Europeans Explain The Way They Can Always Spot An American Tourist
fellow Americans, it’s no secret that we don’t always blend into a crowd. Thanks to everything from our clothes to our mannerisms, we’re a lot easier to pick out of a lineup than you’d think. Stereotypes are often rooted in truth, and as you’ll learn, some Americans just can’t help but be, well, spectacularly American. Are you one of them? As it turns out, even our most “normal” habits may not be seen as normal while we’re traveling abroad!
“How you doin’?”
Whether you’re talking to your mom or to the mailman, chances are that you ask how they’re doing — if you’re American, that is. And though most people say it without thinking, it’s always done in kindness. “My country doesn’t quite have that culture, so I find it really sweet,” one non-American Redditor said.
We rock fanny packs
It’s a tourist’s tale as old as time: wear a fanny pack, and you’ll never be the victim of a pickpocket! As tried-and-true as fanny packs are, though, they only make you stand out more as a tourist — particularly an American one. Unless, of course, you’re one of the cool kids who manages to pull off the ’80s-looking style.
Crazy for condiments
Everyone has had ketchup before, but supposedly nothing makes a tourist stand out more as an American than when they order a dollop of the stuff with their fries. Oh, and we can’t forget the other painfully American condiment: ranch! But, Europeans, don’t stick your nose up at ketchup and ranch dressing. You don’t know what you’re missing!
Where are the public trash cans?!
If Tokyo ever struck you as unusually clean compared to, say, New York, it’s probably because they don’t have garbage cans in the Japanese capital. Er, how does that translate to clean streets? Well, apparently, most people in Japan have gotten used to bringing their trash home instead of tossing it into public cans — or worse, onto the ground.
