5 Things that are COMMON in the U.S. but DON'T EXIST in Germany! | Feli from Germany

I’m going back and forth between the US and Germany quite a lot and these 5 things are totally common for me whenever I’m here in the US but don’t exist in Germany!
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5 Things that are COMMON in Germany but DON'T EXIST in the US! ▸ • 5 Things that are COMM...
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ABOUT ME: Hallo, Servus, and welcome to my channel! My name is Felicia (Feli), I'm 29, and I'm a German living in the USA! I was born and raised in Munich, Germany but have been living in Cincinnati, Ohio off and on since 2016. I first came here for an exchange semester during my undergrad at LMU Munich, then I returned for an internship, and then I got my master's degree in Cincinnati. I was lucky enough to win the Green Card lottery and have been a permanent resident since 2019! In my videos, I talk about cultural differences between America and Germany, things I like and dislike about living here, and other topics I come across in my everyday life in the States. Let me know what YOU would like to hear about in the comments below. DANKE :)
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[@FelifromGermany]

Who of you found the hidden message in the video? 👀🤫 👉 Go to piavpn.com/felifromgermany to get 83% off Private Internet Access with 4 months free!

[@waelfaraj6705]

Have you tried eating olives in USA? I am not sure how common it is in the USA...

[@ruthanneluvsvacuuming6653]

What hidden message I don’t have good eyesight

[@lisawhitmire7408]

Hallo, Servus! On shirt

[@JoeHusosky]

would love to see a video looking at the differences between Aldi Nord and Sud.

[@ruthanneluvsvacuuming6653]

@@lisawhitmire7408 Thanks 😊 I wouldn’t have thought that was a secret message if I had noticed it because she starts every video saying that and shirts with commonly used phrases is common in the USA

[@kinai01]

I myself am from Europe (Romania). Just want to mention something about the air conditioning thing. I noticed that in some US states the weather can be quite extreme. As a truck driver I traveled all over the US in New England and the northeast states Summers might be more bearable without an AC. But then you try to live a summer in Texas without AC that is more challenging

[@donborvio]

In some places like northern Minnesota or the UP of Michigan (that little part above Wisconsin), people typically will not have A/C units because summers hit above 70F/20C only for a week or two.

[@ZackHamlin1]

Here in Georgia, if you didn’t have AC you’d have to leave your windows open 24/7 or your house would mold

[@mikehollinger2935]

In 2013 my wife and I were traveling through Germany. I got pulled over in Potsdam, ironically, for going too slow! The police (two of them) were very polite and spoke perfect English but complained I was holding up traffic. I didn't get a ticket but I got the message!

[@catman64k]

Then you were probably also in the middle or even left lane. If you're going slow, stay as far right as possible. Of course, if you're driving like 100km/h you can still overtake the trucks in the middle lane, but after that please get back to the right.

[@markusb.6797]

Every German behind you: FAHR DOCH, MAN!

[@stever4899]

It's funny to me to hear you say, "There's even ranch flavored seasoning in powder form." Historically, that came first and you added milk and mayonnaise to it to make the dressing, and only later could you buy ranch dressing in a bottle already made.

[@david5544g]

Or buttermilk... It's still better than the bottle... Take care.

[@arghleblarghle]

​@@david5544g I'm tickled by your phrasing here, "take care" as if knowledge of the deliciousness of ranch made with buttermilk could pose danger- which, to our arteries, maybe! 😂

[@garycamara9955]

No historically ranch dressing was made with buttermilk and wasn't in a mix.

[@david5544g]

@@garycamara9955 For the last 50 years the second most prominent ingredient in the mix is powdered buttermilk... The bottle even has a buttermilk version... Two things... One you're wrong and two the fact that you even care so much is a bit disturbing. I'm going to go make some wings...

[@clinthowe7629]

@@david5544gAgreed! much better than sour bottled ranch.

[@williamhitchcock6265]

I was in advertising in 1970 when I was asked to take on a new client, Hidden Valley Ranch. They were producing a package of herbs & spices which you bought and mixed with buttermilk. You had to find the buttermilk sparately in the store which was sometimes iffy. It was tasty when mixed and it was also good on meats. They called it Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, and it sold well (probably due to the great advertising I did). It was interesting to watch it go from a boutique food item to completely mixed and bottled dressing. The new stuff is OK, but the original was much better.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

I'm still trying to figure out what the stuff is supposed to taste like. There is nothing like that here. The closest are maybe remoulade or cesar's dressing, but those don't come really close either.

[@MrsMia2703]

@@HappyBeezerStudiosbuy it? Kaufland or real

[@marzsit9833]

you can still buy the packets and mix it with mayo and buttermilk, and it still tastes the same, much better than the pre-made stuff.

[@brucerobb2120]

t9833 Or mix plus premade.

[@salloschiavo4193]

... A man by the name of Steve Henson, who was from the state of Nebraska, and got a job as a plumber in Alaska in 1949 and was also in charge of feeding the crew he worked with... He came up with the concept of ranch dressing by experimenting with some ingredients and the crew loved it... Years later him and his wife moved to California and had a motel that they called Hidden Valley Ranch even though it really wasn't a ranch. He served the salad dressing He had developed in Alaska years ago at the motel and the people at his motel raved about it ....and the rest is history

[@dvn0848]

American in Stuttgart here. The most baffling thing to most of us are tiny German washers and dryers that are supposed to be “greener” but run for hours. With our American family of 4, the laundry machines almost never stop in our flat, where as it was a twice a week thing with our big bougie American HE machines.

[@Tarrasque73]

They are greener because they run longer but at lower temperatures, so in the end the final result is the same but total energy consumption is lower.

[@rakischmidt7032]

​@@Tarrasque73and you don't need that agressive detergent - which is also greener because it reduces the chemicals in the water

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Yup, you can wash most stuff at 40°C just fine. Except underwear and socks, those can go at 60 °C, and if stuff is really, really dirty, 95°C is still an option.

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

@@HappyBeezerStudios A lot of Americans wash in cold water to save energy, but usually bedding is recommended to be washed hot, to kill mites, as cold water doesn't them or their eggs.

[@troywiltshire5272]

I’m American and have lived here all my life, but I have never seen a screen that slides out of the way like the one on your window. Believe it or not Ranch wasn’t a thing here either until sometime in the 1980’s, but when it started it took over, because it’s awesome! I love Ranch!

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

Same for me. I can remember when Ranch dressing started becoming popular. I remember wait staff in restaurants recommending it. My parents had heard about it somewhere and bought it to try. If not for that, I wouldn't have gambled on trying it in a restaurant and stuck to my favorite blue cheese dressing, or French dressing if they didn't have blue cheese. I remember the special sauce in Big Macs, long before hearing about Ranch dressing..

[@kevinlee7263]

I'm old enough to remember when ranch dressing wasn't ubiquitous in the US. When I was a kid in the 1960s, the only way to get it was by mail-order from the original Hidden Valley (dude) Ranch in California. It came as a seasoning packet that you mixed with your own buttermilk and mayonnaise. My grandmother used to make it, I think she found out about it from an ad in the Good Housekeeping magazine or something like that.

[@davidlfort]

It didn't really become ubiquitous until the valley girl / surfer dude culture took over teen life everywhere. At that time, pre-internet, it took time for trends to diffuse across the country. In Minnesota it was by the mid 90s at the latest.

[@johnhblaubachea5156]

Yes. Growing up in the '60's the common salad dressings in restaurants were 1000 Island (my mother would never buy that for us; we only had it a grandma's!), French, Italian and Roquefort. I never heard of Ranch until years after I had moved out of my parents house.

[@kenyanicholas6809]

Mayonnaise 🤢

[@IvanRiveraStagea]

As a foreigner in the US, I can say that cops are generally friendlier and more lenient to us because they understand that we may not fully understand everything in the American road system.

