# Non-US Dopers: What Do You Wish You'd Been Warned About Before You Came Here? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302 "2014-01-20T20:20:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/21 "2014-01-21T21:17:59Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I think this is regional. I’ve never had this happen to me in the San Francisco Bay Area. Largely yes but I’ve had it happen here in LA. Several of the people in my office, on finding out I’m atheist, went on at length to tell me how I really wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/22 "2014-01-21T23:12:40Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Also, that a self-service gas station, you are expected to pay for the gas before you pump. It didn’t used to be that way. Or at least it used to vary, some places might make you pay first, others might not, but then when the gas prices shot way up it suddenly became the norm almost everywhere. I do have one thing to warn foreigners about America. It’s not one monolithic place. That’s why you’re getting asked about church one place, but no one cares elsewhere. Where you are in America matters as much or more than just being in America as for what to expect. If you’re coming to Florida, ask about Florida, not just America in general. If you’re coming to Wyoming, ask about Wyoming, etc. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/23 "2014-01-21T23:39:36Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > that a frigging $100 bill looks much the same as a $1, $5, $10 and $20 note and you can easily be short-changed without knowing it. :mad: With the denomination being printed on each bill in at least 10 places, how is this a common problem for visitors? I know it is, I just don’t understand how the amount being in both numbers and words isn’t obvious enough. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/24 "2014-01-21T23:46:09Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > With the denomination being printed on each bill in at least 10 places, how is this a common problem for visitors? I know it is, I just don’t understand how the amount being in both numbers and words isn’t obvious enough. I do remember the bills all looking the same, but at least they have proper visible numbers. The coins were the most obscure pieces of badly designed crap I’ve ever seen anywhere on my travels. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/25 "2014-01-22T00:14:39Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > With the denomination being printed on each bill in at least 10 places, how is this a common problem for visitors? I know it is, I just don’t understand how the amount being in both numbers and words isn’t obvious enough. In a lot of other countries, bills of different denominations are different colors and/or sizes. So if you’re used to that I can see how it might be a little confusing to have to actually pay attention to the numbers, especially if the bill is folded or the corners are bent. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/26 "2014-01-22T00:21:13Z")
I met a woman from Canada who was so used to color-coded bills that she wasn’t used to looking at the numbers on them and had tipped $5 when she meant to tip $1, several times… ---
**Author:** ![VeroTrem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/73ab20/32.png) [@VeroTrem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VeroTrem)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/27 "2014-01-22T01:24:05Z")
I’m Canadian of Japanese descent but I live close enough to the US border that crossing the border seems second nature. I find Americans to be pretty nice people for the most part and they seem to have a much better service culture than Canada. The only thing I find annoying is how hardcore some of the border agents at the US/Canada border can be. I was once threatened with detention for several hours as the officer thought I was stoned when I was actually tired when in the backseat of a car. My European (French/Dutch/German) friends also seem to get really pissed when I take them for a day trip to Buffalo or Detroit as they get taken in to fill out visa forms. Maybe it’s because they expect open borders like in Europe? ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/28 "2014-01-22T01:34:44Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I think this is regional. I’ve never had this happen to me in the San Francisco Bay Area. Likewise. It eventually comes up in the workplace around here, but not in an aggressive way IME. (I could tell stories, though, about my old job, where I had a co-worker who was a super-Orthodox Jew. I am a totally secular nonobservant person who was raised Jewish, so people who were somehow intimidated by her would ask me questions about her, and about Judaism. It was kind of amusing at first, and a lot of people had been raised in places where they never met Jewish people, let alone anyone as observant as she was, and they were genuinely curious, so I tried to humor them. And she was genuinely a nice person and not intimidating at all, and actually invited me over to her house to spend holidays with her family a few times, until she called me at home once after the very goyischer **Tom Scud** moved in with me, but that’s another story. But after the hundredth time, I was seriously tempted to co-author a Q&A with her and e-mail it around the office. How the hell am I supposed to know if she shaves her head under that wig, for example?) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/29 "2014-01-22T01:41:18Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Also, that a self-service gas station, you are expected to pay for the gas before you pump. As we discovered last fall, you can’t pay at the pump with your credit card unless you have an American zip code, too. It frustrated the hell out of us - we _always_ pay at the pump with our debit or credit card in Canada, and have gotten very used to the convenience. We ended up being able to pay at the pump with our debit card, but we prefer to use our credit cards for vacations. > [@elfkin477](#): > > With the denomination being printed on each bill in at least 10 places, how is this a common problem for visitors? I know it is, I just don’t understand how the amount being in both numbers and words isn’t obvious enough. > [@Ethilrist](#): > > I met a woman from Canada who was so used to color-coded bills that she wasn’t used to looking at the numbers on them and had tipped $5 when she meant to tip $1, several times… That’s it - when you’re used to being able to identify bills by colour alone, you definitely aren’t used to looking at the numbers on them. We are VERY careful to look closely at the numbers on our US money when we visit the US. