roo poo'.
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Dr Robert Neville 2 years ago
Nah, ours was dolphins, whale sharks & manta's. Drove from Perth up to Ningaloo, stopped off at Shark Bay.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
I used to go to a place on holiday fairly often and there were always koala's in the trees around there. After the first couple of sightings you do get a bit bored of them.
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Mycroft1967 2 years ago
Yup, went out west (USA) with my wife for the first time (she used to live in Wyoming). "Look a deer." We have deer where I live but they are rare to see. "That's a pronghorn. They're everywhere." Did see them quite a bit after that but got to point out an elk once.
Potato 2 years ago
Deer are very common where I live but I still get excited to see them. Cows and horses, too. Oh hell, I just get excited about animals in general.
Load More Replies... #18
Northern lights. Ok. they're sometimes pretty.
Tobie Lynn 2 years ago
even when 'bland' when the sky puts on clothes and dances for you, it's extraordinary.
Load More Replies... Lady Lestrange 2 years ago
Did you just say *sometimes*? It's been on my bucket list since forever.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
I really wanted to see them when I went to Canada, but had no luck.
When it comes to interacting with wildlife—whether the raccoons in Japan or the opossums in the US—it’s absolutely essential that you respect the animals. To put it bluntly, you don’t want to harass them or make them feel unsafe. Don’t try to feed or touch the wildlife, unless you’re in an environment that explicitly allows these things.
Obviously don’t, under any circumstances, frighten or try to ride wild animals. Nor should you pick up animals just so you can snap a selfie for your social media pages. Keep a respectful distance and admire these beings from afar.
#19
All the really old churches in Europe. I’m from the US, so buildings that are 400+ years old are really hard to come by. Over in the UK and France they’re just about a dime a dozen
The Scout 2 years ago
A small village near me (rural Germany) has this beautiful small 9th century church, with the original wall paintings still intact. Fortunately suprisingly many pre-romanic (salic, ottonic...) buildings have survived the wars. The oldest remaining church in Germany that originally was built as such is probably the cathedral of Trier (late 4th century) - which is not that surprising, as it is in a city that is overflowing with .ancient Roman architecture. There is an older one in the same city, too (Trier Basilika, built around 370 A.D.), but that one was not a church orginally, so it probably does not count...
Kate Hill 2 years ago
So much was lost in the wars, lots of it rebuilt but also lots never to be restored. My hometown Tallinn was hit but we're very lucky to have most of it.
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Rob Miles 2 years ago
I met my German wife while I was stationed there in the Army. After we got married we were finally able to get an apartment in a little town near my post. One day we were walking to a local deli to get some lunch and I noticed a brick in one of the building that said 1252. I was confused because I knew that couldn't be the house number, as were on a completely different block. When I asked my wife about it, she said "that's the year it was built." Mind. Blown.
arthbach 2 years ago
One of the oldest non-Roman Catholic, non-Anglican communion, churches in Wales is Capel Newydd in Nanhoron. It was built 1770 -1772, and its name means 'new chapel'.
Forbes Lopez 2 years ago
Maesyronnen a couple of miles from me is another great example, but instead of being purpose-built as a capel, it's a converted longhouse where worship had been going on clandestinely for some time before the Act of Tolerance legalised reformed worship.
Load More Replies... Thenatural 2 years ago
The UK and France? Try Rome ..about every 3rd on any given street is a church
Cyril Sneer 2 years ago
I'm British and I love old churches. Fortunately there are absolutely loads in my county (Dorset). Some have the remains of Saxon kings, and amazing stained glass.
Thomas Ewing 2 years ago
When I visited Europe from the US I was deeply impressed with the age of everything. Towns founded 900 years ago, buildings almost as old. Such character and style almost never seen in the states. Very nice.
Paul Gerrard 2 years ago
In italy you enter a 500 year old church. And descend to the 1000 year old remains below. The scavi in rome is 1500yrs of layers. In italy history is under everything
RosenCranzLives 2 years ago
And how about the church took 275 years to build. By hand. Without rebar.
#20
I married into a South African family...they are amused by how excited I, an American, get about guava and passion fruit flavored everything when we visit them. And the cheap, amazing, wines. Confirming that they get very excited about squirrels and free refills when they visit here.
