# Things Americans don't do that other countries do **URL:** \ **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:** 5
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/81 "2017-07-15T02:14:07Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > …Depends on where you are in the US. I can buy blood pudding. I wouldn’t, because the idea horrifies me, but it’s in the local grocery store seasonally. Blood pudding is bloody delicious, and I don’t really get the issue. Is their blood in your steak, pork, chicken, etc? Of course there is. It’s basically oats and stuff which have absorbed blood, then you fry it up. Meh. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/82 "2017-07-15T02:21:36Z")
The metric system. No excuse they make as to why they haven’t actually holds water. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/83 "2017-07-15T04:33:37Z")
Use dollar coins instead of paper bills. We will probably never get rid of our pennies either. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/84 "2017-07-15T05:18:52Z")
Shoes inside: I’d say about 50% of people do it. But if you’re having people over for a house party, it’s considered anal if not rude to insist that everybody immediately de-shoe, so many vistors’ experiences may not be representative. I have never/rarely encountered strangers or coworkers talking about religion unless it was specifically relevant. Much of the coworker part is academia so that may very well be not a representative sample, but it is also not common in this part of the country outside of work. Goose is rare in my experience, but ham, turkey, and duck can be common. Blood pudding is found in nicer delis and restaurants. It’s pretty good, my 2 year old loved it. US banking is a little dated. Chips were only adopted 1-2 years ago, and even then it’s usually chip & signature for credit cards, not chip & pin. Personal checks seem to have died out later than in some countries, but in the last 5 or so years they’re pretty much gone except perhaps for rent payments for some people. Some other countries are similarly dated, like IIRC Germans using cash for lots that others use cards for. > [@guizot](#): > > They don’t give wine to children at family meals. You must not have Italian-American relatives. But it’s perfectly legal to give your kids alcohol in most states. [This map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Underage_consumption_map_2007.gif) (2007 so probably not current) only has 19 states+DC that don’t (didn’t) allow this. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/85 "2017-07-15T06:01:19Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The metric system. > > No excuse they make as to why they haven’t actually holds water. The ultimate reason: In ordinary people’s daily lives, it actually doesn’t matter all that much, so it’s hard to convince people to accept the hassle and expense of changing. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/86 "2017-07-15T06:11:16Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > No excuse they make as to why they haven’t actually holds water. > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > The ultimate reason: In ordinary people’s daily lives, it actually doesn’t matter all that much Case in point. It matters more than Americans realise, and their arrogance is holding them back on the world stage in ways they refuse to see. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/87 "2017-07-15T06:17:01Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Case in point. It matters more than Americans realise, and their arrogance is holding them back on the world stage in ways they refuse to see. In ordinary consumer stuff, it doesn’t matter. Cars don’t run better if you pump fuel into them by the liter. It doesn’t feel better to be sick if you have a fever in celsius. People who were pissed off by the metrication effort didn’t care about the sciences or construction or whatever. They cared about having to learn a new way to buy meat or figure the distance to grandma’s house, and metric didn’t make those parts of their lives better one bit. Most people who use measurements in their daily lives _wouldn’t_ have their lives improved by the change, so it was a mistake for the metrication effort to ever try to intrude on their lives. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/88 "2017-07-15T06:57:41Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Blood pudding is bloody delicious, and I don’t really get the issue. Is their blood in your steak, pork, chicken, etc? Of course there is. > > It’s basically oats and stuff which have absorbed blood, then you fry it up. Meh. I love blood pudding but, no, there really isn’t blood in the meat you eat in the same sense. There really shouldn’t be any. Maybe some juices with myoglobin, but blood? Not really. Anyhow, here in Chicago, it’s pretty easy to get some variation of blood sausage. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/89 "2017-07-15T07:05:45Z")
By and large, we don’t weigh ingredients when cooking. Kitchen scales exist but they’re a niche thing like egg cups and kettles. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/90 "2017-07-15T07:09:57Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Case in point. It matters more than Americans realise, and their arrogance is holding them back on the world stage in ways they refuse to see. Not arrogance. Financial and fiscal responsibility. If it matters so much to other countries, then they can pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/91 "2017-07-15T09:59:54Z")
So resistant. You won’t know how much it will improve your life until you try, and you just refuse to try. I maintain there will be a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Trafalgar\_Laura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trafalgar_laura/32/2907_2.png) [@Trafalgar\_Laura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trafalgar_Laura)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/92 "2017-07-15T10:20:15Z")
I was bemused to discover that Canadian milk generally comes in bags. How true is this elsewhere? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/93 "2017-07-15T10:27:50Z")
> [@Trafalgar\_Laura](#): > > I was bemused to discover that Canadian milk generally comes in bags. How true is this elsewhere? It’s a regional thing even in Canada. In western Canada they have jugs. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/94 "2017-07-15T11:19:39Z")
> [@Trafalgar\_Laura](#): > > I was bemused to discover that Canadian milk generally comes in bags. How true is this elsewhere? I’ve never seen that in Australia - all jugs and cartons, just like the States. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/95 "2017-07-15T13:11:52Z")
Hey, we’ve adopted the metric system. At least for 1 liter and larger sizes of soda. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/96 "2017-07-15T13:36:16Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > So resistant. > > You won’t know how much it will improve your life until you try, and you just refuse to try. I maintain there will be a difference. Ok, how much will it improve our lives? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/97 "2017-07-15T13:41:31Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > So resistant. > > You won’t know how much it will improve your life until you try, and you just refuse to try. I maintain there will be a difference. Disagree. There is a whole infrastructure involved. There is also a misconception that it would be a lot easier than it actually would be. I suspect, but have no proof of, that much like language there is a period of early mental development wherein our system of weights and measures imprints on us and becomes the “logical” way of seeing the world. Changing that as an adult would require a lot more effort than it would have had I learned it at school. I’m old enough to remember the effort to get us to switch over. I’m familiar with the metric system and if forced to use it, I can make a pretty good conversion in my head. But even if I can do it perfectly it’s still just a conversion. Because of the way our system is hard wired into me I have to first think of it in “our” system then remember some conversion calculations. It’s just not worth it because as been pointed out it just doesn’t matter. I suggest you go for a week and try to think in terms of weights and volumes only as we do and you will start to comprehend the complexity of what you are asking. Further, as an American, I can assure you in the sciences we do use the metric system. There is nothing inherently special about base 10 (as it relates to buying milk) Had humans evolved with six fingers we would be using something completely different. . ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/98 "2017-07-15T13:58:33Z")
> [@Trafalgar\_Laura](#): > > I was bemused to discover that Canadian milk generally comes in bags. How true is this elsewhere? Hungary has them often in bags, too. Europeans (or at least the places in Central Europe I’ve mostly travelled in) seem to drink a lot more sparkling mineral water than Americans. It seems to be the default for a “water” order, whereas here in the US, still water is standard. Free refills on soft drinks also don’t really exist. Drinks also don’t usually come loaded with ice. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/99 "2017-07-15T14:08:34Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > I don’t switch hands. If you do, it feels like someone else is feeding you. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242/100 "2017-07-15T14:18:59Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Ok, how much will it improve our lives? By 17 gigalitres. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-americans-dont-do-that-other-countries-do/791242.md?page=6)