Americans are sharing everything they took for granted after they traveled abroad and realized that U.S. customs are not universal. Those born and raised in America have a reputation for acting like they think this single country is the whole world, and they’re not beating the allegations in this Reddit thread.
Featured VideoOn the Ask Reddit sub, u/chopsticktalk exposed us all.
“What’s something you didn’t realize was ‘very American’ until you left the U.S.?” they asked.
AdvertisementAs it turns out, not every country does everything just like we do here in America. They don’t have ads in your face at every turn, nor does everyone drive a car, and they tend to speak at a volume more appropriate for a face-to-face conversation. Plus, they don’t know what ranch flavoring is.
That’s not to say that everything uniquely American is bad. Free public restrooms are handy, as are the 24-hour groceries (at least for the customers). The ability to alter most menu items at any cafe or restaurant might improve things overseas (again, for the customers). We also really need to start exporting window screens.
However, we definitely need to fix our attitudes around working while sick.
If you’re preparing to travel past U.S. borders for the first time, this list of 18 things you’ll miss (or not) might help prevent some unhappy surprises.
Advertisement1. Not calling out when sick
“Probably the biggest one to me was working while sick. For 20 years I came to work every day unless I physically could not. Like, I had to be so sick I legitimately could not make myself get out of bed. And even then I felt bad.”
“I wasn’t here [in the Netherlands] for maybe 3 months when I got a cold and my boss came around to my desk and sent me home.” —u/deVliegendeTexan
2. Driving everywhere
“Here in the US, outside of big cities, it’s pretty much required to drive a car. When I lived abroad for a few years I was able to survive completely off public transport, the occasional taxi, and walking on my own two feet.” —u/back2therockinghorse
Advertisement3. Ranch
“Ranch dressing.”
“Ranch flavored Doritos are still sold, but they’re labelled ‘American flavor.’” —u/sniper91
4. All that advertising
“Billboards along the highways.” —u/niels_nitely
Advertisement5. Mystery taxes
“Leaving out sales tax (or VAT) from prices in the stores.” —u/peperazzi74
6. Truly large drinks
“I am in North America on vacation at the moment and I definitely made a mistake ordering a large drink at McDonald’s. Turns out ‘large’ on this side of the Atlantic is about twice as big as the ‘large’ back home.” —u/SendMeNudesThough
Advertisement7. Lots of water in the bowl
“Americans use siphonic toilets, which are prone to blockages due to the tiny waste pipe. They also require way more water to flush even the tiniest amount.”
“Everyone else around the world uses the far superior washdown loo. It is almost impossible to block, but might need a quick scrub if you have a particularly sloppy sh*t.” —u/Subject_Turn3941
8. Letter paper
“I work part time at Staples, in the print and marketing department. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had folks from other countries ask why their documents were cut off when they made copies. They’re always baffled that we don’t use the same paper sizes, which I get. It’s especially irritating because A4 is SO CLOSE to 8.5×11.” —u/PrscheWdow
Advertisement9. Anti-bug technology
“Also, screens in windows. Does Europe not have bugs?” —u/Over_Dog24
10. Serious school sports
“Most Americans expect/understand American football and baseball aren’t played in European high schools, but a lot of them probably assume high schools still have large soccer stadiums and programs. And that colleges would also have soccer programs. But athletics is mostly an independent entity from academic institutions.” —u/TKHawk
Advertisement11. Our iconic cups
“Red Solo cups. When I studied abroad in New Zealand, everyone asked me about them.”
“Granted, this was at the height of Jersey Shore’s popularity.” —u/fezfrascati
12. Free pees
“Free public restrooms. Not saying they’re clean or nice in the US but it was annoying trying to remember to carry coins around Paris to be able to pee.” —u/DrPorkchopES
Advertisement13. Menu customization
“My first day in Germany, I went to a cafe and saw they had vanilla lattes and caramel frappes on their menu so I asked if I could have a latte but with caramel not vanilla and the lady cut me off and said ‘no you order from the menu.’ In general, I found that people were not open to any sort of customization requests at restaurants.” —u/bubble-tea-mouse
14. Skyscrapers
“A big culture shock to me in Europe was that there were many major cities that weren’t filled with skyscrapers like there typically is in major cities in the USA. I guess it isn’t specifically American as many large cities in parts of Asia also have a lot of skyscrapers, but it definitely threw me for a loop.” —u/Cummyshitballs
Advertisement15. High volume
“The loudness.”
“My fellow Americans talk SO LOUD ALL THE TIME.” —u/Wwwweeeeeeee
16. Groceries any time
“I didn’t truly appreciate 24 hour grocery stores when I lived in the US. Moved to Belgium. It was a weirdly hard transition to only being able to shop during more normal hours. Then moved back to the US right before covid and now we don’t even have 24 hr stores in the US anymore.” —u/amioth
Advertisement17. A quick meal out
“Eating a meal really quickly. I was just in England and even relatively casual restaurants the waiter is only checking up on you 2-3 times in an hour cause they assume you’re gonna take your time and enjoy your meal.”
“I walked into a restaurant an hour before close and they specifically told me ‘we close in 1 hour, are you sure you will have enough time?’ And my only thought was that I could eat it as fast as they could make it.” —u/CanIGetASourceOnThat
18. An ice-cold drink
“Ice and cold beverages. Worked in China no ice and room temp water. I was so excited when my translator turned to me while we were ordering food and said he wants to know if you want ice. I said they have Ice YES! She laughed the guy behind the counter laughed and then she said no they do not have ice.” —u/Delaneybuffett
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