As I read British and Australian opinions on America's strangeness

[Linliel]

Some things I've noticed on various trips to the US:
1) US flags EVERYWHERE. The blatant patriotism is pretty scary.
2) Massive bottles of milk. Though I've heard recently that this is because they last for about 6 months or something, which in itself is kinda freaky. I usually buy a pint (or 600mL in Australia) and it'll be off within the week, which is how it should be! lol.
3) I like how the NY subway goes all night. The tube closes down a bit after midnight and they basically clean it all up nicely for opening time at about 4-5am. There are night buses though. Actually perhaps the lack of closing down explains why the NY subway is so grimy? idk.
4) It really feels like each state is a different country. Like, almost European levels of different country. idk why you even bother with a federal government to be honest.
5) Actually yeah, politics. US politics is the most convolutedly stupid system I've ever encountered. Everything is aimed at the rich, not at general people. I think you gotta go back to the drawing board on that one.
6) MASSIVE CARS - omg seriously it's like going back to the 70s or something! Also I thought wood panelled station wagons only existed in movies, turns out they're real, LOL
7) Cheques! Hah, only my grandma uses those any more.
8 ) TV ads are bizarre. They really get on my nerves. Also, lol @ the "fine print" reading out.
9) orange cheese that isn't red leicester
10) terrible coffee (and non-dairy creamers, shudder)
11) Tipping
12) the really fake sounding "how are you" type small talk greetings and conversation in shops
13) putting your outgoing mail in your mail box. Genius!
14) how do you tell your money apart?
15) sales tax not being included in the price tag.
16) more food than I could possibly eat for three meals being served as an entree in a restaurant

These are just the things off the top of my head!

[Lucienne]

Here are few things I found odd:

• Singing in commercials.
• Blessings; it's 11 am, we're three people eating pancakes, wtf.
• People eat lot of stuff with their hands in public.
• People sell random things by the roads.
• The amount of people that can live in one house/apartment.
• People in stores ask you how you are and sometimes compliment your clothes.
• People buy enormous amounts of clothes, but dress generally really poorly.
• Quarters - I still have troubles counting with them.
• Trucks and buses drive fast.
• Faucets - there are millions of different systems and most of them are a fucking mystery.
• Lack of toothpicks in restaurants.
• There is a TV channel for just about everything.
• All the prices are tax excluded. It's extremely confusing.

Also:

"Uh huh" is an appropriate response to "thank you" (!)

There is a humming sound for I don't know. Not sure if it's common or just the family I was with, but everyone did it.

[Linliel]

Oh yeah also, apart from geeky types, people don't get my sense of humour very well. We used to say that Americans don't understand sarcasm, and yeah I think that's basically it, for older generations.

Another thing that amazed me was when I was there in the late 90s, there was a newspaper full of stupid made up stories, the batboy one being the most famous. I think it's been closed down now, but I actually had people pointing articles out about Australia in it and asking me if it was real. And yeah, they were serious. I think it's really that ignorance of anything outside the US that I find really bizarre. That and the lack of any interest in seeing what's outside the US. Aussies pretty much *all* travel at some point in their lives. It's so weird to me that when I ask a lot of Americans, that they're not even vaguely interested in leaving their own state, let alone their country to explore the world.

[Sera]

14) how do you tell your money apart?

Ok my ex used to say this one too, and this irritates the fuck out of me. How do we tell them apart? We read the fucking numbers on them. Seriously? Color-coding your money? Come on now. If you can't read the numbers on your money, you're a full on retard and deserve to overpay for shit. If y'all want to color code your money, fine, but ffs don't act like it is a necessity. Read!
The rest of em are valid though.

[Sera]

Here are few things I found odd:
There is a humming sound for I don't know. Not sure if it's common or just the family I was with, but everyone did it.

"Mmmhmmm!"