PeepPeep the duck 2 years ago
I am from Qld and I still get super excited over passionfruit and mango season 😆
Mav Mav 2 years ago
Queensland is a state in Australia, for those who don't know.
Load More Replies... David A Paterson 2 years ago
Oh yes. Tropical fruits. I was flying on an aircraft from Queensland to Korea and I'm willing to swear that the total weight of mangos on that plane exceeded the total weight of passengers. Here mangos are just typical supermarket food.
Mary Kelly 2 years ago
really cannot get anything approximating fresh passionfruit in the u.s....ate and drank them like mad in indonesia...just fantastic!
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
A really good bottle of Merlot will cost about $3.50 - $4.
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Catharina Geerts 2 years ago (edited)
Free refills amaze me. That also counts for coffee, is that right? We don't know that here, except as a special promotion occasionally. In general, if you want a second cup, you buy it.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
We had free refills in one particular local Hungry Jacks near where I grew up (Australia)! It disappeared some time in the 2010s. It was multiple soft drinks on the machine, so I used to mix flavours, until one day I felt really sick after drinking 2-3 cups in a row, and it put me off it for a long time!
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Christopher Denney 2 years ago
So, go to Hawai'i and you can all get excited together. :) POG is real, POG is everywhere.
Catharina Geerts 2 years ago
What does POG mean? Are they the initials for various fruits in a mix?
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 2 years ago (edited)
yeah we do like guava and granadilla. It's a thing. Here you go: $3 for 2 L : https://www.checkers.co.za/All-Departments/Drinks/Juices-and-Smoothies/Fresh-Fruit-Juice/Liqui-Fruit-100%25-Breakfast-Punch-Fruit-Juice-Blend-2L/p/10212207EA
#21
When I went to Japan, all the rain gutters had aggressive crabs living in them. I thought that was the coolest thing ever!
lily jones 2 years ago
The face of that crab looks like one of the green pigs from angry birds surely someone else sees it
Mike Fitzpatrick 2 years ago
Ah yes, aggressive creatures with claws that PINCH you, coolest thing ever. 😂😂
Richard Graham 2 years ago (edited)
Now there's a great name for a rock group: "The Aggressive Crabs".
Geoffrey Scott 2 years ago
My wife, new to Florida, was coming out of the grocery store, spider crab on the other side of auto door...door opens...crab goes into attack mode, claws raised, wife screams, everyone laughs...'cept me. I ain't THAT stupid.
#22
Ibis. You can always tell the tourists by the way they take photos of them. The rest of us denigrate them (the birds, not the tourists!) as 'bin chickens'
lily jones 2 years ago
I only recently learned that they were called Ibises. Been calling them bin chickens my whole life
Liz Orreo trex ago go 2 years ago
Are they not "holy" in Egypt? Wasn't one of the gods an Ibis? Maybe the cat head god chases the Ibis head god, both chased by the jackal head god.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
https://9gag.com/gag/aGdpny7 the comments are hilarious. aGdpny7_70...543dec.jpg 
Lene 2 years ago
A few years back my family and I visited this little zoo here in Denmark. At some point I turned a corner and an ibis flew right above my head. I was so puzzled! Found a zoo keeper who told me it had escaped its enclosure the night before and they were trying to lure it back sorta "behind the scenes" while visitors/tourists were there but as soon as the zoo closed every zoo keeper would work on getting the bird back. At least it wouldn't fly far away since its babies was still in the enclosure. My mind when I saw an ibis flying free.... 🤯
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
nah we have a lot of them in SA, very common in our cities. They love nesting in pine trees for some reason (pine trees are not indigenous).
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Sandy Kavanaugh 2 years ago
They're such beautiful birds, and deserve more respect. And by the way, what's wrong with chickens, huh?!
JennyñÄdrian Cotter 2 years ago
I NEVER call them that and I get annoyed if anyone else does!!!
#23
I’ve lived in Florida my entire life, so alligators are just a thing that you see in the water and occasionally crossing the road. Well, today my wife and I went to the Alligator Farm zoo in St Augustine (it’s accredited, I checked) just to see what it’s like, and boy were there a lot of international travelers from Europe having their minds blown. Y’all really do act like a 7 year old seeing a real life dinosaur for the first time lol.