[@erickricharson5196]

I wish I could agree with you.

[@AndrewWatsonChangingWay]

That wasn't my experience. But my first American cop was a Texan.

[@dt_mag]

yeah maybe if you’re a male white-passing/caucasian cis dude they’ll be nice to you:) sure there are lots of cool and open-minded cops out there :) but also from my experience here in southern germany I have to say there’s a valid reason why people don’t have trust in authorities anymore

[@FelifromGermany]

Based on my experience with border control, I'm a little sceptical but of course they're not the same as cops. One time I was in the passenger seat though and this was before I ever had an American driver's license or ID and they weren't particularly friendly.

[@geoffwilkie6357]

I wish I had met a US Cop as Friendly as us in the UK

[@RuthLang]

- beans, rice, flour, sugar in a bag bigger than 1 kg (~2 lb). Everything looked so tiny when I first moved to Europe but now I'm used to it and have my cupboards set up for the small bags and just buy them more frequently. - graham crackers. I use butter cookies, one with chocolate and one without, to make a smore. Also American marshmallows have a coating on the outside to keep it from turning into napalm when you toast it. If Americans have noticed that after removing the crust and retoasting the marshmallow, the inside is different...that's what the entire marshmallow is like with the kind you can buy in Europe (which is probably a recent phenomenon). - Tapatío hot sauce (but you can get Cholula) - chocolate chips...you can find chocolate squares, and I've actually found that taking the extra time to break up chocolate bars for chocolate "chip" cookies is tastier than chips, since the chips need extra stabilizers to hold that shape. - macaroni and cheese powder. That's something a lot of Americans bring back to Switzerland. Fortunately for me, I don't miss it. - hose on the sink. You can buy one that fits the faucet, but it isn't retractable. - Mint candy canes. Almost every candy cane you see in Switzerland is strawberry flavor. I never thought I'd miss that, because I took it for granted in the US and am not a huge candy-cane fan, but I bought some at a Christmas market that were supposedly mint flavor and turned out to be bubble gum flavor and that ended up being the reason I made an order from a website specializing in American foods I mostly don't miss. - Dill pickles.

[@plektosgaming]

Dill pickles are fairly easy to make yourself, though. :) As for chocolate, most U.S. chocolate is vasty inferior. Super waxy and full of emulsifiers and artificial additives. The best place to get cheap and decent chocolate in the U.S. is at Trader Joes if you have one near you. They are owned by Aldi (North) and so have a lot of European goods that are re-branded and shipped over under their label. Also Aldi if you have one near you. :)

[@grizfan93]

@@plektosgaming Dill pickles are 100% not easy to make for yourself. I live in Portugal, and finding the smaller cucumbers used for pickles isn't possible, and I've never seen dill in the store, either. Then, you'd need to source the jars, and finally wait 4-6 weeks for the result. How is that easy? Maybe if one had space for a garden to grow the right type of cucumbers and dill? Nothing about that is easy.

[@agnesmeszaros-matwiejuk8783]

@@grizfan93throughout Germany, Poland, Hungary, Serbia it’s quite easy to find these cucumbers as well as dill. Also on room temp. it usually doesn’t take 4-6 weeks.

[@plektosgaming]

@@agnesmeszaros-matwiejuk8783 You can easily make "refrigerator pickles" in a few days. Canning to make ones like you see in the store is indeed another issue as sterilizing the jars requires more steps, but I do recommend getting a good setup if you can as it will pay for itself fairly quickly. Especially if you like homemade preserves. :)

[@agnesmeszaros-matwiejuk8783]

@@plektosgaming sterilizing the jars is not that complicated, I just boil water and add the jars for a short time together with it’s caps. :)

[@marie_h1104]

In the Midwest, ranch dressing should be considered its own food group. 😂

[@brianjacobs1283]

Just like Dukes Mayo in the South!!!

[@MandalorV7]

Dinosaur BQ sauce in up state New York.

[@michaelbourgeault9409]

One of the downsides to having a garbage disposal (garbeurator) is the fun and interesting challenge of keeping the cutlery out of the sink...

[@trishayamada807]

My husband who is from Japan and didn’t grow up with a garbage disposal got hit right below the eye with a cherry pit! He heard a noise and looked straight down into the running garbage disposal and the cherry pit shot out like a bullet and hit him. He was so ticked off on the unsafe nature of that machine. He won’t use it anymore. He was attacked and that’s that. lol

[@Eysenbeiss]

@@trishayamada807 Would you laugh, if he had lost an eye to that incident?

[@trishayamada807]

@@Eysenbeiss yeah totally. We’d celebrate it every year.

[@ah244895]

As an American, I have framed my speeding ticket photo from Germany.

[@jennyh4025]

I guess it was expensive enough to get a frame for it. 😉

[@HubertKirchgaessner]

Great video, Feli, as always. Since you asked for it: here’s a few more items that are common in the US, but unusual in Germany: (1) having an ice dispenser and a chilled water dispenser in the fridge; (2) Hershey’s style, high-sugar/low-cream chocolate (the “US vs. German chocolate” topic might be worth it’s own video); (3) roasting marshmallows on the open fire (in Germany they all roast sausages); (4) kids driving a car at age 16 (or even 15); (5) ubiquitous free coffee in offices; (6) houses with exterior Christmas decoration; (7) getting and decorating your Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving (my German family typically got theirs’ right around Christmas Eve); (8) extensive coupon sections in the local newspaper; (9) “employment at will”, or working (even in very well paid managerial positions) without an employment contract; (10) drywall covered wood-framed housing (Germany knows wood framed houses as well (“Fachwerkshaeuser”), but other than the fact that there’s a wooden frame, these are totally different styles of construction); (11) suburbs and subdivisions - Germany has “Vorstaedte”, but this is not the same thing; (12) the ubiquity of home ownership in the US (most Germans rent); (13) the commonality of flying as a means of transportation (no surprise really, given the size of the country); (14) the willingness to change living arrangements, move into larger/smaller housing as your needs change, move across the country for a better job (many Germans live in the same house almost all their life); (15) electoral politics: a two party system here, vs. a multi-party system there that requires coalitions and, hence, compromise; (16) the pride many Americans take in their diverse ethnic heritage (as in statements like “I am mostly Irish, but my great-grandmother was half Cherokee, half Polish”); (17) the fact that many Americans have never left the US (not many Germans have never left their country); (18) most US holidays where you get a day off are secular in nature (MLK Birthday; President’s Day; Independence Day, Thanksgiving; Memorial Day), while most German holidays are religious in origin (2 days off for Easter and Pentecost; “Buss und Bettag”; Corpus Christy Day). To be clear, there are religious holidays in the U.S. (although you get off work really only for Christmas), and there are secular holidays in Germany (Unification Day), but the majorities are completely opposite

[@stephanpopp6210]

How long do Christmas trees stay after Christmas in the US? Ours usually disappears in the week after January 6th, but never before. Some say February 2nd is the date. There are people in Germany who leave it until Easter.

[@ktipuss]

@@stephanpopp6210 They are supposed to come down on Twelfth Night, Epiphany, January 6th. It's supposed to bring back luck to take them down earlier. A grumpy accountant ("bah, humbug") told his office staff to take them down on January 2nd, and they had trouble balancing the books for 6 months afterwards.

[@whattheflyingfuck...]

pink-eye ... never saw it in Germany

[@Arjn17]

Are outside Christmas decorations really that rare in Germany? I'm from Switzerland and it's not uncommon here. Some people put a ton of effort, time and money into it, others don't have any, but it's definitely not uncommon. (Western Switzerland)

[@HubertKirchgaessner]

@@Arjn17my data is admittedly old - i haven’t lived in Germany since 1987. However, I’ve been back on business (and visiting friends) every year at least once. In my experience, you’ll occasionally find people stringing lights on a fir tree in their yard, but it’s rare and typically doesn’t go beyond that. While some of my fellow Americans here really go nuts with their outdoor decorations (and I’m including my own family in the “nuts” category).

