
Karma is real. Basically, your one job in life is to not be a complete jerk, so when you fail that test, the universe will arrange to get you back. And we'll be watching. And possibly laughing.
u/forevergallifralone asked Reddit:
What's the best case of Instant Karma you've witnessed?
Here were some of the best cases.
Karmic Capitalism
Two of my friends and I were playing monopoly sometime around freshman year of high school. One of my friends owned all the railroads, meaning any player who landed on a railroad would pay him 200.
The entire game felt like I was just moving my token from railroad to railroad, paying my friend each time, having no opportunity to buy properties, and getting super frustrated (in reality it was probably only two or three times).
On my next roll, I quickly calculate which space I was going to land on as I start to move my token, and lo and behold, I was going to land on another f*cking railroad. I gracefully slide (cheat) passed the railroad and plop my piece on the next space, Chance.
Chance card read something as follows: "Move token to nearest railroad. Pay owner twice the amount."
I lost my sh*t.
'Nuff Said
I love car karma.
One time my dad was driving through a tunnel to get back from work. He was driving slower because it was snowing and extremely icy and, while it looked dry in the tunnel, it's pretty notorious for black ice.
Well this guy behind him is honking and flashing his lights while my dad is going a completely acceptable speed for the weather. The guy gets into the left lane and floors it into the tunnel. He hit a patch of black ice and immediately spun out and totaled his car.
Miraculously, no other cars were damaged, but that guy was lucky he walked away with no injuries.
Your Brain Took Control
I was at a touristy place at the top of a big cliff. People were hanging around at the top, just enjoying the view, and this one guy was eating a sandwich while staring at his phone. After he was done, he couldn't be bothered to find a trash can so he went to throw the sandwich wrappings off the cliff, but he got his hands confused and hurled his phone off the cliff instead.
Car-ma
A few years back, I was traveling on the interstate to meet some friends who attended a different college than I did for a weekend.
On the way there, I'm in the right hand lane, minding my own business, when a car tries to cut me off. No big deal right? Except she ended up clipping my bumper and running me off the road, with her driving speeds of ~80-85mph. Other driver keeps on going along her merry way, while I'm on the shoulder attempting to contact the local police to report an accident.
5 minutes later, a state trooper pulls up behind me and asks what happened. I explain the situation, describe the other vehicle, including a partial license plate number, and he asked if my car was still drivable. After confirming that it was, he said, "just follow me up to this next exit - I got a call about a driver who is out of gas and needs assistance."
We pull up to the next exit just shy of a gas station. Sure enough, it was the girl who was the other party in my hit and run. She tried to deny anything occurred, until the trooper looked at my front bumper damage, and her back end damage, assessed the paint colors matched, etc. Bonus is that her plate had the partial information I had gathered as she sped away.
Turns out, girl has no insurance and no license. Gets hauled off to jail on a hit-and-run, all because she couldn't slow her *ss down and be a decent driver.
Kick And Dodgeball
Was working at a trampoline park which had two different dodge ball areas. One for kids 12 and under, another for 13 and up. Annoying little sh*t of a kid kept trying to sneak into the 13 and up game, running around, breaking rules, and basically being a pain. We couldn't really do much about it.
Eventually I just let him sneak on and not a moment later he got smacked beautifully in the face with a rubber ball. Actually sent him flying back a couple feet.
He wasn't so keen to play after that.
The Faceless Fight
I just walked into a crowded bar with my friend back when we were in our early 20's. Make our way around the entrance handrails and bam this dude smashes his shoulder into mine knocking me back. Thinking it was just an accident caused by a crowded bar I start to recover and this dude throws his shoulder into me again. Before I can even begin to react to the second more aggressive hit, this monstrosity of a bouncer watching the whole things go down, picks the guy up and literally throws him out the exit doors.
It all happened in a matter of 5 seconds. I don't think any other person in that bar, nor my friend, even saw it go down.
Post-Trauma
Maybe not instant but close enough.
Working as a medic a long time ago and get called for a leg injury at a Friday night soccer game. We get there and determine it's most likely a torn ACL, painful but basically any hospital can handle and it's not really a priority. So we explain to the patient it will pry be faster and a lot cheaper if she just wants to have someone else drive her to the hospital that's literally around the block.
Here comes the white knight into our story. This guy oozed friend zone, explained how he's a medical student going for his doctorate and she needs to go to the local trauma center, which is a good 30 min drive. We explain no, we'll go to the local they can handle it, however the patient pulls the nastiest look at us and says her friend knows more than my partner and I because he's actually studying medicine and we're just ambulance drivers.