Johnnynatfan 2 years ago
There are many reasons not to go to Florida but their wildlife is not one of them. Its incredible and beautiful even when its scary sometimes.
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catastrophegirl 2 years ago
i moved away from fl almost 20 years ago and multiple times since i've had conversations with people about gators in places they aren't wanted. they say "why don't they just put up a fence?" and i say "go ahead, type 'alligator climbs fence' into the youtube search.". generally about 2 minutes later i hear "oh my god!" and then i say "now look at 'gator climbs tree'" to which the response is usually "oh hell no. and now i'm never going to florida." honestly, not going to florida is the best possible outcome for just about everyone.
U.R. Kidding 2 years ago
Nice. Young Komodo dragons climb trees as well, as do many of the other monitor lizards. And in the US, if you canoe under an overhanging branch, you can get conked by a startled turtle. I have experienced the latter.
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Kat Lyle 2 years ago
Someone ruined the chicken joke for me by mentioning that "other side" means death. (Sorry, feel free to pass forward)
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PlatinumThe8-BitCat 2 years ago
I’ve lived in Florida for like 7 years and I’ve actually never seen a wild alligator before
Gracie Jay 2 years ago
That’s insanity! I feel like they are everywhere and I’ve only visited family there. That’s probably like some sort of record:)
Load More Replies... Breadcrumb. 2 years ago
Do you just not swim in Florida for fear of alligators? Like how do you go down to the river, lake, beach..just for a cold dip in the summer?..
Paul Pienkowski 2 years ago
Wait til the euros learn Florida is the only place in the world that has alligators AND crocodiles. Two real life dinosaurs in the same place. And thousands of giant snakes.
gerard julien 2 years ago
wait till 'muricans learn there are more bears in European countries than in North American wildlife. emoji-6531...c6f102.png 
#24
In New Zealand waiting while sheep are moved to a different paddock on a country road. Tourists getting out of car taking pictures, whilst it's just basically a traffic jam to locals.
Iampenny 2 years ago
Sounds a lot like Ireland, Sheep traffic jams are a regular occurrence there too. I'd love to go to NZ though, it looks so beautiful.
Ramirez rachael 2 years ago
Have you ever had to call a farmer to tell him his cows are out? I have.
Carrie Laughs 2 years ago
I was the farmer's daughter putting them back! Most of the time the cows give themselves away as they bellow to each other when escaping! They're not subtle about it in the slightest. Also had to stand in the road to stop traffic so the cows could cross to go for milking! Now the sheep... sneaky beggars when they're getting out!
Load More Replies... Kayjunmoon 2 years ago
In many European countries the goats and sheep are actually shepherded all day. They eat, then are moved to a new bit of grass. No need for paddocks, but like NZ they occasionally hold up traffic.
hitex 2 years ago
Cows do this on texas FMs sometimes. Quite irritating when one stops a 2 lane road bc it got out
Sue User 2 years ago
Late to work onetime because guinea hens refused to leave the road. And i as 8 miles outside washington dc.
Load More Replies... Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
Cows and sheep where I am. Just accept your fate, sit back, relax and wait, they’ll be gone soon.
Brian Droste 2 years ago (edited)
I have a friend who is crippled. He still can drive but is impatient. He don't like a lot of traffic or being held up. So more than likely he wouldn't like it there or anywhere in this particular post.
Load More Replies... Carrie Laughs 2 years ago
One of my jobs as a child was stopping the traffic to get the cows across the road. They're never in a hurry either - takes some time when there are a 100s of cows!
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Cyril Sneer 2 years ago
Yeah, this in the English countryside too. My mate from London thought it was great.
#25
My husband is from Brazil and saw capybaras and golden tamarins regularly (apparently tamarins like chips), and it was so funny to him that I grew up seeing them as exotic and cool. On the flipside, he's taken pictures of things like Starbucks to send to his friends back in Brazil.
JuJu 2 years ago
Yes, I would happily give our Starbucks for a few Capybaras
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Ramirez rachael 2 years ago
He probably has as many pictures of Starbucks as I do of my cat on my phone. Unfortunately in America they are everywhere. I live in a town of 100,000 people and we have 8 Starbucks. And they are building another one.
Bobby 2 years ago
I feel that way about dollar general. We have 2 in my town of 30k and they're building another just 1.5 miles down the road from the first one
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#26
Phone boxes and double decker buses...