[@user-je123]

In Germany, grocery stores are equipped with air conditioning (not just the refrigerated shelves). Have you ever gone shopping on a very hot summer day? Cool inside, super hot outside. Aldi, Lidl, Edeka, Rewe and all the others have air conditioning. Otherwise it would be unbearable and offer the customer a good shopping experience.

[@Habakuk_]

Yes, that’s right, you go in sweating and come out freezing XD.

[@Eysenbeiss]

Kann doch gar nicht sein, hast doch gehört, sie sagt, dass es das nicht gibt, also ist das auch so.

[@gregblair5139]

What is called a "garbage disposal unit" in the US is called a "garburator" in Canada.

[@californiahiker9616]

I like that word a lot better! I also much prefer “wash room” to “bath room” or the German word “Toiletten”. 😀

[@kar460]

Im in the US. We call it the disposal or the garbage disposal. At least where im at. Not sure about other states. I have one but I don't use it lol

[@Fool3SufferingFools]

A lot of older people in the US call it a “Disposall” (as in “all”), which is actually a brand name of garbage disposal that’s still made by General Electric.

[@chipdale490]

In most EU countries food leftovers are disposed in the 'organics' container to be turned into compost. In NL for example every household will typically have 4 containers: Compostable/Biodegradable, paper, PMD (plastics, metals and drinkcartons) and 'other'.

[@danicegewiss862]

I have what we call a garden goodies bin I take off my kitchen counter daily and dump in my garden. I am an American born and raised.

[@TheRockkickass]

Seems annoying

[@Maedhros0Bajar]

Same for Belgium. We personally don't pay to have the compostables picked up (others do). But that's because we have a compost heap in our back garden. If the compost bin is full, we simply empty it on the heap

[@ColleenJoudrey]

In Nova Scotia, Canada, we have paper, recyclables, refundables, landfill and compost. Some people also separate their compost to have some go out for roadside pickup and then process other food scraps for personal use. It's been this way since the mid 90's so it's second nature to us now but some travelers and immigrants have a difficult time with the system.

[@johnfrancis0063]

I throw my food scrap out for the Raccoons and Opossums.

[@letitiajeavons6333]

The Eastern US is very humid as well as the Southeast and Mid Atlantic, or even the Midwest being hot, especially in the summer. This means that the heat can get intolerable very quickly. The Eastern US is famous for being humid as well as hot in the summer.

[@raymondmeers]

When I worked for a week in Germany, we went to an Italian restaurant for lunch. When I wanted garlic on my personal pizza, the several Germans that were with me did not know that word. I had to describe garlic and they new what I wanted. That was the only word I ever used that was not understood. And finally, when I need to go to the bathroom on my 1st day in the German office I was working in, I asked where the bathroom was located. They seemed perplexed that I would need to take a bath at the office. I then asked for the toilet and that was the term to use in Germany, but we often refer to it here in the U.S. by bathroom, even though there is no bath in the toilet in office buildings. It's just considered a more polite term for that location.

[@rickmontgomery3037]

Exactly, and the same could likely be applied to the term "restroom", which of course we also use over here in the U.S. I must admit it would take some getting used to having to ask for the "toilet" because of just what you mentioned. But either way, I think that terminology/phrasing is used in the UK also, but I could be wrong.

[@israellai]

Well it's a language barrier thing, not really a cultural difference. At least they do have toilets there!

[@sylverscale]

Yeah, garlic is called Knoblauch over here. It's normal to have that added to your pizza so not sure what the confusion was. Personal pizza is more confusing if you don't know the term because in Germany we usually have a personal pizza and rather rarely a shared one (family or party pizza). So when we say pizza we mean personal pizza.

[@Katriicat]

Yup, I also think they just didn’t know the English word for garlic because it’s so different to the German word Knoblauch. Many people here probably also don’t know the word “Onion” because ist so different to the German word “Zwiebel”, though it’s used more frequently for snacks with “sour cream and onion”-flavoring. The picture on the packaging obviously shows an onion which might help 😂

[@ktipuss]

Ha ha! I warn U.S. exchange students that if they go to a rural pub in Australia and ask for the "bathroom", the pub staff will likely know what they mean but might play a trick on them and lead them to a real bathroom, with a shower and bathtub! Some students report that that has actually happened! Why do Americans call toilets "bathrooms" anyway? Maybe part of the puritanical streak in U.S. culture. Reminds me of Feli's other video "WHAT'S UP WITH AMERICANS AND NUDITY" kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGbCYpifgd-Lers

[@user-cr3fz8lz2i]

Yes, common aspects of German culture vs the US would be great! I’m of German descent and visited Germany while stationed in the UK with the Air Force. Loved Germany and felt very natural to be there! 😊

[@FelifromGermany]

I mean... Check out my whole channel haha I've been talking about that topic for almost 6 years on here! 😁

[@DavidZinselmeier]

@@FelifromGermany well Feli, You finally admitted it. Saying that Germany is the only place a human should want to live. Yes , you have been trying to tell every American that Germany is heaven...sounds like Russian propaganda to me

[@trance9158]

​@@DavidZinselmeieryou sound like a trumper

[@Habakuk_]

The insect screens could also be introduced as standard here in Germany. Technically it would also be possible with our windows, as there are also external roller blinds. I don't necessarily need a garbage chute or air conditioning.

[@Eysenbeiss]

@@DavidZinselmeier Thing is, your complaint sounded even more like that of a russian troll.

[@jazznik2]

I dont know if you've done a video about the wine regions of Germany but I'd like to see it. Germany is not as famous for its wines as France is but German wines are excellent and they have a different way that they are classified and produced than in any other country that I've heard about.

[@stephenrodgers5672]

I don't drink much, but I greatly prefer German wines to any other.

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

It should be....best White Wine in the world!!!..And virtual unknown in US except for the garbage Liefermilch and Black Kat that is the cheap garbage mixed together. Best German Wine if from Rheingau...Johannesburg or Rudesheim Eltville etc

[@HCB.S]

My father is a wine connoisseur, he attends seminars, etc. He is open to all wine regions in Europe or worldwide, but also really appreciates German wine. I prefer to drink good sparkling wine. But it doesn't have to be champagne. Sparkling wines from small wineries in Germany in champagne quality are one of my favorites.

[@asdasdasddgdgdfgdg]

I disagree about german wine being less famous. German white wines are very famous. Germany also has the oldest continuously operating winery in the world, Schloss Vollrads.

[@davisrs1]

It is absolutely amazing! The different varieties of wines that are created from the Riesling grape, which by the way, we had to resupply to them from California after the great grape blight!

[@willrobinson5532]

I laughed out loud when I saw that overhead projector. I haven’t seen one of those in over 20 years.

[@fricki1997]

I left my school about 7 years ago, but I would bet they still use them to this day!

[@stalkingtoastranger]

Overhead projectors were still very common when I was in middle school (late 00s - early 10s)

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@stalkingtoastrangerI've seen them until I finished school in 2007. That and the TV on a cart.

[@johnhblaubachea5156]

I probably last saw them used in a continuing education seminar around 2005/2006, along with transparencies! Computer projectors were quite expensive back then.

[@ReivecS]

Little fun fact: It is more and more common for traffic stops to have cameras that look for violations and mail tickets to you when you do so, but in the state of Kentucky, traffic cameras are illegal for the purpose of tracking violations. I am not sure if other states do this but I know KY does.

[@pigoff123]

My German friends didn't believe that Americans live in wooden houses. Lets not even talk about trailers. Lol

[@pe.bo.5038]

"Tiny houses" meanwhile appear in Germany also!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

trailer parks, aka vacation places, aka homeless people living in their cars.

