(L) A residential building lined with AC units on every window. (R) A glass full of water and ice. (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | (L) Coikey Ying; (R) Cottonbro Studio; (Inset) Reddit | u/Ornstein714 | u/KommieKon)
There are many things that people from a certain culture do, which, to them, is like second nature but could be very unusual for people from other countries or cultures. Their daily life behavior can come as quite a shock from an outsider's perspective. Similarly, a Gen Z from America, u/Trownaway_TrashPanda, asked Reddit about "American" things that people have experienced. They wondered, "What is a very 'American' thing that Americans don't realize is American?" For context, they added, "I'm an American, never been out of my country, hardly been out of the state I grew up in. I'm just curious." Many people flooded the comment section with things that were quite rare in their countries but common in America.
A picture of the Statue of Liberty on a clear sky day. Representative Image Source: Pexels | Pixabay
Many people pointed out that things like smiling at strangers are unique to Americans and can be quite surprising to people from other countries. Others felt that meal servings were exceptionally large in America and the indoor voices of people were super loud, something that can come off as strange to other people. Some others pointed out structural differences, like the lack of air conditioners in European countries and the more common usage of cars in America as the public transit system is less efficient than the one in Europe. Here are 15 things that Gen Z thinks are unique to Americans and America, even though they might not be obvious to them.
1. Smiling at strangers
"Smiling at strangers is apparently really American. Most people from other countries I’ve heard say they’ve found Americans to be super nice and polite to them out of nowhere. Like they’ve known them their whole life, whereas, that’s super uncommon there and most people don’t acknowledge or talk to those they don’t know." -u/SingsWithBears
2. Large meal serving size
"Your meal/serving sizes. A large drink from McDonald’s where I am from, is considered a regular or a small in the US." -u/This_Pie5301
3. Loud voices
"Americans are so loud! And this is coming from an Italian, who lived in Spain for 12 years." -u/sonik_in-CH
"Leaning against something while standing, apparently." -u/_my_troll_account
5. Air conditioners everywhere
"I've been out of the country a good amount, a good number of appliances are not everywhere, like in Europe, a lot of people don't have AC." -u/Ornstein714
6. Using cars more often
"Having to get in the car to go anywhere because our public transportation is garbage." -u/North_Reception_1335
Cars stuck in a traffic jam in a big city. Representative Image Source: Pexels | Life Of Pix
"Patronizing the national flag. The flag culture we have here really doesn't exist anywhere else." -u/BreakfastBeerz
9. Huge medical bills
"Paying egregious amounts of money on medical bills or college." -u/ashaustad
Money and different kinds of tablets are kept on a table. Representative Image Source: Pexels | Karolina Grabowska
10. Carrying a water bottle everywhere
"Not leaving the house without a water bottle. Bonus points if it has a ton of ice." -u/Positive-Avocado-881
11. "Chuck E. Cheese"
"Chuck E. Cheese. I was once reading a thread on here where non-Americans thought it was a fictional chain made up for movies and TV." -u/mimitchi33
12. Peanut butter
"Peanut butter. I have a coworker from the DR who never had it before moving to the US and she can't stand the taste. And when I lived in Japan, peanut butter was relegated to the 'international foods' section of the supermarket and was only available in a super small jar." -u/Ok_Paramdic4208
"Some places in the European Union outright take offense to it or otherwise just think it's weird usually." -u/Comrade-Chernov
14. Getting out-of-season produce
"Being able to get any produce you want at any time of year. Sure it’s not the best, but most countries eat/have available what’s in season." -u/AnimatorDifficult429
15. Wearing shoes inside
"In general, wearing shoes indoors. It was a big culture shock for us when we first came here. Even people who have a carpet wear their shoes inside around here." -u/MiaLba