The Goo King 2 years ago
In the last five years I've only ever seen them being used by tourists for photos, not to make actual phone calls. Still cool though, and they smell less of wee now.
Load More Replies... arthbach 2 years ago
A number of the red phone boxes have been sold. Some have been repurposed as a shelter for a defibrillator machine, or for local free libraries, and a very small number as still payphones.
Ren Karlej 2 years ago
There are around 20,000 remaining working payphones across the UK, around 3,000 of which are in traditional red kiosks.
Load More Replies... BoredPossum 2 years ago
Take my upvote. Dr Who is great and Harry Potter...s friends too.
Load More Replies... Brian Droste 2 years ago
You still have phone boxes still in this age of smart phones? In the US they where called phone booths. I doubt if there are any left anymore, Or extremely rare.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
We still have some in Australia. Some still working phones, others just free wifi, others converted into other things.
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 2 years ago
we have double-deckers in SA but we were last a colony in the 1960s so not surprising.
realenancy170 2 years ago
When I went to the UK about 12 years ago I posed for a picture in a phone box. I had to hold my breath because of the urine odor. I was a tad dissolutioned.
Cyril Sneer 2 years ago
Not sure why this was down voted. It's very true and always has been.
Load More Replies... The Original Bruno 2 years ago
I'll own it. I'd sit outside for weeks waiting for a police box to dematerialize.
DoNotGoGentleIntoThatGoodNight 2 years ago
phoneboxes are a UK stereotype but we don't really have them anymore.
Ren Karlej 2 years ago
Not actually true. There are (as of August 2023) 20,000 remaining working payphones across the UK, around 3,000 of which are in traditional red kiosks. Next year the red phone box turns 100!
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#27
All You Can Eat buffets...but they are usually more horrified at our American excess and waste than finding it incredible
Spocks's Mom 2 years ago (edited)
Me too. I refuse to go. The number of people I see licking their fingers and then handling the serving utensils or just flat out touching food with spit fingers is sickening. My OCD says, "No thank you."
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Roan The Demon Kitty 2 years ago
all you can eat buffets exist elsewhere, too. There used to be an all you can eat chinese buffet not too far from me, but they'd have a sign that said you would be charged extra for each thing left on your plate when you were done. (so basically, don't let your eyes be larger than your stomach and waste food)
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 2 years ago
We used to have a restaurant chain called Sizzlers that offered an 'All you can eat'. Sadly, they all closed.
Johnnynatfan 2 years ago
They are gross. The food sucks and they really seem to not be clean to me. I dont get the allure of these places.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
There are hidden gems: my local Chinese buffet is meh but it has an awesome all you can eat hibachi station hidden in the back. It rocks!
Load More Replies... Chickens are fluffy 2 years ago
I'm just sad by the amount of waste. Why can't we just give it to chickens and pigs, they'll eat almost anything and are super happy about it too. (I have chickens, they love noodles, looks like worms to them)
PeepPeep the duck 2 years ago (edited)
I don’t know about other countries but a lot of places in Australia will say ‘ all you can eat buffet’ and then have an actual cap limit on how many times you can actually go back (usually 1-3 times), as a kid it was confusing but I’m guessing this is why
VioletHunter 2 years ago
They were just judging you hard for wanting to go back a fourth time. lol
Load More Replies... Paul Gerrard 2 years ago
Most american meals are excessive. Way too big. Why their toilets are double size of the rest of world.
#28
Moose. It’s just a big annoying dangerous cow.
Ace 2 years ago
When you're driving and come across a moose standing in the middle of the road, be prepared for a long wait, or turn round and find an alternative route. (Canada, I'm remembering Banff in particular).
El Cucuy 2 years ago
Alaska too. I used to work the flightline in Anchorage. Plane delays because of a moose on the runway who wasn't going anywhere happened quite a few times.
Load More Replies... EarthGrowl 2 years ago (edited)
I had a driver hit a moose in Maine. $30,000 worth of damage to my truck. Edit: The Moose walked away.
Lene 2 years ago
But they are amazing megafauna! And have you seen their faces????? So cute! But I'd never approach them. Just staying far away and put on the long lense on my bf's camera. I'd take 1000 pictures of wild moose if I ever came across them! Hmm.... perhaps that should be on my bucketlist????
