American tendencies make you stick out like a sore thumb abroad

It’s their country and they’ll do what they want to.

Sometimes, all it takes is going outside of the US to quickly realize how Americans really have their own specific way of doing things.

Things we consider “normal” most likely cause many non-Americans to scratch their heads.

A recent Reddit thread asked, “What’s something you didn’t realize was ‘very American’ until you left the US? Nearly 7,000 people chimed in on the comment section, chatting about everything from talking loudly to America’s obsession with ice in drinks.

Here are some of the eye-opening but hilarious comments from the thread.

Driving a car everywhere

“Here in the US, outside of big cities, it’s pretty much required to drive a car. When I lived abroad for a few years, I was able to survive completely off public transport, the occasional taxi, and walking on my own two feet,” one expat wrote.

Another person agreed to write, “Yeah, my partner is from Massachusetts and I (British) saw there was a grocery store less than a mile away and figured I could walk there, as I usually would at home. I could not walk there.”

Loving ice in beverages

“Worked in China, no ice and room temp water. I was so excited when my translator turned to me while we were ordering food and said he wanted to know if I wanted ice. I said ‘They have ice? YES!’ She laughed, the guy behind the counter laughed and then she said ‘No, they do not have ice,’” a disappointed comment read.

Eating quickly

“I was just in England and even in relatively casual restaurants the waiter is only checking up on you 2-3 times in an hour cause they assume you’re gonna take your time and enjoy your meal. I walked into a restaurant an hour before close and they specifically told me, ‘We close in 1 hour, are you sure you will have enough time?’ And my only thought was that I could eat it as fast as they could make it…” someone wrote.

“Speed eating was trained into us from a young age. Lunch at public schools was all about churn. Get the kids in the cafeteria and get them outside for mid-day recess as soon as possible because we have three more rotations of kids that need to eat,” another American explained.

Talking to anyone and everyone

“Americans can start conversations with random strangers and feel completely normal to share their stories,” a comment read.

“I was working retail in Stockholm for a while and one of my coworkers told me she was surprised by how many customers wanted to chit-chat with me, because ‘We don’t do that, generally,’” chimed in someone else.

Talking loudly

“My fellow Americans talk SO LOUD ALL THE TIME,” someone pointed out.

“It’s crazy, I was in Utrecht the other day. There’s probably 150 people drinking outside, enjoying the sun and chatting and you can still easily spot the Americans from a distance — so loud,” admitted someone else.

Tipping at restaurants

“As a kid I figured that was normal everywhere in the world. As I got older I realized people sometimes look at you weird and it can even be considered insulting in some situations,” a comment read.

“It’s not the norm in a lot of countries because servers there actually get paid a decent wage. I can’t for the life of me figure out why servers are exempt from earning minimum wage over here, so they depend on tips to make a living, which is crazy messed up if you asked me…” wrote someone else.