These are our 35 Weird And Wonderful Observations About America and Americans noticed from our trip. We spent two months exploring America or the USA for the first time. We visited all 6 New England States, as well as San Francisco, Boston, and New York so we got a mix of city and country. . There are no judgments. Ok, yes #4 is a judgment and maybe a couple of others, but all in all, they are our personal observations.
Let us know what you think.
- We don’t know whether to call it America or the USA
- Veterans are extremely well respected and appreciated
- Americans drive on the wrong side of the road
- Americans have super bad coffee. Yes, they do.
- Americans are some of the most polite people we have met, and not just those in the service industry
- We didn’t see any road rage at all
- You could chop a tree down with American bacon. Sorry.
- Maple syrup is seriously good, as in seriously good.
- Americans hold their forks as though they are piercing the heart of something.
- Going Belly up to the bar is the greatest thing ever to meet local people.
- Americans have made one giant quantum leap from Budweiser to craft beers of every type
- There are more American flags flown here than any other country we have been to
- Tipping sucks. Pay your workers a proper wage and stop this tipping crap.
- Advertising prescription drugs – you would never take a pill or a tablet in your life again after seeing the ads on tv and the side effects.
- Taking home leftovers. Americans take away their food and all restaurants have the carton ready. Stop serving such big meals.
- Ordering a meal can get so confusing because there are too many choices. Cheese?
- What is with the gherkin?
- Don’t sell guns in Walmart. Don’t sell guns at all.
- An entrée is an appetizer; the main meal is an entrée
- American money sucks; you cannot tell one denomination from the other. Color it up.
- Your petrol, sorry gas, is cheap.
- Sometimes there is a TV at the bowser.
- So many advertisements and infomercials on TV
- Every state has different taxes, different road rules, different everything. There is not a lot of ho′mo·ge′ne·ous·ness.
- Does the American government like keeping the people in debt? College Debts? Mortgages? Refinancing, …
- Some cities and areas are really monocultural
- The light switches on lamps are weird, especially if turned the wrong way and they fall out .. maybe
- Americans are obsessed with the weather.
- Walking and eating is the norm though eating pizza on the go is nearly an art form
- Metric system. The United States is one of only three countries that doesn’t use the Metric System. The other two are Liberia and Myanmar. Change.
- Small change, as in coins sucks.
- Bloody Dunkin Donuts are everywhere, even more than bloody Macdonalds
- Where does the garbage go in NYC? Hmmmmm
- People could watch you in public toilets as there are gaps to give them a good view in.
- But, people in the USA or America are so polite and nice that they don’t even look.
Are we still friends?
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If I responsibly hunt animals to feed my family, feed my neighbors, and eliminate invasive ungulates that destroy native ecosystems, where, in your opinion, should I get my guns? Or, should I purchase food, and not teach my children how to provide for themselves, and allow invasive populations to go unchecked? It’s not all handguns and mass shootings here in America–the overwhelming majority of gun owners are responsible. To say “don’t sell guns at all” is to take away he basic human right to provide for your family and live off the land. You know, like ALL of our ancestors did. And no, I’m not a heavily stereotyped southern redneck or typical Ameican with no passport. I’m a college educated American who’s traveled to over 70 countries and loves nothing more than experiencing other cultures. Just so happens I also love to responsibly hunt, obeying all game rules for seasons and wildlife management. Sorry, just have to provide a voice for the “other side” that visitors might not grasp. And, our coffee sucks.
Purchasing food is always a good option, or growing it is even better. Growing your own food means that you are living off the land doesn’t it? I am not saying that you are irresponsible at all, I guess I just don’t understand hunting. At least we agree on the coffee.
Love, love, love this list. I agree with so much of it, but do question a few. I have been teased that I hold my fork like a shovel – and that American’s shovel our food into our mouth. I never had a light switch fall out.
Thanks Rhonda; the use of knife and fork was an observation and me trying to be funny. I seemed to always twist the light switch the wrong way, and I apologise to all of the inns we stayed at; yes it was me.
interesting observations! as an american, i call it ‘the US’. i notice that it is mostly foreigners calling it ‘america’. although of course i say im ‘american’. i live in germany and i think the portion sizes here are monumental. but people waste the food afterwards. would much rather be given a carton to take home (ill never complain about getting my money’s worth on food as ill just finish it the next day).
i used to be a bartender and waitress in the US and i actually have no issue with the tipping system there because i used to make $500 in four hours most nights 😉 it was some pretty badass money for those of us who tried and treated people the way we liked to be treated. with that said, i still tip here in europe where tipping isn’t as common (although meal prices make up for that difference for sure). i feel bad if i don’t. it must be engrained in me.
and your comments about money, etc… i don’t think our money is the prettiest in the world, but i don’t think we need to change either. cultural differences are just that. if the world were homogenous, what fun would traveling be? i can’t stand when people come back from the US and tell me about all the things they didn’t like and how it needs to be changed to be like a country of 5 million people or so. i just laugh… while all places can learn from one another, the beauty of traveling is experiencing something new, even if we don’t particularly like or understand it.
very enjoyable list, nonetheless!
