A lot of things differ from country to country—not to mention continents—making some people quite confused about the way inhabitants of the lands far far away live. Whether it’s faucets, windows, or shopping habits they find surprising, some things might simply make no sense for those not used to them.
Redditors recently discussed the topic after one of them posed a question to the ‘Ask Reddit’ community. They addressed the American members of the group asking what is something that Europeans have or do that makes no sense to them, and the respondents had plenty to share. Scroll down to find their answers below and see for yourself whether they do or do not make any sense.
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I'm Canadian, but it's always baffled me that some Europeans consider a half hour's worth of driving a long time. That wouldn't even get me out of the area I'd consider local
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.
Im from Europe myself (uk) and find it strange some people here have carpet in their bathroom. ITS DISGUSTING
Football hooliganism. You'll beat people just for wearing the wrong shirt to the wrong bar. Its a horrendous practice
As an idiot american with 2 parties I only understand left wing and right wing, europeans have a party for everything. It's confusing, but I wish we weren't a 2 party state tbh
It makes sense to me, but it still seems marvelous to me that in France (other places I'm sure, but I learned this in French class) it is common to buy groceries every day. You may wake up and go to the bakery for fresh baked bread, or stop by for fresh produce on the way home to make dinner.
Yes, having walkable grocery stores nearby makes it easier, it seems so much easier to buy 3-4 days or a week's worth of groceries at a time.
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.
It's not that it doesn't "make sense," but the first time I saw those windows that can be moved a bunch of different ways, you would have thought I was seeing a rabbit being pulled out of a hat, that's how amazed I looked. Tilt and Turn Windows
Saw that mostly in the UK, having 2 separate faucets for hot and cold water?? What the hell lol? Washing my hands was the worst.
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.
The cute sounding police sirens. In America the police sirens seem like an urgent, semi-deranged warning to GTF out of the way, like **S**T'S GOING DOWN AND I'M NOT THERE!!!!! MOOOOOOOOVE!!!!!!!!"**
Meanwhile every European police siren I've heard just kind of politely annoy you out of the way. Like "bee doooo bee doooo, pardon me but a spot of bother has occured and I simply must hasten to it, pardon me as I simply must attend to it, pardon me."
And the police cars themselves are so small. American police cars are big and brawny, like they might need to make their own garage door into building. The European police cars I've seen, where they even put the people they arrest? Granted, I've only seen European police stuff on TV so there's probably a lot I haven't seen.
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.
The smoking. I stayed with a host family in France and my 16 year old host sister smoked like a chimney, as did all her friends. Like you're so young. Why?
Why you guys like to put bathroom light switches outside the bathroom?
In Germany, apartments don't normally come with a kitchen. It's purchased/installed by the Tennant. Sometimes you luck out but not usually.
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.
I’m from the Midwest and my family is from the Netherlands. So the society that wouldn’t dare offend you in any way and the society that has no problem dropping truth bombs on you. It’s rough.
As a Brit living in Germany, I feel this in the feelies. Absolutely takes some getting used to. But now I like it!
No a/c, sure fine, but then no screens on your windows so all the bugs get in? (Not sure if this is all of Europe, but def the UK).
Also no top sheets?
Was just in southern Italy and it was hot as balls but everybody acted like they hate AC.
We’d go out for the day and when we came back, housekeeping had turned off all the AC units.
Driver wore a full suit but every time we got in the car, AC was off. We’d ask him to turn it on and he would but on low. Ask him to blast it and he would for a minute then sneakily turn it back down.
It’s like they’re reptiles or something.
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.
Why would you run the AC (or heat) when you're not at home?
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Big differences in temperature are not good for health. If it's hot outside and cold inside, many people will have sore throat and they easily catch a flu-like symptoms.
Sorry, but air temperature has nothing to do with viral transmission. That's a myth carried over from medieval eras. The reason is electricity is expensive in EU.
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Used to live in NYC for a while. Some neighbours kept the A/C running in WINTER because the apartments were overheated. When I suggested *opening a window* I was told: 'But the baby is used to A/C'! They were heating and cooling at the same time. What a waste of energy and money. So who thinks Europeans are weird :))?
Southern Italians like the heat on the whole. Also there are regulations in municipalities that prohibit the use of heaters/ac in certain months to save energy.
I would go check the energy consumption by country - which also relates to emissions and environmental impact. #1 is China, which has 1,5bn people, and #2 is the US, that has 330m, #3 is India with 1,5bn people as well. My point being, it's not like people in Europe hate the A/C, rather that we use it when absolutely necessary. Many european countries have a very strong environmental conscience and they're trying to minimize their impact. Personally, I'm from Greece, all the bedrooms in my apartment have A/C. We'd turn them on for a couple of hours when we went to bed, set it to turn off by itself, and it was enough. The rest of the day, we're either out, or at work, or school or whatever. It's not needed. Now I live in Sweden, there's no A/C anywhere because it's not needed. The weeks that it's warm aren't nearly as many as the months that it's cold.
