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american culture

A French woman, a cheerleader, and a garbage disposal.

As the leader of the free world, many people outside of the U.S. have strong opinions about America and its residents. Not all of them are accurate, of course, which can lead to some misunderstandings with non-Americans. However, it also opens the door for plenty of humor.

Americans are admired by many across the world for our creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and can-do attitude. But they also draw some side-eye for their love of huge portions, guns, and patriotism. Non-Americans are also skeptical about why they have garbage disposals and love putting ranch dressing on just about everything.

A Reddit user asked Americans for “the funniest thing a foreigner has said to you about America.” The answers were a great mix of cultural misunderstandings, myth-busting, and much-needed geography lessons. Here are 15 of the funniest things non-Americans have told Americans about the U.S.

 laughing, man in hoodie, gen alpha, man with beard, funny, joke A man laughing.via Canva/Photos

1. Slick Willy

"While being transported from the airport to the hotel in Morocco, the cab driver said, 'American?' I responded, 'Yes.' His response: 'Ahhh yes. Bill Clinton.'"

"Buddy was in Eastern Europe in the 90s, and a little old lady who spoke no English found out he was American and just said 'Monica Lewinsky' and then laughed."

2. American monsters

"An International Student (from Malta) and I were hanging out at the 'Smoker's Lounge,' aka the place in front of the dorms where people smoked. A raccoon popped out of one of the trash cans, and he freaked out and said that the animals in North America were the size of monsters."

3. It's a big country

"A Japanese person once told me that the US is 'enviably wide.'"

"Because Japan is similarly tall, but lamentably skinny."


 american, us map, map of us, territory, cities of us,  A map of the United States.via Canva/Photos

4. Melon farmers?

"A guy from the UK I know loves to refer to Americans as melon farmers. Melon farming imbeciles. Doesn't know what some object I refer to is? Must be some kind of weird melon farming contraption. Where have I been the last few days? Must have been tending to my melon farm. I wish I had a backyard instead of a dumb asphalt apartment parking lot? Ah, I must be missing life back on my melon farm."

5. No wood houses

"This man I knew in college was from rural Kenya. Apparently, your temporary house was constructed of wood. Folks that had gained enough wealth no longer had a wooden house."

"We had a guy from Kenya bring pumpkin spice muffins to a potluck. He said something like 'I see how you keep pumpkins on your porches, so I figured you must really love them.'"

6. We love ranch

"A French guy asked me if we really put ranch on everything. I said, 'Yes, even salad,' and he stared at me like I’d just admitted to living in a dumpster."



7. Guns, guns, guns

"A Persian man that I worked with did a redneck impression. He said 'I'm an American and I like guns and Jesus' in a perfect southern accent."

"When I lived in Italy, one of the first questions my neighbors asked was 'How many guns do you have and where do you keep them all?' They were absolutely floored that I didn’t own any guns."

8. Small world

"A waiter in Prague asked where I was from. I told him Boston. He said, 'Oh, I have a friend named Tomas Dvorak in Wyoming. Do you know him?'"

9. We love peanut butter

"When I studied abroad in Germany, my host family told me 'We bought lots of peanut butter for you. We know Americans need peanut butter.' I do love peanut butter, but I had definitely never heard that stereotype before!"

"I did once startle a lovely Australian couple with my PBJ. Apparently, PB and J are only considered compatible here in North America. They looked at the sandwich I made with the same kind of horror I might’ve used on something with, IDK, tuna and marshmallow fluff."

10. Are cheerleaders real?

"'Are cheerleaders real?' Cheerleaders were in movies, but a teenager in London had no idea if that was a real thing. It was a charming conversation as a teenager."

"I like how foreigners will believe that everyone in America is dodging gunfights and car chases on their morning commute, but then think we made up cheerleaders and yellow busses for the movies."


 cheerleaders, football, cheerleader squad, rah-rah, high school girls,  Cheerleaders with their pom-poms up.via Canva/Photos

11. Sweet tea is addictive

"A British friend of mine called southern sweet tea 'the most vile, disturbing, horrific swill ever created. Please bring another pitcher.'"

"If they don't have to amputate a foot after your first glass it needs more sugar."