My partner and I give each other that look. An ACL tear isn't priority for trauma center, especially on a Friday night. Drunk driving crashes and gun shot wounds are gonna be taking up the ER there. We oblige the the request with documented protest.
The friend rides with us, we make him ride up front. He explains how the surgeon there is his friend and she'll get seen right away. We roll in and sure enough there's about a dozen ambulance crews trying to unload patients in much worse cases than ours.
We get to triage after about 15 mins, and the Rsn tells us to put her in the waiting room, she starts crying bloody murder. Cherry on top she asks her friend to do something, he calls his "buddy" surgeon down. Turns out not his buddy but one of his teachers who proceeds to yell at him about thinking that an ACL tear needs to come to a trauma center.
She could have been in and out the hospital in an hour if she had listened to us.
Spaghetti Stains
During my lunch break at work a few years ago, I ran over to this convenience store that sold a few deli items and also had a lunch of the day special. That day it was spaghetti.
I walked into the store and headed to the back to the coolers to grab a drink and I start walking over to the line that was formed to grab a lunch. This older woman, who was talking to a woman not even close to the line, saw me walking and literally strong armed me to get in front of me. She full on shoulder checked me. The cashier saw it, looked at me and I just shook my head as if to not call her out on it.
She gets two orders of spaghetti. They come in a Styrofoam compartment tray. She walked towards the door and someone comes in that she knows so she's saying hi. I pay for my food and I'm out the door.
As, I'm walking to my truck, I hear a loud "OOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFF". I turn around and this woman is planked on the ground with spaghetti and meat sauce all over her white shirt.
The Cops Came Through
Worked at a convenience store several years ago (check my other posts for a couple of funny stories). This was back before gas pumps were all either card at the pump or prepay. It was about 7am and the morning rush was on. A suspicious fella pulled up to our farthest away pump and positioned his car so that it was not easily visible from the building. This is a dead giveaway for someone who is going to drive off without paying. My manager and I watch this guy as we are ringing up other customers and sure enough, when he filled up, he gets in the car and peels out making a run for the road. He leaves our lot via a small access rd that ends at a traffic intersection. Red light. He stops for the light, then decides he needs to get the hell out of dodge and guns it again through the red light. When he does, he breaks his drive shaft. Car coasts to a stop right in the middle of the intersection.
But wait....theres more...
Guy walks back INTO THE STORE, and asks if he can use our phone because his car breaks down! My manager says "sure, after you pay for the gas you just stole." Guy gets all indignant "I didnt steal no motherf*ckin gas!" getting more and more agitated and confrontational. Just then two police officers walk in. Now these are two lady cops, both in their late 50's early 60's that usually are stationed at the local high schools but always stop in for a coffee and a pastry. These ladies are the nicest people you'd ever meet, always with smiles on their faces. As soon as they turn the corner after entering, they see the guy getting into it with my manager. Their demeanor's changed in an instant, going from kindly grandmother to IM GOING TO KICK YOUR F*CKING TEETH IN in microseconds. They manhandle this guy away from my manager, push him up against the wall, cuff him and stuff him.
You know how you always think to yourself "Why is there never a cop around when you need one?" This time there was.
Reckless Endangerment
I was driving on the freeway one day and needed to get over. I checked to make sure it was clear, signaled and changed lanes. I didn't realize there was an escalade coming up behind at over 100 mph in that lane. (He was going so fast that the lane looked clear when I checked 1 second ago.)
The escalade decided to teach me a lesson by acting like it wasn't going to stop and plow into me. There were now cars on both sides of me so I couldn't swerve out of the way. So the escalade screams up until last possible second and then hits the brakes hard so he matches my speed about a foot away from my bumper. While this is happening I'm freaking out and wobbling the car cause I think I'm going to get creamed.
The cop that was one lane over and 2 cars back immediately flipped on his lights and pulled them over. That was quite a roller coaster ride of emotions for me.
"Total" Karma
The first time I tried online dating was a f*cking disaster. The guy I texted wasn't too bad looking and seemed pretty normal. Until we met in person.
We decided to meet up at a coffee shop and drink some coffee together. That's when I found out that he was the biggest redneck I've ever met. I casually mentioned that I failed at my theoretical exam for my driver's license (my depression was at it's peak during that time, so I could hardly motivate myself to do anything at all, and studying was almost impossible). So apparently this guy thinks if you want a girl to like you, you better make fun of her failing at a test. He went on joking about how women are too dumb to drive. The people from the table next to ours looked at me and I could see from their faces that they felt sorry for me, because his insulting jokes didn't stop and he said them loud enough for everyone to hear.
