As an American who has lived in Europe for several years now, there are plenty of things I sometimes miss about back home. Screens on windows are a huge blessing during mosquito season, and it’s rare when I find a cold beverage served at a temperature that I would consider suitable. (With lots of ice! Please!) But as it turns out, plenty of the things Americans cherish, or simply consider normal, seem to bother others from around the world.
Reddit users have been discussing some of these American quirks that foreign visitors tend to complain about, so we’ve gathered some of their thoughts below. Enjoy learning about these cultural differences, whether you’re from the US or not, and keep reading to find conversations with Karen Simmons from offMetro and King Siu from Solo Traveler!
#1
How fat the cops are.
My friend’s parents were in from Spain and his father was mystified how most of the NYPD could chase someone if they cannot even see their feet.
Image source: GooseNYC
#2
Wearing shoes in the house. I never thought twice about this until I dated a Russian guy. His family was literally disgusted that anyone would dare wear shoes inside their house. Where I grew up, it’s considered weird to take your shoes off inside someone else’s house. It’s basically the equivalent of walking in and putting on your pajamas. I have to say though, I no longer allow anyone to wear shoes in my house.
Image source: licklicklickme, Mclean
#3
Not having sales tax listed on the price tag for stuff.
(Obviously, I agree with them. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could know the actual amount you’ll need to pay. But I’ve lived my whole life with this as the way things are, it never occurs to me to complain.)
Image source: seefreepio, RDNE Stock project
#4
The “how’s it going?” greeting.
Like, yes, I get it, in your culture nobody asks that question unless they’re actually inquiring after your well being. But just like Americans should make it a point to learn the customs of MyCountry before visiting – even if they don’t understand or even agree with them – people should make it a point to get to know and learn our customs before coming here. And in the US, we will ask, “how’s it going?” as a general greeting without expecting an in depth answer, because it serves as an easy way to start a conversation.
No, that does not make us stupid, or fake, or bad, or wrong. These are our customs. It’s poor form to go to another country and interpret their customs in bad faith.
Image source: PumaGranite, Andrea Piacquadio
#5
Here’s something my German FIL complains about: window screens.
You know, the things that keep the bugs out? He is convinced that they keep the air from circulating. Ummmm, they don’t, and I don’t like mosquitoes, so we keep the screens down.
Image source: RedditSkippy
#6
Americans saying they’re from the country despite not speaking the language, not having the citizenship and all their knowledge comes from heavily bastardised and harmful stereotypes. Oh and they’ve lived in the US for at least 4 generations.
Looking at you plastic paddies and sepporonis
Image source: AdobiWanKenobi
#7
That when you pay at a restaurant, the server takes your card in the back, rather than bringing a machine to you and swiping in front of you.
My father in law is always like “Where are they taking my card? I can’t see them, they are stealing my information!!”
Image source: DelusionalChampion, Andrea Piacquadio
#8
Having to tip
Image source: Ezzy17
#9
Long-distance driving. I had relatives from Eastern Europe visit a few years ago, and we drove them from New Jersey down to DC for a weekend visit. When we got back, they commented that it was such a long drive, easily the longest that they’d ever taken by car. Then I showed them a map of the US and how far we’d driven versus the size of the rest of the country. Their heads nearly exploded.
Image source: JimTheJerseyGuy
#10
According to every middle easterner, Israeli, and Australian I’ve met, we’re all fake because we’re always nice and smiling even when we don’t mean it.
Best retort I heard was when my Israeli friend said this to my American friend and my American friend immediately responded “would you rather I be mean to you?”
Apparently we’re “too nice” compared to other peoples.
Image source: geeeznuts, Elevate
#11
Having tended bar on the beach in Florida (many years ago), the biggest complaint is that our money is confusing. The bills are all the same color and our coin sizes don’t relate in size to their value.
Image source: CubedMeatAtrocity, Mathieu Turle
#12
According to foreigners we’re really missing out on Kinder Eggs
Image source: gummibearhawk, Polina Zimmerman
#13
* Sweetness of food is an issue. High fructose corn syrup is in so many things that Americans no longer notice the sweetness. Other people are freaked out by sweet grocery store bread.
* Questions about occupation or religion are considered personal and rude when Americans consider them small talk.
* Many visitors don’t want to eat on the go.
* They think men wearing board shorts or other long, loose swimwear is weird.
Image source: IWatchBadTV, kampus Production
#14
Oh f**k.. living close to natural parks for a few years left me dumbfounded. A lot of middle eastern and Asian vacationers would lose their minds when park rangers would tell them to keep off certain areas.
Either they didn’t understand that our body weight was damaging historic ground or that the oils we produce can damage stone structures or they didn’t care… unfortunately I met many that didn’t care and had the mentality of “enjoy it today because it will be gone someday in the future.”
Also, we can’t control the wild life in nature preserves. Watching people approach black bears was always crazy to see. Then they get mad when the bear gets aggressive and they get fined.
Image source: type2cybernetic
#15
The sheer size of the US. Someone from abroad asked me about taking a road trip from LA to Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and maybe Florida, and they only had a few days to do it. They didn’t understand the massive size of the country.
Image source: theduckman936, Enric Cruz López
#16
Root Beer. I have seen foreigners become almost angry we drink the stuff. I know the flavor is common in medicines in Europe, but to many Americans, Fanta tastes like medicine. Let us like our weird soda flavor.
