Things that baffle you about another country

[Soubriquet]

America:-

Why are the gaps in the toilet doors so wide? Do you really enjoy an audience?

Why can’t tax be included in the price? If I want to buy something for a dollar it should be a dollar! Not dollar plus tax!

Australia:-

Still weird that you have Christmas in summer.

Wonder if they have different Christmas songs there.

Can’t see walking in a winter land being a big hit.

More like hiding from a hot heatwave

I've been in the US for a decade and some things still annoy me. In my area, unless your house is relatively new, the laundry is in the basement. Americans seem to have a bias against having it in the kitchen.

I'm in NZ and I've only ever seen one laundry in a kitchen - that was in a flat, and when I was a child (a long time ago!). It doesn't appeal to me at all. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

@knitnerd90, what I wouldn't give for M&S sandwiches here in Canada too! Closest thing is the Whole Foods sandwiches but even then, the cheese tastes of so little it might as well not bother being included at all.

@PinkyParrot

Are the poo shelves under water or is your poo wafting disgusting smells round the room until you've finished and flushed? Surely you must leave poo marks all the time? If you're eating worm ridden meat you need to sort out your farming!!

When I've used this type of toilet in Austria I found laying a couple of sheets of toilet paper on the shelf stops it leaving skid marks. It does smell more than ordinary toilets. It would make using the bowel cancer 'poo sticks' easier though - over 60s will know what I mean.

Why don’t Americans vax their chickens for salmonella so they don’t have to freak out over a runny yolk..... explains the need for no egg cups - no dippy egg joy.

To avoid having to line the loo with a mile of toilet paper to avoid a splodge up your privates. I can't stand toilets in the UK.

I have no idea what you mean by this.

Our American relatives love our electric kettle but when they tried to get one at home they couldn’t find any... they don’t eat eggs and soldiers the way we do and find it a bit baffling when we served eggs like that to our kids that’s why they don’t have egg cups.
They’re also find it odd that we eat beans on toast, they only have their beans as a side to something.
And as for not paying servers a living wage, I’ve worked as a waitress in the USA and made and absolute FORTUNE in tips! About 3 or4 times my U.K. waitressing salary. Being a server there can be an absolute legit career if you’re good at it and work in a decent restaurant rather than being the low paid/student job it often is here.

Things our American family find weird-
NHS , they just don’t trust that it works. They cannot understand how something that costs SO much there, even with good insurance, can be free here. Because of the whole anti Obama care campaign from insurance companies and opponents there at the time many are convinced by the lies told at the time about the NHS.
Outlets in bathrooms - our MIL in particular is really put out by us not have plugs in the bathroom to dry her hair after her shower!
Not having a laundry room or separate place for the washing machine and drier. It’s odd for them that 1) they’re in the kitchen and 2) they’re so small
They also think it’s odd we still line dry clothes in good weather, where they are only poor people do that.
Taking kids to a bar. No kids are in the bars where they live but they love that our pubs are more family friendly and serve proper food a lot of the time.

Why do Americans call chocolate “candy” and not chocolate
Possibly because American chocolate has hardly any actual chocolate in it and is mostly sugar.

About thirty years ago when I visited friends in Australia they were fascinated - and somewhat horrified I think - by the (then) lack of separate showers in most UK homes. I got the distinct impression they felt baths were unhygienic and couldn't fathom why Brits would apparently prefer to bathe rather than shower. As others have already said, I think they just couldn't fathom how average UK homes often lacked the space to install showers (or any other nice to haves like utility rooms, walk in closets, decent storage, garages, even driveways/parking spaces).

They made a big 'thing' of trying to make me feel at home by inviting and encouraging me to use the bath in their house, which was designated as mum's room and only ever used by her, not to get clean, but more as a relaxing home spa type of experience. Mostly everyone used a fantastic large wet room which felt luxurious to me and I had a hard time persuading them that I'd be more than fine with that. Like, they kept emphasising again and again during my stay that I was welcome to use the bath, as if they couldn't understand a British person not wanting to.

Why do Americans call the main course the entrée? Is it some kind of gastronomic vanity sizing so when you eat out you can feel smug telling yourself that you only had a starter?

@Ginmaker

NZ - what with the barefoot?Children walking to school. Entire families in the supermarket. I think its lovely and exudes a delightful freedom but where i live the pavements are either grit or VERY spiky concrete. I can barely get from beach to car without a flip flop (Jandal) yet children are hop skipping and jumping about on a 2k walk to school

NZ and Aus - why is the ground floor the 'First floor'. Very confusing

Also NZ - asking for the bill at your table in a restaurant is tantamount to asking the wait staff to wash your feet. Payment on your way out at the door only, which surely means more non bill payers and often causes ridiculous log jams at entrances as staff try to seat incomers and deal with payments.

Sweden - hotels with kingside beds and two single duvets?

Also NZ - hotels with a duvet but no duvet cover - instead sheet/duvet/sheet in a complicated envelope arrangement. Just use a duvet cover!

Also NZ- why is bed linen called 'Manchester'?