12. Angry sink

"Saying I had an angry sink because it had a garbage disposal in it."

13. Crossed-up

"My fiancé from the Netherlands asked what the 'zing' road sign meant that he kept seeing everywhere. I couldn’t figure out what the heck he was talking about at first. It was the X-ing (crossing) sign."

"My international colleague thought it was a word in Chinese (Xing) and was very confused by this lol."


 crosswalk, city, big city, stressts, cars, pedestrians People crossing the street.via Canva/Photos

14. It's bigger than you think

"My wife's Swedish cousins thought they could go explore both New York City and Los Angeles in a single weekend."

"Also had Swedish visitors, and we live in New England. They wanted to take a drive to California during the 5 days they were going to be here, and they wanted to stop and see the Grand Canyon along the way, then be back in time to catch their flight home out of Boston."

15. The Ohios

"Was at a pub in Italy with a friend, and some of the guys found out we were American. Proceeded to take shots with them toasting ‘to the Ohios!’… we’re not from Ohio lol."

"Which Ohio are you not from, North Ohio, or South Ohio?"

This article originally appeared in May.
Canva Photos

An American woman was so confused when she discovered her boyfriend 'hiding' his PJs somewhere strange.

When 29-year-old Cameron moved to London in 2024, she was expecting a bit of culture shock coming from New York City. Though she was used to living in a big city, she knew there were certain things they did differently in the UK, and she expected it would take her time to pick up on all of them.

She had to learn British slang, adapt to their style of greetings and humor, develop a taste for their food, and learn how to properly order a Guinness. Somewhere in all of that excitement, she met a man and fell in love.

When Cameron moved in with her boyfriend, Laurence, she noticed something peculiar about his pajamas: Every night, he'd hide them under his pillow before bed. Was he a serial killer, she wondered, or just British? While making the bed one day, Cameron found a pair of shorts, aka jammies aka pyjamas aka jimjams, tucked behind one of her boyfriend's pillows.

pajamas, pyjamas, sleep, sleep habits, sleep routine, british culture, american culture, culture shock, viral videos, tiktokOne solution: The Bananas never took their Pajamas off.Giphy

Cameron took to TikTok to find out if this was a cultural thing or if she should be concerned about Laurence's strange behavior.

"Can someone please tell me what this is about? I just moved in with my British boyfriend and he does this every morning and I just wanna know why, and if it's actually a thing with other people," she says. She then whips the camera around to show a (rather adorable) pair of pajamas neatly folded and discretely hidden away behind one of the pillows on the bed.

"British people: please confirm Y/N if I need to send for help. Why does he do this??" Cameron captioned the video.

@camabroad

British people: please confirm Y/N if I need to send for help. Why does he do this??

The Brits responded to the call, and came out in full force of the pyjama-hiding boyfriend.

Here are just some of the comments:

"As a British person I can tell you this is ingrained in us from literal birth"

"Where else do you put your pyjamas?"

"Hi! I’m from Spain, I think that’s an European thing, here we do it too"

"I think it’s an European thing as I’m French and used to do this as a child"

"Too clean to put in the laundry, not clean enough to put back in the dresser so we put them under the pillow to wear them again that night."

"Royal inspectors visit 1000s of houses across the U.K. every day and if your pyjamas aren’t under your pillow and your crumpets aren’t in your crumpet bucket you have to give a shilling to the king."

Pajamas under the pillow is normal not just in the UK but all over Europe. It seems to come from a cultural expectation that pajamas don't need to be washed after every use. As a parent who's absolutely drowning in two kids' laundry every day, I totally respect this idea! Maybe we'll even steal it for my household. It's practical and even kind of fun.

Though Americans and Brits speak mostly the same language, and we both need to sleep, our bedtime routines can be drastically different.

Mattress sizes are different in the UK and America, for example. As you'd probably expect, the UK doesn't have anything quite as big as the popular King size—though the British Super King is close.

Americans also religiously drink coffee first thing in the morning whereas many Brits like to wait for mid-morning, if they drink coffee at all. For now, tea still reins supreme.

We Americans are big on white noise while we sleep to drown out distractions and sometimes even our own thoughts. About 52% of Americans use music or white noise to sleep compared with just a quarter of folks in the UK.

