Brit Reacts to Things Only Americans Do and Think is Normal!

[@L3WGReacts]

Live Reacts - twitch.tv/L3WG

[@NNNC1234]

Lewis, we have to work. We don’t love working. Unless you’re a fortunate person who loves what they do. But majority of Americans are working because we have to work.

[@Nyarlathothep]

Dude, your poor left eye! And you're over here working anyway, making great content. Just saying it doesn't go unappreciated.

[@shirleyz7400]

Lewis you would do great over here in the U.S. ! You like to talk, you’re curious & open to learning & enjoying stuff. Plus you have a fun & likable personality! 👍✌️😊💚

[@sandrawilliamson8108]

Your accent will get you free stuff in America 😂😅❤

[@lonniewayne7710]

5:30 no its your video pause as needed its your reaction to learning new knowledge of the world i like the reactions when people when then learn something new and their thought in the raw moment. I don’t hardly get that much and I miss it 😂 seems like it just like already new that and it sucks 😂

[@robtintelnot9107]

I hold the door for people all the time. That's not weird. It's rude if you don't.

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

I thought those were the rules 😂😂😂 hold the door if someone was there at the same time.

[@richardmartin9565]

I hold the door too. I think that's how I was raised. I can always tell a foreigner...they don't say "thank you."

[@chanmi1957]

One time my son and I were waiting for seats in a busy restaurant. A small group of people came in and there were no vacant seats. There was an elderly woman in the group. There were probably 3-4 grown men sitting and my son, who was maybe 10, was the one to offer his seat to the woman. I was a proud momma. The woman even complimented me for teaching him manners.

[@karenshepherd2412]

​@@traciemcdaniel3660 OR if they have a disability. People always hold open the door for me.😊

[@Kari5274]

I'm a woman and I will hold the door open for people, usually elderly or people with their hands full. The person who gets to the door first holds it for the others. It's just polite.

[@leeroy8936]

As soon as he said "America isnt really big into coffee" i thought "this guy is an idiot." America will literally go to war over coffee

[@karenshepherd2412]

Oh lord, we ARE coffee culture. There are Starbucks on every other block. AND we drink our tea iced.

[@pinktastic6159]

Starbucks is horrible coffee, though.

[@pinktastic6159]

The reason we're a coffee country, aside from the tea in the harbor, is because we used to have to roast our own at home. The smell of coffee roasting was considered patriotic. 😁

[@tedfischer2023]

@@pinktastic6159They over roast it to cover using cheap beans.

[@Kari5274]

@@pinktastic6159 Starbucks burns their beans

[@kimharding2246]

“Bridge freezes before road surface.” It’s winter time and you’re driving along just fine, but because the surface of the bridge is suspended in air, so its surface freezes before the surface that’s in contact with the warmer ground. We also have signs that say “falling rock” and “deer crossing.”😂

[@KatyFaulkner-f6c]

@@kimharding2246 yep! On the way to San Diego we have caution signs that show immigrants from Mexico running across the freeway!

[@kimharding2246]

@ Oh good Lord! I admit it’s been a long while since I lived out there in San Diego County… but that’s ridiculous!

[@karenshepherd2412]

​@KatyFaulkner-f6c Lol, yeah on the 15, [freeway]. It's a picture grafic of a family running across the freeway. I like the sign that says, just above the boarder crossing.... "NO FIRE ARMS TO BE BROUGHT INTO MEXICO".

[@karenshepherd2412]

​@@kimharding2246 Why??? Would you rather mow down a family of immigrants? Some people might like to play chicken with someone's life, but I won't.

[@kimharding2246]

@@karenshepherd2412 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

[@Banyo__]

We're a nice old bunch-o-people for the most part. Real interaction: I went to a pastry shop to get breakfast. This random guy was trying to secure some stuff in his truck bed in front of the shop, and a chair rolled off the back. I ran over, helped him retrieve the chair, and went in to the shop. As I'm getting ready to pay, same guy comes up, and says, oh no, I got it! Pays for my entire breakfast and says, thank you so much for helping me. Every time I think the world is a sh**y place, I think of that day and our capacity as human beings to just help and be nice.

[@beesnort3163]

Absolutely! Awesome story!❤

[@karenshepherd2412]

That's called, PAYING IT FORWARD. I've been the recipient and the gifter.

