r/AskAnAmerican • • Jul 21 '24

ANNOUNCEMENTS No current events or politics.

70 Upvotes

Just a reminder: most current politics are off topic for this sub. If you have a question about whether a post is acceptable you can ask in modmail.

Asking about politically neutral current events is still ok.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3h ago

FOOD & DRINK Do Americans eat bread with every meal like we do in France?

197 Upvotes

In France bread is basically on the table at every meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner... everything!
We have a whole ritual of the "youngest of the family go buy the bread".
Some of our cooking directly depend on it like the fondue savoyarde.

I'm curious how it works in the US: is bread a normal part of meal for you, or a side for snacking?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 19h ago

GEOGRAPHY For a winter roadtrip vacation, do Americans go West or head East?

68 Upvotes

I'm talking about a snowy, cozy vacation where you can book a cabin and drink hot chocolate.

The equivalent of people going to Switzerland or Finland for a winter vacation

Where do Americans generally head to?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

EMPLOYMENT & JOBS Americans who work at restaurants and venues that host events such as weddings, are you given food at work by employer, and are you allowed to take leftovers home?

24 Upvotes

r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

EDUCATION When choosing a university, do Americans tend to prefer universities in their home state?

83 Upvotes

I’ve heard that some people choose to attend a university closer to home, even if they have the opportunity to go to a better university. Is that true?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

CULTURE What do alumni actually wear when they go back for homecoming?

8 Upvotes

I've learned homecoming is one of the few times adults wear their old school gear.

For those who go back: what do you wear? Old letterman jacket, a new school hoodie, team colours?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 2d ago

FOOD & DRINK How commonly is rice eaten in your region?

156 Upvotes

I'm from Louisiana, where rice and rice-based dishes are nearly ubiquitous---red beans and rice, white beans and rice, jambalaya, étouffée, courtbillion, gombo, rice and gravy, dirty rice...the list goes on and on. I genuinely think growing up I ate rice every single day; and if you would've asked me not even 5 years ago if this was typical of all Americans I would've absolutely said yes. The idea of rice not being a staple food was (and kinda still is) inconceivable. But upon learning that most of the dishes I listed are specific to here and are NOT commonly eaten elsewhere, I'm now curious as to how common rice actually is wherever y'all are from, and WHAT exactly y'all grew up eating if not rice-based dishes.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

LANGUAGE is standart general american actually easier to practice than regional US accents?

0 Upvotes

non native here trying to improve my spoken english. do americans from the south or east coast find general american easy to adapt to, or do u stick to your local phrasing?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

CULTURE Are parasols becoming more common in America to protect the skin from UV ?

13 Upvotes

r/AskAnAmerican • • 2d ago

VEHICLES & TRANSPORTATION How do you describe distances?

89 Upvotes

In New England we tend to say “x is 30 minutes away”, but in other places I’ve heard people say “x is 50 miles away”. What do you say in your part of the country?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 2d ago

ENTERTAINMENT How actually expensive is going to the cinema in America?

37 Upvotes

Whenever I see anything movie related I often read people saying that going to the movies is super expensive and they keep saying it costs them from 60 to 120 to 200 dollars and it always leaves me confused wondering how is it that expensive??

Over here where I live it's around 15-17 euro for a ticket and we get bargain Wednesday where tickets are 6 quid.

A larger meal is around 16 too so it costs around 30 per person if you go all out?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 22h ago

EDUCATION Why do wealthy Americans donate lots of money to the universities they graduated from?

0 Upvotes

Is it a financial investment, are they getting something tangible from the donation? Or do they love these universities so much that they give money without expecting anything in return?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

FOOD & DRINK How common are Moccamaster coffee brewers in the U.S.?

9 Upvotes

r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

EDUCATION Have you heard of English teachers in Asia being called "loser back home"?

