We often hear stories of cultural shocks non-Americans experience when coming to live the American dream. From the little vacation time Americans have to the vast distances between places, extreme portion sizes, bulk shopping, healthcare system… and the list goes on and on, and on.
So in order to even out the karma and give a tribute to the wholesome side of our beloved country that sometimes gets an undeserved amount of criticism from outsiders, we're gonna look at the positive things non-Americans found about the US.
Think of our incredible communication skills, the amount of nature, the scale and the grandeur, drinking fountains everywhere... Get ready for a wholesome dose and be sure to leave a comment on what you find fascinating and admirable about America below this article!
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If you guys want you can go to pretty much any climate without a passport. You have tropical, desert, ocean side, lake side, mountains etc etc.
The actual people.
Government is f**ked. media is d**ked all to hell. inequality is staggering, but most American people I've met have been helpful, compassionate, fun, and kind individuals.
Yeah, that’s always wonders me too; looking from outside one could believe they have to all be idiots. Then I know many American people pretty well and they are all decent humans
The Smithsonian Museums. Very cool and very fun to walk around and see. And they're free.
Americans always know how to get a conversation going! "Hey, where are you from?" And then they are genuinely interested in hearing the answer even if perhaps they've never heard of that place. They are great at small talk, and friendly (doesn't matter if it is "fake" sometimes, e.g. the waitress, it is still a skill to be that friendly and welcoming, in my opinion). They make people feel like a million bucks.
The scale and grandeur. I'm used to nature being small, but everything in America is bigger - bigger storms, bigger mountains, bigger horizons. Even the sky seems more. People in America are casually dealing with everything from alligators to bears, pitching tents on the sides of cliffs and walking their dogs through literal wilderness, I genuinely feel like a hobbit watching Aragorn saunter through Middle Earth like it's nothing while I've never been beyond the end of farmer Maggot's farm before. I love it.
New Zealander here, I visited America at the begin of 2020, and the sheer size and scale of your country was truly overwhelming. Like, travelling across the country side, and visiting national parts was just, wow (also love the LOtR's reference!!!)
I always hear complaints about the portion sizes, which is fair, they're big. But we gotta give America credit how socially acceptable it is to take the leftover food home. As a frugal Dutch person, this mesmerises me and I'm very sad this is not as acceptable here.
In Spain it's accepted and people from the restaurant are happy when you ask for it, instead to throw food. Also in most countries of Europe. Just keep asking for it and Dutch restaurants will see less and less weird.
yes dun give up, keep asking until it is sociable in Dutch, plss dun throw leftover food, there r millions hungry ppl around the world
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Do it anyway, I don't waste food and I don't care what anyone thinks. It's actually becoming more of a "thing" to take leftovers (or a sneaky dessert) home in the UK
I live in Netherlands, where we went in last 8 years I only recall one occasion where reply on taking leftover home was not possible. Other than that everywhere they were happy to pack leftovers, if restaurant did not have plastic boxes they simply packed it in aluminum foil and a bag, no issue with that. I'm pretty much small portion eater, rarely I can finish normal size meal, never noticed weird looks but honestly I wouldn't care about that.
I thought this happened everywhere! We certainly take our leftover food home :)
Yeah, what a lot of people visiting the US don't realize about the portion sizes is that it's a LOT of food for us too. Most restaurants serve more than we could eat and way more than we would serve ourselves at home. So, it's pretty normal to take the leftovers home. I mean, you paid for it, it's your food, and why waste it??
I'm also from the Netherlands and where I live (northern part) it is quiet common to take leftovers.
It's not? I'm an American expat living in Belgium and I ask to take the leftovers home all the time. Oops.
I'm Belgian and it's very acceptable. Even more those last years, with take away becoming more and more usual even in restaurant. They have container for the left-overs.
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Can't you just bring your own container for taking home leftovers? We do that all the time here in the US, instead of asking for a disposable container from the restaurant.