[@maryvalentine9090]

That’s beautiful. It’s also very “Godly”. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

[@leopoppetme2237]

I went to New Orleans for the 1st time & saw some of the most beautiful black woman I've ever seen. 2x I had to tell woman how beautiful they were. I'm 56 & straight. And both told me I made their day & one said it was 1st time she smiled all day. What joy that brings me & they'll never forget it. I struck up a conversation with a gal on an airplane, come to find out we're so much a like. We exchanged numbers & staying in touch & want to make plans for a visit.i can make a new long time friend from about any where, also short term as well. People come & go out of our lives for different reasons.

[@lorrainemiller688]

One memorable time-- I was sick, but had gone to my elderly mother's apartment to bring her food and tidy up for her, as I was walking her garbage out to the big trash bins a car driving by turned around, came back, and a young man jumped out to grab the bags and put them in for me! I wasn't that old, but hell, I was realllly sick! Still warms my heart to this day and it's been 15 years ago! Little things mean a lot... 🤗

[@pearlsmith6600]

😊

[@SuperDrLisa]

I was taking the trash out last night and my neighbor was out with kids came and grabbed the bag for me. I'm the oldest person on the street. 😅

[@CattttMD]

Every few years in Baltimore, we'd have a big snowstorm with about 3 feet of snow. The last time we had one, I grabbed my broom and went out to clean off my truck. After about 5 minutes I realized everybody else in the parking lot was helping me. That was when I realized I was old. All the young people were helping me because I was an old lady cleaning a chevy S10 stretch cab with a broom. :)

[@milemarker301]

the physics of 'splashback' = the higher the water, the less distance the drop = the less amount of splash coming back (Newton's law of reaction). So, in the UK your distance to drop is so far that you actually do splash more - but because you use so little water that splash is unable to reach all the way back up. In other words, there are very few splashback occurrences in both countries. More water = much cleaner toilets per flush. 😁

[@inktownlegend]

And the poo smell is trapped under the water, making the air in the environment less “toxic”

[@Josef_R]

You would think after a few skid marks in the bowl, they would think to add more water.

[@strofan13]

We also now have 2 things to do about the odor: 1. Do a "courtesy flush," i.e. flush as soon as the odor begins to get rid of it even if you're still going to be on the "John" a while longer. Or 2. We now have Poopouri, a scented toilet water spray you spray (not aerosol) directly on the clean water before using said toilet. It traps the odors. Of course there's still the aerosol scented sprays for afterwards or scented candles people use in bathrooms.

[@evanhughes1510]

Now we need a video for “things only Brits/europeans do and think is normal”

[@bruss529]

like obsess over America

[@karenshepherd2412]

​@@bruss529 Shhhhĥhh. Lewis is making money sweetheart. He does make other videos, not just Americans.

[@jryan9547]

@@bruss529lol

[@maryvalentine9090]

Thinking canned beans on toasted bread is normal fare. 🤮

[@jsjazz12]

I've been thinking the same thing. I don't like when they say we think these things are normal but others don't. It's a bit disrespectful to me. They're are things they do I find odd but I would never say they weren't normal because it's normal for them.

[@daniellelevy8056]

Wait an hour is a long drive??? BRO IT TOOK ME 2 HOURS TO GET HOME FROM WORK TODAY. My daily commute is minimum of an hour 1 way😭

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

I'm sorry!! That sucks. Move closer or get a different job. Lol

[@Adventurer4sure]

I know I live in a small town and my highschool was like an hour away from my house.

[@TheLuv4tankian]

California??

[@Myomer104]

"Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way."

[@Provoses]

Fr my dad used to live 6 hours from his oilfield job and would just have to disappear for weeks at a time

[@KatyFaulkner-f6c]

It means in the winter even when the road isn't icy, the bridge will freeze and be icy first.

[@keithwatt9871]

Displaying the American flag is showing respect to all the service people that have died to make and keep this country free.

[@cln333]

Exactly! The fact that he was behaving like it's embarrassing was gross.

[@maryvalentine9090]

Oh it’s way more than that, I mean it is that, but it is also pride in one of the most astounding countries that has ever existed in a history of the world. Go read our constitution go read the declaration of independence, go read the Gettysburg address. America is freaking unique.