732 Upvotes

In Asia there's a popular saying called "LBH" and it often refers to mostly English teachers from America who move to Asia (but sometimes other profession). It's not specifically about being an English teacher, but more about how a lot of them don't integrate well but complain a lot but still choose to live in Asia because they wouldn't be socially or economically successful in the US.

Is this a concept that Americans have heard of? I've only heard this term being used in English.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 2d ago

ENTERTAINMENT Do Americans stream movies from the library?

68 Upvotes

I've heard a lot of American libraries offer free streaming of TV and movies, for people to watch at home. Is this a popular thing people use? Is the selection any good? How does it work?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

SPORTS What is the best American sport to watch live?

134 Upvotes

Of the big four sports (MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL), which one do you prefer watching over the rest, feel free to rank them as well! Also, feel free to talk about other sports if you prefer them (i.e soccer or mma).


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

CULTURE Public library seating etiquette - should you ask before sitting down?

41 Upvotes

I often visit a quiet public library. When I sit at a four-seat table, people sometimes ask if they can join me, and I always say yes. They usually take the diagonally opposite seat.

Recently, someone had left belongings on that seat. They returned, collected their things, and moved to another table. I felt a little guilty afterward.

I feel like you shouldn't need permission to use an empty seat at a shared table, especially if it's not right next to someone. People may prefer certain spots for lighting, temperature, or privacy - especially when you'll spend your next 6 hrs there

Is it customary to ask before sitting at a shared table? If someone says no, should you respect that even if you prefer that spot?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

CULTURE Are Walmarts the "social place" in rural areas?

0 Upvotes

Because some places all I see is a bunch of houses spread out and the only unifier is a Walmart.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

Bullshit Question Were Charlie Harper's (two and a half men) outfits cool/fashionable at the time?

11 Upvotes

Charlie Harper's signature outfit is a bowling shirt or similar short sleeve, cargo shorts and loafers (i think with big white socks usually).

In that place and time (lets say 2005) what did this outfit represent? was it cool? was it what it looks like today?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

CULTURE To those who born and grew up in the USA to Spanish speaking families, did you learn Spanish and English at the same time, or Spanish first?

14 Upvotes

If at the same time, did you get confused speak a version of Spanglish? Or was the concept that certain people who only understand certain words confusing? If you learned Spanish first, did you start picking up English shortly before kindergarten. And if your parents didn’t teach you, how did you learn it? I’ve encountered many kids translating for their parents.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

FOREIGN POSTER Folks who were raised abroad with one American parent, how do you refer to yourself?

0 Upvotes

Do you refer to yourself by the American parent's ethnicity, or refer to yourself as "half American" out of simplicity?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 4d ago

FOOD & DRINK Fellow Americans, how do stores in your state describe large quantities of things?

69 Upvotes

Here in Texas, it’s very common to see things described as “Texas-size” instead of family-size or “party-size.” Do other states do something similar?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 4d ago

HISTORY Why are some rare English surnames so common in Utah?

35 Upvotes

I've been reading about 19th-century Mormon converts emigrating from tight-knit English parishes to the US, bringing localized surnames with them. While names like Nutter, Penfold, and Sudweeks remain pretty scarce in Great Britain, they expanded rapidly across Utah pioneer family trees.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

GOVERNMENT Random question: Anyone here or anyone whom you know who sued for something, how much was the pay-out?

0 Upvotes

r/AskAnAmerican • • 4d ago

CULTURE Is 🤣 considered sarcastic or rude in the US?

187 Upvotes

I’m from China and recently had a funny misunderstanding on Reddit.

Someone answered a question I posted, and I replied with something like “Oh, thank you for the information 🤣.” I genuinely meant to thank them! In my experience, we often use 🤣 just to express laughter or friendliness, so I didn’t think much of it. But the person thought I was being sarcastic and even assumed I’d downvoted their comment (which I hadn’t). We cleared things up, but now I’m curious. Do Americans generally see 🤣 as sarcastic or rude? Or does it just depend on the context?

I’m still learning these little cultural differences, so I’d love to hear your thoughts!