Strange things you're not used to

[mox 298]

Maybe something have changed since I lived in US from 2005- 2007 but besides many things mentioned before I found really akward that

*there are two separate saunas for women and men

*you can't buy a wine in sunday.

You must have been in Colorado if you couldn't buy wine on Sunday. Most other states are a little more enlightened.

[calamitka 0]

Maybe something have changed since I lived in US from 2005- 2007 but besides many things mentioned before I found really akward that

*there are two separate saunas for women and men

*you can't buy a wine in sunday.

You must have been in Colorado if you couldn't buy wine on Sunday. Most other states are a little more enlightened.

Nope, you lucky Californian you

We lived in Georgia, we moved because those unbearable experiences of having sunday dinners without the wine.

[mox 298]

Nope, you lucky Californian you

We lived in Georgia, we moved because those unbearable experiences of having sunday dinners without the wine.

Hehe. I'm originally from Colorado, same Sunday law. Yeah, California has spoiled me.

[bora bora 1]

Nope, you lucky Californian you

We lived in Georgia, we moved because those unbearable experiences of having sunday dinners without the wine.

Hehe. I'm originally from Colorado, same Sunday law. Yeah, California has spoiled me.

I could buy beer after midnight in KY - when I went to visit my sister.

In NY liquor stores can't seel beer (only liquor and wine) and you can't buy alcohol before noon at grocery stores (that may just be a county rule from where I was living).

[calamitka 0]

Sunday law

I could buy beer after midnight in KY - when I went to visit my sister.

In NY liquor stores can't seel beer (only liquor and wine) and you can't buy alcohol before noon at grocery stores (that may just be a county rule from where I was living).

It wasn't of course problem whether on Sunday we could buy alcohol or we couldn't I was stunned that probably religion laws apply to secular society.

I mean in USA country of freedom !

It was my first cultural shock.

Later on with help from my teacher I discovered real Columbus, GA(where we lived) laws removed on 1981!

*Can't cut off a chicken's head on Sunday; It is illegal to carry a chicken by it's feet down Broadway on Sunday.

*It is illegal to sit on one's porch in an indecent position.

[The Robinsons 0]

OMG I could make the longest list....I'll try to keep it short(ish):

- Let's start with the fahrenheit, gallons, miles, reversed date and AM/PM

- Then the criminally low minimum wages, no paid vacation, short maternity leave, putting race on your application, the background checks and drug tests.

- Actually paying for healthcare!! If you can afford it that is....

- Bag boys.....what's that about?

- Coupons, still feel too weird to use one

- Having to hand the cashier the money - she'll get extremely offended if you put it down on the counter

- "Memberships" to grocery stores - those little cards you show the cashier to get the store discounts

- Tipping people.....I think I already pay enough for whatever I'm buying

- Being able to use someone else's credit card

- Credit scores - the most unfair thing in this world!!!

- 2 year cell phone contracts.....what the phone and my plan isn't outragiously expensive enough as it is???!

- That extremely easy "exam" to get your drivers license

- Car washes where people wash your car

- 24 hr service (McD's, CVS, Walmart....)

- Drive through banks...I laughed myself half of death about that one. How lazy can you be!

- People thinking it's nasty to drink from the same glass or bottle as someone else

- Sales taxes.....lord jesus and then some

- Clothing sizes....I was a Medium back home, now I'm a 3 in juniors. What a diet.

- Round door handles - took me a while to figure them out not that I completely have yet

- Telemarketers

- Boxes for your left over food at restaurants

- Portion sizes

- The half gallon milk shake

- Iced Tea/lemonade

- Southern cooking.....definitely not for me, except for the biscuits, yummy

- The very very limited selection of bread and dairy products

- Chocolate.....it just doesn't taste right. Not like the Rittersport and Marabou I get sent from back home

- The so far out in the future expiration date on milk

- The wonderland that is over the counter drugs

Ok.....stopping now.....

[The Robinsons 0]

oh forgot...

Refills....co-signing on what's been said already

Pancakes/pancake mix.....where I'm from pancakes are big thin and you cover them with chocolate spread, sugar, ice cream or jam. Certainly not butter and syrup, and what's with throwing fruit in there?? And whatever happened to flower, eggs and milk. Leave it to americans to make pancakes from a box.

