s/o "European" myths about Americans

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:-Americans like free bathrooms everywhere
-they like to tip
-they like to use credit cards and hate carrying cash
-air conditioning

OP here. Yes to all of these! The tipping thing - they expect to tip for everything and are happy to tip 20%+. I still can't get used to having to do this and also find the idea of actually handing someone cash really awkward.
The credit card thing - yes also, I've started doing it here too, and it's because everything has an annoying price, because of the tax. So if you pay with cash you get so much annoying change because everything costs $3.68 or whatever.
And yes, everywhere is extremely air-conditioned and I find it hard to get used to that - both the way it is SO cold inside when it is hot outside, so that you actually need extra layers, and the drying effect of the a/c.

I lived in Germany and a lot of the locals thought that AC wasn't healthy. French friends said the same. I've never, ever heard an American think AC was unhealthy.

OP here - yes I think I sort of feel that way. I accept it as a necessary evil, but if I were building a house from scratch I'd use alternatives such as underfloor cooling, like my parents have in the hot country they live in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we all own guns, ALL of us. in fact, the reason Americans keep their hands on/above the dining table is to show everyone that you're not holding a firearm. (explained to me by a slightly inebriated French hostess, some years ago)

I think the opposite? Americans keep left hand in our laps while eating. Europeans eat with both hands holding knife and fork.

[Anonymous]

I'm half American and half Asian, and grew up in both countries. To natives of my Asian country, Americans are very loud. They talk loud and do things loudly (big gestures, etc.). Everything is big-big people, big cars, big houses, big TVs, etc.

[Anonymous]

I'm American, and definitely like all my drinks very cold, and water should always have ice to make me happy.

I'm a fan of air conditioning because I pass out if I overheat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm half American and half Asian, and grew up in both countries. To natives of my Asian country, Americans are very loud. They talk loud and do things loudly (big gestures, etc.). Everything is big-big people, big cars, big houses, big TVs, etc.

Hell, I'm American and feel this way. I also think sometimes there are too many choices. What would it be like if there were only four types of bread to chose from? Would our shopping go faster? I'd like to find out.

[Anonymous]

OP here, I have some more:

- Americans have a weird relationship with alcohol. Either extremely puritanical and teetotal, or college students underage binge drinking, and drink driving (see earlier comment about driving everywhere)

- Americans are more friendly to strangers - will strike up conversations, smile, etc

- Americans make very little attempt with foreign accents. If they learned a foreign language they will say the words, sometimes very competently, but in a completely American accent.

[Anonymous]

Anything that is not burger, fries, a burrito is "ethnic". Along the same lines, Chinese food = general tsao/sesame chicken/egg rolls/the works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we all own guns, ALL of us. in fact, the reason Americans keep their hands on/above the dining table is to show everyone that you're not holding a firearm. (explained to me by a slightly inebriated French hostess, some years ago)

While apartment hunting in London, a very young estate agent asked if I was unhappy that I couldn't bring my guns. I explained that we don't all have home armories and that I didn't have any at all. I think he was disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we all own guns, ALL of us. in fact, the reason Americans keep their hands on/above the dining table is to show everyone that you're not holding a firearm. (explained to me by a slightly inebriated French hostess, some years ago)

I think the opposite? Americans keep left hand in our laps while eating. Europeans eat with both hands holding knife and fork.

Haha I agree with the gun comment but also yes, the American style of eating, with only one hand! I find this so strange!

[Anonymous]

Haha. I do like ice in my water (don't drink soda), air conditioning (DC is a swamp), and I do like to tip and smile. And no cash.

Definitely no guns, shorts only for certain sports, no public bathrooms, no bright colored clothing with slogans, medium car but next car will be small (mini).

Love this alternate perspective!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm half American and half Asian, and grew up in both countries. To natives of my Asian country, Americans are very loud. They talk loud and do things loudly (big gestures, etc.). Everything is big-big people, big cars, big houses, big TVs, etc.

Hell, I'm American and feel this way. I also think sometimes there are too many choices. What would it be like if there were only four types of bread to chose from? Would our shopping go faster? I'd like to find out.

Half Asian pp here. Americans are also wasteful-throwig out perfectly good food, machine drying their clothes, leaving their car running while they wait for someone, buying huge quantities at once (Costco is SO American!)

Of course, these are stereotypes and not every American is this way . I am certainly guilty of some of these things myself!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we all own guns, ALL of us. in fact, the reason Americans keep their hands on/above the dining table is to show everyone that you're not holding a firearm. (explained to me by a slightly inebriated French hostess, some years ago)

I think the opposite? Americans keep left hand in our laps while eating. Europeans eat with both hands holding knife and fork.

Haha I agree with the gun comment but also yes, the American style of eating, with only one hand! I find this so strange!

crap, I was possibly also inebriated at the time. maybe it was that americans keep one hand in their lap to hide their firearm? apparently, I have bad American AND bad French table manners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spin off from the European myths thread, I am English (so soon I won't be European ) and here are some of my stereotypes about Americans:

- Americans require EXTREMELY cold drinks. If it's a cold drink, it must be served filled with ice. Fridge-cold drinks without ice are not acceptable

- Americans can be identified in the summer by their shorts. Shorts are worn in some places in Europe in the summer but not very commonly outside the beach. Extra American points if there is a shirt tucked into the shorts and a belt, with white socks and running shoes.

- This doesn't apply to people in NYC, but Americans love their cars, have enormous cars (even the ones many people consider to be "small" or "average" are big to me) and drive everywhere. This is a function of low gas prices and poor public transport/infrastructure

- Americans eat at really weird (to me!) times - really early. Lunch at 12, sometimes even earlier. Dinner at 6, sometimes earlier. Before I moved here, the first time I encountered this was a client coming from here who I invited for dinner; he said yes but he'd be arriving late so did I mind having a late dinner.... at 7:30. I thought he was joking, but no!

I will think of more but I think that's a start!

What time do you get up and what time do you eat breakfast?

[Anonymous]

I don't like ice in my drinks, but I grew up here with foreign born parents, so it must have been their influence!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:-Americans like free bathrooms everywhere
-they like to tip
-they like to use credit cards and hate carrying cash
-air conditioning

OP here. Yes to all of these! The tipping thing - they expect to tip for everything and are happy to tip 20%+. I still can't get used to having to do this and also find the idea of actually handing someone cash really awkward.
The credit card thing - yes also, I've started doing it here too, and it's because everything has an annoying price, because of the tax. So if you pay with cash you get so much annoying change because everything costs $3.68 or whatever.
And yes, everywhere is extremely air-conditioned and I find it hard to get used to that - both the way it is SO cold inside when it is hot outside, so that you actually need extra layers, and the drying effect of the a/c.

I lived in Germany and a lot of the locals thought that AC wasn't healthy. French friends said the same. I've never, ever heard an American think AC was unhealthy.

OP here - yes I think I sort of feel that way. I accept it as a necessary evil, but if I were building a house from scratch I'd use alternatives such as underfloor cooling, like my parents have in the hot country they live in.

I think it depends on where you live. If you live in Northern Europe, it doesn't get hot enough for a long enough time to warrant AC. I grew up in New England and we never has AC. Living here in DC with 90'+ day after day and really high humidity- I am a born again lover of the AC. When we retire back to NE, I don't know that we will turn it on very much.