WindySwede 2 years ago
It should! I've only seen the Swedish version, they are quite intimidating up close. But think the Canadian are even larger?
Load More Replies... Miss Frankfurter 2 years ago
When I was a little kid we lived in Port Coquitlam B. C. Way back before clear cutting😠. Our backyard was basically a forest, so my dad and I would go “camping” in our backyard. One night, after we were in the tent ( on the ground) and settling to sleep, my dad got right up beside my little ear and whispered not to move a muscle and don’t say anything, not even try to whisper until he told me I could. After a long while he started to move and speak in a normal voice and said I could too. Why? There was a moose right behind our tent checking us out. Let’s not startle the great big huge moose!!!
Donkey boi 2 years ago
My Canadian friend says, 'I wouldn't mind them if they weren't so dumb. Something that big has no right being so dumb'. To be fair, she apparently had one get stuck in her kid's play house in the garden.
Sandy Kavanaugh 2 years ago
Your friend is the one who's dumb. Which of these things occur naturally, moose or play house?
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Lily Braunekatze 2 years ago
They are very dangerous period, they will stomp a hole in you and they are much faster than they look.
Load More Replies... David Henderson. 2 years ago
Bush horses. Quite often more dangerous than a bear. They can run like a horse over any terrain and will stomp on you repeatedly if you get too close.
#29
Back in Malaysia, I used to work with a Norway based company that will send their young and the brightest Analyst to work with us for 6 months. It must be amazing for them to work in Kuala Lumpur where from their company owned apartment the twin towers are in view, its sunny and warm throughout the year, food are cheap, fruits are plentiful and the city is alive and happening well until 4am everyday. They always freak out (in a good way) when i bring them to a banana leaf restaurant (no plates, mixed curry rice are served on banana leaf) that you can only eat with your hands.
Donald 2 years ago
They put everything in plastic bags in SE Asian countries, even street vendors will serve some food in bags to eat out of.
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Kat Lyle 2 years ago
Came to see if Ethiopia had been mentioned - restaurant in London gets everyone talking. I eat oxtail with my hands - anytime I have been questioned I have asked what happened before knives and forks.
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Kat Lyle 2 years ago
You scoop it up like you would popcorn. Same way people did before the invention of cutlery.
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#30
This is really for Americans from different states. In Ohio we have drive throughs where you can buy a six pack of beer without getting out of the car. My friend from Pennsylvania finds this utterly amazing
D20 Games 2 years ago
Fellow former Ohioan here. First time I took my dude to my hometown, we went through the drive-thru liquor store. He was flabbergasted. "They just put cold beer in the backseat. And it's legal. Ohio is the weirdest place I've ever been."
Kristie French 2 years ago
We have them in Kansas too. Missouri also has them.
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Hokuloa 2 years ago
Yeah, not to sour the comments, but gotta love the states with combo drive through alcohol and ammo/bait shops. Yeehaw!
The Original Bruno 2 years ago
It's pretty common in about HALF of the US. Utterly unheard of in the other half.
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#31
As a foreigner in SE Asia, I'm always very excited to see monitor lizards, much to the amusement of locals. In the UK, I kinda love how excited tourists get about Gregg's.
Danielle 2 years ago
Don't demean Greggs Gavin, I'll throw hands! I did do a squeak of excitement when I saw a monitor lizard in Malaysia though and I'm not sure Greggs has every QUITE met that level.
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Huddo's sister 2 years ago
I saw a monitor/goanna for the first time while camping at the start of the year. I'm 33 and lived in the same Australian state all my life so it seems crazy I hadn't seen one before!
Little but Fierce 2 years ago
I saw a TikTok recently where an American was pronouncing it "G. R. Eggs."
#32
Bike paths EVERYWHERE.
quentariel 2 years ago
Finland has many too, at least in higger cities. But Netherlands is the clear winner.
JuJu 2 years ago
No. Absolutely not. We have cars parked on bike paths and the wonderful experience of being yelled at by car drivers when the bike path is just part of the street!
Load More Replies... #33
When our family members from other countries visit, I've noticed deer, turkeys, and coyotes blow their mind. A lot of the Safeways have sushi in the deli section, as well, and they've found it pretty crazy. The distance for things is another huge point of wonderment and shock, as well. So many of our family and their friends don't believe us when we say you can't expect to go to Yellowstone and Yosemite in one day.
