As a non-American, what American things do you find strange or confusing?

[fake-kun]

I noticed there's a lot of non-Americans on this forum, so I thought this could be an interesting topic to talk about.

I'll start first:

When I watched American media as a kid (e.g., movies, TV shows, etc.), I was always confused why people would walk inside their own homes in shoes for outdoors. In my country, one would wear slippers for that.

 

[Waffles]

The way they portray high school as this absolute hell on Earth in media, then act like it's an outrageous assumption to make whenever someone complains about how hellish their own school experience was.

 

[Spike]

They always need or want ice in drinks.

I don't remember ever needing ice in my life, if the drink is meant to be cold it comes cold out of the fridge.

 

[ZeromusVX4]

Not having uniforms in schools, also the whole summer camp thing, i couldn't imagine a worse way to spend my vacations on

 

[Yousef]

Pancakes and waffles being such a dominant breakfast when French toast is easier to make and tastes better.

Meat and potatoes being a really common lunch/dinner despite how uninteresting it is.

Sliced breads being more common or more popular than buns or flatbreads despite the latter two just being better.

Lamb being… actually I do get lamb not being as popular, it’s pretty expensive unless you’re in an area that’s predominantly Jewish, arab or Muslim. But yeah lamb is just great.

The “buying a single slice of pizza” thing that New Yorkers do. Why. “But it’s so big and think”. It literally isn’t…it’s also a bit expensive. But it’s NY, everything is expensive.

Biscuits being called cookies.
Chicken burgers being called “chicken sandwiches”
Fish burgers being called fish o fillet although I do think that has a nice ring to it so it’s fine.
This one is just personal but steaks aren’t that good imo.
Waffles being a weird bread and not just a straight up cake always bothered.

Some Americans REALLY hate Ketchup, mayo or both. I don’t get it.

Some Not being able to eat pickles. Which is just silly. Some don’t like eating tomatoes either.

The Digimon/Pokémon rivalry thing doesn’t exist. At all. They’ve never once interacted and fans of both are pretty chill with each other in non-English speaking communities.

The constant dunking on sonic that eventually spread into the internet as a whole.

I think all the food being so big is bad.

GameCube was seemingly really huge in the US. I’m ok with this cuz I like the GameCube so I’m more confused as to why it seemingly only had a scene in primarily the English world but I could be wrong on this. I’m also probably speaking as someone who really wished they owned one.

This one I can sorta get and sorta not, it really depends on the person but I’m always surprised when I talk to an adult online who doesn’t know how to drive. I have zero issues with that and it’s probably not just Americans but I’d leave it out there anyways. It’s mainly just surprise though.

American chocolate brands abusing chocolate laws to make their chocolate candy bars taste nothing like chocolate is so silly. Apparently, the FDA only require chocolate in America to have a bare minimum of 10% chocolate so brands in USA just fill the rest with artificial brands. Which is why European chocolate bars taste better cuz they’re forced to have more chocolate. Shoutout to this polish brand. It’s my favorite childhood chocolate. Still tastes great.

There’s much more I can mention but this is Just off the top of my head.

 

[A man on a computer]

American chocolate brands abusing chocolate laws to make their chocolate candy bars taste nothing like chocolate is so silly. Apparently, the FDA only require chocolate in America to have a bare minimum of 10% chocolate so brands in USA just fill the rest with artificial brands.

List of Select Chemicals in the Food Supply Under FDA Review

List of select chemicals in the food supply under FDA review

www.fda.gov

Even the so-called 'healthy foods' are fucked, just letting you guys know...

 

[fake-kun]

This one I can sorta get and sorta not, it really depends on the person but I’m always surprised when I talk to an adult online who doesn’t know how to drive. I have zero issues with that and it’s probably not just Americans but I’d leave it out there anyways. It’s mainly just surprise though.

A lot of people in my country (including myself, lol) don't know how to drive, either. You can blame the existence of public transport for that.

If anything, I've gotten the impression that most American adults have a driving license.

 

[Guilherme130]

One thing I found weird while I was little was the seasons being reversed

Like when it's winter and freezing there, my country's on fire from the summer heat

 

[Yousef]

A lot of people in my country (including myself, lol) don't know how to drive, either. You can blame the existence of public transport for that.

If anything, I've got the impression that most American adults have a driving license.

Yeah that’s fair. I personally wouldn’t mind public transportation being more common here. Riding on buses/trains sounds fun.

Post automatically merged: Dec 7, 2024

One thing I found weird while I was little was the seasons being reversed

Like when it's winter and freezing there, my country's on fire from the summer heat

Same. When people tell me it’s 20 where they live I get jealous cuz it’s 50 Celsius all year here except December/January and maybe February too.

 

[moonbits]

They don't have any sort of reliable public transport. Their infrastructure is built for cars not for people.

