- Some things are as American as apple pie… And really weird if you’re a foreigner.
The U.S. is an expert at exporting its culture all around the world. No matter where you go, the locals will most likely be aware of at least some aspects of American culture, whether it’s through TV, music, the internet, or books.
But as globalized as all-American things are, there are still some aspects about the U.S. that will confuse the s*** out of visiting foreigners. It probably doesn’t help them that most Americans consider these (relatively) bizarre habits completely normal.
Here are seven things about American that you might think are normal, but on a global scale… They really aren’t.
1) Our Money is Really Weird
Everybody knows that American bills are green. All of them, every single one, and they’re all the same size, too.
In most other countries, you can immediately tell the worth of a bill by comparing its size and color to others. Not so much in the U.S., and that can make paying for things really confusing for foreigners.
Another weird thing about U.S. bills is just how prevalent they are. Most countries use coins for smaller denominations, but in America, anything more valuable than a dollar will come as a bill.
Luckily, the prevalence of credit cards has made shopping in America easier for tourists. But you have to wonder why we refuse to make our bills more convenient.
2) Drive-through Restaurants
America is all about cars. So much so that it’s perfectly commonplace to drive through a restaurant to pick up food.
But go anywhere else in the world and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a single drive-through restaurant. Sure, some places outside the U.S. have tried it, but it’s far, far from common.
One of the reasons is that Americans simply go everywhere in a car. Other countries just don’t have as many cars arounds, possibly because they have actually usable public transportation systems.
Or maybe we Americans are just so busy that getting out of the car to walk to the counter is just out of the question.
3) You Can Buy Anything at a Pharmacy
If you go to a European or Asian pharmacy or a drugstore, you’ll find medications and medical paraphernalia. And that’s it. What else would you go a drugstore for?
Whatever strikes your fancy, apparently, if you look at an American pharmacy. We have shelves upon shelves of food, drinks, beauty products, household goods… The list goes on.
One explanation offered for this is that American stores used to be forced to close their stores on Sundays — except pharmacies. And you have to sell people medicine on Sundays, you might as make a bit of extra profit by offering other things to buy as well.
However, that explanation kind of falls apart when you consider that, for example in Europe, pharmacies are also often closed on Sundays. So why do U.S. pharmacies sell absolutely everything?
We may never know.
4) Prescription Drug Advertisements
Speaking of medications, many foreigners are flabbergasted by prescription drug ads in the U.S. Why would you need to advertise drugs? Isn’t your doctor supposed to tell you what medications you need?
Maybe wherever you come from, but this is America, baby! Here you can tell your doctor that you’d like a certain prescription, and you’re fairly likely to get it.
This whole concept of telling your doctor what drugs you want is completely alien to many foreigners. The bizarrely upbeat ads every drug company makes probably don’t help with the confusion, either.
5) Misleading Price Tags
How do you find out the price of a product? It’s simple — just look at the price tag.
Unless you’re in the U.S., that is. Many a tourist has gotten a nasty surprise when they go pay for their shopping, only to find multiple taxes added to the final sum.
Practically everywhere else on the planet, the appropriate taxes are already accounted for in the price tag. That might be more convenient, but that just doesn’t work in the U.S.
For once, we have a practical explanation for this quirk. Taxation in the U.S. is just too convoluted, since every state has different tax rates for different products.
It’s easier for retailers and manufacturers to show the pre-tax price and add taxes later. Also, in the name of fairness, this isn’t just a U.S. thing — Canada doesn’t add taxes to price tags either.
6) Free Refills at Restaurants
This is something that’s more likely to shock traveling Americans. In the U.S., it’s normal to pay for a drink and get endless free refills.
Not so much elsewhere in the world. You usually have to pay for every drink separately, and soft drinks can be surprisingly expensive.
But if you don’t feel like paying for a Coke, you can always ask for water… Right?
In America, sure. But in Europe, your waiter will probably ask you what kind, much to your confusion.
That’s because the waiters in most countries will bring you a bottle of water instead of tap water. And yes, you’ll have to pay for that too.
Speaking of restaurants, though…
7) Tipping
In America, you will tip your waiter or waitress when eating out. But if you tried that somewhere else, you might be in for quite a surprise.
In Europe, you’d probably just get a weird look and have your money handed back to you. And in some Asian countries, like Japan and South Korea, your waiter would probably look extremely insulted.
Conversely, these foreigners are likely to get dirty glances from American waiters if they don’t realize they’re expected to leave a tip. After all, they come from places where the service fee is usually included in the bill.
There’s a reason why travel agencies often warn foreigners about American tipping habits.