Foreigners have called “Deutschland” whatever they fell like since the Romans. Probably a lot harder for someone to decree the name change than some obscure African country that want’s to be called “Burkina Faso”. Most American have probably never heard of Upper Volta or Burkina Faso or whatever the dictator that happens to be in power wants to call it that year.
Of note, Finland and Hungary have absolutely no relation to the native names for them either.
By American style hotel I meant something similar in concept and price to a Holiday Inn Express, where I normally stay when in the US. Affordable, free hot breakfast, wifi, and parking, and bathrooms in the rooms (or is this standard in Europe now, the last time I was in Europe was 1985 and running down the hall got old fast.
I’m not among them, I was an ardent player of the Carmen Sandiego DOS games back in the day.
I’m aware. I’m not an idiot. I also know why Switzerland’s TLD is .ch.
In South America could have been Bolivia, we had just gotten off a bus and were looking for a hotel, as usual, when some one we were speaking to told us all the Israeli’s stayed in one hotel. When I asked why, he said it was better for everybody.
And then in Asia, a group arrived at the bungalows, stayed for a week or so. They were loud like Italians, but they were always arguing or debating, very passionately. No one disliked them, but they were loud, and always together as a group. Early one day I was in my swimsuit and my hammock, reading my book, mostly it was deserted, with nobody around. When around the corner came one of them, startled to see someone else. He struck up a conversation, which lasted only 3 or four minutes, before I entirely dropped my end. Because the whole time we were speaking he was repositioning his junk. I could not open my mouth to say another word because I knew I was going to ask him if he had a squirrel in there, or what. I was afraid he’d show me.
When I was taking a course at a Buddhist monastery outside Kathmandu, I was surprised easily a third of an extremely divers group were Israelis. Every few days we had a meeting with the high lama, and were permitted to ask questions. Many of the people, it was clear knew not even the basic concepts and asked questions so as to make the lama heartily laugh out loud. I was indeed impressed that the israeli’s asked the most astute questions. I think they’d gone there to ask for answers. All had seen action doing their national service. They were very interesting indeed, as I got to know them during our time there.
I think it’s like any group, some are the stereotype manifest, others less so, just like anyone. As any group eventually breaks down, I suspect, when you look closely.
In the Czech Republic it is the same. I have a US passport and next to my Czech Residency visa in my passport is an official stamp with my physical address written. If we move I think we have to report it within 3 days to the police.
Some people in the U.S. have to do that too but we call them registered sex offenders or parolees 
I don’t even understand the question. What American idea about sex? That it isn’t sex if it isn’t PiV? That you should go from “no touching” to PiV? That if you want to fuck each other you have to get married now, even if “now” happens to be before graduating HS? All those are ideas about sex which I’ve encountered exclusively in the US and for which my reaction goes from rolleyes to “they’re crazy, these Romans”.
The free* breakfast, wifi and parking will vary by location. The bathrooms in the rooms have been standard since the 1960s, you stayed in dives. You may want to look for locations offering “full buffet breakfast” or “English buffet breakfast”.
In Singapore you have a national ID card, which (by law) you must update when you move.
Information is not publically accessible however - but police can get.
If you have a phone from the national telecoms company they also have a phone book.
In New Zealand, there is the phonebook thingy (most family folk still have a landline), there will be the address on your DL that the police can access and there is also the publically searchable (although only hard copy) electoral rolls. There is an election every three years, and everyone is supposed to register (although you can opt for no address if you want to / have a reason to)
To me it often seems like Americans are prudish about nudity. For example, here on the Dope we have had topics where parents ask at what age children should stop seeing their parents naked. That doesn’t even make sense to me as a question. My granny will change with me in the room, or at the swimming pool. My grandpa would strip and jump into the river. The concept of a certain age where suddenly children will be irreparably damaged by seeing a boob is baffling to me. Similarly with nudity on tv: it just isn’t an issue. If it is, that is prudish to me.
I can’t understand what you mean in the second half of your question, however. Sex isn’t special here? 
It’s pretty special to me and to everyone I know. It has always been presented as a special thing between people who care about each other. I don’t see difference in conventions. The only difference, it seems to me, is that here nudity doesn’t necessarily mean naughty-dirty-evil-go-to-hell-sex. Nudity is just a person with no clothes on, same as we all are underneath our clothes. Sex is a separat thing, usually for people who care about each other.
[QUOTE=Mdcastle]
By American style hotel I meant something similar in concept and price to a Holiday Inn Express, where I normally stay when in the US. Affordable, free hot breakfast, wifi, and parking, and bathrooms in the rooms (or is this standard in Europe now, the last time I was in Europe was 1985 and running down the hall got old fast.
[/QUOTE]
Well Holiday Inn Express certainly exists here too. Parking can, in old big cities, be a problem. They just weren’t designed for cars. Sometimes you have to park a little way away. The other stuff is standard in all hotels.
Free breakfast might depend though, where I worked we had different rates and options, because many companies will only cover the room for their employees (yes, American companies too, because otherwise they suddenly see two breakfasts appear on the bill). Tourists in nice cities will also often want to go out for breakfast, so we offered a rate with breakfast included, and with breakfast excluded. Keeps everyone happy. So it may not always be included, but the price will be the same (you do understand that you are still paying for breakfast, right?).
