People From Other Countries Share Quirky Things They Love About America

Hey, they like us! Well, at least they like some of our weird quirks…and I guess that’s better than nothing.

In case you didn’t read the title of this article, I’m talking about folks from other countries and the strange and quirky things they like about Americans.

I guess we do tend to entertain the rest of the world with our music, movies, TV, and fashion, so it’s only natural that a lot of folks around the world would pick up on the weird things we do.

Let’s see what they had to say!

1. We need to stop saying this ASAP.

It’s not a good look for us.

2. We need to Lysol this entire house.

Yeah, I guess we do say that.

3. It’s the best part of the year!

Halloween lovers for life!

4. My house is as big as three football fields.

Wow! That’s impressive!

5. Wait, it’s not?

I’ve been lied to all these years!

6. Now, this is one of the best things about the U.S.

We don’t tolerate that over here. Not even for a second.

7. That means were done.

Just so you’re sure.

8. Let’s eat! Keep it coming!

Hey, it’s what we do.

9. We did it!

I guess that is kind of weird…

10. Get your head out of the gutter!

Oh, wait, that is kind of funny, I guess.

11. Pasta salad is LIFE.

One of the best things about summertime.

12. Don’t catch the ‘Rona!

Hey, that’s kind of catchy!

Okay, now it’s your turn!

In the comments, tell us what quirky things YOU like about Americans.

And tell us what country you’re from, please. Thanks a lot!

The post People From Other Countries Share Quirky Things They Love About America appeared first on UberFacts.

People Share What They Think Is GOOD About the United States

I’ve been lucky to travel a lot in my life and I’ve been overseas a few times.

I totally understand why there is anti-American sentiment around the world (and here at home) because of some of our policies and our terrible leaders, but I really do believe that we live in a great country and there are many positives about the U.S.

We just have a lot of work to do and we’re gonna get there together!

Here’s what people on AskReddit had to say regarding what’s good about the United States.

1. From an international student.

“I’m an International student in the USA from a 3rd world country. It’s basically a different universe. Everything is so cheap when you earn in dollars.

Large convenience stores like Target or Walmart are (as the name suggests) incredibly convenient. Electricity is dirt cheap. Amazon packages can arrive in 2 days. High school system (from what I gathered talking to friends) facilitates students pursuing specific interests, while higher education also gives enough flexibility to do a complete 180.

Public transport (where it exists) is great. People are incredibly diverse. Idk, the USA has a lot going for it.”

2. It’s HUGE.

“The size of the US is what makes it so diverse . I’ve lived in the Deep South (AL, MS) and the total opposite northwest areas (Colorado ,Washington state)

If anyone has visited multiple regions it’s so easy to realize how night & day the cultures and customs can be. Yet we are all Americans.

And people wonder why all of America can’t agree on anything (politics, etc.) It’s all perspective…”

3. Welcome!

“As someone who has visited both the northwest and southeast, you Americans sure know your hospitality and how to make tourists feel welcome.

Your rollercoasters and theme parks are great, your love for bubble gum and cinnamon flavored treats is endearing, and your forests, mountains and national conservation areas are magnificent!

Oh, and despite them being unfashionable gas gulpers, I have a weak spot for classic American muscle cars.”

4. Well, that’s good.

“Years ago I stayed a few nights in a relative’s house on Long Island New York.

In their back yard they had a long low fridge. Inside this fridge were loads of cans of beer.

There was no lock on this fridge. Nobody hopped the fence and stole it.

They also had a scarecrow and various other Halloween things out the front of the house.

Nobody stole or destroyed this stuff!

Having lived all over Dublin I was shocked.”

5. So much shit…

“The US has so much shit. Great National parks, good music in all tastes, video games, technology, food.

Many cities that could be the capital in most countries. All those skyscrapers, all sorts of neighbourhood’s.

The US can literally define a generation. People in other countries use US definitions. E.g. Baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Z. Count yourselves lucky because other regions have next to nothing (economically).”

6. Very true…

“There are not many countries out there where you can openly mock the president and criticize their every move and not have the slightest fear of reprisal.”

7. Neighbors to the north.

“My experience as a Canadian is that Americans are generally chill, friendly people and are very approachable. I have long felt more comfortable talking to strangers there than in my own country.

Canadians can be very passive aggressive and reserved, while Americans as a generalization like to chat with strangers. I’ve seen that no matter what state I’ve visited. Customer service is also a million times better in the US than in Canada, whether it be at a restaurant or even Walmart.

I get tired of fellow Canadians dumping on the US just because they don’t like the current president. The country is the sum of all its people and not who’s in the White House at this moment.

I’m looking forward to visiting your country again once Coronavirus slows down. I had hoped to do some US travel this year; at least I got one trip in before the pandemic got bad and our land border closed.

Also, you guys produced Seinfeld.”