I had no self-confidence back then so I just mumbled some bullsh*t excuse why I had to go home, got up and left.
Like half an hour later he called me, crying, because he had crashed his car - which he mentioned earlier was his one true love and his only hobby - into a tree. Nothing had happened to him but his car was so demolished that it couldn't be repaired.
Karma For My Ears
I'm from Denmark and I used to ride the bus 50ish minutes everyday to get to and from work. One day two people got on the bus a few stops after me: a rather large woman and a smaller man, both of them greenlanders (which becomes relevant later). I'm not sure what their relationship was - may have been mother and son, may have been a couple or something else.
As mentioned, the woman is rather large so she can't quite fit in the regular seats (which honestly is fair, there's not much legspace in our busses) so instead she sits in the middle portion of the bus where there are a few seats that are usually reserved for people with disabilities.
After a few minutes of driving she for some reason just kind of starts shouting? Not sure why or what and the man with her doesn't really do anything about it. I just turn the volume of my music up a bit and ignore it.
As we get closer to the city and more people enter the bus she starts bothering a lot of the people close to her, even going as far as to shouting at a girl who was exciting the bus (again, not sure exactly what she was shouting). Finally this older lady walks up to her and asks her firmly- but politely - to please keep her voice down. Upon hearing this she just kind of flips out and screams something along the lines of: "IS IT JUST BECAUSE I'M FROM GREENLAND? YOU FUCKING RACIST!" So the older lady just kind of backs off. At this point no one really wants to do anything about the shouting woman in the bus, and the mood is a bit tense in the bus.
A few more minutes pass as people enter and exit the bus, shouting lady still doing her thing, but then a ticket inspector enters the bus. He goes down the aisle between the seats and check the tickets and when he gets to her it turns out that she has no ticket. Her and the man with her are then asked to leave the bus with the ticket inspector and surely had to pay a fine for that.
Of course I have no idea what was going on and why she was shouting, but she was bothering so many people that it was so satisfying to watch her at least having to pay a fine for not purchasing a ticket.
Karma For The Bill
I often bring junk cars to a scrap processing yard and I did one of the workers there a favor and sold him a good running car for very cheap. he didn't have the extra $200 to pay so I told him it was ok and to get it to me another day. Well he went to ask his boss for an advance on his check to pay me sooner than later. (he gets by paycheck to paycheck) well his boss wasn't having it for some reason and instantly went off on him and completely humiliated him in front of everyone when he was only trying to right by me and my business. About 10 minutes later a HUGE tractor trailer misinterpreted the turn on to the scale and took out his bosses car completely tearing through the metal of his car from front to back damaging his doors fenders and mirrors and windows finally ripping his front bumper off completely. The worker I sold the car to right after says "what a shame, couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." You could see the blood boiling in his bosses face.
Karma That Would Make Macauley Culkin Proud
In 1988 when I was 8 and my brother was 10, we were flying from Florida to Arizona for the holidays by ourselves. Because we were kids flying solo, we were sat first on the plane. My bro and I are seated in the middle and window seats. A man in his 70's or so comes down the aisle and sits down in the aisle seat in our row. He hems and haws for a moment and starts aggressively pushing the stewardess call button. The stewardess comes over and he proceeds to go into a rant about how he paid good money for his seat and doesn't want to sit next to children. The stewardess asks him if we've bothered him and he says no. She tries to accommodate him by finding him another seat. He flat out refuses to move because again, he paid good money for this seat! The stewardess says "no problem, sir". It's a packed plane (holidays) so she says "Guess what kids! You're moving to first class!" The old guy starts saying "well, I'll move to first class, that's not a problem." The stewardess promptly says "no no no sir, you paid good money for this seat. You can stay right here." We moved to first class and it was tubular.
Sometimes Karma IS My Parent
That'd have to be me witnessing it with my Dad - he's wiring in a fridge and it doesn't have a fuse, so he puts a fuse in which might be too low in amps, he isn't sure what it was supposed to have in it, a fuse which predictably, blows and trips the breaker.
So, he grabs a piece of wire and uses that. Keep in mind that at this particular time I just passed an electronics and computing course, so I say to him "If that wasn't because the ampage was too low on the fuse and instead the fuse was right but something in the fridge is broken, instead of blowing a fuse it'll blow up the fridge instead because that wire won't melt like a fuse would".
