# Most fascinating/weird thing about America **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 21, 2002, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775 "2002-04-21T04:52:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/121 "2002-11-08T08:30:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BalmainBoy \* > \*\*But the paper currency - all the same size, all the same colour! You need a history degree to remember if ol’ Jeff is worth more than a Ben or less than a Chase! \*\* Why not just read the numbers on all four corners of the bill? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/122 "2002-11-08T08:44:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by robinc308 \* > \*\*I agree with **Narrad** , it’s the attitude towards guns more than anything that struck me as being very different, and quite alien to me. But for me it was also the sight of a guy pulling over on the highway, getting his gun out and wandering into the woods (as mentioned earlier in this thread). \*\* What is unusual about this? How do hunters in your country do it? ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/123 "2002-11-08T08:45:54Z")
Huh, a thread back from the dead. And to quote moi? BTW, my last sentence in **Quintas** ’s quote above originally sat below a quote from another poster. The nested quote was removed; I made more sense the first time. 🙂 > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Quintas \* > \*\*Why in the world would you be so terrified of a handgun? \*\* I wouldn’t be terrified of a handgun _per se_, but the circumstances in which I saw that particular handgun where somewhat unusual. Besides, guns aren’t exactly common around here. Ordinary people in the suburbs just don’t own guns. Country people may own rifles and the such, but handguns in particular are decidedly rare. (FWIW, there is currently moves in Australia to ban the possession of all handguns not in the possession of competition shooters.) ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/124 "2002-11-08T09:13:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\* > > Alcohol in supermarkets is common in the UK too (I’d be surprised to find a superstore that _doesn’t_ sell it.) I am surprised that people are surprised at that. \*\* I was surprised the first time I saw alcohol in the supermarket. I grew up in New Jersey. You can’t get anything except in a liquor store. In New York you can get beer in groceries but nothing else. In New Hampshire you can get beer and wine. In California I think you can get everything. (That’s all the states I’ve lived in so far.) Alcohol, like guns, is another thing you can’t generalize about in America. The stupidly large portions of food, unfortuately, seem to be everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/125 "2002-11-08T11:16:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crafter\_Man \* > > That’s precisely why I _love_ the U.S… > > In fact, I shot an M-16 just last Sunday. (My first “full-auto fun” experience.) How many Irishmen have shot M-16s? Can we have a show of hands? > > America-n-guns. I love it. > Crafter\_Man (a.k.a. “The Gun Nut”) A good few are quite familiar with the AK47 😉 Last year I was meant to go to a gun range in Cambodia to have a go of a M-16, AK47 and a rocket launcher which you could used to blow up a cow BTW :eek: but indulged in the local weed a bit to much the night before and couldn’t make it. I was this close to being able to answer your question about m-16’s with “Me for one” ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/126 "2002-11-08T12:17:55Z")
Born in UK - lived in California for 6 years. Some random things I found strange but loved; 1. Good (actually great more often than not) service 2. Space. Lots of it. 3. Very few coins. In the UK we have so many coins that your pockets are always weighed down with the damn things. 4. Pancakes for breakfast 5. 101 questions when ordering a sandwich (bread, mayo, pickles etc.) 6. Basketball and Football 7. Las Vegas (if it was a prioritized list this would be #1 :D) 8. Getting on a plane and not needing a passport (for an internal flight). UK isn’t big enough to do that so this struck me as strange first time I did it. 9. The “leave a penny-take a penny” thing in most convenience stores. Great idea! 10. The ability to run a tab in virtually any bar you walk into. Also, the ability to leave money on the bar and have it still be there when you come back 11. Very friendly people. Some random things I found strange and didn’t like; 12. Sales Tax not included in the price 13. No gambling in California. 14. 21 age restriction to buy alcohol 15. All bars close at 2:00am in CA. Period. No excpetions. Ever. 16. Baseball and Ice Hockey 17. Why did everyone think I was Australian? On the guns thing - only guns I saw in 6 years were at a firing range. On the size of the portions thing - definitely too big but at least it is better than being too small ---
**Author:** ![ShetlandPony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@ShetlandPony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShetlandPony)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/127 "2002-11-08T13:00:42Z")
Drive through ATMs with instructions in Braille!!! The signs at offices and bars saying you are not allowed to carry unlicensed, concealed weapons on the premises. Having to become a “member” of a restaurant to have a drink in a dry county Being asked to prove my age in a bar when I am more than twice the age limit ( I took this as a compliment ) People being astonished when I said I was an atheist (“A friend of mine used to know one of those”) People paying $5 for valet parking instead of walking 100m. A restaurant every 100m - but 90% have identical menus. There is good american beer Putting ice cubes in Budweiser straight from the freezer and in a frozen glass People really are so friendly ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/128 "2002-11-08T19:20:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hail Ants \* > \*\*Kal: > Four words- Steak and kidney pie (oh the humanity) 😃 \*\* I’ve tried S&K pie at our local British-expat-owned pub, The King’s Head, and thought it was great! Only thing is, instead of being in a real pie it was just a sort of stew with a large airy pastry put on top. Is that how it’s normally served? ---
