Odd things about the USA...

So Max and I thought it'd be a good idea to keep track of some the weird, different, exceptional things about our new home, the US of A. So just for fun, we started drawing up a list. If any of you (americans, europeans, asians, africans, south americans, antarctians, eskimos, any one, really) reading this post want to add to our list, PLEASE DO SO! I'm curious to hear what others think.

Please note, although we are saying "US" this and "US" that, our frame of reference is California, which, as I understand it, is a different country altogether (kinda' like Texas). So a different perspective is welcome and requested!

So far, we have this:

• We haven't noticed toothpicks or mints in US restaurants, whereas in Austral-Asia, you see this more often than not
• The tap water served in US restaurants is absolutely awful... BUT YOU ALWAYS GET SERVED A GLASS OF WATER
• The amount of ice American waiters serve their customers is completely disproporionate to the amount of drink (try... 2/3 ICE, 1/3 drink).
• We love the bottomless cup of coffee, and the fact that even posh restaurants adhere to this policy
• The coffee is actually pretty good (or we've gotten over euro-snobbism through countless trips to Pete's Coffee & the ubiquitous Starbucks)
• County jail buses... in France, we never see the buses that take prisoners to Jail, over here, it seems that I see one a week... with the big iron barred windows.... just like in the movies.
• The salt in salt shakers never gets stuck... whassup with that? Why is it that in the rest of the world, getting salt out of a shaker requires us to follow a draconian training regime to develop upper body strength?
• Ketchup bottles are spotless
• You get 2 or 3 different brands of sweetener as an option for you coffee. Not just ONE. At least 2, and mostly 3: Equal, Sweet'n Low, and Splenda (which is my personal favourite).
• Senior discounts aren't a myth or urban legend: they are REAL, and pretty substantial. By comparison, France sucks at providing discounts in retail or restaurants, you can forget about anything like that happening in India, and Australians are pretty good at this policy.
• The sun doesn't always shine in California (TRUE MYTH)
• Not everyone uses the term "Dude" in California (also another TRUE MYTH)
• One portion feeds 2 people (especially Salads)
• US Salads are good, not bad (as someone told me before I moved)
• There are more SUV's (Sports Utility Vehicles) than Sedans. Wow.

So curious to here what you think about our list, do you agree, disagree? Thoughts/Comments?

Comments

[shayan]

Over here, they now use the term "server" instead of waitress or waiter. I find this funny, as it's the same term we use in France: "Serveur" or "Serveuse"... (as opposed to the more pejorative "Garcon!")

[shayan]

Hi Teele, yes... no ice definitely works! more bang for your buck, that's for sure. thanks for the feedback! take care, shayan.

[Teele]

Hi Guys, on the ice part, just ask for 'No ice please' and you will get 2/3 more of your drink.

Enjoy, Teele

[Sheryl]

Really enjoying your culture shock dude. A few comments:

1) Salt - restaurants put uncooked grains of rice in the salt, so it stays
dry and mobile. Also, it's not nearly as humid here as it is many parts of
the world, especially south Florida, and

2) Not everyone says dude because you are in the part of California that is
overwhelmingly Asian, i.e. Indian, Korean, Chinese, Malay, etc., so they are
not dude-sayers.

Otherwise - spot on. The rain is getting to be a drag.