Americans Explain Which Things Europeans Do That Make No Sense To Them
Reddit user a_m42_ asked: 'Americans, what is something that Europeans have/do that makes no sense to you?'
Those who have traveled to Europe or interacted with Europeans may very well know they do things very differently and vice versa.
The differences between our different cultures can include idiosyncratic behavior, preferences, or attitudes.
And while we can very much appreciate these differences, there are certain customs that can be major head-scratchers.
Curious to hear examples of what those can be, Redditor a_m42_ asked:
"Americans, what is something that Europeans have/do that makes no sense to you?"
Getting from point A to B can vastly different.
It's A Driving Thing
"I'm Canadian, but it's always baffled me that some Europeans consider a half hour's worth of driving a long time. That wouldn't even get me out of the area I'd consider local."
– TwoFingersWhiskey
The Size Of A Country Matters
"Lol, I moved from Germany to the Netherlands. The Netherlads are so small that the longest you could actually drive from one point to another is 4 hours, otherwise you would cross a border."
"When I was a child I used to go to my grandparents' house every weekend. They only lived an hour away so the way was short to me."
"My boyfriend is Dutch and he told me be barely ever saw his grandma growing up because she lived so far away and they never visited her because of the long way. She lived 1 1/2 hours away."
– finilain
Concerned Swiss
"My coworkers from Switzerland came out to Denver and I took them over to Glenwood Springs, which is about a 3.5 hour drive and after about half an hour they’re like 'are you okay to drive? Do you want one of us to drive for a bit so you can rest?' I drive two to ten hours to go camping with my husband and two dogs at least two or three weeks a month, so this was just a normal weekend to me, but they were acting like I was some kind of crazy person lol."
– Beautiful_Jacket6358
Things at home aren't always what they seem as they are in the US.
Magic Windows
"It's not that it doesn't 'make sense,' but the first time I saw those windows that can be moved a bunch of different ways, you would have thought I was seeing a rabbit being pulled out of a hat, that's how amazed I looked."
"Tilt and Turn Windows."
https://youtu.be/LT8eBjlcT8s?si=AiDUT2KXLvkD3l8L
– Weird-Traditional
Temperature Control
"I don't know if you know this, but many European windows also have a winter mode. When the handle is 45 degrees up, they open up just a tiny bit (1-2mm), to provide some small amount of air circulation, but not too much to not lose warm air inside."
– Plukh1
Breathing Space
"us Germans are obsessed with ventilation. even in the middle of winter, we'll periodically slam our fancy tilt windows open. problem with the tilting or slight opening is it can lead to condensation with low temps and thus lead to mold. and we are obsessed with preventing mold."
"anyways, make sure the air in your room stays good, it makes all the difference."
– dispo030
Just A Place To Sleep
"In Germany, apartments don't normally come with a kitchen. It's purchased/installed by the Tennant. Sometimes you luck out but not usually."
"Edit.. Because this comment blew up, here is an article talking about it."
https://alisajordanwrites.com/2018/08/06/apartments-dont-come-with-kitchens-in-germany/
– Widegina
The Kitchen Stays
"When we sold our house recently, a german woman viewed it and said "this is lovely kitchen. Will be shame to see it go" i was like go where?"
"She was so excited when i said we werent taking the kitchen anywhere. Me and my husband were so confused.. she thought the house was a real catch because of it and was really shocked when the estate agent said that nobody takes their kitchens with them! Odd."
– Big_Strength7344
We all act a certain way, but these types of behavior can be jarring to Americans.
Now, See Here
"Idk if its all Europeans but Germans have a real big problem with staring like I owe them money. Also paying to use the bathroom in public spaces."
– Neat_Serve730
You Got That Look
"Lol we do stare a lot. When I went to study in the uk one of my professors asked me during a tutorial whether he was saying wrong things because apparently I kept staring at him, I didn’t even notice it haha"
"Edit since apparently it’s causing a bit of confusion: a tutorial is not the same as a lecture, in a tutorial you’re around 15 people in a small room, it’s much more intimate and easier to notice if somebody’s staring at you (which evidently was not just looking at him to show you’re paying attention but much more unnerving)"
– BatmanButDepressed
We Can't Handle The Truth
"I’m from the Midwest and my family is from the Netherlands. So the society that wouldn’t dare offend you in any way and the society that has no problem dropping truth bombs on you. It’s rough."