[@jsjazz12]

I'm tired of seeing so many videos about how others think this isn't normal. How many times do they have to have it explained to them why we do this? Especially someone from the UK should understand since they're country was the one who bombed it and kept standing.

[@janiceperkins4340]

In 35 years of working, I never once go a Paid Vacation! I worked (mostly) in Group homes for Developmentally Disabled, or Privately for Seniors and not a single company offered ANY PAID VACATION!😭

[@sarahreed874]

I specifically came to the comment section for the flag talk. I feel that if you live in America & you think flying the American flag is a bad thing, or it’s “cringe” as he said, you should un-ass yourself from my country. So glad he decided to leave. I fly a HUGE American flag on the front of my house. I learned a lot about our flag during my time in the Army & I will always fly one proudly!

[@emelle_1953]

Bigger cars are a necessity...12 hours driving in a mini Cooper ? Ahh hell no! 😮😂

[@mse9609]

True that. Americans believe in comfort.

[@kristinagibbons9787]

Just today, i had a lady come up and talk to me randomly about the song playing at the store. We talked for a few minutes. Then i miscalculated how much my groceries would cost. I was only $5 short, so i took an item off and started walking away. The gentleman behind me said, "Hold on, ma'am." He scanned the item, bagged it, and gave it to me, then wished me a Merry Christmas. Americans are amazing people!

[@daniellestraub5341]

True story lmao I was just walking into Walmart and a random guy walking out of Walmart stopped and told me a joke and then proceeded with his day while I laughed all the way through my shopping

[@janeywebb8342]

I’m an American I think this Dude is weird. Not Lewis. I don’t know how many times they talk about high waters in toilets. THEY ARE NOY THAT HIGH ! Some places that have a little higher than some, yes but that’s so you don’t leave skid marks !

[@DrGeoffreyReed]

Maybe we just take bigger shits 💩😆

[@dianajemison105]

I don't think the guy said our toilet water was too high. He was commenting on foreigners saying that.

[@janeywebb8342]

@ I know that, that’s what I ment. Foreigners say that all the time.

[@bluflaam777LSA]

It's because their water is lower. It's different is all. Lew however, is afraid of splash-back and shouldn't be. Take a pan and put it in the sink. Fill it with water to near the top. drop a pen from 'close' distance into it mimicking you taking a dump. The tip hits the water before it leaves you and doesn't make much of a splash. Lower the water level a bit and raise the pen up to however far away it is in the UK and then mimic the same think. Which makes more of a mess? The short distance higher water or the longer distance shallower water? The internet wants to know Lew!

[@kevxster]

There's actually a good reason for not having the tax built into the price. When something is taxed, the amount often results in fractions of a cent, and then it us rounded up. When the tax is applied at checkout, the rounding up only happens once (on all items as one transaction), instead of on each item individually. This results is a slightly lower cost; the amount if which depends on the number of items being purchased.

[@anonygent]

That depends on the store.

[@thecouchpotatocom]

Thank you! Now I don't have to explain it. 😊

[@alicesullivan4089]

What are you dropping in the toilet that’s going to cause a splash!!!?? My God man - what are you eating?! 🤣

[@CarlGorn]

Apparently those fish, chips, and pasties turn into hypersonic artillery. 🤣

[@DavidBeserock]

It's not a deuce, it's what he 8

[@tracykimber729]

I will hold the door forever long. I never want to drop it in someone’s face. I also talk to everyone often complimenting them or even helping them with her life’s problems. I would fail miserably in UK. I love bantering with others.

[@anonygent]

I put my foot on the door so they can't open it. (Kidding, of course.)

[@leopoppetme2237]

Exactly. Every word. We feel it's rude & disrespectful if you don't.

[@darcyjorgensen5808]

We always open or hold the door open for others. Why would you not? That’s just weird.

[@steventambon2588]

Its easy to understand why the Irish/Scottish accents are beloved here: there are roughly 30 million Irish-Americans, so roughly 10% of Americans have Irish ancestry.

