# Weirdest things about America **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691 "2003-08-07T23:18:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/21 "2003-08-09T07:27:33Z")
I guess this is a “weird thing about **North** America”, but yesterday during lunch my Canuck coworker mentioned something about doggy bags and the Irish guys fell over laughing. Not just at the term, but at the concept. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/22 "2003-08-09T07:37:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NinjaChick \* > \*\*They serious don’t do this elsewhere? Man, the over-abundance of commercials is the reason why I only watch PBS! > > \*\* The only problem with that is then you get these incredibly long and annoying pledge drives where you have to listen to them beg for money for 20 minutes at a strech. I’d rather just have the commericals so I have a chance to go to the toliet every 10 minues or so. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/23 "2003-08-09T07:39:50Z")
I had a good friend from China. I asked her why she came to the US. She said a friend of hers had visited the US and brought home some marshmallows. She said after one taste of those marshmallows she just new she wanted to live in the US. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/24 "2003-08-09T10:22:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mehitabel \* > \*\ ***Tusculan** , were these ‘stores’ by any chance in the back of trucks or on sidewalks? 😉 \*\* 🙂 I may be naive, but not that naive. It happened in several shops, one on the street directly south of Grand Central Station, another right across the NY Public Library (or whatever it is called). Before that experience the only time I’d seen haggling was in _Life of Brian_. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/25 "2003-08-09T10:39:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny B. Goode \* > \*\*In Europe (including the UK), unlike Asia, Australia and the US, it is usually the customer that bags their groceries. > > I know… different service ethic, I guess. \*\* I dunno about other places but everywhere I’ve been here the cashier bags your groceries for you. Most shopping centers have a plastic bag dispenser beside the till so items go straight into a bag after being scanned. It’s efficient enough that I can’t see why anyone would waste 100 bucks a day on someone else to do the bagging bit. Incidentally, my sister is a checkout chick and also the world’s worst (or best) complainer: if there was any sort of inconvienience to cashiers with this system I would have heard about it by now! ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/26 "2003-08-09T10:40:33Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by j66_ > What’s weird about grocery baggers? Over here (Australia), the checkout chick just bags the groceries. Do you have a seperate guy to do it? ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/27 "2003-08-09T11:11:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gex gex \* > \*\*Over here (Australia), the checkout chick just bags the groceries. Do you have a seperate guy to do it? \*\* Some places do, some places don’t. Some places it depends on the time of day or how busy they are. So it’s about as inconsistent as European shop open hours (just had to toss a zinger, sorry). ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/28 "2003-08-09T11:27:10Z")
Euphemisms. Saying “bathroom” when of course you mean “shitter”. 😉 The best one I’ve ever heard of was one my father saw on a plane, where the sick bag was marked: **Flight discomfiture receptacle (or doggy bag)** ---
**Author:** ![bbart4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/51bf81/32.png) [@bbart4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbart4)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/29 "2003-08-09T12:00:54Z")
Cranberry sauce… Painted nails. Wearing sneakers while commuting only to change to dress shoes at work. Putting up make-up while driving. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/30 "2003-08-09T12:06:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bbart4 \* > **Painted nails. > Wearing sneakers while commuting only to change to dress shoes at work.** What? They don’t paint nails anywhere else in the world? :rolleyes: And the sneaker thing isn’t so weird! You suggest we wear heels on the walk to the subway, the subway ride, and the walk to the office? I personally don’t like the sneaker with a suit look, so I wear a cute pair of flats until I get to the office. Have you ever worn heels??? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/31 "2003-08-09T12:11:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bbart4 \* > \*\*Cranberry sauce… > Painted nails. > Wearing sneakers while commuting only to change to dress shoes at work. > Putting up make-up while driving. \*\* I see every single one of these in Ireland every day (I have cranberry sauce in my fridge, you see). ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/32 "2003-08-09T12:15:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ccwaterback \* > \*\*I had a good friend from China. I asked her why she came to the US. She said a friend of hers had visited the US and brought home some marshmallows. She said after one taste of those marshmallows she just new she wanted to live in the US. > > 🙂 \*\* You whaa? All the marshmallows I can buy are made in China! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bbart4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/51bf81/32.png) [@bbart4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbart4)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/33 "2003-08-09T12:16:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LolaCocaCola \* > What? They don’t paint nails anywhere else in the world? :rolleyes: I meant the ornately decorated nails… > [@](#): > > And the sneaker thing isn’t so weird! You suggest we wear heels on the walk to the subway, the subway ride, and the walk to the office? I personally don’t like the sneaker with a suit look, so I wear a cute pair of flats until I get to the office. > > Have you ever worn heels??? There are quite a lot of comfy heels that can be worn to work, no? ---
**Author:** ![bbart4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/51bf81/32.png) [@bbart4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbart4)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/34 "2003-08-09T12:19:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*I see every single one of these in Ireland every day (I have cranberry sauce in my fridge, you see). \*\* I may be wrong here, but they tend to have cranberry sauce mostly during Thanksgiving only here in America. ---
**Author:** ![Inscrutable\_Fury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8c91f0/32.png) [@Inscrutable\_Fury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inscrutable_Fury)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/35 "2003-08-09T12:20:50Z")
Never been at the states but I’ve just read that you’ve changed the french fries to Freedom Fries in the time of the Iraq situation… I just can’t grasp the stupidity of this idea. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/36 "2003-08-09T12:44:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Inscrutable Fury \* > \*\*Never been at the states but I’ve just read that you’ve changed the french fries to Freedom Fries in the time of the Iraq situation… > I just can’t grasp the stupidity of this idea. \*\* Why don’t you mail that post to back to June, when it was still news. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/37 "2003-08-09T12:46:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bbart4 \* > \*\*There are quite a lot of comfy heels that can be worn to work, no? \*\* You mean the “looks like a pump, feels like a sneaker” variety? No, thank yew. :o ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/38 "2003-08-09T12:50:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LolaCocaCola \* > \*\*Why don’t you mail that post to back to June, when it was still news. \*\* It may no longer be news, but it’s still a thundering tower of idiocy. That it happened at all should be fairly embarrassing to y’all. Thankfully it’s not representative of the majority of Americans. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/39 "2003-08-09T12:58:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*It may no longer be news, but it’s still a thundering tower of idiocy. That it happened at all should be fairly embarrassing to y’all. Thankfully it’s not representative of the majority of Americans. \*\* While I agree it’s idiotic, I also think the media made more of it than it was. I mean, in actuality, I have _never_ seen french fries being sold ANYWHERE in NYC as “Freedom Fries”, nor have I _ever_ heard an actual person refer to them as freedom fries while ordering them. Much ado about nothing, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/40 "2003-08-09T13:09:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LolaCocaCola \* > \*\* I mean, in actuality, I have _never_ seen french fries being sold ANYWHERE in NYC as “Freedom Fries”, nor have I _ever_ heard an actual person refer to them as freedom fries while ordering them. > > Much ado about nothing, IMO. \*\* IIRC, the only place it happened was the cafeteria at the Capitol where the Senators and Congressmen eat, right? And yes, it was VERY much ado about nothing. The media is to blame for that one. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691.md?page=3)