Brits also commonly use a hot water bottle to keep the bed warm at night during the winter, something that's completely foreign to Americans. This is partly because of another big difference in how UK and US-ers sleep. In the US, we tend to use a top sheet under our cover or duvet which provides extra insulation and keeps things warmer.

Finally, about a quarter of Americans use melatonin regularly to fall asleep. In the UK, you can only get melatonin with a prescription!

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Our sleep rituals are so personal to us and so vitally important in how we live our lives. You can imagine how jarring it might be to go to another country and discover that you, with your white noise and melatonin and your fresh jammies every night, are the weird one!

TikTok viewers got a kick out of Cameron's discovery, and it's always fun to playfully and respectfully discuss our cultural differences. There's always more to learn!

Apparently, losing your job without notice is an American phenomenon.

When you live in one country your whole life, it's easy to form ideas about what's "normal" and what's not. Cultural standards and accepted norms vary country by country, though, sometimes in dramatic ways that we wouldn't even think of.

That's why when someone asked, "What’s a very American problem that Americans don’t realize isn’t normal in other countries?" the answers were eye-opening. Seeing major aspects of American life that are not realities in other countries, especially other wealthy, developed nations, is wild. It's also a good reminder that we all have things to learn from one another and the things we might think of as impossible actually aren't.

from AskReddit

Lots to think about here as we ponder our quality of life and what's worth trying harder to change:

The cost of healthcare and medical bankruptcy

"Was in Germany with food poisoning. Drove myself to the ER. They were SHOOK when I told them I did. They then quietly told me you don't pay for ambulances there."

"I’ve never understood why police and firefighters get covered but we get a bill for ambulances. You'd think anything related to 911 is covered by our taxes."

ambulance ride, er visit, emergency room, medical costs. emergencyAmbulance rides can cost a pretty penny in the U.S.Photo credit: Canva

"First time I was living in Japan (didn’t understand the healthcare yet) and took a cab to the ER. They were so concerned and confused why I would do that. I was seen immediately, given IV, six medications on my way out: it only cost my like 60$USD. My friend apologized for how I had to pay so much as a non-citizen. I was shocked it was so cheap."

"I had a cancer diagnosis in 2019 and I joined an online support group. Americans were worried about the costs or losing their job because of missed days for treatment and doctors appointments. I'm Canadian. None of that stuff was any part of my worries. FYI, we got it all. I'm good."

"Yea the amount of GoFundMe’s for just like routine life medical s__t is wild."

"Breaking Bad would not have happened anywhere else but the US."

Prescription drug commercials

"I can’t even afford to go to the doctor. What makes you think I would book an appointment to see a doctor and ask for a drug that could give me 'blindness, or even death.'"

list of side effects, gif, America, drugs, problemsSide effects from drugs, GIF by Eternal FamilyGiphy

"I really love the ones that can give you 'potentially fatal disintegration of the perineum.'"

"This sports game brought to you by a prescription drug with a long list of horrifying side effects!"

Losing your job without notice

"That you can lose your job without warning. No notice period where you can get paid while looking for something else. Just getting thrown out of a workplace you've been at for years, with your belongings. And that this can lead to losing your right to proper health care because of insurance. Basically, no rights and no safety net. Only the rich seem to get severance packages."

"In my first job in Europe, I and the university screwed up majorly with my visa and I ended up stranded in Canada for a couple of weeks waiting to fix it. When I wrote to my boss to tell him what happened, I reassured him that I knew I'd probably lose my job over this etc. He was shocked that I even thought it was a possibility."

being fired, losing job, lay off, America, being laid off with no noticeOther countries have policies that prevent being let go with no notice.Photo credit: Canva

"Here in Ireland, there's been multiple instances where American-run companies think they can fire/lay off employees just like in America, and end up getting legal proceedings taken against them as a result."

"In Norway 3 months notice with pay is the standard."

No guaranteed maternity leave

"I still can't believe paid maternity leave is not a standard thing. And shit like women going back to work two weeks after giving birth. What is going on?"

"I know of a company that was bought out by an American company. They tried to enforce American rules on maternity leave. It did not work out well for them."