[@redmoonbloodmoon3161]

made popular by our movies too.... braveheart... and whatever else that's more modern movie, lol (mind is failing me... of other famous/popular movies with heavy irish/scottish accents, or at least, attempts at it, with our actors, lol) both historical movies and fantasy/medieval movies, often have the scottish/irish accent/voice in them for their characters, though not limited to those genres of movies, as any movie can have it in them, of course too

[@Missangie827]

it's probably more than 10 percent that have Irish ancestors we just don't know it

[@Arianna-tf5tn]

Like me 😊

[@kathykaufman1244]

You would be surprised how many times I’ve seen the next customer in line help with the tax if you’re short because of sales tax. Keith Urban had that happen in line when the lady behind had no idea who he was and just handed him the money, it went viral, he was so charmed!

[@kevxster]

But everyone in the US knows tax is not included in the price on the shelf tag.

[@daniellelevy8056]

The bridge sign is just a warning that the bridge is a different material than the road so even if the road is fine, the bridge might be icy so you should be careful

[@thanksforthat2141]

It's less about the surface and more about the air that flows under the bridge, instead of the warmer ground.

[@BrLoc]

That, but it's also that the bridge is elevated away from any Earth warmth so the cold wind will go under the bridge as well as over top of the bridge creating a very icy situation for the bridge. The road, or asphalt, will be much warmer because it has the warmth from the earth. America has never claimed to have the brightest drivers.

[@Piaphamu]

The US is 50 individual countries who are banded together for mutual benefit.

[@budstockdale8963]

Dude if you count omelettes. There's like 18 different kinds of eggs you can order us a restaurant lol

[@BrLoc]

Most of us Americans are just raised to be that way. Our parents were raised that way, their parents were raised that way, and so on. It's an American culture thing to raise your children to be courteous and kind. To help someone that needs it. To hold the door for someone. To give your seat to an elderly person on the bus. It's just in our nature because it's in all of our parents' nature and their parents, and their parents and so on. We learned it in school from a very young age as well. The teachers are always preaching and practicing sharing and kindness to the other students.

[@judielliott4994]

Driving from Dallas TX. To Long Beach CA took 2 and one half days, 4 states, 1450 miles😎

[@glennmiller4935]

The bridge being empty underneath causes the bridge to freeze faster than the flat surface of a road on land

[@arich9326]

#sharingiscaring

[@nwarner616]

Exactly 100% you said it..outstanding comment 👍

[@jewelmaster210]

It was good manners! Although I must say, I don't see it as often as I used to.

[@darcyjorgensen5808]

Yes, we grow up doing the Pledge every morning. There is a flag in every classroom.

[@waterjade4198]

This has always struck me as creepy, nazi-like behaviour.

[@Josef_R]

@@waterjade4198 it has always been a patriotic activity that everyone enjoyed doing in the past. It's only since around the 2010s when Dims started calling everybody Nazis that that kind of behavior became associated with it. Patriotism has become a dirty word recently.

[@reginafromrio]

Omg an hr drive is easily a morning commute to work 😅 That's adorable.

[@Mondaycat7]

I agree, my one way commute was 2 hours without any delays. Happy to work from home now

[@magsstewart5488]

It took 4 days to drive 12 hours?!?!?! I do that in….12 hours.

[@deejay963]

1450 miles is more than 12 hours. You would have to drive 120. 83 mph to cover that distance in 12 hours. (Edit) Without stopping or slowing down, just basic math.

[@xo2quilt]

The way that was stated was weird. I'm thinking 12 hours is a normal single-day drive when you are driving a long distance, so it was confusing. I can drive from Washington state to Tampa, Florida in 5 days, so his numbers were weird.

[@magsstewart5488]

@ The comment read said it was 12 hours of driving and it took 4 days.

[@magsstewart5488]

@@xo2quilt Yeah. I drive 900 miles regularly. It takes me 12 hours, with 3 gas/potty breaks of maybe 10 minutes each.

[@xo2quilt]

@@magsstewart5488 Well, that would be accurate for my parents when they were in their mid 80s!!

[@jimmyb.6272]

The water isn’t high enough to get backsplash 😂

[@benjaminkeller4314]

it is high enough in most toilets for a scrotal plunge though. I've resorted to, techniques, to prevent the cold dip on many occasions.

[@kathleenshaw838]

Thank you.

[@xo2quilt]

@@kathleenshaw838 He's wrong, but it isn't often! 🤣 The last time my dad was in the hospital, he was complaining that his scrotum was in the water of the toilet. That's way too high!!

