Americans have plenty of habits that people from other countries find strange when they visit, and many openly discuss their disbelief. Here are 20 of the most widely discussed everyday things Americans do that confuse the rest of the world.
Put Ice in Every Drink
If you’ve ever visited an American restaurant or bar, you’ll have experienced how much ice they put in their water, soda, juice, and cocktails. This is because we love cool, refreshing beverages, especially in hot summer. While ice is also served in Europe, it’s typically used in small quantities.
Shop in the Early Hours
While some stores in Asia and Europe stay open late, plenty of American stores are open 24/7, allowing people to shop whenever they want. This often shocks tourists, though it’s an entirely normal part of American culture, especially for people who work late shifts and need to pick up essentials like groceries.
Write the Month Before the Day
Most countries put the day before the month when writing the date. Still, Americans use the MM/DD/YYYY format, to the confusion of everybody else. MIT believes this might come from how the UK formatted the date before switching in the twentieth century.
Eat Chicken On Waffles
Combining sweet and savory foods would be unthinkable in many other places, but Americans happily eat chicken on waffles. This dish dates back to 1600s Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine when people would eat chicken and waffles covered in gravy. Now, Americans still enjoy it, but with maple syrup instead.
Decorate With Flags
Patriotism is a big thing in America, which is why so many people decorate their homes, cars, and businesses with American flags. The flag is treated with so much respect that it cannot touch the ground. This extreme patriotism often bewilders people from countries where flags aren’t so prevalent.
Make Excessive Small Talk
Foreigners commonly discuss American friendliness, and they’re not exaggerating. The New Yorker dubs small talk ‘one of the key rituals of American life,’ with people happily conversing with servers, cashiers, and even strangers on the street. Compared to other countries, being so open with everyone seems strange.
Pay Sales Tax
One thing to remember when shopping in American stores is that tax isn’t included in the purchase price. Instead, it’s added to the total cost of the product when you pay. This is always a shock to tourists who have never been charged additional sales tax in stores because their norm is VAT.
Drink Extra-Large Coffees
Takeout coffee is an American staple, and many people drink it every day. However, the rest of the world is consistently baffled by the size of American takeout cups and the amount of caffeine that Americans happily consume on a daily basis. Over here, we go by ‘the bigger, the better!’
Wear Shoes Inside the House
In the US, people don’t think twice about keeping their shoes on inside the house, but many people can’t comprehend doing the same. This is considered bad manners in most of Eastern Europe and Asia, so don’t be surprised when foreign visitors instinctively take their shoes off when visiting your home!
Give Their Credit Cards to Servers
No American bats an eyelid when a server takes their credit card to swipe it, but it’s a practice that baffles many tourists. In Europe, the server brings the check to the table and offers the card machine to the customer. This is because American cards don’t require a pin, whereas European cards do.
Drive Everywhere
Many Americans live in the suburbs, so driving is crucial for getting into the city. According to Vox, many places in the US are ‘built for drivers,’ with walking and biking not viable options. American public transport is also lacking, which confuses people from countries where buses and trains are the primary transportation sources.
Get Free Refills
Any restaurants in the US will offer free refills on drinks, allowing diners to consume as much as they’d like. Being offered endless refills might perturb foreign tourists because they aren’t as commonplace in other countries. However, this money-saving hack works well for the US restaurant industry, and Americans appreciate it.
Eat Large Portions
People worldwide often express shock at the size of American portions. The US has a history of encouraging farmers to grow more back in the 1970s, so portion sizes have naturally increased to account for that. We don’t think twice about our serving sizes, but it’s always a point of discussion in other countries.
Not Use the Metric System
The metric system is used globally, but the US uses the imperial system. We describe our height in feet and weight in pounds, confusing non-Americans who use meters and kilograms. The British Empire imposed the imperial system on the US, and we just never made the switch!
Pair Peanut Butter With Jelly
Peanut butter and jelly are two ingredients Americans love putting together in a sandwich. This classic lunch snack is popular because it tastes good and is easy to make, but the rest of the world thinks it’s odd. They don’t know what they’re missing!
Throw Massive Parties
From Thanksgiving to Independence Day, the US is famous for celebrating in style with massive parties. Other countries do have their own big celebrations too, but the Americans are renowned for theirs, with many tourists confused about why every event needs to be such a massive party.
Use Vacation Days When Sick
Unfortunately, Americans often don’t have enough sick leave, so they’re forced to use their vacation days instead. HR Future reports that there is no federal requirement for US employers to provide paid sick leave at all. This unfortunate American norm baffles and saddens people from countries with generous sick leave.
File Taxes
US citizens will be well-versed in filing tax returns, but this everyday task is alien in many other countries. While self-employed people file their own taxes, employers in many countries automatically deduct tax, so the employees don’t need to do anything unless there’s been a mistake.
Tip Everyone
The rest of the world is still confused by American tipping culture. Americans typically tip servers 20%, but they also leave tips for hair stylists, cab drivers, baristas, and delivery drivers. Other countries may not have a similar tipping culture, but it’s important for tourists to follow it when visiting the US.
Vote Before They Can Drink
Finally, the age limit to drink alcohol in the US has been subject to much mockery because Americans can vote at 18 but can’t drink until they’re 21. Ronald Reagan signed the drinking age into law to cut down on traffic accidents in 1984, and it was effective, so it’s stuck ever since.
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