Brit Reacts to Things that surprised me about America as a European (there is a lot!!) 

Nobody stands there and looks through the gaps of a bathroom stall to invade privacy because they would likely leave the restroom with a black eye.

"In America you guys don't care about being judged" - True, and also we don't try so hard to impress people or put on airs. The guy in old blue jeans and a t-shirt you see at Wal-Mart might very well be a Millionaire, and the young guy dressing to impress might be penniless. You never can tell.

she probably saw Halloween lights and thought they were Christmas lights. I have never seen anyone decorate for Christmas in September. Most wait until at least November and usually after our Thanksgiving.

Here in the States, we often smile AND say 'hi' in passing to people we don't even know. It just makes both people feel better.

The gaps in public toilets is SO OVERDRAMATIZED in videos by Europeans. At 78, I've never caught anybody looking through the gap at somebody else. And I like being able to look OUT to make sure nothing creepy its going on in the bathroom. But this is from a French person, the land of public "pissoirs". 🤨 I am not used to seeing Christmas decorations until after Halloween and, usually until Thanksgiving. Of course the Friday after Thanksgiving is "celebrated" as the start of the Christmas shopping season: "Black Friday".

I think she may have seen Halloween decor. Its rare to seen Christmas decor in September. If it's there, then they had it up all year long 😂

You can tell that she spent most of her time up North and near the cities. A lot of the things she was talking about are very different in the South.

MOST times in a restaurant, you don't even have to ASK for refills. they see you are getting low on your drink and just bring them!!! Half the time I leave the restaurant and never even DRINK the refill!!

The double yellow stripe on the road indicates no passing.

It's weird to us that Europeans think it's ok to run up and peek through a crack to watch someone pee. Nobody here is TRYING to do that, in the first place. It's a literal crime.

The roads LOL Yeah, we do have some crappy roads here. It's mostly where the weather gets really cold, the cold and the snow plows mess them up. BUT, keep in mind that the US has over 4 million miles of road to take care of, the UK has 245,000 miles of road to take care of. COWS - How do people not know this? Spotted cows are dairy cows and black cows are breed for meat cows. They're not just different colors but different breeds. SMILES - Nobody smiles in France... BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY ICE!

I'm 73 y/o, was born in Colorado, lived in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York and California. I have never seen Christmas decorations displayed in September. Where the heck was she?

As an American, I’ve never put any thought into the gaps actually because I never knew anything different. It’s a “known “ thing of etiquette to just never look. I’ve never seen anyone look at you. I always thought it was constructed for safety purposes

Call me crazy, but I’ve walked into many bathrooms, and never once tried to look in the crack between the door. it’s not like we walk into a bathroom and wonder who’s in the stall today?

2:45 I had one little kid watching me through the little gap in the toilet 😂 he was laughing and thought it was funny, he was saying " hi, what are you doing? ". Not gonna lie it was funny and I laughed too. The mom was so embarrassed and was telling him it was not funny and he should respect people's privacy.

Black cows are generally Angus cows bred for beef. Black and white cows are usually dairy cows. However, cows come in as many colors as dogs, so it just depends on what the farmer prefers to raise. You aren’t going to see a lot of motorcycles when it rains because it is dangerous for the rider. My uncle hit a black bear on his motorcycle. His wife skidded out on loose gravel on her first ride, which was as a fun run (fundraising event). She ended up with road rash, a dislocated shoulder,and sprained ankle. Her riding leathers came in the following week. New York roads are bad because the weather is hard on cement. Add in road salt and cinders used to keep roads drivable in snow and ice, and the roads get chewed up. I grew up in Upstate NY. We get a lot of rain. We were the third highest rain state when I was a kid. That means there’s not a lot of time for fixing roads, even during the summer. You’ll see a lot of different car brands in the USA because many car manufacturers have factories here. My sister’s best friend is an inspector at BMW. I used to work at a Mercedes dealership. Mercedes Sprinter vans are made in the same city I used to work in. I own a Hyundai Tucson and my sister owns Hyundai Venue. Hyundais have good safety ratings, but cost a bit less than Subarus. Our parents are on their third Volkswagen. Our dad favors Volkswagens as he’s tall and the Atlas gives home enough head room and leg room.