[@M3e36-99]

On your next trip to Germany, how are grade/elemetary school classrooms decorated? Seating arrangements. Discipline. Whatever you can point out that is different than here in America. I know our education is different. I'm interested in the environment.

[@krzysztofmasloch]

Hey, I'm from Poland and I remember when I was a kid and we were doing shopping in Lidl in Germany we always bought a dressing similar to ranch and it wasn't available in Poland at all. It was in early 2000s

[@HCB.S]

I only remember dressings from Aldi in the 2000s. They were in small orange, green or blue plastic containers.

[@angushodge1]

As a non fluent German speaker who lived in Germany, number of regions for a number of years , I found asking for umleitung wasser or water from the tap was not an issue but always was happy to pay for sparkling.

[@camronglenn3502]

I work for a Germany company that regularly sends employees back and forth. Everytime they come to the US during the summer months they complain about the AC. While I was in Germany I was complaining about the lack of AC. I also remember to take a bottle of ranch to a good friend as he loves the stuff and cannot get it there.

[@mrtveye6682]

My "problem" with countries where ACs are common is not so much the ACs themself. ACs can be great when it's real hot, and I would like to see more ACs here in Germany, as we can have some pretty hot summer month too. I just don't get why ACs almost always set to temperatures way lower than what's normal during the colder month. Like, in summer you have 14-15 degrees C (~58 F) inside buildings, but in the winter, you have 20-22 C (~ 70 F). I literally had to carry a jacket with me in the US or Hong Kong during summer to put on when I go inside a shop or restaurant with ACs running. That never made any sense to me. 😅

[@BP-or2iu]

@@mrtveye6682It's better than sweating over my food.

[@ThoSchmitz7759]

When I first travelled to America - my honeymoon trip in 1995 took me to Florida - I switched my mind on two topics that I immediately fell in love with when being there, and missed out when getting back to Germany - twin-door fridges with ice cube dispensers and cars that were fully loaded (e.g., electric seats, mirrors, power steering, a/c, the whole lot). Whilst the latter is now quite common on German cars, too, I think that only very few German households have these type of fridges. Luckily, since having renovated my kitchen four years ago, I am one of the happy few who enjoys ice cubes any time of day.

[@Maria-js9ou]

I don't have one of those two-door refrigerators, but I have ice cubes at all times

[@WarhavenSC]

Ice cubes are nice. :) While I was staying in a little hotel in Boppard with some family, we asked the hostess for some ice to have with our drinks. The hostess gave us a confused look, and then ended up bringing us the frost scraped out from the freezer. Had a good laugh with her after explaining more clearly what we meant, and then asked the bartender for some drinking ice, and he was happy to oblige. Pro tip: If you want to ice for your beverage while in Germany, ask the bartender. They usually keep some on hand for drinks that are "on the rocks."

[@TurUwU]

I haven't been to US but every time I see someone inside car in US, It always seems fully loaded. I remember when I was a kid (25 now), I saw bunch of American cars with leather seats and big screen and I was amazed. I live in Finland and cars are expensive here. So it's always special tier car with the lowest options that not some countries even get. So that it would be as cheap as possible. But we now import cars from across EU especially GER and SWE because they are cheaper and have better packages.

[@manuel0578]

Why do you need so many ice cubes

[@ThoSchmitz7759]

@@manuel0578 Gin Tonic in Winter, Lillet Wild Berry in spring, Caipirinha in Summer and Aperol Spritz in autumn. Oh, and for our party guests every now and then. Plus, besides ice cubes, our fridge serves iced & filtered tap water, which is delicious all year long.

[@markbrown2640]

I suspect that the floor grate Feli pointed out in the first segment was originally part of a gravity flow heating system. Gravity systems used the fact that cold air is more dense than warm air to move heat from a coal fired stove in the basement to the living spaces. Cool air would drop through grates in the floor through ductwork to the outer part of the furnace (the inner part being where a coal fire was burning.) Hot air already in the furnace would rise through its own ducts to grates in the walls and into the rooms. Retrofit forced air furnaces would often reuse the same ductwork.

[@markrich7693]

I agree with the video on that a garbage disposal is something as a vacuum cleaner in a way

[@danstarr9895]

In the Netherlands, I’ve seen cool ranch labeled “cool American.” Maybe it’s changed, but that’s what it was at one time

[@JoeZanDeathKiller]

I can speak for American schools up to the early 2010's. We had overhead projectors that steadily became smart screens. That allowed the use of a digital pen to interface with it, the screen is connected to the teachers laptop.

[@leDespicable]

This is something that varies greatly in Germany. I attended a Realschule in Bavaria, and there overhead projectors were phased out and replaced by PCs at every teacher's desk and projectors in every classroom around 2013/2014. Meanwhile, friends of mine that attended Gymnasium in Northrhine-Westphalia were still using overhead projectors over 5 years later.

[@Eysenbeiss]

​@@leDespicable Du hast den Unterschied nicht verstanden und kennst auch nur eine Art von Overhead-Projektoren. Er sprach aber von solchen, an die man auch einen PC anschließen kann/konnte, der also auch eine Funktion hat, wie es heute Beamer bieten, plus der Möglichkeit, das Gerät über einen Stift zu steuern, oder über den Touchscreen des Laptops, falls der einen haben sollte.

[@leDespicable]

@@Eysenbeiss Ich bin mir der Unterschiede sehr wohl bewusst, ich wollte nur darstellen, dass die Situation nicht in ganz Deutschland gleich ist

[@Katriicat]

@@leDespicabledas ist unter anderem eine Sache der Bundesländer bzw. des Haushaltsplans 😂 ich lebe auch in NRW, bin mittlerweile aber auch schon 28. Ich studiere aktuell und mein Kurs arbeitet komplett digital. Ich weiß auch, dass die Tochter von meiner Cousine dieses Jahr in die 5. Klasse gekommen ist und die Eltern alle ein Tablet für die Kinder kaufen sollten. Aber ich bin mir absolut sicher, dass das von Schule zu Schule schwankt

[@Eysenbeiss]

@@leDespicable Gut, darin stimme ich zu, aber das ist ja auch nichts Neues ;-)

[@PremierYachtFLL]

The Ranch dressing was funny. I went out to eat with a German friend who lives here and her mother who was visiting from Germany. They both ordered ranch dressing because they said same thing you did. I’m leaving for Cologne next Wednesday.

[@lola2837]

Some things that weren’t common in Germany when I lived there in 1986-95 were free public toilets, doorknobs (instead of handles), plastic disposable tampons, tips in restaurants, ice in drinks, free refills, free condiments at places like McDonald’s, sales tax on top of the price already on the tag, stores open on Sundays, and it wasn’t common to hear loud vehicles, music blaring from cars, or people honking their car horns. I’m sure there are many more. 😂

[@mikebegonia6134]

Tips in German restaurants are expected, but not to the ridiculous amount that s common in the US.

[@brianpigott9950]

Spent a week in Germany last month -- my first visit there since I was stationed in Germany 1989-91. My recollection is that public toilets cost 10 pfennigs back then. They cost one euro now! Quite the price inflation.

[@sweetasbloodredjam]

Germany has always had their sales Tax already added on top of the price tag, as do most nations on earth. It‘s Americans who are being the weirdos on that one. Also I‘m not sure what ‚plastic disposable Tampons‘ are even supposed to be? Tampons here tend to come wrapped in plastic individually, are made of cotton and have always been disposable, there aren‘t non-disposable tampons (the closest equivalent would be a period cup I guess, but there aren’t reusable Tampons). Tampons have been wildly common in Gremany since the 40s, so I‘m not sure if you have some other wierd tampon Product in the US that still hasn‘t made it‘s way over here, or if you‘re just talking about regular tampons, in wich case you must not have looked for them very hard, cause they were definitely widely available in the 80s/90s in Germany..

