When Americans make the trek across the pond and visit Europe for the first time, there are plenty of differences they might notice: a wide variety of languages, new foods, accessible public transit, paying to use a public restroom, and being made fun of for using the word ‘restroom’ in the first place.

One Reddit user was curious about what people from the US have observed in Europe, so they recently asked Americans to share the hot takes they think Europeans aren’t ready to hear. Readers did not hold back in the replies, from concerns about smoking to pointing out racist behavior, so we’ve gathered some of the most thought-provoking answers below. Enjoy reading what Americans have to say about Europe, and be sure to upvote the points you agree with, whether you’re from the US, Europe or anywhere else in the world!

#1

Y’all are getting fat too.

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#2

You’re gonna need air conditioners in your homes pretty soon.

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#3

Racism isn’t just an American thing.

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#4

Public toilets being free should be a standard

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#5

The way people drive in Italy makes me understand why they’re so religious.

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#6

Quit smoking

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#7

Our ideas of foreign cuisine are basically products of the immigrant experience.

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#8

Your population is getting older on average and there aren’t enough young people to keep your economies as large. There will be a long period where the quality of life will be stagnant at best.

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#9

The boring chit chat y’all hate is actually pretty great. Just because someone says hi doesn’t mean they want something from you.

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#10

We are actually pretty smart as a nation. The stupid ones are just the loudest and the most annoying

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#11

In the USA there’s a ton of people that actually wear pajamas in public.

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#12

The KFC Double Down will both disgust and delight you.

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#13

You have a drinking problem. It’s not a thing to brag about.

The level of alcoholism in some areas of Europe is troubling. I’m amazed at how often people miss work as a result. The levels of colorectal cancer are also twice the rest of the world in countries with the highest consumption.

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#14

Air conditioning, ice, and free potable water are all nice things to have

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#15

There are actually more states than Texas, New York, and California.

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#16

Depending on the European country: your healthcare system sucks, too. I was shocked to find out that friends of mine were just paying for private insurance on top of the government healthcare they had already paid for, and that some of them were coming to the US for medical procedures because they couldn’t get them scheduled because the government had decided that they weren’t important enough.

Part of the reason you have access to some of the drugs and procedures that were really expensive to develop is that the US taxpayers and patients are paying high prices. Then, after the company recoups the cost, they also sell them to countries with single-payer healthcare.

Please note: I said “too.” Our system is awful. I hate it. Most Americans hate it. Crony capitalism.

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#17

As a country of immigrants, people will talk about what ethnicity they are. Don’t get mad at me for saying I am of Irish, polish, French and Italian ancestry because I am not ethnically native to this country, unlike a whole other group of people who are. Also yes, native folks do still exist. It’s not like European Americans are the new natives now.

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#18

Biscuits and gravy is delicious

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#19

Tanning to that extent looks horrible stop doing that to yourselves (mainly for the UK)

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#20

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are yummy.

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#21

We don’t actually think about you as much you (apparently) think about us.

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#22

British people mock us for using Imperial measurements and then still order pints at the pub and use “stones” as a measurement of weight.

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#23

When people say “Americans are ______” I feel like they don’t realize how huge America is. We span 6 timezones which makes it hard to be consistent in anything and it’s really impossible to lump us ALL into a single group.

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#24

Americans have big portion sizes in restaurants because we have a big leftovers culture. While some people will eat their whole meal, it’s completely normal if you don’t and you’ll be offered a to-go box to take it home. There isn’t really a big expectation to finish your meal at restaurants.

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#25

**A lot** of you are doing the same work and getting a lot less for it than you would in the US.

Not if you’re poor or close to it, then you’re probably equivalent or better off in Europe. But if you are even moderately successful in your profession then your going to have a significantly lower standard of living in practical terms.

When I lived in Frankfurt my roommate had a computer science degree and a successful consulting firm but still had to share an apartment with me and take the S-Bahn everywhere.

I moved back to the states to make more money, he finally moved to Texas (the scourge of many Europeans ideas of America) and now has a house. Still has everything he had in Europe, just now has more money, space, and independence. Everyone knows the US isn’t perfect in this regard, but working hard in Europe doesn’t really get you that much. I’m glad I was there when I was young but as I’ve gotten older I’ve lost the desire to move back.

#26

We know other countries do it differently. I am sick of how everytime an American explains their problems, someone pipes in with “well in my country we do it this way”. We know. We know our healthcare, politics, and media are f****d, there are a lot complicated reasons for why and simply saying that your country doesn’t do it that way isn’t helping anything.

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#27

There is genuine isolationist vibe happening in the US which only being held at bay by people who feel we should still stay engaged with the world and of course our military industrial complex. Anti European sentiment is seeping into both sides of the political spectrum and even the center.

The question “why should we get involved in yet another European war?” Is being asked a lot right now.

If the US goes isolationist and leaves the EU to deal with the RU China alliance on their own you won’t just have some retirement age issues to worry about.

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#28

Stop trading insults with us by saying “school shootings” and then dropping the mic. Many of us are also horrified by the gun violence in this country, but using dead children to win an argument about who has better food does you no credit.

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#29

Europe is more racist than the US in many ways, but it’s not politicized like it is in the USA. I have black American friends who have been told they can’t eat inside certain restaurants in Europe which would never happen in the US today. Not to mention the way the Roma/g*psies are discussed by Europeans. I was shocked to hear such casual racism there. Often while criticizing the racism in the USA.

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#30

We’re not “uncultured” it’s a 10 hour flight to a foreign country. We can’t just drive over to another country for a weekend getaway.

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#31

Most every European I’ve met who hasn’t been here before has been totally unprepared for the massive size of the US

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#32

A very large mixed race country that has guns written into its constitution is a lot harder to govern that any country in Europe. A lot.

#33

When I lived in Germany:

German Girl: “I’ve read that Mexicans in Los Angeles experience a lot of racism.”

Me: “Yes, Mexican people in Los Angeles do experience racism. Probably similar to the Turks here in Germany.”

German Girl: “That’s different. The Turks aren’t suitable here. They don’t fit in.”

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