30 Things Europeans Do That Leave Americans Raising Their Eyebrows

A friend i hadn't seen for a long time moved to a town 100km away. In Australian terms, that's practically just around the corner.

There, bathroom. There, there...

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As an American you have no idea about left wing and right wing because, by European standards, both of your parties are right of centre.

I did this in Argentina. I loved being able to just get what I needed every day. Food is always fresh, cuts down a lot on waste, you get a little bit extra exercise, and you can make exactly what you're in the mood for that day.

Because since WW2 Americans are used to the taste of butyric acid. It used to be used to keep the milk from spoiling, now it's added because Americans actually prefer it that way.

So the picture shows non-tilt-and-turn windows... well done BP.

Long long ago, in a time forgotten.... Hot and cold water are kept separate to prevent contamination, cold water comes into the house directly from the mains supply and is safe to drink. Hot water was provided by an Immersion heater generally located in the loft of a house and as it sits there it is considered unsafe to drink. Water bylaws prevent hot and cold from being mixed - this still applies today, water is NOT allowed to mix until is exits the tap.

Haha, so I grew up in a town in southern France... the city center dates back a thousand (if not more) years ago, as in many places across Europe. That city is partnered with a big one in kentuky and they gifted a BIG police car to their french cousins. Nice! municipality police was so proud of their shiny BIG AMERICAN car. Butt of the joke : just try and picture that BIG AMERICAN police car manoeuvering in those medieval streets ; the result was hillarious and not efficient at all in cathing wrong doers.

You smoke to look cool the first time then the nicotine hits you, you'll never be really relaxed without it

This is mandatory as a safety measure: the switch must be placed out of reach of the shower or bath to avoid touching it when you are in the water.

This is usual when the whole building is brand new and you are BUYING the apartment. So you can decide what kind of kitchen do you like. I can imagine that sometimes this might happen with some long-term rent, like 10+ years. Otherwise no one will rent a flat without kitchen.

If I lived in an apartment in Germany I'd install a large sign in my kitchen that read "Installed by Dr Who" - wait, I may be misreading this post

Wait. Does the tenant then remove and take the kitchen to the next apartment?

WTF, and you guys have a problem with the American housing market?

What is included in term kitchen? My cabinets/bench tops/sink wouldn't fit any other unit here in Sydney Australia. Each unit in each building has such a unique size/layout.

We love our kitchens, so like furniture they come with us when we move.

This is why landlords that want to be listed with the American base for renting to American military have to have installed kitchens.

No kitchen!? What the hell? That isn't right. I'm from the UK and South Africa.

As a German, even as a student, we always found it dreadful if some butt ugly kitchen was installed in a flat - instant 'no, thank you' on our end.

In the Netherlands it depends. Luxury rental apartments often come with a complete kitchen with built-in devices. In social housing, it's usually no more than a counter with sink and cupboards. You have to buy a stove, fridge, microwave etc. yourself. As these are not built-in, you can take them with you to a new place. If you buy a house, it depends. Since several years I have my own house, and the previous owner sold it with a complete kitchen, including a dishwasher. It felt like such a luxury! By the way, when I left my rental house, I sold the kitchen appliances to the new tenants. I didn't need them anymore, and for them as first-time tenants, it was very practical and cheaper than buying new.

I worked as a property manager many years ago in an area that would routinely have foreign people moving to the area due to there being 3 military installations there. I had a young couple from Germany come to apply for an apartment and they were shocked that the apartment I showed them had a full kitchen. That was the day I learned that in Germany you had to buy your own kitchen and they learned that in the U.S. you don't.

This is also true in California, for rentals.

This depends very much on the region in Germany. In some regions the kitchen is empty, in some the owner needs to provide a stove, sink, and a cupboard, and in a few regions you get a complete kitchen

Not just Germany — Netherlands, too. In fact they will go a step further here and remove all flooring — even if it’s in great condition. Just amazes me.

I recently moved to Baden-Württemberg and I lucked out, as my apartment came with a kitchen

Off point, but anybody else fascinated by the number of knobs on the stove in that picture?

Very odd. Never got that German thing. Hard enough packing up a house, let alone a kitchen!

First of all, this needs to be higher because I'm so confused. What exactly is meant by the word "kitchen"? Does that include appliances, cabinets and counters? It's so hard for me to imagine what a flat without a kitchen looks like.

"Otherwise no one will rent a flat without kitchen." True that ....

As a Brit living in Germany, I feel this in the feelies. Absolutely takes some getting used to. But now I like it!

And nary a ceiling fan.

Or maybe running the AC all the time, even if you are not home, is a waste of energy? Also, you get used to the heat a little bit, but only if you actually experience the heat.

Germans are very curious about other people. It takes a while to get used to the staring! (Speaking as a Brit who is now a Brit/German). It's nothing personal, they are just curious. I like to be considered interesting enough!

Restaurants will charge for bottled water. Tap water is free.

It's mostly because of tradition. Apart from that, they serve no real purpose, indeed.

What?

Totally agree on this. It's a real problem in parts of England. When I moved back from Japan, where nearly every convenience store has a clean well maintained toilet, it was a struggle for me.

Quick, cheap, easy to make. Add some cheese on top to be fancy!

less water, protect the sink, can be use somewhere else

because its a breakfast coffee

Yeah, when I first moved to Germany I was weirded out by this. I thought, what am I supposed to do, drape a flag over it and salute as I flushed it farewell?

Because tap water is so excellent that you would ask for cheaper tap water instead of bottled water if you wanted still water.

Haha!! My MIL is a little bit wild and indecisive. She's had a traumatic life, poor love, but she's done good with the cards she was dealt. When I visited, she was trying to choose a wallpaper for the front room - three very different styles, including one hot pink one with black velvet flocking, one with pink roses and another stripy one (I think). Next time I visited, she had simply put all three up in one rather small room because she couldn't decide. I felt a panic attack coming on when I stepped in there, there was so much to look at! :)

If you have German renter's rights, there is simply no reason to own a house, as long as you do not really, really need the additional space. It practically is "your" place. You can do as you want as long as you don't damage the building substance, the landlord can hardly make any demands, eviction is next to impossible without very compelling reasons. Also, even though having increased over the last years, rent is comparably cheap compared to the real estate prices. In most cases, it simply makes no sense to buy, regardless of your income. Also, far commuting (more than an hour of way to work) is rare here, so people want to stay flexible to move when changing jobs.