Good idea, although I usually reuse the container at least once
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In some US restaurants, when you order a main meal, you get a buffet salad or some other similar dish for a fraction of it's regular price, like 1.99 instead of 8.99. So I always ordered the main meal to go in a box, and eat the salad in house and I get two meals for almost the price of one
Well, don’t be too mesmerized. No real health system, women’s control over their bodies is eroding, and we’re all addicted to sugar and HUGE portions… Yay!
Met lots of Americans insisting to get their rightful doggy bags to then just store them in their fridge with the other doggy bags until thrown away. Bad crowd probably.
True. That said the portions in the Netherlands are also smaller
it is accepted here these days.... been out of the country for a while?
Well, I am Dutch and I never heard of it to be a problem. Portions are smaller, so you dont NEED a doggy bag
I learned that somewhere and i always take it with me. You can downlook at me, but i will be having a wonderful leftovers breakfast tomorrow morning.
Most of our issue as Americans is portion control. We see it, we eat it. Some of us have gotten wise though and immediately ask for a take out plate as soon as the food comes. 9/10 half the food is all you need to eat anyway.
Even if you have just a tiny bit left they will ask you if you want a to go nox
As an American I can say if the portion sizes are big, we tend to ask for an extra plate or to have the meal 'split'
To help with conservation (in my own little way), I bought a couple second hand purses that I keep reusable containers in. When I go to a restaurant, I will use one of those purses so that I can take the food home without having to ask for a to go box.
I frequently consider the re-heat-ability of a dish before I order in a restaurant.
If you’re a visitor to the country, aren’t large portions kinda nice? You’re on vacation. Pig out!
No. I only want to pay for one ration of a fresh cooked meal. If I were interested in eating the same microwaved shıt for three days, I'd bought
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My best example of this...I generally (in pandemic-free times) eat at a friend's restaurant a couple times a month. When he has a mac 'n' cheese special (usually lobster or pulled pork), it costs 20USD. I eat my fill and take the rest home (in a reusable container, which I bring with me), whereupon my daughter and I each get 2 more meals from it. That's 5 meals in total. For 20 USD.
I love that when I go out to eat I can usually count on getting two or three meals out of my food.
I wish the take-home boxes were more eco friendly though. I have never managed to finish a meal when we go out to eat and that means always asking for a to-go box because I have at least half a meal left that I want to take home to eat for dinner the next day. It sounds incredibly strange, but I now bring a reusable container when we go out to eat. I get a ton of strange looks but I would rather that then the plastic container they try to give you at the restaurant.
I always wonder what they do with the leftover food in countries where this isn't socially acceptable. Does it just get thrown away? :-(
You have to eat/take home the food and destroy the garnish or else the restaurant will recycle it to another customer!
Food bought ar the grocery can be badly stored or kept for too long. This makes no sense.
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The amount of nature. Mountains, forests, valleys, deserts, water falls etc
Where i live we got a few hills and theres no place anywhere in the country that is completely untouched or so far from a civilization that you cant hear traffic etc
Something Americans are definitely not known for, the food. Yeah yeah the US eats a TON of garbage, but there are also certain regional foods that are just amazing. Tex-Mex in the south, Southern soul food. Maine lobster, shrimp rolls, fried clams and clam strips. Grouper sandwiches. Hell I would drive to Virginia beach just for the softshell crab
A lot of Non-Americans think all you eat are hotdogs and twinkies, but some of the best food I've had has been in the US and most of it was regional dishes you can't get anywhere else
It's like each state is a whole different country and I'd like to visit them all.
I've been to 47 of them. There are many wonderful places... and a few states that... quite frankly.... well.... you might as well just fly over.
The water drinks are served with ice at restaurants.
I remember my first trip to England. I had to specifically order ice with every single drink and I would get two little ice cubes. So I would routinely order two glasses full of ice with every order I had. Nothing better than an ice cold drink on a hot summer day no matter where you are
How madly diverse it is. Admittedly I’ve only seen it on tv but the fact that the Bronx and Texas are the same country is mind boggling.
