【Mandarin】My 10 Biggest Culture Shocks of Living in The US 

Everywhere I've lived, people just say "bless you" for a sneeze. I've only heard people say "bless you" after a cough because they thought it was a sneeze. I've never been in Indiana though, maybe they do things differently there.

I'm a Chinese American from New York City and a frequent visitor to Taiwan... until the pandemic started. haha. Love your videos! Saying bless you when people cough is uncommon. I personally feel that is awkward when I don't say bless you after someone sneezes, but no one will think its weird if you don't say it. Its just ingrained as a habit and more of a polite thing to do. Its less awkward when there are other people in the room and they say it first, then I feel its no longer required for you to say it. lol. Americans like small talk, "How are you" is an easy way to start a conversation or can just be used as a casual greeting where there is no conversation that follows. It depends on the scenario. I've always wondered why people seemed grateful or surprised when I held the door for them in Taiwan. I didn't know it wasn't a thing there. As for the cars stopping or slowing down for you, that doesn't happen in New York City! People are much more polite in small cities.

I’m American and I’ve only ever seen people say “(God) bless you” for sneezing. I heard that the origin was that historically people thought sneezing was caused by demons or something like that. Not sure if that’s the real origin of the phrase though.

Usually we don’t say “bless you” after a cough. I would think it’s kind of strange, lol. I believe saying “bless you” after a sneeze is a cultural relic, but it’s a way to be polite. You’ll be considered a polite person if you say that to someone who sneezes.

Great Video! You are definitely right in your observation about "How are you". It is used as a more quick, polite greeting here in the States. People do not expect it to lead to a long, drawn out conversation about your day. So for example, if I saw someone walking down the hallway who said "How are you", I'd respond "I am good, how are you doing?.. ah that's great, I will see you around!" and keep walking lol. People do sometimes get annoyed/amused if the conversation drags on after that greeting. You could use it with close friends, but I'd think a similar phrase such as "hey, what's going on?", "whats up", "how have things been going", or "what have you been up too" are more common. Those phrases tend to direct the conversation to more events that you would talk about with a friend instead of surface level how are you doing. It may be more common to just jump into a conversation with your close friends too versus having that type of greeting phrase. If you used "how are you" with a close friend it is totally fine, but there might be a difference in tone - warmer, expect a more detailed response, or you ask more follow up questions. It is hard to think about though without greeting people right now.

In this video, I talk as I normally would so feel free to change the speed if needed😉 Also, subtitles and translations can be downloaded below: Traditional Chinese → gracemandarinchinese.com/10-differences-between-life-in-taiwan-and-usa-traditional/ Simplified Chinese → gracemandarinchinese.com/10-differences-between-life-in-taiwan-and-usa-simplified/ Pronunciation Differences: 01:31 熟 Taiwanese Mandarin: shóu ㄕㄡˊ Chinese Ｍandarin: shú ㄕㄨˊ 07:04 危險（危险） Taiwanese Mandarin: wéi xiǎn ㄨㄟˊ ㄒㄧㄢˇ Chinese Ｍandarin: wēi xiǎn ㄨㄟ ㄒㄧㄢˇ 07:06 主角 In Taiwan, we often pronounce it as “zhǔ jiǎo ㄓㄨˇ ㄐㄧㄠˇ” Chinese Ｍandarin: zhǔ jué ㄓㄨˇ ㄐㄩㄝˊ

One difference between friends about greeting, usually its more like, "How have you been?" Or "What have you been up to?" Rather than just "How are you?". The intention is about opening the conversation up so your friend or loved one can have an opportunity to talk about anything they've been doing, typically implying since you last saw them. I feel it allows people to talk both about good things and bad things, because the expected social response to "How are you?" is broadly designed to be positive. Even if someone is feeling bad or not having a good day, I feel like most people will reply that they are doing well.