Here's a true story of why I am GRATEFUL for those gaps in the toilets in the public bathrooms. My daughter was six, and she wanted to go into the bathroom stall alone and be a "big girl". So I let her and I stood outside the door. My daughter finished up and couldn't figure out how to unlock the door. She started to panic. I was calmly telling her what to do but it wasn't working, she was already going into a panic attack. (My daughter at the time had been diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety from being involved in a car accident where she saw a lot of blood and someone die). She went in to a full on panic attack. Screaming and crying saying she was going to die, it was awful. I couldn't get her to slide under the door to get out so I got on my back and I slid under the door to get into the toilet to get her. I sat on the toilet seat and just held her on my lap, with her face in my neck and calmed her. Could you imagine how long it would have taken to get someone there to take the door off it's hinges if the door went all the way to the ground? I am so grateful for those gaps, I wouldn't change it for the world. By the way, my daughter is ten now, and her therapist has said her PTSD is gone as well as much of her anxiety! =)

I think a better counter question is why do Europeans like look through gaps between the toilet stalls? It really is not wide enough for people to see things out of peripheral vision unless you are actively and consciously looking to look through the gaps you know? Though the gap underneath the door could be a little lower to be honest.

In New England it’s common for people to have white lights on houses or trees year round, especially on shops, inns or at a bed and breakfast. They are basically Christmas lights but they’re not for Christmas. They just look nice at night.

It is rare to have Christmas decorations that early, but it is not uncommon to keep string lights on deck or backyard (your garden).

we never put up Christmas decorations before December unless we're sure a French visitor is coming through our town

Nobody is looking through the 1/2 inch gap on the public toilet doors. And as for the bottom being open, it’s for safety reasons in case a child gets locked in or someone faints or has a heart attack or something. The person can be rescued easier.

The smiling thing, for me, is a kind of Christian virtue ethics. In the neighborhood I grew up in, it is common to acknowledge strangers in your presence in some way. I was raised Catholic, so that seemed elevated to acknowledging their personhood. In grade school, there was an elderly nun named Sister Angelica who worked in the library. She was a small, frail, white-haired lady, but she had a presence of Christian love that could fill the room. Whenever you would enter her library, she would greet you with the warmest smile. We are influenced by people who impress us, and Sister Angelica made an impression on me. I can't do that on her level, but I can do it to some extent. I mainly use that with kids or anyone who I think might be struggling too much. I think Christian virtue ethics is partly where that comes from. At least, for some of us. With the bathroom stall gaps, you have to keep in mind we have a wider IQ distribution than you are used to. We have many brilliant, creative people, but we also have an unusual proportion of idiots with terrible judgment. In the same way you might childproof a house, idiot-proofing is everywhere. Child-proofing is about keeping kids safe. Idiot-proofing is about lowering the incidence of bonehead decisions. The gaps are to discourage inappropriate behavior in public bathrooms. Privacy, but not too much.

Some states have better roads than others. NC has pretty good roads. Also, I also prefer my drinks or water cold. In the states the fountain drinks at the restaurants are already cold, so I order those without ice (especially if my order is a carry out). That way I have more drink and it doesn't get watered-down.

As someone that grew up in the US, i never even thought twice about the gap in the stalls lol

Toyota actually builds cars in the United States, they have ten manufacturing plants here.

Remember with Right on Red, you still have to stop, check if it is clear for you to pull out, THEN go.

Cold drinks in America are usually chilled no ice required for it to be cold

The roads are handled by local governments. It differs from county to county, and more so from state to state.

The toilets, we are so used to it we don't think about the gaps. We don't actually peek in at someone while using the toilet.. We only look udner for feet to see if it's occupied.

Roads in the US are maintained by the state, so the quality of the roads varies a lot. You can be napping in the back seat and know when you crossed from Texas to Louisiana or Oklahoma. It goes from a nice, smooth ride to a noisy, bumpy mess. We have BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, Volkswagen, etc, and we also have Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, etc, plus all the American made cars.

