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For many people, one of the most fascinating things about traveling is getting acquainted with different cultures. Whether they evoke a culture shock or are surprisingly similar to what one is used to, it’s always interesting to see how people elsewhere live.
Those who’ve traveled rather far from home know that one rule often applies – the bigger the distance, the larger the differences. Take the US and Europe, for instance; roughly 5423 kilometers—or almost 3370 miles—apart, measuring the distance between New York and Lisbon, just as an example, the two places might feel like two different worlds, and not only because of the language or the currency used.
The cultural differences between the US and Europe were recently discussed by members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community, after one user asked them about things in the US that seem totally normal to Americans, but difficult for Europeans to wrap their heads around. Quite a few netizens shared their thoughts, so if you’re curious to see what things they pointed to, scroll down to find their answers on the list below.
Below you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with Dr. Erika Doss, a historian of American art and culture, and Edith O'Donnell, Distinguished Chair in Art History at the University of Texas at Dallas.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
How they get more pissed off at abortions than school shootings.
Johnnynatfan 11 months ago
Uh no. That is not true. Most Americans support abortions and want gun control. Its the loud minority who are the opposite and the Republican bible thumpers who are also beholden to the gun lobby.
cogadh 11 months ago
This. Nearly 70% of Americans want both sensible gun control and safe access to abortions. It's the other minority percentage that screams the loudest in opposition and has basically been holding the rest of us hostage, using religion and a laughable misinterpretation on the Constitution to justify it.
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Hmmm hmmmm 11 months ago
@david, oh yes school shootings are awful , right ? But we don't do anything about it cos there will opposition to stopping guns
Bob Brooce 11 months ago
But, but ... god isn't mad at the US because of the school shootings.
Daniel Gómez 11 months ago
I'm not European (Not "American" either) and yet this does baffle me.
GREYNOOK 11 months ago
yeah they concentrate much on abortion rights rather than decreasing guns ownership. they need to update their constitution especially the right to protect or carry weapons.
Angie 11 months ago
It takes 2/3 of the states to ratify an amendment to the constitution. There is one party that pretty much just opposes every thing the other party says because they think their constituents want politics to be like that. It doesn't matter what they are saying, if they are on the other side of their politics, it must be wrong. It is very sad. And the electoral college will work in that party's favor for the foreseeable future, probably forever. They have no reason to want to change anything. Their campaigns are financed by the NRA and they have little chance of being voted out in their states, especially since they have gutted public education and medicare programs. They know that poor, sick, and stupid people are easier to govern...
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RELATED:
#2
Having a felon for a President.
Kelly Scott 11 months ago
My brother, the Trump supporter, tried telling me what a loser I am for having a bankruptcy 30 years ago. I told him they should be a sign of genius so I could be president and maybe if I had just 3 more bankruptcies...
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 11 months ago
And with the top secret documents case now buried - chances are that he's a traitor to the USA too.
CP 11 months ago
I believe all the details are being released. So not buried just no repercussions legally.
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Warren Peece 11 months ago
My first reply is getting down voted by woke liberal snowflakes who are melting.
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#3
Not letting cashiers sit the f**k down. Blows my mind.
Socks Thecate 11 months ago
It really is petty to not let them sit down. You know how much damage all that standing will do?
PenguinEmp 11 months ago
I do. Worked in retail for years. Back and knees are not good now. Went back to tech.
Load More Replies... Bonesko 11 months ago
I never understood this 'you got time to lean you got time to clean' bulls**t.
Orange Panda 11 months ago
It's the Protestant work ethic. It's been pretty screwy since it's time in England.
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StrangeOne 11 months ago
I had injured my feet. I still had a to stand. I was given a bin flipped upside down " just in case". The moment I sat down I was sent home for the day.
boone williams 11 months ago
Aldi lets them sit. (I was very surprised about how tall one of them was, I never noticed because she was usually sitting at the register)
Java Addict 11 months ago
I've been yelled at repeatedly for 'standing around doing nothing' by customers when I was doing my job of monitoring my area. A cashier got yelled at by a customer for sitting on a stool even though it's a medical accomodation.
geezeronthehill 11 months ago
Dunno about that. The cashiers at my grocery store sit. At the hardware store, the staff move around constantly helping customers and only go to the till when a customer is ready to check out.
Culture shock can happen anywhere, even when visiting a neighboring country. But nowadays, people can be exposed to different cultures even without having to leave home.
Talking about cultural differences, Dr. Erika Doss, a historian of American art and culture, noted that cultural diversity is much more interesting, even inspiring, than cultural monotony. “Think of food diversity,” she suggested, adding that she’s sharing her thoughts from an American’s perspective. “Few people eat the same thing every day and Americans love how their palate has dramatically enlarged in recent years—Pad Thai! Tacos! Falafel! Kimchi!
“Still, many Americans fear difference when it is represented by religion, race, and politics that they don’t share and don’t understand. Global eating is ok but global sovereignty is rejected,” the expert noted.
#4
To me, the fact that the tax isnt included in the price in a gorcery store. The price i see shall be the price i pay. I ain't doing extra math.
Bored Sailor 11 months ago
As an American it freaks me out and have been saying for years, you the store are putting the price tags on include the tax in the total. It is not even every state, but within a state different counties have different taxes that apply.
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David 11 months ago
In most US states, groceries are not taxed. As a general rule of thumb, if it is intended for humans to eat and isn't sold ready to eat, no sales tax. So, bag of rice, potatoes, package of meat or eggs - no tax. Hot food from the deli, cat food, laundry soap - taxed. Our system must not be too difficult to figure out because I live near the Canadian boarder and we get a ton of Canadians down from BC shopping our local Costco. And there are actually several Costcos not too far north of the border. BC has PST / GST / VAT but like in the US, many of the taxes don't apply to groceries you have to prepare.
Ripley 11 months ago
Having traveled in the US as an Aussie, I can tell you it's a GIANT pain in the butt. Nothing is the price it says on the label, and as a visitor you have no chance of understanding what taxes need to be added where. We have a Goods and Services Tax (GST) that also is not applied to everything (basic food is exempt) and yet by law the price on the label is the price you will pay at the counter. I don't care what % of that is tax - I will have to pay regardless, so why is it separate?
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StrangeOne 11 months ago (edited)
In Canada some things are taxed, some things are tax excluded. It's a guessing game while shopping. Right now, the Manitoba government has been giving us a tax break on certain things like shoes and toys, for ex until Feb 15. Would be nice if it was FOOD. Although dairy and meat are tax exempt.
Dusty's mom 11 months ago
50 states = 50 tax laws. My state doesn't charge tax for groceries, but taxes over-the-counter meds and medical devices. Menstrual products are taxed, but not toilet paper. Cities can impose extra taxes on restaurants and entertainment, while workers must live on tips. Insanity.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
Sometime it depends on who's going to buy the item. In my state, non-profit institutions don't pay sales tax on anything they buy.
Jostanquecla 11 months ago
Where I live, it's common that when you get a quote for a service, they tell you the price and then tell you that you it's the price without including 21 percent tax. I don't care what you charge before tax. I only want to know how much money I have to give you.
#5
Holding bake sales to pay for your kid’s chemotherapy. This is unheard of in all civilized countries.
liam newton-harding 11 months ago
Go Fund Me…Americas 3rd largest health insurer.
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Pernille 11 months ago
I was once contributing to a GoFundMe to buy a woman a horse, a very angry US American got a fit and claimed that GoFundMe was only for medical emergencies.Now I'll only contribute to frivolous collections, so if you want to buy a three legged blind goose and build it a castle, I'll be happy to contribute.
StrangeOne 11 months ago (edited)
People choose to fund-raise for all sorts of things. But it shouldn't have to be for medical stuff.
According to Dr. Doss, there are many factors that shape each and every culture. “Contemporary American culture, or the culture of the United States, is shaped by class, money, race, region, and mythology – as in, which American myths people believe in, such as the founding of the nation (why, by whom, and for whom), who won the Civil War (and who lost, and why it was fought), the conquest of the American West, the idea that hard work leads to success, and so on.”
The expert added that the way American culture is nowadays was also significantly influenced by media, especially social media.
#6
"I know I should have this concerning medical issue examined by a doctor, but I can't afford it, so I won't.".
ZGutr 11 months ago
The way I see it, it isn't broken. It's simply non-existing
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Caia Calabrese 11 months ago
UK NHS is falling down and it was wonderful. And in many countries of Europe health is free but you can't get an appointment right away and it's like that since maybe more than 10 years ago.
#7
Half-ton pickup trucks as daily drivers.
Orange Panda 11 months ago
We export really awful cultural things. I'm sorry.
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Uncle Schmickle 11 months ago
The USA went away from "gas guzzlers" decades ago, but now they're back .... why ?
Ruth 11 months ago
Many American men are trying to compensate for their shortcomings. As an American women, I know this to be true.
StrangeOne 11 months ago (edited)
Then what are the women who drive a truck compensating for? It's just a damn truck.
Load More Replies... Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago (edited)
Half ton pickups with beds so small you'd have to be hauling half a ton of lead to actually make half a ton. Just buy an SUV or a minivan and get over yourself. Also for the three times a decade you actually NEED a pickup, Home Depot rents them by the hour.
StrangeOne 11 months ago
Some people need them to haul stuff you don't want inside a vehicle, like a half ton of soil for a landscaping project.
Load More Replies... geezeronthehill 11 months ago
Half ton is one of the smaller trucks. I drive one. It's my only vehicle. Of course I only leave the mountain once a week for errands. Usually return home with the bed at least partially full.
