Remember to subscribe, for daily top reddit stories. Okay storytime... Non-Americans who
have been to the US: What is the weirdest thing about America that Americans don't realize
is weird?
The amount of commercial breaks in a tv show.
Hawaiian here, but I never noticed that we didn't have billboards until I moved out of
Hawaii.Turns out they're illegal. So that's weird. It's awesome, cause I get unobstructed
views, but still weird.
That there are a lot of squirrels.
Some European told me that it’s crazy how restaurants are loud and busy and how people
eat quick and leave. For him it was normal to sit around and talk for an hour or more
after eating in a restaurant.
The concept of pharmaceutical advertisements. Your doctor is supposed to recommend drugas
to you, not the other way around....
In Germany "How are you?" is an actual question and you generally only ask it, if you know
the other person. It was super hard to explain to my mum that the answer is always "fine,
thank you" and that cashiers don't really care about how you actually feel, when we
visited the US in 08.
Free refills. Went to a restaurant with my dad (both German) and all of a sudden the
waiter took away my drink with another perfectly good sip in it and I must have looked pretty
shocked. It was only then when my dad explained to me that you guys have free refills.
I live in the south and one time I was hanging out with a friend smoking by a lake in late
spring / early summer. He was Egyptian and had just moved here over the winter. All of
a sudden he freaked out saying he was seeing weird lights in the trees. I thought he was
too high or something before I realized he meant the lightning bugs. He'd never seen
them and didn't know what they were, so I started catching them and he was mind blown
that they were just a normal seasonal thing
When you have ads for drugas and half of the ad is telling you how the druga will hill
you while also showing puppies. It’s weird.
How far apart everything is and how little is within walking distance. Location dependent,
but I moved to a suburb in the Midwest as a kid and everything was so far away. Without
access to a car and without reliable public transportation, it was pretty much impossible
to get to a friend's house (unless they lived on your street or something) or go anywhere
fun as a kid without relying on parents for a ride. Maybe things are different now with
Uber and whatnot, but back then it felt pretty isolating.
Canuck here. Ads on TV for medication. Billboard ads for lawyers. Ads for hospitals
The bottom of the toilet cubile door is higher than a limbo bar. I want to sheet in peace.
Your toilets are full of water! In Australia the water is much lower. No wonder you complain
about splashes on your bum.....
Canadian here, I was blown away by how weirdly social people are with strangers. Like some
random guy I've never seen before just starts telling me his life story on the street. He
is super normal, and doesn't seem crazy, just wants to talk to me for some reason. But then
also, the dude at Wendy's is loudly threatening some 16 year old cashier in front of like
45 people. I got the impression the Wendy's guy was uncool, but the other guy seemed normal,
and where I live I generally assume that a stranger talking to me for no reason is either
crazy or high.
Portion size. Saw a kid drinking a pop the size of his head.
Cheese so orange it looks like it was made by Fisher Price.
Clearly the fact that there are people to put your groceries in a bag for you, I’ve
never been so stressed and uncomfortable that while I was watching this young girl taking
care of my groceries
I'm not sure if they find it weird or not but as a Canadian who has been to a few states:Gambling
at gas stations in Montana. So damn weird.Edit: So I'm talking about slot/poker machines and
sometimes a poker table or two in regular gas stations. Not just truck stops, not on
native land. Find a street corner with some gas stations on it in Missoula and odds are
at least one of them has a mini casino inside.
Car dealerships have huge flags. I don’t get why you’d have a flag the size of ten
RVs.So many roads don’t have street lights.Not weird, but portion sizes are also huge. I
struggled with finishing my food sometimes.
Complimenting strangers. When I visited the US I went to an amusement park and a girl
complimented my glasses and that was my first time getting complimented and at the same
amusement park a senior lady complimented my dad for having a beautiful family and a
handsome son (lol me). I was really happy that day............
Ranch; it is somehow both delicious and revolting. And changes which with every mouthful.
Now that Thanksgiving and Christmas is over:The weirdest thing is that Americans will ask
what you are doing for thanksgiving. Are you going to your family etcetera.. When you say
no. They invite you to their home.(I was a student, My family was thousands of miles
away, and I'm happy that the local Cracker Barrel is open and looking forward to a meal
there)
My Professor did that. Invited me to his home. I had a good time, but it was strange. I'm
meeting his uncles and aunts. and one little girl threw a tantrum, I had to take her to
calm her down etcetera..It was weird. But also wonderful. In my country things like
this would never happen. You don't bring a stranger to a family event.But I'm thankful
things like this happen here.
For me as British bloke who only travelled for 6 weeks in the US:Your public transport
is largely poor but everything is built for cars and your cars are big.You advertise not
businesses but personalities a lot. So it’s not that KGH Estate Agents will well your
property but MARY HUGHTON WILL PERSONALLY SELL YOUR HOUSE (with a big picture of her
face).Random people will talk to you. I’m a Londoner so it is different up north in
theUK but especially when I got to the southern states people were so happy to talk to random
strangers.You guys actually sit at the bar in bars. When we go to a pub/bar, we’ll
go with friends and rarely interact outside of that group really. You guys jump up at
that bar and just start chatting.Where homelessness is visible it’s bloody awful. San Francisco
was horrible for this, me and my (now) wife ended up making a load of extra spaghetti
bowl to give to the homeless people outside our hostel because it was shocking to us.If
I think of anymore I’ll add them but it’s Christmas Day and I should probably talk to
my family.