[@robertq55403]

Or maybe our shit isn’t as heavy as theirs? But seriously, this is due to the fact the inner plumbing in American toilets are different plus the bowl is shaped differently to prevent backsplash

[@sandyv2195]

...or a "bum shower," as Lewis called it. 😂

[@DivergentDroid]

"Bridge ices before road" means that when temperatures drop below freezing, bridges will typically become icy much faster than regular roads because they are exposed to cold air from all sides (top, bottom, and sides), causing them to lose heat more rapidly, while roads are insulated by the ground below them; therefore, drivers should be extra cautious when crossing bridges during cold weather.

[@Darryl.Smelser]

You ARE American Lewis! Our government just doesn't know it yet. Talking to strangers - Yeah, for example if you're in a line (cue) for something, you're gonna start having conversations with the people behind you or in front of you, maybe both at the same time. Or maybe that's just me, but I don't think so lol.

[@leopoppetme2237]

I do this too. Also the cashier.

[@James-tl5gb]

I love how the UK and other countries think driving more than an hour is far. Already this year I drove to New Mexico in April and Pennsylvania at the end of May I live in south Louisiana and also making plans for Colorado for next year in May to ride trail systems on dirt bikes driving a thousand miles for a vacation is part of being in the United States😊🇺🇲

[@nancyfried7239]

I drive an hour each way to work & back everyday for 10 yrs

[@jewelmaster210]

When I was kid, we would drive from Virginia to Ohio to visit my grandma. Took a day to get there. A couple weeks later we would drive home, another day on the road. I live in Ohio now and to take my children to see their grandma, we have to drive almost an hour to see her....and we are still in Ohio!

[@christinezehnle7552]

ROAD TRIP !!!!!!!!

[@michellewhiteman4116]

I'm from Pennsylvania 😊

[@Mike28625]

"If you have time to lean, you have time to clean" is a popular axiom of American management. They're not going to pay you to sit down. If they're on the clock, you need to be working. They'll make you sweep clean floors in order to get their money's worth from you.

[@davidcopple8071]

Howdy from Texas. He forgot to mention that a lot of U.S. companies that do offer their employees paid holidays and sick days, now both are more commonly just combined into something called personal days , but that very same company will give you the option of just getting the money you would have earned for those days instead of you actually taking them off work and then you can get paid again for the same time because you didn't take that time off and you actually did work instead. So you literally get paid twice for the same period of time. That's a huge incentive to not actually stop working.

[@FuzzyWCTX]

Another Texian here.

[@karenshepherd2412]

I think it's refered to as PTO here in California. It's flex time. I'm retired so I'm taking this from what my kids tell me.

[@greghamann2099]

All true but the fact is American companies are very stingy when it comes to total days off a year compared to just about all European countries. They could do so much better.

[@jenniferspencer1802]

I think jobs like pizza hut don't give vacation time but those are usually jobs high school kids take

[@marydavis5234]

Evan has mentioned before, he worked at Pizza Hut for four years before moving to England,

[@Mrs.Robinson718]

I have driven from Anchorage Alaska to Southern Oregon and I’ve done the trip 5 times. That is 2807 miles / 4517 kilometers, and travel time by car is about 56 hours 44 minutes. One way. It is beautiful country!

[@jack-of-all-trades1234]

As far as randomly speaking to strangers goes. There's a comedian named Josh Nasar who has a channel on KZbin. He does things like driving up alongside random people and asking them odd questions which are really just set-ups to give them great compliments. You should see how the people love it. It lights up their day!

[@TimpossibleOne]

Having a higher water level in your toilet means your poops don't have far to fall which lessens the splash. Sliding in the pool doesn't splash as much as diving in.

[@Fallenoangel]

The bridge freezes sign is because it’s up in the air with nothing insulating it. So the bridge will freeze before the road surface will, so be careful crossing the bridge as you may hit ice

[@ConchaCrema]

Gasoline/petrol in the USA has the tax included per gallon.

[@mbourque]

You can get eggs: soft scrambled, hard scrambled, sunny side up, over easy, over hard. ECT. ECT...

[@johnl5316]

I have never met an American who has had any neg feeling about not seeing the tax included in the product

[@bluflaam777LSA]

You get used to it.