SirWriteALot 11 months ago
The daily driver is usually the only car. So if you need a pickup but you need to drive daily, makes sense to me. I'd get a pickup, too, if I could afford one :-)
dollh h 11 months ago
Especially if you live in a rural area. My entire state is rural, so trucks or 4x4s are a necessity for many.
Load More Replies... Katie Barnes 11 months ago
Absolute BS. My over 6' husband hears this garbage all the time from smaller men. How do you fit into a car, I'm too big for one and need a giant truck. No. My friend is 6'8 and 400 lbs and he fits just fine into his larger car, you can too.
Load More Replies... G A 11 months ago
I guarantee you no US cars are 8 seaters for SUV use unless they can sit in the flatbed!
Load More Replies... #8
The contradiction between:
* Thinking The US is the best country ever, and that everybody wants to move there.
* Associating themselves so strongly with countries they've never been to because they have ancestors from there.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
I really want to know what criteria defines teh "best country ever". Is it Wellness? Nope not Wellness. Is it Education? Nope! How about home ownership? LOL absolutely NOT! It's GDP. The USA has the highest GDP and 90% enjoy NONE of the benefits. I know I sound like Bernie when I say it but the 1% are screwing us all over.
Limey 11 months ago
Nothing wrong with sounding like Bernie. Not a single thing.
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G A 11 months ago
I think there are 2 things here. Other countries are perhaps not so blind to their own faults, and will agree with criticism, whereas some US people are rather more jingoistic and loud about it. Also, that some people claim kinship to other countries where they really have no connection-3rd generation Boston 'Irish' are not Irish-they are N American
geezeronthehill 11 months ago
We are a country of immigrants, and choose to not forget where grandparents came from.
Katie Barnes 11 months ago
A country of immigrants of which half are opposed to most immigration...
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thewallsarewatching 11 months ago
I have Welsh ancestry on both sides of my family from my great grandparents, but I was born and raised in England to parents who were also born and raised in England. That makes me English. It was English culture I was raised in. I appreciate the Welsh culture and have visited Wales a few times, but I would never dream of calling myself Welsh or laying any kind of claim to the culture. Unless I or my parents (and maybe grandparents if they really kept the culture alive for their family) were raised in a culture, I have no claim to that culture. To my knowledge, that is the attitude of the entire world aside from the USA.
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David 11 months ago
I don't think we are "best country ever". That would be rude since there are many countries I have not even visited. But it is a fact that MANY people (of course not 'everybody' ) wants to move here. That's why we have caps in place. Last year 2.6 million legal immigrants to the US.
Barbara Wilcock 11 months ago
Irish pubs in Boston ,on the menu their famous chicken tenders with Irish dipping sauce. (HP) 🙄😅
Chris the Bobcat 11 months ago
According to the orange felon, America needs to be made great again. I don't think he even realizes that this implies that the USA is no longer a great country. I honestly wonder about anyone who voted for him anymore.
Lester the Space Duck 11 months ago
How about the contradiction between: Thinking The US is the best country ever, and that everybody wants to move there, and, not wanting anyone else from other nations coming there?
Peter Parker 11 months ago
Is that really a contradiction? A lot of people want to move to the US, and in the past, the US has welcomed people with open arms to form a diverse society..
Many people see exposure to different cultures as a positive. And for a reason! Immersing yourself into an environment or a culture yet unexplored can lead to discovering new tastes, smells, views, sounds, and much more.
“Think music,” Dr. Doss suggested, talking about how acquainting oneself with different cultures can benefit a person. “Global influences have infinitely enriched the American sound.”
#9
Free and accessible toilets everywhere, diaper changing stations in men’s rooms, ADA…some things America does very well.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
Thank you, and it's true. Though getting some businesses to obey these accessibility requirements can be very difficult.
StrangeOne 11 months ago
Unless you go to a big box store, a mall or somewhere that doesn't require purchasing something first, which can be impossible if you're only surrounded by smaller businesses. Doesn't matter if you have a child about to wet themselves on the floor.
Load More Replies... Johnnynatfan 11 months ago
ADA is no joke. I have had to have hundreds off feet of brand new sidewalk torn out because the concrete company didn't pour it to meet ADA requirements.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
Hope the concrete company had to pay, not you.
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Jeff Anderson 11 months ago
In California many if not most of our bathrooms are locked and require a code to get in or a button a cashier's presses.
SirWriteALot 11 months ago
Why would this be strange in europe? I've changed many a diaper in mens' rooms
David 11 months ago
OMG! Something on this list that isn't US bashing. LOL. We have come a long way. When I was young it was pretty unheard of to have changing stations in men's rooms. Even in the 80s I've had to lay my coat on the floor or my lap (awkward) to change one of my daughters. Now most bigger stores have them. Walmart, Home Depot etc. I do remember using a pay toilet many years ago in the Seattle Greyhound bus terminal. I think it was 10 cents. For non-Americans - those got outlawed (sort of) because there was a discrimination lawsuit and they won. The premise was - unfair to women because they always need a stall while most men can just pee in a urinal so it disproportionally affected women.
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 11 months ago
The irony being that, apart from a few places, toilets in Europe are also free, and plenty of men's toilets also have baby changing facilities. The one post that isn't "US bashing" is also out of touch with how progressive this really is (or isn't).
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Huddo's sister 11 months ago
As an Australian none of those are strange to me (though ADA isn't called that here)
TheForrestGreene (he/they/it) 11 months ago
i just wish that there were more all gender toilets. when we go on a trip, there are so few all gender toilets that I usually dont go to the restroom while we are driving
#10
The sheer amount of guns in domestic ownership. Absolutely crazy.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
The USA has more guns than people. I mean ALL people. More guns than every man woman and child. By the numbers, if all the guns were distributed to all the adults, every adult would have FIVE guns. It's insane. Especially for a country that hasn't been invaded for almost 200 years.
cogadh 11 months ago
To put that statistic into further context, the entirety of those guns are owned by only 32% of the population. Less than a third of the country owns more guns than there are people in the entire population of the country
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Uncle Schmickle 11 months ago
The " right to bear arms " may have been reasonable in the 18th Century, but NOT NOW.
Limey 11 months ago
It doesn’t t say anthing at all about the right to bear arms. That is a misinterpretation. What it says is “the right to a well armed militia”. Not the same thing at all.
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Jostanquecla 11 months ago
The only reason I'd ever wish to be in the U.S. is for a zombie apocalypse.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
You just missed it. It was early last November.
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Vera Diblikova 11 months ago
Why do women have jewels? Sometimes guns are useful. Why do men of Switzerland have their full armament at home - even in a neutral counttry\,
Sprouted Tater 11 months ago
We are in agreement on this issue as well Ray. When I consider what a choke Republicans have on the so called gun laws in the USA, I feel so defeated, because what can those of us who want stronger gun laws do?
tori Ohno 11 months ago
Gun laws won't keep the cartels from shipping them in. You can already buy guns on the same street corner you buy your fentanyl from. Outlawing something won't make it go away, you need to shut down the "why" of the equation. "Why" are you an addict? "Why" are you wanting to commit a crime with a firearm?
Load More Replies... Katie Barnes 11 months ago
For me it's the types of guns as much as the amount. I can see someone who hunts for meat (not sport) having a few different guns to best suit the location and type of animal they're hunting. Or even farmers, in some cases. But for what sensible reason does any private citizen need an assault weapon or even a handgun?
#11
How few vacation days the average worker has/uses. In most of Europe the minimum is 25 days.
Tobias Reaper 11 months ago
I get 28 days holiday a year plus I can call in sick if i am ill and i will still get paid and being able to access healthcare that wont bankrupt me isn't tied to me working. The US does a lot of things really well but the way they treat their workers is terrible they need to do better.
General Anaesthesia 11 months ago
Human Resources (HR), like other natural resources, are there to be exploited in corporate processes and the waste products disposed of as cheaply as possible.
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Lost Panda 11 months ago
Japan isn't much better. I get 14 days and have to use them for doctor "stay home" orders too. Fun fun
Pink Taco Eater 11 months ago
No vacation days. No sick days. Doctors appointments are one point unless scheduled with work 90 days or more in advance .(3 point's in a year and fired).
Johnnynatfan 11 months ago
This is getting better. I am in construction and I get 3 weeks off a year and that will increase over the next few years where I will get 5 weeks off.
Feathered Dinosaur 11 months ago
30 payed vacation days. 6 weeks of full pay when sick with the same illness (means you can have another 6 weeks for an unrelated illness), 70% of your salary after the 6 week period is over and you're still sick for about 2 years. Up to 36 month of parental leave...
The expert added that Americans—as well as people from other countries—could really benefit from global travel. Some studies suggest that living in and adapting to a new country is linked with improved creativity. In addition to that, it can be linked to a happy and full tummy, as for many people, one of the best things about traveling and getting acquainted with different cultures is food.
Some sources suggest that in 2023, the global culinary tourism market size was estimated at $11.5 billion dollars, thanks to consumers spending on travel and tourism and thanks to their desire to try locally sourced products and explore new cultures through food.
#12
Here in the UK 🇬🇧
100 miles is a long way,
In America
100 years is a long time !
Michael Largey 11 months ago
If you drive east in Europe for five hours, you many visit three or more countries. You can drive east for five hours in the US and not even leave your home state.
Johnnynatfan 11 months ago
Yeah well we are still a baby country compared to European countries.
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
100 miles, and a lot of Europeans are in another country. 100 years is a short time in our history. I live just outside of a city founded by the Romans
SkippityBoppityBoo 11 months ago (edited)
I live in a building that's older than the USA... 100 miles is sometimes shorter due to wind velocity etc... Huge storms can definitely cut your travelling time down if you point your umbrella in the right direction with the winds! 👍😃
Seán Baron 11 months ago
Not when I lived in a farmhouse that was built in the 15th Century and the hill opposite us had the remains of charcoal ovens and there was a Roman Road nearby!
