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Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Old Jul 24th 2015, 1:49 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

I still can't stand ordering sandwiches.

There's one place I go and I have to stipulate "I want only these things" and list them off. Otherwise if you say I'll have a turkey, swiss with lettuce and tomato they'll start on "do you want mustard? Dressing? Herbs? Special sauce?
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 1:53 pm
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Originally Posted by SultanOfSwing
It was handy for me when I still smoked, because there was a Walgreens a two minute walk away from our flat

CVS have stopped selling fags now though, I think.
Yeah CVS have stopped selling them now
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 2:16 pm
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Originally Posted by Mrs Danvers
I still can't stand ordering sandwiches.

There's one place I go and I have to stipulate "I want only these things" and list them off. Otherwise if you say I'll have a turkey, swiss with lettuce and tomato they'll start on "do you want mustard? Dressing? Herbs? Special sauce?
It's even more complicated at a sandwich shop in my town. They list off four of the special sauces, but they don't mention the Admiral's Special Horseradish - which is the one I want. And if it's a new employee, they have to go and ask the manager where it's kept.
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 2:22 pm
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

what a fatuous load of tripe that article was. Hold the front page: not everything is exactly the same when you live in a different country!

Some of them are just silly - the nicknames for the coins was particularly dimwitted, given that the author's comparison (the Euro) hasn't really been in existence long enough to have grown nicknames yet. In parts of Germany (where there is some suggestion the author is from) a 10 Pfennig bit was known as a Groschen, for example. And don't let's get started on British pre-decimal currency, with its tanner, bob, florin, crown, quid, guinea, and so on.

Sure, some of these things might be mild irritations or cause momentary bemusement to a visitor. Perhaps it's the headline writer we should be vilifying, but I guess an article entitled "16 things about America that might take a little bit of getting used to for some foreign people who haven't been out and about much" probably wouldn't have been the click-bait that this obviously is....
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 2:23 pm
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Originally Posted by Oakvillian
what a fatuous load of tripe that article was. Hold the front page: not everything is exactly the same when you live in a different country!

Some of them are just silly - the nicknames for the coins was particularly dimwitted, given that the author's comparison (the Euro) hasn't really been in existence long enough to have grown nicknames yet. In parts of Germany (where there is some suggestion the author is from) a 10 Pfennig bit was known as a Groschen, for example. And don't let's get started on British pre-decimal currency, with its tanner, bob, florin, crown, quid, guinea, and so on.

Sure, some of these things might be mild irritations or cause momentary bemusement to a visitor. Perhaps it's the headline writer we should be vilifying, but I guess an article entitled "16 things about America that might take a little bit of getting used to for some foreign people who haven't been out and about much" probably wouldn't have been the click-bait that this obviously is....
Nice one
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 2:48 pm
  #21  
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

I found it incomprehensible (and still do) that the standard sequencing of traffic lights and "walk" signs for pedestrians along with the "right turn on red" that is allowed in most states seems to have been designed to make things as dangerous as possible for pedestrians while making it impossible for cars to ever make a legal turn at a busy city intersection where there is continuous pedestrian traffic.

It took me months to figure out why cyclists would (sometimes) hold their left hand up in the air before making a right turn.

It still amazes me that traffic control around road works almost invariably consists of a couple of guys standing at each end holding "stop" signs instead of a set of portable traffic lights.
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 2:56 pm
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Originally Posted by Steve_
I always like the fact that tax is added on at the checkout. I like to know how much of my money is going to the govt. I find it rather depressing when Europeans complain about it, totally brainwashed into accepting hidden taxes. .....
I somewhat agree with you, but one thing that is most widely purchased across most income segments across the length and breadth of the country, and for which the price we pay is mostly tax, is advertised and sold at the tax-inclusive price. Why isn't gasoline priced with a "+tax price"?
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 3:01 pm
  #23  
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Originally Posted by Steve_
I always like the fact that tax is added on at the checkout. I like to know how much of my money is going to the govt. I find it rather depressing when Europeans complain about it, totally brainwashed into accepting hidden taxes.
The interesting thing in the US is with a number of States actively trying to lower taxes they cut cut cut income taxes and business taxes then when they realize they have a revenue shortfall they end up raising sales taxes (see Kansas).

Highly regressive.
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 3:03 pm
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Originally Posted by sir_eccles
The interesting thing in the US is with a number of States actively trying to lower taxes they cut cut cut income taxes and business taxes then when they realize they have a revenue shortfall they end up raising sales taxes (see Kansas).

Highly regressive.
Sales taxes are easier to collect (many fewer people to collect them from) and harder to avoid/evade.
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 3:14 pm
  #25  
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

When I first started coming over here, I was always forgetting to add sales tax at the checkout. I got caught out a few times as a tourist. When I was getting ready to come out here, I went to buy a push bike. I went to the store and told them I wanted a bike for around $800. The cheeky sods started showing me bikes for 800 plus tax rather than 800 all in. It's a complete pain, but as cities often have different sales tax rates, I guess it just makes things easier for a lot of reatailers.
I do agree though, as is often the way with these lists (especially the ones on the BBC America site), mostly bollox.
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 4:01 pm
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Originally Posted by md95065
I found it incomprehensible (and still do) that the standard sequencing of traffic lights and "walk" signs for pedestrians along with the "right turn on red" that is allowed in most states seems to have been designed to make things as dangerous as possible for pedestrians
Yeah, well... pedestrians....

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Old Jul 24th 2015, 4:08 pm
  #27  
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Originally Posted by md95065
the "right turn on red"
As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the greatest traffic laws ever.
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 4:15 pm
  #28  
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

The list is largely accurate, at least from a German perspective (the insistence that everything is closed in Europe on Sundays was a hint) but I find it odd for one to get all huffy about the differences.

If I copped an attitude with the English because they didn't refer to 5p coins as "nickels" or took pride in being baffled by the metric system, then the locals would regard that as an annoyance and understandably so. Being reluctant to adapt should not be a point of pride.

But I'm beginning to dislike right turn on red. It might be time to get rid of that.
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 5:04 pm
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

You know what I don't understand?

Why people move to another country thousands of miles away, and expect everything to be the same and define any differences are "strange".

People make this mistake with the US and the UK all the time, because we speak almost the same language, ostensibly. But the culture and country are quite different.
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Old Jul 24th 2015, 5:39 pm
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Default Re: Did you find these strange when you arrived in the US? :)

Originally Posted by markonline1
As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the greatest traffic laws ever.
Agreed.

Originally Posted by RoadWarriorFromLP
But I'm beginning to dislike right turn on red. It might be time to get rid of that.
Right turn on red should be adopted everywhere.

Well, maybe it would be too exciting if the UK had it... Might want to make it Left turn for them.
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