Legal drinking age at 21 it’s really weird especially at age 18 people consider u as
an adult.
Neon signs for a ducking funeral home will always stand out.
Americans are super friendly to the point that I (Australian) thought it was sarcasm
or fake.
Someone from my country who lives in USA told me that without a car you are crippled in
America.Edit: this is just an observation, not criticism.The point of that person was
that a car in US is a necessity, not a luxury or extravagance or a status symbol or sth.And
a lot of people buy second hand or used cars coz they are cheaper.Edit 2: Some of the replies
are heartbreaking. My sympathies.People are saying, this is a very real practical reality
in America, with the exception of a few places.I guess, there are challenges in every country,
just different kinds.
YOU DON'T PUT TAX ON YOUR PRICES!!! Whyyyyy? The amount of times I counted it the exact
amount it said something would cost, only to get to the register and get told that it’s
actually more
Tax. I find it annoying how in America tax is added after you check at the cashier. In
Australia tax is included in the price, For example, if the price says $6.00 you pay $6.
But in America if it costs $6.00 it's actually $6.07 or something. I don't know I just have
found it a nuisance.
Not me, but my cousins who had lived in Kuwait and Australia for many years came to visit
my family back in texas and laughed at how we said you all.
Everything's so big. From the super center Walmart store to food portions, the parking
lot, pick up trucks, house, cup of coffee, airport, even the people.
Flags. Everywhere. It’s not as if you’re likely to forget where you are!
Why the duck is your bread sweet!
You can get in a *lot* of trouble for just saying hunt (english who migrated to the US)
Holy sheet, so me and my wife are here for our honey moon riiiight now! Been here for
two days and what I've noticed:Your bathroom stalls have like a 3 foot gap at the bottom??
what the duck!Your food portion sizes are duckin huge
Walmart is duckin huge.Everyone wants to talk to us, were British so were used to sitting
in uncomfortable silence. We keep making friends.I'm driving for the first time over here. You
guys just turn right through red lights what the duck!!!How the duck does 4 way junctions
work? So farm I've been going for it and hoping for the best? Seems like a mad free for all
to me.I actually really like how driving here works. All the roads are like bob onstraight.
10 mile back home would take me 50 minutes, here it's like 10 minutes through town.Your
houses are weirdly un-secure?? Like..... there is a glass window pane all the way down the
side of the door - I could break my hand through and unlock it in all of 3 seconds. The back
doors have a tent around the pool? And the rear door is a glass sliding one. Single glazed.
I could force it open with a tooth pick.I ordered chips and got a weird look at a restaurants
night - the waitress brought me some lays chips (bless).That's all I can think of right
now, were staying in Orlando for anyone wondering.Edit: thank you all for your help and advice! Were
having a lovely time so far and love america :)!Edit 2: some stuff I forgot - you guys
are super quick on your horns! Also apparently nobody breaks in because they'll get shot,
and everyone trashes florida? It's been great so far!
Canadian here, canadas fast food restaurants have signs that fairly normal height, just
enough to get the point across while not being obnoxious, cross over to the usa and within
5 seconds of leaving customs you can see fast food signs hundreds of feet in the air on
giant poles. 2 - 3 times taller than here in Canada, why!? also finding peanut butter
and jelly swirled into the same jar was shocking.
So..... Much..... Sugar in the food....
I went to seaworld with my mum when I was in my mid teens. Halfway through the show,
the performer (Not the whale) asked everybody in the military to stand up and the whole
crowd gave them a round of applause. They sat back down and the show continued as if
nothing had happened. Couldn't imagine anything similar happening back in Blighty.....
Lemonade made with real lemons and its like super sour but some how sugary sweet at the
same time.In Australia lemonade is the same as sprite. So when I was there my mum and
I ordered Jack Daniels and Lemonade and they made it with the real lemonade and it was
awful. It was also weird because they sold pre mixed bottles of Jacks and lemonade with
the real lemonade but in Australia you buy the same ones with sprite lemonade.Free refills
was the other big one. Everywhere has free refills as many times as you like? Never seen
that before.
The tipping, it is so weird that it’s a requirement instead of a reward for great
service.
The rituals for paying after food.Call server ask for bill Wait Server brings bill, put
card down Wait Server takes care and bill away Wait Server brings back copy, you add
tip Get up and leave.In NZ Finish meal, go to front of the restaurant and pay then leave
(no tip)
I'm Australian and lived in upstate New York for a while and could go on all day. My main
one however is how so many Americans seem to think (and will openly say) that America
is the best country in the world despite never seeing another country in their life.
Not seeing toilet brushes in hotels. I know, I know, room service and stuff, but is my
family expected to look at my skid marks meanwhile?