[@lola2837]

@@sweetasbloodredjamThe tampons I typically found were disposable (use once) cotton with a cardboard applicator, not a plastic applicator to contain the cotton. There were some with plastic applicators around the cotton, but they were far less common at that time where I lived. 🤷‍♀️

[@lola2837]

@@brianpigott9950It must’ve been a very nice experience to return to Germany, especially after being stationed there during such an historic time. That’s quite a price increase, but I’d gladly pay it to use a cleaned bathroom. 😊

[@heinzk023]

Some US food that I did not know from Germany: 1) Spray cheese (yes, cheese in a can!) that came in 2 varieties: Regular and "de luxe", the latter was "made with *real cheese*" (!) 2) Beef Jerky. Dried slices of beef, like 10 year old bacon, I never knew how to eat it, it reminded me of a shoe sole. Recently also available in Germany in some stores, never bought some. 3) TV dinner, is this even still a thing in the US? 4) Milk and orange juice in gallon bottles. Our european fridges don't even have doors deep enough to put those containers in.

[@vanessasmith5227]

Ranch dressing is easily found in grocery shops in the UK 🇬🇧

[@Eysenbeiss]

And what does that mean in case of germany? Exactly, nothing ...

[@vanessasmith5227]

@Eysenbeiss Why such an aggressive reply? My comment was in reply to a comment Feli made that ranch dressing wasn't available in the UK.

[@pierreabbat6157]

In the USA, it's common to find Mexican food. In Germany, at least in Langen, Hessen (not to be confused with Langenhessen), I had a hard time finding Maisfladen, but Turkish food is common. I don't eat ranch. If I make a salad, I put olive oil and vinegar (at home, apple cider vinegar) and dulse flakes and maybe some spices. I don't have a garbage disposal here, but my apartment in Charlotte had one.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

The most common "non german" cuisine in Germany is indeed turkish, followed by italian. Mostly because of guest workers, many of which stayed in the country long-term. Asian cusine (mostly chinese and indian) is also decently common. And american cusine, or rather the fast food version of it.

[@rob21]

Necessity is the mother of invention. As you said, Germany doesn't get as hot as many places in the USA. Even going back thousands of years, the invention of homes with fireplaces allowed humans to live farther north.

[@rhbb8796]

Eh, as someone living in the Upper Rhine valley, summers tend to become more hot and humid, especially in recent years. While not comparable to most US places, in extreme cases there can be highs of up to 40°C/104°F and lows of up to 26°C/79°F (also last year there was an unprecedented dew point maximum of 24°C/75°F). While those are single day extremes which could be buffered with thick stone wall insulation, there's still sometimes 35+ heatwaves lasting several days, making the inside air eventually become very muggy and uncomfortable. So hereabouts, most newly constructed (upper middle class) homes during the last ~10 years actually do have AC now, and I seriously consider installing one in our older house too, if only for the bedroom

[@Alex_Gordon]

very interesting and informative as always! I didn't know about the central air..fascinating

[@dermaniac5205]

Kudos to whoever put the sponsorblock segment at the beginning in such a way that the music still perfectly transitions!

[@bavariangirl123]

The worst thing is no AC in hospitals in Germany! I miss fly screens when I am in Germany but do love the built-in shades. And good luck finding a Bloody Mary at any German pub or bar!

[@thortremble2794]

I love the edits on your videos now. The scenes are so cool. I'm still waiting for even more skits. I feel like Feli, you will act very well on your German topics. I think you can do it VERY VERY well.

[@newnavut]

I'm really enjoying your videos, Feli! I'm going to Germany for the first time in a couple weeks so it's been fun learning about it before my trip! :)

[@scottjones462]

😅I have had the great pleasure of traveling to Germany several times and really love it. My most recent trip was to your hometown Munich. I was wandering the Englisher garden and stumbled upon SURFERS walking along in wetsuits and carrying boards. I followed them to their surf spot on the Eisbach (?) and watched with fascination for hours! A real local curiosity!

[@khkartc]

I can remember being in Chile in 1980 and getting a bag of Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix. It made Chilean lettuce edible and thus was much appreciated.

[@jensbritzke6077]

Danke und schöne Weihnachten. Sehr interessante Themen. Mach weiter so!

[@michaelanderberg]

NyQuil - I definitely miss NyQuil here in Sweden! And yes, while serving on the Technical Committee in my city here, I actually raised the question of garbage disposals and why we weren’t embracing them. The answer - IF there is a clogged pipe, it ends up being unclear whose responsibility it is to fix, the Water and Energy department or the Garbage and Sanitation department? 😮😅

[@DeliciousAmericanDanish]

As a Dane, I really enjoy these videos because I also spend time in the US 🙂

[@wncjan]

When my son and I visited Iow last summer we passed a lot of farms with large silos outside and we came up with a theory that they contained the ranch dressing that were enten by the family in the coming weekend. The friends we visited in Iowa ate ranch on everything.

[@kar460]

Same in ND..they'll drink it if they could

[@Ryarios]

Of course. It’s nature’s perfect food…😁

[@wncjan]

@@Ryarios II never eati it because of the buttermilk.

[@barbaras5550]

Haha! That might also explain why ranch dressing is such a midwest thing! Not as ubiquitous here in the NW!

[@kar460]

@@barbaras5550 I don't like it and I live in the midwest. I don't get why people like it so much.

[@BluBlu777]

A good video as always. Thank you ❤

[@CapitalJ25]

Superb video and topic! Happy Holidays to you and Ben and your families!

[@vokkera6995]

It's funny you bring up ranch! I had some German friends stay with me over the summer, and one of them ended up *loving* ranch, and of course, ended up taking home a bunch of those powder packs to make it with yogurt back in Germany. It's always one of those really obscure things that nobody thinks of.

[@stayker]

I love the content of your videos! Thankfully, I got to stay in Germany for six weeks during the 90s and can't wait to get back there. I enjoy seeing you explain the differences in our cultures and lifestyles as it reminds me of the wonderful experiences I had in your home country. I hope that you are enjoying your time here and creating many fond memoreis yourself!

[@dhdidididh]

Hallo servus,

[@dhdidididh]

Bhhh

[@matjac1966]

Such a joy to watch. thank you for supplying content that is so enjoyable to watch and not politicaly motivated. keep up the good work.

[@dpsonnenberg4537]

Thank you for the video. I can't wait for the next show.

[@dpsonnenberg4537]

You forgot to tell everyone you never run a garbage disposal without running water. You will burn the motor up. You must always have water running it. The motor is designed to have water running with it.

[@TheRetroGuy2000]

Drum rolls and liking ranch dressing! You are officially American, Feli, whether you intended it or not! ;)

[@FelifromGermany]

Wait... Drum rolls are American? 😅

[@tractorsold1]

Ranch Flavor Doritos are available in much of Europe as American Flavor.

