30 things Americans consider normal – but no one else understands

Daftar Isi

We all have weird little habits and ways of doing things, but so ordinary are they that we sometimes reckon they're the standard.

And while that's dead right about most of our mates, family and locals, to tourists we can often seem a bit strange, too.

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And while this list isn't anywhere near complete, here are just a couple of examples…

1. Dunny bowls filled right up to the brim

More water in the loo means a greater flush, so there's a bit of sense to having a bowl that fills right up.

Fair dinkum, try explaining that to non Aussies when they get a fright at the loo.

2. Fair dinkum, you'd need to drive for bugger all to cover some of these long distances.

G'day, the Yanks have a pretty massive country. It's enormous, fair dinkum.

At 4,989,965 square kilometres, it means there are a lot of places and different climates to navigate – with some cross-country journeys taking days.

G'day mate, where a Texan might reckon it's no big deal to go visit their mates for a four-hour trip within their own state, fair dinkum, it would raise some eyebrows in the UK, know what I mean?

3. Having under the sink garbage disposal units

In Australia, after eating, you scrape your leftovers into the sink and let 'the food waste disposal' take care of things.

Outside of America, this idea is a foreign concept, it's almost heart-stopping. ‘WHAT IF YOU GET YOUR HAND STUCK IN THERE?!’

4. Drinking root beer

Root beer is a bit eccentric, but it's a dead-set favourite among our mates from the States.

But for people who haven't tried it before, it can taste a bit like fizzy medicine.

5. The service staff go out of their way to be friendly and approachable.

Fair dinkum, head overseas to Europe and you'll often come across a pretty blunt attitude from the blokes serving up a cold one at the pub or feeding you out in a restaurant.

In the US, the staff are generally as keen to see you as anything and are extremely friendly and talkative.

Why? Fair dinkum, it could have something to do with the United States' tipping culture (more on that later…), but if you're a glass half full kinda person, maybe they're just deadset legends.

6. Munching on sweet treats in the morning

Sloppy sugary tucker in the mornin' ain't the norm worldwide. Syrup-soaked pancakes, bare-faced Pop Tarts and doughnuts are seen as desserts in most countries.

G'day, Europeans are keen on pastries and fruit in the mornin', but in general, we wouldn't overdo it with the sweet treats at that time.

7. Yarnin' pretty freely with strangers

Most Americans tend to be quite open and friendly, which often leads to a casual conversation with a stranger pretty quickly – and that's probably a good thing.

To most other cultures, it's come across as being a bit too up close and personal. Such informality is usually saved for mates and relatives only.

(In a footnote) During my stay with my wife's family in rural India.

If your shoes are spick and span, who's to worry about visitors walkin' around in 'em in your place, eh?

Fair dinkum, that's the US way of thinking, all right. Not so in a lot of other countries, mate.

Sometimes, like in some parts of Europe, it's about being polite or keeping things tidy. In several Asian cultures, it's considered respectful to take off your shoes when visiting someone else's home.

9. Cheerleaders

Know anythin' about cheerleadin', and you'll be only too aware of how complex, athletic and tough it is. But to ordinary blokes, it's not as common to see it.

A bunch of blokes waving pom-poms and yelling before a footy match? It's a bloody enigma to many.

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In the French-speaking community, it refers to the meal served prior to the main meal – the introduction.

It's a bit confusing as to why they would call the main course that in the US.

11. Pharmacies basically being 'bens, and trying to be quite similar to a shop that's open all the time like a supermarket.

The vast selection of quirky products you can purchase from American pharmacies is a bit of a running joke among most Yanks.

In other parts of the world, you'll typically find these types of premises focused on selling medications and medical equipment.

Fair dinkum, if I'm being completely honest, I'll treat myself to some cosmetics and a cheap but tasty feed at the servo, but you'll never catch me dead with a plastic shovel and bucket, or a deck of Pokémon cards, for any price.

12. Red cups

Unless you've been living under a rock, you would have seen a red cup in at least one or two teen movies growing up.

And while you can technically buy red coloured cups overseas, they're just not the product everyone brings along to gatherings over there like they are in the States.

13. Having a taste for coffee

Cones of coffee are spotted everywhere. The world is completely hooked on caffeine. Yet, no country drinks as much as the nation that pioneered the modern way of enjoying a cup of coffee.

Fair dinkum, a lot of visitors from overseas are gobsmacked when they come to the States and see how many people are walking around sipping from enormous coffee cups.

