The U.S. as a nation literally represents a melting pot of cultures, behaviors, norms, beliefs and people. As a result, it is quite possible to travel a couple hundred miles or even just a few city blocks and be surrounded by an entirely different aspect of life, people and practices. However, there are still quirks and behaviorisms that, despite centuries of immigration into the country, make Americans extremely unique compared to the rest of the world. And those are not automatically led by the automatic zeal of democratic freedom and similar grand statements either. In fact, many are very mundane but stand out immediately when seen in other countries as Americans travel. Here are 30 unique habits, behaviors, norms or ideas we take for granted, but raise eyebrows elsewhere:

Using “How Are You?” as a Greeting

When people greet each other around the world the basic communication starts of with some form of a hello. However, Americans have an odd, interesting norm that is learned from a young age that it is entirely okay and allowable as a formal greeting to ask someone how they are without meaning it. We say all the time, “How are You?” as a polite form of hello with no expectation whatsoever to get an answer much less even hear specific information. The greeting began decades ago, and it actually was answered with a “Fine, how are you?” as a response. However, in recent times that has entirely dropped and it’s now just an empty question that puzzles the heck of out everyone not from the U.S.

Avoiding Vacation

Germany and France, for example, practically have a season of mandatory vacation six to eight weeks out of the year. They plan for it, have regular locations far away from home and on the coast or camping, and get detached from the hectic life at least more than a month every year. In the U.S., we are workaholics in comparison. It’s considered even abnormal to take a full two or three weeks of time off and could hamper a career in some corners.

Daring to Smile at a Stranger

We generally think its perfectly normal and friendly to smile at strangers to come across as non-threatening and disarming. This welcomes engagement and at least a nod or smile back. In other countries such a direct connection might actually scare people to turn and walk away, or be seen as suspicious and avoided.

Commercialization of Lawyers

U.S. lawyers market as hard as any business in the American market, which is absolutely a no-no in other countries and cultures. Instead, they build a profession by reference and networking. Here, we have them on commercials as common as car sales.

Super-Sizing Everything

Americans are big on extra helpings, especially with fast food. So extra-size drinks, double size orders and additional add-ons make us feel like we are getting solid value for what we receive. Elsewhere in the world is considered rude and selfish to go back for seconds or expect large sizes and drink refills, even if one paid for the value. Much of this has to do with a different aspect growing up in many cultures that did not have the large grocery stores, fast food venues and massive consumerism so normal in the U.S.

Daring to Drink from Cheap Red Throwaway Cups

It’s actually a rare thing to drink from a cheap, throwaway plastic cup when people are out on a picnic, hosting friends over in the backyard or meeting up for casual get togethers. However, in the U.S. the red plastic cup is ubiquitous with BBQs, picnics, beaches and more.

Using Bland Currency

Take a close look a currency around the world and one will realize it’s pretty darn colorful. American dollars, on the other hand, are monochromatic, uncreative and downright boring. It doesn’t mean they are worthless. In fact, U.S. dollars are still one of the strongest currencies worldwide. We just can’t come up with a vibrant currency, even with our newest version of dollar bills.

What in the World are Cheerleaders?

We know what cheerleaders are in the U.S., but they really do represent an odd sideline behavior not seen in other countries. Some would never allow it due to cultural or religious restrictions, but others see cheerleading as having nothing to do with a sport and wouldn’t think of trying to either. Americans, however, see cheerleading as normal as apple pie.

Our Coins Don’t Make Sense

Most coinage around the world focuses on a number value. 10 Euros, 1 Yen, 5 Rubles, etc. Our coins use odd names that, aside from the quarter, don’t really tie to their monetary value. It puzzles the heck out of folks who struggle the first few days trying to remember what each name means. Why is a dime smaller but more than a nickel? Why is a penny brown? Why is a half-dollar almost the size of a regular dollar coin, and why are their two or three different dollar coins? American money is, no surprise very confusing outside of the U.S.

Living with A/C

The world is full of a lot of hot places. Even more challenging, a lot of places are humid and hot. Americans, however, have conquered zones where the summer gets up to 140 degrees with the amazing but mundane creation of the air conditioner. We’re odd birds in this respects. In most place around the world people learn to live with the heat. Americans bring their environment with them instead.

Verifying One’s Drinking Age

We make a big deal in the U.S. about making sure a person is 21 and older before buying alcohol. Elsewhere in the world, folks can start drinking at age 16, and most places don’t bother asking for ID. If a person has enough backbone to come up to the pub or bar and ask for beer or similar with the money, they are served. Part of our age-related focus steps from our Euro-Christian background and fixation on liquor, but part of it is also a compromise between allowing drinking and many elements in the U.S. who would like to go back to Prohibition.

Our Darn Coffee-to-Go Fixation

This probably goes in line with not taking vacation much, but we just can’t sit still and relax much, and that includes how we drink our coffee. Taking coffee on the go is very much a norm in the U.S., but in Europe, for example, one drinks coffee at home, at the office or in a café. Folks definitely don’t walk around with coffee in a paper cup very much.

We Don’t Shut Down at Night

In big cities around the world there are sections and areas that do stay open late into the night, usually for bars and entertainment. However, you can go to just about every town and neighborhood in the U.S. in 2020 and you’re bound to find an all-night fast food joint or gas station open. And we treat Sunday as a regular business day. Other countries actually outlaw being open after hours except around the airports.

Our Restaurant Drive-Throughs

The U.S. is physically a very big country, and from the beginning of the 20^th century it became married with the automobile. Entire cities have been planned, built, changed and rebuilt based on vehicle traffic versus any other form of transport. No surprise, we like to eat in our cars too, and that created drive-throughs, a unique American invention. One will be hard-pressed to find a drive-through elsewhere in the world, although some countries with new city expansions are experimenting with the idea.

