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Re: Who will have the last word .

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:23 AM

  Service staff being so friendly .
  

  Go to Europe and there's often a somewhat surly demeanour from serving staff in bars and restuarants. In the US? Why, staff are generally incredible pleased to see you and extremely friendly and chatty. Why? Well, it could have something to do with America's tipping culture .

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:25 AM

  Entrées being the main meal .
  

  Now, with this one - Americans have to hold their hands up. 'Entrées' is a French word. So there's no claiming it otherwise. In the French-speaking world it refers to the meal served before the main meal - the starter. So why it refers to the main course in the US is anyone's guess.

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:26 AM

  Dates starting with the month not day .
  

  In America, it's month, then day. Everywhere else, it's day then month. So, obviously, it's a bit weird .

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:29 AM

  Tipping everyone .
  

  Paying extra on your bill in order to give money to staff isn't exclusively an American thing, of course. Tipping exists to varying degrees all across the world. But only in the States is it so complicated and almost mandatory. Foreigners often struggle to navigate the various intricacies associated with American tipping culture .

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:33 AM

  Tipping - the best deal .

  I put my wife in a wheel chair at Miami airport or any airport and get a porter to push her past the thousands queueing up at immigration and go straight to the front . Best 10 bucks tipping can buy .

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:35 AM

  Having such a low vacation allowance at work .
  

  The average American worker gets 11 days of paid vacation a year. That's just shy of one day for every month worked. That may seem okay, but that's only because Americans are used to it. In the UK, it's more than double that number.

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:37 AM

  Retaining the imperial system .
  

  The metric system was introduced as a universal weight and measures language so the world could all be on the same page. Some countries took their time adopting it and adapting to it. Some, like the USA, just flat out refused. Even though the old imperial set-up is infinitely harder to understand and calculate .

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:38 AM

   Tax generally not factored into price tags .
  

  Most places you go to on Earth, you'll walk into a shop, see a price tag for an item and that's how much it'll cost. Taxes have already been applied. Not so in the Land of the Free. You've got to add the tax on top .

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:41 AM

  A lack of polite niceties .
  

  On the face of it, most exchanges with strangers in the US tend to be very pleasant. But Americans tend to get to the point and do away with the pleasantries. This is streamlined conversation, but often tends to be regarded (especially by the British) as quite rude .

  Examples on this forum all the time .

  No names please .

• craigswan 31,860 Posts

  Wed, Nov 27 2024 8:43 AM

  Commercial breaks being so frequent .
  

  In the US, there are generally around six to eight minutes' worth of commercials for every half an hour of TV content. That's often quite a bit more than most other countries. It's not just the amount foreign viewers find jarring, it's the frequency of the advertisements .

  We are used to the BBC with no adverts .