Load More Replies... Michael None 11 months ago
Maybe think about some of the things the British did during those extra years. Maybe those aren't necessarily something you British should be proud of.
#13
A judicial system where judges ae put in place by politicians.
Limey 11 months ago
And why politicians can accept bribes. Judges too, actually.
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Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
They are elected or appointed, without any regard to their knowledge of the laws.
Bob Brooce 11 months ago
If you think that's bad just imagine if all the most important judges were elected by US voters.
Sprouted Tater 11 months ago
Please! Let’s change this ridiculous situation by making all judgeships by election
nottheactualphoto 9 months ago
That has its problems too. Elections for judgeships are subject to all the same issues as other elections. Money, partisan politics, money, personalities, money...
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Tucker Cahooter 11 months ago
In Australia, judges to the High Court are also appointed by politicians i.e. prime minister and cabinet recommend to the Governor General. The big difference is that these appointments are more or less uncontroversial. I couldn't name any of the current justices since their names never appear in the papers in relation to some conflict of interest scandal, and the only ones I can even vaguely remember are Michael Kirby and Lionel Murphy (and that is going back quite some way)
#14
Pledge of allegiance every morning in school. Bizarre.
cogadh 11 months ago
North Korea, for sure (the "morning ritual"). Russia back in the Soviet days, maybe.
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General Anaesthesia 11 months ago
NatCs (Nationalist Christians) still do.
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David 11 months ago
I think I read this is not so common anymore? US Pandas with kids in school know?? But I do recall it being common when I was in grade school in the 69s
Dragons Exist 11 months ago
I'm a sophomore and we still do it, but we just stand, put our hands loosely on our chests, and awkwardly / quietly face the flag while someone says the pledge on the speakers (only a few of my teachers say it) and then quickly sit back down
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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
I didn't think this was weird until I got to highschool in the '90s and we stopped doing it. That's when I started to wonder why we were doing it in first place.
Chris the Bobcat 11 months ago
To be fair, the pledge is to the flag, to the ideals of the country, rather than to one person or group of persons. I'm sure the orange traitor and his flunkies want to change this, but my loyalty is to my country, not to its leaders.
David 11 months ago
Chris, As it should be IMO. I respect the office. I do not always respect the person holding the office and the latest election is a good example of that.
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B W 11 months ago
Finding out as an adult that the pledge was invented, in part, to sell flags to schools.
StrangeOne 11 months ago
Do any other countries play their national anthems on the school PA every morning?
#15
Saying "thoughts and prayers" after every mass shooting.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” Thoughts and prayers didn't work the last, hold on 488 times (actual number in the USA in 2024), maybe they'll work the 489th time.
WindySwede 11 months ago
I thought you were going to say 'in total',and not '2024'! 😵💫
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Paul Sloan 11 months ago
Bible thumpers! You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a religious zealot.
Stuey Bassfish 11 months ago
Maybe they can stack up T&P early for next year's 500 shootings? Like a prayer wheel.
person (i think) 11 months ago
To me “thoughts and prayers” feels like people are actually saying “f**k off, I don’t actually care about what happened to you”
#16
They will let you die to protect medical industry profits. In Europe ambulances, hospitals, and doctors, are a public service. When I needed to see a doctor in England I just walked in and asked to see one. They got me in, even though I was 240 miles from home, and I left with a prescription and a letter for my doctor to update his records. No bill. The very idea of a medical bill for seeing a doctor is foreign. I used to think it was a mistake in American TV and movies.
Anxiety Panda 11 months ago
My daughter had a (first ever) seizure in London. Ambulance ride, neurology exam, CAT scan, blood work, paperwork
Anxiety Panda 11 months ago
To give her pediatrician at home... Free. It was amazing.
Load More Replies... Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
Well, we privatized healthcare, can't wait for Police and Fire Departments to be privatized too. "Oh your house is burning down? So you have insurance?"
Surly Scot 11 months ago
Friend traveled from New Mexico, USA to London with her daughter and grandkids, grandson got sick, walked him into the ER. Diagnosed with strep throat, given prescription, pointed round the corner to the in-hospital pharmacy to collect prescription, then walked out the hospital. All in 45mins, and no fees. She was absolutely floored that's how our system works in the UK. (although, I admit being in and out of a London ER in 45mins is ridiculously fast, must have been a slow day)
René Sauer 11 months ago
Or you have some really low bill. I had to stay in the hospital for a week in Germany and all I had to pay was ten € a day.
Sprouted Tater 11 months ago
If I’d had enough sense when I was younger, I’d have settled in a country where health care, prescriptions, ambulance, all of the things we so long for here. I’m too old and too poor to do that now. All I can do is encourage my young adult grandchildren to check these things out for themselves.
SkippityBoppityBoo 11 months ago (edited)
I've got to thank gosh for the NHS here, ... My medical bills would be in the low millions now if not for the NHS. The system isn't perfect but I get my medications, disability equipment, hospital stay, appointments etc paid for. I've had to have a hospital transport bus quite late at night, it's not an ambulance, I had to have an infection in my ankle checked out. All for free. The sheer amount of the costs? I'd be screwed and couldn't afford to be disabled if not for the NHS.
Libstak 11 months ago
Australia has public healthcare but Ambulance service is not free unless you are a social services recipient. That being said family membership is less than $100 per year. Lack of membership can cost many 1000s per trip but, again, payment plans do not allow garnishment by very much at all monthly....
Bewarethere@gmail.com 10 months ago
I went 2 get a CT scan and blood work and it costs me about $1000. Welcome 2 America
Panda Panda Bo Banda 11 months ago (edited)
You get all of that in America too. The difference is you'll go bankrupt because of it.
#17
As a Brit married to an American and working in the US here are my findings about things that are different. I love the US dearly so please don’t think I’m being mean.
- in general Americans don’t know anything like as much about our countries as we know about theirs. We know what a 401k is. What Medicare is. What an Ivy League school is. Probably can name most of the states. Then you’ll talk to an American and they’ll not know Wales exists.
- job security. To lose my job 5 years in would be quite a process, would mean I would need to be made redundant and given a severance package or given multiple written and verbal notices that I wasn’t doing what I’m supposed to before I was let go. If I want to leave I need to give several months notice. I’m the us you can get fired for fun, and even in senior roles only need to give a couple of weeks.
- it is one country, but the differences between New York, Alabama, Montana, and Miami are in my opinion more that uk to Denmark, Germany, France. It’s a MASSIVE country, phiysically and culturally.
- In the UK having the English or British flag on your house basically means you’re a racist. Or very into the royal family. Or both.
- Not having a car in some states means you basically can’t go anywhere. I live in one of the world’s biggest cities and I don’t have a car, but in LA I was screwed.
- Commercials for d***s are insane, talking about “moderate to severe ulcerative colitis” in the same way as a new car blows my mind
- Politics is a lot more front and centre in the US. Politicians in the UK are seen as faintly ridiculous
- the hustle culture of the US is admirable but difficult to wrap my head round. When we are not at work or on holiday, we are gone. In the US my colleagues are always always on call, and even if on vacation will get on calls or answer emails. Most of my US colleagues just don’t take holiday. I get in trouble if I DON’T take all my minimum 28 days.
- The 2nd amendment is something brits will never understand. I get the irony of that statement given what it was put there for in the first place.
- Americans think nothing of a 3 or 4 hour drive even making the return journey the same day. This would not be attempted in the uk without a couple of days in between. An hour commute is brutal for a Brit
- I don’t have scientific data. But Americans ALWAYS seem to be carrying a drink. Always.
- Tumble driers and washing machines are vastly superior in the US
- As are sandwiches. Bread is better in the UK though
- Americans have this idea that service is really good there, which is absolutely not my experience. Yes of course I tip, and tip well, I just think overall the service I get tends to be speed over everything
- I am jealous of the “welcome home ma’am” my wife gets at immigration. We do not get that in the uk.
- most brits aren’t scared of the police in the slightest, and they are generally trusted. Obvs ymmv here but there’s less of a ACAB mentality
- Generalising, but the casual confidence Americans have is very unusual to us. The idea of just striking up a conversation with a stranger in the uk is a terrifying one.
Bob Brooce 11 months ago
I suspect that in the US there's a good correlation between flying the flag and racism.
Caia Calabrese 11 months ago
I don't think so. The Left don't like the US and to fly its flag, but they believe Blacks are useless morons who need to be given everything for free. And they put planned Parenthood clinics in or close to Black and brown neighborhoods and cities. That's very very racist.
Load More Replies... Ron Man 11 months ago
A lot of these are very true. The last one though... It's not casual confidence. We're not striking up a conversation to be friendly. We make small talk like that in order to size each other up. We're two strangers together waiting outside for a bus in the dark, we'll make small talk to let each other know we're not dangers to one another. Some variation of that is almost always the case. Or parents at a school function or kids sports will do it to size up the other parents, figure out what kind of people they are and so to know what to expect from them. Also, maybe there is nothing behind it and someone's just outgoing and feels like talking. But definitely not casual confidence.
Sprouted Tater 11 months ago
I have to add another opinion in answer to your sum up of why we talk so easily to people we don’t know. I’m not sizing up anyone when I chat with the grocery checker, the retail merchant, someone standing in line, or the woman looking at merch in the same aisle. I do it because I like other humans (pets too) I think kindness is always important and sometimes you might be the only person they have verbal contact with. Especially we older folks who don’t get about much sometime. I very rarely get on of those”death stares” and if I do, that is perfectly fine as well.