Really, Really Big Grocery Stores

The U.S. was famous for decades with its grocery stores, symbols of American consumerism. Then we invented big box stores. Now we have big boxes for food, for hardware, for clothing, furniture and even stores for just jackets and coats. The idea is so catching, big box stores have been showing up in Europe as well as China. No surprise, now we have super-store complexes that are even bigger.

Being Overt With Our Flags

After World War II many countries purposefully avoided strong displays of flags and flag banners on a regular basis. They were seen at parades and on special holidays, but general posting of a country’s flag was seen as a sign of extreme nationalism in many countries and avoided for decades. The U.S., on the other hand, treats it as normal and even very patriotic to fly our flag every day of the week and year, regardless of the reason.

Our Habit of Eating Big

Our eating sizes are no surprise. In addition to expecting large sizes, we eat a lot of food on average too. The amount of food the average American eats is twice the food eaten in most of the world. We also have a heavy diet of processed food and protein. Most other parts of the world focus on grains and vegetables and fruit. No surprise, we produce bigger people on average, but we also have more health problems that are diet-related. Many outside America wonder why we eat the way we do as a result.

We Expect Servers to Hover

Go to a restaurant in other countries and you’re lucky if you see the waiter twice. Our waiters in the U.S., even in basic diners, are checking on patrons and how we’re doing at least five times in a sit-down if not more.

Our Pharmacies are Big Too

Going to get medicine outside of the U.S. often involves finding a universal sign of a pharmacy, usually a pestle and mortar. Once inside, the office is about the size of a small room, maybe even a small closet. So pharmacies in the U.S. are a shock. Either they are mini-malls of their own with just about every general store item in them or they are included in a giant grocery store. Either way, it’s easy for a foreign person to get lost looking for a pharmacy here.

Water is Taken for Granted

We are surprised eating out if we don’t receive our complimentary glass of water both when we sit down as well refills during the meal and at the end, if not a cup of coffee to boot. Water isn’t so plentiful elsewhere, so it surprises visitors why we insist on keeping them hydrated to the point of running to the restroom.

We Love Our Ice

Along with water and our cold drinks, ice is also an expected norm in the U.S. One of the oddest things people experience then traveling to Europe, for example, is asking for a drink and being served a soda with no ice at all. Ice, however, isn’t a universal add-on to a drink, and many restaurants worldwide don’t even have an ice-maker to provide it.

We Value Tipping and Honor It

While hotels around the world expect tipping from customers as a norm, it is not necessarily a standard as much as it is in the U.S. We often hold to a standard of 15 percent for good service and more for large groups. But this is not common internationally. In fact, some places do not allow tipping at all, building it already in the price of service.

We Have Amazing Trust in our Credit Card System

We treat our credit cards like cash, handing it to anyone we need to as payment without a clue what they do with it when we aren’t looking. Foreigners are extremely protective and possessive of their cards in comparison. Where fraud, unfortunately, is common in the U.S., and a replacement card can be had in days, it’s a much harder process in other countries, similar to how cardholders were treated in the 1970s in the U.S.

We Have So Many Darn Choices

Whether it’s clothing, food, TVs, computers, artwork, music, furniture and more, we are buried with choices. Gone are the days of 1950s marketing where you can have any color you want as long as it is white or black. This isn’t the case elsewhere. Many cultures and countries focus on providing on one choice, or a few at most, the better ones with quality versus and array of so-so.

Commercialization of Drugs

Our drugmakers get to have commercials and heavy marketing in the U.S. too. Ulcer medicine is a great example, along with heartburn and anti-depression. In Asia and Europe, however, drugmakers aren’t visual to the public, and prescriptions don’t come with heavy branding.

Our Classy Pajama-Wearing in Public

Yes, that’s a joke. As the U.S., we might be the only culture in the world daring enough or silly enough to wear our pajamas out in public like regular clothes, including fuzzy slippers. While this primarily a teen or college age thing to do, it’s extremely rare worldwide. They look at Americans and shake their heads.

We Have Really Big Roads

Given the size of American cars, it’s not a surprise our roads are big too. Five-lane highways and similar are not uncommon all over the U.S. How we manage to still have traffic-jams is another mystery, but to folks from other countries our roads are huge compared to what they typically drive on.

What’s With Our Bathroom Stalls?

Go to a public restroom in another country that is developed and you will notice that the stalls and stall doors provide a solid privacy. Our bathrooms, regardless of gender have stalls with enough gaps between the walls and doors that one can see inside. Whether its an intentional design to allow spotting problems or plain weirdness, our bathrooms have less privacy by function, period.

Our Wine Bottles Are Weird

We have 3-liter bottles for American wine which is very much an oddity anywhere else. It’s not that our wine is bad. In fact, we have a large number of award-winning wine brands. We just like bigger bottles, which is unheard of elsewhere.

Our Love Affair with Frying

Every county fair that comes up, we have a wonderful trend of frying all sorts of foods. Twinkies, pickles, fruit, and all sorts of meats, we fry it. Some experiments shouldn’t happen, period, but Americans have a wide menu of fried food we love to eat and eat a lot. While frying food is not unique, and can be quite common in some parts of the world like Asia, we have perfected fried food to an art.

As noted at the beginning, even with all our melting pot consolidation, as Americans we have some quirks rarely found anywhere else in the world. And that makes American culture stand out on its own, even when made up of a constant mix of people from everywhere else over generations.