ILoveMySon 2 years ago
Trying to explain the sound they make it VERY difficult. I always just say it is like electricity. 😂
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Sunny Foxglove 2 years ago
I live in a large city in MI and I have friends in other states that are shocked when they visit and see deer warning signs on random city roads. And even more shocked when they notice the wild deer family living in my backyard even though I live off one of the busiest main streets in the city. Deer are like forest animals in most areas and in MI they just live everywhere.
Chickens are fluffy 2 years ago
Deer are common and annoying where I'm at, they eat your garden, poop in your yard. You can occasionally find them in your backyard, or walking down a sidewalk. They cause many crashes
JayWantsACat 2 years ago
I live in San Francisco and I get surprised by the wildlife we get even in this major city. I ran into a coyote on my way to my train stop and a even mountain was spotted here a few years ago. I even saw a wild turkey next to the freeway near Oakland.
Potato 2 years ago
"Refuse" to go to a game reserve because an endangered or vulnerable species is boring. I've never rolled my eyes so hard.
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#34
Baboons and monkeys. Damn things steal our lunch and the tourists run after them trying for a selfie. South Africa.
Mary Kelly 2 years ago
people discount primates too, too much...they are highly intelligent, killer teeth, acrobat skills, and any disease they have we can probably get too...they are not squirrels...
TheSilentEngineer 2 years ago (edited)
This is so true. I live in a small town in the West Cape, our municipality has devoted a lot of funds to try and get a pack of baboons out of our town. People who are here on vacation will take pictures with them and more annoying, they will feed them.
David A Paterson 2 years ago
Yes. As an Australian visiting Borneo and South East Asia. The macaques are everywhere. They're locally considered a pest species. Mind blown - you actually have monkeys here!
#35
Getting naked together in a small room and beating ourselves and each other with twigs.
quentariel 2 years ago (edited)
I'm a Finn and immediately knew this was about sauna, but I have to admit the description can make it sound incredibly weird. Every part of it is true, though birch twigs are rarer and usually used in special occasions like in midsummer.
BoredPossum 2 years ago
If you forget to mention that it is wet and near the boiling point, people will misunderstand.
#36
Temples in Taiwan. Every backroad has one. There's probably 6 or 8 within a 5 minutes walk from building. An American friend visited, and he was mind blown that one of my windows looks over some back alley temple.
I'll see if I can find a pic.
Mav Mav 2 years ago
I live in Adelaide, South Australia, the city of churches. We have 1 church for every 3 pubs. And there are 1,100 churches across the sparsely populated state - you do the maths, that's a lot of pubs!!!
James Marciniak 2 years ago
Yes we do. It was always hilarious to hear Richie Benuad the cricket announcer talk about it. From Adelaide oval. "So many churches, so many pubs"
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Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Where I used to live we had temples/churches from at least for different religions on one block!
Javelina Poppers 2 years ago
When I lived in Thailand for a year, I was always amazed at the little ornate "spirit houses" outside of most buildings. They looked like little temples.
#37
The size of the US. We had some German cousins visit a number of years ago. They were shocked by the driving distance between Las Vegas and Phoenix. They were terribly impressed with our favorite Chinese buffet. The idea of free drink refills was amazing. They were very good about putting us up in Berlin and I was grateful we could reciprocate.
Nana K 2 years ago
That's a 5h drive. Berlin to Munich is 6h. I don't get why they were shocked.
Alex 2 years ago
Berlin to munich is like LA to NYC by German standards. In their frame of reference LV and Phoenix, even though they're about the same apart as Munich and Berlin, are in the same neck of the same region. So it's surprising that the amount you will drive to go from literally opposites of Germany, culturally and geographically, is about the same as it takes to get to between two cities in the same quadrant of the American Southwest
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Raymond Core 2 years ago
I took some Germans to the Mesquite Rodeo just outside Dallas. Minds Blown; especially Cowboy Poker!
Five Years 2 years ago
When I was at a grocery store meat counter in Germany it was mostly prepared meats and a few steaks.
#38
Milk in bags. Though, to be fair, I've heard it's incredible to other Canadians too, depending where they live.