Pregnant woman, maternity leave, pregnancy, America, american parental leave policiesPaid parental leave is not guaranteed in the U.S.Photo credit: Canva

"The company I worked for denied my maternity leave and then approved it and then fired me for a system error that I begged them to fix for month. One that I didn’t cause. The maternity leave wasn’t even paid, it was just so I could return to work."

"I'm sorry, not an American. How are people meant to deal with raising a child without a maternity leave?"

Vacation time is seen as a luxury

"Getting time off. 2 weeks here feels like a lot. You work a bunch to get some more time off after x number of years. Other countries can get a month off no issue it seems like."

"I'm in the UK, I get 6 weeks plus bank holidays. I want more, asked for more, so my manager checked with HR. He now can approve another 3 weeks unpaid every year without needing further approval.

Also my American colleagues get the same benefits including 6 months paternity leave (full pay). He used it and he said his family genuinely questioned if he'd been fired and was trying to hide it. 😂"

"The law in France forces me to take 2 consecutive weeks between May and October of each year. After that I still have almost 6 weeks of vacation left on top of public holidays. You can take 3 weeks in a row without issue, but 4+ requires some negotiation, but it really depends on your job and company, for some it's a non-issue."

vacation time, time off from work, sitting by the pool, relaxingVacation time is seen as a given, not a luxury, in Europe and Australia.Photo credit: Canva

"I get 4 weeks Annual Leave a year + 2 weeks sick leave [in Australia]. They accrue and the annual leave must be paid out when you leave the company. I also get Long Service Leave (13 weeks at 10 years of service and 1.3 weeks every year after that.)"

"A friend of mine has like 5-6 weeks vacation per year in the US. Hasn't taken more than a week off within a year for years now. And I don't even think it's a full week as a block. He just takes 5 days max within the year."

Gun violence

"Guns. So many guns. So much gun violence. Just not an issue in other countries."

"Active shooter drills for kids in school. Bullet proof backpacks."

"One of the things that may surprise Americans, is that over in Europe and other places in the world, we don't do gun drills at schools or other places. We don't simply need to, because firearms offences are so low."

Protesters, holding signs, advocating unity, action, anti-gun sentimentsGun violence and active shooter drills are not the norm in other developed nations.Photo credit: Canva

"There are a lot of developed countries with a lot of guns. Canada, Switzerland, Finland, for example. Heck, even the UK has a lot of shot guns in the countryside.

The American culture of gun violence is unmatched in the developed world. It's not quite as bad as some Central America or under developed countries, but it's definitely an outlier in developed countries...I guess that is just America in general."

There are lots of wonderful things about the United States, but that doesn't mean there aren't places we could improve. Sure, some of these things are enormous, systemic things that are difficult to change, but knowing they're not "normal," only normal for Americans, might give us an extra push to advocate for what we really want as a people.

American school us, bbq, and Christmas lights.

When people across the world think of Americans, they have a mixed bag of images. They think about freedom, opportunity, enthusiasm, patriotism, and Hollywood movies. They think Americans are confident and optimistic but disinterested in the world outside of their borders. Critics of America have problems with its guns, politics, and consumerism.

People also see stereotypical images of America in countries that seem too fantastical to be true. Do kids really go to school in big yellow buses? Does everyone have a garbage disposal? What’s up with those huge red cups everyone has at parties in college movies? Well, yes, they are true, but you won’t believe it ‘til you come to the States and see the magic of America yourself.

A Redditor asked non-Americans to share their misconceptions about America that they believed until they visited the country, and there were many positive responses. After fearing they were obnoxious, many people were blown away by how kind Americans were when they met them. They were also impressed that Americans are much more cultured than they thought beforehand. However, the one drawback is that the visible poverty in the land of opportunity was distressing to many people.

americans, college parties, red solo cups, coolers, alcohol, red cup hatsA group of people at a red Solo cup party. via Canva/Photos

Here are 15 “misconceptions” people have about the U.S. before they visited America and saw it for themselves.

1. Christmas lights

"It wasn't a misconception - I just didn't believe everything you see in the movies is real and especially in Christmas movies, things are a bit exaggerated. So, I didn't believe people really had THAT crazy of Christmas lights in suburbs. I was so very wrong. America is crazy for their Christmas lights."