Sophomore, junior, senior for school.
On behalf of my wife “what’s up with the gaps in the toilet stall doors and no bidet?”
Specifically LA, but 5 lanes of traffic or some sheet everywhere. The place is too damn
big and you have to uber everywhere cus your public transport sucks. Bloody weird if you
ask me
I've been told it's all the clapping.
Everything in America is huge. I don't just mean the people or portion sizes, because
we all know about that- but the roads, the buildings, the ceilings, the space between
everything... America is gigantic. It just feels larger than it does here. I'm Australian
but I've been to Asia and size-wise it's similar to Australia, and I've seen Europeans say
the same about America. Everything is bigger.
Bartenders taking your credit card away. Imperial system is weird but it kinda makes sense.
Regular bread in US is disgusting, thankfully European-style bread is easy to find.
My Brazilian wife says she was amazed that we actually respect pedestrians here.
As an American, this is super fascinating.
Not a non American, but I've heard that other places don't have see-through gaps in their
bathroom stalls.
How much power your employer has over you. They can fire you at will, dictate that you
work overtime, mandate that you take a druga test at will... the power balance between
employer and employee in NZ is very different...
S o m a n y p e o p l e
I can’t really judge fairly as I went to Disney, but going from a small town in Canada
to that was ducking terrifying.
I lived for a long time in different places around the world, and something that I really
missed when moving to a new town was the lack of a US-style bar where it was easy for a
stranger to meet people. Outside of the US, it is rare to find a bar where everyone just
sits and faces the same direction, whether or not a sporting event was playing on the
television. Instead, they have a more 'pub-like' environment, where everyone is sitting in
groups at their individual tables.This makes meeting new people extremely difficult. Think
about it, with the "table-style" bar, in order to strike up a conversation with a stranger,
you literally have to approach them while they are sitting at their own table with their
own friends. It's almost impossible to not look like a total freak! In a proper "Cheers"
style bar, you can just say some random phrase to the bartender and if the person sitting
next to you wants to talk, they'll just join in on the conversation.Basically, In non-US
bars, if you aren't invited ahead of time by someone, you are damned to sit alone in
some corner of the bar.
That poison ivy not only exists, but it's so ubiquitous.
How your medical ads show an old guy living life well because of X-druga. He has the best
time, the wife is having the best time and it's all because of the druga making things
better.The end of the ad is full of warnings about how this happy druga can potentially
hill you and your family, nuke your dog and make cats impotent.Recap the cliff-hanger
episode of life in Alaska before another ad break.Unwatchable TV
The abnormally high proportion of extroverts.
American that just traveled overseas. I went to a great bookstore in Edinburgh and the
cashier asked if I wanted to sign up for a rewards membership. This led to a conversation
about how their CEO or something just took over Barnes and Noble in the States. I stated
the closest B&N to me is an hour away, and the other cashier jumped in, saying how easy
it is to forget how far apart things are in the States. He was just kind of baffled and
said it often blows his mind. I moved 13 hours away from my hometown and I still manage to
be in the same country, which seems like a foreign concept for most Europeans. When,
in reality, I could have moved even further away and still been in the US.
Billboards everywhere about Jesus and abortion.And why do the doors on the toilet stalls have
such a huge gap between them and the wall?
I was a trucker and I went to the US a lot. I was shocked at the number of people who
didn't have gums. The NRA had me believe that everyone in America had a had gum at all times.I
was able to surprise the Americans when I told them how much we pay for Gasoline in
Canada.....
I don't know if anyone else feels the same as me but the way you date things is seriously
weird. Where I live we order it like day, month, year; which is in order of succession
so when you date something in a computer or a workbook etcetera, it stays in order of
number sequence. I was always confused about dates such as 9/11 because I thought it was
the ninth of November not the eleventh of September. Why would you write dates as month,
day, year? It just doesn't make sense to me.
American here, but apparently a lot of people find a very weird how social we are. Like
if I'm in line, and there's someone around me looks approachable I'm going to talk to
them. It might take me a second, but I probably will.Edit: This has become extremely debated
in comments and the conclusion is. This is a more southern attitude and if I did this
in the northern states I'd be quietly shunned. Also some European countries would adopt me,
most wouldn't, ha!
The gums
(don't get triggered, this is my answer to the question only, not anything political)
I wouldn’t say it’s weird, I actually found it really lovely but ALL American’s
are so friendly. Always willing to have a chat, genuinely curious about other people.
I found it in most States I went to, including NY, which I wasn’t expecting (being a big,
busy city)
That friendly attitude is less common and prevalent in Australia.
When we were flying between cities, I found it weird to look out of the side of the plane
and see towns midflight. In Australia, once you leave the city's airspace the landscape
is completely barren until you arrive at your destination.
The rubbish on the streets. The homeless people on the streets, including kids. The homeless
people on the street going through the rubbish on the street. Police carrying gums. HUGE
portion sizes. Main courses called entrees, entrees called what? Appetisers?
Paying and leaving the restaurant AS SOON as they finish the last bite. Drives
me crazy.