The gap in the toilet stalls are incredibly handy if there is no toilet paper in your stall!!!! Just ask your neighbor. I am 60 years old and have never seen anyone using the bathroom through the gaps. Ok, the double yellow lines on the road tell you whether you can pass or not. The line that will tell YOU, is the line closest to you. If it is solid, do not pass the car in front of you. If it is a broken line, you can pass, after checking to see if another car is coming. The line furthest from you, is for the oncoming cars.

The reason the roads were bad for her is because New York gets a tremendous amount of snow each winter, and the snow plows destroy the roads with the blades of the plow. We ask for no ice because it waters down the drinks. There are motorcycles everywhere in the USA. She means a Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger. Police commonly use them. The most common vehicle you will see is the common Cargo Van. We smile and wave back when waved to, it's common courtesy to acknowledge someone you make eye contact with, and a smile is taught to us at a young age as a way to silently say "Hey Neighbor, top of the morning to you". We have a phrase "Sunday Drivers" which refers to people who traditionally would drive slowly on a Sunday afternoon to just enjoy the day and take in the scenery. We raise our voices in accordance with the ambient background noise. We are told to use inside voice and outside voice, lol. A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet.

The hardest thing on roads is snow and cold weather. Paris averages 3 inches of snow a year, in 2022-2023 Buffalo got over 11 feet of snow. Really not that surprising that roads are a little bumpier than she is used to.

The yellow lines in the center of American roads denote your ability to pass someone in your own lane by going into the other lane traveling in the opposite direction. Dashed line means it’s allowed, solid line means passing is not allowed, usually on account of an upcoming curve. The light switch thing was just weird. My time in France has been very limited but I have spent a lot of time in Germany and Austria and the only difference in the light switches that I recall being the European switches tended to be a bit wider whereas traditional American switches may only be 3/8” wide. Though wider switches are becoming more popular as well. The thing with Mustangs being everywhere in the States is the base model Mustang is actually very cheap as far as cars go. You won’t get the performance engine to go super fast or a lot of options on it but you can get a base model mustang for a very affordable price. I used to call the Mustang the unofficial vehicle of the enlisted soldier because they were extremely popular with young soldiers who had housing provided by or subsidized by the government. You can go onto almost any American military base and see a bunch of Mustangs owned by young soldiers with few expenses who want a cool looking car.

People normally would start decorating for Christmas immediately after Thanksgiving but when the pandemic hit many people who love Christmas decided they wanted to feel that joy as soon as possible. It seems to have just stayed a thing people are doing now. They put up their Christmas decorations as soon as they feel like it, I guess. In fact, I have a few neighbors who have not taken their lights down yet and continue to turn them on every evening!

Folks may want to remember that just because you may see something in one area of the country it does not mean that everywhere you go in the States will be the same. The next State, city or town will be completely different then what you experienced in the areas you have visited.😃😊 I'm not sure where the young lady was traveling to, but there's plenty of motorcycles rolling around...lol!

Remember, in America, everyone who has a motorcycle also owns a car.

The twist switches on most lamps are for 3 way bulbs. You can twist them for low, medium, and bright light. With the switch she was looking for you have on or off only.

A lot of the friendliness is simple small talk. You have a friendly conversation with a stranger you'll never see again. You made a human connection shared simple conversation and everybody walks away happy.

The light switch she showed is the kind you twist. We actually have all kinds of light switches (clickers on the cord, in and out, pull chains, twisty ones,etc). I think there are a many different kinds of wall switches too.

Our roads get messed up from snow plows and ice melt during winter and the roads don't get repaired right away

We also have VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes in the States. I own a a VW GTI. BMW has multiple factories in the US.

The fact that most countries don't use ice is astounding to me, how do you drink warm beer or soda?

I want to know where she saw Christmas decorations in September. You might see one or two houses in October, but most people wait until November, usually after Thanksgiving to put up Christmas decorations. You see them in the stores in September, but very rarely on houses.

