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I've used a lot of public stalls and I can't believe I've never seen anybody through any supposed gaps in the door sides..they all close snugly enough as far as I've seen.
And if it's the open bottoms, can't say I've ever seen anybody crawling around on the floor trying to look under one.
Are there people that spend their time in restrooms trying to peer into the stalls?
Not sure if you're a woman or not. But if so, have you ever been in a bathroom when there's little kids in there? They have NO issues with peering through those gaps.
Definitely agree on our lax credit card security. Why are we supposedly one of the most advanced countries on Earth, yet we are still using moronic, easily hackable magnetic strip credit card technology that is almost 30 years old? Many other countries in the world have much better chip based credit cards that are harder to make fraudulent transactions with. Fraud costs the economy billions every year and it is such a simple preventative measure to take.
Also agree with the observation that the vast majority of our bread sucks. A typical loaf here is nothing like you can get over the pond.
I'm thinking that you were probably being overly-sensitive to the looks because I've never in my life experienced this either, and I live in the Bible Belt. Drinking wine with dinner is perfectly acceptable in this country. Or were you saying you ordered wine for your children to drink with you? In that case, it probably would be looked at askance.
No, we don't give booze to our kids (who aren't even teenagers yet).
As I said, it's no big deal and it's not something that happens that often.
But it does seem that some locals in some places find it unusual.
Just as an example, we've had waiters in both Watertown, NY and EPCOT at Walt Disney World tell us it's "nice" that we're having wine, because the vast majority of the people they serve don't.
Something like three quarters of American households or more don't even own a corkscrew, so while it might be perfectly acceptable (never said it wasn't), it's not a stretch to say it is not as common as it is in many other countries.
What are some other norms you consider weird to foreigners?
When I worked as a tour guide, I met a lot of people from all over the world. The biggest difference between American and Europeans is that Europeans are very, very, VERY reserved. Some of them were lively, usually younger, or certain countries, but some of them....they looked pissed that they were there.
We can all go to college if we want, no matter how we did up to the 6th grade.
Our serving sizes are huge. (Meaning, in a restaurant.)
We drive like idiots.
There is a lot of wide, open space.
What they see on t.v. is not reality.
We are not all out in the streets shooting at each other.
We are not all cowboys.
Gigantic, gas guzzling vehicles.
And I agree with them about our bathroom stalls.....having said that:
They may not like our bathrooms, but at least we don't have to PAY to use them.
See, this can go both ways...
No ice in their pop. What is up with that?
Ketchup costs, you don't just get some with your fries.
Beer in McDonald's. BEER.
It does not matter where you are in Germany at 3 in the morning - you could be in the most remote section of the country, in the dark forest, and someone is going to walk by with their dog.
They park half on the sidewalk.
Men can pee in public as long as their back is to traffic.
Tax is included in the price...how much are you really paying in taxes? You have no idea!
Taxed on everything. We think we're heavily taxed...holy carp, no, not compared to over there.
They don't bathe every day.
Not a whole lot of smiling going on over there. Why are they so grumpy?
Things I liked:
I love that all you have to ask is, "Ist heir frei?" and if so, you have a seat and can make some new friends. Depends on where you are...since there's that whole "reserved" thing going on.
Festival for all kinds of reasons! Woo-hoo, let's have a parade and get drunk!
CLEAN! Clean, clean, clean!
Good God the food is fricken delicious.
Autobahn fun time! (And those people know how to drive...unlike people in this country.)
Finally, one day, I was walking somewhere, (probably going to another club), and some American GI was, unfortunately, not being a very good ambassador and was harassing a German girl about how much he hated her country. She asked him why he couldn't just learn to accept their customs while he was there. It's something I've never forgotten, and I have held that viewpoint ever since...because she was right. The good news is, not all American make asses out of themselves when they go overseas. Yah, we might laugh more, clap more, enjoy more, (or appear to, anyway), and be more open to talking to strangers....but many of us DO appreciate their way of life, their customs, etc, and try to show respect while we are there. We just ask that they do the same when they are here. Some do, some don't. Just like us.
Our standard bread, and even most of our bakery bread, is truly bad.
I do not know where you buy your bread, but most US bakeries and grocery stores will include one or more different breads from Europe. Like French baguette, or Italian foccacia, or German dinkelbrot.