Edited to add: the medicine I’m referring to is liquid preparations of Tylenol and Motrin meant for children. Not liquid medicine meant for adults.
Image source: not_bens_wife, Yevgen Buzuk
#17
Friendly wait staff. This seems to freak out our European visitors.
Image source: CupBeEmpty, Andrea Piacquadio
#18
School buses stopping traffic.
“Why don’t you just teach your children not to run out into traffic?”
Image source: ArnoldoSea, Anton Massalov
#19
I’ve seen plenty of complaints online of people saying Americans are too loud and too friendly!
Image source: ST4RSK1MM3R, Binti Malu
#20
Air conditioning, and especially ceiling fans.
Can’t stand the heat, can’t stand ways to beat the heat.
Image source: WrongJohnSilver
#21
That toilets have too much water in them.
Image source: Qbccd, Giorgio Trovato
#22
Too much air conditioning.
I believe the UK and Western Europe are having a heat wave now with temps hitting the 40s/100s yet they can’t conceive of why air conditioning is so ubiquitous here.
Heat is deadly here, unless you live in the Pacific NW or Upper MW/NE. Whether you have air conditioning shouldn’t even really be a debate in a developed country. I don’t understand how they can think properly when the temps are over 95F (35C), especially on humid days.
Image source: leafbelly, Carlos Lindner
#23
2-4 hour drives from place to place not being a big deal
Image source: __Precursor__
#24
My ex is from mainland China. When he first came to the US he thought we keep an unnecessarily large quantity of food on hand in our homes. To him, we seemed like food hoarders.
In comparison, I found most Chinese homes very sparse. Most places in China (when I was there, ten years ago), is still very feasible to go to the grocery store daily. Also, it cost about the same amount whether you eat out or cook at home, so eating out is much more common.
After we lived in the US suburbs for a while,. Y ex started to see the practicality of doing a week’s worth of shopping at a time. We just didn’t have time to go to the grocery store every day.
Image source: notreallylucy
#25
I’ve had visitors from Ireland and Germany who got upset that the windows in my home open up and not out.
Image source: Artemis1982_, Curtis Adams
#26
That very high quality bread and produce isn’t available at 7-11.
Image source: TheBimpo
#27
Here are somethings a foreign friend of mine that was on temporary work for 2 years in America complained about:
1. That in America she had to be on hold with customer service all the time.
2. That in America she had to call it football evenhough it’s played with hands.
3. That in America she got asked ‘what do you do’ a lot.
4. That in America people expected their Doctor to fix them regardless of their lifestyle or eating style.
5. That in America everyone she met said that they’re Italian, French, German, Indian, Polish, Brazilian etc, even though they had been in American for a long time or even if they were born in America.
6. That in America she was a skinny girl everywhere she went and people kept asking her what her secret was.
7. That in America most of her co-workers said they were working there only for the health insurance or because they are waiting on their green card.
8. That in America conversations were always about complaining about everything starting from the weather to customer service.
9. That in America she found people were so happy eating or drinking (fries, soda and icecreams ) while outside everywhere like in beaches, bus stops, trains, cars, parks, malls, theaters, etc.
10. That in America she found nearly every meal had fries.
11. That in America people are so obsessed with sports that they would call in sick to go see their favorite team play.
Image source: Curious-Phi
#28
I’ve met some Canadians that find it strange how we sign a receipt at a restaurant. Apparently in Canada, they use a credit card pin code instead for the credit card payment.
Image source: Unique_Glove1105
#29
That we drink our beverages with ice. I can understand being annoyed if you order a drink that is 90% ice and 10% drink. But if it’s just the right amount of ice to make your drink properly cold, what’s the issue?
Image source: ColossusOfChoads, Arina Krasnikova
#30
God, everything related to houses in the US (which would also apply to Canada, and partially to Australia and New Zealand as well).
* Wood frame construction. Not in all places. Besides, they provide better insulation against our more extreme temperatures, and they’ll stay up after some moderate seismic activity. It’s not just California and Alaska that have earthquakes; the ground sometimes shakes in places like Missouri and upstate New York, too.
* Open floor plans.
* Big refrigerators.
* Double hung windows, instead of windows that crank out.
* “Weak” 120 volt 60 cycle mains electricity. “It takes so much longer to heat up an electric kettle.” We do have 220V ac in our houses, too.
* Electrical outlets in bathrooms.
* Electrical outlets without switches.
* Front door leads right into the living room. Really, the no-foyer thing is a lot more common with small houses, mobile homes, and homes in states with a more temperate climate, than in a typical house in rest of the US.
* Garbage disposals. “They hurt your sewer system.” No more than some giant log from a meal of bratwurst and schnitzel.
* No walls or hedgerows along the street.
* Asphalt roof shingles instead of clay tiles.
* Closets. Really. I’ve heard Euros complain about closets. They’re not as “flexible” as wardrobe cabinets, some say.
* Just home size in general. “Is too big, no?” That’s what your mom said.
* Probably the most uninformed statement: “All your houses look alike.” Subdivisions in Las Vegas are the exception in the US, not the norm. Europeans seem blind to UK red brick clone boxes, long rows of brutalist rowhouses, and superblocks of brutalist mid-rises.
Image source: dan_blather, Pixabay
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