From universal healthcare to high speed rails, there are many ways Europe is more advanced than the US. But that's not always the case.
Recently, on the Ask An American subreddit, u/LordSoftCream asked, "Is there anything you think Europe could learn from the US? What?"
1. "The US is one of the most accessible nations because of the Americans with Disabilities Act. When I went abroad, I was shocked by how impossible it would be to get around with a disability."
2. "Europeans could stand to learn that air conditioning won’t kill you, especially in the summer."
3. "How to make BBQ. I don't mean grilling — I mean proper BBQ with sides."
4. "How to be okay with people doing things differently. I’ve worked with Europeans for years, and while they’re generally nice folks, they could use a better understanding that the way they know isn’t necessarily THE way."
5. "Thinking outside of the box. I work for an American company that collaborates with a European one. They are completely unwilling to even challenge conventional wisdom on a topic."
6. "I'd say they could learn to air their dirty laundry better. There always seems to be a simmering problem that they just don't talk about unless they get drunk. Maybe they need to get drunk more often."
7. "Free water at restaurants."
8. "Ice! When I return from northern Europe to the US, the first thing I get at the airport is a gigantic cup of ice water."
9. "Not smoking everywhere. I don’t understand how smoking is still so mainstream in Europe. They're sucking on cancer sticks everywhere."
10. "Being friendly to strangers."
11. "Ditch the aristocracy. It's outdated."
12. "There seems to be more pressure to conform and not stand out as much. The US accepts individualism so much more."
13. "European countries should actually call out their own racism instead of excusing it as part of their European culture. When I bring up racism in Norway (where I lived), I get a bunch of angry Norwegians yelling me because they don't think their racism counts as racism."
14. "The US has much better toilets and showers."
15. "I'm European, and I think Americans have a degree of economic awareness that Europeans lack. Americans are generally pretty aware of economic policy problems and inflation, but I barely seen any Europeans talk about the rampant money creation by the Central European Bank that's making prices spike over here."
16. "For the love of all things good, establish a paper version of a 'one' Euro. The amount of coins I ended up carrying over there was obnoxious. Y’all walk around with pockets jingling full of high value coins — NO WONDER there are hella pickpockets hanging about."
17. "Unlimited mobile internet. In Germany, it's a rarity."
18. "Stop trying to act like experts about the US. They don't understand the nuances of American life and politics because they have the mindset of a person from a country with a much different history, culture, and dialect."
19. "TAMPONS!!! European tampons don't come with applicators, so I had to basically finger myself to insert, and it was falling out half the time. If they're concerned about the environment, there are recycled cardboard applicators."
20. "Better preservation of nature (see: our national parks)."
21. "Put screens on the windows! Many apartments and houses don't have AC, so you have to open the windows. The bugs get EVERYWHERE!! Why is such a simple thing like window screens not a standard thing in Europe??"
22. "Free bread or other sides. I usually find out after eating that the basket of bread or olives was an extra charge in Europe."
23. "Cannabis legalization!"
H/T r/AskAnAmerican
Some replies have been edited for length and clarity.