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The United States—the land of the free. The home of the brave. And the nation of some very peculiar habits, according to the internet. Other countries in the world are confused by some of the things that Americans do. Like calling tuna “tuna fish” and putting too much cheese on everything. I find it endearing, others find it strange.

Bored Panda has collected some of the best tweets that show how confused foreigners are at what some Americans do. Scroll down and upvote your faves. And be sure to check out our previous post about Europeans who shared what problems are too American for them to grasp.

Culture clashes are nothing new. After all, if every country and culture were the same, there’d be no point in leaving your home, right? (Spoiler warning: due to the coronavirus pandemic, you shouldn’t be leaving your home either way.) Benny Lewis, founder of the Fluent in 3 Months blog, spent 4 years living in the US and has some gripes about the culture. Including how Americans are too politically correct while at the same time they think that everything is “awesome.”

#1

Things-Americans-Do

hesthehabit Report

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European other
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It makes sense to start with the day, but I guess it's what you get used to

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#2

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FusionUniFacts Report

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Patrick McKemie
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When the game first started, you got to kick the other teams' players in the testicles with your foot. Earned your team three points! Anymore questions?

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blugeagua
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've always thought American football should have been the sport called soccer. And then just call football what it is.

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Merlyn Emrys
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly as a "real football/soccer" person I have never understood it

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Caitlin Mangan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To anyone asking why they wear puffed sleeves, those are pads they put under the jersey.

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Aria Whitaker
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The reason is that when football was invented, the sport of polo was pretty popular in the area. They named the new game "football" to distinguish it from polo...as you played football on your FEET...rather than on horseback, as in polo matches.

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Jack Lambrecht
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Originally, football started in England, in schoolyards. Wherever you were, it was played with slightly altered rules. When people started taking it more seriously, the group split in half because of the differences. One side said "hands allowed" and one side said "no hands allowed." These two sides didn't like eachother. They made slight differences to be more independent of one another. The "hands allowed" made the biggest change: forbidding feet. Although neither side was willing to change names- that would be letting the other side win. Eventually "Hands only" reached America, and instantly was a hit. In the UK, "Feet only" became standard and "hands only" died down.

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Cameron Whalley
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought it was because the ball is 1 foot long? Dunno where I got that from

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Id row
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm pretty sure a football is a ball. Why do the English call the game cricket? They don't actually use crickets, although that would be interesting.

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Dilly Millandry
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because it was derived from the Old French “criquet”, meaning “goal, post, or stick” or alternatively from the Middle Dutch “kricke”, meaning “stick” or “staff”.

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Tardis42
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm American, and this has never made sense to me. If anything, American Rugby would be more appropriate.

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Flash Henry
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It should be called the Great American Pillow Fight, because that is basically the whole "game."

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Emperor Kitten
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There used to be a lot of games called football. They all had different rules and balls, the common denominator being balls and feet. Americans and Europeans standardized their preferred games around the same time.

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Aubrey Passey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because in soccer you use your feet to get the ball and unless your the goalie or throwing the ball in of it goes out of bounds you don’t use your hands and in football you full force tackle and everyone uses there hands

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Aubrey Passey
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Uh because in soccer only the goalie uses there hands unless you throw the ball in and in football everyone uses there hands

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Gene Vickery
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because it was quite literally called association football, then soccer, by the originators. Soccer is not a term originating in America. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-some-people-call-football-soccer

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Monika Soffronow
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"The History of Football in 10 Minutes" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBIwiK7U9l0

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Jolee Hang
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't know. I watched Queen of Katwe and they were playing soccer, but they called it football, and I was so confused.

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Dave P
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because 200 years ago there were two games Rugby Football and Association Football (both in the US and UK) and Association Football in the UK had a nickname called "Soccer", which came to the US later. While in the UK they stopped using the name soccer and dropped the name Football from Rugby Football, we went the reverse and Dropped the name Association Football all together for the British nickname Soccer while we dropped the word Rugby from Rugby Football to just be Football. This was in the mid 1800's

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Evil Little Thing
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

IIUC it's because it evolved from association football (soccer) and rugby football. American football wasn't even a throwing game until a few decades ago. They change the rules a lot.

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jamie1707
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They've had too many head injuries and don't know what they're saying.

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Colin Bayler
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We do it just to irritate the hell out of all you pretentious Europeans. BTW, why do you call it cricket instead of baseball? Where's the cricket and what does that even mean?

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Dilly Millandry
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Derived from the Old French “criquet”, meaning “goal, post, or stick” or from the Middle Dutch “kricke”, meaning “stick” or “staff”.

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Bettye McKee
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because it's shaped funny and we kick it with our toe. And we like to call it football.

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Ben Smith
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What? What exactly do you think they play the game with?? It’s a ball...

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C Black
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3 years ago

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They call it football because they USE a football to play the game.

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Zillyboy
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3 years ago

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They would have called it soccer, but that was taken.

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Foxxy (The Original)
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3 years ago

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We have Football which is different to the football that we call soccer. It can be quite confusing. Aussie rules footy uses an oval shaped ball that is easier to score goals between long poles, soccer uses a white and black round ball that you have to get into a small net.