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/30 "2014-01-22T02:04:38Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > …On my last visit to America, I was frequently complimented on my clothes and my handbag by complete strangers who genuinely meant it. (I tend to dress a bit vintage. The handbag was bought new for the trip and yes, it was an awesome handbag.) > … I’m a handbag junkie. I would love to see a picture of that bag… or maybe you could just describe it…? ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/31 "2014-01-22T02:21:00Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Also, that a self-service gas station, you are expected to pay for the gas before you pump. But if you visit New Jersey or Oregon, you won’t have that problem because all the gas stations are full-service! ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/32 "2014-01-22T02:23:22Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Two things non-Americans typically notice about America: > > - Super-friendly and attentive service is the norm. > > - HUGE portions in restaurants. Don’t even think about ordering an appetizer, a main, and a dessert at a typical mid-range-type place. At least, not for just one person. The super-friendly and attentive service in restaurants is the flip side of our culture of tipping. And in SOME stores, especially high-end ones, salespeople get a commission. Both of the above are fine with me, but maybe just because I’m used to it. ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/33 "2014-01-22T02:26:12Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > It didn’t used to be that way. Or at least it used to vary, some places might make you pay first, others might not, but then when the gas prices shot way up it suddenly became the norm almost everywhere. > > I do have one thing to warn foreigners about America. It’s not one monolithic place. That’s why you’re getting asked about church one place, but no one cares elsewhere. Where you are in America matters as much or more than just being in America as for what to expect. If you’re coming to Florida, ask about Florida, not just America in general. If you’re coming to Wyoming, ask about Wyoming, etc. Still, compared to Europe, it pretty well homogenous. Travel a thousand miles in the US, people may pick up a slight accent and have slightly different views on religion and politics (liberals and conservatives are everywhere, just one side is louder in some places). Travel 1000 miles in Europe, you cross three-four different languages, cultures, and political boundaries. Even in Africa or Asia, you can encounter vastly different peoples in relatively short distances, though you also cross fewer political boundaries. The New World is just as diverse as the Old World. ---
**Author:** ![weemart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@weemart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weemart)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/34 "2014-01-22T02:27:52Z")
I’ve been to the US once. I was in Florida when I was 18. Just b4 I went I was mugged in Glasgow, Scotland (where I’m from) so I had stitches in my head when I visited. I was in a restaurant 1 day and they asked what happened to my head. I said I’d been attacked by 3 guys in Glasgow a few days earlier. Due to an accent breakdown they immediately asked how I knew they were gays. This was 19 years ago. I wouldn’t say it was a good or bad experience… It was just different. Americans have different attitudes from us. I think they thought I was saying that cos 3 guys had mugged me I was calling them gay which wasn’t my intention and I think they realised when I explained the accent errors. It’s the 1 thing I remember most about my visit to America except for the lovely IHOP breakfasts. Yum yum. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/35 "2014-01-22T02:59:32Z")
> [@weemart](#): > > It’s the 1 thing I remember most about my visit to America except for the lovely IHOP breakfasts. Yum yum. 🙂 I never thought I’d ever hear “the best part of my trip was IHOP” and not have that be the most insulting thing a person could say. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/36 "2014-01-22T03:08:30Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > When I was stationed in Germany and again when I went over there for training some years later I had basically the same briefing. “You know how back on the block you would give shit to the cops if they told you to something? :nods of assent: Well don’t try that shit with the Polezei. You talk back you are liable to get a spring baton to your head then your First Sergeant will have to pick you up at the hospital.” The more things change, the more then stay the same. I can’t believe there is any country in the world where giving shit to a cop is advisable, this seems too obvious to mention.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![weemart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@weemart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weemart)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/37 "2014-01-22T03:13:30Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I never thought I’d ever hear “the best part of my trip was IHOP” and not have that be the most insulting thing a person could say. I was 18 lol. Memories of an 18 year old can be greatly exaggerated over time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/38 "2014-01-22T03:16:47Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I never thought I’d ever hear “the best part of my trip was IHOP” and not have that be the most insulting thing a person could say. [How about this?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaKuT3dIwfc) ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/39 "2014-01-22T03:31:18Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I never thought I’d ever hear “the best part of my trip was IHOP” and not have that be the most insulting thing a person could say. To be fair, you must remember that he’s coming from a different frame of reference here; as an international visitor, he’s most likely only been exposed to the International House of Pancakes, and IHOP is quite good if that’s all you’ve had. As a U.S. citizen or resident alien, though, you’ve most likely been privy to (and spoiled by) the far superior National House of Pancakes. As good as IHOP is, NHOP will always surpass it due to the higher level prestige which attracts the most talented culinary talent, as well as the general quality of federal pancake subsidies. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/40 "2014-01-22T04:09:47Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > That the price marked on an item in a shop is (very often) quite a bit less less than what you will actually have to pay for it at the till (due to sales tax not being included in marked prices). Oh yes. Especially coming from a place where prices are always after tax. One bad thing. Fruits are awaful tasting. The sweetcorn OTH.🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302.md?page=3)