#1 – Ice In Drinks
When eating out in the US, it is the norm to receive a glacial amount of ice in your beverage. Americans like to have all of their beverages served at a temperature that is sure to be a chilling experience for Europeans who are not used to having their drinks served at near-freezing temperatures. When at a restaurant or fast food place, it is normal for your glass or cup to be filled completely to the top with ice before the beverage is added. Though don’t fear that you’re being ripped off and receiving less drink than you’ve paid for, as these places usually serve fountain drinks, or drinks “on-tap”, so unlimited free refills are included! Personally, I tend to hate ice in my drinks and will opt for no ice, especially in soda. I’m a believer that adding ice to soda flattens it quicker and will die on this hill.
#2 – Tax Is Not Included
The price you see listed on the price tag in a store is not the actual price you will be paying at the register! Price tags in stores do not include the sales tax that will be applied to the item. The amount of tax varies by state, though you should expect to add from 5%-10% tax to goods around the country. I have no idea why it is done this way, it doesn’t make any sense to me.
#3 – It Is Really Big
The US is big, really big. If you’re planning your vacation here and think you can hop around cities and states with just a few hours of travel time, think again, especially if you’re going from coast to coast. Traveling coast to coast in the US is an all-day activity if done via airplane, and is a week-long activity if road tripping across the country. Going from New York City to one of the neighboring cities of Washington DC, Boston or Philadelphia will consume about a half day, if not more depending on traffic. Give yourself more time than you think when planning to travel around the US on your vacation!
#4 – Tipping
A part of my culture that I hate is tipping culture. When dining in a restaurant in the US where you are waited on, it is customary to leave a tip of 18-20% of the subtotal of the bill. Waiters and waitresses are not paid a living wage and instead rely on the customer’s tips in order to make their living. I personally think this is a major issue and I don’t understand why restaurant owners aren’t forced to pay their employees a living wage in order to get rid of tipping. Though if you’re with a large group of people, it is common for the tip or gratuity, to be included. Make sure to check the bill for “gratuity included” before leaving the tip. Outside of restaurants, it is also customary to tip your taxi drivers, delivery people, and other people doing a service for you. Again, I don’t know why this is a thing and I absolutely hate it and think it should end.
#5 – American Friendliness
Americans are a very friendly people! By and large, we are most likely more friendly than a random stranger in your home country. It is perfectly normal for strangers to talk to you unprovoked and strike up a conversation with you. Waiting in line at the grocery store, sitting next to someone on the bus, it is perfectly normal for you to be talked to and asked about your day and life. We’re not trying to sell you anything or looking to get something out of you, Americans just really like to talk to each other!
#6 – “How Are You?”
Related to the previous point, the question “how are you?” and its many forms – “what’s up”, “how’s it going”, “how’s your day” – are all ways that Americans greet each other. The correct response to these questions is always “good” or some other various form of neutral to positivity. We are not actually looking for you to give an honest answer and for you to start talking about your problems. I’m sure people would listen to you if you gave an honest answer, but you might get some weird looks. In fact, sometimes you don’t even need to give an answer at all if you acknowledge the other person in some way! The following interaction would be completely normal between a worker and a customer entering a store:
- Worker: Hello, welcome
- Customer: How’s it going?
- *worker doesn’t respond*
#7 – We Love Your Accent
Americans love accents! We love accents of all forms and sounds. Americans infamously are a monolingual culture, so we’re always super excited to meet someone whose native language is not English and listen to them speak, especially Europeans. Don’t worry about making errors or having your accent, as Americans will be fascinated and charmed regardless!
#8 – No Alcohol In Public
For a society that loves to drink and a country where alcohol is so incredibly popular, it might be a surprise for you to learn that drinking alcohol in public is actually illegal. It is against the law to visibly consume alcohol in public, and you will get a fine if caught doing so by a police officer. Though of course, we do drink in public, and we do so by concealing the drink, usually with a brown paper bag. You’ve probably seen someone drinking a beer or liquor out of a brown bag before in a movie or TV show- it’s a real thing! FYI: this law does not apply to Las Vegas!