Gavin Johnson 11 months ago
As a Brit I can confidently say that I’ll drive 4-5 hours watch a gig or attend a football match and then drive home, it’s all part of the day.
David 11 months ago
Agree with most points but - as an American - I do not have the idea that 'service is really good here". The opposite actually. On a few rare occasions I had the pleasure of dining some place extra fancy with the kind of service that was over the top. The other 99.999% of my life has not been that. :) I've been to a couple dozen countries and as a general rule, the service I got other places was about the same (sometimes better) than what I get locally. Except many of those places were not asking for a tip.
Je L 11 months ago
I think it's an idea that's sold to foreigners, I was expecting some really over the top customer service when I visited the US and it was some of the worst I've experienced (and that includes Germany). I hated having to tip them for doing the bare minimum.
Load More Replies... dantyburski1 11 months ago
And beans and toast I've never tried it. So I'm not going to do it. Is it really delicious?
thewallsarewatching 11 months ago
Beans on toast is ubiquitous because it's cheap, filling, acceptable to eat for any meal, and very easy and cheap to make. Most kids learn it as the first "meal" they can cook themselves. Literally, just toast your bread, microwave your beans or put them in a pan on the hob, butter the toast on your plate, then pour the beans over. Add cheese and sauces e.g. worcestershire sauce or tabasco, as you like. I should add British baked beans are generally in a tomato flavoured sauce, not a maple syrup one like you get in the US. It's probably not many people's favourite meal, but there's very few people who strongly dislike it. If you would like to try it, look for Heinz Baked Beans, it's a turquoise coloured can and I know they sell them in the US.
Load More Replies... MonsterMum 11 months ago
Putting asterisks in words in confusing sometimes - I read Commercials for dildos, then realised it was d***s! doh
Maples Dad 11 months ago
Last one tells me you're likely English as Scots have no problem striking up a conversation with strangers in the street and usually do.
#18
The absence of sidewalks. And the absence of a walkable city center that is not just one mall.
Ron Man 11 months ago
I can't imagine a major city that doesn't have sidewalks, That doesn't make sense even. Also, what city doesn't have a walkable city center? This is just general criticism with no proof of reality.
MegDragon 11 months ago
I think they might be talking about suburban cities with a large population that were never “urban planned.” Heavily car-dependent, chaotic sidewalk systems.
Load More Replies... David 11 months ago
This can be true in some places, but is hardly the "Totally Normal To US Citizens". There are three cities within a short drive from my house (I live in the country), plus a couple of very small ones. ALL of them have sidewalks and you can walk around downtown. I have also walked around downtown Seattle as well as the piers.
StrangeOne 11 months ago
The city I live in is pretty car-centric. Even the strip malls and malls have isolated businesses built in the middle of the parking lots, some with no real pathway to get to them without walking through a parking lot and across the drive thru lanes. There's no sidewalk on my side of the street. The city mostly prioritizes snow removal for the roads. This winter the sidewalks have not been plowed at all. The people here make a big stink of anything about making the city more pedestrian friendly.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
New York, New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland. They do exist. They are the older cities that predate cars though.
Daniel Gómez 11 months ago (edited)
Unfortunately, that's just a fraction of the cities in the US. Yes, they're big and relevant, but cities like these should be the norm and not the exception.
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MegDragon 11 months ago (edited)
Has anyone been to Manchester, England and Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA? They are roughly the same population. (Milw almost double MC size: 96 sq miles) I would be so curious to hear observations and comparisons. Just for fun and learning.
StrangeOne 11 months ago
I've been to Manchester but not Milwaukee. If Milwaukee is anything like Winnipeg, Manitoba, I can attest there are similarities and differences. Unlike Winnipeg's car-centric leaning infrastructure, Manchester is a lot more pedestrian friendly and has more options for public transportation. The downtown is big and active with people everywhere, on every street. People just cross the streets and tram tracks anywhere in Piccadilly. There is so much more to do and see. All the old factory buildings have been converted into multiple business. So many shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes. Plenty of museums. Just like Winnipeg, there's a problem with stabbings and SA attacks. When you come to a cross walk, drivers generally stop for you and wait until you've crossed. In Winnipeg, I could be waiting at a cross walk for a minute or 2 because no one wants to stop. They'll start driving as you're crossing. I've grown accustomed to running across the street, which my Manc. bf finds weird.
Load More Replies... G A 11 months ago
Since the recession and pandemic most UK city centres are barren wastelands of closed shops, phone shops, vape shops, Starbucks or Pound Shops.
Orange Panda 11 months ago
What's a Pound Shop? I'm pretty sure it's not where you go to buy pound cake.
Load More Replies... Sailing Leprechaun 11 months ago
Downtown Cleveland (given that the picture is Cleveland's Old Arcade) is fairly walkable, though only for a radius of a mile or two
SkippityBoppityBoo 11 months ago
I lived in Las Vegas for a little while, then Pacifica... I got strange looks for hiking everywhere!!! 😄 It's affectionate laughter btw! I'm so used to getting buses or walking that even crossing the road was weird! Trying to get across before the beeps ran out! 😜
#19
Churches. Every little town in the South seems have as many churches as houses. And people like to show and tell how super religious they are. Also, the US version of Christianity is weird - so much End Times and Old Testament horror.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
Oh I know. Half my family is Jehovah's Witness. The other half is Catholic. Guess which one I spend the holidays with... Answer is NEITHER!
Valentina Senisi 11 months ago
this is honestly really sad to hear... In any other country Catholics are so much better and nicer, my family is roman Catholic and they are perfectly fine with me being openly gay. Americans have ruined Christianity.
Load More Replies... Kelly Scott 11 months ago
Just remember the more religious they are, the more prejudiced and nasty they are.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
More presidely, "Just remember the more religious they think they are, the more prejudiced and nasty they are."
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Mr.Mister 11 months ago
I had fun on a flight, when I was reading the rules of a game named "Trench Crusade" on my tablet. The game is basically about war between heaven and hell, and has lots of amazing pictures. Also some about devils and demons. Next to me sat a woman, who was looking on my screen and the pointed at one picture and called me a devil whorshipper. I tried to explain to her that this is a game, but she then started to pray and condemned me to hell...
Geoffrey Scott 11 months ago
As a true 'Christian' will. Not pray for your soul and salvation, but that you DIE, DIE, DIE!
Load More Replies... Geoffrey Scott 11 months ago
Issue I have, as an American, is the wide variety of Christian sects and how much contempt they have for one another's worship styles. I...am unchurched.
Geoffrey Scott 11 months ago
Couldn't help myself. Local Pastor has a TV ad about churches being b-o-r-i-n-g and why you should tune in to his show every Sunday. HAD to reply, looked up his website and..'If I may offer some pushback, I suspect many are no longer church going folks not because of 'boring' services. I feel no desire to be entertained while learning about Christ and the word in the old and new testaments. What I DO seek however, and this is why I am a lapsed Lutheran (or any other sect for that matter), is the word conveyed free from bias or slant that a particular 'person of the cloth' wishes to sway me into. Their consistent judgement galls me. Not God's judgement, but the church leaders and congregations I have been to (Lutheran,Baptist, Assy of God, Methodist, etc). I have seen SO many people interpret the Word to suit their world view and regard even other sects of the same faith as apostates.
Heras buddy 11 months ago
But they're mostly Christian in name only. They don't truly practice it or they would never support our new president
nottheactualphoto 9 months ago
Old Testament Yahweh was a vindictive bastard.
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#20
The absolute emptiness of wilderness areas. We were on a week hike and ran into a Frenchman hiking the other way who had been living on a packet of soy beans for the three days since he began his hike. Based on his European hiking experiences, he had planned to buy food when passing through villages or by farms throughout each day. He was like, "Where are the farmers? Where are the sheep? Where are the villages?"
We let him know that in the US, when the trails ran though wilderness, national parks, national forests, or even state parks that there was nothing there. He could go days without happening across civilization. We fed him a good meal and gave him enough supplies to get him the few days to the next place to get supplies, so it turned out okay for him. He simply couldn't comprehend the vast emptiness of it all.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
I can because I grew up out there. The town I was born in was four hours from the nearest McDonalds by car through twisting mountain highways that were shut down in the winter. A road trip to K-Mart meant you brought about two days of supplies to make sure if you got stuck you didn't die.
Ron Man 11 months ago
We have empty spaces bigger than other states. We have empty spaces bigger that European countries. My state is a little bigger than the UK. The UK has about 68 million people, I think. My state has about 3.4 million people. My state is filled with uninhabited forests, deserts and mountain ranges.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 11 months ago
I live in Western Australia (over 1 million sq miles) ... hold my beer, lol.
Load More Replies... SkippityBoppityBoo 11 months ago
This isn't necessarily just the US. If you don't know a country, you can misjudged distances! Like the American couple who, years ago, wanted to know how long it'd take to cycle from where we were to London and back! 😄 Awwws, they were really sweet and I explained how long it'd take. The UK is technically a tiny country but you can't do it all in a few days! And omg! Especially when they asked "Can't we use the motorway on our bicycles"??? Noooo!!! That was so sweetly naive of them though!
Gavin Johnson 11 months ago
Yeah, nah. So this French hiker who was an experienced hiker simply took off with minimal supplies and expected to buy / pick up the food required along the way but they hadn’t so much as looked at a map or worked out their route prior to setting off, they didn’t consult a map as they were hiking and didn’t think it was odd that no buildings were indicated? That’s a no from me, this is a hoax.
Bob Brooce 11 months ago
In much (most?) of Europe you don't need to look at a map or settle on a specific route because you can simply walk into the "wild" knowing that you'll find good signage, plenty of trail options, and enough places to buy food or a bed for the night.