[@WAZergslayer]

would suck for certain stores in certain states, since tax rate can change from 1 day to the next. for example in Iowa, theres 1 day of the year that clothing is tax free, do you want every store thatsells clothes to have to re-label every piece of clothing for the day, then change them all back the next? theres also different tax rates and definitions state to state, and its easier for big chain stores to set all their pricing the same, then just add the different tax rates at checkout.

[@jewelmaster210]

​@@bluflaam777LSAwhen I go shopping, it's become a habit to think "I've got $250. That means I have roughly $230 to shop with, that way I'll have enough to cover the taxes." If I didn't have to add the taxes, I would confused by the final price, thinking I messed up in the math somewhere.😮😮

[@christianlorre]

Because I've had it that way my entire life.

[@jsjazz12]

We don't know any other way and have survived. This is the same old complaint in so many videos.

[@Mr._Anderpson]

The guy who made the video saying Americans don't know trees aren't people is exactly the sort of fellow we would happily export to Europe. And yeah, vacation time is something I rarely use. The company gives me three weeks a year plus nine other holidays and I almost always end up selling my extra time back to my employer. Why do I need a vacation? Make hay while the sun is shining. There will be time to take time off later. My older sister is the opposite. She's always taking off to go to Egypt or the Bahamas or Africa. She asked if I'd like to join her & the family on a trip to Africa and my question was "Why on Earth would I voluntarily go to Africa? The people there are doing everything they can to leave." She asked the same thing about the Middle East & I said if I wanted to see people in sheets, we have a day for that, Halloween. The freezing bridge thing is to remind people they could suddenly find themselves driving over ice. The roadway is warmer because the earth is beneath it. The bridge has open air under it, which can become much more frigid, causing the bridge above to freeze. Pittsburgh's highway interchange to the Duquesne Bridge is very bad in that regard. You switch from the highway to an off-ramp to a bridge which is typically frozen in winter. The off-ramp spirals off to the right of the highway. So you could suddenly try to take that right turn and your vehicle would keep sliding forward on the ice. You'll see lots of damage & skid marks at the concrete barriers where people didn't slow down, hit the ice, and learned the hard way.

[@CahliaShay]

Yeah, I know a lot of men who hate using their PTO. My husband gets 28 PTO days a year but his work doesn't let you sell time back. If you don't use it you lose it. There are several guys that have lost it for so many years in a row that the employers made a couple of them use it. They said if you don't schedule days off we'll schedule them for you and you can't come in those days.

[@AC-ni4gt]

27:51 During the winter, bridges are an absolute nightmare.

[@crystalchillura9614]

USA here, this guy kept saying "The government needs to do something about that" That's the difference between the US and elsewhere, we don't want government in everything.

[@trailryder5813]

Spot on, the power should reside with the states and the residents of the that state.

[@CahliaShay]

Thank you!!

[@anthonyschmelzer2274]

I hold the door for people, especially for women. When I was younger I would get in trouble if I didn’t.

[@daniellelevy8056]

One thing about the work culture is that even if you do get pto, it’s much less than elsewhere (I got 12 days pto so sick and vacation time for the first 2 years and that bumped up to 18 when I hit 3 years, and that’s quite good) but many places actively discourage you from taking that time off and will often consider using your pto as “not being a team player” and “not being reliable” and people will get fired over that, even though it is literally paid time off

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

When I worked for a corporation the pto ended at the end of the year. If you didn't use it you were out of luck. The new year started new pto.

[@jonlouis4263]

About 48% of Americans like coffee drinks and 52% like coffee straight

[@emelle_1953]

I like my coffee strong, hot, black with a bit of sugar.

[@pinktastic6159]

I make coffee so strong a Marine ex wouldn't drink it. I drink a pot every morning. I add a hint of cream and a little sweetener. Do I also own a French press, a bialeta, and an entire espresso/steamed milk/frother system? Also, yes. Can I make every traditional Italian drink? Absolutely. I even know why an Americano is called that.

[@dianajemison105]

I don't like coffee, at all.

[@SithLegion1]

I like my sugar with coffee and cream!