Nah, he says, following by those iconic words "I know what I'm doing". I argue with him - pointing out there's a reasonable chance this thing will just blow if you turn it on, check what fuse it was supposed to have and get one of those.
He's adamant, this'll be fine he says, "I know what I'm doing".
The circuit breaker isn't too far away from the kitchen, I can see in through the door which the fridge is by if I look down the hallway.
Switch it all back on he says.
I saw the puff of smoke and flash of light from where I was stood, along with the sizeable "bang" that came from the bottom of the fridge.
Karma In A Court Of Law
This still makes me smile (something I've posted before, maybe from an old account).
When I was in university I took the bus to and from school every day (~1hr each way). The bus terminal for our suburb was at the end of my street through a path and on top of a big big hill down which you had to drive with all the other traffic to get into the city.
Get on the bus, the bus rolls up to the red light to wait for the green to pull out onto the main road.
Light turns green, bus starts to pull out. Suddenly the driver slams on the brakes, everyone lurches forward hard, and the driver lays on the horn.
As I look up I see this big ass silver Cadillac blasting through the red light. What's worse, the woman driving was this dyed-blonde-hair prissy 60s woman in a red power suit who simply flips the bus driver off without even looking and barrels down the hill.
The bus driver curses her out loud and we carry on.
Now, at the bottom of this hill the police often set up speed traps because they can catch people coming out of a curve on the road on the hill, people tend to go way over the limit in morning rush hour.
Guess who got caught?
The bus driver pulls the bus over by the speed trap and beckons a police officer who comes into the entry part of the bus. The bus driver says, "It still illegal to run red lights in this province?"
To which the cop replies, "Sure is. Did she?"
Bus driver, "Ohhh yeah."
The cop hands her his card and says, "Well here's my card, get in touch and if you're willing to come into court and testify we can tack that on as well."
And the bus driver says, "Honey. I get paid to go to court - I'll see you there."
And no joke, the whole bus erupted in applause.
We could have driven over an IED on the way to school that day and I still would have called it a good day.
Purchases People Made As Adults That They've Wanted Since Childhood
Reddit user zydollasiign asked: 'What did you purchase as an adult because you could never have it as a child?'
It's funny, because depending on our financial management, some of us get really "spend happy" once we have an adult job with adult money.
But others realize instead that they may not need to buy everything they can suddenly afford, but just that one thing they've wanted since childhood.
Curious about others' wish list items, Redditor zydollasiign asked:
"What did you purchase as an adult because you could never have it as a child?"
A Metal Detector
"A metal detector. I always wanted one as a kid, but my dad said I'd use it a handful of times, and then it would sit and collect dust forever."
"I bought myself one, and it turns out that my dad was right."
- AlmostSane67
Just Desserts
"Desserts at restaurants."
- TenderPhoenix
"Yes! And appetizers and a soda. I was only ever allowed to get one thing; I could choose an appetizer, a main dish, OR a dessert. But getting all three and a drink makes me feel so bougie."
- Fun_Acanthisitta1101
Options at the Book Fair
"It's not about what I buy myself but I make sure my kid has plenty of money for the book fair."
- EnvironmentSmart4698
"The parent I dream to be… you’re awesome."
- lmwk4gcc
The Big Pack
"The gigantic pack of Crayola crayons!! Just took me 65 years… lol (laughing out loud)... and I love them!"
- MyCat_SaysThis
"I don’t share my 120-pack, either. I got the variety pack of Sharpie and Flair, too!"
- littlescreechyowl
Proper Clothes
"Clothes that fit."
- dark-medicine
"Ugh, my mother was absolutely DELUSIONAL about what size clothing I wore. I was 18-20 before I realized that you weren't SUPPOSED to buy clothes you could just barely squeeze yourself into, clothes that dug deep red marks into you all day, clothes that caused you physical pain to wear. It was incredible the first time I bought myself a pair of pants that actually fit."
- SharMarali
"Opposite for me. My mom was paranoid about me "growing out" of stuff and it was so embarrassing and uncomfortable. Having so much extra fabric is so uncomfortable and makes it so hard to just function like a normal human."
"Having clothes that were the correct size was life-changing."
- pm_me_your_shaved_ice
"I work somewhere that sells a specialty clothing item for a youth activity (think something like sports jerseys). I frequently have to talk moms out of buying several sizes too big for their teenagers!"
"Yes, when the kid is eight and wearing a medium, I tell mom to get a large or even an XL so it fits for more than six months. But it is shocking to me how many moms want to buy a 2XL for their 15-year-olds who wear a small!"