Dome ACs use less energy when they have a chance to run all day, so they don't have to cool down an overheated house, they just maintain the temperature.
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I'm Italian. AC is little used in Italy, mainly because electricity is very expensive. The average household has 2.5Kw and typically you need to pay attention if you're running your dishwater while passing the vacuum cleaner. AC is just an electricity sucker... For the car is the same reasoning: gas is more expensive than in other European countries due to state taxes, and AC will make your car use more.
I actually do hate AC. Some days it is necessary but it's stupid to bring your body down to 17 and then back up to 35 (celcius), your body does not appreciate that either.
You should tell that to the people who go from a sauna to an ice bath and back again. They say it's good for your body.
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(US) we have AC, but use it only in the late PM to knock the 90 degree in the house down for a couple hours. Might be wrong, but I feel my body should adapt to environment. Winter thermostat (Mich) at 68 degrees. Usually wear a couple shirts (T and flannel)..same reason.
I honestly hate ACs. The constant hum and the feeling of air draft on my skin drives me crazy.
If you're doing AC right you should never feel it on your skin. It's not meant to be blown on you, it's meant to keep the air around you cool.
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My wife and I just hate AC blasting. I do not need to sit in chilled down rooms. I guess it is what you are used to.
Actually in Italy too insane cold AC like you use it in the States is becoming more and more common (also because the climate is going insane and this summer we reached 48° and...it's unlivable) But, yes, we are not AC crazy like you guys. The reality is that more often than not AC is not fundamental, that tourists suffer even with 30° because you're not used to warm countries and that people "fixated" on AC use it at night, when the temperature drops and there's that lovely summer breeze, just because. AC is not ecofriendly, let's try to use it in a sensible way.
Unless the average yearly temperature is 92°f (33°) then you bless the person who invented the AC and wish he were canonized. St Carrier, yep that has a nice sound. And no, you never, ever get used to it.
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In the UK we've forgotten how to build houses that actually work naturally well in our climate. A modern house is over-insulated and will definitely overheat in summer. Whereas my 400 year old cottage is made out of solid stone and only has 1m wide windows. So it is basically 19 degrees celcius in there all year round. In the last great heatwave (it touched 40 degrees- a record for the UK). My neighbours actually came around to my place to cool off!
Sitting in my modern over-insulated house and it doesn't get hot in the summer. If it is so insulated it keeps the heat in during winter, why wouldn't it be capable of keeping heat out during the summer?
Load More Replies... Maybe you are unfamiliar with something known to most europeans called an Electricity Bill.
It is what you are used to. Cheap energy in the past has enabled Americans to freely waste it and indulge themselves when it comes to maintaining a temperate-climate lifestyle. Now everyone is crying because the electric and gas bills are killing their bank accounts. Turn it up or down a little depending on the season and get used to it.
human body build to bare heat. except americans, who cant walk, can't bare the heat, can't deal with grief, so they f**k up the world for everyone, because instead of adapt, they just want their convenient little bubbles.
Why on earth would you leave an AC on if you're not there? Ever heard of global warming?
They let themselves acclimate. If you keep your ac a bit hotter in summer you will actually be more comfortable when you go outside.
wait wait wait wait. you keep your AC on when you're not at home...? I think you might be the problem. have you ever heard of global warming? or thing like US have the highest energy consumption per person in the world?
The concept of running heating to cooling appliances in an empty house baffles me. Completely irresponsible.
It's even uglier to enter the heat outside after being cooled down too low and also it costs a lot (economically and ecologically!) to keep the AC running full power constantly.
You're not meant to run AC nonstop full power constantly.
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This reminds me of California. I was there in the spring and it was HOT but no stores had AC on! I wanted to die from nausea already
Idk if its all Europeans but Germans have a real big problem with staring like I owe them money. Also paying to use the bathroom in public spaces.
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!
Charging for bathrooms and charging for water (at restaurants) are both things that I would have expected Americans to do and Europeans be the ones making fun of it.
You all give us so much grief for having bathroom stall door gaps, and then have a one foot wide piece of glass to keep water in the shower…
Beans on toast.
My British grandma always had a plastic tub in the sink to soak dishes. It seems so weird to have a sink in a sink basically.
To all you Italians: why can’t I have a cappuccino past noon??
The poop shelf in Dutch/Belgian toilets.
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?
It's not that it makes no sense but I've always been curious how carbonated water became the default in many places
England's fascination with large print flowered wallpaper with various colors that don't go together especially when you stand in the hallway and see where all the rooms converge.
