# Things Americans don't do that other countries do
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [July 14, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242 "2017-07-14T13:28:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/1 "2017-07-14T13:28:11Z")
Inspired by the spirited thread in [Cafe Society](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=830668), I’ll expand it everything else besides soft boiled eggs.
Being American I’m obviously ignorant on the subject so come on other countries - what are we not doing right?
🙂
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/2 "2017-07-14T14:11:18Z")
Holding and using utensils, for one.
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### Author:  [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/3 "2017-07-14T14:46:29Z")
America is lagging behind in bidet usage.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/4 "2017-07-14T14:49:05Z")
> [@xizor](#):
>
> America is lagging behind in bidet usage.
If I want warm water sprayed on my ass, I’ll . . . um . . . hmmmm.:o
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/5 "2017-07-14T14:49:36Z")
Most Americans don’t take off their shoes when entering a home, even someone else’s like Canadians and the Japanese tend to do. I personally don’t think that is a bad thing in most situations.
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### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/6 "2017-07-14T14:59:49Z")
> [@xizor](#):
>
> America is lagging behind in bidet usage.
I used to work at a plumbing supply store and they had a TOTO Washlet in the stores restroom. It was certainly very nice. I miss it but can’t seem to justify the price for my home.
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### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/7 "2017-07-14T15:00:50Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> Holding and using utensils, for one.
Explain.
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### Author:  [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/8 "2017-07-14T15:05:21Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> Holding and using utensils, for one.
My Russian ex-GF used to complain about the way I did but I wasn’t sure if it was because I was American or she was nuts.
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### Author:  [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/9 "2017-07-14T15:08:41Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#):
>
> My Russian ex-GF used to complain about the way I did but I wasn’t sure if it was because I was American or she was nuts.
Americans (if right-handed) when cutting up their food, tend to have the knife in right hand and fork in left, cut up the food, then switch hands so that the fork is in the right hand.
Europeans (including Russians) don’t switch. The fork stays in the left hand. Switching AFAIU is considered uncouth.
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/10 "2017-07-14T15:10:56Z")
Store eggs at room temperature. American egg producers are required to wash the eggs, which reduces the chance of contamination but also removes a waxy coating from the eggs. Once the coating is washed off, eggs will go bad unless refrigerated. (Not that American eggs are safer - other countries have different ways of preventing salmonella, e.g. vaccinating their chickens.) This is important to keep in mind when using recipes from other countries - they assume the egg is at room temperature.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/11 "2017-07-14T15:16:36Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#):
>
> Switching AFAIU is considered uncouth.
Here it would be judged as childish.
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/12 "2017-07-14T15:19:34Z")
> [@scr4](#):
>
> This is important to keep in mind when using recipes from other countries - they assume the egg is at room temperature.
Pretty much every egg recipe I have ever used says to let your eggs come to room temperature before you cook with them.
I don’t bake, so I don’t know what is generally advised for using eggs in that situation.
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/13 "2017-07-14T15:19:46Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#):
>
> Explain.
I think he means the use of knife and fork. The European way is to keep the fork in your left hand, tines facing down. Which means you are eating with your left hand, and only using your right hand for the knife (cutting food or shoving food onto the back of the fork). I believe this is standard in many other countries too.
The American way is to cut the same way, but then transfer the fork to the right hand to carry the cut food to your mouth. With the tines facing up.
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### Author:  [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/14 "2017-07-14T15:20:21Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#):
>
> My Russian ex-GF used to complain about the way I did but I wasn’t sure if it was because I was American or she was nuts.
Probably both.
> [@scr4](#):
>
> Store eggs at room temperature. American egg producers are required to wash the eggs, which reduces the chance of contamination but also removes a waxy coating from the eggs. Once the coating is washed off, eggs will go bad unless refrigerated. (Not that American eggs are safer - other countries have different ways of preventing salmonella, e.g. vaccinating their chickens.) This is important to keep in mind when using recipes from other countries - they assume the egg is at room temperature.
Every family recipe I have assumes that eggs are at room temperature. If I forget to take the eggs out of the fridge the night before, I have to put them in the oven on “warm” for half and hour, then wait another hour, or the recipe fails.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/15 "2017-07-14T15:21:48Z")
As an American, no one ever told me the “proper” way to cut and eat, so I shovel the food in with the same hand I held to cut it (which in my case is reversed since I’m left handed). Tines facing any which way.
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/16 "2017-07-14T15:21:57Z")
> [@Acsenray](#):
>
> Pretty much every egg recipe I have ever used says to let your eggs come to room temperature before you cook with them.
In European cookbooks? I thought European recipes often skip this step, because they assume the eggs are already stored at room temperature.
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/17 "2017-07-14T15:27:04Z")
Another one: buying groceries every day. Or at least every 2-3 days. Even if people have cars and can bring home a week’s worth of groceries in one trip, they generally don’t choose to eat week-old food.
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### Author:  [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/18 "2017-07-14T15:27:32Z")
Brit here. I’ve always refrigerated my eggs. I honestly don’t know how I got the habit, I just always have done. Which is weird, as eggs are sold in the supermarket outside the refrigerated section.
What else do Americans not do…use public transport? Europeans use it all the time. It’s a pain, but it would be worse if everyone drove everywhere.
I’m in my mid-thirties and still don’t have a drivers’ license, as I have had no need to drive anywhere so far. That will probably change in the next few years though.
Another…have decent healthcare 😛
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### Author:  [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/19 "2017-07-14T15:28:55Z")
> [@scr4](#):
>
> The American way is to cut the same way, but then transfer the fork to the right hand to carry the cut food to your mouth. With the tines facing up.
This may be regional; I’ve heard it before but never done it nor seen anyone do this.
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### Author:  [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/20 "2017-07-14T15:32:21Z")
> [@Malden\_Capell](#):
>
> Another…have decent healthcare 😛
We have great healthcare. We just have to go into debt to be able to use it.
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