8. Interesting.

“The fact that as a woman of color, while I do experience racism, the bulk of people stand up when they see something wrong or unjust.

I may not be this lucky in a lot of other places.”

9. Be optimistic!

“I love my European bothers and sisters dearly, but you are a cynical bunch.

American optimism may not be based completely in reality but I believe to my core it has contributed to success in life.”

10. Our principles.

“I love that that one of our founding principles (life liberty and pursuit of happiness) are still our goals as a people. We still haven’t figured out how to do it right, but damn if everyone doesn’t fight for those rights every chance they get.

Our nationality is a concept, not a race. I guess that’s true of other countries in a way, but it feels so much more here. You could have a someone, say, with Sioux heritage, someone with Chinese heritage, someone with Dominican heritage, and someone with British heritage standing next to each other and they’re all American. And they all want to be treated with respect and dignity and believe that this country should stand for that.

We have a really awful history of not following up on our founding principles, but I think every population within the US fights for those principles and agrees on them as a concept. We differ on the exact interpretation, sure, but generally – we agree that America is a place where people should be free, respected, and able to build the life they want for themselves. I’m not saying it always happens, but I am saying that’s what holds us together.

While we don’t have our shit figured out with how we treat one another, we’re all in this country and we all are demanding to be treated justly and fairly like scrappy little revolutionaries.

11. The ultimate melting pot.

“It’s such an INCREDIBLY diverse place.

So many people from all walks of life, but I also love the thought of places like Chinatown, where you can get a real taste of a different culture and you don’t even need to get on a plane.”

12. An ongoing experiment.

“Nature, national parks and their protections

All kinds of music, including jazz, pop, … all one big continuous experiment. It’s nice.”

13. Fairly stable.

“Strong input in the arts. Americans, or their corporations, make high or old culture accessible for the masses.

Disney has adapted many old stories, legends and fairy tales to modern times. The US comic book culture has created new heroes that are loved almost universally (Spider-Man, Superman, Batman).

You have a fairly stable constitution of the country. In the almost 250 years you exist you have seen one Civil War. Compare this to the rest of the world in the same time frame and your Civil War looks like a bar fight.”

14. Abundance.

“We have an absolutely incredible amount of living space that just sits there unused, and we’ve had one of the luckiest startup locations in human history.

Abundance is very American. We can afford it.”

15. It’s true.

“At the end of the day. It is still one of the best places to have an opportunity for success. People like to shit in the US, meanwhile people waiting for their visas and looking for ways to migrate.

And the food. LA, NY, SF. Whatever kind of food you’re craving for, there’s a good restaurant out there.”

Okay, let’s hear from all of you.

Tell us what you think is good and positive about the U.S.

Talk to us in the comments!

The post People Share What They Think Is GOOD About the United States appeared first on UberFacts.

Things About the U.S. That Would Sound Crazy If You Explained Them to a Non-American

America is very…complicated.

It’s also the only home that I’ve ever known, so I don’t really know any different.

Sure, I’ve traveled outside the country, but you never really know what a place is like until you actually live there for a while.

My brother-in-law is from rural Australia and he said that before he moved to the U.S. he assumed that every single one of us carried guns at all times because he watched a lot of episodes of Cops.

Of course, that isn’t true, but there are a lot of things about this place that are uniquely American.

AskReddit users opened up about the things about America that would sound crazy if you tried to explain them to someone from another country.

1. Sugar and painkillers.

“I studied in Chicago for a month at 17, and I was so confused as to why all your bread was sweet. I get migraines if I eat too much sugar and I basically lived off of chips, mac and cheese, and the salad bar in our accommodation.

On the Fourth of July I just ate a bowl of carrots dipped in ranch dressing as I didn’t eat meat at the time. It still had enough sugar to knock me out.

Also your painkiller bottles are HUGE! I had to buy ibuprofen and the smallest bottle was like 100 pills, I haven’t finished it yet and that trip was two years ago!”

2. Howdy, stranger.

“Complimenting strangers. But I like it though.

Some of you have said that you received compliments in Europe too. I said this because it was a first big difference I’ve noticed visiting America.

People there are usually very communicative and easy to talk to. I live in Slovakia and everyone just minds their own business here.”

3. Tell me about the jerky.

“I was on a night train in Italy from Rome to Venice.

I explained beef jerky and he asked me why we would do that to steak, and I was like blame the cowboys.”

4. Mind the gap.

“I don’t care if someone said it already, I’ll repeat it anyway because it’s so important:

That gap next to the doors in toilet stalls!!! I don’t want eye contact with strangers when doing my thing!”

5. Time to mow the lawn.

“Mowing the lawn.