[@mjpink8408]

I like coffee drinks

[@allisoncarley2964]

One of the wonderful things about not having tax added on to prices is that you can actually see the tax that you're being charged. This makes it so that Americans are very aware of tax rates and get really ticked off when the government tries to increase taxes

[@jamesatkins8344]

The tax is listed separately for transparency. So a business can't raise the price of say an apple by 25c when the tax is 10c and they say the 25c was tax. This way you know the tax was 10c and they raised the price 15c .it's to keep businesses honest

[@stowie7733]

Bridge freezes before road surfaces means when it’s cold, the surface of the bridge will freezer easier that the surface of the road you are currently driving on…they want you tto be prepared so that when you leave the road, which is not frozen, to cross the bridge, the surface will be slippery/icy so slow down and drive with caution when crossing bridges. Now we could talk about the different street signs you find when traveling on the highway or roads here in the US, but I think that’s another video! 😉😉

[@Jay123hollis]

I'm from the South and here in the Southern United States we always hold the door for each other.

[@kennethvaughan8195]

Where I’m from (Texas) if a guy is going through a door way and a person carrying groceries is coming through,especially a lady, you stop and hold the door open ! Not so long ago if a guy didn’t and the lady had to struggle to open herself, anyone who may have observed you was going to ask you WTF ?!!!

[@lynettepierce]

Talking to complete strangers happens all the time. Not prolonged, in-depth conversations, but casual chit-chat. It's rare that I go to a public place and don't talk to a stranger. I was at Hobby Lobby the other day and had several conversations with multiple people about how cute an item they were buying was, or someone noticed something I was looking at and started talking about all the cute ways it could be used to decorate for Christmas. The coffee thing isn't true. Yes, a lot of people like coffee type drinks, but tons of people like just plain coffee. Perhaps some sugar and/or a tad of milk. Opening a door, or holding it open if you were there first, is just plain polite. In fact, it's rude to walk through a door and let it start to close in someone's face. Almost all of our cashiers stand--it would be weird for them to be sitting. Especially since they tend to have to move around and it would be a pain to sit down, get up, sit, up, sit, up, and so on. The taxes is not about more money for the businesses. While it's very true we are "taxed to death," the sales tax is not the same everywhere you go. Thus, it's not included in the price. The sales taxes are not only different in each state, but in counties within a state. Also, food that isn't cooked isn't charged a sales tax, but generally food that is cooked (like a restaurant vs a grocery store) is taxed. The extra money for extra services isn't a tax, it's upselling what you get. (First class vs coach while flying, etc) When I was a kid we did say the Pledge of Allegiance every day, but sadly that isn't true anymore. A lot of Americans drive smaller cars largely due to fuel economy and cost, but that doesn't work for people who need to haul things in their vehicles all the time. (Kids, pets, groceries, miscellaneous items, all at the same time.) In rural areas trucks are super common. I have to have a truck to pull my horse trailer and move hay, and so on. I have never seen a sign that says bridge freezes before road surface, but we do have lots of signs that warn drivers bridges may be icy. It's simply a warning that the roads may be very slippery. We also have a lot of people who live in flat land areas or in the city, and don't really know how to drive correctly on mountain roads and/or slippery road conditions. We have places that never snows, and other places that snow a LOT. BIG country.

[@valerieholmes9211]

I am 68, I went to country school in Michigan, my two sisters my brother walked 1 mile to school and 1 mile home, wind,rain and snow.

[@cgoebbert]

Let me guess, up hill both ways? 😎

[@jewelmaster210]

I live in Ohio. A mile long walk is normal to me (mostly because I can't drive), but it is different in other places. I went to Washington, DC, and a lady who worked at a gift store was shocked to find out I walked from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument. I said, it's not that far. Why? She said, but the HEAT! You walked in the HEAT! 😂😂😂😂

[@trailryder5813]

@@cgoebbert I clicked on replies to that comment looking for what you said, and you did not disappoint!

[@michelled219]

In Real Estate, yes we post our pictures. It’s expected! Helps people to know they’re dealing with.

[@Humblelearner-pw7vk]

The bridge sign also means that the cold air flows under the bridge so the surface gets colder quicker because the temperature drop is immediate, versus a road surface on land gets colder slower because that surface may have a warmer temperature, than the air temperature

[@cgoebbert]

Exactly. Basically warning you of possible ice on the bridge as opposed to the usual road surface.

[@robertevans2450]

these videos always highlight someone who should just find a country they like and stay there, as I am very happy to know he doesn't live in the US anymore, let the world deal with such difficult people.