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Pyla 11 months ago
Oh my. That's scary. He should have researched a little better. 85% of Idaho is wilderness. You go on the trails in most of the Western US and you better have some back country skillsets under your belt; 10 essentials are a must. ......... It's not uncommon for people to go hiking and just disappear.
Ravenkbh 11 months ago
Yes but just don't have any more room for Mexican immigrants. America is full up!
#21
Staggering medical debt.
#22
Prescription d**g ads.
Disgruntled Panda 11 months ago
"Won't someone please think of the children"
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cogadh 11 months ago
A recent study of those ads found that the vast majority of them do not apply to more than 80% of the population. D**g companies are desperate to make us think we are sick and need the latest pill to treat it long term. Not cure whatever ails is, just treat the symptoms. That's how you make a profit.
nottheactualphoto 9 months ago
And some people actually do go to the doctor and demand a prescription for Fukitol, based solely on a TV commercial they saw.
Load More Replies... Uncle Schmickle 11 months ago
Yes, it's something I can't get over when I visit. Not allowed here in Oz.
Panda Panda Bo Banda 11 months ago (edited)
D**g ads are weird but they're not wrong. Why wouldn't I want to know about every possible treatment for a condition I have? I trust my doctor but that doesn't mean he knows everything. He can still say no but at least we discussed it.
#23
The amount of our nation's flags everywhere.
Barbara Wilcock 11 months ago
Just like the huge trucks. They are over compensating for something they know has gone
Lina 11 months ago
I like that you have your flags. Never saw the issue with it. It's annoying waving one in my country (aside from sports competition) make people suspect you're far right or racist.
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M O'Connell 11 months ago
But why? Is the average American memory so short they might forget what country they live in?
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Surly Scot 11 months ago
I always think that Americans must keep forgetting what country they live in, and need the flag everywhere to remind them.
#24
Adverts for d***s and lawyers.
TV advert 1:
Heres a d**g you should take
TV advert 2:
Were you wrongfully prescribed D**g X? Sue them.
Disgruntled Panda 11 months ago
But then, what happens? You go to a doctor and you tell them what you think a medical professional should be prescribing you???
Matthew Savestheworld 11 months ago
Plus the doctors are subject to vigorous sales pressure from d**g companies. Many doctor's still use their own professional judgement. But people who might not of known a d**g exists goes to their doctor and askes about it. The odds of it getting prescribed go up.
ScootyPuffJr 11 months ago
My docs are always in shock that I'll opt for surgery over medication that would give me 100 other problems. Why fix the problem when we could create more conditions to charge you money for?!
#25
Why toilet doors always have a gap….
Ace 11 months ago
I always thought it was originally to stop people, specifically gay men, having sex in the toilets.
Hannah 11 months ago
No it's to aid access for emergency services in case of a medical issue. Doesn't mean I like it.
Load More Replies... Bob Brooce 11 months ago
What possible sanitation or safety purpose could possible require a gap?
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Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
I think it's a cost saver (of course!) so that the stall walls and door are easier to install - no precise-fit tolerance needed.
nottheactualphoto 9 months ago
Also a little cheaper because it uses a little less material.
Load More Replies... Michael None 11 months ago
It's because Americans don't peep in on eachother taking a s**t. Maybe you Europeans should be worried about how much you NEED no gap stalls to keep away peepers. Are there really that many creeps in Europe?
#26
Tipping culture
Driving culture.
Bette 11 months ago
Tipping is because people are not paid minimum or living wage. Without tipping people cannot afford to live.
Vera Diblikova 11 months ago
So here, can someone out of the street serve you and be tipped? What is an employer to them? When you tip someone /his only income/ are you an employer to him? Why a waitress, not a cook?
Load More Replies... Panda Panda Bo Banda 11 months ago
Every American hates tipping culture and yet we can't seem to get rid of it
#27
The amount of sugar in bread.
CajunBreaux 11 months ago
Just the terrible, processed, supermarket white bread. We have ALL the different kinds of breads. And cheese, and beer……
M O'Connell 11 months ago
I really dislike people ripping on the US for those specific things. Yes, the cheapest thing in the dairy department happens to be yellow plastic (5.09 euro/kg, $1.19/8oz), but my local grocery store has LITERALLY thousands of different SKUs in the cheese department alone.
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Surly Scot 11 months ago
The amount of sugar in EVERYTHING. Also salt. It's becoming difficult to find anything to eat here that doesn't make me feel sick.
Sprouted Tater 11 months ago
Homemade bread is easy to do, and does not need to be sourdough, although it is good for those worried about diabetes or tummy issues. Artisan bread is a snap to put together and bake. I also worried about all the preservatives, sugar. Especially with the quick rise, and rapid rise yeast it’s so much quicker AND if you’ve a good heavy mixer most come with a dough hook which makes short work of the kneading by hand methods grannie used.
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
Or everything else. And then wonder why 65%of the Americans are obese
Surly Scot 11 months ago
After being in USA for 14yrs, I think the 65% is a lowball number.
Load More Replies... #28
My partner lived in London. Whenever he'd visit, the garbage disposal would freak him out lol. He'd flip the switch to see what it would do and then jump back when it turned on.
Also he was horrified that I didn't own a kettle.
Feathered Dinosaur 11 months ago
In Germany every household I've ever seen has an electric kettle. Every workplace I worked at had an electric kettle. How can people survive without one??
Michael Largey 11 months ago
A kettle has sat on our stove for 37 years. and that's all it has done.
person (i think) 11 months ago
I am American, and I am proud to report that I made my American workplace get an electric kettle 😁
Abel 11 months ago
Tea time is very english, tho! In spain we drink coffe to get our dose of caffeine. And a lot.
WindySwede 11 months ago
I mostly use the electric boiler for when making pasta. Goes quicker, uses less electricity = little bit cheaper. But we also do have 230 volts.
Load More Replies... Maples Dad 11 months ago
Our last home in Edinburgh literally had one. My mother has one. Friends have these. This myth the UK are freaked out by these are nonsense.
Feathered Dinosaur 11 months ago
Read again, the Englishman was freaked out by the absence of a kettle. Because Americans often boil their water in the microwave *shudders*
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Sparky Hughes 10 months ago
I had a stovetop kettle for years. I broke down 10 years ago and got one. My husband laughed at first…but it’s starting to show some wear and tear. He asked me to upgrade soon and to keep my Earl Grey stocked. Haha
SkippityBoppityBoo 11 months ago
I hated the garbage disposal when I was living in Vegas. It'd get stuck occasionally. I was - "Just put it in the bin!!!"... Kettles are a necessity here, tea/coffee but also it's just a way of life. I can boil an egg in mine if needs be! 👍🙂
#29
I think one of the things I see on reddit is how most non-Americans and even some don't realize how absolutely tiered our healthcare system truly is. There is no safety net for basic healthcare, but also some really amazing out of this world care/coverage in some cases. It's 100% dependent upon where you work which is very different from other countries.
My first child, my wife and I paid $0 for the entire duration of her pregnancy and labor. Her healthcare at the time covered pregnancy to its fullest. Her monthly premiums were maybe 100ish at the time.
My second child, she changed jobs and jumped onto my insurance. We were paying $120 a month in premiums for the whole family and the pregnancy + labor cost us probably 500-600 dollars tops.
Currently at yet a different job, we are paying closer to $700 dollars a month for the whole family. Recently one of my children had a really bad infection that required us going into the ER, getting rushed to the local children's hospital and staying there for a week and a half with some intense medication and a small procedure. It ended up costing us 1.2k for the whole thing.
I have friends who pay 1.2 - 1.3k a month for their premiums and their plan covers just about nothing. And if they have a serious health incident like the one my daughter went through, they would be 10's of thousands in debt overnight.
It's absolutely a tiered system in the US when it comes to basic healthcare. And because it is tied to your employment, it's one of the reasons some people might not leave jobs for a long time. Coverage is different from business to business.
James016 11 months ago
I pay taxes and healthcare is free at the point of use. I do pay the £9.90 ish for my prescriptions as and when I need them.
Debby Keir 11 months ago
but I'm a pensioner and don't pay. My daughter's not a pensioner but has diabetes, so her prescriptions are free too.
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Gunný Petersen 11 months ago
It should not be only if you have a job that you have health insurance.
Sparky Hughes 10 months ago
While good intentioned, this was the effect of federal government healthcare getting into the game, the premiums are no longer spread just by workforce risk. Doctors can no longer do sliding scales in many states. I have government healthcare. There are so ,any things not covered. My biggest offense is taking care of my health.
Scott Rackley 11 months ago
Not only that, you're required, by law, to buy that worthless insurance with the $10k deductible.
Panda Panda Bo Banda 11 months ago
America has the best healthcare system in the world... if you're rich.
Devin Schmitt 11 months ago
Retired early, which means no Medicare for a few more years. We're looking at $24-$30,000 for health insurance PER YEAR, until I qualify for Medicare. And that doesn't include co-pays or deductibles.
weatherwitch 11 months ago
As a diabetic (T3c) in the UK I get All of my supplies for Free. Both Insulins, both types of needles, sensors, scanner, blood test kit, ketone blood strips, glucose blood test strips, lancets, spray to keep sensor on due to allergies/Sjogrens with patches, free HbA1c tests, free check ups, And then there's all the other meds for all my other medical conditions. I have about 40 different prescription items for my multiple medical conditions for free. Podiatry for free, NHS medical support boots for other conditions... Free. Some further Medical and disability equipment supplied free. Stamp paid as standard ensures All of this. I'd to attend UTC at the Hospital two days ago, free. ECG next week, free. That's outstanding. We have tiers from localised funding but basics like these, free 🇬🇧
Rosecrucian Roeth 11 months ago
In Murica, healthcare is only for the rich, nobody else can afford it..........................
