Non-Americans Are Sharing Their Misconceptions About The US That Were Dispelled After Visiting, And As An American, I'm Intrigued

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01-05-2025

Reddit user Forlorn_Sailor_9832 recently asked non-American redditors to share their misconceptions about the United States before visiting. Here's what they said:
1. "I always thought jaywalking was some sort of national inside joke. Surely nobody is silly enough to outlaw crossing the street. Then I got stopped on an empty street and lectured by an angry cop about not becoming 'pavement pizza.'"
— BizteckIRL
2. "The food. As a Brit, I watched Man v. Food and those types of programs for years. I was expecting amazing and delicious food. I'd describe all the food I ate in various restaurants as average to poor quality. They were large portions, but the quality was just not on par with other countries I've visited. Everyone criticizes the UK for food, but I've had better food in a chain restaurant here than in some top-tier restaurants in the States."
— english_muppet
"That the food in the US was going to be delicious. In reality, the quality was terrible. The produce is old and sometimes doesn't look fit for human consumption; it's more like animal feed. This is unfortunate because the meat quality is also bad. Chicken often has a hard texture, like biting into cartilage, or it disintegrates off the bone. This results from trying to get the chickens as big as possible."
— mushymune
3. "Okay, I was super scared because I'm a South Asian Muslim, but I was there for a month in October, and people were very, very nice. I don't know why, but I expected some unfriendliness based on what the media reports. And I assume people living/studying there have a different experience (many relatives/friends live there, and I've heard their stories). But wow, everyone we met was nice, accommodating, and friendly!"
— voidstaring23
4. "It wasn't a misconception, I just didn't believe everything you see in the movies was real, especially in Christmas movies where things are a bit exaggerated. So, I didn't believe people really had THAT wild of Christmas lights in the suburbs. I was so very wrong. America is passionate about its Christmas lights."
— 0xB4BE
6. "I thought the Southern accent was made up/exaggerated for TV until I heard it come out of some guy."
— CanuckJ86
7. "As Canadians, we generally travel to the US a bit, so we have few misconceptions. The one that still surprises me is the number of Americans living very close to the Canadian border who've never been to Canada. When I ask them why, I almost always get, 'I have no need to go there.' I love Americans, but that statement speaks volumes about how they see the world in general and shows an incredible level of arrogance and ignorance. I say that with the most respect possible. Americans are not born this way. They are taught this."
— cre8ivjay
8. "That people in NY were rude. Compared to a normal German town, I felt like I had fallen into a honey pot. Everyone was incredibly nice and sweet and went out of their way to help me. When I was in a coffee shop, they always gave me extra stuff and were so friendly. When I wanted to buy a shirt for my niece at Macy's, they told me where I could get more teenager stuff in OTHER stores that would be cooler. People on the streets were smiling at me. It felt unreal. Once, I was mistakenly given an alcoholic drink at a restaurant, and when I asked them if I could get a non-alcoholic, they were trying to comp my meal. I had to repeatedly say that everything was wonderful, and of course, I would pay and tip. They acted like they had to compensate me, but it was just the wrong drink."
"I was, in fact, a bit afraid of NY and never cared much for big cities, but my 14 days there were wonderful (2009). I just wanted to visit a friend studying there, but I really fell in love with the people and the beauty of NY."
— RunZombieBabe
10. "This might be odd, but growing up, I've always heard Americans were frugal people who only spend money on what's absolutely necessary. Not cheapskates, but more like, 'If I can have the basic, why buy something with more comfort/premium?' I don't think I've ever heard of this stereotype outside my country (Southern Brazil, to be more precise, because I don't know if other parts of the land have this stereotype). After actually observing Americans, that's completely false. Americans are rich and love splurging on everything compared to most other people. Everything has a billion options, and they will take them all. More expensive > better, even if it provides no function. Sometimes, looking like you spend a lot is more important than function."
"Americans have a low cost of living, earn a lot, but are always complaining they don't have enough money, not because they are truly lacking, but because there's this cultural pain of not having the best you could pay for, even if what you can is more than good enough. Not that it's exclusive to Americans, but it went against my stereotypes of American frugality."