The ability to drive from winter to summer in 24 hours... Or less!
Way less than 24 hours. Southern California here: skiing at Big Bear then three hours later surfing in Huntington Beach. Yeah is awesome and why I moved out here.
That a lot of Americans are pretty chill, open, and kind people. You wanna just talk about nothing? You can do that. You have mental health issues? People aren't gonna judge. There's a problem going on and you wanna talk about it? You can do that.
In my family's culture, you must always keep to yourself if something's bothering you, always tell white lies, put up this facade of your life being rainbows and unicorns, and mental illness/disabilities/neuro divergence is frowned upon and shows you're weak. It's so suffocating.
Not all of the U.S. is open and chill, but the population is huge. There's room here to find your people, find your community.
The variety of groceries!
I want sugar free? Boom...everything. Oh there's something we have at home but here's 30 varieties of it! Special dietary restrictions? Don't have to order it...here's the stuff at the local target!
I'm in Canada and although there's a decent selection of these things, it's much better in the USA, cheaper too.
The arts. Jazz, rhythm and blues, the early rock and roll that inspired the British Invasion. The authors. The films.
Drinking fountains everywhere. And nearly all public toilets are free.
NASA is America’s best PR.
Sure they could really use triple the budget to seriously get things done, but what they do is admired globally.
I freakin love the energy most Americans give off. You guys are like extraverted extraverts. If I was introduced to a handful of people from around the world, I could tell you which was the American even with a blindfold, because they'd be the only one to instantly say hello and start chatting when I walk into the room as a stranger. Your talking to strangers energy is almost more than our talking to 20-year-old friends energy.
No thanks. I'm a major introvert and this would scare me so much.
Southern cuisine, from BBQ all the way to Creole type stuff... You guys know how to eat down there.
I'm from Portugal and living in US right now. One thing that really impressed me when I got here was how green the US was, and how many trees they have.
The power and quality of their film and TV industry. They can make dreams and fantasies come to life.
Jurassic Park to me as a child was like all my dreams had come true.
New York City. Hot Dogs. Your Friendliness. Hollywood. Yellowstone. Baseball. Ford GT. Road trips. Coke. NASA. Southern BBQ. Burgers. Yosemite. Your infectious love of the outrageous. Jaws. Your love of English accents ;). Harrison Ford. Rock and freakin roll. Nike. Magic Mountain. Pamela Andersen. Red Vines. The Video games / animation industries. Dr Pepper. Maine Lobster Rolls. Skateboarding. Ralph Lauren. The Sopranos. Jack FM. Baskin Robbins. Car park cookouts. Wake boarding. Ruby’s Diner. Long Island (Iced Tea). Eddie Murphy. Technological innovation. Soul. Southern California. Star Wars. Bronco jeeps. Key Lime Pie.
As opposed as I've been to most of the American military's involvement in the conflicts of the past 20ish years, as a Canadian I have to acknowledge that being your neighbour has made Canada significantly safer.
We don't need to spend as much on defense because America, our closest ally, outspends everyone else 20 fold.
The naive optimism. Even if people are disappointed with the way America is going, they still seem to have hope in an American ideal to strive towards.
As a Brit living in America I’m gonna have to go with;
- Not even having to ask for water at restaurants it just comes out!
- Giant Sodas cost like $1
- Almost everywhere has a bathroom that’s open to the public (in the suburbs)
Entrepreneurial spirit
In a lot of countries, including my own, failing at a business you started is seen very negatively, to the point most people will never try, as opposed to the USA where a business failing is seen as a normal part of the process and you just keep trying, taking the lessons you learned forward
Their landscapes f**king slap. Oh, and air-condition is just a thing.
I live in the southern United States. I can't fathom a car or house being sold around here without air conditioning. It just wouldn't happen.
