14 things Americans do that confuse the rest of the world
The things Americans never think twice about often reveal how strange normal really is.
Americans are known for being friendly, loud, and occasionally baffling to their friends across the pond. They have habits that seem perfectly normal to them but leave tourists scratching their heads in total confusion. Whether it is their obsession with ice or their confusing tipping etiquette, the Land of the Free has some quirks that don’t translate well abroad.
While they love their way of life, it is hilarious to see how their daily routines look from the outside. From giant portion sizes to pharmacy commercials during dinner, these customs make the US a truly distinct place to visit. Let’s look at some common things Yankees do that make the rest of the planet ask, “Wait, why do they do that?”
Pharmacy Ads On TV
Turn on the television during prime time, and you will likely see a happy couple running through a field while a narrator lists terrifying side effects. The United States and New Zealand are the only two countries in the world that allow direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. To Americans, it is just a commercial break, but to outsiders, it looks like a dystopian medical catalog.
Visitors are often floored when the commercial suggests asking your doctor about a specific pill you saw on TV. In other places, doctors tell you what to take, not the other way around. It is a bizarre dynamic that turns patients into customers and medicine into a shopping list.
Tipping For Everything
Tipping culture in the States is a huge source of anxiety for visitors who are used to service charges being included in the bill. Data from Toast shows that the average restaurant tip held steady at 19.3% in late 2024, a number that shocks many European diners. In most other countries, leaving a few coins is a nice gesture, but here, it is practically a mandatory salary supplement for the staff.
If you don’t leave a gratuity, you might as well have insulted the server’s ancestors, which feels intense for a simple burger meal. It confuses travelers because the price on the menu is never the price you actually pay. They are so used to doing the mental math that they forget how strange it feels to everyone else.
The Ice Obsession
If you ask for water in a European restaurant, you usually get a glass of room-temperature liquid, maybe with one lonely cube if you are lucky. Meanwhile, a Bosch survey found that 51% of Americans identify as “ice obsessed,” refusing to drink water unless it is cold. They fill their cups to the brim with ice cubes before adding a drop of beverage, a habit that harms teeth worldwide.
This love for frozen water extends to every season, even when it is snowing outside. They treat ice machines like essential appliances rather than luxury items. It is one of those small comforts they don’t realize is weird until they travel and have to beg for a cold drink.
freezing Air Conditioning
Walking into an American store in July feels like stepping into a meat locker, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. According to the International Energy Agency, about 90% of US households have air conditioning, compared to just 10% in Europe. They blast the AC so hard that people have to carry sweaters in the middle of a heatwave.
This thermal shock is jarring for tourists who are used to opening a window to catch a breeze. They seem to believe that nature’s temperature should never dictate their indoor comfort. It might be wasteful, but they love the feeling of artificial winter during the dog days of summer.
Gigantic Portion Sizes
Everything is bigger in America, especially the food on their plates, which often looks like a challenge from a competitive eating contest. For instance, the Starbucks Trenta size holds 30 ounces of liquid, which is actually larger than the capacity of a human stomach. Visitors often stare in horror at a standard entree that could easily feed a family of four back home.
They have normalized the idea that a “small” soda should be the size of a bucket. Taking home leftovers is a standard part of the dining experience here, whereas it is rare elsewhere. The “doggy bags” are a necessity because finishing a meal in one sitting is physically impossible for most.
The Imperial System
Americans stubbornly refuse to join the rest of the modern world in using the metric system, clinging to their feet, pounds, and gallons. A YouGov poll reveals that 87% of Americans would use miles to describe a long distance, while only 8% would use kilometers. It makes driving instructions and cooking recipes a nightmare for anyone who grew up with base-10 units.
Trying to explain that there are twelve inches in a foot and three feet in a yard sounds like a riddle to outsiders. They are pleased measuring things in “football fields” rather than meters. It is a point of national pride, or perhaps just stubbornness, that keeps them doing math the hard way.
Bathroom Stall Gaps
Public restrooms in the US are famous for having stall doors with wide gaps that offer zero privacy. You can make eye contact with the person washing their hands while you are using the restroom. To a European or Asian visitor used to floor-to-ceiling privacy, this design choice is absolutely baffling and uncomfortable.
There is no clear reason why they built them this way, other than perhaps to save money on materials. It creates an awkward environment where you feel exposed in a space that should be private. They stare at the floor and pretend nobody else is there, a skill they have mastered over time.
Red Solo Cups
These bright red plastic cups are a staple of every college party and backyard barbecue in the States. Visitors often think they are just a movie prop until they arrive here and realize they actually use them for everything. They have become a weird cultural symbol of American festivities that confuses people who drink from regular glasses or hard plastic cups.
To Americans, they signal that it is time to relax and maybe play a game of beer pong. You write your name on them with a marker and hope you don’t lose it. It is a cheap, disposable tradition that has somehow become iconic.
Smiling At Strangers
If you walk down the street in New York or Texas, you might smile at a passerby just to be polite. In many other cultures, grinning at someone you don’t know is viewed as suspicious or even a sign of madness. Americans are raised to be outwardly friendly, but it often freaks out tourists who keep to themselves.
They ask “How are you?” as a greeting, not because they want a medical update. This superficial friendliness is just social lubricant to Americans, but it can feel fake to others. They want to acknowledge your existence, not become your best friend.
Sales Tax Surprise
Shopping in the US is a game of mental arithmetic because the price tag is never the final price. You pick up an item for $9.99 and get to the register only to find it costs more due to local taxes. In almost every other country, the tax is included in the sticker price, so you know exactly what to pay.
This system is incredibly annoying for tourists who are trying to spend their last few dollars. It varies by state, making it even harder to predict the total cost. They are just used to being surprised at the checkout counter every single time.
Right Turn On Red
Driving in the US comes with the handy rule that lets you turn right even when the traffic light is red, provided it is clear. For visitors from countries where red always means stop, this feels reckless and illegal. It keeps traffic moving, but it terrifies pedestrians and foreign drivers alike.
Americans treat stop lights as suggestions in this specific instance, scanning for a gap in traffic. It is efficient, but it requires a level of trust in other drivers that doesn’t exist elsewhere. Once you get used to it, waiting for a green light feels like an eternity.
Date Format Confusion
Americans write their dates as Month/Day/Year, which makes no logical sense to the rest of the world. Everyone else goes from smallest to largest unit (Day/Month/Year), which is an orderly progression. When they write 12/05/2025, a European reads it as May 12th, while they mean December 5th.
This slight difference constantly leads to missed flights and mischeduled appointments. They prioritize the month because they say it that way, like “December fifth.” It is just another instance of Americans doing things backward for the sake of conversation.
Free Refills Everywhere
Sit down at a diner, order a soda, and a magical server will refill it before you even hit the bottom of the glass. The concept of unlimited sugary drinks for one fixed price is a dream here and a rarity abroad. Visitors often try to stop the waiter, not realizing that the second and third Cokes are on the house.
It encourages them to drink far more liquid than any human needs. Americans feel cheated if a restaurant charges them for a second glass of iced tea. It is a symbol of American abundance, or perhaps just their love for sugar.
College Sports Obsession
In most countries, university sports are casual extracurricular activities for students and parents. Here, college football stadiums hold over 100,000 screaming fans and generate millions of dollars in revenue. It completely baffles outsiders that they treat amateur student-athletes like professional superstars.
People who never even attended the university will wear the jersey and paint their faces for game day. The intense loyalty to a school team is a specific American flavor of tribalism. It is not just a game; it is a massive commercial enterprise disguised as school spirit.
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