Love it! I was just talking with one of my Taiwanese friends about some of these things yesterday. She moved here just a few months ago. I was born in Illinois, lived in Indiana, Georgia, NYC, and now Seattle. Regarding Greetings and starting a conversation, I was telling my friend (who is trying to learn how to Small Talk) that you should "give the option" for the greeting to turn into a conversation. So if the other person does want to share more, the can, but they don't feel obligated. You can do that by talking a bit about yourself, or your own day, giving them a chance to discuss a similar experience of their own. Kind of guiding the conversation. (of course keeping it light.) If they are closer friends, you can greet them in exactly the same way! I say, "Hey what's up?" to literally everyone, even my boss! As I told my Taiwanese friend, if you happen to know about something specific your friend did recently, you could bring it up, "Hey, you're back from your trip! How was it?" Or some gossip/news, "Dude, what's up? I heard you got a new job!" These will also lead into a casual conversation, giving them the opportunity to discuss in however much detail they feel like sharing. It's not nosy, or prying. You can actually even say things like this to people you don’t know very well. They will probably just be less open with the info. QUESTION FOR YOU! How do you feel about HUGS?! My Taiwanese friends find it very awkward to give hugs as a hello/goodbye! Umbrellas are a nuisance! Best to get yourself a nice rain coat. I've nearly lost an eye several times in NYC because of the insane amount of umbrellas. And they always end up broken and tossed in gutters. Rain coats are the best route! Your comment on food is very common of the Midwest. Midwest food portions are HUGE. (Also why there are tons of overweight folks) This is not so in larger cities. NYC has very small portions by comparison, and cost of living is MUCH higher than Midwestern states. The differences between East/West Coast cities and Midwestern states are almost as big as living in different country. (hence why we have such political divide) Regarding No Cash. This is a strange thing in the States. Some shops like in NYC might ONLY take cash. Or worse, they will require a minimum purchase of a random amount in order to use a credit card, because the shop doesn’t want to pay the fees for using the credit service. There has been much debate about the legality of this practice. It is becoming increasingly rare though, and most places are turning to Card Only. Especially during the plague, when the transfer of cash can spread disease. In Seattle, many places that used to take cash are now Card Only. The "Bless You" thing is also increasingly less common in urban areas. When people do say it, it's usually because they are originally from a more rural/religious area. Id recommend just NOT saying Bless You to people and avoid the whole weird situation. Some non religious folk may even be annoyed by it. And I've never met a religious person who was offended by someone NOT saying it. However, if someone does say it to you, just say "Thanks!" I hope you get to a big city soon! It's a whole other world compared to living in the Midwest! Love your content, btw, I started learning mandarin a few months ago and your content helps a lot! Keep it up!

Very cool! It’s always interesting to hear about culture shocks. I think it's fine to say “how are you” to people close to you, but it does feel a bit more formal. “How’ve you been?” is a colloquial alternative that I hear a lot. If the other person is close and also fairly young, I usually just say “Hey!” or “Hey! What’s up?,” although I wouldn’t say this in formal situations or to people much older. Actually, when people ask “How are you?,” you don’t even have to explain how you are. People often just reply with another “How are you?” with no one actually answering the question. It’s pretty weird, but that’s just how it is LOL

我住在斯德哥尔摩，我是瑞典人。瑞典人在斯德哥尔摩都不用现金但是老人经常使用现金。 Love your videos! We also don't say bless you for someone coughing in Sweden either. I say it sometimes to my friends as a lil' joke.

I love hearing you talking at this speed!

After sneezes, We also can say the German word "Gesundheit" Ge zoon height. :) 打喷嚏后我们也会说德语单词“Gesundheit” Ge zun hait. 🤧

沒去過美國🇺🇸，看到你的分享覺得蠻有趣的😊 你在影片講到美國食物份量的時候，我還以為妳會拍個照片分享一下🤣🤣 我想看看到底有多大🤣 另外，美國人真的蠻喜歡閒聊的，這部分很有感👍 謝謝分享

Hi Grace老师，我超级喜欢这期的，我虽然不在美国，但您提到所有不同我都非常有共鸣😃，不断地在电脑这端会心一笑。通过您的描述也感觉您已经相当适应了，佩服+祝福！🌻

感謝妳發布這種影片!! 對我的聽力很有利!!! 我最近在準備華語文能力測驗我還要繼續練習我的聽力!!!

Very informative 😀thank you for sharing this video 😊

Usually we only say "bless you" when someone sneeze and in spanish we say "salud", I think that in Brazil do the same it amazed at first me to know that others cultures don't do the same jaja

It's true that "How are you" is usually more common for a stranger. For example, as I work in retail clothing, we commonly greet "Hello" and the response is "Hey, how are you?". The response would be "Good, and you?" and they likely say, "I'm good" or just "Good". So it's expected to be a brief exchange. Living in the south, it's seen a rather impolite to pass a person or group of people and not say "How y'all doing?" to acknowledge that you see them there. Even if they don't respond or the only response is "good". For a close friend, you'd probably say "Hey, how are you doing?" or even just a causal "what's up/what's up with you?". It's a bit more open ended so the expectation is that you plan to talk for a while and catch up.

6:10 I’m not only American, but I’m from the polite South AND I am very old :) - “bless you” has always been just for a sneeze (it supposedly comes from old days in Europe when people thought your breath was your soul and a sneeze might expel your soul from your body; the “bless you” is short for “God bless you” and is meant to rejoin your soul to your body). In the South you’ll hear a lot of people say “Bless you” or “God bless you” when someone sneezes in a room, but no one will say anything for a cough, except perhaps, “cover your mouth, please!” It’s a weird custom, no doubt!

About the shops not accepting cash, at some older restaurants (especially in the south) they ONLY accept cash! It's not very common, but a breakfast resteraunt in my hometown did this!