Note: this post originally had 81 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
thank you BP! This has maybe been one of the most requested posts out there and it delivered! Love to see more of this kind (maybe other countries, too?)
As an Iranian-American I’m USA all the way! You couldn’t drag me out of this place! Too many positives.
To me, there's too much division in our country rn. So I like to think of ALL American citizens, as just Americans. Regardless of if you're from Africa, Iran, or California, if you're an American citizen, you're an American. We should be 1 big team, all supporting each other, not several separate teams, playing against each other. ❤️🇺🇸
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Ikr??? I'm so used to being called fat, loud and obnoxious. I'm really so pleased to see a post where several people say most Americans are outgoing pleasant and helpful. !!!
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I was prepared for another “Hating on America” post, and, welp! Nice surprise. Thanks! 💕
I am floored and humbled by this post. Thank you for allowing it. I've felt for a long time that BP has singled out the US for problems that have existed within humanity for eons and I have felt before that many here seem to root for our demise. To hear voices from those who have seen the good we have here helps me. Believe it or not, we American capitalists, even dare I say conservatives - have the same hopes and problems as everyone else!
I like that smoking is frowned upon in the US (from what I heared). I wish Germany would adopt that view more.
That’s only recently, and as a former smoker, I’m glad it is!
Load More Replies... Thank you for this. I know we’re not perfect, but we still have a lot to offer. It’s nice to see America in a positive light for a change
I've never been to the us but I hear you guys have free toilets everywhere. As a chronically ill person I have to say, this has got to be one of the nicest things.
As a Mainer who hates seafood, my brain can never comprehend why everyone gets so excited about Maine Lobster. Oh well at least everyone else enjoys it.
The realisation, long ago, that you can all be in different time zones and different states, each with their own local laws, but still be part of one big country. For such a large, young country you've managed to figure that one out pretty quickly, and there's the EU doing pretty much the opposite.
It might look that way, but it’s not quite as cohesive as you might think.
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This was amazing to read! Made me feel so much better and appreciate all that we are and have. We aren't perfect but we have redeeming qualities and nice to have them noticed.
Thank you ^^ Finally a post where I don't feel shame from where I'm from.
"Grass is greener on the other side" post. As standing in the said lawn I feel like there's much more work to be done before we can actually call it green.
Ughhhh finally some good USA content!!! Fr tho everything has just been hating on us( ˘ ³˘)♥︎
Yeah, there is a fair bit of America bashing on here, so this is kinda nice for a change. Like the idea of doing the same for other countries...
That said... I've noticed even in a positive thread like this some people still can't help themselves with their relentless Piss On America comments
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Where do these answers come from? These questions? I am an indigenous from this place, America. I am wondering if this is great????? Because we have New York City. Hot Dogs. Your Friendliness. Hollywood. Yellowstone. Baseball. Ford GT. Road trips. Coke. NASA. Southern BBQ. Burgers. Yosemite. Your infectious love of the outrageous. Jaws. Your love of English accents ;). Harrison Ford. Rock and freakin roll. Nike. Magic Mountain. Pamela Andersen. Red Vines. The Video games / animation industries. Dr Pepper. Maine Lobster Rolls. Skateboarding. Ralph Lauren. The Sopranos. Jack FM. Baskin Robbins. Car park cookouts. Wake boarding. Ruby’s Diner. Long Island (Iced Tea). Eddie Murphy. Technological innovation. Soul. Southern California. Star Wars. Bronco jeeps. Key Lime Pie. Seems more embarrassing than anything.
We know, and many of us are stuck here. Could you let us have a f*****g moment in the sun, pal? I’m too old and too normal to leave. I need this article.
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Non Americans call it America too, stop panicking.
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Hold on now. daneiletc isn't wrong. This article stands out precisely because there is a long history of America bashing on BP. If you can't objectively admit that I don't know why.
