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The US and Europe (with a few notable exceptions) have much in common. They hold democratic elections, fight for human rights, and are conscious of their carbon footprint. But at the same time, they're an entire ocean apart and geography isn't the only thing separating them.

So we dug around the internet and found a couple of online threads (one and two) where people have been sharing what they believe to be the aspects of American culture that are foreign to the Old Continent. From the popularity of university sports to free soda and coffee refills, here are the most popular submissions to the discussion.

#1

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA If you are an American citizen, you can choose to live in just about any climate and landscape that the Earth has to offer, and still be in the same country. Whether you like mountains, volcanoes, the beach, the desert, the arctic, the prairie, the rainforest, whatever, the US has it.

[deleted] , Explore with Joshua / Unsplash Report

#2

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA I’d say the whole system of National Parks is just amazing! Open 24/7 (unless some weather or gov’t shutdown), maps available, trails laid out, camping spots designated… It’s the most treasured and inderappreciated thing in the US, IMO.

dimacq , Tim Depickere / Unsplash Report

#3

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA A country that's like 99% unwalkable. Seriously, I've been around the globe and every time I came I became frustrated that I can't just walk to a corner grocery.

Firm-Boysenberry , RDNE Stock project / Pexels Report

#4

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Expensive healthcare.

BuhrackOsama , Pranidchakan Boonrom / Pexels Report

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#5

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA More firearms than citizens.

BeepBeepWhistle , David Peinado / Pexels Report

#6

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA The endangered species act, one of the few laws in the entire world that actually enforces protections for endangered animals proactively and retroactively. You could go to prison for destroying some rare flowers. just because those flowers were rare. It’s not perfect, but the ESA is one of the most powerful environmental protection laws in the world, spanning some of the largest area, and very very few countries have something similar.

Turtledonuts , Mike Esparza / Pexels Report

#7

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Space. I can drive 400 miles and still be in Kansas, as it’s 410 miles in width.

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#8

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA That's alwys struck me as weird. We get adverts for over the counter meds, like painkillers or cold and flu medicine but the thought of seeing an advert for something you need to go to the doctors and get a prescription for like adhd meds / anti depresents / antibiotics / heart meds or blood thinners is absolitly mental to me.

[deleted] Report

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#9

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA I'm from the UK and it looks like the houses in the US are a million times bigger than they are here.

[deleted] , Arian Fernandez / Pexels Report

#10

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA On the up side, amazing geographic diversity. In one country, we have mountains, deserts, tropics, sweeping plains, fertile farmland, tundra, huge beaches, and rugged coastlines.

On the down side, school shootings. Mall shootings. Grocery store shootings. Church shootings. Birthday party shootings. We know another one's coming soon - we just don't know where.

anon , Pixabay / Pexels Report

#11

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA So many extracurricular activities in schools. Playing a specific sport or being part of a team isn't something schools offer in Europe. I have cousins who live in Texas, and the fact that their school has tennis courts and a pool blows my mind. Some schools here have small clubs like theater or choir, but the options hardly compare to those offered at schools in the States. Your high school theater plays look like professional productions sometimes.

biancastolemyname , Pexels Report

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#12

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Fast food restaurants at every intersection and an obesity epidemic.

road22 , Robi Pastores / Pexels Report

#13

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA The Pacific AND the Atlantic.

dntExit , Shifaaz shamoon / Unsplash Report

#14

Florida Man stories. Europe just has 'the English tourist on holiday in Ibiza.'

google_academic Report

#15

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Garbage disposal units are installed beneath the kitchen sink.

Strict-Promotion3250 , Chris Winters Report

#16

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Free refills on coffee and soda (in most restaurants).

LeopardEmpress , Mike Mozart / Flickr Report

#17

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Free public restrooms and toilet seat covers.

ec0114 , Minh Nguyen Report

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#18

Diners. Fast cheap American food available at all hours. One of the best meals you will ever eat is American diner food at 2 am.

[deleted] Report

#19

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Massive student loan.

WhinyMrFring , Pixabay / Pexels Report

#20

The Grand Canyon.

[deleted] Report

#21

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Giant superstores where you can buy groceries, furniture, a pet fish and a handgun

Acrobatic_Budget_367 , Caique Morais / Unsplash Report

#22

THE F**KING BBQ!

Thank the cosmos I live there and travel alot. States seem to have their own twists and specialities and it's all so f**king good I can't decide what I like more.

The Texas BBQ Pit I went to once was an experience.

Before I came here, BBQ meant store bought frozen burgers and sausages on a grill in the garden during summer. One thing I don't miss about the UK lol.

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#23

The 4th of July. True fact, in Europe it goes straight from the 3rd to the 5th.

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#24

Good Mexican food. It doesn't exist in Europe. I ordered a burrito in Berlin, and it was worse than Taco Bell.

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Queeqec
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So that one place in Berlin is representing whole Europe?

calvin and hobbes
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

okay, but hes right. i have traveled all over europe, and their mexican food is never as good.

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Carlos Moreno
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most mexican food In the US is not mexican, it is more tex-mex. Go to the capital of Mexico and you will not recognize the food you eat.

El Cucuy
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have eaten Mexican food all over the US. If it's a family-owned restaurant, it is usually not Tex-Mex and is pretty authentic. And I have eaten Mexican food in Mexico many times. Even in homes, prepared by the family that lived there (and yes, in Mexico City). It wasn't any different than the typical Mexican food I've had in the US.

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Shark_a
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So when I buy a bad burger somewhere in US, can I also say that Americans don´t have good burgers?