 

[Cu-Neo]

I always asked myself why they write the dates backwards (MM/DD/YY) and I found curious that christmas happens there and then back to school the next day

 

[Yousef]

I always asked myself why they write the dates backwards (MM/DD/YY) and I found curious that christmas happens there and then back to school the next day

The whole MM/DD/YY is just verbal dates being weirdly translated to text. Saying “October 3rd” does make sense even when written into text but typing it out with just numbers sounds really weird especially when it’s just America that does it. Doesn’t help that in other languages, if you say “3rd of October” it sounds less awkward compared to English because people here are generally ok with seeing “3 10”, just the numbers, and people will understand what date you mean. “3 October” is another valid way to say it here. English is just stiff lol.

 

[Strategist]

They don't have any sort of reliable public transport. Their infrastructure is built for cars not for people.

That one is not true, from my experience. Every large American city I've been to has its own train/subway system. The problem is the country is so large and filled with empty space in a middle that a countrywide transportation system would be prohibitively expensive. Europe and Japan are a lot more compact in comparison.

The one that doesn't make sense to me is the usage of the English system over the metric system. Why are we using feet and yards to measure things?

 

[moonbits]

That one is not true, from my experience. Every large American city I've been to has its own train/subway system. The problem is the country is so large and filled with empty space in a middle that a countrywide transportation system would be prohibitively expensive. Europe and Japan are a lot more compact in comparison.

The one that doesn't make sense to me is the usage of the English system over the metric system. Why are we using feet and yards to measure things?

From my experience in California, Kansas City, Arizona and Texas; It is true.

 

[Strategist]

From my experience in California, Kansas City, Arizona and Texas; It is true.

I've been to San Francisco and the BART is pretty good as far as transportation systems go. I've also been to NYC and we all know about the trains there. Washington DC also has their own lines as well as Seattle.

Texas, yeah I can see it being bad. It is such a large state, it is impractical to connect completely with trains. And many of the areas are poor. Same with Kansas City and Arizona.

 

[A man on a computer]

The one that doesn't make sense to me is the usage of the English system over the metric system. Why are we using feet and yards to measure things?

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/28/574044232/how-pirates-of-the-caribbean-hijacked-americas-metric-system

And no the snopes article is wrong, Thomas Jefferson, who spoke with Joesph Dombey - the man who was bringing the measuring instruments (and most of the congress of their time) were all long dead during the 1820s when the minting act passed setting imperial as the standard in the United States.

Doesn't take that 30 year time skip into account.

 

[BlissfulBandit]

Easter is a way bigger holiday in the States, with the egg hunting and painting and other customs. Over here it's just an excuse to buy your kids chocolate.

 

[Karnik]

I have always been surprised by the ease with which firearms can be obtained, even by kids who couldn't, without the need for authorization, a license or a training and preparation course. Furthermore, I am amazed at how their use for self-defense is widely and freely accepted, without thoroughly investigating its legitimacy on a case-by-case basis.

 

[Strategist]

I have always been surprised by the ease with which firearms can be obtained, even by kids who couldn't, without the need for authorization, a license or a training and preparation course. Furthermore, I am amazed at how their use for self-defense is widely and freely accepted, without thoroughly investigating its legitimacy on a case-by-case basis.

That also depends on the state. Many states are pretty restrictive on who can purchase firearms, but there are a few dumb states that allow people to freely purchase and carry firearms anywhere.

 

[Gorse]

I'm not American, but allow me to shed a little light on some of these...

They always need or want ice in drinks.

I don't remember ever needing ice in my life, if the drink is meant to be cold it comes cold out of the fridge.

In the U.S. and Canada, most people don't actually store non-spoiling drinks (milk and juice) in the refrigerator. If it's just something like soda or bottled water, it's usually kept in the pantry or some other shelved compartment in the kitchen. (We actually tend to store those sorts of packaged drinks in closed-off closets, and some people put them in the garage to be fetched for when they're needed) Most modern fridge/freezer units now have ice makers built into them, and if they don't, ice trays are ubiquitous, so we prefer to use our fridge space for other stuff.

The way they portray high school as this absolute hell on Earth in media

This is actually what public school is like in non-affluent American communities, and it affects society a LOT. People who go to private or religious schools have empirically more success in life than people who don't, here. (This has actually been a huge political issue since 2000 or so.)

Some Not being able to eat pickles. Which is just silly. Some don’t like eating tomatoes either.

A good portion of American adults don't eat vegetables... ever. (Beyond potatoes and sugary sauces, of course.) If you don't specifically go out of your way to eat them, it isn't difficult to live a life where they never enter your body. A lot of people never really drink plain water, either.

They don't have any sort of reliable public transport. Their infrastructure is built for cars not for people.

North America is spacious and has the world's lowest population density, so society is typically optimized for efficiency. Unlike Europe or South America, which is built of several communities built directly next to each other, America and Canada are made up of large independent cities connected by roads spanning wide distances of nothing.

I found curious that christmas happens there and then back to school the next day

Unless a school system does their own non-traditional thing, both students and faculty will get 2 weeks off for the period around Christmas and New Year's. It isn't standardized like summer vacation is, though, so some school districts' break times don't overlap.