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thank you BP! This has maybe been one of the most requested posts out there and it delivered! Love to see more of this kind (maybe other countries, too?)
As an Iranian-American I’m USA all the way! You couldn’t drag me out of this place! Too many positives.
To me, there's too much division in our country rn. So I like to think of ALL American citizens, as just Americans. Regardless of if you're from Africa, Iran, or California, if you're an American citizen, you're an American. We should be 1 big team, all supporting each other, not several separate teams, playing against each other. ❤️🇺🇸
Load More Replies... Ikr??? I'm so used to being called fat, loud and obnoxious. I'm really so pleased to see a post where several people say most Americans are outgoing pleasant and helpful. !!!
Load More Replies... I was prepared for another “Hating on America” post, and, welp! Nice surprise. Thanks! 💕
I am floored and humbled by this post. Thank you for allowing it. I've felt for a long time that BP has singled out the US for problems that have existed within humanity for eons and I have felt before that many here seem to root for our demise. To hear voices from those who have seen the good we have here helps me. Believe it or not, we American capitalists, even dare I say conservatives - have the same hopes and problems as everyone else!
I like that smoking is frowned upon in the US (from what I heared). I wish Germany would adopt that view more.
That’s only recently, and as a former smoker, I’m glad it is!
Load More Replies... Thank you for this. I know we’re not perfect, but we still have a lot to offer. It’s nice to see America in a positive light for a change
I've never been to the us but I hear you guys have free toilets everywhere. As a chronically ill person I have to say, this has got to be one of the nicest things.
As a Mainer who hates seafood, my brain can never comprehend why everyone gets so excited about Maine Lobster. Oh well at least everyone else enjoys it.
The realisation, long ago, that you can all be in different time zones and different states, each with their own local laws, but still be part of one big country. For such a large, young country you've managed to figure that one out pretty quickly, and there's the EU doing pretty much the opposite.
It might look that way, but it’s not quite as cohesive as you might think.
Load More Replies... This was amazing to read! Made me feel so much better and appreciate all that we are and have. We aren't perfect but we have redeeming qualities and nice to have them noticed.
Thank you ^^ Finally a post where I don't feel shame from where I'm from.
"Grass is greener on the other side" post. As standing in the said lawn I feel like there's much more work to be done before we can actually call it green.
Ughhhh finally some good USA content!!! Fr tho everything has just been hating on us( ˘ ³˘)♥︎
Yeah, there is a fair bit of America bashing on here, so this is kinda nice for a change. Like the idea of doing the same for other countries...
That said... I've noticed even in a positive thread like this some people still can't help themselves with their relentless Piss On America comments
Load More Replies... Where do these answers come from? These questions? I am an indigenous from this place, America. I am wondering if this is great????? Because we have New York City. Hot Dogs. Your Friendliness. Hollywood. Yellowstone. Baseball. Ford GT. Road trips. Coke. NASA. Southern BBQ. Burgers. Yosemite. Your infectious love of the outrageous. Jaws. Your love of English accents ;). Harrison Ford. Rock and freakin roll. Nike. Magic Mountain. Pamela Andersen. Red Vines. The Video games / animation industries. Dr Pepper. Maine Lobster Rolls. Skateboarding. Ralph Lauren. The Sopranos. Jack FM. Baskin Robbins. Car park cookouts. Wake boarding. Ruby’s Diner. Long Island (Iced Tea). Eddie Murphy. Technological innovation. Soul. Southern California. Star Wars. Bronco jeeps. Key Lime Pie. Seems more embarrassing than anything.
We know, and many of us are stuck here. Could you let us have a f*****g moment in the sun, pal? I’m too old and too normal to leave. I need this article.
Load More Replies... Non Americans call it America too, stop panicking.
Load More Replies... Hold on now. daneiletc isn't wrong. This article stands out precisely because there is a long history of America bashing on BP. If you can't objectively admit that I don't know why.
Load More Replies...