I've been in Taiwan for a little over 3 years now, and the difference that I notice the most is personal space. It seems like Taiwanese really don't have an idea of giving people personal space. I'll often be in a wide open place, but still, people will still flock together. It also manifests in crowded places where everyone is only concerned with where they're going and what they're doing. Awareness of others around them is almost non-existent. I always feel so rushed whenever I'm in a crowded space because I don't want to be in the way, and there will be people walking RIGHT behind me, so I feel like I need to get out of their way. Then there's bumping into people. I notice that the majority of the time if someone bumps into me, they won't even acknowledge it. I mentioned it to one of my 9 year old ESL students and he just looked at me and goes "That's normal!" Maybe it's just exacerbated because I love my personal space, but that's definitely been my experience, and I haven't learned to live with it yet.

loved watching this video, it was so interesting :) and I think it's kind of an unspoken rule that you say "how are you?" as a greeting. I equate it with saying hi, to strangers or acquaintances. I don't expect them to say anything back other than "hi" or "how are you?". when I went to the UK it was the same, except instead of "hi, how are you?", they say "hi, you alright?". here, if I was talking with a close friend, I would actually say "how's it going with you?" or "what's new?" if I'm asking about them.

Where I live in Canada, we normally say "bless you" only after someone sneezes. I've never heard someone say "bless you" after a cough, I could be wrong though.

这种视频，好快自然真实的中文，特别有用

Great video! 👍

I only say bless you when people sneeze. But that is so funny and cute that you said it when somebody coughed.

Hi!! - I am Taiwanese and I enjoyed watching this video. I was born and raised in Texas but my parents raised with Asian culture and I visited Taiwan almost every year for summer time up until the age of 14. Your question you asked during 1:34 , I would say it’s pretty common to ask how are you to a stranger. You are correct! And normally to a friend, more conversation would happen after that.

我是美國人。別人咳嗽的時候，有人說“blessyou”,這是隨便你。還有，我們美國人喜歡小紅蘿蔔的理由是它已經洗了，不必自己洗。 我沒住過台灣，不過我去台灣的時候，有兩個驚訝的：第一個是 可以在 7-11 付稅，第二個是有人喝水以前為了殺病菌燒水

For the most part, what Grace says about Indiana is also true for Boston. Except that part about cars stopping for pedestrians - they sometimes do, but not consistently. Regarding stop signs, I'm from Germany, and we have stop signs there, too. But the stop signs in Germany have a different meaning: not only you need to stop, you also have to yield to cross traffic. And in Germany, whenever one road has to yield, the other road has priority signs so that those drivers know that others should yield to them. The US don't usually have priority signs, which always makes me wonder how they would know. Apart from stop signs, road signs in Germany look entirely different than those in the US. So when I came to the US and I spotted the first stop sign, I thought to myself: "Finally, a road sign that looks familiar!" Then I realized it was a four-way stop, something that doesn't exist in Germany, because it would make no sense at all.

I'm from New Zealand 🥝 but I found quite a few things in common to your experience of America. Which gives a renewed appreciation for doors being held. And elevators! And also the teller wishing you a good day. We also are card vs cash, and most people will say "bless you" after a sneeze. If someone can't stop coughing, someone might ask: "are you okay?", as they could be chocking. 🥤 It was raining on and off today, and noticed, with a smile, that these young Asian school girls were using a umbrella ☔ I don't know why I don't use mine more - they look nice. Perhaps, it's due to a lack of where to store them in shops. 🤷‍♀️ I've heard Taiwan provides this? Enjoyed your video! 👐

你好Grace，在美国人家说Bless You的时候通常是打喷嚏，儿有些人会咳嗽以后说Bless You. 我通常不管人家打喷嚏或者呕吐，我都会说Bless You的。

It's awesome so informative

Love this videos because I like to watch it with Chinese characters and be aware of how much I can understand 😍 Waiting for moreeee