[@DavidZinselmeier]

@@FelifromGermany nooop drums rolls were invented in Germany also. Germany invented everything

[@inka87871]

🤣you're dreaming ! @@DavidZinselmeier

[@leDespicable]

@@DavidZinselmeier They're not an exclusively American thing, though

[@randalmayeux8880]

Hi Fili! Garbage disposals actually chop up the scraps rather than shred them. You are only supposed to put small amounts of uneaten food, no meat, and maybe potato peels and the like in them. Generally, I put most of my scrap in the bin. I grew up in Texas and Louisiana and since the school year was from September through May we didn't really need air-conditioning. Generally one wall of the classroom had rows of windows which you opened when it was hot. I didn't go to an air-conditioned school until I was 14. I didn't live in an air conditioned house until I was 12, it was also the first one with central heat. The houses we lived in had gas heaters in each room, and the older houses had lots and lots of windows and high ceilings, which allowed the heat to rise. We also had window fans, and in one house an attic fan. Attic fans, sometimes called whole house fans, consist of a large, maybe 4 foot diameter fan mounted centrally in the ceiling parallel to the floor. They pull air in through the windows and up through the attic. In Louisiana in particular, especially without a/c, you NEED window screens. Otherwise the mosquitoes will eat you alive! We have a lot of radar cameras that snap your picture and mail you a ticket. I hate them! It's easier to spot the cops on the side of the road, especially if you know where the "speed traps" are. One place to look out for is on I-35 near Kileen, Texas, another is on highway 195 heading west over the bridge coming into Krotz Springs, Louisiana. The speed limit changes from 60mph at the base of the bridge, to 35mph at the bottom of the bridge, and there's always a cop waiting.

[@barbaras5550]

I live in Portland, OR, and we only got AC this year! (Thanks, climate change!). We still have a much lower rate of AC here in the PNW, more like 30%. And definitely not in schools!

[@michaelmcleod1579]

I recently found your channel and love your videos. Subscribed! I am planning a trip to Germany to visit my elderly Onki und Tante and find your information very helpful. I'm still worried about running into problems but hopefully will be okay after watching some more of your videos. Viele Grusse!

[@wanderingtraveler1233]

You put out a short asking about window screens. I grew up in northern MN in a house that was built in the 1950s. On that house, we had window screens that covered the entire window, but in the fall, they were removed and replaced by a window for the winter time. There was no double pane glass at that time. In fact, they were numbered, so they would go on a specific window.

[@SkremoMcThrftsto]

I've lived in the U.S. my entire life and I've never seen a sliding window screen. I've only ever seen press-fit ones that you push outward and have to go outside and press it back in. I need to get me some of these sliding screens. Haha

[@leftiesoutnumbered]

They’re pretty common here in New England.

[@erinmace1313]

As an American living in Germany for 5 years, I really miss having a crockpot! I have never seen one here and my German friends don’t know what I’m talking about when I try to describe it. I’m surprised that’s not a thing here. Thermomix on the other hand is super common in Germany, but I’ve never seen it in the US.

[@majabee5395]

I have one making butter chicken right now 😂 .I know quite a few people who have a slowcooker/ crockpot ( sometimes referred to as "Schongarer) but you are right the Thermomix is very popular in Germany.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Ask for slow cookers or pressure cookers. It would be hard to use a brand name that has become a generic term in one language to describe it in another. But I bet you don't have Zewas in your kitchen, Tempos in your coat or Inbusschlüssel in your garage either. (Zewa = a producer of kitchen rolls, Tempo = a producer of paper tissues, Inbus = a brand of hexhead screwdriver, analogue to allen keys)

[@williamantico7768]

I'd like to see you film any kind of Attractions that a Tourist would want to check out. Also, going to a Restaurant and showing us how it operates. The Servers, how long it takes to get your food, etc. Have a safe trip and a good time.

[@Himmelgrau68]

I made ranch dip for my German friends and they loved it!

[@plektosgaming]

Most older home have semi-permanent screens installed separate from the main windows. As for windows that work like in Germany, Andersen and several others make multi-pane casement windows (2 or 3 layers with a vacuum inside) that swing open, usually to the outside. In that case, the screen is on the inside. You typically see these in the better homes, but they do save a huge amount on energy costs. The issue is that most of the U.S. still has old sliding windows with single panes as they were the cheapest option at the time. My parents old house had windows that swung inwards like in Germany, though, as this was common about a hundred years ago. :)

[@barbaradammenhayn-scott3396]

Our roof window in Germany has a screen, but it's purpose is reflect sunlight away, to prevent the room becoming too hot, rather than stop insects, though it largely it serves that purpose too. The screen can be rolled up, but because of the bath and roof angle, it is awkward, so generally the screen is always over the window. (We do have a shower too.)

[@markweaver1012]

"The issue is that most of the U.S. still has old sliding windows with single panes" There's nothing inherently less efficient about 'sliding windows' vs casement windows, and there aren't many homes in the U.S. old enough to still have original single-pane windows (most old houses have had replacement windows installed). And even when single-pane windows are still around, these houses usually had/have storm windows that provide better insulation during winter and are replaced with screens during summer (or the screens and storms are integrated into a single unit). The only place single pane windows might be common is in a few temperate places (e.g. you probably don't need dual panes in San Diego).

[@plektosgaming]

@@markweaver1012 The difference is that almost everything in Germany is now double-pane or well insulated while I've lived in one place in the last 30 years that had anything other than a single pane of glass and leaked cold air. When my parents bought a home a couple on years ago in Illinois, their house was the only one they looked at that had modern windows in it.

[@markweaver1012]

@@plektosgaming Single-pane windows are intended to have a second pane provided by storm windows (which combination is nearly as energy efficient as dual pane windows). A single pane window with no storm will actually ice-up during an Illinois winter -- are you sure these houses had single pane windows with no storm windows? As for houses with leaky old windows--it sounds like you haven't been living in anything new or on the higher end of the market.

[@plektosgaming]

@@markweaver1012 Yep. Miles and miles of housing built mostly between 1920 and 1960 in Peoria. And all of the surrounding towns and farm houses are similar construction. Same down in Missouri with my other relatives. Unless they spent the money to replace them with modern windows, nothing is multi-pane or has storm windows. So about 50% have been retrofitted, though all of the businesses aside from a few very old buildings have been. My grandmother's home was in Quincy, IL, and most of that town also is similar older construction that never got updated or retrofitted because nobody ever had the money, at least in the older half of the town. Gets chilly in the winter for sure. Also it's why none of my relatives now live in those older homes. All nice and modern and warm :)

[@brandonaston301]

Probably the main reason I’d never move to Europe is no hidden valley ranch. Like it makes so many foods edible.

[@dimondDave100]

Great video and anything you film from Germany would be interesting. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas

[@robertpickett6741]

Stay safe🙏🏻, happy, healthy 🙏🏻and loved merry Christmas Precious😘

[@michaelt3128]

I love your openness, clarity, and non judgemental approach you take when explaining cultures. I understand that prostitution is legal in Germany. Could you please explain this and provide some insights to your American audience in a future video. I have learned so much from you. And you are so nice and wonderful. Thanks so much!

[@Bluestrikekurt]

As a Belgian carpenter we always sold (fixed but removable) bugscreens along with the windows, at least 1 per room. Also all new houses seem to get Airco now because new houses cool less during nights due to the high insulation requirements and to use the excess power generated from solar panels in the summer.

[@harveythepooka]

Can't people sell electricity back to the power provider? That's common in the US and summer months many people will be owed money by their electric companies.

[@Bluestrikekurt]

@@harveythepooka Yes but its only a little amount of money and we also have to pay for the use of the power net up and downstrem now based on its highest peak in a month (wattpeak) so its better to use the generated power as much as possible.

[@bruceblackmar9942]

As a former New Englander, we always had storm windows which slide up or down with glass or screens depending on the season. One of the reasons we have screens is because of mosquitos. Now living in Florida, the screens are a bit more fixed with clips, they will come out but it is a bit of a battle. Having lived in Venice with no screens, it is a joy to feel the great outside.

[@gaedingar9791]

Thank you for explaining ranch dressing. I came across in some books lately and wasn't sure, what kind of dressing it is.

[@stevew8513]

I don't know about other states, but here in Texas they outlawed those radar traffic cameras, stating that they're unconstitutional. I believe the story was that some politician sped through one of those, had his vehicle photographed, the letter arrived at the house where his wife opened it and saw a photo of another woman in the car with her husband... well, politicians can actually get some work done when they feel motivated.