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#3

Things-Americans-Do

Montberte Report

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Prince Maroochy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We choose from a lot more at first, eventually narrowing it down to two and choosing from them.

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According to Benny from Ireland, Europeans traveling around the US will find a lot of things weird. Like the fact that Americans smile way too much and it’s difficult to know when they mean it and when they’re smiling out of reflex.

Another thing that Benny found very unusual is something a lot of people complain about when they arrive in the US. Yup, you guessed it—tipping! “I really think tipping as a means of waitresses and others earning the vast majority of their living is ridiculous. If I have to pay, say 15% anyway, then include it in the bill! It's not a bloody tip if it's mandatory!” Benny expressed his opinion. Some of us can agree that mandatory tipping is sneaky and that servers should earn a decent wage that isn’t based on tips.

“Why not tip everyone who you interact with in some way—bus drivers, or leave money on your trash can for the garbage man? It's inconsistent, and waiters, hairdressers, and taxi drivers should just charge us what needs to be charged,” Benny writes in his blog.

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#4

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Kaisu
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This also goes for strict gun laws. Why do Americans think strict gun laws won't work in their country when it works in literally all other developed countries?

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#5

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Thomas brennan
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As an irish person I dont mind it, it is nice for people to be proud of their heritage. What I do mind is when they ask do I know paddy mcsomething from donegal. I know Ireland's small but we don't all live in one village. Oh and the accent impersonations are damn annoying...although in my experience the English are the worst for imitating accents.

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#6

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Alan Green
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The other day when they announced America now has the highest C19 infections of any country an american in the comments said "BS, I'm sure Europe has more". Seems some Americans think Europe is a country.

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He also has issues with how in some parts of America prices aren’t what they seem because the tax isn’t included to make the cost seem lower than it really is.

Of course, taxing is different in different states, but this doesn’t excuse corporations from printing up different product costs for each state. Or, as Benny puts it, “We have the same product sold across many European countries and somehow someone in the company found the time to punch numbers into a $1 calculator in advance to tell people how much they are actually paying.”

#7

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Foxxy (The Original)
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why was fahrenheit even invented? The metric system just makes so much more sense. Freezing point is 0C and boiling point is 100C. A litre is 1000millilitres, 100 centimetres is 1 metre etc.

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#8

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ASXPJESSICA Report

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Petra Schaap
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

thats not just American. I think it depends on the person. I have local friends who do and local friends who dont, and American friends who do and dont.

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#9

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SummerSongGirl Report

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Just Carmen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't know about other Americans, but at our house, we just call it TUNA.

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But before you start thinking that all Europeans have it out for the US, Benny also mentions some awesome things about Americans. For example, nobody can deny that Americans have an incredible work ethic and how open-minded and diverse most of the country is. It’s a country with plenty of positives, peppered with a whole lot of bizarreness.

#10

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_ElizabethMay Report

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Colin Bayler
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because you don't need a bloody scale to measure grams. All you need is a simple cup with lines. DUH!

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#11

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candacekendall_ Report

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Just Carmen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well actually, most of the time we say that we don't give a s**t, so.....

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#12

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ZakAbel Report

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Stimpy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I tried changing it to "the poopery" but people won't listen to me

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#13

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Carol Lewis
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think that, nor have I ever thought that. I don't know anyone who does. Where did you even come up with that nonsense.

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#14

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Mette Olsen Douglas
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think I know anybody who lives like they have free healthcare - quite the opposite actually. "Is it truly bad enough to go see a doctor or can we survive without going"? Nobody want those bills that follows a doctors visit!!

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#15

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Kaisu
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some Americans also love making fun of people who speak English with a foreign accent, when they themselves can only speak one language

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#16

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greasybananna Report

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Brick
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anything to not use the metric system whats next: glazed donuts per bald eagle who knows

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#17

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imwafflingg Report

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Winston Smith
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hear it said at least 3 different ways depending on what news channel you watch

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#20

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Bill
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because educators didn't want parents to think E meant "Excellent"

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#21

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JennaGuillaume Report

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Chewie Baron
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't get me started on how Americans pronounce 'mirror'. They miss out the 'o' and say "mirrrrr". Madness!

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#22

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brndizzle Report

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Foxxy (The Original)
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

High school was pretty much the worst time in my life. My daughter is going through it now and I wish I could just fast forward her outta there.

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#23

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C Black
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Americans get MAD? Rather they probably just don't know which sport you're speaking of. In America, football and soccer are two different sports. That's probably why they don't know what you're talking about. As for being "mad..." I doubt they are mad about it, LOL.

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#24

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Marcellus the Third
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah but then you also have 'drinks halls' in germany with liquor, beer, water, soda... Why? Also you're ignoring the "dry county" thing where within one state many counties may sell absolutely zero alcohol and the next does.

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#26

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THEYOUNGTROY Report

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#28

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Anne
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They are handy when you bring cooked food to a meeting/people etc.

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#29

Things-Americans-Do

phoebehalliwels Report