I'm Taiwanese American and was born in the United States, and my wife came to the US from Taiwan about 10 years ago. I'm happy to share our experiences; maybe we could even talk online sometime! I've enjoyed watching your videos to broaden and reinforce my Chinese. Our perspectives: 0:56 1. Greetings and farewells Me (US): Sometimes these sayings like "How are you?" are said without much thought and just as a courtesy, and sometimes they are used to create short conversations like you described. For example, it is also common for people to say, "Hi, how are you?" "Good +/- and you?" "Good." and just not say anything else. Manners of this sort can be pretty different depending on what part of the US you are in. For goodbyes, there are lots of different ways to say farewell, and I agree things like "have a good day" feel nice. "How are you?" can be used either with friends or people you are less familiar with. I would be less likely use it with a total stranger. In that case, maybe just "hello," "good morning/afternoon/evening," or nothing spoken, and just a wave of the hand or nod of the head. Wife (Taiwan): She had the same observation as you, and sometimes still has uncertainty about whether people are just being polite or really want to have a conversation. 2:09 2. Holding door for people Wife (Taiwan): She agrees with you and feels that people in the US or who have spent time in the US seem more gentlemanly. Me (US): Some people do this, some people do not. More likely to happen if you are a pretty woman :) 3:28 3. Credit cards more than cash Wife (Taiwan) and Me (US): Yes, definitely. I think there are several reasons for this. First, I believe almost everywhere in the US accepts credit cards, perhaps even more than cash, as you experienced. Even though businesses need to pay money for credit card purchases, they sometimes like it because they do not need to handle cash as much, and research has shown that customers are likely to spend more when paying by credit card. Many people spend more than they should or can afford. On the other hand, cash is more widely accepted in Taiwan. Additional reasons for customers using credit cards include: 1. credit cards give benefits to users, such as 1-5% back on purchases. 2. do not need to carry around cash (can buy whatever you want without worrying if you brought enough cash, do not need to go to the bank or ATM to get cash as often, less to lose by accident or if robbed). 3. Buyer protections such as warranties or ability to get your money back if the item is not as the seller described. 4. no liability for fraudulent purchases 4:12 4. Don't use umbrellas when it's raining lightly Wife (Taiwan): Yes, but maybe because it rains more often in Taiwan, so people always have umbrellas, whereas it is not as difficult for people to carry around umbrellas in the US. She also didn't feel comfortable using an umbrella on a sunny day in the US, so she'd sometimes wear a big hat, or--more often--hold something in front to block the sun from shining on her face. Me (US): I also think that people do not carry around umbrellas as often because most people do not use them to block the sun like people do in Taiwan 4:49 5. Big portions of food, overall cheaper if you think about how much food you get Me (US) & wife (Taiwan): Maybe, it depends on what restaurant and where you go to. My feeling is that in general buying prepared food is cheaper in Taiwan, but that food from grocery stores in the US can be cheaper. Lots of unhealthy foods (such as sugary and highly processed foods) are cheap, which contributes to health and obesity problems in the US. 5:14 6. Bless you after sneezing Me (US) & wife (Taiwan): My wife noticed this too. She has mixed feelings about it. It's a nice courtesy, but sometimes it's confusing to know when/how often to say it if someone sneezes multiple times. I've almost always seen it used only for sneezing rather than coughing. Occasionally someone, usually more of "know it all" kind of person, will say gesundheit. The TV show Seinfeld had a joke about how maybe instead of bless you, people should say "you are so good looking" 6:10 7. Pedestrians have right of way Me (US) & wife (Taiwan): Yes, this is definitely a difference. More vulnerable people like pedestrians and bicyclists have the right of way compared to cars. However, you still should be careful because sometimes people are not paying attention! 6:45 8. Stop signs Me (US): I didn't know that was a difference. Interesting! Wife (Taiwan): Didn't notice since she never drove in Taiwan 7:28 9. Wall-mounted showerheads instead of handles with sprayers Wife (Taiwan): Yes, she usually noticed people had handles with sprayers in Taiwan. Me (US): Some places have wall-mounted showerheads, but plenty of people in the US like handles with sprayers, and some people places have both. Wall-mounted showerheads are cheaper and less likely to break compared to handles with sprayers and their hoses. A difference that I think there might be is that some people in the US like something called a "rainfall showerhead" where the water comes straight down from above (often with less pressure) rather than from the side. 7:45 10. Baby carrots Wife (Taiwan): Yes, she had not seen baby carrots until she came to the US and was not familiar with people eating raw carrots like this Me (US): Yes, very common in the US. There is an interesting story about the history of baby carrots if you want to read about it. Basically, someone wanted to figure out what to do about carrots that had cosmetic problems which would make people not want to buy them as whole carrots in the supermarket, because US customers expect perfect looking fruits and vegetables. So they created a machine that would cut those big carrots into smaller carrot pieces and called them baby carrots. Many people ended up liking them more than regular carrots, and for example parents would sometimes give them to children as a healthier snack.

Thank you for sharing your insights, and using mandarin for the video (this helps me learn sentence structure and phrases better when it’s about one topic). As far as “bless you” it’s commonly used for sneezes but I also use it to joke around with a friend i care about or give a “are you okay?” to someone coughing. However I think most strangers would find it odd to say or hear bless you to a cough but there’s no shame against saying it. Some people even prefer to not use bless you as it’s somewhat of a religious-hand me down phrase. I don’t particularly like small talk when some says “how are you”, it’s mostly understood to be a short generic greeting especially between unfamiliar people. People will often talk about the weather too which can get annoying xD I actually get surprised when strangers say something to me in passing walking on the street or waiting in a line. It actually feels a bit like infringing on personal space especially for someone who has social anxiety or maybe is not in the mood to chat with strangers. I don’t think you have to respond to commentary but often strangers like to chit chat in America. Also baby carrots are gross I agree haha. Try them with hummus next time, it makes it tastier! One thing I notice about interactions in Taiwan is how you order food or pay money specifically at small family owned restaurants or street food vendors. I always have trouble with this social cue, I expect waiting around for someone to take my order or indicate they’re not busy but I notice people in Taiwan will call out what they want to in order to place an order or order by handing money to the person first before getting their food. It sometimes feels confrontational if a group of people are all jumping ahead to order and I have no chance to if I don’t speak up.

I'm American and I've only heard people say "bless you" for a sneeze. Also I believe the original saying was "Bless your health" (or something along that line) but it eventually shortened down to "bless you" .

Great as always.

love your videos 🥰🥰

You can buy a hand shower that attaches to the fixed shower. They're very common. You could get them at any store like Target, Walmart, etc. You can install with no (or few) tools and if you're renting you can put the original showerhead back when you move out.