I've got no idea about the bill payment thing in restaurants, I personally find it quite tedious having to wait for someone to faff around bringing the bill and then trying to work out how I am supposed to pay it anyway (do I give them my card? Will they bring over a machine? Etc).

Most people would pay with PayWave or similar, a restaurant can normally can tell you what your bill is straight away so there's never really any waiting around, you just pay and go, even in the really fancy ones 😂

@catsmother

About thirty years ago when I visited friends in Australia they were fascinated - and somewhat horrified I think - by the (then) lack of separate showers in most UK homes. I got the distinct impression they felt baths were unhygienic and couldn't fathom why Brits would apparently prefer to bathe rather than shower. As others have already said, I think they just couldn't fathom how average UK homes often lacked the space to install showers (or any other nice to haves like utility rooms, walk in closets, decent storage, garages, even driveways/parking spaces).

They made a big 'thing' of trying to make me feel at home by inviting and encouraging me to use the bath in their house, which was designated as mum's room and only ever used by her, not to get clean, but more as a relaxing home spa type of experience. Mostly everyone used a fantastic large wet room which felt luxurious to me and I had a hard time persuading them that I'd be more than fine with that. Like, they kept emphasising again and again during my stay that I was welcome to use the bath, as if they couldn't understand a British person not wanting to.

Yes - growing up (in Aus) unless you were a baby or little kid it was really unusual to have a bath for daily hygiene reasons. Its showers all the way! Baths were a relaxing thing to do (generally after having a quick shower) and only to be had when enough water! Lots of us (still many of people outside metro areas) aren't connected to mains water so you have to use stored tank water, bore water or dam water (ugh... not much fun when the dam is low..) if it doesn't rain - no baths. showers were timed in our house - 2 mins then the banging on the door began....all the while standing in a bucket to catch the used water to tip on the suffering garden! horrible in the teen years Baths are fancy!

@knitnerd90

Plenty of back yard fences, but Americans don't tend to fence in the front garden.

Lots of British front gardens don’t have a fence either, particularly cul de sacs.

@Scotmum83

One thing that we found annoying about the USA, was that there was no pavements. So if you walk out your house you are walking on the road. We were in Texas so not sure on other states but it was so weird. Not sure if its because its so bloody hot all the time so no one uses them anyway 😂 There is trails that run down the main roads but no pavements around the houses. and we didn't have a fence around our front garden it was just open to the road. Someone else mentioned that.

Oh and no one wears helmets for bikes, motorbikes or horse riding etc so weird/stupid!!

That's odd because I can walk outside of my house in Texas and there's sidewalks (pavements) everywhere. I've lived in cities all over the state and that's never been an issue.

I'm obsessed with the washing bowl. I would love someone to explain how it is actually used and better than just the sink. Really not being goady, I don't get it. Also it was a huge shock moving here and having the washing machine and tumble dryer (if lucky) in the kitchen!

Our kitchens are too small for a double sink, if you use a washing up bowl you can pour any left over tea down the sink without emptying it.

It means you are not washing food in the same bowl a washing up.

Originally there may not have ben hot water in the house so the water needed to be heated on a fire or using a kettle.

You can also use the washing up bowl to soak things and still have access to the sink.

And yes I do wash up in the correct order (or I did before I got a dishwasher), I was actually taught to do that at school.

Must have a really good aim to shoot a snake? 😂

In Amsterdam a couple of years ago - zillions of cyclists zooming around everywhere - fast! - and nobody wearing a helmet.

Right outside our hotel we saw a woman cyclist who was holding a baby in one arm, just miss colliding with someone else from the hotel. 😱

So many comments about UK kids meal and bedtimes.

I'm not hungry at 5 or sleepy at 8. But my kids are. I'm not sure there is a solution to that?

Crotchless baby grows and young children pissing and shitting in the street. China. Not rural either and not 50 years ago. I've seen it with my own eyes on The Bund in Shanghai, 4 years ago.

All sweets are called lollies in Aus!

@elp30 I think it just depends where you go. When I lived in Florida, I would always make sure there were sidewalks, because there often were not. In California, I've never had a place I lived lack sidewalks. But two towns over in Hillsborough, CA there are mansions with scenic views, and people pushing strollers in the middle of the road because there's no sidewalks.

Really enjoying this thread.
Placemarking to read later.

thewinterofdiscontent literally just spat my morning coffee out laughing at your comment.

@Aquamarine1029

Kettles are very widely used in America, actually.

Stove top kettles are common, you can get electric kettles but they are less widely used. When we lived there only expat brits had electric kettles. Most Americans drink coffee rather than tea and have coffee makers. Instant coffee seems less popular so they haves of a need for a kettle. The lower voltage of their electricity means kettles are quite slow.

I’d forgotten about the Aussie love of showers over baths! Ironic co side ring that was a factor in choosing every house (4 of them to date) we lived in. I require a bath. Not everyday but one in the house for when I want a bubble bath and book for relaxation. One house had the world’s tiniest bath tub (but at least it was still a bath tub). Definitely aimed at the kids rather than adults. Literally half the length and 3/4 depth of a normal bath in the U.K.. Impossible to stretch out in but at least it was a bath.