25 Things Europeans Still Don’t Understand About The US

Most travelers experience surprise when arriving abroad. In Japan, tipping is considered condescending. In France, turning up to dinner in shorts and sneakers is mostly considered bad manners. That dinner won’t start until 9 p.m. over in Spain. Being understood in Bulgaria? It’s side to side for “yes” and up and down for “no.” For all the times that American travelers have been criticized for failing to understand local culture abroad though, it’s worth remembering that this is a two-way street. Yup, this list will look at all American ways of life where the shoe (or sneaker) is on the other foot.

75 million people visited the US in 2014. They come for the glitz of New York City, the glam of Los Angeles, and (almost) everything in between. Amazingly, with so much of American culture having spilled over into European countries, many Europeans still fail to understand the basics of American society. Europeans watch American TV shows and movies. They listen to Rihanna and Drake just as much as Americans do.

In countries like France, American words make up a sizeable part of the language. Somehow though, these travelers are still missing the memo. They haven’t got a clue how to get around. Or how shopping works. Or restaurant dining. From the everyday norms most people wouldn’t think twice about to the straight-up hilarious ones, here are 25 things Europeans still don’t understand about America.

25. “MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN” DOESN’T MEAN WALKING DISTANCE

Take it from a European who has made this exact mistake. In Europe, distances in cities generally refer to walking time, not driving time. That’s quite the culture-shock for a European arriving in America – especially if they’re all smug with themselves for finding a cheap hotel that’s “just minutes” from downtown.

The reality of winding up on the edge of a highway with no public transport, sidewalks, or sign of life for miles isn’t exactly the buzzing picture they had in mind.

24. THE FACT THAT THIS IS CONSIDERED BEAUTIFUL

Instagram hashtags are an international deal, but some of them haven’t quite crossed the cultural barriers. Europeans take immense pride in their often-gourmet, beautifully presented food – think elegant, refined plates with fancy sounding names. A mammoth burger slathered in melted cheese, slaw, and enough grease to make your screen need a full clean? It’s a little strange to them.

Europeans are slowly beginning to see that burgers can be gourmet as much as they are fast food. They’re still a ways from considering this as beautiful as most Americans do, though.