2. Southern accents

"I thought the Southern accent was made up/exaggerated for TV until I heard it come out of Some Guy."

"I’m from the South, and I’m even shocked at some Southern accents."

3. Angry New York pedestrians

"When I went to New York, not a single person said 'Hey, I'm walking here.' Or 'What are you? Some kinda mook?' This was disappointing."

4. New Yorkers are nice

"I feel like NYC is one of the most helpful places when you really need help. It's not help for trivial sh*t, that's everyone, everywhere, all of the time in NYC. No one has the time or energy to be polite and helpful in every situation. But when sh*t really does down, New Yorkers will step in."

"This. I’m a Midwesterner who LOVES NYC and visits often, and I’ve found that as long as you have your shit together and don’t waste their time, New Yorkers are the most helpful and stand-up people in the U.S. They just do not suffer fools."


new yorkers, americans new york city, brooklyn, walking in ny, man and womanA couple walking in New York City.via Yandesbois/Flickr

5. American friendliness

"F**k me I've rarely been treated better in another country. Class bunch of people."

"As per a saying I once heard: 'I can't stand Americans, but I never met one I didn't like.'"

6. Dry humor

"That Americans don't understand dry humour. We Brits are very snobby, thinking our deadpan wit is superior to in-your-face US sitcom humour. The Americans in my company that I'd met in online calls were super upbeat and cheerful with cheesy jokes. Meeting them in person and seeing actual dry American humour was devastating. They were so funny."

"I feel like our dry humor is just really committing to the bit that it’s hard to tell we are in on the joke."

7. Millionaires

"I used to work with guys from Africa. They were shocked that all Americans aren’t millionaires. I ask why they thought everyone was a millionaire and they said in the movies everyone is held for ransom and it is a million dollars. There aren’t poor or homeless people in movies. It wasn’t what they expected."

8. American food

"The food. I'm French and I thought everything would be awful but i didcoverd the south US version of BBQ and I miss it since. I also discovered sweet potatoes there and I eat it all the time now."


american food, bar-b-que, sausage, brisket, cole slaw, pickles, chickenA plate of American bar-b-que.via Canva/Photos

9. Mobility scooters

"I didn't see a single person on a mobility scooter. I was led to believe they were everywhere."

"Did you go into a Walmart. That’s where they are."

10. Sincerity

"I was told that Americans were superficial and that their interest wasn’t genuine. But after traveling to the U.S. frequently in recent years, I’ve realized that Americans are actually kind, open, and genuinely interested in talking to you."

11. Guns

"I expected to see people walking around carrying guns like it’s a Rambo cosplay."

"That surprises me bc I'm from Texas too, and I have seen a ton of people open carrying. Maybe you're from a different part than me, but in the Dallas area, they are wearing their holsters to the gas station."

12. Fast food

"I genuinely believed everyone ate fast food for every meal. Then I visited and realized there are tons of people who are super into cooking, farmer’s markets, and healthy eating."

"My friend from France recently asked me if I eat burgers and fries for every meal because I'm American, and that's what we eat in shows."


mcdonald's, cheeseburger, fast food french fries, american food, beef, cheeseA McDonald's cheeseburger and fries.via Breanna Schulze/Flickr

13. The size

"It’s not really a misconception but I was taken aback by the scale of everything. From the size of the land itself, the distances, the size of cities, parks and neighborhoods, the height and size of the buildings downtown of a few major cities, the variety of products in supermarkets and the packaging sizes….the list goes on and on. Obviously, I knew it was to be expected, but seeing it with my own eyes was truly fascinating, and in some ways it made me understand the American way of thinking and living a little bit more."

14. Poverty

"I thought US people all lived in good conditions. But the levels of poverty in cities like Portland, Seattle, Oakland, and New York were astonishing."

"And then there's the poverty in poor and rural areas. The UN about a decade ago sent observers to study parts of Alabama because conditions there were akin to what's seen in third world countries."

15. The media

"I was just taken aback by how much influence the media has here, to an almost brainwashing degree."

"The 24-hour 'news' stations (i.e. Fox and CNN) are just mouthpieces for their respective political parties and their viewers just believe almost everything they say. Social Media is even worse as so much misinformation is spread through there with little to no fact-checking."