[@seanthiar]

That is why in Germany all passengers except the driver are blacked out on the picture that are send out. Showing the passenger in a car on a speeding ticket picture is seen an invasion of personal privacy by law. But the ticket office is allowed to have the picture with all passengers visible to be able to identify and ask them in a court case.

[@michaelraleigh2272]

NH also does not allow radar cameras or plate readers. We also don't require adults to wear seat belts or adult motorcyclists to wear helmets. Live free or die.

[@tonyburzio4107]

The are commonly outlawed because the company running the cameras does illegal things to increase revenue. For example, the cameras in San Diego were removed because the company shortened the yellow light timing to catch more red light violations. This also increased rear end collisions. the company had to refund all the ticket fines.

[@PatrickPoet]

I _love_ those bug screens that raise up like windows. I grew up in the US and have never seen that, but I'm in my sixties, maybe it's common with newer windows?

[@californiahiker9616]

No. I’m living in a brand new house and have the same screens my 40 year old house had. I’ve never seen those before… would love to have them!

[@kc9scott]

My old house had screens (along with storm windows) added to it in the 1980’s by the previous owner, that slide up and down in aluminum frames. It was done mainly to get storm windows that insulate better than whatever the house had before. I expect that in a really modern house with double-pane or triple-pane windows, they don’t need separate storm windows, so there’s no need for the screens to slide up/down in a track.

[@FelifromGermany]

I've seen them in tons of old houses here in Cincinnati (rather run down ones too) so I don't think that's the reason for it 🤔

[@erichall7068]

Very fun, positive, upbeat videos!

[@timeforbigchange9417]

Hi Feli, Since your going home for Christmas please take beautiful pictures of villages, towns or cities that decorate with a lot of Christmas lights. I've seen so many snowy lite up villages on calendars and screen savers and wonder if they are just photos that have been color enhanced. Take care and travel safe. Merry Christmas! Love your channel. Thank you.

[@AndrewWatsonChangingWay]

As a Brit (although now in the USA), I must mention Marmite. Its Australian cousin Vegemite is better know, because of the song "The Land Down Under".

[@Trifler500]

Sadly, two of the older buildings at the community college I went to for my first years in college in the US didn't have AC. Nor did they have windows that could open. In summer it was absolutely unbearably hot.

[@mattc2824]

It doesn't get cold everywhere in the winter but it gets really hot everywhere in the summer. Even in the "colder" northern states like Minnesota, it still reaches 90°+ in the summer. AC is almost a necessity everywhere. Heatwaves can be almost as dangerous as blizzards

[@whitestar618]

I wonder if the garbage disposal issues come from differences in how Germany deals with sewage treatment vs many US communities. In my Ohio community waste water is piped to a treatment facility where it goes through straining screens to catch all the objects people flush and then to a tank where microbes break down stuff. In the town I grew up in about 25 miles away from my current place they used septic systems (a treatment tank that is in the ground where waste water is treated and then leeches back into the water table) and street drains send run off to the towns treatment plant. Adding food waste via a disposal might create issues...

[@What_Makes_Climate_Tick]

You might discuss the federalist system in a video, in which only some laws are national, and most are set by states or smaller jurisdictions. The connection to this video is that the radar traps that you mention do exist in some states, like Colorado. In another recent video, you mentioned refundable deposits on bottles and cans, which has been the law in your next state to the north, Michigan, for over 30 years--10 cents per container. If you go back 50 years, this was practiced nationally, I think, not because of law, but because bottlers of soda, etc. found it financially advantageous.

[@67L-88]

Back in the day, the bottle deposits were in place because the bottlers wanted the bottles back. They would reuse them the bottles were washed, sanitized, and refiled. The bottle cases were either wood or super strong cardboard that got reused as well. Plastic bottles and thin cheap glass put an end to this practice. You can find some boutique bottlers that still use the old type bottles.

[@haroldherbert8960]

I agree. I am an American who lived in Esslingen am Neckar twice, when I was 18 and 50 years later, when I was 68. How would you describe the difference between Bavaria and Swabia?

[@Eysenbeiss]

Nope and PJAlpha explained that in one of his reaction videos. It was always a local thing and I doubt that it was state-wide in Michigan back then too

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

On that topic it would probably be even more interesting to compare the federal systems in the US and in Germany. Both are federal countries, both have things done on federal and things done on state level, but the balance of power and what exactly is delegated to states is different.

[@What_Makes_Climate_Tick]

This discussion prompted me to look up information about Michigan's bottle law. I already knew that it had been in effect at least since I moved to Michigan in 1992, but learned that it has been since 1976. This would be about the same time that the bottlers were phasing out handling the bottle deposits themselves. Both the old and new style of pop vending machines are basically a refrigerator, but instead of dropping a can into a slot in the bottom, the old kind had a small glass door through which you could see the top of one bottle of each type of pop they had available. You could open the door without putting in money, but the proper amount of money would unlock the collars that held the bottles inside. Then there was a wooden crate on a stand next to it, and you were on the honor system to put your empty bottle in there. Many of these machines were outdoors, too, just on the sidewalk in a business district--different from today. A movie that springs to mind that shows one of these old-style machines for a comic gag is "Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned...", although I seriously doubt that one of these would squirt a heavy stream of pop out of it if you were to shoot a bullet into it. A major reason for the change, I think, was the development of technology to make aluminum cans practical. Before that, beer and pop were available in steel cans that were perhaps prone to burst if dropped even a small distance, but both were much more commonly in glass bottles. I think that Olympia Beer was the first beverage available in aluminum cans. Being a native of Minnesota and a transplant to Michigan, I almost always call that other beverage "pop", not "soda". During the few years that I lived in New Jersey, I mostly avoided this linguistic quandary by rarely drinking it.

[@LarryHatch]

US cities and regions where garbage disposals are illegal have a higher rate of toilet disposal of kitchen waste according to studies. The municipalites don't want bioactive material and especially grease in city sewers but...humans always find a way.

[@razz.dragomir]

Related to AC you also need to mention that climate is different in continental Europe vs US / Eastern. Meaning that it is dry in Europe and humid and very humid in the US and most of the time people use AC as a dehumidifier for the entire house at the expense of making it too cold from a temperature perspective.

[@FelifromGermany]

I mean that's just not true lol some parts of the US are extremely humid, like Florida, others are extremely dry, like Arizona 😅

[@bjorn6530]

razz 👍 feli: Arizona != US / Eastern

[@razz.dragomir]

@@FelifromGermany you are correct. I was mainly referring to Easter US where it's very humid during summer. From NY to Chicago and from Chicago via Atlanta and to Florida it's very humid during summer time. In AZ it's dry but temperatures are super high - with minimums of 35° C from April to October. Both require AC more than continental Europe where it's mainly dry with temperatures not exceeding 32° - 33° C during summer time

[@FelifromGermany]

@@razz.dragomir Oh gotcha, yeah that's true. Cincinnati is extremely humid in the summer as well, almost as bad as Florida, it's pretty intense 😅 And yes, ACs do dehumidiy the air. We actually have a humidifier built into ours for that exact reason, so get some of that humidity back inside 😅

[@razz.dragomir]

@@FelifromGermany danke, danke. Please continue doing this. It's awesome!!! ;))

[@alexithymia6288]

So interesting to see how different things are between these 2 countries! I live a little bit outside of Columbus, Ohio and was hoping to go to Germany this year to see my friend who's stationed there with the Air Force. I will say that, as someone who regularly carries a firearm, getting pulled over by police is just something you have to rehearse and be mentally prepared for in case it does happen. Being respectful and calmly informing them right away that I'm armed and where the firearm is located within the vehicle tends to be much appreciated by them.

