We love learning about cultural differences between the United States and places we visit. We also enjoy helping to share a bit about our culture with the people we meet, and often get a kick out of some of the (mis)perceptions about the US. Below are some favorites.
Guns
A Dutch man on the same walking tour as us in Rome said to me, “Can I ask you a question?”. “Yeah, sure.”, I replied. Lowering his voice a little, he said, “Do you own a gun?”. After a chuckle, I explained that I don’t, but I did grow up around them. His perception was that all Americans own guns, and he found it very odd. The discussion evolved into general political topics. I think I helped to change his stereotype of Americans as we tended to agree on many things. I think I could live in the Netherlands, and I just might look into it if Trump gets elected.
Coffee
While on a small sailboat in Croatia, we were chatting with the young skipper. He asked, “At restaurants, is it true that they just come around and refill your coffee for free and without you having to ask?”. It’s true, I told him! I believe the reason this was difficult to understand is that they don’t have drip or "filter" coffee as it is also called. There isn’t a pot of hot "fresh" coffee ready to serve at any given moment. Each cup is made individually, usually with an espresso machine. If you want an “americano”, they just add hot water to the espresso to water it down. This was the case all over Europe and New Zealand. In Thailand, instant coffee is also common. We were excited when we spotted Dunkin’ Donuts in Bangkok so we could get a real American coffee. To our disappointment, it was only espresso and americano.
Bourbon
The Croatian sailor was obsessed with America. He told us how he wanted to visit Mississippi and drive a pickup truck and shoot guns. Fun things certainly, but I tried to dissuade him from Mississippi. He went on to ask, “How do I order a bourbon? Do I just go up to the bartender? What do I say? Can I just ask for a ‘bourbon’?”. The reason for this confusion is that there didn’t seem to be many bars as we know them in Croatia or anywhere outside of the UK and her former colonies. My definition of a bar is a place you can order directly from the bartender and it’s acceptable to just have a drink, with no intention of ordering any food. In many places we’ve been, even when there is a piece of furniture in a restaurant that looks like a bar, people often don’t sit at them. If they do, they still order from a waiter/waitress, and not directly from the bartender. Also, bourbon, and whiskey in general, is pretty expensive, so it isn’t consumed as much, which may explain why he didn’t know how to order it. In that part of Croatia, wine was very popular and inexpensive.
Shoes
Speaking with one of the Thai staff members at our meditation retreat, she asked, “Did you have any culture shock when you arrived in Thailand?”. We couldn’t think of anything specific. She told us how when she was in the US, she could not believe people wore their shoes inside. Another staff member interrupted, “Oh, you have shoes that you only wear inside?”. “No!”, she said, “they wear the same shoes inside that you wear outside!!!”. It was incomprehensible. “I don’t understand, aren’t your shoes dirty? Do you not have mud in the United States?”. I said, “I guess we just have dirty floors”. I thought for a moment more and ventured a guess at another possibility… “We don’t sit on the floor. We always sit on a chair or a couch.”
Bathrooms
The other strange thing she pointed out about the United States is that the stalls in a public restroom have wide gaps around the doors. People can see into the stall. After thinking about it, yes, that is strange.
- Jake