[Nessa 23]

you can't buy a wine in sunday.

yeah, like that will stop people from drinking it whenever they want. That's not any weirder than not having a huge alcohol selection available at every supermarket and having to go grocery shopping in one place and liquor shopping in another

they can be bought in pretty much any other kind of store, convenience stores, grocery stores, Costco, Sam's Club, gas station, yadda yadda yadda...just not in drug stores. Or bars and restaurants. Cuz you can't smoke in bars or restaurants anymore. Not that I care, I quit before I moved down here. Don't like American cigarattes

I was like about buying cigarettes in a pharmacy too, but i guess it makes sense. They have available the product that will help make you unhealthy and then have available products to treat you. In Brazil you can buy pretty much everywhere, bars, convenience stores, grocery stores, gas station, etc, but not pharmacies.

- Being able to use someone else's credit card

ditto. Makes it easier for criminals.

- Round door handles - took me a while to figure them out not that I completely have yet

haha, same here. Back in BR you use keys to lock the door from the inside.

- The so far out in the future expiration date on milk

I think it's the opposite. I have a hard time with food expiring so fast.

Edited March 4, 2008 by Nessa

[Dr. Obvious 49]

- 2 year cell phone contracts.....what the phone and my plan isn't outragiously expensive enough as it is???!

I don't think that is anything unique to the US. In Germany, all of our contracts were 2 year.

Luckily, there are pre-paid services. We both have GoPhones from AT&T. Both our phones we got for free from Freecycle and the service costs between $30-$60 dollars for both phones every 3 months depending on useage. No contracts, no money wasted on service we didn't use, no real problems overall. Love it

- Sales taxes.....lord jesus and then some

Denmark has no VAT?

[tom&tata 2]

they can be bought in pretty much any other kind of store, convenience stores, grocery stores, Costco, Sam's Club, gas station, yadda yadda yadda...just not in drug stores. Or bars and restaurants. Cuz you can't smoke in bars or restaurants anymore. Not that I care, I quit before I moved down here. Don't like American cigarattes

Yeah, come to think of it I never seen drug store selling cigarettes before. I do not smoke so I do not pay attention. But I think it's kinda odd for me.

[The Robinsons 0]

- 2 year cell phone contracts.....what the phone and my plan isn't outragiously expensive enough as it is???!

I don't think that is anything unique to the US. In Germany, all of our contracts were 2 year.

Luckily, there are pre-paid services. We both have GoPhones from AT&T. Both our phones we got for free from Freecycle and the service costs between $30-$60 dollars for both phones every 3 months depending on useage. No contracts, no money wasted on service we didn't use, no real problems overall. Love it

- Sales taxes.....lord jesus and then some

Denmark has no VAT?

In Denmark if you buy a phone with a plan you get it for next to nothing and the plans are ALOT cheaper, so is prepaid. And the contracts are only for 6 months and after that it's month to month.

As for sales tax. Of course Denmark has them and it's not that I mind them at all. What gets me is that they're not included in the price. At home the price displayed is the price you pay.

[Reba 2]

- Chocolate.....it just doesn't taste right. Not like the Rittersport and Marabou I get sent from back home

- The wonderland that is over the counter drugs

I miss Rittersport too. I saw it somewhere recently though, and I can't think of where.

If you think over the counter is a wonderland here, you should go to Canada. They're right off the shelf there! And even better ones!

[Dr. Obvious 49]

In Denmark if you buy a phone with a plan you get it for next to nothing and the plans are ALOT cheaper, so is prepaid. And the contracts are only for 6 months and after that it's month to month.

As for sales tax. Of course Denmark has them and it's not that I mind them at all. What gets me is that they're not included in the price. At home the price displayed is the price you pay.

Interesting about cell phones in Denmark. At any rate though, there are still plenty of options here that don't involve selling your soul for two years.

I guess that sales taxes can't be included because every state has a different taxation scheme and in some places there are also local sales taxes on top of that. Each state has their own rules on what is subject to what tax if any. If it were all the same nationwide, I assume taxes would be included. Sales tax is annoying. I think I was confused by what you meant by what you said at first, complaining about the amount instead of the inconvenience. Sorry about that.

Denmark is a nice place to visit. I think the only thing I didn't like was that one hot summer day, I got something small to drink. After drinking it, I realized how much I paid for it converting it back to dollars and considered passing out. Gorgeous country though. I particularly liked Roskilde. /rambling

[Krikit 1,164]

Denmark is a nice place to visit. I think the only thing I didn't like was that one hot summer day, I got something small to drink. After drinking it, I realized how much I paid for it converting it back to dollars and considered passing out. Gorgeous country though. I particularly liked Roskilde. /rambling

I looooooooove Denmark. It's so clean and cosmopolitan. And the cuisine is to DIE for.

Edited March 5, 2008 by Crikey!

[Krikit 1,164]

Panhandlers at intersections, who appear to work in teams.... usually with one or two others hidden, or at opposing corners.