Surly Scot 11 months ago (edited)
Can't wait to move back to Scotland, free healthcare and no prescription fees. Health insurance in the US is so expensive and covers so little. Currently spending $4k to correct scoliosis in my spine, health insurance only covered initial x-rays and chiropractic adjustments, no coverage for muscle realignment or physical therapy. Boss is paying $5000 per month to cover 4 employees, and it barely covers anything. At this point we're just paying the health insurance premiums to keep Affordable Care Act off our backs (if you're above poverty threshhold, can't afford insurance, and employer doesn't offer it, you're penalized on your taxes. 1st year of Obamacare, IRS took my whole tax refund and said I owed $1200 for having no health coverage, all because of the Affordable Care Act. Been penalized every year since).
#30
My husband (German) gets shocked every time we go to the US when we drive through a suburb and very few houses have fences or bushes around their homes. He always comments on the lack, saying, “Everything’s so open. I don’t understand why no one has hedges.” 🤷♀️.
ScootyPuffJr 11 months ago
With our insane "castle laws," most people know that if it's not public property, and you don't own it, to keep off.
Surly Scot 11 months ago
Hedges. OMG I miss hedges, these things were fantastic for establishing boundaries while giving nesting areas for local wildlife, and they look so much prettier than all the fences.
Tyranamar Seuss 11 months ago
Where in the US are you visiting? There are fences and hedges around everything here!
Panda Panda Bo Banda 11 months ago
Definitely. Some people have hedges but it's far from the rule
#31
The US is big. Texas is the size of France. North Carolina is bigger than England. It's 1900 miles from Paris to Moscow; if you start at NYC, 1900 will get you just past Denver.
Ruth 11 months ago
Our enormous size provides space for cities to spread out into sprawling suburbs that provide lots of parks and recreational facilities. In most cases, the population density is far lower than in some other countries. This makes it more challenging to provide viable public transportation systems and spread out cities simply aren’t walkable. So everyone drives their cars, creating a new set of problems with traffic congestion, air pollution and the need for so many parking garages.
Hannah 11 months ago
Town/City planning is so complex. Even in a comparatively tiny landmass like the UK, public transport seems to be an insoluble problem. Then on the other hand, one can look at a country like Switzerland (and loads of other places of course) and public transport is so well organised and efficient. Again, smaller, but shows it can be done. Model just needs to be scaled up, with adjustments for the actual landscape and the centres of industry, residential homes etc.
Load More Replies... Sprouted Tater 11 months ago
Didn’t we have a rail system (talking passenger trains) spread over the USA at one time? Aren’t most of the tracks still available for shipping goods from place to place. Will someone who knows please inform us why we aren’t using these for travel, commutes? I know areas of the US do use railroads for commutes, travel, etc., however it seems a dying travel form.
#32
You can have your employment terminated at any time, for almost any (or no) reason, without notice, without compensation, and full loss of healthcare.
It's called "at-will employment".
There are precious few protections or exceptions to this, and many times, those "laws" are blatantly ignored even if they are violated. "If you don't like it, sue me." And then begins a 3 to 10 year ordeal that may not yield any results.
Disgruntled Panda 11 months ago
Genuine question: are Americans used to a very high baseline level of stress and anxiety? With the at-will employment and prices of healthcare I think I would be worries and stressed non-stop about my life derailing. I'm sorry if this comment is super naive but it makes me anxious just thinking about this
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 11 months ago
Yes, living with high levels of stress and anxiety are common for the majority of the working class, where you are one emergency away from bankruptcy and homelessness.
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Kelly Scott 11 months ago
The answer to this is UNIONS and I wish Americans would get this through their thick heads.
ScootyPuffJr 11 months ago (edited)
YES! Unfortunately, there are politicians who can do things like end collective bargaining rights when they're in power. Scott Walker is a good example of what one shmuck can do to education and other industries.
Load More Replies... René Sauer 11 months ago
And then the company can even deny the ex-employee unemployment. Absolutely disgusting.
#33
Man, I’ll never forget the first time I saw an American ad for… I think it was an anti depressant… I heard the end of the ad “may cause compulsive gambling…”
w h a t.
David 11 months ago (edited)
The legal disclosures at the end of US d**g ads are both comical and sad. They have to tell you that side effects may include growing a second head, prolapsed r****m (edit, b******e), projectile vomiting and selling your body in your sleep --- but they say it real fast while showing you video of happy people petting kittens in a field of flowers. It's surreal.
Tobias Reaper 11 months ago
side effects of d***s get me my mum was given a medication for nerve damage in her leg one of the potential side effects was death. So doing medical trials that means someone died taking it and they thought oh ok seems fine.
#34
Wearing pajamas to the grocery store or pharmacy.
Bob Brooce 11 months ago
Pajamas are far better than some of the ridiculous outfits people wear. Looking at you saggers and people of Walmart.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
This is something that as an American, I am legit ashamed of. I never leave the house without being fully dressed.
David 11 months ago
LOL that the picture is not in the USA. Yes, many of us dress quite casually, so the comment is valid. But the person in the picture isn't wearing pajamas and based on the price signs, is not in an English speaking country.
Bob Brooce 11 months ago
And he isn't wearing pajamas. Untitled-6...f0fbee.jpg 
Abel 11 months ago
This happens here in Spain, but only with old crazy people that dont give a s**t whatever other people thinks 🤷♂️
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
I don't give a flying fûck what people think. But I wear normal clothes out of the house, because I sleep in my birthday suit.
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Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 11 months ago
I'm not comfortable about people here (Australia) walking barefoot in shops
#35
As a European: the amount of time spent in cars that you are ok with. For some people it's literally more than three hours per day. Can't fathom how that's OK for some people. No hate, I just don't get it.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
During and after COVID, I went almost two years without entering any form of motor vehicle. No car, no bus no train. But I live in Portland, Oregon and that's a viable lifestyle here.
David 11 months ago
Even as an American I find that hard to fathom. I know it happens, but thankfully it never happened to me on a regular basis. I am about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Seattle. Better in zero traffic, worse in heavy commute. A long time ago a neighbor who worked for the state got transferred to Seattle. His house / property was up here and he was about a year out from retiring. So he drove that commute every day for a year. That sounded just awful to me but I get why he wanted to keep his pretty house in the countryside.
UtanaYona 11 months ago
It may be because of how big our country is compared to most European countries.
Tams21 11 months ago
Given that few people to cross country commutes, I don't think that's the reason. I would imagine it's more the way cities are built - the kind of sprawling suburbs you get at the edge of US cities don't really exist in Europe and there are far more options in terms of public transport.
Load More Replies... Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
It takes days to travel from the most eastern city in the US, to the most western city by public transport. But the same can be said about some European countries. Not because of the distance though...
#36
1. AC in homes
2. Flying for 6 hours and never leaving the “mainland” part of the country
3. Going on 10+ hour roadtrips
4. Our national parks being truly wild and k*lling people who don’t respect them.
Uncle Schmickle 11 months ago
Couldn't do without AC in my home. Actually I was shocked by the LACK of it in Europe. Terribly hot days and no AC ..... bloody awful.
cecilia kilian 11 months ago
4: Our national parks are one of the best things about the US. Our park rangers are there for a reason. If you respect the rules, and ask for advice as to your hiking level, camping needs, or questions about park sevices, a ranger can help you, and you will have an amazing time. The Orange One wanted to cut National Park funding, idk what will happen now.
Apatheist Account2 11 months ago
We have central heating. I found it odd that they didn't in Johannesburg, although they did require the electricity for high-level security systems.
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
Still, the longest domestic flight in the world is not even American or Asian. It's French
#37
As a European: what the hell a "sophomore" is, and why you expect us to know. Just use people's ages please.
Ron Man 11 months ago
Sophomore doesn't take the place of ages. You can be a sophomore in high school and a sophomore in college, and the ages are not nearly the same
Lesley Thomas 11 months ago
Well tell us what it means, asking from Australia
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Uncle Schmickle 11 months ago
Quite right. When I did my tertiary education in Chicago in the early '70s, I had no idea what a sophomore was ...... or is, still today !
SirWriteALot 11 months ago
And this homecoming thing and valedicktoryshit ... jeez. We just have school, then it ends and we are adults.
cogadh 11 months ago (edited)
Freshman = first year, secondary school (high school) or college. Sophomore = second year. Junior = third year. Senior = fourth year. EDIT - also, sophomore literally means "wise idiot", perfect description of the age at which you think you know everything, but you really only know enough to get yourself in trouble.
#38
Wild animals that can k*ll you.
In Europe, predators capable of doing a person harm have for the most part been wiped out. But taking a walk through wilderness or just rural areas in the US could lead to a confrontation with a rattlesnake, gator, bear, mountain lion, or a pack of wolves.
Aussies handle it just fine though.
David 11 months ago
LOL I never thought of someone from UK thinking of the US the way I think of Australia. Most of what was mentioned won't bother you if it has a choice. At least near civilization. Coyote and bald eagle are the two largest predators I've seen on my own property. Mountain lions have been spotted maybe a mile away but never seen one on my place.
ScootyPuffJr 11 months ago (edited)
I'm in a major city and live near a river. Whenever I'm on a walk and cross paths with a coyote, we just give each other a "what's up?" look and keep walking our separate ways. More of a concern to small pets if they're hungry.
Load More Replies... Bob Brooce 11 months ago
Don't forget those big, dark cows the tourists want to get close to in Yellowstone.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
The really scary ones are the urban critters. Those racoons, squirrels, w/e they can carry rabies. You don't want rabies. You really don't want rabies.