RavenTheCat 2 years ago
Canned water was a interesting thing for me when i tried it
Load More Replies... Danish Susanne 2 years ago
You get that in Denmark too, from some dairies, and I hate them because they are really difficult to pour from without spilling. As luck would have it my favourite dairy still uses carton "bottles"
Brian D 2 years ago
I've never really liked the milk in bags. You'll be pouring and then the tip falls over and you've got milk on the table. I can remember when they first became a thing. They were a result of people using the gallon plastic containers to store liquids other than water or milk, and then returned them contaminated.
Gustav Gallifrey 2 years ago
We had milk in bags in Australia for a while in the 1970s. It just never caught on.
RosenCranzLives 2 years ago
I really haven't seen it in inner-core Toronto for years. I bet they're more common in the 'burbs where you have mostly multi-person families. More economical for that demo.
#39
Alligators, and gas station cuisine. Being originally from South Louisiana, gators are a regular thing. Visitors are astounded that people live among them. Gas stations and restaurants sell fried gator tail, boudin, boiled crawfish, and great poboy sandwiches.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
I haven't but would love to. I also regret not buying a camel burger when in Kings Canyon, but $27 was more than I wanted to pay!
Load More Replies... Little but Fierce 2 years ago
Dear God never go into a British gas station. A Kit Kat and a microwaved Rustler burger.
Paul Pienkowski 2 years ago
REALLY blow their minds: take them for gumbo cooked by a 75 year old black woman. Nothing will ever top that authentic Louisiana taste and experience.
Ramirez rachael 2 years ago
I’ll bet Louisiana has the best gas station food ever!! I never thought of that before! The one down the street from my house in the Midwest has kebabs sandwiches pizza. And it’s awesome.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
I had a great steak in a BP gas station in Pikeville KY. Cool town. Everything blasted out of the mountain with cliffs everywhere :-)
Load More Replies... #40
Red Solo Party Cups
hitex 2 years ago
If you've taken to playing beer pong, plastic is the least of your worries
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Ace 2 years ago
Why would foreigners be amazed by these? They're just plastic cups, nothing special, nothing unusual. They may occupy a special place in the American psyche, I don't know, but they're absolutely meaningless to the rest of the world.
JayWantsACat 2 years ago
There are plenty of non-Americans that are surprised these are real and not just film props. Just because you don't find them interesting doesn't mean others feel the same. And it's pretty arrogant of you deciding they're meaningless to the rest of the world just because of your own personal feelings.
Load More Replies... Ima Manimal 2 years ago
Yep. There’s a song too 😉. Red Solo Cup, I fill you up, and we’ll party……”
Mickipickie 2 years ago
Red solo cups are generally used at keg parties where everyone needs a cup. Beer pong came along about a million years after keg parties were invented. They come in a bunch of colors.
featherytoad 2 years ago
I can never understand why these keep popping up. Are the only sold in America or something? They are just plastic cups you use for big casual parties.
Wilhelm-Rafael Garth 2 years ago
A friend of mine got pretty rich, importing these to germany.
BlindAres 2 years ago
For the most part, American colleges & south. They're incredibly cheap at the grocery stores and provide an easy, disposable cup for small to large gatherings. Red is popular, blue is a thing too.
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#41
Garbage disposals.
WindySwede 2 years ago
And strange, why dilute food waste in large amounts of water? Here a bin under the sink for food waste.
Load More Replies... Ray Perkins 2 years ago
Composting is much better than putting the load on waste water systems.
The Scout 2 years ago
I would say, noone is really amazed by garbage disposals. More like shocked, as "why would you do that to your sewage systems?" The additonal water use is immense - not so much because of individual flushing, but because the pipes have to be flushed and cleaned more often.
ί𝔫ＣίŦᵃт𝐔𝐬 2 years ago
I need to flush and clean my pipes? I never have...
Load More Replies... #42
Grocery superstores in America were quite the impressive thing to our exchange students from Europe back in the day. Not sure if its still as impressive. They were amazed we had so many choices of types of food and brands of the same foods.
David A Paterson 2 years ago
Even compared to Australia, the US and Western Europe have a much wider range of commonplace goods.
