25 Things That Are Obvious in America but Make No Sense to the Rest of the World

Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles from Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 21st, 2021.

America is known for many great things, but it’s the country’s unusual customs that visitors remember most.

Ask a non-American about their stay in the US, and nine out of ten times, their answer will be something like “It’s great, but……,” followed by a long list of observations about American culture that make no sense to them whatsoever.

The list you’re about to read today is a rant about the 25 things that are obvious in America but confused every fiber of my being when I traveled to the country. So let’s get started!

1. Homes on Wheels, AKA Trailers/RVs

Photograph of a man standing outside a small camper van in the countryside. The van can be seen with its pop-up roof up, its doors open and its boot open.
Image Credit: CruiseAmerica – CCA SA 4.0/WikiCommons.

My definition of a home is a dwelling place with four walls and a roof on top. So imagine my disbelief when I saw people living in buses equipped with toilets, beds, a kitchen, and basically everything you may need to survive.

And they weren’t just houses in the shape of a vehicle. They were actual trailers that people resided in.

What’s even more bewildering is that huge areas are designated for people to park their homes and live in until they want to travel with them again.

2. A National Day for Just About Anything

A man grilling out, flipping over the meat.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

There are no limits when it comes to celebrating holidays in America.

While days like National Friendship Day or National Neighbor Day seem acceptable enough, some odd ones, like National Rubber Ducky Day or National Eat Your Vegetable Day, will leave you questioning your sanity.

I just want to know two things: who comes up with these ideas? And who approves them?

3. Use of Slang

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Just as Americans have a habit of creating a National Day for everything under the sky, they also have a habit of creating new words that make no real sense.

What happened to the rich vocabulary that Shakespeare left behind or words that actually meant something?

I’m Gen Z, and sometimes, keeping up with new releases like “Woke,” “No Cap,” or “Drip” is hard even for me.

4. Hefty Healthcare Costs

A smiling woman looking at her physician while she has her blood pressure taken.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

No one likes going to the doctor. But the reason Americans have for this hesitation may be entirely different than that of people from other countries.

In America, healthcare costs are enough to get you bankrupt if you don’t have an insurance net to fall back on. Like they say, you can’t afford to get sick in America if you’re not rich.

5. College Debt

Debt plan
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How can we talk about bankruptcy and not mention the country’s crippling college debt?

Higher education is not cheap anywhere. Still, it’s only in America that you’ll find millions of students drowning in trillions of dollars of college debt, and for some reason, everyone has accepted this as just another American thing.

6. Jury Duty

An attorney or legal representative addressing a court room jury.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

I know that the US isn’t the only country that allows its citizens to serve as jury members, but my first introduction to this system was through American TV shows.

The entire concept seems pretty cool but also baffling when you question the eligibility of random citizens sharing their verdict on a case. I mean, what’s the duty of the judge then, who trained for all these years to perform this very job?

7. Eating Giant Portions

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The American appetite is no joke. I’ve seen Americans order 3-course meals and devour the whole thing without looking like they’ve eaten a lot.

Now, that wouldn’t be so surprising if the portion sizes were small. But the appetizers alone are as big as a whole meal in other countries, and the mashed potatoes that come with the steak may sometimes be as large as the steak itself.

8. Low Driving Age

A young male teenager learning to drive a car independently.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

When I was 16, I wasn’t even allowed to sit in the driving seat of an idle car, let alone drive one.

In America, however, I see 16-year-olds driving around in their own vehicles while I have to book a cab at 23 because I still can’t drive. It feels like there’s an entire world of independence I missed out on.

9. Date Formatting

Billing cycles and due dates
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

At this point, I just believe that Americans are so obsessed with being different that they deliberately find new ways of doing routine things. Their date formatting is an excellent example of this claim.

What’s wrong with DD/MM/YYYY? Where’s the flow in MM/DD/YYYY? Very few countries outside of the US format their calendars in this way.

10. The Waiter Takes Your Card To Charge for the Bill

Restaurant, waiter, man, woman, women, food, server
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I’m used to waiters bringing the card machine when they come to collect your bill, charge the card in front of you, then return the slip and your card before leaving with the machine again.

So, in America when a waiter left with my card, I sprang from my seat and called out his name in a loud voice, only to find out this was the norm there. Yeah, that was one embarrassing day.

11. Keeping Medicines in the Bathroom

 A medicine cabinet full of prescription drug bottles. Medicines include prescription opioid pain killers.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

How can you keep something you’re going to eat in the bathroom? Think about the bacteria that’s all over that place.

I once sat through a miserable migraine because I could not bring myself to eat a painkiller that my roommate had stored in her bathroom cabinet. If I had to choose again, I’d still make the same choice.

12. Tipping Pretty Much Everyone

The hand of the waitress takes a tip.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Where I come from, people tip if they want to; it’s not a prerequisite. In America, however, it’s the opposite.

And I’m not just talking about tipping waiters or food delivery drivers. Americans even tip hairdressers, plumbers, taxi drivers, housekeeping staff, and more.

These aren’t small tips either. When you start calculating how much this amounts to at the end of each month, you might be tempted to seek a career change.