This video was so wholesome TT

Your observations are excellent! But I have never been in a shop that refused to take cash yet. I have been in a few places that take only cash or check, no credit or debit cards. I guess it all depends on what places you shop at. Absolutely, the only body sound we say "bless you" for is sneezing. I think you can tell how sincerely a store clerk means "Have a nice day" by their tone of voice/facial expression. Many clerks enjoy meeting customers and even chatting with them, and their warmth is real, but others say it rather robotically, maybe because their boss told them to say it. I'm from the Midwest, where it is very common to greet anyone you pass on the street if you're not in a crowded downtown area. We can just wave (with just a raised hand, not a flapping hand) or say hi to a total stranger, but some people don't do it (I've even driven in some rural parts of Iowa where pedestrians will wave to anyone passing in a car!) I find older people to be more willing to speak to strangers, in general. For those we see often (for example, we walk dogs at the same time most days), "Hi, how are you today?" or some brief comment about the weather/temperature are common greetings. With people I really know, I would say "How are you?" with more emphasis on the word "are" to give it a more personal feel than when I say it to a stranger. Thank you for this video!

i never thought to use an umbrella for blocking out the sun, i think that's actually pretty cool!

我住在洛杉矶，我们这里只说”bless you” for a sneeze. For a cough that is small, no response is required. If someone you are friends with or talking to has a bad coughing fit, it is nice to ask “are you okay?” but you don’t need to say anything if a stranger is coughing hard. For sneezes: if anyone sneezes, even a stranger, I will call out “bless you!” and expect them to respond “thank you!”

i eat tons of baby carrots but never raw haha i usually dip them into hummus as a snack!

I find it interesting what differences people pick up on. I am currently living in Illinois (not Chicago), I have lived in Washington State (not Seattle), Maryland, Rhode Island, Iowa, Minnesota, New York (not NYC) Taichung, and Taitung. Some of your observations are pretty consistent across much of the US, others not so much. Often people will say "Hello, how are you" in passing without expecting any response other than the same back. If you are friends with someone it could lead to a conversation, but it is not required with strangers. And yes we tend to wish people well upon departing it is considered normal and polite. This kind of ties in with holding the door for people which is really normal, polite behavior in much of the US. Unfortunately sometimes foreigners not accustomed to these small cultural practices can be viewed as aloof or a bit rude by Americans. Not that there is any intent on the part of the individual to be rude, I fear I am often making similar mistakes in Taiwan. Most places accept cash, only very few accept only card and it is a very recent phenomenon. I usually use card most places for convenience unless it is a small purchase at smaller markets. I used an umbrella a lot for even light rain when I lived in Rhode Island and that is pretty common for the urban New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. Washington on the other hand people seem to make it a point of pride to never use one. Most other places people don't use them because they drive everywhere. In Taiwan I often use them for the sun as well, but the sun is much stronger in Taiwan because of its proximity to the Equator. It is unusual for someone to use an umbrella for the sun here and when they do I pretty much know they are from Asia. I don't find it weird, but others could, but that does not mean you should not use one if you want. Yes the food portions are large, and not very healthy, nor do I usually find them to be very good either. In short I don't eat out in the US like I do in Taiwan. I also don't think I really know too many people who eats baby carrots, but US grocery stores are filled with food I would never buy or eat. There are lots of stop signs in Taitung, not that everybody seem to understand there meaning there either 🤣. While in the US it is usually law that pedestrians have the right of way and it is courteous to stop and allow them to cross, unfortunately that is not always the way things work. I have lived in places in the US where drivers are quite nice and generally stop and let people cross and other places where you might want to go pray to Mazu before even thinking about trying to cross the road. Taiwan showers are far more convenient in nearly every regard. I can't even really think what is the greatest culture shock for me in Taiwan since I've been back and forth enough times that I kind of normalized much of it. My greatest pet peeves about Taiwan revolve around traffic and scooters (and scooter parking habits), but I don't like cars that much regardless of the country. Hope you are enjoying your time in Indiana and surviving the winter there. I really miss Taiwan every time winter rolls around.

'';我无法用言语来形容你在教学方法中可爱的辛勤工作 很好的方法清晰易懂'你的每一个视频都有大量和无价的课程非常感谢你的努力'我很欣赏你使用的方法我希望你保持 干得好

I grew up and lived in the Philippines and the US, and holding the door open for someone behind me is so natural that I never noticed if people found it weird or different when I did it when I lived in Taipei! It's such a tiny gesture to me and it's so interesting that it stood out to you :)

Street crossing "rules" vary a lot from city to city. I went to college in West Lafayette, IN, and on the campus the experience crossing the street was exactly what you describe for Taiwan. But there are other places where as soon as you step into the street, all the traffic will stop and wait for you.

我在用您的视频为练习我的听力！ I'm using your videos for practicing my listening skill! リスニングの練習に、いつもあなたの動画を活用しています！

When I first moved back to Taiwan, I had a hard time adjusting to people not holding the door open for others. I also noticed people looked at me funny when I instinctly hold the door open for them.

Hi Grace. I like you videos. Wow I can not believe it. I also live in Indiana actually. Keep up your videos :) If you ever come by Chicago, I can show you around. Best

Always interesting to learn about cultural differences. My my Chinese mustn't be half bad, since I understood it all. Nice vid!