Ok if I go out, I am wearing a proper pair of pants like jeans, not leggings or pajamas. In the regions where we get snow, we get potholes because the de-icer breaks down the surfaces. We spend spring through fall repairing or replacing our roads just for winter to come along and put in it's 2 cents 😊.

Conditions of roads all depends on where you are. We love our refills. I like room temperature water myself. Most Americans love cold water, I'm not one of them. Yes, we smile at each other. It's a form of greeting without talking. Speaking loudly is normal. You would fit right in Lewis.

The mustang is not the most owned car in the US. All black cows are most likely Black Angus, raised for beef. "Dalmatian" cows are Holsteins, they are used for dairy. Travel to the Midwest and you will find millions of them.

The roads up north get messed up a lot because when it snows and the roads get icy the expansion and contraction of the hard concrete causes cracks. Over time those cracks grow.

You can download the South Carolina drivers manual to study for the drivers test. It includes all standard road signs and traffic laws and I am sure other states have their manual available as well.

European cars (BMW, Audis, Mercedes) are considered luxury cars in the US.

In Chicago we have two seasons: winter and road repair. 😊

Yes, we have a manual flush. The press is pressure flush. The gap is to give the door room to swing on the hinge side and a gap to not wedge the door closed. It's not the same kind of hinges you would have on a door in your home. The higher rise on the door is in case something happens to the occupant you can slide under the door to unlock it. The only way anyone is going to see anything besides maybe your face or your knee is if they are actively trying to look in at you. It's a twist switch, not an in line rotary switch. The Mustang is a cool car classic muscle car. As rare as the real horse, although I think their numbers are climbing. The double yellow line means you can not pass. They could've been Christmas decorations, or they could've been Halloween decorations or just decorating for Thanksgiving. We have all those brands here, but we like American made or good milage & safe. Ceiling fans help cool or heat the room. You can turn on red where there's no sign saying you can't. Yes, local roads can be rough. If you have to pay for free refills, they're not free. Yes, you can ask for no ice. Yes, there are thousand of motorcycles but they pick their weather. Dodge is a car maker. They .ake the Dodge Charger and the Dodge Ram trucks. We are taught, at least I was, smile when we meet people to show you're friendly. Yeah, some of us are like that but others are just plain lazy or don't care what people think about how they look. Yes, business, for most businesses, is 7 days a week. Yes if you are in a large store like Walmart or a Departmenr store, they have their own bathrooms. That way, they don't rush you out to use the loo. We're friendly, and sociable.

I keep hearing that people in America, so nice and they don’t see that in Germany, France, UK. All you have to do is start a trend, be the change in the world you want to see.

where she was driving from NY to Buffalo they receives a lot of snow. The roads are built to reflect freezing so they dont have to maintain them all the time. To counteract the expansion and shrinking of the material in the road they make gaps on highways to protect the surface. its not throughout the country, but they do it in cold climate states.

To be fair, you have to keep in mind how much more driving americans do on a daily basis. As an example, its not all that uncommon for people to drive an hour one way to go to work. It also helps to explain why bigger cars are more common in america, because we spend a lot more time in our cars.

Motorcycles in the USA are more like toys. They are luxury items most of the time so the majority of people only ride them when weather is nice

The first time I was in a public restrooms in Europe, I was claustrophobic because doors went to the floor and there were no gaps. 😮

The ’push-pull’ table lamp switches were common nearing a century ago at the beginning of electrification in the USA. Later, the today more common turning/rotating controls became the norm in the USA. Lamps in the USA must meet certain industry standards, and partly for that reason tend to last a long time.

19:00 Yes, you actually CAN put ice in your water bottle... they make special trays for long, thin ice, just the right size for putting in a bottle!

The USA history was different than the rest of the world. The westward expansion required inter-dependability on one hand, and the comparative isolation made accepting strangers easier, and everyone was often a stranger to everyone else coming from different states and countries. That may explain why foreigners find Americans friendly we are accustomed to strangers. In a big country where people rarely travel farther than they could walk in a day, another human was often a welcomed sight. A new face with new stories helped break the monotony.