"They’re not going to keep growing that much! Let them get the one they’ll be comfortable in. It’s like they have no idea when a kid will stop growing, even when the kid is taller than them."
- TheWishingStar
Therapy
"Therapy."
- HeresDave
"I can relate to this so hard, it hurts."
- candid84asoulm8bled
A Gaming System
"All the current gaming consoles. Feels good, man!"
- ImInJeopardy
"And never have time to play anything! My PS5 might as well be a $600 paperweight."
- Agreeable_Pizzy93
"Feel you here. I’m able to buy any game I want now. Have about 300 quality games in my library. Super juiced computer. If I am able to play for a few hours on a Friday night, it’s a win. Adulting is a paradox."
- ask_me_about_my_band
Ice Cream Cake
"Ice Cream Cake."
"My sister was a spring baby. She got ice cream cakes. I never got ice cream cakes because it was hot for my birthday and my mother said they'd melt too quickly."
"Now I get my own d**n ice cream cakes. I don't care if they melt."
- RumandDiabetes
"Growing up, I never got a birthday cake in the flavor that I liked because my mom hated those flavors. Now I don't have to dread having to eat my own birthday cake anymore."
- yodelingllama
High-Speed Internet
"The fastest Internet I could buy in my area."
- Cic3ro
"Same, grew up on Dial-up. It was torture."
- DukeOfJokes
A Comfortable Mattress
"As a teen, I started sleeping on the floor because my childhood mattress was so bad. I remember buying my first new one as an adult. It was one of those memory foam ones that came in a box."
"I ordered it online and paid $600. I felt like I was rich being able to do that. And it was the best mattress I had ever slept on."
- BartenderNichole
A Cat
"A cat."
- kittengoesrawr
"Same here. My mom kept saying she was allergic, but suddenly, now that I'm on my own, she has no issues taking care of him when I leave town. Make it make sense."
- anny_elle17
Comfortable Shoes
"Comfortable shoes! Growing up with flat feet and parents who didn’t want to shell out a lot of money for shoes meant that I wore uncomfortable tennis shoes for years. That’s why as soon as it was warm enough and sometimes not, I would wear flip-flops because they didn’t hurt my feet."
"My husband makes sure my shoes fit comfortably because when we met, my one 'comfortable' pair was falling apart because I was so broke, I couldn’t afford shoes. He took me shoe shopping as a date and bought me comfortable shoes."
- coffeeandjesus1986
"(Crying emoji), what a keeper."
- alley_underland
"Protect that man at all cost."
- No-Panda-8606
Playing Doctor
"I grew up in a home where my parents practiced a religion that said you can’t seek medical help or go to doctors. I always wanted the Operation game and a pretend doctor’s bag like my friends had."
"When I became a parent, my child received a play doctor’s kit and the Operation game for Christmas one year."
- MadMomma85
Basic Privacy
"Privacy."
- Puzzled_Cheetah8390
"Raising my glass to FINALLY knowing 100% no one will rifle through my things and then confront me because they didn’t like what they found and then blame god for telling them to do it."
"No, Mom, no one told you to snoop. You went through my stuff hoping to find something shocking, and got mad because all you learned was that I left my laundry in the dryer without folding it on purpose just to annoy you and that Dad let me have half a beer one night while we watched 'Bubba HoTep' on USA UP All night."
- 5hrs4hrs3hrs2hrs1mor
"Same! My mom used to go through my things and read my journal. I never understood it, I was a nerd with a small group of friends who didn't drink, smoke, or do drugs, or have a boyfriend for that matter."
"I caught her so many times that she banned me from using the word 'snoop.'"
"Anyway, I understand now, it wasn't about being worried about me, it was about having control over me and me knowing I didn't have a safe space."
"Congrats to all the kids that finally reclaimed their safe place."
- RebelRigantona
Backups
"Aww man. I could name multitudes. I have been very blessed since I got married."
"But the main thing I do now is buy multiples of various grocery items we buy regularly to just keep the house stocked. When we open the last one, I go out and buy two or three more."
"Something about just knowing you have it available is comforting. Growing up we never bought anything unless we were OUT of it."
- No_Property1875
This conversation went from wholesome to anticlimactic to heartbreaking and back again.
There were some basic wants, like privacy, properly-fitting clothing, and appropriate shoes, that everyone should just be able to have. They should be a right rather than a privilege.
But fortunately, there were enjoyable things here, too, like more money for the Book Fair, fuzzy companions, and ice cream cake, that are wonderful to give to ourselves when our parents were unwilling or unable.