哈哈在瑞典我也總是吃紅蘿蔔、台灣老婆覺得好奇怪！🤣

Concerning saying “Bless you,” the first person was correct. It is only said after a sneeze, and not after a cough.

So beautiful and interesting video

Grace老師哈嘍～我從5歲住在美國，覺得這部影片非常有趣的～我跟不熟和熟的人都會說how are you，但跟熟的人就是因為真的想知道 (跟不熟的人就是客套)。咳嗽的時候我不說bless you，很少聽到別人咳嗽的時候說bless you。我咳嗽的時候有人對我說bless you我覺得他有點奇怪不過也很客氣。希望您喜歡住在這裡～

with closer friends i dont really say 'how are you', i say 'whats up' or 'hows life' and with more enthusiasm!

The reason we say "bless you" after a sneeze is because of a common belief sneezing rid you of evil spirits and demons. Coughing and sneezing were also a common symptom of the bubonic plague, so doctors and priest would say, "God bless you." in hopes God would cure the ill patient 💕

About the baby carrot thing. It's no so much we like to snack on them, though they are great for dipping in ranch or hummus. But baby carrots are great for soups and stews because you don't have to spend your time cutting up regularly sized carrots and America's like things fast and easy.

I would also like to know what you think about the "work life balance" in the US compared to Taiwan. Thank you for the video, it was interesting! 谢谢！

i’m from detroit, michigan. everything you said in the video is very accurate. and “bless you” is only used for sneezes (someone thought it was a sneeze when they coughed). and the shower head thing is so cool i wish i had the shower heads you all have in taiwan 😭 and for portion sizing it honestly just depends on where you go. and we still lookout for traffic, its more so important in bigger cities like new york city, chicago, miami, los angeles, detroit, etc. i’ve been to Indiana and its one of the quieter, low-key states in the U.S. You should travel to these 10 places (if you haven’t already). 1) California 2) New York 3) Illinois (chicago specifically) 4) Texas 5) Florida 6) Michigan 7) Georgia 8) South Carolina 9) Philadelphia 10) Colorado thank you for this video i love your content

From what I have noticed, it's usually in the bigger cities like that where you would encounter stores that don't accept cash, like this one Milk Tea shop I went to in Seattle. However, most places do, but paying with a credit or debit card is so commonplace here that if you actually do pay with cash, people look surprised.

I know I personally don't say "Bless you" after someone coughs and no one that I know does that either.

As a Taiwanese American Only during the pandemic some stores don't take cash. Yea, the umbrella thing. Unless it really raining hard I don't open the umbrella and if its short distance to the store I don't open the umbrella too. In elementary school (grade 1 to 5) our school lunches always had the baby carrots and celery so I think that is why they like them. Just from school mostly. Most of us in school just eat the small carrot with salad dressing and throw the celery away lol.

那些固定的用語叫 "phatic expressions" 🙂 Lovely video, I really enjoyed it!

I’m an American and I’ve never heard anyone say “Bless you” for anything other than a sneeze. If I coughed and someone said “bless you” to me afterwards, I would politely tell them it was a cough, not a sneeze as I would immediately assume they thought I had sneezed. Also, you don’t have to feel weird for not saying it to someone who sneezes. While it does seem to be a thing widely done in the US, it is by no means considered culturally significant or required. You can simply ignore that the sneeze occurred if you’d like. Anyone who gets upset over such a thing is being rude - not the person who chose not to say ‘bless you’. Also, I love your videos!

You can say how are you to your close friends! It’s a little bit formal but it’s still acceptable. It’s more common to ask them “how have you been?” or “how was school?” or “how is work?” Asking something specific shows you know what’s going on in their life. I hope that is helpful! 加油！

In 標準 English, when greeting a person you do not know for the first time, you say, "How do you do?" "How are you?" is used when you know the person.

In Taiwan I always find etiquette around gift giving, treating people to dinner, and any kind of formal events to be hard to navigate. Also, while my wife’s family is super nice and wants me to have a good time, I feel like I sometimes I’d like to I don’t need a banquet dinner every day :) Gifts, dining, and formal occasions would be a good future topic :)

I think the baby carrots love is just as a replacement for chips which is lower calorie and more filling.

i like to bless people when they cough too but it’s actually only for sneezing

8:39 first time I visited Taiwan, my wife was driving (she has the license in TW) and a police car came up behind us with the lights on. I was a little nervous but when my wife didn’t react - she just kept driving as usual - I freaked out! “There’s a cop behind us! Pullover!” She laughed and informed me that the lights being on just meant the police were on duty. I still struggle to remain calm when this happens. In the US, lights on a police car behind you means you need to pull over as soon as it is safe. People who don’t pull over risk getting arrested by an angry officer, which is not how anyone wants to meet a US police officer.

新年快乐

You are right about the portions being enormous. When I get food to go or eat out, I can usually get 3 meals out of it. I'm American but I'm small and don't eat large portions. I've traveled in Asia and Europe and their portions are much smaller.