Easter is a way bigger holiday in the States, with the egg hunting and painting and other customs.

The U.S. was built by Christians who use Easter as their predominant spring holiday, so there's a greater emphasis on using the time off (which always borders a weekend, because Easter is on Sunday) to spend time with family and celebrate. Friday is always a holiday, Monday sometimes is depending on your employer. Jewish people also have Passover at this time.

Furthermore, I am amazed at how their use for self-defense is widely and freely accepted,

Firearm ownership is one of the original values that the country was founded on, because its birth had to be won from a more powerful enemy in a war. Whether or not this still applies today is up to one's individual tastes.

Not having uniforms in schools, also the whole summer camp thing,

Only public schools let kids wear whatever they want – religious and private schools still use uniforms. Summer camp, despite being a popular subject in the media, is an entirely opt-in experience, and most people don't do it. (In fact, summer camps have mostly gone away in the 21st century, because kids have more to do at home during breaks nowadays.)

 

[Yousef]

I'm not American, but allow me to shed a little light on some of these...


In the U.S. and Canada, most people don't actually store non-spoiling drinks (milk and juice) in the refrigerator. If it's just something like soda or bottled water, it's usually kept in the pantry or some other shelved compartment in the kitchen. (We actually tend to store those sorts of packaged drinks in closed-off closets, and some people put them in the garage to be fetched for when they're needed) Most modern fridge/freezer units now have ice makers built into them, and if they don't, ice trays are ubiquitous, so we prefer to use our fridge space for other stuff.


This is actually what public school is like in non-affluent American communities, and it affects society a LOT. People who go to private or religious schools have empirically more success in life than people who don't, here. (This has actually been a huge political issue since 2000 or so.)


A good portion of American adults don't eat vegetables... ever. (Beyond potatoes and sugary sauces, of course.) If you don't specifically go out of your way to eat them, it isn't difficult to live a life where they never enter your body. A lot of people never really drink plain water, either.


North America is spacious and has the world's lowest population density, so society is typically optimized for efficiency. Unlike Europe or South America, which is built of several communities built directly next to each other, America and Canada are made up of large independent cities connected by roads spanning wide distances of nothing.


Unless a school system does their own non-traditional thing, both students and faculty will get 2 weeks off for the period around Christmas and New Year's. It isn't standardized like summer vacation is, though, so some school districts' break times don't overlap.


The U.S. was built by Christians who use Easter as their predominant spring holiday, so there's a greater emphasis on using the time off (which always borders a weekend, because Easter is on Sunday) to spend time with family and celebrate. Friday is always a holiday, Monday sometimes is depending on your employer. Jewish people also have Passover at this time.


Firearm ownership is one of the original values that the country was founded on, because its birth had to be won from a more powerful enemy in a war. Whether or not this still applies today is up to one's individual tastes.


Only public schools let kids wear whatever they want – religious and private schools still use uniforms. Summer camp, despite being a popular subject in the media, is an entirely opt-in experience, and most people don't do it. (In fact, summer camps have mostly gone away in the 21st century, because kids have more to do at home during breaks nowadays.)

Fascinating read!

 

[Spike]

Thanks @Gorse for taking the time to answer these.
Thanks everyone else for being respectful of their culture.

 

[A man on a computer]

Thanks @Gorse for taking the time to answer these.
Thanks everyone else for being respectful of their culture.

Makes me really sad, Your poor but enough to pass by, living in a two piece trailer. Yet everyone elsewhere thinks it's the goddamn Beverly hills/Disney world all across the nation that would be like 16 different countries if it were like Europe.


Edit: If people everywhere else are thinking we're 'living it up'. I would at least wish we actually lived like that.

 

[syntheticErik]

Not having uniforms in schools, also the whole summer camp thing, i couldn't imagine a worse way to spend my vacations on

Even as an American, the prevalence of summer camps in American media baffles me. In my region at least, full blown summer sleep away camps as portrayed in movies/tv aren't a common experience, they're typically for the children of very wealthy families, or for the children of very poor families, with no real in between. Charity sponsored summer camps aren't particularly uncommon for families who can't afford for their children to do anything for the summer, but are too young to leave unsupervised.

It's not uncommon for younger kids in the US to dropped with older relatives for part of most of the summer, that was my experience, myself and all of the cousins were dropped at our grandparent's house for the summer. Children of more upper middle class families may get dropped at activity centers and the like, but that's more of a day care kind of thing, kids are picked up at the end of the day. Older kids are normally just left at home, told to make a sandwich, and to not cause any trouble in the neighborhood, at least that was my experience

 

[Gorse]

Children of more upper middle class families may get dropped at activity centers and the like, but that's more of a day care kind of thing, kids are picked up at the end of the day.

This was my experience, but only as a very young child. I went to a summer camp "program" at a local grade school or library which let me do some little activities with other kids during normal school hours, and came back home at around 3:00PM or so. After first grade, though, me and my siblings just stayed home and were left to our own devices, which is what I believe most kids now do.