Random observation of differences between the US and Europe

I'm an American living in Europe for a few months. There are so many small differences in the way of life that I've observed. I thought it would be fun to write them down. There may not be a unifying theme to all these observations, but they're things I've noticed that are different from my experiences in the US, and that I think are worth sharing. So here you go:<br><br>— I’ve been to many shops and restaurants and only once have I been asked if I have any coupons to use, and that was at Starbucks. I can’t tell if this was just something the local Starbucks does or if what I’m seeing is a European trend, but in the US you mention a coupon and they’ll just automatically apply it. So weird.<br><br>— Speaking of Starbucks, they’re a lot nicer and prettier in Europe. They’re more like normal coffee shops, minus the fancy espresso drinks. The one I went to had actual coffee cups and real milk jugs and things to put your cream and sugar in. And instead of using disposable cups, they put a real ceramic cup on top of your disposable cup. <br><br>— Everything is smaller. I don’t know how much of this is due to cultural differences and how much is due to urbanization and available space. But the portions of food here are way smaller than anything you’d get in the US and every building and street and car is smaller.<br><br>— Everyone (even children) can do cool things and everyone has special talents. I’ve met so many people with really cool artistic and musical talents. Like, it seems expected that every child will have one talent for an artistic pursuit and one for a sport. <br><br>— Regarding kids: I work in a school and the 13-15 year old kids are expected to be able to cook basic meals, sew and fix things, and clean the classroom. Plus they’re required to do at least two hours of homework every night. There are also expectations for how they behave that don’t exist in US schools. For example, if a teacher asks a student to do something and they refuse, the student will get in trouble. If a teacher suspects that a student is lying and the student admits it later, they get in trouble. These expectations are mostly about honesty and respect. There is also a “no tolerance” policy for physical violence, so if one student hits another, no matter the reason, the violent student will get in trouble. In general, the kids just behave better and seem to have more respect for the teachers and for each other. <br><br>— There’s a lot of real Christmas spirit. I’m an atheist, but I feel the Christmas magic in the air and it’s really fun. I don’t know if it’s the lack of advertisements or what, but it’s actually fun and festive here.<br><br>— Several people have told me that the ‘rude French’ is a myth. I agree. I’ve been around a lot of French people and I haven’t encountered a single rude one. They do speak less English than other Europeans, but that’s not the same as rudeness. It’s expected that everyone will speak multiple languages, which leads to my next point…<br><br>— Nobody cares if you only speak one language. Nobody will refuse to serve you anywhere because you only speak English. Several people have even seemed grateful that I asked them in French before asking in English. (I speak very basic French, but I’ve been trying to learn as I go along.) This has been really surprising to me. I’ve been to several countries in Central and South America where it’s expected that you will speak some Spanish and you will be treated poorly if you don’t. I’ve been to several countries in Southeast Asia where nobody speaks English and it’s expected that you will know enough of the local language to get yourself around. But here, even though they place a high value on speaking multiple languages, nobody minds if you only know one. In fact, several people have thanked me for trying to learn a new language in my 30s. In the US, if you ask someone a question in a language that isn’t English, they might get offended and tell you that you’re in America so you should be speaking English. But here, if you ask someone something in a language that isn’t their native language and they speak that language, they will answer you back in that language. But if you ask them something in their native language, they’ll respond in their native language. Make of that what you will.<br><br>— There is a generous benefit system for the poor and unemployed. It isn’t perfect and some people are still homeless and hungry, but it’s way better than it is in the US. I don’t see people begging on the street as often and I don’t think it’s because people are afraid of getting in trouble, I think there are just fewer people who are desperate enough to beg.<br><br>— Food is expensive but good quality and healthy. ‘Fast food’ and ‘junk food’ are basically impossible to find. I’m not saying they don’t exist, but it’s nowhere near as common as in the US. There are no giant chain restaurants serving bacon cheeseburgers and fries. It’s mostly small, privately-owned restaurants that serve local specialties. <br><br>I don’t think I’ve ever seen a non-European eating at a restaurant alone. I’m not saying it never happens, because I do it all the time and I’ve seen other tourists doing it, but if a European is eating alone at a restaurant, they will be reading a book or doing something on their phone. They won’t just be scrolling through their phone like people do in the US.<br><br>I’ve never seen anyone eating on the street or on public transportation. This is expected and there are even signs at some train stations saying not to eat on the platform.<br><br>— Several people have told me that the ‘rude French’ is a myth. I agree. I’ve been around a lot of French people and I haven’t encountered a single rude one. They do speak less English than other Europeans, but that’s not the same as rudeness. It’s expected that everyone will speak multiple languages, which leads to my next point…<br><br>— Nobody cares if you only speak one language. Nobody will refuse to serve you anywhere because you only speak English. Several people have even seemed grateful that I asked them in French before asking in English. (I speak very basic French, but I’ve been trying to learn as I go along.) This has been really surprising to me. I’ve been to several countries in Central and South America where it’s expected that you will speak some Spanish and you will be treated poorly if you don’t. I’ve been to several countries in Southeast Asia where nobody speaks English and it’s expected that you will know enough of the local language to get yourself around. But here, even though they place a high value on speaking multiple languages, nobody minds if you only know one. In fact, several people have thanked me for trying to learn a new language in my 30s. In the US, if you ask someone a question in a language that isn’t English, they might get offended and tell you that you’re in America so you should be speaking English. But here, if you ask someone something in a language that isn’t their native language and they speak that language, they will answer you back in that language. But if you ask them something in their native language, they’ll respond in their native language. Make of that what you will.<br><br>edit: if you read this far, thank you so much! Please remember that these are just observations and not judgments. I’m not saying that one way of doing things is better than the other. I’m just pointing out differences that I think are interesting.