American Behaviors That People in Other Countries Think Are Completely Insane

Every country, region, city and town has its own culture and traditions. But it can be easy to stay in your own bubbles large or small. So what might seem like typical ordinary behavior to most can actually come off as quirky and super weird to outsiders.

You may not even be aware of the weird stuff you do every day. Here are a bunch of things Americans do that drive people in other countries up the wall…

Tipping Everyone Over Pretty Much Anything

At expensive restaurants, Americans are supposed to leave a 15% or 20% tip for the server. In some places, if your total is higher than $100, the tip is automatically added to your total, even if the service was bad.

But in countries like Argentina, Peru, Belgium, Australia and Estonia you’re not expected to tip…like at all. If you do, it’s up to you to decide how much you’re in the mood to tip. And if you don’t leave a tip, guess what? No one bats an eye.

The area is pretty gray when it comes to tipping, so the customer decides if they want to participate or not.

You Get All The Ice You Want…Even If You Don’t Want It

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Restaurants serving ice in your water regardless of whether it’s hot or cold is unheard of in other parts of the world. But in America, people will ask for a glass that has more ice than actual soft drink or beer.

Using The Imperial System of Measurements

There are tons of things Americans do differently, including the fact that they’re rebels against the conventional order of the world. So, instead of the metric system, they prefer to stick to the imperial system of measurement which is mildly interesting and oh-so-confusing.

Respecting Personal Bubbles

To an American, not respecting someone’s personal space is the worst thing you can do, especially if you’re a perfect stranger. It makes Americans uncomfortable if you get too close or too touchy-feely, so the less physical contact, the better.

In other countries, physical contact is pretty common. So even if we were just introduced a few moments ago, we might squeeze a hug out of you just to say goodbye, or give you a kiss on the cheek the next time we see you. We just can’t help ourselves!