**Author:** ![Coilean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Coilean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coilean)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/129 "2002-11-08T20:51:16Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by ShetlandPony \* > There is good american beer_\* You know, I’m damn glad somone’s picked up on that. As an American who’s spent several of the last years outside of the country, I’m always a touch put off when people equate American beer to Bud and only Bud. There’s loads of different brews in the states and in my experience, there’s also a wider selection in the states than many other countires. Mmmmmm, pancakes and bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/130 "2002-11-08T20:53:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by king of spain \* > \*\*Can I just say, as an American, I am childishly delighted by the fun colorful money whenever I’m abroad? Damn shame the gold Sacajawea dollar coins didn’t catch on. \*\* We’ve beat this issue around and around several times here. Non-Americans have also often mentioned the the fact that our paper money all looks the same. But don’t any of you visitors find it odd that in order to buy anything above the newspaper level you have to use bills, and then the change even includes smaller bills? I don’t want to hijack this thread, I just really want to know if non-Americans have been struck by this difference in our money systems? ---
**Author:** ![Jerrybear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8c91f0/32.png) [@Jerrybear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerrybear)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/131 "2002-11-08T20:54:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hail Ants \* > \*\ ***David Letterman** was fired from one of his first jobs (local TV weatherman) for stating there was hail coming down **“the size of canned hams!”** \*\* So, I presume that is where the gag on Late Night With D.L. comes from, where he gives canned hams to people in the audience. I always wondered if there was some meaning behind that, or if giving out canned hams was just some random idea that popped into Dave’s mind. I also have noticed the use of the football field as a unit of measurement. I guess it is just assumed that enough of us Americans can relate to how big a football field is. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/132 "2002-11-08T22:52:47Z")
It may be worth pointing out that I’m an American and I have no idea how big a football field is. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/133 "2002-11-09T17:22:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by javaman \* > \*\* > I’ve tried S&K pie at our local British-expat-owned pub, The King’s Head, and thought it was great! Only thing is, instead of being in a real pie it was just a sort of stew with a large airy pastry put on top. Is that how it’s normally served? \*\* Yup. The _real_ classic British dish isn’t steak & kidney pie, though – it’s steak & kidney _pudding_. Same filling, but encased in a suet pastry pudding. Try that next time.😃 ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/134 "2002-11-09T19:15:52Z")
As a slight nitpick, to **WotNot’s** comment, S&K pie is _traditionally_ a normal pie with a full pastry casing, but these days the ones you get in pubs, restaurants etc. seem to come in little casserole dishes with just a flaky pastry top. It you bought one in a fish & chip shop it would be like a regular pie. He’s right about the s&k pudding, though. (They’re made in a cup-shaped mould and are served upside down like a little flat-topped dome full of meat and gravy.) ---
**Author:** ![guy\_from\_wpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@guy\_from\_wpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guy_from_wpa)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/135 "2002-11-09T20:19:55Z")
I have been to N. Irleand a couple of times and had a couple of my Irish cousins come over and a few things they thought was different: 1. Ice and cold beverages. When I wanted a Coke in a bar in Dungannon, they just pulled a bottle off the shelf. I wanted ice, got three little cubes. Here in the US, half the drink is ice. 2. Even though English is spoken here and there, the words mean entirely something else. Asking where to get good “crack” (craic) in Philly is going to get you something else entirely that what you really want. And “The Bull” may be Schlitz Malt liquour here, but my cousins tell me it means something else entirely there. 3. They thought it weird that we drink “iced” tea. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/136 "2002-11-09T22:45:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Electric outlets that don’t have on/off switches. The switches are for the things you _plug in_ to the outlets. > [@](#): > > I really don’t get why an otherwise forward thinking country would use such an outdated and confusing system, when a simple and convenient alternative is right there for the taking. Shut up. That’s why! My car gets two gedickets to the Waffle House and that’s the way I likes it! The foriegners who don’t get having pancakes on the same plate as bacon and eggs: I refuse to let my chilluns’ grow up in a world where my sausage was _not_ drenched in maple syrup, my egg yolks _not_ crispy and fattening, my pancakes must be buttermilk; or if butter is deficient, then margarine will do, and if milk is lacking, then butter will do, my plate _must_ be greasy, my donuts stale and greasier still, and I must have my CORNBREAD. And I’ll fight ter keep it! > [@](#): > > And I still think your money is silly. So… who saved who’s ass in the World Wars? And what currency did they use? American. What color? Green, white, and black. Damn straight. None of that fruity’ red, orange, blue, and yellow crap with cathedral windows for US! > [@](#): > > It may be worth pointing out that I’m an American and I have no idea how big a football field is. A football field is 50 yards wide, with 100 yards on it in length and at each side there’s about 5 (10?) yards of N-zone (where the touchdowns happen). ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775/137 "2002-11-10T01:42:35Z")
A football field is technically 120 yards long, with 10 yards in each endzone. The expression generally refers to 100 yards. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-fascinating-weird-thing-about-america/104775.md?page=6)