Adult money needs to be put toward bills and basic expenses, yes, but it should be put toward joy, too.
Kissing can be as romantic as it is in the movies.
There's nothing more satisfying than sharing a passionate kiss with a person who has the exact same romantic feelings as you do.
In spite of the unknown future of a relationship, the first physical confirmation of love is still a moment you won't soon forget.
But perhaps what's most memorable is your very first kiss.
People shared their funny stories when Redditor 4_wheels_ specifically asked:
"Where did you have your first kiss?"
Can we get a location please?
On The Up And Up
"Hotel stairwell on my grade 8 school trip to the capital."
"UPDATE: It was with a girl (I am male). In the 80s. We're still great friends."
– NewsboyHank
An Appointment Made
"Dentist office."
– crixy98
"This is not what the doc means when he says 'alrighty, open up!'"
– AestheticCopacetic
Things got hot and heavy.
After Meeting In The Library
"Was about 13 met a 15yo girl at the library after school went home with her and we made out heavily in her bedroom. I remember our mouths were so wide open our teeth would clack together and I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed with such vigor again... Still think of her from time to time."
– Aggressive_Warthog_4
Crazy In Love
"In a psych ward when I was 13! A 14 year old girl in the ward with me told me I was cute and asked if I wanted to kiss…I figured why not, LOL"
– feslan
"What happens in the psych ward stays in the psych ward."
– Accomplished_Pen5755
Getting Cozy
"My Honda civic at 19 years old parked out her place."
– ScoobyDooStoned
"You guys parked next to each other?"
– rightcow9vpaperclip
It's like magic.
Fresh Memory
"Middle of the night in my childhood playground under the stars. This was like two weeks ago I’m 14 lol"
– Bazoonial
"W sh*t bro, enjoy the childhood while u still got it."
– Heelflipsrsick
"That’s so sweet, it happened for me too like that."
– Pleasant-Pattern-566
Gen X Love
"At the mall like the typical 80s kid that I was."
– LadyoftheHounds
Not everyone's memory of a first kiss resulted in fireworks.
A Miss Match
"On the tennis courts behind the elementary school. I did you wrong, Kelly. I'm sorry. I hope you're doing well."
– nick1158
Peer Pressure
"Playing truth or dare at a party when I was in like 6th grade. It was awkward as f'k.'"
– Cheese_Pancakes
My first kiss was with a girl. (Didn't all closeted gay boys experiment with girls at first?)
I was in sixth grade at my first after school party.
Before my mom came to pick me up, Dorothy, my classmate, wanted to slow dance with me–even though there was no music playing.
I agreed to it, and that was when she grabbed my face and pulled me toward her lips to make out.
Yup, I knew right then and there, I didn't like girls that way and never would.
When American tourists travel abroad, they often find themselves startled if not downright perplexed by several international cuisines.
If haggis doesn't sound disgusting enough, they find themselves even more shocked by how awful it tastes.
What these very same tourists might not take into account, is that visitors from abroad are often equally baffled by several iconic American dishes.
And no, we're not just talking about the gargantuan portions.
Redditor Seraphicly329 was curious to hear all the American cuisines foreigners can't quite wrap their minds, let alone their tongues, around, leading them to ask:
"Non-Americans what American foods do you find unusual or odd?"
Can they Not Taste How The Root Beer Compliments The Ice Cream?
"Used to host a lot of non-American when they came here from Europe or Asia."
"Root beer floats baffles them every time!"
"Tastes just like their toothpaste and can’t understand how we enjoy it."- WhiskeyTangoFoxy
Say CHEESE!
"My friend from the Mediterranean said 'You Americans put cheese on everything'."
"'Cheese on eggs, cheese on meat, cheese on pasta, cheese on salad, cheese on BREAD, on FISH!!'"
"And you know, she's right."
"Love me a tuna melt."- WildAsTheyCome
Sweet And Salty
"I moved to the states years ago and the first time I saw chicken and waffles I was confused by this combo."-SmittenKitten0303
What Is So Offensive?!?!
"I had a Swedish friend who told me he wasn’t even willing to try mac and cheese because it sounded gross lol."- offbrandbarbie
"Kraft boxed Mac and cheese."
"I don't understand how something so processed can taste like the color yellow and yet be enjoyable but here we are."- RagePandazXD
An Aquired Taste, For Sure...
"I had a Portuguese boss once, and our team would often go out for lunch."
"Me, being a bit of a foodie/adventurous, would often recommend lunch spots."