Bathrooms will just about always be in the room. The only places I have ever been where it is separate is in hostels and in small villages in Eastern Europe. It is part of the star rating systems in most countries. Eg in the Netherlands for 1* there must be a washbasin in the room, for 2* there must be a private bathroom. There are very few 1* star hotels (I think about 80 in the whole country) because most would advertise as a hostel for backpackers.
Mdcastle isn’t talking about a breakfast in a restaurant which can be included in the room package, but also bought separately. The “free hot breakfast” is something just above coffee and doughnuts. It’s a buffet with usually one or maybe two hot items ( either scrambled eggs, pancakes or French toast ), one meat, hot (often instant) and cold cereals, breads and pastries, possibly fresh fruit and yogurt and sometimes make-your-own waffles. And it’s almost always found in someplace (like a Holiday Inn Express) that has no restaurant. There’s no way to buy the room without the breakfast or the breakfast without the room.
“You Americans, you are all so, how you say, tight up, no? In [Germany]/[Sweden]/[Denmark]/[Netherlands]/[Norway]/[Finland], they broadcast porn on broadcast television in prime time, with the penis and the vagina and the in out, and nobody, how you stupid Americans say, bat an eyelid, no? Some parents watch porn with their children. It’s a much healthier attitude towards sexuality than you stupid Americans have, no?”
Seriously, is this the case?
Okay, here’s my stupid question:
Why is it that often enough to be noticeable (in the US, or at least in California), when I see an Indian family out shopping or whatever, the man and the kids are dressed in regular Western-style clothes, but the woman wears one of those (forgive my cultural ignorance about the name) Indian pantsuit things that wraps around and leaves the stomach exposed? This is even true when the woman is larger or older–she doesn’t seem to have any issue with having her bare stomach/sides hanging out (that’s not a criticism or an insult, by the way–I admire that they can do it and not feel self-conscious, 'cuz I certainly couldn’t).
So anyway: why just the women? The closest I’ve seen to cultural garb on Indian men is sandals with everything. Is it some kind of religious or cultural requirement, or do they just prefer it that way?
It seems to be generational, at least on the East Coast. If they’re first generation and over 40-50, they’re wearing a sari – and often walking several feet behind the husband. Under 40-50, or single, and they’re usually wearing more typical Western clothing. My guess with the younger crowd - they’re more likely to be educated in the West.
A majority of the men I see with the sari-draped women are wearing white dress shirts with no tie, and brown pants.
Indian immigrants to the US also seem to LOVE Honda Accord sedans. “It’s a good car” doesn’t seem like enough to explain it.
Like I said, “full buffet” or “English-style buffet”, depending on location and chain. But in Europe the hotel may or may not have a restaurant or room service. Also, in general in Europe the breakfast is an option because many travelers here prefer it that way: for example, the hotel where I’m writing this offers a “continental buffet” (the only salty items are boiled eggs and some sad-looking ham) for 9€ - since I can get a better breakfast for 3 in the boulangerie across the street, there’s no way in Hell I’m taking the hotel’s breakfast, but the breakfast room is full every morning.
Now I’m totally confused. I don’t understand how what I says excludes that? Other than that, pretty much what Nava said.
This part
I’m talking about places where there is no option- breakfast come with every room automatically. There is no separate charge for companies to not want to cover. If I want to pass up the free breakfast and go somewhere else for breakfast every morning, I will receive no discount on the room. When you talk about options and rates with or without breakfast, you’re talking about something different.
Comfort? I spent many years being far more comfortable in salwar-kameez than in jeans. It was only when I was fully adult that that began to change. When you’ve worn the same thing all your life you tend to stick with it. What you are talking about is a sari, by the way, which is not really a pantsuit. It’s a petticoat, straight, that reaches the ankles, with a blouse above it. The sari is about 6-8 yards of fabric that is wrapped once around the waist and then is formed into many, many pleats, before wrapping it over the shoulder.
You think it’s revealing. We happen to think that clothes that fit too tightly around our legs or show off our ass (jeans) are inappropriate for women, plus the waistband of jeans isn’t really comfortable. Everyone says jeans are comfy, but they’re not really - they have studs and snaps and all kinds of uncomfortable things, and the fabric is so stiff compared to the breezy cotton of a sari. Even my salwar-kameez, which is closer to a pantsuit, has breezy, airy, loose pants - and that is not considered apropriate in many Muslim countries because it still is pants.
Men have kurta-pajama as their cultural clothes. Not really that different from a dress shirt and pants.
Sandals? I wear sandals. My feet are ALWAYS hot. It’s no religious or cultural requirement, it’s just familiar again.
Ah. Well, some places do that, others don’t. Guests tend to want the option though, as Nava said, so often that is the system. The other system also exists.
There’s an intersection in Glasgow where the shops on three of the corners are KFC, McD’s and Pizza Hut. (Just checked it on Google Maps street view; I’m sure one of those three - the McD’s? - was a Dunkin’ Donuts when I was there 22 years ago.)
There was a Burger King in Trondheim when I was there in '92. (Checked Google Maps again - it’s still there, if not in the same spot then very close.)
Those were the only ones I remember seeing.