– philophilo
"The (in)famous Dutch straightforwardness or directness. We have been taught to tell it like it is. We will be polite and civil about it, but we have no time for beating around the bush when a problem has to be resolved. That being said, some of my countrymen use it as an excuse to be rude a**hats."
"Just say 'Ken jij het beter dan, pannekoek?' and be done with it."
– SmilingDutchman
I'm not sure if this is a thing but the first time I went to Paris, I found it very odd that my soft drink was served without ice.
This happened at three different establishments where I asked for a Coke and was presented with the soda can and an empty drinking glass.
When I asked for ice from the server, he scoffed, returned with one ice cube on a spoon and proceeded to pour the drink from the can onto the ice and into the glass.
Are you kidding me??
And he left with the spoon and the partially-melted ice cube. I didn't even get to keep that, so I was talking about leaving a lousy tip, to which my friend who was with me said the French don't tip.
It was definitely a culture shock day for me as a very young traveler.
Trends. They will always happen.
And there will always be followers.
But these fads come and go, and the followers go on to follow something else.
We've seen tons of popular movements that had their fifteen minutes, and they can bring up some nostalgia.
But we can be glad to wave goodbye to plenty.
Redditor Animeking1108 asked:
"What fad are you glad died out?"
All fads die. I'm glad shoulder pads are out.
Looped
who let the dogs out GIFGiphy"There was a two-year period in the late 1990s when 'Who Let the Dogs Out' was featured on the soundtrack of every single motion picture."
DawnJGoodwin
Game Over
"Those Facebook games from like 10-15 years ago and the constant onslaught of invites. I guess people would get extra points or some crap for inviting as many friends as possible and my notification box would be full of fifty invites saying; ‘Tim needs goons for his mafia. Join mafia wars now!’, ‘Susie needs seeds for FarmVille’!, ‘Tyler sent you five hundred silver tokens’, ‘Keith needs sixty bucks for a gram of blow!’ (that one may have been a legit request, but I just couldn’t take the chance on it being another game.)"
dum_spir0_sper0
Just Once
"YOLO culture. Not like the YOLO where you take a vacation that you’ve always wanted, but doing stupid crap because 'YOLO.'"
signaturefox2013
"There was a solar eclipse on my 21st birthday, and I was at an Irish pub, and one of the bartenders, in a very thick Irish accent said, 'Well you only live once, right?' and went outside and looked up."
Yochanan578"As you said, YOLO was supposed to promote the idea of doing adventurous things to broaden your horizons, because life is short. NOT shorten it even further by downing a keg of vodka while skydiving without a parachute."
Drakeskulled_Reaper
Food Poisoner
"That short lived fad where people were licking food and putting it back at the stores!"
LookMa_ImOnReddit
"Some chick filmed it and got arrested for this."
OriginalDarkDagger
"I don't know how much time she ended up serving, but she was facing up to 20 years in prison for food tampering. A guy in Texas spent 30 days in jail and ended up having to pay the ice cream company for all the stock the store had to throw away."
WitchInYourGarden
Bad Pop
Marvel Cinematic Universe GIF by Leroy PattersonGiphy"Double polo shirts with the popped collars."
Free0rDead
"It was worse when they started to make regular shirts with 3 popped collars. Same look without the body sweat."
oystersaucier
I hate those shirts. So pretentious...
Boo
pennywise it 2017 GIFGiphy"The freaking Clowns standing in the middle of the street or in the woods. Glad that crap is over."
MichelleEPhillips12
"Yeah, you don't see clowns outside their spawning grounds after the government announced that cull a few years ago. Course that just caused the mime population to explode due to lack of competition."
bumford11
Not Fashion
"Teenage boys wearing their basketball shorts so low that their butts literally hung out the back. Had a couple of geniuses at my school that avoided the wrath of the teachers by wearing three pairs of basketball shorts layered in various stages of pulled-down-ness, so they could still get their low pants vibe without showing everyone their undies. Looked more ridiculous than the original iteration."
zoomlentil
This is a Thing?