13. Red Drinking Cups

Several red solo cups side by side on a worn-down bar table.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

American loyalty to red plastic drinking cups is unmatched. Gather a group of people organizing a party, and while they may disagree on everything from food to music, and even the guest list, they’ll unanimously agree on one thing.

Yup! It’s these red drinking vessels that are just a no-brainer when it comes to American parties.

14. Free Refills

A closeup of condensation on a Mcondald's cup in a car cup holder.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This is one of the things that I like about America. The first time I was ate at a McDonald’s in the US, my friends, who love their Coke, did not hesitate to refill their drinks from the self-service beverage station.

By the end of the day, I imagined our bill to be a handful, but when it arrived, I was shocked to see that they had only charged a single serving per person.

15. The Ability to Sue Anyone

Mediation,Client,Meeting,Lawyer,Consulting,Government,Help,,Businessman,And,Male
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Americans sue as often as waves crash on the shore, and I didn’t have to come to America to learn this. In fact, this is something I learned through Hollywood movies and TV shows.

If you don’t believe me, try this today: take a step outside for a stroll around the neighborhood, and you’ll find at least three people suing someone for the most ridiculous things.

16. Super Bowl Fever

Superbowl Party at Walk-On's bar and tavern.
Image Credit: WOSB – CCA SA 4.0/WikiCommons.

I’m not a newbie to people going wild over a sport, but even I was in awe of how celebrated the Super Bowl is in America.

Family, friends, and co-workers gather together to watch a game for three long hours, cheering for their favorite team and waiting in anticipation to see who will take the Vince Lombardi Trophy home.

17. Drive-Thru Banks and Pharmacies

Several cars go through the drive thru of a Wells Fargo Bank and ATM.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

You know how you see a country do something differently that makes you think they’re way ahead of their time?

I never knew I needed drive-thru banks, pharmacies, and grocery stores until I used this feature for the first time on American soil. This was my “Maybe America is great after all” moment.

18. Buying Weapons at the Same Store They Buy Groceries

A young adult male shopping for guns. The store employee shows him displays.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This was yet another shocker. I’ve always seen grocery stores as homely places where families gather to stock up on the month’s necessities.

So imagine my surprise when I came across a weapons section at Walmart! Although I knew I was at Walmart and had my cart right in front of me, I still had to double-check if I wasn’t somewhere else.

19. The Hot Dogs and Beer Combo

3 well-dressed bratwurst/hot dogs topped with ketchup and mustard on a plate, beer beside them, in front of a fire pit.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

As we’re all aware, hot dogs are the unofficial national cuisine of the United States.

However, a new thing I learned is that Americans would rather have their hot dogs with beer than the customary fillings like mustard sauce or jalapenos.

While I may not be a big fan of this combo, it’s clear that this is a cult-level tradition for many Americans.

20. Incredibly Gory Violence on TV

Antony Starr Homelander The Boys
Image Credit: Amazon Studios.

I love watching American TV shows. Their plots, character arcs, and innovative ideas always leave me wanting for more.

But most of them have a disturbing habit of going deep into gory details that may not be for everyone. Since when did we become so insensitive to such violence?

21. Emphasis on School Sports

Female student athletes playing volleyball, school sports, athletes
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Schools and universities across the globe promote sports among their students, but America is on a whole other level with how large-scale its funding and plans for sports scholarships are.

I had a friend whose brother got accepted into a university on a gymnastics scholarship. For someone who was taught that academics is everything, I couldn’t wrap my head around this idea.

22. Children’s Beauty Pageants

A young blonde pre-teen holding flowers and wearing a crown, insinuating she just won a child beauty pageant.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

I still can’t digest the idea of pitting children against each other to see who’s the most beautiful or who has the best personality.

Surprisingly, parents are not only okay with this but are also ready to invest huge sums in costumes, makeup, and pageant coaching instead of protecting their children from these unrealistic beauty standards.

23. Imperial System of Measurements

Image Credit: Santeri Viinamäki, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

If you come up to me and tell me that the weather outside is 68 degrees or your shoe size is 10, I will never know what you mean.

Throughout my trip to the US, I had to depend on my phone to translate these alien terms into words I could make heads or tails of.

24. Seeing Cheerleading as a Sport

Stony Brook University Cheerleading Team lined up and performing on the field sidelines.
Image Credit: Kenneth C. Zirkel – CCA 4.0/WikiCommons.

As if learning that American universities offer huge sports scholarships wasn’t mind-boggling enough, finding out that cheerleading qualifies as a sport not only for Americans but also for these reputable organizations altered my brain chemistry.

Now, there are several arguments for and against this notion, but my verdict is that cheerleading is more of an activity than an actual sport.

25. Gaps in Bathroom Stalls

A view of several stalls inside a public restroom.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

So far, all the points you’ve read on this list are things I couldn’t believe about American culture, but still accepted them. This, however, is where I draw the line.

No, I don’t want passers-by taking a peep to find out if a stall is empty. What happened to knocking or assuming that if a door won’t open to your touch, it’s already occupied?

Plus, it’s just straight-up embarrassing and uncomfortable. You have to be on your toes the entire time because you’re worried someone will look inside at any moment.

Cyble Rizwan
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