I've literally seen videos of people in the UK getting stuck in their toilet stalls because the handle was jammed or broken and they're struggling to get out. Even with someone helping on the other side. The reasons there's gaps is for safety issues. Easy in, easy out. Especially in emergencies. Plus nobody cares to watch you. Everyone minds their business. Unless it's a toddler/annoying kid. Then sometimes they crawl in lol

20:30 - rain can cause old oil to float to the surface of our roads creating major slip hazard for bikes, and even cars potentially, but because of this it is generally common practice to never ride a motorcycle on rainy days. Not that people dont still do it, but most of the time you see it is cause the rain surprised someone while they were away from home, or if it is their only means of transportation.

It’s not normal to see Xmas decorations that early.

Right on red is like stopping at a stop sign. You look to see if there are any cars coming from your left and if not you go.

Northern NY State might explain the rough roads. The ground freezes every year there. Might also explain the Christmas decorations being out so early, if they were Christmas decorations. I imagine they would decorate well before any snow was expected up there.

Roads differ by state and region. She has a talking east coast. Roads there endure much more freezing and thawing cycles in the winter. Plus, the terrain has a lot of clay and hills. That’s really hard on roads. In contrast, I’ve been to southern Cali and the roads there were in great shape.

The lines separating the road are certain colors for a reason. The lines for oncoming traffic are yellow. The double lines mean no passing. Dashed means passing ok. If it is solid on one side and dashed on the other means passing ok on the dashed side, and no passing on the solid side. White lines are for the shoulder, or to mark lanes in the same direction, like on a 4 lane freeway.

I kinda like the gap in the stalls too cuz you can have someone pass you TP underneath if it’s out in your stall 😋 Edit: I’ve lived in the US almost 30 years and have never seen Xmas decorations before Halloween and the only time I’ve ever driven on a bumpy road how she described was on dirt roads

when to start Christmas has been a debate between Christmas lovers and Halloween lovers

She should go to Sturgis. That motorcycle rally is HUGE!

You can’t see shit through the gap unless you put your eye right up to it…… what’s the big deal? Motorcycles are rarely used for daily driving more of a leisure/sport activity.

The solid yellow line in your lane means "do not pass." If there is a double line for both lanes, you cannot pass from either lane or flow of traffic. The single broken yellow lines separating the lanes simply mean normal driving, passing allowed at driver's discretion.

The funny thing is that Mustangs are considered chick rides in the US. Every 18 year old girl and her grandmother owns one 😂

Fun video. I felt very similarly when I went to Europe for my 1st time last May. There were so many things I'd seen in the movies that to see them live in person was so fun! Double decker red buses and red phone booths in the UK. In Berlin, every other car was a BMW or Mercedes. And though we have those here in the US, they are considered high-end vehicles and in Berlin they were very standard. And there was a market with fresh veg and bread on every corner in Paris, which we absolutely don't have in the US. I love Europe so much that I'm coming back again in April! See you then. HAHAHA

If you see Christmas lights on my home In September, it just means I was too lazy to take them down from the last Christmas. Maybe even the one before. Regarding roads, great unless your in the northeast where the infrastructure is much older and the congestion is mind bending. Nevertheless, super highways coast to coast baby.

I haven't had a glass of water without ice in 40 years.

They always say New Yorkers arent friendly and she saying how friendly driving around NY is 😊 great to hear . She needs to go south to experience southern hospitality people are really really nice there ❤

The fully sealed off cubicles make for a real issue in an emergency. Door locked and someone has collapsed or something, it’s a real problem.

Maybe they were Halloween decorations, and the French are really that ‘out of it’ 😂

Police cars arent exclusively Dodges. My city uses Ford. It depends on where your department or state has its contract through.

hahaha! So, the gap in the toilet stall doors-- This actually started a habit that people have in the U.S. If we're havin' a poo, and we hear someone else walk into the bathroom, many of us will clear our throat, or cough, or make a noise, to warn the people coming in that we're in the stall, so they know not to ry and open the door.