"Toddlers and Tiaras. Shouldn't have been a thing in the first place."
KingZaneTheStrange
"When I first heard of child beauty Pageants as a teen, I was expecting something completely different. I expected really cutesy outfits like princess dresses and fairy themed etc. you know stuff that kids would love to wear and dress as."
"I was very shocked that they dressed them and put makeup on them like an adult. It’s not acceptable in normal everyday life and shouldn’t be acceptable for pageants either. They are kids and shouldn’t be dressed in anything like what they show."
Yandere_Matrix
Yum. Not.
"Kale in EVERY FOOD for 'health.' I am mildly allergic and it causes my entire mouth and throat it itch as if I have eaten a cactus... Even fast food was adding 'healthy kale' to their salads and sandwiches...!"
LikelySuperBored
"As an old person, I can tell you that superfood fads come and go just like clothing fads."
"In the 80s, someone decided that oat bran was good for you. Next thing you know there's oat bran in everything you can imagine. I still remember a New Yorker cartoon depicting an office worker in front of the water cooler, which bears a sign saying, 'Now with added oat bran!'"
sirdigbykittencaesar
Gotcha
Grocery Store Falling GIFGiphy"A**holes filming themselves and friends in grocery stores pretending to slip and throwing gallons of milk in the air."
YourStolenCharizard
"Remember that one guy who slipped and fell on his face and broke his jaw doing this? That video was some karmic beauty."
Broken_castor
Karma always finds a way. Injury can follow. Be safe out there.
Do you have any fads to add? Let us know in the comments.
Humanity is a mess right now.
Thankfully I work from home, so it limits my exposure.
How did we get here?
Small slights or off-handed comments can send us over the edge.
But it is becoming increasingly difficult to give people a pass.
Redditor sneezycloud wanted to compare notes on the dregs of society and asked everyone:
"What is something that makes you say 'Man, I f***ing hate people?'"
Why do people cut others in line?
That's my big issue. So. Rude.
Liar
Tea Smh GIF by MOODMANGiphy"When they did something obviously wrong and still openly denies it."
IAmNotAFaker
Speed Up
"When people slow down as soon as they cut in front onto your lane on the highway. Worst is when they do it with no blinkers."
"People do this on busy sidewalks too. Someone will completely cut you off and then immediately slow down when they look down at their phone. Passed the same person 4 times on the way to work yesterday because they kept speeding past me then look down and half their speed. Pretty sure he gave ME a dirty look each time too!"
TaylorCataclysm
'back in the day...'
"People who can't take 'no' for an answer and will push you to agree/accept what they say. People who can't accept criticism when they f**k up and affect other people's lives."
"People who can't have a discussion where they are being told a fact and they disprove it because 'back in the day...' or authority arguments should always win."
"It teaches you some hardcore patience when you have to deal with people like these on the daily."
kamilman
Twisted
"When people twist the truth and accuse you of things you didn't do and people side with them."
SinkingCarpet
"Oh boy. I went through a divorce. I could prove every lie she told wasn’t true, and people still sided with my ex wife about the terrible things she accused me of."
"You just have to accept people will believe whatever they want or hear first and accept it as gospel."
Politicians?
Donald Trump Water GIF by Election 2016Giphy"People who abuse their power and get away with it scot free."
ProfessorOak11
Power is an issue. No matter who has it.
LAZY SCUM!!
Season 9 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphy"People who litter. Especially when there is a bin literally a metre away."
ka2ba
Get Cameras
"Porch pirates. People thinking 'Hey I know thats not mine but I want it so I'm taking it' makes my blood boil."
"We had that happen in our neighborhood ONCE."
"Now I'm surrounded by 3 very, very nosy neighbors. Any strangers in the cul de sac and three sets of blinds get split by suspicious figures. I could have the Hope Diamond delivered by Amazon to my doorstep and I wouldn't worry about it."
dramboxf
"They can't even know what it is most of the time. It's the epitome of scum."
Captn_Ghostmaker
Calm Down
"Adults who take youth sports way too seriously."
DeltaNinja
"This is one of the most important posts. They ruin sports for their children and other children as well. I hated the parents who would kiss a** to the coach and get their kid played."