Liz Orreo trex ago go 2 years ago
Had a Grad Student living across from Safeway ask me where are all the grocery shops, because they lived near a cheese shop too so they thought that there should also be a bunch of small shops, a bakery, a butcher, etc. And did not recognize the Safeway as a grocery store. I had to drag them into the store, they thought I was "putting them on". The big parking lot and bright store front confused them. And it was a small Safeway.
ADJ 2 years ago
While all kind of food supermarkets and shop are very common in most of the Europe, there are also many specialized shops, like you said - bakeries, often family owned, with great quality food, fish shops, butcher shops, sweets shops, cheese shops, wine shops, fruit/vegetables shops, even honey shops. It is up to you if you like to shop all things in one supermarket or if you like to buy from local vendors, often homemade qualite foods. Prices also differ, but usually with higher price comes higher quality.
Load More Replies... Powerful Katrinka 2 years ago
I took a friend would had just left the Soviet Union to my local grocery store, and he had a mini-nervous breakdown in the yogurt aisle.
quentariel 2 years ago
Has anyone measured how many steps they take in one shopping trip in a single store? I'm just curious about how big they really are.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
New Braunfels TX Buc-ees is 66,336 sq ft (0.616 ha). Largest Wal-Mart in USA (Albany, NY) is 260,000 sq ft (2.42 ha)
Load More Replies... #43
Used to work retail in Metro Detroit and we got lots of Canadians that came over to shop. They were absolutely fascinated by $1 bills.
Ray Perkins 2 years ago
Most Canadians going to the US to shop are certainly old enough to remember 1 and 2 dollar bills. And pennies.
Load More Replies... Liz Orreo trex ago go 2 years ago
Canada discontinued 1$ mid 90s, 2$ late 90s. US tried to get same system of coins but population said no. Apparently coins last 30+ years and bills last less than a year, but cost of production on bills make them way more expensive.
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
The UK got rid of the £1 note way back in the mid 80s. I can still remember having £1 coins on the day they came out and the cashier not being sure about taking them. Took a long time for the £2 coin to come in.
Load More Replies... Mike Fitzpatrick 2 years ago
That's funny, living in the D and going to Windsor we were fascinated by Loonies!
Donkey boi 2 years ago
I don't know about Canadians currency, and I don't know about "fascinated", but I would find it odd that they have a note for 1. Most places I've been have coins for a 1, first note is usually a 5.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
You are correct. Canadians don't. We do in US because the coin got the rejection by the general population.
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michael Chock 2 years ago
Loonie is the one dollar coin, twoonies are the two dollar coin
Load More Replies... PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
No $1 bills in Canada for almost 30 years.
Load More Replies... What do you think ?
BravePanda 2 years ago
Having world famous community members who are just going about their lives. Super common in California, but also in Olympic training areas, or in my case, in small town Maine. I lived 2-13 miles away from Stephen King for 5 years and saw him hundreds of times out and about, from the library to the grocery store.
sturmwesen 2 years ago
I guess in Germany it's the old city centers for Americans and Asians. In summer they take pictures of my neighbourhood like it is Disney World.
Miss Scarlet 2 years ago
Everyone who posts on one of these topics about foreign impressions needs to say which places they are talking about!
M Calad 2 years ago
For me it was when I was sent to work in the Emirates. In my very first morning I was woken up by the loud speakers of a nearby mosque singing the morning prayers. I have never heard something like that in my whole life. I found it beautiful, eerie, wholesome, melancholic and strange all at the same time. Still those singing prayers are one of the best memories of my time there.
BravePanda 2 years ago
Having world famous community members who are just going about their lives. Super common in California, but also in Olympic training areas, or in my case, in small town Maine. I lived 2-13 miles away from Stephen King for 5 years and saw him hundreds of times out and about, from the library to the grocery store.
sturmwesen 2 years ago
I guess in Germany it's the old city centers for Americans and Asians. In summer they take pictures of my neighbourhood like it is Disney World.
Miss Scarlet 2 years ago
Everyone who posts on one of these topics about foreign impressions needs to say which places they are talking about!
M Calad 2 years ago
For me it was when I was sent to work in the Emirates. In my very first morning I was woken up by the loud speakers of a nearby mosque singing the morning prayers. I have never heard something like that in my whole life. I found it beautiful, eerie, wholesome, melancholic and strange all at the same time. Still those singing prayers are one of the best memories of my time there.
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