I love when I'm leaving a theater after a movie and they offer to refill my pop & popcorn to go!

Roads up north are bad...mainly due to winter weather. Lots of potholes. Many northern states call summer "construction season".

1) Restrooms: When it comes to the gaps between the door and the frame of the stalls, it's in case if the authorities or owners need to see inside--emergencyies or illegal activities. As a patron. It just understood you don't look in. Besides, you'd literally have to press your eyeballs there to see anything significant, and no one is going to do that! 2) 99.99% of us Americans don't put up Christmas decorations before Halloween!!!! 3) We have every make and model of cars because we are a car culture. 3) American road conditions depend on the state. 4) For Pete's sake we are in our cars more then you guys so everything road related is going to be higher. 5) I've never seen a person a person shop in pajamas. She must be confusing them with sweats.

I reside in both NYC and Buffalo. Don't know what she is talking about regarding the highways. The roads are smooth. Been driving them for a very long time.

The reason some roads are messed up. Is because each county. Is responsible for their roads. They're overseeing by the Florida Department of Transportation. And they'll make them fix them. That's why you get good roads and bedrooms. Some counties are bigger than others. William s

New York City first installed these kinds of doors to the stalls of Men's toilets in the 1960s in public parks and other areas to discourage drug use but mostly to stop male homosexual "cruising" Later bars and restaurants began adopting the stall doors with the gaps in both male and female bathroom stalls. But major retail stores did not start to do this until the late 1980s as a standard. In retail stores like clothes stores, Target, Wal-Mart, grocery stores and pharmacies the gaps are there because it discourages shoplifting.

I will never understand European fear about American bathrooms. No one can see you, but we know the stall is occupied. By the way, no can see your underwear either unless you drop them all the way to your ankles.

Lights. The thing she is talking about is a twist lamp switch. You turn them clockwise to turn them on. Turn it again to turn it off. Its a throwback to the way you would turn down old oil lamps.

I put up Christmas decorations outside after Halloween. We put up lights even in our garden and back yard. I usually wait until Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November) to put up the tree and stuff inside.

The gaps are for two reasons first and most important it's there so they can see if you need help or need assistance, Medical assistance, Like if someone's having a heart attack you can see them and know to get them some help. Second is to prevent homeless people from taking up residency in the Stalls.😎

Seriously, I've never seen Christmas decorations before December here.... but we do have fall decorations starting as soon as September 30th rolls around. BMW Mercedes are kind of luxury here, out where I am, you drive one of those, you aren't getting everywhere, you will also have a scratch paint job because of gravel roads are very common.... paved roads exist.... just less of them. And out in the country, everything is closed here mostly.

I grew up in Nebraska. We would normally have snow and ice on the ground on Halloween. Potholes in the roads are very common. Most police agencies used to use Ford Crown Victoria's as patrol cars. When they reintroduced the dodge charger, the police agencies started using them. Roadkill on the roads is very common. Everything is open on Sunday except for Hobby Lobby and Chick Fil A. Restrooms... Most states have laws that required a restroom to be available if a business is serving prepared food. That means if they are serving hot food, they are required to have a restroom available.

Dead animals ARE common on the roads in rural areas. Almost every car we've owned has a deer hit. They literally run right out in front of you. And there's never just one; if you see one deer cross the road, you have to sit and wait for the others to cross...you can't see them, but they are there...just waiting to jump out in front of you.

I never noticed the gaps in the doors till you guys started pointing them out…

As an American I can tell you most of us don't really like using public toilets and we won't until we absolutely have to. And even then it's an iffy stop.

I'm an American, and I don't go around smiling at people. You do have to try to be unapproachable sometimes so you don't get trapped in a conversation with some random person.

We have button flush toilets, but you'll mostly find them in public spaces. In some cases there's an infrared panel that detects when you get up and flushes automatically (in theory), but you can also flush those manually by pressing the black button on the panel.

BMW is considered a luxury car for the most part. I actually work for BMW in SC.. we build em right here. But I drive a Ford. Alot of American cars are built for style and comfort.