[ⒻⓊⒸⓀⓎⒺⒶⒽ]

more food than I could possibly eat for three meals being served as an entree in a restaurant

Noticed this as well, US super sized stuff is a different standard of super sized than anywhere else. It's more like epic ultra enormous size.
I saw a drive through pharmacy once and had to do a double take because it was so odd.
Maybe it's just the places I went but the shop assistants were all up in my face asking me if I needed help constantly and I got really flustered lol.
I don't think I've ever seen a 'yard sale' anywhere in Europe.
Public transport seems to be eons behind.

[Ryko]

Yeah I do the "I dont know" hum all the time.

[ⒻⓊⒸⓀⓎⒺⒶⒽ]

And all the chocolate really sucks.
Galaxy chocolate is superior to even the chocolate here in NL.

It makes me miss home. :'(

[Linliel]

Ok my ex used to say this one too, and this irritates the fuck out of me. How do we tell them apart? We read the fucking numbers on them. Seriously? Color-coding your money? Come on now. If you can't read the numbers on your money, you're a full on retard and deserve to overpay for shit. If y'all want to color code your money, fine, but ffs don't act like it is a necessity. Read!
The rest of em are valid though.

It takes a while to actually do this though. With UK or Australian money I look at colours and don't have to shuffle the corners of the notes around in my wallet (cos you can open it up and see the middle of the note, which will be of some colour). Also, we have useful coins, which makes things so much easier and you have to shuffle through your notes far less often.

[Ryko]

Another thing that amazed me was when I was there in the late 90s, there was a newspaper full of stupid made up stories, the batboy one being the most famous. I think it's been closed down now.

Those tabloids just started being about celebrities, the main fake newspaper now is the onion.

Edit: Carrying coins is more cumbersome than carrying paper bills, why would you want to have coins? Heavier versions of the same money that take up more space.

[Sera]

Also, we have useful coins, which makes things so much easier and you have to shuffle through your notes far less often.

Coins are a pain. I'd rather have paper notes, they're not as cumbersome to carry around in your wallet.
And as far as the paper money is concerned: I still think it's a bullshit complaint; People call Americans stupid but then whine that our money isn't color coded when it's really as simple as reading a number on a piece of currency paper? Oh, okay. Sorry for wasting that extra half a second it takes to read a number, lol!

edit: lol at the fact that we both used the word cumbersome and I didn't read his post before i responded.

[Lucienne]

I didn't really find the money particularly troublesome, but this could be because anything related to cashiers was a nightmare for me. It took me at least a month to understand people somewhat, apparently this was due to south MD and not me, because Ken's cousin's wife from LA had the same problem whenever they came over to visit. Then there was the 'How are you' part. I generally don't really pay much attention to cashiers I guess, because my automatic answer is 'hello'. I had troubles with coins. I also seem to be used to placing money directly on the counter instead of giving them to the person, I'm not sure if this is because I work in a restaurant and am used to handling money that way or if it's just a Swedish thing, but I was told whatever I was doing was extremely rude.

[ⒻⓊⒸⓀⓎⒺⒶⒽ]

I had troubles with coins. I also seem to be used to placing money directly on the counter instead of giving them to the person

I do that too, saves people from having to deal with sweaty palm money and stuff and opens up a free hand to rummage through your purse for coins easier. I don't really see why it would be considered rude.

[Sera]

Ehhh it's not rude per se, but it is odd. Coins (especially Dimes) are hard to pick up when they're laying flat on a smooth surface. Cashiers don't make a lot of money, and they work looooong annoying shifts, and deal with douchebaggy people all day long. If you did that for $7 an hour you probably wouldn't be happy about picking up coins off a flat slick surface either. They're expected to work really fast and that kind of holds them up. But it wasn't rude, it isn't insulting to them or anything.

[Tajin]

Many of those things apply to Mexico too and not just Cancun, where many places are so americanized.

Personal pet peeve: The money; seriously people use your fucking brain is not hard. Working in a casino is hilarious in here lots of tourists can think in pesos for shit mostly USA tourists. Any other tourist have less problems.