"My parents didn’t have time to watch me play, so, I never did. Not saying I was good, but I don’t need a 40 yr old reminding me at every game when I’m finally out on the field. Call down Karen your 8th grader has play 30 full minutes and we are still losing. She isn’t getting a damn scholarship."
catiebrownie
Clean. Up. Your. Mess.
"People who say 'Oh it's their job to clean up after me' or 'I'm making sure that they're still employed' as an excuse for not cleaning up after themselves in public."
"Like NO. You don't leave a soda spilled everywhere and then not even attempt to clean it up. You don't leave rolls and rolls of toilet paper all over the floor in the bathroom."
"You don't leave bags of popcorn and drinks and popcorn all over a theater floor and seats. Take responsibility."
"Clean. Up. Your. Mess."
evoblack
CC Issues
Working Jim Carrey GIFGiphy"When a coworker decides to 'correct' me by sending a passive aggressive email and copying the boss and the whole group instead of just saying something to me privately and in person."
Being_grateful
Yeah... sometimes people just suck.
What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments.
In one of the more memorable moments of the teen comedy classic Mean Girls, Queen Bee Regina George often rejects Gretchen Weiner's attempts at making "Fetch" part of the commonplace jargon at North Shore High School.
Even if we might not react the same way as the domineering Regina George, who hasn't found themselves rolling their eyes on numerous occasions when people use Buzzwords and contemporary phrases in the workplace.
Be it out of an attempt to appear cooler, or amidst fears of being politically incorrect, job listings, inter-office memos, and speeches at corporate events always feature commonly used buzzwords or buzzwords those speaking hope might find their way into everyday speech.
Much to the annoyance, if not outright disdain of those on the receiving end.
"What are the most annoying corporate buzzwords or phrases you’re sick of?"
How, exactly?
"Take a more holistic approach"- MGM1312
Don't give me adjectives, give me the amounts!
"Competitive pay."- AJackOffAllTrade
Not Everyone Loves Their Family...
"'Our workers are part of our family' or something along the lines of that."- NotJoeMama727
Season 8 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphyThat Wasn't In The Job Description
"'We all wear multiple hats around here'."
"I hear this everyday."
"It's just an excuse to not hire anyone else."- ChurchWineDrunk
Don't Sacrifice The Grammar...
"When someone refers to a request as an 'ask'.”- Alpha_State
Life In The "Fast" Lane...
"'Willing to work in fast-paced environment'."
"*ends up in cubicle*."- Raven0uss
Over It Reaction GIF by jjjjjohnGiphyWhere Do You Even Begin?
“'OK guys, we’re going to stay off-line today, take a deep dive to drill down and ignore the low hanging fruit, run some ideas up the flagpole and bubble the consequences to the top of the heap'."
"'The bottom line, according to the hive mind, is that we have to circle back, not reinvent the wheel, and reach out to make sure our deliverables are on everyone’s radar'."
"'Let’s not step on each other’s toes as we touch base, so here’s a heads up, when you’re thinking outside the box, please make sure we’re singing from the same hymn sheet, especially in acurated B2B environment'."
"'We need to leverage cutting edge synergy while optimizing our innovative solutions, otherwise our newly on-boarded micro-influencers will never disrupt the market before the deadline reaches terminal velocity'.”- poxymoron1
Or "Rockstar" Anything...
"'Rockstar developer' fortunately seems to be declining."-Tbone139
It's Not Attractive To Gloat...
"Win win win."
"My companies execs have started saying that for anything that's good."
"Firstly people said win win for something that was good for both parties, this makes sense."
"One popular exec said win win win once for something that helped us, our third party partners and the customer."
"That's fine as a one off and a good play on the original expression."
"But now every exec says it's a win win win when something good happens."
"They're not even a win win, just something that's good for one party."- NotACockroach
Winning The Office GIFGiphyI Should Hope So!
"We have values."- Jakaple
With workplace culture being monitored more than ever, it's understandable why some old school bosses and CEOs want to be more with the times.
As a result, they might choose their words very carefully, maybe too carefully, in an effort to impress their employees, not to mention the public.
However, there might be an even better way of doing that.
By simply being a good boss.
People Describe Different Traditional Breakfast Menus In Their Culture
Food is a culture all its own.