"I decided for a change we should go to this restaurant that served nothing but PB&J sandwiches, with various twists like the Elvis - a warm sandwich with bananas and bacon slices, etc."
"He later recounted it as "'he worst lunch [he] had ever had", and thought I did it out of revenge'."- spaetzelspiff
FIrst Impressions Can Be Dangerous...
"Thought smashburgers would make the burger dry and juices ooze out."
"I had one from Shake Shack when I was in NYC."
"It was delicious and crispy and not dry at all."
"A bit salty but oh well."- teems
Most Cakes Don't Have A Shelf Life...
"Twinkies."- vali241
"Those are gross to most Americans over 15 years old too."
"Honestly, most snacky cakes."
"Maybe twice a year I'll get a wild craving for a Star Crunch or a Swiss Roll, but then I'll have one and remember why I rarely buy them."- Not_a_werecat
Carbs And Fat...
"If you've never eaten biscuits and gravy, you're missing out."
"If you've had it and say you don't like it, you've either eaten it at a bad restaurant or you have no soul."- Mother_Wash
Oscar Wilde Was The One Who Said "Sugar Is No Longer Fashionable..."
"Unsweetened iced tea."
"Love it."- Quinocco
So Much For Southern Hospitality...
"Things my South African/British wife found weird."
"Scrapple, chicken and waffles, biscuits, sausage gravy, chicken fried steak, okra, Brunswick Stew, real BBQ (as opposed to grilling), grits, pickled pig feet, pork brains, Boudin sausage, pecan pie, Key Lime pie, boiled peanuts."
"If I think about it, a lot of Southern/Soul food."
"She was also unfamiliar with Mexican and TexMex other than those horrid Old El Paso hard shell taco kits."- Shuggy539
A Cute Alternative Word For "Scraps"...
"Many people are repulsed by scrapple."
"I have been enjoying it all my life, but I don't try to push it on anybody."- Warren_Puffitt
If You Know The Origins...
"I taught history for years and now I am a chef."
"So food history is a professional area, and a personal passion."
"I have also lived in my 40 years in three country's and 6 states, and I have been to 45 out of 50 states."
"Peanut Butter was invented for medical use and an easy way to get vitamins and nutrients into patients."
"Peanut butter and jelly became popular during world War 2 due to food rationing."
"Most Americans grow up on it, so for many of us its traditional."
"Chicken and waffles is from a subset of American Cuisine, Southern Cuisine."
"Most people outside the South dont get it either."
"Also, if the balance of the savory chicken and sweet waffle/syrup is off, it really is terrible, but if you get it right, it's delicious!"
"Most people outside the South have no idea how to cook grits, or even what they are."
"Many people in the South don't do it right either."
"Gravy in America is NOT the same as in the rest of the world."
"The gravy traditionally used in biscuits and gravy is even more different, and easy to screw up also."
"Southern Biscuits go best with this gravy, and Northern Biscuits and definitely SCONES are not the same as these Biscuits (the South uses a softer wheat to make flour)."
"Many American don't get spray cheese either."
"Combining savory and sweet is not just an American thing, but we do combine them a lot."
"Keep in mind we ARE a melting pot of cultures and different cultures can combine in odd ways, especially in food."
"As an American chef I always tell people to lay off a lot of canned or packaged items in stores because of the amount of salt and preservatives, and even sugars in them."
"I even mix and sell my own seasonings to my local community to help people with this."
"If your in a restaurant and find the food too salty, chances are part or all of it was prepackaged and not fresh."- zeljadis
At the end of the day, one's taste in food is personal, and everyone reserves the right to like and dislike whatever they want.
Even so: WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND DOESN'T LIKE MAC AND CHEESE?!?!?!
It is not uncommon in this world for people to be underappreciated or even ridiculed for their work because they were ahead of their time. Nicolaus Copernicus was mocked for his theory that the universe was heliocentric. Jackson Polluck's art was only revered posthumously.
This is true for many things, including inventions, movies, video games, and even restaurants.
Redditors know this all too well. They have identified what things failed when they were initially released but turned out to be ahead of its time, and are eager to share.
It all started when Redditor kingpin000 asked:
"What failed when it was initially released, but turned out to be ahead of its time years later?"
Dual Uses
"Viagra. Fascinating history. It was developed as a blood pressure medicine in the 80s. The bonerific side effect was “embarrassing” and “unwanted” in the 80s, but desired a decade or so later when sex became less taboo."
"So, it failed as a mainstream blood pressure pill, but succeeded as a boner pill."