Bob Brooce 11 months ago
It's very unusual for squirrel to have rabies, and the CDC says they've never heard of somebody getting rabies from one.
Load More Replies... Kelly Scott 11 months ago
We have black bears, eagles, bobcats, coyotes, and cougars where I live. I've seen all of them except the cougars and bears, but a cougar was photographed, in broad daylight, just around the corner from me and my neighbor a block away is now taking her birdfeeders in at night because of the bears. I don't go for nighttime walks.
Surly Scot 11 months ago
I don't go camping or hiking in USA due to this, the health insurance doesn't cover enough, and i'm not filing bankruptcy over $1.5million debt because i got bitten by a damn rattlesnake.
cogadh 11 months ago
I love our wildlife. The key to coexisting with them is simple: leave them alone, they leave you alone. The problem is our slow urban and suburban growth has been encroaching on their traditional lands. We forgot the first step to coexisting: leave them alone. Now you get bears in backyards, coyotes roaming streets, eagles snatching Chihuahuas...
geezeronthehill 11 months ago
I rarely see black bears on my mountain anymore. They've mostly moved to the suburbs.
#39
That fans of a game called football don’t have to be kept apart by police on game day.
Johnnynatfan 11 months ago
No not really. There are some unruly fans for sure but I would not say a riot. Then there are parades that are organized and orderly.
Load More Replies... René Sauer 11 months ago
which is a good thing. I regularly get sick when I read what some soccer-"fans" do here in Germany... Or what has to be done to ensure safety. I watched a doku once where they had to close off a major road in a city so the visiting fans can safely get to the stadium without meeting locals.
#40
It's really big. You can drive for four days straight and still not get to the end of it.
Ron Man 11 months ago
In some places you can drive for 4 days straight and not see anyone else (better bring your own gas food and lodging)
M O'Connell 11 months ago
I was once on a 2-hour flight that took off in Texas and landed in Texas! (DAL->ELP)
Load More Replies... Johnny McFearless 11 months ago
So... from NYC to LA, it's around 2800 miles. From Lisbon to Sochi or Tbilisi it's about 3500 miles. Even more to Atyrau. Europe doesn't end at the Schengen border.
UtanaYona 11 months ago
Europe is a continent with numerous countries where America is a continent with 3 countries.
Load More Replies... #41
You haven’t raised the minimum wage in… *checks notes* 16 YEARS?!
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
FEDERAL minimum wage is $7.25/hr. State minimum wages have been raised separately. California is at $16.50/hr for example. Famously though California raised fast food employees wage to $20/hr. Turns out that the fast food corporations COULD afford to pay that. They just didn't want to.
#42
44oz drinks.
Ron Man 11 months ago
To be fair, they're mainly ice. But yeah. When I was a kid 7-11 created the Big Gulp. 32 ounces (1 liter). That was enormous and was the largest thing around.
Kelly Scott 11 months ago
I don't know if they still have it, but in the 90s 7-11 had a cup that was so huge, you could fill it half full of ice, pour in a 32oz Gatorade, and have room left over. I loved it.
Load More Replies... G A 11 months ago
But you dont get that much as its mainly ice, isnt that right?
Load More Replies... David 11 months ago
We definitely drink to much soda, but most places have smaller portions than that. McDonald's soda sizes are Small: 16 ounces. Medium: 21 ounces, Large: 30 ounces. And some of that is likely ice - because another thing we take for granted here in the US is ice made from potable water.
Surly Scot 11 months ago
But how else are we going to get the apple dia-bee-tus? (i hope some of you get the Wilford Brimley reference, he cracked me up!)
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
With free refill! So pay double for essentially the same amount of drink. Or ask for No-Ice , so they give you triple the amount in the smallest cup, then you would get with ice in the big one
SirWriteALot 11 months ago (edited)
How much is that in real measurements? ... EDIT, ok, someone converted it. 1,3 liters. jeezuz
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
Bro, late '90s, early 2000s, you could get 64oz, half a gallon of soda, for about $1.50 from 7-11.
#43
The concept of unlimited refills on drinks at restaurants. Europeans probably think we're all constantly hydrating at the expense of our bladders.
David 11 months ago
It's marketing. Sell a fountain drink for $2.50 that cost you 20 cents. Offer free refills, knowing most folks will take none, or one. Sounds generous but customer is paying you more than it is worth. Similar idea with tea, water and even drip coffee. Note it is all "on tap" sort of drinks. In many countries I have been to the water is often not safe to drink. Just about every beverage you get comes out of a bottle or can. Those items are not 'free refills' in the US either.
Surly Scot 11 months ago
Does anyone else get weird looks from waitstaff when you just order water? Or when I bring my own bottled water because the place doles out tapwater to customers that isn't healthy to drink.
Surly Scot 11 months ago
With good reason, the govt is paying our health bills, they don't need us developing more health issues and getting fatter because we just had to have a 3rd soda with 80% of your daily sugar RDA.
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#44
Grocery purchasing is so different. I told my German friend that I have probably 3-4 weeks of food on hand all the time (he asked because of a storm). He thought that was nuts and asked where I stored it. I then described a pantry and a deep freezer and he was dumbfounded. But these things are super common in the U.S. outside of cities like NY. .
Trillian 11 months ago
Many of us live in apartments and not in houses with garages the size of an apartment alone.
Deborah 11 months ago
I now live in a small apartment that doesn't even have a full size fridge. The freezer section is so small it's hard to stock up.
Load More Replies... Lost Panda 11 months ago
When the closest grocery is an hour away by car, you kind of have to...
#45
Grown men wearing baseball caps everywhere. You can be in a nice restaurant and some guy will be wearing a backwards cap at the table.
Lost Panda 11 months ago
They are the uncultured. If you wear a hat (any kind) you take it off when you sit at the table, and even sometimes when you enter the building.
Nea 11 months ago
What? Maybe uncultured in your culture. I find baseball caps harmless.
Load More Replies... Ron Man 11 months ago
Baseball caps are the defacto head covering of the US. People should be taking them off in restaurants though.
Lost Panda 11 months ago
That's how I was taught. And you're supposed to take it off when talking to someone regardless of where you are
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Surly Scot 11 months ago
International rule: no hats at the table or when a coffin is being driven by.
Johnnynatfan 11 months ago
Grown men should know better and any that wear a hat at the table has no manners. Also grown men should not wear a hat backwards. This is the way most americans thinks.
#46
Routine circumcision.
Surly Scot 11 months ago
I would be fine getting rid of all circumcisions, as long as all boys are heavily educated on cleaning under the hoodie, because so many men don't, and the smell of fromunda cheese is unbearable and results in swiftly dumping the dude. I have no idea how ladies can pickup a guy at a bar, go home and sleep with him without knowing his hygiene habits first.
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
Our ulta-right government is planning to forbid all circumcisions for not-medicaly necessary reasons (the largest, and therefore most important party in our coalition government, is islamophobic), but fortunately also is against female circumcision
#47
The abundance of ice cubes.
Sprouted Tater 11 months ago
Amen, ice is very important, especially in the hot summer. I don’t have an icemaker, so I use ice cube trays and u can be sure I always have a bin full of ice.
Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
I happen to like my cold drinks to be really cold, which is why I want ice in my drink. The only cold drink I don't put ice in is milk - but that milk better be really cold. 🥛
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
Ice and pre-chilled drinks hardly have any taste left. You only taste the sugar. Drink it pure (and not diluted by the melted ice) and just cool (15•c/69°f) and you get the FULL flavor
#48
The insanity that police officers in the US can "arrest" your money. If you travel with cash or valuables the police can confiscate it under pretense the money is intended to be used illegally. Strait up theft.
Geoffrey Scott 11 months ago
One of the worst abuses IMO, house goes up on property tax sale. Owner does not get any overage of sale price.
#49
When I lived in the US in the 80s & 90s (I’m from Germany) I was a flight attendant and to me it was funny at first that you’ll fly 6 hours across one country and many time zones and don’t have to exchange currency and the language remains the same.
That was way before the Euro and when you went a few hours by car and were in another European country with a different currency and language and border where you had to show your ID.
David 11 months ago
True. I have not been all over Europe but I've experienced a couple instances of this. In Monaco, a short bus ride later I'm in France. In Thailand I took a short train ride to Malaysia. Both of those examples I didn't have to show ID. That was back in the 80s, not sure about now. Also a bus from Hong Kong to China, but I did have to show my passport for that one. (before HK was returned to China)
#50
That we don’t care about soccer.
Every other country in the world goes crazy over the World Cup… Most Americans couldn’t tell you what country it’s being held in - even if it was in America.
Nobody gives a s**t.
Ace 11 months ago
To be even fairer I and many other Europeans don't give a sh1t about soccer either. The world cup is intensely annoying as it blocks som much TV scheduling time, amongst other things.
Load More Replies... #51
- Medical bills bankruptcy.
- US dentists are nice/kind.
- Having to “do/pay” taxes— vs just having everything taken out.
- No/few paid vacation days
- clothes dryers
- How large the US is, how big everything is (homes, washing machines, cars, portions, etc).
#52
Free coffee refills at the diner.
Ron Man 11 months ago
This is 100% why the US is coffee based and not tea. You don't get free seconds on hot tea. They're individual servings and brewed as ordered, so if you want a second cup of tea, you're paying for it. Coffee though, it's in a big urn or a pot and everyone gets topped off as a matter of course.
Bob Brooce 11 months ago
Oddly enough, I once got a refill on hot chocolate. I suppose there might be places that don't make it one serving at a time, but the small local diner I was at certainly wasn't one of them.
