From politics to food, the United States of America gives off a very strange vibe to the rest of the world. There are many stereotypes associated with the States, and it can be hard to know how many of them are true.
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The rest of us are completely inundated with media set in the US, so much so that it feels weird when it turns out that the things we see in movies actually happen.
This Reddit thread asked non-Americans what the weirdest rumor they found out about the US that turned out to be true was—check out some of the best responses below!
Wait, for real?
"That people actually get attacked by alligators that get into their pools (specifically referring to Florida here)."
What happens here????
"That Dolly Parton has her own theme park in Tennessee. I thought it was a joke."
Not necessarily a bad thing, tbh.
"All the food is bigger."
But why?
"I’m still not 100% sure this is true, so hopefully someone can confirm—'buoy' is pronounced 'boo-ee'?"
This seems scary
"Masked people come to your house, knock on your door, and ask for candy. Mostly it’s just packs of kids, but sometimes whole families. This was my friend's Halloween culture shock."
Americans are very chatty
"Not exactly crazy, but I wanted to test out the stereotype that Americans will talk to anyone, so I sought out a sports bar on my first visit. I ended up having a ton of really fun conversations with total strangers whom I’ll never talk to again. It was great!"
Way cool, bro!
"Surfer dudes actually speak like that."
Generic restaurant
"I always thought that the Olive Garden in The Simpsons was just code for 'generic restaurant.'"
Pie is a good skill to have
"I studied in Maryland for about half a year back in 2017. I’d always heard that Americans are super good at making pie. I was pretty much all alone during Thanksgiving since everyone else was with their families. One of the RAs I’d befriended knocked on my door and brought me all different kinds of pie. Dear Lord, I’ve never tasted anything that delicious—from blueberry to apple to pumpkin. Every. Single. Pie. They were all amazing."
Hm, good to know
"Sports bars are actually exactly how they’re portrayed on TV."
Seeing that comparison chart that shows the large Australian Maccas meals are the same size as the American small??? So weird
"Drink sizes. Holy shit.When my family visited in 2017, we landed in Texas for a stopover. The first thing I saw in the shops part of the terminal was a dude who was drinking from what looked like an actual fucking bucket—here in NZ, our 'large' drinks would be considered an American 'small' or maybe 'medium.'"
What else would you say?
"I’m from Quebec, and when we went down to Boston for a school trip, I sneezed in public and heard two or three people say 'bless you.' Quite a weird rumor I had heard just two months prior to that. I thought it was nice."
This is so cute
"I’m from Australia, and all my life I believed red Solo cups were like 555 area codes—a Hollywood prop. When I immigrated to the US, my mother-in-law was making dinner and offered me iced tea in a red Solo cup.I lost it and made everyone sign the cup. I’ve still got it."
Wait, for real??!
"Free refills!"
People have strong opinions on iced tea
"Biscuits and gravy is a legit thing. Also, you can ride motorcycles without helmets in some states??? And your iced tea isn’t sweetened unless you ask for it sweet.Edit: Nothing could have possibly prepared me for the absolute dichotomy of sweet tea vs. iced tea in the comments. This is evidently very important to many."
What's the weirdest true thing you've heard about the USA? Share with us in the comments!
