Just like the items and behaviors that are easily defined as "American," there are some activities and mindsets that are distinctly "European."
From castles to coffee culture, to an overall dismissal of "hustle culture," this combination of characteristics will leave zero doubts in a person's mind that they have entered a European country.
Redditor doeyy0 asked:
"What is the most European thing ever?"
A Day in the Life
"Driving through four countries to go on vacation, not using your passport, no visa, and using the same currency everywhere."
"Plus using your cell phone all the way with no extra cost."
- Tc2cv
Castles, Castles Everywhere
"I can literally see one castle out of my living room and another one out of my kitchen window."
- 1337sti
The True Meaning of "Walking Distance"
"One big difference is the way from villages to big cities are laid out. They all have numerous squares or public gathering places. You can enjoy a drink, music, and people-watching. You don’t have to drive everywhere. Local pubs abound."
"I always wondered how so many Europeans could make do with those tiny fridges. But then I realized they shop fresh all the time. There are so many butchers or bakers, produce stands, cheese, deli, and flower shops within walking distance. They shop locally and fresh all the time. Without a car."
"My Uncle lived in a big condo or over the row housing area. Every Saturday mobile butchers, bakers, fruit and produce, etc. would set up outside for a few hours and then move on. Everything is fresh and local, and absolutely delicious. And no car needed."
- hhar141
Just a Few Minutes Away
"Going to another country just to go shopping."
- Armstry
Kebabs Aplenty
"From an American's perspective; Kebab shops. I've been all over Europe and I've got to say, those things were everywhere and I stopped at way too many of them. I could really go for a durum kebab right about now..."
- Korvun
Trains, Trains, Trains
"Trains. Trains that are clean. Trains that go where you want to go. Trains that are affordable."
- gadget850
Polyglots Everywhere
"Multilingualism."
- Whimsical-Escape
Better Soft Drinks
"Fanta, but not the American kind."
- unholymxja
Truly Ancient Buildings
"Casually having buildings from millennia ago around you all the time."
- AxelVoxel
The Musical Sport
"Eurovision."
- noise_is_for_heroes
A Continued Tradition
"Closed stores on Sundays."
- bogeysandwine
Multilingual Radio
"One weird thing I learned about other countries is how they get American music on their radios, but we hardly ever get their music on our radios. Recently, the closest we’ve come is Boy With Luv by BTS featuring Halsey."
"I wish we could get some foreign hits on our radios, but oh well. I can look that up online."
- Give_Help_Please
A Top Priority
"A proper selection of cheeses."
- intangible_tangerine
Dressed Up to Go Out
"Men unapologetically dressing super stylish."
- gimmeconfetti
...Whoa.
"Paid vacation time."
- Stratchmop
While these things might be seen occasionally in the United States or other countries, seeing them all compiled in one place feels undeniably European.
Anyone who has ever been interested in traveling or in studying history understands that each country is unique with its own rules.
For anyone who wants to visit the United States, Reddit has collected some of its favorite tips for what to do, and what not to do, while visiting.
Redditor Aarunascut decided to address this question for the land of the free when they asked:
"What should you never do in the United States?
Don't Borrow Money
"Don’t ever get a payday loan."
"People end up rolling them over every week for like a $25-$50 fee while the juice keeps running. By the time you pay down a simple $500 loan, it comes out to something insane like a 750% interest rate over the course of a year."
- sardoodledom_autism
Times Square Isn't Such a Great Time
"Go to Times Square on New Year's Eve. The experience is so not worth it. Its romanticized for some reason."
- SATATSDOG
Don't Get Out of the Car During Traffic
"Don't get out of the vehicle during a traffic stop. I did not know this. Here in Australia, we are perfectly OK to get out of the vehicle unless the cop says otherwise."
- CptUnderpants-
Don't Get Out of the Car for the Police, Either
"Don't get out of the car after the police ask you to stop."
"My old chemistry professor made that mistake on holiday, and they pulled a gun on him."
