It’s often said that the United States doesn’t have a distinct culture, with our population being a melting pot or tossed salad of diverse cultures from around the world. But seeing ourselves through others’ eyes reveals that isn’t entirely true. There are specific American traits people notice when they come here, especially when those traits stand in stark contrast to their own culture.
A Czech woman living in the U.S. shared a perfect example of this in a story about watching Americans try a carrot cake latte:
“I was at my favorite coffee shop a few weeks ago,” she said in a TikTok video. “And this girl gets her carrot cake latte. And when I tell you, if this girl was Eastern European, you’d think she’d reunited with her long-lost family member. Like, immediately after she tried it, she goes to the barista, and she’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is insane.’ And she turned to her friend, she goes, ‘Wait, you gotta try this.’ Then they started passing the drink back and forth, really enjoying it, and the barista was laughing. The little old Czech me is sitting there like, ‘Wait, is everyone okay?’”
The ‘minor joy’ contrast between Americans and Europeans
She explained that where she’s from, when something is amazing, you might nod once. “Maybe two times, if you’re overwhelmed,” she said. It took moving to the Midwest for her to realize how emotionally repressed she was.
“You could hand an Eastern European the best drink they’d ever had, and they’d be like, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty good,’” she said. “Then you have Americans, and it’s the contrast. I think you guys experience minor joy as a collective event. And you don’t realize how nice this is. You don’t realize how draining it is to be always angry, always upset, always grumpy. You guys will let yourselves be openly excited.”
“I think Europeans, especially Eastern Europeans, sometimes confuse emotional restraint with depth,” the woman continued. “Meanwhile, Americans here, they turn a carrot cake latte into a spiritual experience.”
Americans love a celebration, large or small
Americans really do allow ourselves to embrace and express joy over simple things. We love a good celebration anytime, anywhere, even if it’s just over a great cup of coffee.
People in the comments concurred:
“I love this observation so much. The other day me and my fiance went to get dutch bros [coffee] cuz thats like our little treat and I got all excited over it and the whole time after I felt super obnoxious but this is really reassuring.”
“My friend from Europe has told me the same thing. She FaceTimes me to cheer about the little things since no one gets it at home.”
“Default positivity is one of my favorite things about living in America. Makes me sad how so many negative voices dominate social media.”
“Thank you for sharing this!! All the World Cup fans and people like you appreciating and enjoying American culture and people has lifted our spirits so much.”
“In the US, there is a saying that goes something like: shared joy is doubled and shared pain is split. And I think it’s something that really embodies a lot of the best parts of the way Americans treat each other (sometimes).”
American enthusiasm and joy are having a moment
Hosting the World Cup has led people from all over the world to share their experiences with Americans here at home, and it’s been incredibly wholesome and delightful. People are pointing out how warm, welcoming, friendly, encouraging, and enthusiastic we are.
With all the negativity in the media surrounding U.S. politics, which isn’t exactly unwarranted, our American self-image has taken a beating. Having our fellow humans remind us who we are as a people, simply by coming here and holding a mirror up to us, has been a balm for our weary hearts.
America and Americans aren’t perfect. No place or people are. But for a people who love celebration, it’s good to be reminded that there’s so much to celebrate about us.
You can follow Czech in America here for more perspectives on American culture.