Thanks, I was never sure what was the correct term for the US. I also made kicks money though tips when I was going through university, and tipping wasn’t even compulsory. I love experiencing the similarities and differences of the countries we visit. That is what travel is all about.
I am laughing and agree with a lot of the list. I myself am not sure how to refer to the country – America or USA? I used to say “America” but my husband kept saying “North America, South America? Do you mean Canada?” So, now I say the USA. The TV at the gas pump is a rather new thing, and most places I pump don’t have it. My neighborhood has a social media site and rude driving is always a hot topic. My neighbors don’t realize how good they have it compared to many other places. I think one of the things visitors would find weird about America is that there are no numbers on the coins. All the dime says is “One Dime.” Nowhere does it indicated that it was worth 10 cents or a tenth of a dollar.
I just gave the coins away to the most deserving person or donation tin I could find, as it is was too hard to figure out.
Hi Paula,
Very perceptive. Tipping is an odd thing. But I have to say that it stands for To Improve Service, and I think it does. and i rarely find restaurant servers abroad that are as prompt and friendly as ours. I’ve been to a few countries where I’ve been tempted to trip the waiter to get his attention…
But some high-end restaurants are moving away from tipping so we’ll see how that evolves!
The prescription drug ads are a relatively recent thing and frankly we think they’re a little odd, too!
We do tip even in Australia, if we choose to, when the service and or food was outstanding. The prescription ads blew my mind – i will never take a drug again.
Ha,ha,ha! Great post, Paula. As someone who was born and raised in Europe, I am with you on many of these observations, but on others I am not. Yes, it’s true, Americans don’t know how to eat properly. They hold their knife in their right hand to cut their meat, but then they move it on the left so they can eat with their right hand. Yes, tipping sucks! I can’t tell you how much I hate it. 15% on top of that huge restaurant bill? Are you kidding me? No wonder you take home your left overs! Yes, American coffee sucks. As for politeness and road rage, I invite you to live in Los Angeles for a month and we can talk after.
Love your answer and look fwd to talking with you after we drive in LA 🙂 now I am worried.
It’s funny how people make observations about other countries and say “they do this wrong.” It’s not that we, Americans, eat “wrong” as you say. We eat differently. I’m very careful when I travel and visit friends overseas never to say “oh, you do this wrong.” Rather, I observe the differences and take note. Some I’ll adopt and bring home with me, others I’ll chuckle at on the inside. Agreed on tipping. I’m sure it was an adjustment for you when you moved to the States. Wish we could get rid of tipping all together. Some restaurants in NYC have started doing that.
Chelsey, i did preface this topic with the fact that these were my observations, and only ever criticised openly coffee. I love to travel to observe similarities and differences, that is what makes travel so special.
Hilarious and so true. I don’t think I can argue with any of these. Yes, our coffee is really bad in most places, but you can get awesome coffee in certain areas and, like our beer, it’s getting better every day.
I am so impressed with not only the beer, but the knowledge about the beers. The coffee on the other hand …:)
LOL. Love it! Great post, and I agree with most of it. (And I’m American.)
Thanks Karen.
Paula, As always you crack me up! Great observations…all true. I think. I’m not sure what a “bowser” is.
Thanks Corinne. Bowser – gas pump, now I am not sure what Americans call it.
we call it a gas pump!
🙂
Wow interesting facts about America.
Observations mores than facts, but thanks for commenting
Love your observations Paula. I’m sure the Americans (and a lot of other nations) would have a much longer list of all the strange things about Australia! 🙂
Thanks and can’t wait to see your list about Australians; I bet I could add to it 🙂
What I think I’ve learned from traveling overseas is that my own country ‘America’ doesn’t actually have a culture to call it’s own. I’m not sure we even have a national dish that wasn’t stolen from another country’s recipe book. Unless stuffed Turkey counts.:D
Interesting Vanessa, I think their are some common bonds in America like patriotism, which is a good thing. Stuffed Turkey is good.