That is why people get so wrapped up in it.
What we eat, how we eat, and when are part of our identity.
We should study breakfast more.
Some people love cereal, others caviar and smoked salmon.
To eat each their own.
Now I need some eggs benedict.
Redditor harrypotterfan04 wanted to discuss the extent of the breakfast menu.
"What is a traditional breakfast item in your culture?"
Any breakfast food does it for me. American style, teach me about some new eats.
Oh Man
Chai Masala GIFGiphy"Paratha (flat unleavened bread) with tea."
otherworldlymystery
"Oh gosh paratha with spicy dal and chai… oh man."
Professional-County1
Classics
"Biscuits and gravy (gravy can have sausage or just be regular Sawmill gravy)."
mamalea68
"I have an English co-worker I introduced biscuits and gravy to when she came to Texas. She loved it so much she makes it at home. Took a minute to get past the fact that both 'biscuits' and 'gravy' means different things here."
My_browsing
"Buttermilk biscuits look like your version of scones but they’re soft and fluffy inside and taste buttery. They’re delicious warm with butter and jam or with southern sausage gravy, hence, biscuits and gravy."
Send_me_snoot_pics
Not Disappointed
"Simple steamed cakes made from a rice and black gram flour... we call it IDLIS. Usually have it with a side of Chutneys (coconuts, onions or coriander leaves ground into a paste and seasoned)."
Jon_Bill_22
"Yup expected this and wasn’t disappointed. Though India does have a billion kinds of dishes for every time of the day. But that’s the best part! (I say while sipping my chai with namkeen)."
Scarlaire
A Nice Mix
"Nasi lemak ( coconut milk rice served with a spicy chili paste, crispy fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, cucumbers and a hard boiled egg) and teh tarik (frothy, milky, pulled tea)."
wounded-buttefly
"Kaya toast (coconut jam spread on toast with slabs of butter) + soft boiled eggs (drizzled with dark soy sauce and pepper) + teh c siew dai (tea with evaporated milk and less sugar)."
xxChocoQueenxx
I'm Hashed!
Food Reaction GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphy"Scrapple, or corned beef hash."
Devilcactus
"OMG MY DAD LOVES CORNED BEEF HASH! I used to eat it when I was little but it was from a restaurant that stoped selling it years and years ago. I'd love to make it for my dad but I have no idea what its made of. I was like 7 so I wasn't paying attention to what it was. It was just tasty."
BushyTailFoxThing
Oh, how I love me some hash. Serve it UP!
Spicy
Giphy"Tamale and arroz con leche - Guatemalan."
Photograph-Fluffy
"There was a woman where I used to live in Brooklyn who'd sell both by the entrance of the subway. It was always a great morning when I'd get her tamales verde and arroz con leche."
scarletcrimsonrouge
Gimme Me!
"Chilaquiles. Tortillas cut into squares, fried and then tossed in salsa then topped with a fried egg, queso fresco, avocado or whatever."
ChickenBootty
"I want this right now."
f4snks
"Every time I make mole verde I make chilaquiles. Haven’t made them in a while but chilaquiles with soupy refried beans and queso fresco is one of my favorites too."
ChickenBootty
The Spread
"Kaisersemmel oder Wachauer Laberl mit Butter und Marillenmarmelade. Special white bread roll with butter and apricot jam."
periwinkle_fluff
"In Austria it is mainly the shape that makes it special. You get them from the bakery or the supermarket. Kaisersemmel is folded kind of like a flower, wachauer laberl is special to the Region of wachau. But homemade is okay too 🙈 The apricot jam NEEDS to be homemade though. Bonus points if the apricots are from your own garden."
periwinkle_fluff
Savory Save Me
"Beschuit. It's a light, dry, slightly sweet cookie topped with either something savory or sweet. It tastes better than is sounds. It is also a tradition to eat to them to celebrate a birth topped with butter and anise seeds coated in white and blue/pink sugar."
dedoktersassistente
Right Away!
Food Eating GIFGiphy"Bolillo (salty bread, toasty and crunchy on the outside, super soft inside ) in Mexico , it’s not uncommon for people to line up outside the bakery to get them straight out of the oven."'
alasdestrozadas
Now I'm hungry. For anything.