So, I told my friend in China I had to mow my lawn….she had no idea what it meant. I went on to say …”you know …a lawnmower…it cuts the grass ..” …she looked at me like I was crazy. She didn’t fully understand until I linked her some videos of folks getting their lawn. Perhaps not the MOST American thing but not many ppl there have gardens or yards to maintain so she had never seen or used a lawnmower in her life.

I was thinking damn I had to mow the lawn as part of my chores just about every week growing up.”

6. We think it’s insane, too.

“Health insurance.

Premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, copays, out of pocket maximums, in-network, etc.

It’s an insane amount of knowledge that you need to have to make a good decision about your health coverage. And no one teaches you any of this sh*t. You have to go and learn it yourself on the Internet.”

7. Totally ridiculous.

“I honestly couldn’t believe people had to worry about calling an ambulance because of the fees.

Like… wtf? Imagine being seriously hurt or sick and hesitating to call an ambulance and having to think about how much it will cost.

Can’t imagine it.”

8. From Sweden…

“From the perspective of a Swede”

Not including tax in price tag

Shoes on inside

Healthcare prices

Gun laws”

9. Doesn’t seem right.

“The fact that there’s no government-mandated maternity/paternity leave?

In Canada, we get 12-18 months so it sounds crazy to me when I hear stories of people giving birth and going back to work in 2 weeks.”

10. Tipping is hard for foreigners.

“I always wondered why in the US it’s obligatory to tip people like you already got your meal in the restaurant for example and you get the check you just leave the amount in the check and leave the place what can they do to stop you from doing that you already got what you requested right? Is it a moral thing ?

Or you will be blacklisted or something like that?”

11. So did I…

“As a French person, I’d say the president swearing on the bible, i thought you guys were a secular country ?”

12. It’s a twister!

“Tornado chasing.

The high majority of the world’s tornados happen in the US. Where I live they only happen about once a lifetime.”

13. A lot of time on the road.

“I had a friend from Europe who could not get over the fact that I regularly drive 30+ mins just to go to dinner.

I live in DFW. There are closer things but it isn’t unusual to pick a restaurant across town just to try it.

Really just the amount of driving in general was shocking to them.”

14. Sad, but true.

“That the plot of Breaking Bad was completely plausible.

A public school teacher could face bankruptcy because he got cancer.”

15. All Hallow’s Eve.

“Asked my foreign language classes / students this question once. They all agreed: Halloween

Halloween is a bit more international now but at the time they were like, “So you get dressed up… and go around at night knocking on strangers’ doors… and randomly ask them for shit? Y’all crazy.””

It’s always interesting to try to look at your country from an outsider’s perspective, that’s for sure.

What do you think about this question?

Please talk to us in the comments and let us know what you think.

Thanks! We look forward to hearing from you!

The post Things About the U.S. That Would Sound Crazy If You Explained Them to a Non-American appeared first on UberFacts.

Enjoy These Funny Tweets About American Food

You have to admit that the food in America is…kind of extreme. Especially if you’re from another country. Those folks don’t know what they’re in for a lot of the time when they step foot onto our continent.

Enjoy these tweets about the madness of American food…I’ll see you in the drive-thru.

1. What are these Cheez-its?

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. One strawberry makes it healthy.

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. It does a body good? I guess?

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. Just stop right there.

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. Bon Appétit!

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. I never thought about that…

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. That sounds terrible.

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. I hope you like it!

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. Why did this happen?

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. Both are true.

Photo Credit: Twitter

11. You don’t need to worry about that.

Photo Credit: Twitter

12. We hold our heads up high.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Those sure hit the spot, didn’t they?

What do you think of the food in the U.S.? I want to hear from natives and from people abroad.

Let’s get it started!

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10 Interesting Facts About U.S. Presidents

There have been 45 presidents of the United States of America, each with their own challenges, unique personalities, and backgrounds.

It’s been almost 231 years since George Washington first took office, and since then our country has been through many turbulent times – but there was always a president there, guiding us through it.

For good or ill.

Let’s take a look at some interesting facts about American presidents.

1. A close race.

Photo Credit: did you know?

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2. Whatever works…

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3. Nobody even bothered.

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4. Can’t do two things at once.

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5. What are the odds?

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6. Forgot something on there.

Photo Credit: did you know?

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7. The ladies like whiskers.

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8. That is an amazing coincidence.

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9. Had some free time on his hands.

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10. Put someone else behind the bar.

Photo Credit: did you know?

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Who are some of the presidents that you most admire?

Tell us your opinions in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

The post 10 Interesting Facts About U.S. Presidents appeared first on UberFacts.

Map Outlines What People Think Is the Worst City in Each State

This chart is sure to cause some serious disagreements among people. It comes to us via Matt Shirley, who makes a new chart on his Instagram page every day.

Here are some past examples of charts he’s come up with in the past.

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Please note the purple line’s fluctuations.