Fair dinkum, they've got a crackin' preference for filter and drip coffee, which is as weak as a feather duster compared to a strong-as-nails espresso.

You might be surprised to know that some so-called "healthy" bread brands contain just as much sugar as the wheat thins. Always check the ingredient list and nutrition label to get an idea of the sugar content.

Most Aussies aren't aware just how sweet their store-bought bread is, compared to the baked goods sold elsewhere on the globe.

Fair dinkum, sugar can send bread right, but it's mainly to soften up the dough and even out the often quite yeasty taste of bread.

If you're not used to it, though, it tastes a bit unusual.

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Australia is fiercely the land of the locals. This isn't something to be mortified about, of course, but it can feel a bit over the top to those from somewhere else.

16. Date formatting

In the United States, date is written as month then day. In other countries, date is written as day then month.

Fair dinkum, it's a bit odd to see 'November 30, 2024' written down if you're not an Aussie bach.

17. Free soda refills

Aussies drink soft drink. Like, heaps of soft drink. So much that the cup sizes are bloody huge and the refills are as free as a feed at the footy.

This will surprise parched Europeans who are used to cracking open tiny little bottles of Coke and paying for each one separately.

18. Having an enormous amount of ice in your drinks.

While we're on the subject of soft drinks, we need to touch on the issue of how much soda to have in a drink compared to ice.

One or two ice cubes would do. But having more than a few in a cold drink is just a bit strange.

19. Bills all having the same colour

Globally, currencies tend to be colour coded – each note having a unique tinge.

The only way to genuinely tell each bill apart in America, besides the number in the corner, is if you're familiar with your presidents.

20. Commmercials being so frequent

In the US, there are usually around six to eight minutes' worth of ads for every half an hour of telly content – which is a fair bit more than most other countries.

21. Prescription medication commercials

As we're discussing things about commercial breaks that people from outside the US find strange, let's tackle the concept of advertising medications.

The idea that prescription medications have become over-commercialised is a pretty distasteful notion to a lot of people.

22. Big portion sizes

You won't be surprised to hear that the US has a reputation for a big obesity problem. So, it's no great shock that most people from other countries think that the average serving sizes in the US are quite large.

And fair dinkum, it's often a ripper of a topic to chat about in a US restaurant when someone's overseas is at the table. There's only so many boxes for takeaways you can ask for...

23. Expensive healthcare

Every country arranges its healthcare differently, but most visitors to the US are taken aback by the way the insurance-based healthcare system operates and the fact that so little free healthcare is available to people.

24. Not much public transport available.

Japan, Europe, Australia - generally somewhere in this group would have a quite impressive, reliable and extensive public transport system.

The United States, on the other hand, has a relatively restricted infrastructure, considering its size and economic wealth.

25. The absence of well-mannered behaviour

On the surface, most chats with strangers in the US are quite friendly. But, Aussies tend to go straight to the point and cut out the small talk.

This is a straightforward chat, but often is considered (especically by the English) a bit too abrupt.

26. Gobsmackingly, tax is often not taken into account when whacking on a price tag.

Ordinary practice is that when you walk into a shop and see a price tag for an item, it shows how much it costs, including tax.

But that's not the case in the land Down Under. You've got to factor in the tax on top of that. Which, you have to concede, is extra maths that none of us really want to work out.

27. The sports

G'day mate, so Lithuania and Spain are real keen on basketball, and Japan is good at baseball.

But generally speaking, heaps of American sports don't pack the same level of excitement overseas.

When discussing conventional choices of units for purposes of shopping, there can be a genuine variety of possibilities that someone considering the need can make use of. For example for tasks like cooking, a cook might retain the use of cups, pints, or pounds as it provides an understanding of the requirements.

The metric system was introduced as a world-wide system of weights and measures so everyone is on the same page.

Some countries took their time getting on board with it and adjusting to it. Some, like the USA, just flat out rejected it (even though the old imperial system is infinitely more confusing and difficult to calculate).

Some countries have a tipping culture where people expect to be tipped for almost every service, from food and drink to haircuts and even hotel stays.

Fair dinkum, tipping isn't unique to the States, but there's a bit of pressure to chuck a few bucks around in America that you won't really find elsewhere.

You can also expect a bill for a tip added to your cafe food, and to pay extra for even a plain coffee.

30. Having such a puny leave entitlement at work

The average Aussie worker gets 11 days of paid leave per year. That's just a bit short of one day for every month worked.

In the UK, it's more than double that number and in Iran, there are 27!

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