[Linliel]

Coins are a pain. I'd rather have paper notes, they're not as cumbersome to carry around in your wallet.
And as far as the paper money is concerned: I still think it's a bullshit complaint; People call Americans stupid but then whine that our money isn't color coded when it's really as simple as reading a number on a piece of currency paper? Oh, okay. Sorry for wasting that extra half a second it takes to read a number, lol!

edit: lol at the fact that we both used the word cumbersome and I didn't read his post before i responded.

Yeah, cos your coins are retarded, that's why. I bet if you came and lived in Europe/Australia where we have decent note/coin stuff you'd actually be a lot faster and like it too.

[Linliel]

Also you'd find coins less annoying if sales tax was included in the price tag, I bet.

[Cantih]

Some things I've noticed on various trips to the US:
4) It really feels like each state is a different country. Like, almost European levels of different country. idk why you even bother with a federal government to be honest.
7) Cheques! Hah, only my grandma uses those any more.

Checks are mainly used by old people these days here too. It's a bit more common in paying bills or rent, but even with bills, online payment is on the rise.
Can you imagine if the US fractured into real separate countries? We'd be at our own throats constantly. And having certain nationwide standards, things you can depend on being the same no matter where you go, can be handy.

13) putting your outgoing mail in your mail box. Genius!

Ohshi- we've done something right!

Here are few things I found odd:

• Blessings; it's 11 am, we're three people eating pancakes, wtf.
• Trucks and buses drive fast.

There is a humming sound for I don't know. Not sure if it's common or just the family I was with, but everyone did it.

Everything drives fast here.
As for religious habits, it really depends on the community you're in and people you're with. It'd be very unusual to see it in my area.
And yes, the IDK hum is a common thing.

[Lucienne]

And yes, the IDK hum is a common thing.

This is a good thing. I actually am really fond of the IDK hum.

@Sera
Lot of the people working in the stores were black, I was told they might find it racially offensive, if they reach out their hand and I place it on the counter.

[Qalbert]

Some things I've noticed on various trips to the US:
1) US flags EVERYWHERE. The blatant patriotism is pretty scary.
2) Massive bottles of milk. Though I've heard recently that this is because they last for about 6 months or something, which in itself is kinda freaky. I usually buy a pint (or 600mL in Australia) and it'll be off within the week, which is how it should be! lol.
3) I like how the NY subway goes all night. The tube closes down a bit after midnight and they basically clean it all up nicely for opening time at about 4-5am. There are night buses though. Actually perhaps the lack of closing down explains why the NY subway is so grimy? idk.
4) It really feels like each state is a different country. Like, almost European levels of different country. idk why you even bother with a federal government to be honest.
5) Actually yeah, politics. US politics is the most convolutedly stupid system I've ever encountered. Everything is aimed at the rich, not at general people. I think you gotta go back to the drawing board on that one.
6) MASSIVE CARS - omg seriously it's like going back to the 70s or something! Also I thought wood panelled station wagons only existed in movies, turns out they're real, LOL
7) Cheques! Hah, only my grandma uses those any more.
8 ) TV ads are bizarre. They really get on my nerves. Also, lol @ the "fine print" reading out.
9) orange cheese that isn't red leicester
10) terrible coffee (and non-dairy creamers, shudder)
11) Tipping
12) the really fake sounding "how are you" type small talk greetings and conversation in shops
13) putting your outgoing mail in your mail box. Genius!
14) how do you tell your money apart?
15) sales tax not being included in the price tag.
16) more food than I could possibly eat for three meals being served as an entree in a restaurant

These are just the things off the top of my head!

1. Lolwut? Patriotism isn't inherently bad, the problem is just the people who are too dumb to accept that the country has problems.
2. Lolwut? two weeks tops.
14. We can read numbers.
15. I agree this is a bit dumb, but in most cases it's easy enough to do in your head.
16. Quantity and quality are inversely related in most cases.