30 American Things That Don't Exist Abroad
We do things a little differently around here, and that desire to stand out has given rise to some pretty crazy stuff. Our love for the suburbs has led to car culture unrivaled in most other countries. Because of this, cities sprawl for miles and miles, unlike our European counterparts.
Don't expect to find large, sweeping interstate highways cutting through the European countryside. Most long-distance roads in Europe are two-lane affairs, but in America, we need four or more divided lanes. And, particularly for you Southern readers, expect your tea to be just a little bit different. Iced tea is a uniquely Southern U.S. phenomenon. Don't expect ice cubes when it's tea time in England.
The condiments you know and love at restaurants are little different too. The British prefer to dip their fries in mayonnaise, not ketchup. And even their ketchup has more sugar in it than the statewide version. It tastes sweeter instead of tangy. And that's all dependent upon you finding good American-style fries in the first place.
We export a lot of our culture overseas, but you won't find these things abroad. Here are 30 things that could only come from the U.S.!
Free Refills
Did you know...
- The largest pool in the world can be found at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Chile. It has 66 million gallons (enough water to fill 100 Olympic-sized pools). It's 3,323 feet in length, over twice the length of the next biggest pool. At a cost of $3,000,000, that sounds like a pretty good deal.
- Jet lag is worse when you're traveling from west to east. That's because the changes in time zones become not only more physically apparent on your body, but they are also more culturally apparent. If restaurants close at 10pm on the East Coast, you'll just be getting hungry since it will feel like 7pm on your West Coast-adjusted body.
- Taking a vacation is good for your health! Studies have shown that a vacation can help to lower your risk of heart disease. It's also a proven way to improve your creativity. So if you have some writer's block or need to lower your stress, grab a friend and go on an adventure!
- There are over 61,000 people on a plane in the air over the U.S. at any given moment. That makes sense because the U.S. has one third of all the airports in the world. Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world with over 100 million total passengers every year since 2015.
- Even though it is spread across five time zones, the entire country of China is set to Beijing time. Having a single time zone in the United States would certainly make things easier. Currently, the USA is spread across six, but a single time zone would make things a little wonky in Alaska and Hawai'i.