If you've been immersed in US culture for long enough, there are certainly things that are so "normal," it's hard to imagine that they'd be considered alarming to non-Americans. So redditor u/ColossusOfChoads asked, "What's something that foreign visitors complain about that virtually no one raised in America ever would?" Here's what some people said.
1. "I’ve had visitors from Ireland and Germany who got upset that the windows in my home open up rather than out."
2. "Root beer. I have seen foreigners become almost angry that we drink this stuff. I know the flavor is common in liquid children's medicines in Europe, but let us love our weird soda flavor."
3. "The fact that American waitstaff are often very friendly. This always seems to freak out our European visitors."
4. "Not having the sales tax listed on price tags. Obviously, I agree with them. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could know the actual amount you’ll need to pay!? But I’ve lived with this my whole life because it's just the way things are here in the States, and it never occurs to me to complain about it."
5. "That in America we call it football even though it's played with hands."
6. "That our food portion sizes are 'too large': 'Oh no, you’ve given me a lot of delicious food! What am I supposed to do with this food that is left over? How could I possibly take it to go home with me!? In some box, like it’s a light bulb!?' Ridiculous."
7. "Small talk with strangers. It's so uncommon in Europe that visitors get really freaked out when they encounter it here. That and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."
8. "Garbage disposals. Europeans either don't understand them or assume they hurt our sewer system. Well, no more than some giant log from a meal of bratwurst and schnitzel."
9. "They find air conditioning and ceiling fans — common in most American households — a bizarre concept. They can't stand the heat, yet they can't stand ways to beat the heat."
10. "The sheer size of the US. Someone from abroad asked me about taking a road trip from LA to Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and maybe Florida, and they only had a few days to do it. They didn’t understand the massive size of the country."
11. "That when you pay at a restaurant, the server takes your card to the back instead of bringing a machine and swiping in front of you. My father-in-law is always like, 'Where are they taking my card? I can't see them, they are stealing my information!'"
12. "That high-quality bread and produce aren't available at our 7-Elevens and convenience stores."
13. According to every Middle Easterner, Israeli, and Australian I've met, we Americans are fake because we're always nice and smiling even when we don't mean it. Apparently, we're 'too nice and friendly' compared with other people."
14. "Window screens. My German father-in-law always complains about them. You know, the things that keep the bugs out? He is convinced that they keep the air from circulating. They don't, and I don’t like mosquitoes, so we keep the screens down."
15. "I've heard that Europeans think Americans are lazy because we use dishwashers. What's funny about this comment is that dishwashers actually save a lot of water compared with handwashing."
16. "I have a foreign friend who worked in the US for two years. She found it strange that Americans were always so happy to be eating or drinking in places that aren't restaurants, like at the beach or bus stop, on a train, or in the mall."
17. "The way Americans greet one another by asking, 'How’s it going?' I understand that in other cultures, nobody asks that question unless they’re actually inquiring after your well-being. But here in the US, we will ask, 'How’s it going?' as a general greeting without expecting an in-depth answer, simply because it serves as an easy way to start a conversation. No, that does not make us stupid or fake or bad or wrong. These are our customs."
18. "That we drink our beverages with ice. I can understand being annoyed if you order a drink that is 90% ice and 10% drink. But if it's just the right amount of ice to make your drink properly cold, what's the issue?"
19. "That American toilets are too full of water."
20. "Foreigners are always confused as to why school buses must stop traffic. They think, Why don't you just teach your children not to run out into traffic?"
21. "That in America, people are so obsessed with sports that they would call in sick to go see their favorite team play."
22. "Long-distance driving. I had relatives from Eastern Europe visit a few years ago, and we drove them from New Jersey down to DC for a weekend visit. When we got back, they commented that it was such a long drive, easily the longest that they’d ever taken by car. Then I showed them a map of the US and how far we’d driven versus the size of the rest of the country. Their heads nearly exploded."
23. "So many aspects related to our homes in the US confuse foreigners. For instance, wood frame construction. But here in the US, they provide better insulation against our more extreme temperatures and seismic activity like earthquakes. They're also confused by open floor plans, big refrigerators, electrical outlets inside bathrooms, and double-hung windows, for starters."
24. "That our food is overly sweet. High-fructose corn syrup is in so many things that lots of Americans no longer notice the sweetness. Meanwhile, people from elsewhere are freaked out by our sweet grocery store bread."
Non-Americans who have spent time in the States, what's something that you find bizarre about the US? Tell us in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.