[@mghocke]

The main reason why we have cops waiting on the side of the road to catch speeders is because most municipalities do not allow cameras or any kind of automated systems to catch speeders. It's got to be a cop as a witness. Also, it is quite effective to have a police car parked somewhere to force everybody to follow the speed limit. Sometimes it's even just a decoy.

[@IceBurl]

Speed cameras have the same effect as police cars

[@jessicaely2521]

​@@IceBurlcameras supposedly is an invasion of privacy 🙄. South Florida has red-light cameras and people who run run lights is far less than other states.

[@IceBurl]

@@jessicaely2521 There are certainly many more cameras in the USA than in Germany. Speed cameras only take one photo of the speeder and do not film the entire traffic.

[@markweaver1012]

@@jessicaely2521 Some places got rid of them (speed as well as red-light cameras) because politicians in search of revenue were caught colluding with the camera companies doing dodgy things like shortening yellow lights to create more violations and ticket revenue. People got fed up.

[@FatRace]

Keep up the good work, I wish to learn German.

[@user-ot6qf3ob3h]

Hey Girl! In Texas (Houston), we have window screens to keep the flies and mosquitos out. They are removable, but we keep them in. We do not have screens that open and close though. Love your videos! Take care!

[@clydeds123]

In India, we do get Ranch Dressing Sauce in Supermarkets! Also, we have Air Conditioning and Window Screen as well. Plus, our cops remain hidden as well checking traffic.

[@raymondjackson6069]

Actually most likely, the vent your showed at 1:21 is a return air vent. It returns air to what used to be an old, octopus type furnace for reheating. Now, it return air to the unit below to heat or cool. FYI. Cheers!

[@hamtaro0810]

Dear Felicia, I would think it would be nice and helpful if there were a little explanation for some of the differences. If you consider that Germany has around 84 million inhabitants but only about half the area of Texas, then many Americans will certainly become more aware of why everything is significantly smaller, or "tiny" in comparison. ;) Kind regards and thank you for your great work!

[@seanthiar]

It's not only the case for Germany, but for whole Europe. I'm not sure, but I believe you have about 32 residents per square kilometer in the USofA while Germany has about 250 residents per square kilometer. The Netherlands have over 500, France about 100 and the average is about 130 for whole Europe.

[@davidhall7275]

You've got a point there. I wonder if any of the states on the eastern seaboard have a similar population density to Germany.

[@Lukeddd]

You are using literally the internet abd dont compare a huge state that is more hot than Germany. Some more numbers Germany 230-250 per km2 US 32 per km2 Texas: 44 per km2 California ~100 per km2 Connecticut 250 per km2 Massachusetts 255 per km2 New Jersey 410 per km2 … So the best comparison would be to take california new Jersey and dome of the great lakes states together… but makes no sense to compare with texas

[@seanthiar]

@@Lukeddd In my opinion it makes no sense to compare only Germany with the USA or single states with Germany. If you want to compare Germany with the USA just remember the USA is 27.5 the size of Germany, but has only 4 times the amount of people and that makes it easy to understand why German people have smaller homes. The regional density will always be different just because agrar states with big fields will always have less people per km² than industrial states in a country.

[@Lukeddd]

@@seanthiar This is exactly my point when someone took texas as reference example. But in my opinion it is not the density, but the historically grown cities with less focus on Car as essential transport medium. If xou would like to have homes downtown in US the homes are also small. You could have around german cities really big homes like 30-50 km away from city center (maybe not Munich ;) ) but this is considered as far away in germany and not so attractive due to the lack of public transportation opportunities and to far away for bike commuting…

[@imppaco]

Xmas in Germany is AMAZING! Awesome vid, thanks

[@nobsi6846]

Servus Feli,als in Süddeutschland wohnender,fahre ich viel in Österreich mit Auto und Motorrad und da wird du oft per Laser gemessen und wenn du zu schnell warst ein paar 100 meter später direkt angehalten ( mehr oder weniger freundlich) zur Kasse gebeten. Gutes neues Jahr und hoffentlich noch viele gute Videos.

[@johnvonsauers8867]

I was in Germany for three years and everything Feli said is right, you could count the hot days of summer on one hand, no screens on windows, we never had that many bugs and the rest of the stuff wasn't their 60 years ago. Thank you Feli,🥰💗💗💗 great report

[@Habakuk_]

They could still introduce the fly screens. The insects are getting worse from year to year because I don't need to hang fly catchers in every room. I can do without air conditioning and a trash shredder.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@Habakuk_ Fly screens are a thing, they just don't come preinstalled. You can buy kits inexpensively. Usually a sheet of net or gauze and a small roll of velcro. You tape the velcro to the window frame (between the frame and the swing-open window), cut the net to the size of your window, and just attach it to the velcro.

[@justbeingkar]

I grew up in Idaho, moved to Texas, then Minnesota and never had ac, but everywhere but Minnesota we had window units. Also the powdered ranch is a more affordable way to make it at home yum!

[@RachelDrivesCleanCars]

common in the US/Canada and not in Europe/Germany (and much of the rest of the world): a clothes drying machine. If people have one, it's often a unit combined with the clothes washing machine and just doesn't work that well. Even if the unit is separate, it usually just doesn't work that well, so people think that hanging clothes is about as easy. In the US, a clothes dryer can completely dry a very full load of clothes in 1 - 2 hours, and is in almost every home and apartment, or is in every laundromat (what a weird word).

[@baileyharrison1030]

Most houses in the UK have a separate clothes dryer that’ll fully dry your clothes. The problem is that electricity is extremely expensive here so many people rarely use them. I don’t know why we don’t have natural gas powered dryers like in the USA.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Houses in Europe are usually smaller than in the US; so people simply don't have room for a dryer. Especially if you rent an apartment (very common). For example I have my washing machine in the kitchen and hang my laundry on the balcony.

[@RachelDrivesCleanCars]

@@HappyBeezerStudios I totally understand, but I've heard from many people that they think dryers don't work well in the first place. The dryers we've used in Europe and in Australia definitely work quite poorly. Dryers in the US tend to work well, though.. thus the difference.

[@Hibernicus1968]

The first time I went to Ireland, I was really mystified by the lack of screens on the window. As I sat in a room with a couple of houseflies buzzing around, I looked at the open window and wondered why _in the world_ anyone would tolerate windows like that, with no screens, that let bugs in, when windows with screens were available to keep the irritating pests outside where they belong.

[@Kronidak]

Screens are very common in Hungary for example, but I also agree with Feli, that in Germany it is not so common...

[@desperadox7565]

Because I want to look out?

[@Hibernicus1968]

@@desperadox7565 Screens are not opaque.

[@desperadox7565]

@@Hibernicus1968 Not totally clear either.

[@Hibernicus1968]

@@desperadox7565 So? If I want to enjoy an unobstructed view of nature, I can always step out on my front porch. When I'm relaxing inside my home, I'd prefer not to have flies buzzing around in there with me. I _damn_ sure don't want them bothering me while I am trying to prepare and eat my meals. I'll take the hardly at all obstructed view of the outdoors through a screen any day over having to swat away from my food a housefly that has just flown into my kitchen after crawling around on a pile of dog shit outside.

[@Nikioko]

Concerning speeding tickets in Germany: You can rise an objection, and then they have to prove that the picture was properly taken with the radar trap correctly set up. This is interesting when it comes to points or licence suspension.

[@pe.bo.5038]

BS!They don't have to proof;you have to proof,they made a "substantial"mistake!

[@StealthheartDraws]

In the seven states I’ve lived in, I’ve never seen a bug screen that you can also move, they have always been permanently stapled to the frame

[@thomasbrutting8046]

I love Ranch dressing. I discovered it 34 years ago at the age of 16 when I stayed with my aunt in Michigan for four weeks. When I came back to the States for a four week holiday last summer I ran into exactly that bottle that you showed on your video and ever since I try to get hold of Ranch in Germany.