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Show me your bingos. @truly #TrulyPartner

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To create “The Worst City in Every State” map, Shirley asked his 292,000 Instagram followers to weigh in on the topic, so it’s not complete or scientific by any means. But it will probably get a lot of people talking.

Here is the full map:

And here’s an alphabetical list of the findings state-by-state:

Alabama: Birmingham

Alaska: Wasilla

Arizona: Mesa

Arkansas: Pine Bluff

California: Modesto (Northern) Bakersfield (Southern)

Colorado: Pueblo

Connecticut: Bridgeport

Delaware: Wilmington

Florida: Orlando

Georgia: Macon

Hawaii: Kalihi

Idaho: Caldwell

Illinois: Cairo

Indiana: Gary

Iowa: Cedar Rapids

Kansas: Topeka

Kentucky: Lexington

Louisiana: Turkey Creek

Maine: Rumford

Maryland: Poolesville

Massachusetts: Worcester

Michigan: Flint

Minnesota: Edina

Mississippi: Jackson

Missouri: Jefferson City

Montana: Browning

Nebraska: Fremont

Nevada: Sparks

New Hampshire: Manchester

New Jersey: Camden

New Mexico: Hobbs

New York: Albany

North Carolina: Gastonia

North Dakota: Grand Forks

Ohio: Dayton

Oklahoma: Ardmore

Oregon: Salem

Pennsylvania: Scranton

Rhode Island: Woonsocket

South Carolina: Greer

South Dakota: Brookings

Tennessee: Memphis

Texas: Dallas

Utah: Provo

Vermont: Rutland

Virginia: Virginia Beach

Washington: Spokane

West Virginia: Welch

Wisconsin: Manitowoc

Wyoming: Rock Springs

What do you think of this map and its findings?

Let us know in the comments, please.

The post Map Outlines What People Think Is the Worst City in Each State appeared first on UberFacts.

15 Things About America That Other People Around the World Think Are Really Weird

We feel like we live in such an interconnected world and walls and barriers have been broken down across cultures, but we still have a lot of differences with our fellow humans around the world.

Bottom line: a lot of people think some of the things we Americans do are downright weird. And they’re not shy about letting us know, apparently.

1. Rockmelon? What?

2. That’s weird

3. You better believe it

4. We’re…okay

5. For now…

6. Don’t mess with our Cheetos

7. Uncomfortable

8. Pregaming!

9. The only way to go!

10. Some do

11. Confusion

12. Uh oh

13. USA! USA! USA!

14. Oh, it’s true!

15. Have you tried it, friend?

Okay, maybe we are kind of weird…

The post 15 Things About America That Other People Around the World Think Are Really Weird appeared first on UberFacts.

This Man’s ER Experience in Taiwan Shows How Truly Messed up American Health Care Really Is

No matter what side of the political aisle you belong to, chances are most of you would agree that America’s healthcare system, as it currently stands, is pretty broken. Even if we can’t all agree about what the right solution may be, we definitely agree that it could certainly be better.

The fact is that, when it comes to healthcare, America actually lags behind the rest of the civilized world. We spend more exponentially more money to get significantly less coverage.

Most other first world countries offer government-funded universal healthcare – and that is also true in Taiwan, where one Kevin Bozeat has been living as an ex-pat. But unfortunately, he didn’t qualify for their healthcare and had no American health insurance, either, when he found himself super sick and in need of a trip to the emergency room.

He sucked it up and let his roommate call him a taxi, figuring he’d work out the payment when it came due (the way most of us regular people do here in the States).

Here’s what happened.

Image Credit: Facebook

tl;dr: His experience was awesome and even with no insurance, it cost him $80.

Of course, since this is the internet in America, people had to try to find every which way to prove that his experience was singular, or reasons why it wouldn’t work in the States, or to insinuate that Taiwan is somehow a poor, third world country (it’s not; their GDP is higher than Denmark’s).

So, Kevin did some legwork for us in the form of arguments against all of the “good points” people made about his original post.

Image Credit: Facebook

To sum up:

  1. The cost of living in Taiwan is about 50% of the cost of living in the U.S. Good luck going to any emergency room here for any reason and getting out of there for less than $160.
  2. Doctors do make less, but they’re still solidly middle class (and there are plenty of people willing to go into the field).
  3. The taxes in Taiwan do pay for healthcare but they’re not high – if you have their national healthcare it works out to about $70.53/month for a person who makes $60k/year.

He acknowledges that no system is perfect, but quotes the Ministry of Health in saying that “…the Taiwanese government believes that healthcare is a right for all of its citizens, rather than a privilege for those who can afford it.”

Everyone in Taiwan is covered (along with foreign permanent resident) is entitled to coverage regardless of employment status, and no citizen goes bankrupt due to medical bills.

It sounds like a utopia, but it’s not – most of the world has figured out how to make it happen. And according to Kevin, it’s time for his home country to stop making excuses.

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