- HorizontalAndy
No Sleeping in the Car
"Never leave your sleeping infant or child in a vehicle. This is fairly common in some places across the pond, but it is definitely NOT legal in the US."
- Nyxmyst_
Be Careful Where You're Sightseeing
"Walk onto someone's property without permission, or knowing the owner. It's cool in many places around the world to be able to go wandering through the countryside. It is not cool in the U.S."
"You might end up getting arrested, held at gunpoint, or shot at if you're really unlucky."
- Ai_of_Vanity
Ask Before Taking the Picture
"Don’t take pictures or record videos of strangers’ children. I’ve had to warn many people coming over from Asia about this. Some have ignored me and it has led to screaming and threats."
- newuser60
It's Bigger Than You Think
"Don't underestimate the size of the US. Apparently, some people think it can take only a couple hours to go to locations that are states away."
- LucarnAnderson
Do You Know... the Florida Man?
"Don't go to Florida for the beaches and forget about the wildlife. Black Bears, gators, panthers, hogs, etc."
"You can just ask any random Florida Man to see his pet alligator, we typically keep them handy for such an occasion."
- _Ross-
All Hail Dolly Parton
"At least in Tennessee, you should never say anything unkind about Dolly Parton."
- Abe_Fromans_Day_Off
Learn From History
"Don't be a king and use the Tea Act of 1773 to give special consideration to the British East India Company in the colonies."
- imaque
Don't Cut in Line
"Don't cut in line. I've been in countries (for example: Spain) where lines/queues are more of a vague suggestion of who goes first, this is not true if you cut in line in the US. Cutting in line in the US can literally lead to violence."
- hiro111
More Trouble Than They're Worth
"Do not trespass onto other people’s land and don’t engage in road rage. Both are higher stakes than you probably think…"
- hiddengill
Each Region Is Unique
"Don’t base your entire opinion and generalization of the country just on one part or a particular region. Cultures, values, and people are so different all over the US."
- PoppyPalace
Respect First
"If you're in the South and someone calls you, 'sweetie/sugar/honey/baby,' they likely aren't flirting with you. We call everyone that. Also, 'ma'am' and 'sir' are not meant sarcastically. A lot of us are raised to always say that to people out of respect."
- almc0418
Every country has its own unique set of rules, and the best thing we can do when we visit is to try to follow their general protocols.
These tips may not cover everything in the United States, but it's a start.
Not everywhere is the same as America, coming as a big surprise to no one.
Every country hands down their own customs and ways of living, built over centuries, sometimes even millennia, of interactions and societal preferences.
You might encounter these while traveling, forcing you to make a simple decision that could either please someone or make them incredibly frustrated.
Just remember, keep an open mind and never worry about asking:
"Do I take my shoes off or leave them on?"
Reddit user, Faking_Faker, wanted to know what never to do when they asked:
"What is considered disrespectful in your country?"
It's All In What You Wear
Most cultural customs of respect come in what you wear. What might be acceptable to have on in your own home won't fly when you travel abroad, so be prepared to ditch whatever you're wearing at a moment's notice.
Shoes In Houses Is A Big Deal
Not taking your shoes off when you enter someone's home.
Here In Mexico we don't take our shoes off, we just step on a rug before go in someone's house
Can confirm when I visit family in Mexico and growing up in a Mexican household here in the states. I don't think anyone ever took off their shoes except like in their rooms/on the bed because at least for my family, if your shoes were off in Mexico, you were bound to step on anything little creature or the house would just constantly have dust blowing in so your feet would be dirty anyways. I guess it just stuck to my parents and everyone else who came to the states lol.
Don't Block The Lord
It's considered "disrespectful" (perhaps even irreverent) for a man to wear a hat in church.
Women can wear hats in church, if they wish - but not men (even in winter, when it's cold outside and the building is only minimally heated).
Don't Turn Them Away
To sit down and your shoes are facing the one you talking to
Being Polite Out In Public
Truthfully, the easiest way to make a social error is out in public when everyone can politely remind you you're doing something wrong. They're not trying to be mean, per say, but it does give the most eyes to your mistake. Just hold the door open the next time and be sure to slurp your noodles.