"Bless you" for sneezes only, but "excuse you" can be used for sneezes or coughs (my perspective)

An interesting little tidbit! A popular theory surrounding the phrase “God bless you” was that the phrase originated from the time of the plague. One of the symptoms of the plague was a cough and a sneeze, so the pope at the time suggested saying “God bless you” to protect the other person from certain death. Another theory is that a sneeze might expel the spirit from the body so you need Gods blessing to prevent that from happening (Southern Living, 2023). If we’re going by the second theory, that’s why people don’t say Bless you when someone coughs - bc coughing doesn’t accidentally expel your spirit. I thought that was a fun theoretical tidbit 😂

Hello Grace I am pilipina people I'm your new subscriber watching from the Philippines🇵🇭 keep safe and God bless 🙏❤️

Ill accidentally say "bless you" to people coughing cause I'm awkward. Theres also a belief that while sneezing your heart can stop.. and the "bless you" is a celebratory way of saying "God bless, you've made it."

The term for “bless you” comes from a medieval belief that that when you sneeze, your soul or spirit leaves your body. So the statement “bless you” was almost an incantation that helped keep your soul or spirit in your body. Traditions from a more distant past

not once have i heard "bless you" used for when someone coughs, so only use it for sneezes 😂 and as for "how are you," i think it would work best to greet family/friends you havent seen in a while. in this case, you might even use an extra friendly tone, and/or different phrases like "long time no see" or "how've you been?" EDIT: also i'm from Connecticut (NYC area) so hopefully my perspective isnt too different from other parts of the country 😁

The only time I would say "how are you?" to a close relationship would be if they were sick or experienced some kind of setback and were in the middle of recovering. Then it would be more from a genuine desire to know their current condition rather than a meaningless thing you say as a greeting. Bless you is only for sneezes, but that is mostly going out of style, hopefully sooner than later. There was an old wife's tale that your heart stopped when you sneezed, so you said "bless you".

It's so nice to see you in America. I am currently in Mainland China and the pandemic hit so I am staying here. I like your videos and learned a lot. I think I learned more Chinese than what I taught in class. BTW, regarding the "bless you" , it's more like a culture that came from believe. Jews, Christian , Muslims all believe that after sneez you should say "bless you" for the person. It's because our heart changes it's beat during our sneez. So, when I came in China and sneezed , there was no blessing for me 😅. But after pandemic, now none gives blessing but they try to avoid with fear of Covid-19 🤣

I also enjoyed your talking speed in this video. Stay warm in Indiana. It's not as cold here in Arkansas.

I think most of the differences you might be experiencing might be more contributed to big city versus small town. Social manners like not holding doors open or short hellos are probably more similar to Taiwan if you head to NYC or SF

當零食吃小紅蘿蔔的時，我們平常會蘸醬，像Ranch或什麼之類的。雖然我在美國長大，我還是不理解美國人喜歡跟紅蘿蔔一樣吃生的青花菜。

One of my Chinese coworkers said to me why I am wearing army clothes. I wore camo pants as we work in a warehouse. She thought it was odd that I was wearing such attire but camouflage/hunting clothing is not too uncommon in US/Canada.🤷‍♂️

Indiana has the reputation of being more religious than some parts of the US, but even in very secular parts of the US people say “bless you” although, I’ve never heard someone say it after a cough! On the East Coast we only say it for sneezes. But at least here, no one says it with the literal idea of blessing a person. It’s just a habit or courtesy. Totally interesting!

I advise you to check the pronunciation of "bless you"

I would usually respond to someone sneezing if they are close to me (such as in a car, in line, etc.) and I wouldn't say “bless you" for a cough. There are people who say it for both though!

One time in Taiwan, I got off a taxi. The driver parked at the right curb, and after paying the driver I immediately proceeded to open the door only to hear someone yell and I quickly closed the door in time to avoid a serious collision. A moped had driven in the small space from the taxi to the curb. Obviously, no motorcycle driver would do such a thing, but people do that in Taiwan. I suppose if the collision took place, then I'd be at fault for not looking back to see if there's a moped trying to go through that small area. In America, maybe if you open a car door from the left side and someone hits your door, then you may be at fault. But not on the right lane as in such a case, the bicycle/motorcycle driver would be at fault as nobody should drive through that small, narrow opening.

With my friends I often say “What’s up” “How’s life”, if they are in a different place I might say “How’s life in _____?” “How’s ____ doing?” And sometimes “Long time, no see! Hows life?” Or… with people I’m not super close, maybe I’ll say “Hope things are going well!” As for the greetings in stores, I think that’s just everywhere. I found the “歡迎光臨” cute when I’d go in Chinese stores. I really enjoyed watching this video. I was born in Fujian, so right across from Taiwan but haven’t been to Taiwan yet! I hope to go when jt is safe.