Susie Elle
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I doubt that in the entirety of Europe, no proper mexican food can be found

Carl Roberts
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, I mean, the U.S. does have a large Hispanic population. Berlin doesn't.

Moosy Girl
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Agreed, good Mexican food is hard to find in my country, not impossible, but it’s definitely rare, and ‘french tacos’ are NOT helping.

SirWriteALot
Community Member
5 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Did you get them at the Burrito Schnitzel Pizza Kebap Sushi place? Guess why it was bad :-D You won't find them in the usual tourist places but you need to look for restaurants that are run by people of the country that you're trying to eat the food from. So get your poutine at the only place in town run by a french canadian ex-pat.

axle f
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

... that's hard to believe. there's not much worse than Taco Bell, man..

lonelyone
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Each country has its own foods, it is usually advisable to prefer local recipes both for a question of quality of preparation, due to a long knowledge of it, and for a question of authenticity. 🤔

fan of phish
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well I have to admit when I (an American) was visiting the UK (28 years ago) I had an AMAZING chimichanga in Edinburgh of all places! That’s something I’ve eaten my whole life and loved. Born in San Diego, CA, so lots of trips to Mexico. And I had a delicious Mexican dinner in Scotland 😋

Dwayne Gruber
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If your not in Mexico, Texas or Ciliff it is not Mexican food

aricely
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A lot of places in the U.S. have authentic latin food. Hispanics live everywhere in America It's not just limited to the bordering states.

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Mr. Jones
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in Maine USA and we have two authentic Mexican restaurants in my neighborhood owned and operated by amazing people from Mexico. I grew up in Arizona so it's nice to have authentic Mex food here.

Kees Visser
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It exists, you just got to the wrong place. And we have good original Italian, Greek, Russian, Norwegian, Spanish, French ..... food

Daniel Gómez
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And I thought good Mexican food was actually a very good thing that you found in... Mexico... my bad... Also, burritos, are Tex-Mex, not Mexican. I live in Mexico, so I know.

tameson
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still have a photo of the menu in Ireland that listed "Nachos" and the ingredients were pizza dough, tomato sauce, and cheese. The food in Ireland was great, but that menu item just cracked us up.

Gossameringue
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Odd that "good Mexican food" isn't commonplace in a part of the world separated by an entire ocean from Mexico.

Captain McSmoot
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I lived in Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany and I can concur :)

Alicia M
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would really miss good Mexican food. It's my favorite and I can get it so easily here.

G A
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We don't have many Mexicans to open restaurants. We DO have plenty of Asians so we have loads of Chinese and Indian food instead.

Dreaming Spirit
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've had some good tacos and burritos here in Poland, although to be honest I have never been to Mexico so I have no comparison to the real deal. It's also far away, so some ingredients may be harder if not impossible to get.

Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I happy hour at a place that sells $1 tacos that are actually pretty good. My favorite taco truck sells hella good tacos carretta for $2.50. Yeah we got it good on that front.

nm (he/him)
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You're talking about this specific food that is prepared by Spanish speaking immigrants, who are been hated by racist Karents and ordered to go back to their country?

Tomása Mongo
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You think Mexican food is good in the USA? Jaja ja ja ja jajaja (insert Mexican telenovela evil woman laughing in Mexican)

Jack Burton
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You have a point, we really don't care about mexican food, i am 42 and i may have try 2 or 3 times in my life.

Ace
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is a lot of bad "Mexican" food in the US as well. Using Taco Bell as a benchark of any sort is a great example of that. In fact, authentic Mexican cuisine is very hard to find outside of border areas.

gerard julien
Community Member
5 months ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

No authentic european food in America ! mexican influence on french and spanish food: basque Taloa (since the 16th century) " Taloa or Talau is a typical food of the Basque Country, similar to the traditional corn tortilla of Mesoamerica, made of corn flour, water and a bit of salt. After corn was introduced from America to Basque agriculture in 1520, taloa was subsequently prepared." pic : making taloa at a local street market : taloa-664d...01c6d9.jpg taloa-664db0e01c6d9.jpg

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#25

American who lived in Europe for a time. (The Balkans)

Things I have here that I didn't have there:

Cheap gas (yes, it's still quite cheap in the US)

Larger appliances with words on them (my appliances there had graphics on them, the washer had a Half Mushroom Cloud setting)

A zillion kinds of breakfast cereal (when I came back, I routinely got overwhelmed in the grocery store)

Lol, diplomatic immunity



Things I had there, that I don't have here:

There was a produce/meat market that was open every day, that I could walk to, it ruled

Cafe culture

The newsstand sold lots of rowdy porn.

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#26

Turning right on a red light. I think that's still illegal in Germany and most other European countries, isn't it?

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#27

Single country world series.

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#28

The mountains in the Mountain West and the Red Rocks. I’ve lived next to the Red Rocks in Utah and Colorado. I grew up and worked in the Tetons. We’ve lived on the Wasatch, and super close to the Rockies. Europe is so beautiful but the Mountain West is one of the most beautiful regions on earth.

anon Report

#29

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Truck Nuts

At least I haven't really seen them over here in central Europe. Then again also Pickup Trucks are a pretty rare sight in Europe.

TheBassMeister , Kendall Hoopes / Pexels Report

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#30

“Still Illegal In Most European Countries”: 30 Things That Are Only Normal In The USA Large meal portions.

MrXenocryst , Nadin Sh / Pexels Report

Note: this post originally had 63 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.