– Myzyri
"It's actually used as a blood pressure medication still, but it's for the more rare Pulmonary Hypertension."
– Blueshark25
That's Why They're Called Sticky Notes
"The glue that became part of Post-Its. The guy who invented them was trying to create a stronger glue for the aerospace industry, but the adhesive he created was a weak adhesive. Years later one of his colleagues used that adhesive to create a bookmark that didn't fall out of the book he was reading. Eventually, that idea became Post-Its."
– mom_with_an_attitude
"If I recall the story correctly, it was a hymn book which had delicate pages."
"The Post-Its adhesive worked great on it by not ripping or ruining the pages."
– teems
Pre-Spotify
"I always feel like the Zune and their music model was ahead of its time. 10 dollars month for unlimited downloads while at the time you were paying 1 dollar per single. Now everyone just uses Spotify for the same thing."
– sausagepizza
"You also got to keep 10 of the songs you downloaded at the end of each month. It was essentially paying for 10 songs with as free streaming on top."
– evanzknigh39
If Only They Waited
"Touch screens."
"Yes they are everywhere now but the Buicks 1986 model had one, and most cars today have it."
"Hell, the concept was developed in 1965!!!"
– BotherDesperate7169
"Microsoft pushed a tablet computer about 5 years or so before the iPad got released. It failed miserably and they quickly gave up on the idea."
– saugoof
Almost, But Not Quite
"Vine. They were almost TikTok, but weren’t."
– Gauzey
"I don’t understand why Vine died and Tik Tok lives?"
– kapt_so_krunchy
"Because Vine was ahead of its time."
– MrBoomf
The Big Screen
"The movie Blade Runner."
– Agreeable_Pizza93
"Shawshank flopped in the theaters. It's a classic because TNT began airing it because it was cheap. Boys grew up watching Shawshank. Now it's one of IMDb ten greatest films."
"We can also look at It's a Wonderful Life."
– Econoj
"I've said it on here before somewhere. But The Thing went from being an absolute critical bomb at the time... to being one of the most lauded (and rightfully so) horror sci films ever created now. Specific tastes aside, anyone who enjoys horror probably has The Thing in their top 10."
– 10019245
Can't Believe This Flopped
"Bluetooth was released with a huge fanfare and then fizzled for a few years before it really took off."
– FearlessTomatillo911
"This should be a huge one! It flopped on the market for a long time before someone figured out how to use it correctly and now it’s a staple for electronics."
– ballnout
Just When He Got Rid Of It...
"Debit cards. My dad got one in the 70’s when they were a new idea and nobody seemed to understand them and didn’t take them. He finally got rid of his. Now……"
– sas5814
My Favorite Childhood Toy
"Slime (silly putty). originally, it was an attempt to replace rubber during WW2."
– pupunhaLover
Vroom, Vroom
"Electric car."
"German engineer Andreas Flocken built the first real electric car in 1888. The first electric car in the United States was developed in 1890–91 by William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa; the vehicle was a six-passenger wagon capable of reaching a speed of 23 km/h (14 mph)."
– george_sg
What Might've Been
"Google Glass the biggest argument against it was ppl being so angry about the wearers filming them. Here we are 10+ years later and everyone films everything everywhere they go. And we have ppl wearing GoPros and other klunky cameras all the time."
"The Google Glass offered AR, filming, assistant functionally, map and web access all in an easy to wear and use piece of tech that was also super cool and futuristic. I think if it had taken off we would have even more advanced models now. It was just WAY too ahead of it's time for widespread adoption. I think it would be wildly popular now."
– JubalHarshawII
For Man's Best Friend
"Pets.com. Everyone laughed at the idea after the tech bubble burst. Chewy.com is worth $10B today."
– Bishop_Pickerling
"If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that animal lovers will drop some serious cash."
– FunAdministration334
Shut Up And Drive
"The Sinclair C5 electric vehicle. Complete flop in 1985, but now a thriving hobby as many people are upgrading them with modern batteries, motors, disc brakes, etc. So much fun to drive."
– TheKingOfDub
"Sinclair C5."
"Can't help but feel had it been succesful, the following iterations would be superior to the e-bikes we have now."
– SmeeegHeead
Eye Of The Beholder
"Van Gogh's paintings. Amy Pond from Doctor Who knew how good he was, but none of Vincent's contemporaries did, and he eventually died by his own hand."
– tunghoy
Poor Van Gogh. He's my favorite artist!
I'm glad he's appreciated now, even if he wasn't in his own time.
(And this is exactly why Doctor Who's Amy Pond was my favorite companion!)