Give The Wave
Australian here. If someone let's you merge in on the road, or if you let someone pass on a tight street, its SUPER important you give them a little wave. If you don't, it makes you a massive cunt.
Also, using overly formal/respectful language is like, a way of showing disrespect to someone
You Better Finish EVERYTHING
I am not from Italy but my parents are from there and it is offensive to the chef or who ever cooked your meal if you do not finish what they have cooked.
Shh-Shh-Shhhhh
Being loud in public transportation. This includes laughing loudly.
To add to this: playing music in public.
Even on hiking trails around my city its a guarantee that you'll pass at least one person with a speaker, blaring music. I came out here to get away from the city grind wtf
We Said 7:00, Sharp
Germany: Being late to an appointment, even though it's a meet up with friends, is considered very, very rude. Tbh I would hate letting someone wait for me so I always arrive half an hour too early lmaoo even to doctor appointments
Yeah same in Sweden.
The culture clash of South Americans (maybe central as well?l and Spaniards/portugese with germanic/scandinavian is frustrating.
To me its a sign if huge disrespect and waste of others time to be late for appointments. When visiting someone at home its a bit more lenient but having someone wait around in a public place or such I can't really handle me or others showing up late, especially when it goes into a few hours...
It's Okay?
Slurping or chomping your food.
It's something that you really don't notice until you're somewhere it happens. It may be one of the biggest cultural shocks while in parts of Asia.
I went to China for a month and ate a ton of noodles while there. One day we were eating really long noodles with oil/sauce on them and as I was eating I noticed that I had to continuously wipe my mouth with the napkins while my asian friends did not. Then I realized that when you slurp it leaves room between the noodle and your lip to let the sauce enter your mouth and it doesn't end up piling up on your lips as you suck the noods in. That was the day I learned why slurping is big in Asia.
The Lesser Known Explanations
These ones feel ingrained to their countries of origin, built around years of interactions. Keep your ears open when you travel abroad and you'll learn a lot.
Filipino Households Aren't Playing Around
Try to talk with elders or someone 7-10yrs older than you without using "po" and "opo".
The Art Of The Tea Dance
There are very specific rules about offering tea to someone in Ireland. When someone offers you tea you have to say no. Then they have to "are you sure?" and you have to say "no thank you I'm certain". Then they have to go "ah go on you'll have a bit. Then you have to go "no I'm fine thanks". It keeps going on like this until one person gives in. So if you offer someone tea and they say no you have to keep pushing. If you don't it's just not Irish.
How Very Canadian Of You.
If you bump into someone, it's expected that you say you're sorry. Makes sense. But if someone bumps into you, you also say sorry. And if you almost bump into someone, you still say sorry. So when someone bumps into me or almost bumps into me, and I say sorry but they don't say it back, I feel a deep rage within me that the Canadian Code has been disrespected. I don't need to be sorry! But I said it! How dare you stay silent?!
Although, I one time apologized when I saw two people bump into each other near me when I had nothing to do with it, so I may be taking this a bit too far.
Wait, Huh?
I've lived in Peru for five years now and the one thing that continues to baffle me is that people being dishonest in transactions is abnormally common and accepted as normal, but calling out the dishonest person is considered a horrible breach in etiquette and cause for legal action even if true.
So in short: stealing? Acceptable and no big deal. Calling a thief a thief out loud? Horrible behavior.
I'm Fine, How Are....I'm Already Bored...
Not engaging in small talk. People are so affronted if you don't do the whole "How are you? I'm fine. There is weather outside." My husband and I are seriously so bad about this and need to move to Finland.
I wish there was a happy medium. A little small talk can be acceptable, but mostly, tell me what you want and then go away.
Every country's customs should be understood with the respect you would want if someone came in to your own home. Be open-minded, listen to what they're saying, and always ask if someone wants shoes "on" or "off" when you visit their home. It's just common courtesy.
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