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! :)
Rent their whole lives. I saw this in Germany. I know it's becoming the norm in the US, too, but it just seemed weird to me the first time I visited 30 years ago that most Germans rented their entire lives and never even thought about buying a house.
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.
Do any Europeans have a clothes dryer? Why do I think that’s not standard?
No top sheets on beds.
The first time I experienced "European Style" bedding, I was so confused. When I asked about the top sheet, I was told they only use a duvet. I'm a hot sleeper, so I didn't use it. Ended up sleeping without a sheet over me, which was uncomfortable. But, when in Rome...
Why the hell don’t you guys just serve tap water (if it’s OK to drink) to tables when they sit down? I’m currently in Europe and a handful of restaurants will not even serve you tap water and you have to buy it. This is in many countries too! Wtf it’s free and right there!!!
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Funny how nobody's complaining about 'Euro-bashing' like so many do on similar posts about the US.
But then, have you read all the buts and ifs. It's still a sh!tty post and the comments end up bashing the USA. Maaaan!!
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Oh boy, Europeans getting pretty chippy in this post. Don't worry, BP will have at least 10 posts next week talking about how terrible the USA is.
Interesting! South Africa was colonized Europeans so a few of these are quite common here too! The hot & cold sinks (although that is thankfully phasing out!), the baked beans, fresh produce (we also have loads of markets and traders), glass shower doors. I don't think I've even seen a bug cover thing on a window or door?? We just put on bug spray and we do sometimes have mosquito nets which hang from the roof around your bed. But yeah summer and spring the windows always open, not much AC, only for fancier places and offices (fans and mist sprayers are more common), plastic tub in sink to save water yep.
Very similar is Australia too., though we do have fly screens! Air Cons are more and more common, but they are set at much more sustainable temps than the US seems to use.
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I rather think that is a sweeping overgeneralisation.
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No one mentioned buildings 500 years old? With plumbing to match.
So true - the UK (my homeland) has some of the worst housing stock in Europe. OK, so it's good we won the war and all but some houses should still be knocked down and rebuilt to better standards, and the urban planning submitted to further scrutiny again too!
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Whaaaa? A post where we poke fun at Europe a little bit?? Well, I sure hope BP is okay after this traumatic event. :)
Okay - I will. I have problems with my hands and wrists (from age 7) and actually find knobs easier. This is due to two things (and is purely personal). 1. The angle that my hand goes into when I push down a handle and 2. I actually need to turn a k**b less than I do a handle! There should be CHOICE as people have different hand/wrist issues and the same won't work for each person. 🤷😁
Load More Replies... Every post here: Someone says something; Every comment: But America sucks somehow related to this!
And why no ice? I'd love to own a Manitowac franchise in the EU.
Funny how nobody's complaining about 'Euro-bashing' like so many do on similar posts about the US.
But then, have you read all the buts and ifs. It's still a sh!tty post and the comments end up bashing the USA. Maaaan!!
Load More Replies... Oh boy, Europeans getting pretty chippy in this post. Don't worry, BP will have at least 10 posts next week talking about how terrible the USA is.
Interesting! South Africa was colonized Europeans so a few of these are quite common here too! The hot & cold sinks (although that is thankfully phasing out!), the baked beans, fresh produce (we also have loads of markets and traders), glass shower doors. I don't think I've even seen a bug cover thing on a window or door?? We just put on bug spray and we do sometimes have mosquito nets which hang from the roof around your bed. But yeah summer and spring the windows always open, not much AC, only for fancier places and offices (fans and mist sprayers are more common), plastic tub in sink to save water yep.
Very similar is Australia too., though we do have fly screens! Air Cons are more and more common, but they are set at much more sustainable temps than the US seems to use.
Load More Replies... I rather think that is a sweeping overgeneralisation.
Load More Replies... No one mentioned buildings 500 years old? With plumbing to match.
So true - the UK (my homeland) has some of the worst housing stock in Europe. OK, so it's good we won the war and all but some houses should still be knocked down and rebuilt to better standards, and the urban planning submitted to further scrutiny again too!
Load More Replies... Whaaaa? A post where we poke fun at Europe a little bit?? Well, I sure hope BP is okay after this traumatic event. :)
Okay - I will. I have problems with my hands and wrists (from age 7) and actually find knobs easier. This is due to two things (and is purely personal). 1. The angle that my hand goes into when I push down a handle and 2. I actually need to turn a k**b less than I do a handle! There should be CHOICE as people have different hand/wrist issues and the same won't work for each person. 🤷😁
Load More Replies... Every post here: Someone says something; Every comment: But America sucks somehow related to this!
And why no ice? I'd love to own a Manitowac franchise in the EU.
