Things I think are true about America based on Tv and Film

[PennyHasNoSurname]

People sort of pick at their food with just a fork - putting it on, scraping it off, moving it round the plate before putting it back on again and eating half of whats on the fork. Food must be stone cold by the end.

Nobody says goodbye on the phone. Now I know us Brits are painfully polite to a fault but "see you later" or "bye" is basic?

Everyone eats out of packets / dried goods. Of which they have 3000 of in their basement

School finishes at about 11am. University is called School (isnt that confusing?!)

[squoosh]

All kitchens have swing doors.

[EnthusiasmDisturbed]

A woman is more at risk going into a carpark alone than a men is in the middle of a war zone

[squoosh]

Every high school football team has two really good looking and really talented player. One of these chaps will be a rotter, the other will be lovely.

[InQuiteAChristmasPickle]

There's never any fumbling around with change at the till. People either seem to not pay (?) or they pay in crisp bills.

[InQuiteAChristmasPickle]

Women always wear matching underwear.

[jonquil1]

When my bro and his family went to live in the US, years ago before I was married, I went to stay with them. my niece was about 8 at the time and was enrolled at the local school.

Imagine my absolute joy to discover that those bright yellow school buses really do exist!!

[TheHiphopopotamus]

Only hard drinkin' men and women of loose morals go to bars. Naice people don't frequent such establishments

Ha, I was going to say this. And the bars are always complete dives (apart from the one in Cheers which is quite nice).

School kids all have their own car and drive to school.

[OnlyLovers]

The Good Wife has nice bars. They are in that elusive category (never seen one in RL) of bars where the lighting is atmospherically dim but you can still see the important people in the scene perfectly well; and the music is loud enough that a little group of people is dancing in one corner, but quiet enough that you can hear said important people perfectly well.

[Deianira]

Tap water is undrinkable and you therefore have to order water deliveries all the time in the US. Although this might actually true - I've seen it on two shows set in different places now, and can't get a USian to confirm whether it is or isn't the case.

[Ridingthegravytrain]

American tap water really upset my stomach. I had to buy bottled (in Florida)

This didn't surprise my American friends but they were immune to it.

[ChipsandGuac]

The water is drinkable but a lot of my friends refuse to drink it. I get my water delivered.

[molyholy]

It's fine to walk up to a stranger, ask them on a date and they give you their telephone number without hesitation.

[Deianira]

Interesting, thanks! Now I know the truth about that one.

Along the same lines of molyholy - throwing your coffee over someone is an excellent way to make a romantic connection. Indeed if you just wander around 'bumping' into people so that your coffee is all down them at every opportunity, you'll probably have found the perfect person and be married within the next two episodes.

[EnthusiasmDisturbed]

I have only drunk bottle water in the states

And there isn't really a bar culture in California maybe more so east coast. there are lots of bar/restaurant places but just bars not many but then so many people are in recovery there is probably more juice bars in LA

[Nataleejah]

Everybody has at least one gun. Only weird people don't have any

[squoosh]

Nice girls fall over a lot and drops things a lot.

[Pointlessfan]

Schools do look terrifying and they also have a tannoy system for the principal to announce things throughout the day.
Everyone aged 16 learns to drive and is given a car by their parents, usually something convertible and quite flash. Everyone's parents are quite happy for them to be driven around in the flash car by this 16 yr old who often hasn't even passed their test yet.
At teenage parties they always drink kegs of beer, never cheap cider or half a bottle of spirits they nicked from their parents' cupboard.

[AskingForAPal]

No-one pays by card, always wads of cash, and they never want any change as they have left (usually storming out) already by the time the waiter can get there.

People buy loads of baguettes but never eat them.

Children are always clean and shiny, never covered in snot or being little freaks refusing to change their clothes.

[AskingForAPal]

Teenagers only hang out at each others' houses or at the mall. No-one ever goes to the park or walks along a river or hangs around the skatepark watching out for Russell from Year 11.

[Tribblewithoutacause]

Those who are poor live in Caravan parks, their Mothers are always in the process of doing their hair.

No one owns a washing machine, they all go to the landrette (Dot Cotton would have made an absolute mint!).

[squoosh]

All housekeepers are called Rosa

[AskingForAPal]

Each class at school is followed by a recess. Thus, teachers can always keep their students behind after class for a chat without them being swamped by the next lot coming in.

People never turn down a plan because they can't afford it. Even if they are ostensibly not earning much money.

[TheHiphopopotamus]

They all have walk in clothes closets and in the 80s, every American kid had a phone in their bedroom with a really long wire.

[EricNorthmanSucks]

The Deep South has no cities or towns only tiny rural hamlets where everyone drives a truck.

The exception is New Orleans where it is permanently Mardi Gras.

[SewSlapdash]

Everyone has a huge scary basement.

Summer holidays last about 10 months and it never rains. The other 2 months are taken up with thanksgiving and Christmas.