Personally, I prefer Alaskan Sourdough.
FYI: All breads that use yeast require some sugar, it is what the yeast feeds upon. During fermentation yeast converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide by feeding on a series of increasingly complex sugars, essentially breaking the sugar down.
I do not know where you buy your bread, but most US bakeries and grocery stores will include one or more different breads from Europe. Like French baguette, or Italian foccacia, or German dinkelbrot.
Personally, I prefer Alaskan Sourdough.
FYI: All breads that use yeast require some sugar, it is what the yeast feeds upon. During fermentation yeast converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide by feeding on a series of increasingly complex sugars, essentially breaking the sugar down.
I do have to agree, I was never a bread eater until I got to Germany. Their bread is fantastic. I came back to the states and am still looking for bread just as good. Haven't found it yet....
It does not matter where you are in Germany at 3 in the morning - you could be in the most remote section of the country, in the dark forest, and someone is going to walk by with their dog.
It is generally agreed throughout Europe that Italian drivers are the worst.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
There is a lot of wide, open space.
And they are right. I never felt it necessary to buy a vehicle in Europe. With towns spaced only 10 to 20 miles apart in Europe, jumping on a train to visit another town is like jumping on a bus in Los Angeles to go from Venice to Beverly Hills, no big deal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
We are not all out in the streets shooting at each other.
Except for perhaps Chicago and other cities where there is a strong Democrat presence and massive amounts of gun control (e.g., D.C., New Orleans, etc.).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
We are not all cowboys.
True. I stopped cow tipping by the end of the 1960s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Gigantic, gas guzzling vehicles.
My 4x4 pickup gets 7 miles per gallon highway, 0 miles per gallon city.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
And I agree with them about our bathroom stalls.....having said that:
They may not like our bathrooms, but at least we don't have to PAY to use them.
We also understand the purpose of the P-trap, which cannot be said for most of Europe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
No ice in their pop. What is up with that?
Most Europeans consider drinks that are extremely cold (as in chilled by ice) to be unhealthy. They commonly serve cold drinks chilled, but with no ice. I am not sure why, but that is the prevailing perception.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Ketchup costs, you don't just get some with your fries.
I have never paid for ketchup. Personally, I prefer sea salt on my fries and nothing else, but many Americans prefer ketchup. There are many Americans in the south who also prefer their fries with mayonnaise. There are also some Americans who use malt vinegar on their fries, but I believe that tradition originated in the UK.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Beer in McDonald's. BEER.
The drinking age for beer is 14, if in the company of a parent or legal guardian. So why not have a nice cold German pilsner with your burger and fries?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
They park half on the sidewalk.
True, because many of their towns predate automobiles by about 2,500 years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Tax is included in the price...how much are you really paying in taxes? You have no idea!
Which is the biggest problem with a VAT, and why I will never support one in the US.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Festival for all kinds of reasons! Woo-hoo, let's have a parade and get drunk!
Say what you will about the Germans, but they know how to party.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Good God the food is fricken delicious.
I miss the Imbiss. They always had the best wurst and pomme frites.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Finally, one day, I was walking somewhere, (probably going to another club), and some American GI was, unfortunately, not being a very good ambassador and was harassing a German girl about how much he hated her country. She asked him why he couldn't just learn to accept their customs while he was there. It's something I've never forgotten, and I have held that viewpoint ever since...because she was right. The good news is, not all American make asses out of themselves when they go overseas. Yah, we might laugh more, clap more, enjoy more, (or appear to, anyway), and be more open to talking to strangers....but many of us DO appreciate their way of life, their customs, etc, and try to show respect while we are there. We just ask that they do the same when they are here. Some do, some don't. Just like us.
I do have to agree, I was never a bread eater until I got to Germany. Their bread is fantastic. I came back to the states and am still looking for bread just as good. Haven't found it yet....
I have not found any good German bread in Alaska, but I did run across a place that makes real German sauerkraut. Not American sauerkraut with cooked cabbage.
One thing I have found very odd is the ordering of epidural before birth (yes, I am aware this is for insurance reasons), it's just the idea of planning an epidural before birth is odd to many women around the world, because it's a last resort in most birth culture, not first.
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