Load More Replies... #53
So few people know how to drive manual.
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 11 months ago
Now just imagine how many know how to drive a "three on the tree" transmission. Loved my old Chevy Nova because having a three-on-the-tree was the best theft deterrent ever!
René Sauer 11 months ago
And? Just leave people be. I am German, And I can´t drive manual either. I see no reason why I should. Automatic is way more comfortable.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 11 months ago
Reminds me growing up in England in the '60s. Most cars were manual.
Bill Evs 11 months ago
Most cars still are. And most people here can drive a manual even if they own an auto. But I can see that changing over the next 10-20 years.
Load More Replies... Apatheist Account2 11 months ago
Yes, and co-ordination with your hand on the gear stick. It becomes second nature after a while.
Load More Replies... Ron Man 11 months ago
Most new cars in the last 20 years have been automatics. Along with power windows, and AC, an automatic transmission used to be an option. Now all of them are standard on cars and it's difficult to find one with a manual
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago (edited)
Most driving schools here are starting to have problems finding manual cars for instruction. Especially because if you take your driving test/exam in an automatic, you get a code on your license that restricts you to automatic only. You aren't allowed to drive a manual. But starting drivers can't afford a new car. Just a second hand, which are mostly manual. The law change about it takes effect on 01-01-2026
Load More Replies... Surly Scot 11 months ago
Nevermind manual, these people cannot figure out how to forward parallel park. I look out my office window everyday and see at least 10 people struggling to back in as they parallel park. In Scotland we're taught to forward parallel park, you're in the space faster and not holding up traffic/being in the way. My american roommate was dumbfounded when I showed him how.
Learner Panda 11 months ago
I can drive all three methods; automatic, stick shift and column change. You never know when you might need to drive an unfamiliar vehicle.
Sprouted Tater 11 months ago
I’m grateful I learned on my POP’s manual. I much prefer automatic too but I can still shift those gears in my mind and know I could drive a standard if needed.
Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
I learned on a manual. If all cars had to be manual, I think we'd have fewer people playing with their cellphones and more attention to actually driving. Just my opinion, though.
Kelly Scott 11 months ago
Let me take you to Seattle or San Francisco and give you a manual drive. You'll trade it for automatic real fast, believe me.
#54
Root beer.
cogadh 11 months ago
Thing is, most people think root beer is one thing: that artificial syrupy thing sold by A&W and other big brands. The reality is, root beer is a class of beverages made from different root extracts. You have other types like birch beer, sarsaparilla, maple beer, even the bitter angry drink from hell Moxie is technically a root beer.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
Funny story about root beer. It has a deep connection to rave culture. The original flavoring in root beer was derived from sassafras root. That's the "root". Also why it was sometimes called Sarsaparilla. The flavoring contained MDA the precursor to MDMA, AKA the d**g Ecstasy. The original formulations are highly illegal.
Edward Treen 11 months ago
I'm in the UK. and have around 4 or 5 6-packs of root beer: I top up my stock when necessary and am almost never without.
#55
So many good answers and contradictions. To me the US is crazy.
But I really like your bar culture. Once you’re finally old enough to go in - people go to bars to chat to random people and not just to try and sleeze and pick up. It was refreshing - had so many great chats!
Surly Scot 11 months ago
Where are these bars? I had to stop going out to bars due to the sleezy creeps. No doesn't mean No in America when a woman says it.
#56
The fact that we have crazy bad natural disasters yearly. I don't think Europeans understand how deadly some of our natural disasters are, how frequent they are, and how much that shapes our culture. .
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
My heart goes out to LA. It's only going to get worse with climate change.
Bob Brooce 11 months ago
Not to mention 4 more years of the orange crested twatwaffle.
Load More Replies... Jonathan Gore 11 months ago (edited)
But also how littel goverment help there is, there are places still not rebuilt after Katrina
M O'Connell 11 months ago
Considering the increasing frequency of violent hurricanes, perhaps moving away from the coast is a good idea.
Load More Replies... SirWriteALot 11 months ago
Yeah, over here in Europe we have never had natural disasters of any kind.
Surly Scot 11 months ago
Europeans don't understand? Dude, 90% of our news is "OMG LOOK WHATS HAPPENING IN AMERICA/LOOK WHAT AMERICA DID". The rest of the world is fully aware, please don't act like we're ignorant of it.
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
How devastating those natural disasters are! So let's cut funding our rescue services, divert the remaining funds to more unnecessary things like excessive salaries for the big shots, and after the disaster we'll rebuild exactly the same way as before (flammable buildings that get torn apart in a breeze, with phone- and powerlines above ground, so they can short circuit after the first bit of wind and/or snow)
#57
Of those that haven’t been mentioned:
Buying food, home goods, furniture, toiletries, lawn care/gardening supplies, sporting goods, craft items, and electronics all under one roof with one check out line.
Unless you want booze, in which case it varies wildly based on location!
Water line in toilets.
Yellow school buses really are that common.
No one cares what you’re wearing. .
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
Here in Oregon, you can buy beer and wine almost anywhere, but hard liquor can only be purchased from state run liquor stores. They used to always be closed on Sundays. Across the border in California, you can buy hard liquor in grocery stores. Across the other border in Idaho, I don't care because F*** that state full of racist a-holes.
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 11 months ago
Love living in Oregon but hate the OLCC!
Load More Replies... thewallsarewatching 11 months ago
There's a lot more water in US toilets versus European toilets. In the US, the water is nearly to the top of the bowl. In Europe, there's only a small amount of water at the bottom, about enough to fill a cereal bowl. It's because different types of toilets are common. In the US, you use gravity/siphon toilets and, in Europe, we use washdown/washout toilets. They each have their pros and cons. On the one hand, there's no chance of accidentally dipping yourself in the water in European toilets (also swirlies are pretty much impossible) but on the other, American toilets need a lot less cleaning.
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Annik Perrot 11 months ago
We do have supermarkets, even hypermarkets in Europe where you can buy all those, you know. And they sell liquor as well.
#58
As an Australian I thought the toilet was going to overflow when I flushed it and Power outlets had no on switch and light switches were off for on and on for off
Also how many accents I heard.
Learner Panda 11 months ago
And to turn off the electric kettle I had to unplug it. No automatic off switch and no way to disconnect the power apart from yanking on the power cord.
#59
4 hours isn't much of a drive.
Ansi 11 months ago
This is really different from were I live. Going to a popular winter resort (we have closer ones too of course) takes 6h and it's always "OMG, how are you going to drive that far by yourself" and you're expected to have another driver to drive half of the way. I haven't visited my mum in a while because she lives 3h away and that's far. So it's weird (atleast for me) how Americans drive so far with such ease. I bet it's all those free coffee refills. 😊😉 It's impressive.
Kelly Scott 11 months ago
I drove from Minnesota out to Washington state (about 1700 miles) and it took me 2 1/2 days, driving about 10 to 12 hours a day with a half day stop in Bismarck for a car repair. By myself. It was fun enough that I want to do a road trip by car one of these days, but go across the whole US this time.
Load More Replies... Apatheist Account2 11 months ago
I was put off by the song 24 hours from Tulsa. The UK is only 650 miles long; a decent cyclist could do that in 24 hours, and at 50mph it's only 13 hours.
#60
Iced Tea.
Ace 11 months ago
Ice tea is actually quite common across Europe as well, less so in the UK. It's nothing like as sweet as the stuff I've had in the UK, but I still tend to dilute it by up to 50% at home, especially with a little lime juice added.
Load More Replies... Surly Scot 11 months ago
Iced tea in America is terrible, so overloaded with sugar and sickly-sweet to taste. Nordic iced tea is the best i've had yet, just enough sugar as needed.
Debby Keir 11 months ago
Lots of countries have had iced tea for years - You wouldn't bother to 'ice' a tea with milk, but chilled black tea with lemon has been around for years. I'm UK in my 70's and been drinking it since childhood. Home made iced tea doesn't have to be quite so sickly sweet.
What do you think ?
Carl Roberts 11 months ago
More accurately their weekly "America bad" list
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Christos Arvanitis 11 months ago
Oh BP... you never learn, do you? Enough with the US bashing.
Susie Elle 11 months ago
Y'all's sense of community is something to be admired. Sure it can turn toxic as well, and I have the impression the 'what will the neighbours think?' trope is still alive, but I think you look out for eachother in a way that can teach us a thing or two, especially where I live.
Andrew Price 11 months ago
No-one mentioned the 13th amendment in their constitution - Legal slavery for convicted criminals. Hey! That means Trump can be made to work for free!!!!
CajunBreaux 11 months ago
Yeah, convicted murderers should just sit around all day watching TV and playing video games. 🙄
Load More Replies... Caia Calabrese 11 months ago
Written by a foreigner who hates the US as much as the "democrats".
Carl Roberts 11 months ago
More accurately their weekly "America bad" list
Load More Replies... Christos Arvanitis 11 months ago
Oh BP... you never learn, do you? Enough with the US bashing.
Susie Elle 11 months ago
Y'all's sense of community is something to be admired. Sure it can turn toxic as well, and I have the impression the 'what will the neighbours think?' trope is still alive, but I think you look out for eachother in a way that can teach us a thing or two, especially where I live.
Andrew Price 11 months ago
No-one mentioned the 13th amendment in their constitution - Legal slavery for convicted criminals. Hey! That means Trump can be made to work for free!!!!
CajunBreaux 11 months ago
Yeah, convicted murderers should just sit around all day watching TV and playing video games. 🙄
Load More Replies... Caia Calabrese 11 months ago
Written by a foreigner who hates the US as much as the "democrats".
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