'How are you?' is considered a rhetorical question most of the time although it's also an opportunity to be honest if you feel you need the immediate advice or support of someone, but this is very rare. As other commenters have mentioned, most people will be mildly irritated if the answer was any more than 'Good, thanks.' 'Not bad.' 'Yeah, ok.' If you were to reply, 'I've been better' this is an invitation for the questioner to ask on a more personal level, 'Oh, what's happened?' Or 'Have you had a bad day?' 'Is there anything I can do for you?' etc :)

I'm from a southern state in the US, but now I live in Taiwan (just returned from visiting the States and am in home quarantine). So, I can draw a couple of comparisons. Generally, I think cashiers in the US are more attentive than in Taiwan. But, whether or not they have a warmer attitude or are friendlier depends on a lot of factors. I've come across very friendly people both in the States and Taiwan. Also, I had a similarly positive reaction to 請慢走 in Taiwan, even though I know it's a set phrase. Maybe I am so used to the set phrase in English I don't have quite as positive a reaction. Personally, though the cost of food isn't actually that bad in the US, I still feel the cost of living is high due to things that I feel often can be more expensive than Taiwan such as rent, utilities (though electricity is expensive in TW, I think), health insurance, phone bill, and whatever you spend on your lifestyle. Also, where I come from, you almost *need* a car, so those are extra expenses. Around Taipei I can get by without a motor scooter or car pretty easily. When I lived in the US, I wouldn't have much money for food and often wanted or needed convenient food, so I just went for a lot of fast food where I didn't have to tip. I also have a habit of wanting to eat whatever in front of me even if I could split it up into multiple meals. So, the portions, prices, and convenience of Taiwan just work for me better. But on that note, a "culture shock" moment for me is that a lot of small apartments don't have kitchens, at least in Taipei and New Taipei City. Comparing traffic and pedestrian behavior is hard for me. Somehow it "just works" here in Taiwan. Jaywalking is common here, which surprised me. Though I'd agree cars will yield to pedestrians more in the US, problems in the US are a high number of fatal car crashes and some drivers who treat cyclists on the road poorly.

The umbrella thing reminds me that MIL once committed a minor umbrella related faux paus in the country by sharing a table with an umbrella with someone at an outdoor restaurant. She wanted shade for the baby but sitting at a table close to strangers is considered rude and awkward in the US (except in very busy areas). Luckily it turned out there were more table umbrellas available, you just had to go find them.

It is interesting seeing my own customs through the eyes of another culture. In my experience, people often get exasperated if someone holds a door for them for too long (more than a few seconds). Instead of finding it gentlemanly, I would consider it a bit rude that they expect me to go through the door so quickly or wonder why they are waiting for me. On the flip side, if I am just behind someone and they don't push the door open for me too I would consider that rude as well. I also like baby carrots, but mostly because it is a "healthy" snack. You get the nice crispness and a bit of sweetness you might get from a cracker, but carrots are healthier for you. Cut bell peppers and sometimes cut celery are also served for the same reason, but I don't think you will find big bags of them in the grocery store. One cultural difference that interests me is the way blood is treated in cooking in China and the USA. While I have a couple Chinese friends who love American-style steaks, I also have a few Chinese friends who consider medium-rare steaks "gross" because a little blood oozes out when you cut into it. On the flip side, many Americans find pig's blood curd a bit gross because it is a solid block of blood. I guess the way people see animal bits growing up influences what they consider "normal" food and what they consider a bit "gross."

非常好！😁😁😁❣🤜🤛

In the US there are definitely situations where you say “How are you?” as kind of a fake question. Like people will say, “How are you?” to some one and the person will just answer, “How are you?” without actually answering. In that situation it’s like Ni hao because it’s “Hi.” “Hi,” [Nothing] But I think maybe what’s different is there’s a continuum of behavior so it’s up to the person how open a person is, and Americans have a reputation of being very open with strangers by the standards of I think almost every culture. The other thing is there are definitely differences by setting. I’ve only been to Indiana on e and it was very brief, but I remember it being very much a small towns in the middle of farms type of place. In those settings people have the reputation of being very friendly. Although the friendliness can be kind of… I don’t want to say fake because that’s mean… but let’s say that on the East Coast people are very much more direct with both negative and positive feedback, so in small town America people can kind of say, “Bless your soul” and actually mean “@$! you.” LOL. But you might find that the habits of Americans are closer to your experience in Northeastern cities. I think it’s less that people aren’t friendly, even though you’ll hear that from some people. It’s more that there are just a lot of people! You can’t say hello to everyone in NYC or Philadelphia or you’ll be exhausted, whereas when I visited Vermont the lady at the hotel wanted to talk and talk because we were her only company.

A more casual way of greeting a friend could be “Hey. How’s it going?” Or “How is everything?” Or even “what’s good?” I think where your friend is coming from is that sometimes the cough sounds like a sneeze and so people say bless you. However, if the cough is very clearly a cough we generally don’t say bless you. I love baby carrots. Certainly right about umbrellas. Generally in the US people want to get tanned. It is seen as a sign of a more healthy, active lifestyle. Small talk is definitely a thing. My encouragement is to try to be careful not to miss stop signs because sometimes they could be hard to see because of a tree. I hope you enjoy your time in Indiana 😀

My wife who is from Taiwan also mentions about how cars here in America usually would wait for you to cross but I told we show our manner here by trying to hurry up to get to the other side and not keep the car waiting and she feels stressed about that

For the "How are you?" question, I say that. I also say, hey there, hiya, what's up? what's shakin'? There are so many things you'd say as a native speaker. Ans it also depends on where you are in the country too. Great question!