— LupusDeusMagnus
11. "I'm American, but my wife is Brazilian. When she first arrived (seven years ago), she thought people would be smarter. Because in other countries, they're taught how great everything was here, and everyone lives in a huge house (probably from watching TV/movies), and everyone is really smart because of the school system. It didn't take her long to realize that people are not smarter here than in other parts of the world."
— Lopsided_Bank7069
12. "I expected it to be a lot cleaner because I have seen comments of Americans making fun of developing world countries, and some places in Europe. For example, I've seen Americans posting videos of the streets of Paris and showing the 'reality of Paris,' but then I visited New York, especially the subways, and was surprised/shocked. We need to understand that every country, especially those with bigger populations, will have some clean and not-so-clean sides. We don't have to go and belittle anyone. Because people are trying hard everywhere to live better lives."
— Decent_Opening_9993
13. "That Americans were rude. Americans turned out to be the nicest people I've ever met. So much so, that I moved to the States and prefer the company of their people over the company of people from my native country. No joke. Totally serious."
— CodeVirus
14. "The food. I'm French and thought everything would be awful, but I discovered the southern US version of BBQ and have missed it since. I also discovered sweet potatoes there and eat them all the time now."
— MagretFume
Food Network / Via youtube.com
15. "I always believed that everyone has the same rights no matter their religion, gender, skin color, and so on. I also always believed that America was this wonderful country where you could really make something of yourself if you were hard-working and had a good idea. But then my family and I vacationed there and saw how it is now. Some aspects of America I really like, but now the bad is way more than the good."
— german_witch88
16. "It's not really a misconception, but the scale of everything took me aback. From the size of the land itself, the distances, the size of cities, parks, and neighborhoods, the height and size of the buildings downtown of a few major cities, the variety of products in supermarkets, and the packaging sizes…the list goes on and on. Obviously, I knew it was to be expected, but seeing it with my own eyes was truly fascinating, and in some ways, it made me understand the American way of thinking and living a little bit more."
"Okay, one thing that didn't meet my expectations was the fresh produce in California. I thought everything would feel and taste amazing since it's grown locally in perfect weather conditions, but anything I bought was bland and tasteless 😭."
17. "I thought US people all lived in good conditions, but the levels of poverty in cities like Portland, Seattle, Oakland, and New York were astonishing."
— 0rangeturd
18. "Hmmmm, most stereotypes were true! I was taken aback by how much influence the media has here — almost to a brainwashing degree."
— boymama85
19. "They are so open and familiar in attitude. And yet they have these very high-handed, authoritarian-style cops. It's wild. The regular people are wonderful. The state power is scary."
— Objectalone
20. "I thought it would be possible to get food of acceptable quality in most places. Instead, I encountered an airport with only fast food (and not a small one), a coast-to-coast flight on a standard carrier (American Airlines) with absolutely no included meals, and no food left to purchase by the time the service came to my row, and a city center (San Francisco) with no bakeries or no supermarkets (the only place apart from restaurants where you could buy any food was drugstores). This was before the delivery escalation of the past 10 years. Basically, in the US, it turns out food is something you need to drive for, or pay an exorbitant amount for."
— Spinoza42
NBC / Via youtube.com
21. "Europeans always go on about how Americans are 'so direct' and it's weird to have casual conversations, but being from the Middle East, that's literally what we do too. I felt more comfortable socially in the US than in the UK."
— sariagazala00
22. "Honestly, I believed it was a really well put-together country. Seeing the failing infrastructure, poor roads and bridges, and the lack of basic stuff that citizens should expect blew my mind."
— Aussiedude476
NBC / Via youtube.com
23. "Since there are so many tech companies in the US, I thought it was very tech advanced, but nope. We had flatscreens on buses abroad selling commercials 30 years ago, and the US is just starting now."
— YvesPaul
24. And: "Each state is vastly different. Sometimes I felt like I was in a different country. I remember visiting NYC years ago and chatting with locals (as I do), and I got the impression they didn't care about the rest of the country. I had an AAA tow driver in Virginia refuse to jump my Toyota because it wasn't American. I didn't know anyone in Washington state; everyone was super friendly and accommodating. I find it difficult to generalize the US after traveling all over it."
— VE3VNA
"I'm from Australia. I expected the US to be uniform culturally across the country, like Australia. Instead, each part is culturally very different."
If you're not from America and want to share something good, bad, or neutral that surprised you after visiting the country, you're invited to do so in the comments or anonymously using this form.