[@debrabarron7061]

Lew - you are more American than some Americans! 😁🤓🌵

[@jsjazz12]

This made me laugh. He's shocked by everything we do.

[@joeadler179]

Swimming with the fish has a whole different meaning in the US! Lol

[@KarenOCallaghan-u5o]

Sleeping with the fish!

[@jasonhardin3339]

The ground retains heat. Anything not over the ground loses heat earlier. That's why bridges and overpasses freeze over.

[@johnl5316]

in the US South people are very gracious

[@Apollo_Blaze]

some of them only to your face, lol

[@bluflaam777LSA]

@@Apollo_Blaze for the most part its genuine. Some ppl are just nice to your face. It isn't any different than anywhere else in the US or even the planet. Being cordial and polite is ingrained into most communities in the south. It's just the way you grow up. Doesn't mean anyone from the south can't be an arse or rude and impolite...just that most are taught to say please and thank you, sir and mam, being friendly to strangers and all that. And yes, I've lived and still have family in the south.

[@rgawt1870]

Hey Lewis 👋 5:10, that's what we like your reactions because you talk during and give interesting anecdotes and commentary. So keep it up

[@laforce36]

I had my card information swiped by a server. She received extortion charges. Took a plea for a 3 year suspended sentence with formal probation and a ban from owning cell phones. She ended up violating probation had 2 years added and put in prison.

[@kathleenshaw838]

Sales taxes vary not only between states, but from county to county, and product to product within the same store. Especially food in grocery stores. Hot prepared food is taxed differently from food that isn't. There are other food variables, also.

[@stuartmalevich8093]

Real estate agents own the for sale signs and pay for the marketing of the home, so they can put thier face on it to not only sell the house but mostly as advertising for their services. Photos of agents is standard in real estate and the broker may actually make the agent take head shots for websites, business cards and listings.

[@davidcopple8071]

Howdy from Texas. I worked as a server at a very busy restaurant for three years. Only a bad server would ever gripe about the whole tipping culture here in America. Because of the ability to earning tips does two very important things. Firstly it a big advantage for the customers. Because the servers all understand that if they want a decent tip then they need to give each one of their customers the best possible dinning experience. So that definitely benefits the customer. And secondly, a good server can and almost always do earn far more money than the other hourly paid employees at the restaurant. In some cases, even more than the manager. I've worked with servers who made well over one hundred thousand a year at the very same restaurant that I worked at. And they had been there for years and years. Because the Money they could earn through tips was far more than they likely would have at most any other job that they would have been qualified for. And that's exactly why Europeans are always so impressed with the level of service they receive here in American restaurants. And that they rarely get in Europe. Because their servers get paid exactly the same whether they bust their ass or not. So they have zero incentives to go out of their way to make the customers happy.

[@CherryVanila]

And soon, no tax on tips! 🧡

[@trailryder5813]

You are very correct! I live in a town with a large college that lives and breathes college football. I had a friend that was a bartender at a restaurant that was always busy but crazy busy on gameday weekends especially. During these gameday weekends he would work as much as possible and was not unheard of for him to make 1,000 dollars per shift in tips and that was numerous years ago! But he was very engaging, knew every bar drink I think ever imagined, charming, and always ready to take your order without appearing to hoover. In fact he only every worked weekends through college and it took him over 5 years in the work force to ever get to the point of earning full time what he made on the weekends as a bartender. It was to the point he would still get off on Fridays and bartend on the weekends until he got enough experience in his chosen field to start making enough money to stop bartending.

[@aidanbryant6375]

When you’re passing someone, a downward nod for respect, an upward nod for a more casual what’s up, and a smile for the ladies

[@asfraser1981]

Stop as much as you want. You are reacting!! What a Debbie Downer! Thanks for keeping me company on my way home from work.

[@jeffreyhale5130]

Here is one thing that is unique to America. Back in the mid 1900s, advertisers came up with charging one cent less to make prices look cheaper. So, if something were to cost $10, instead, it would cost $9.99. In consumers' minds, they would see $9 not $10.

[@thecouchpotatocom]

I hate that it works. I've attempted to just use flat dollars, but it quickly shows in sales compared to the .99 *sigh* No getting around that psychology.

[@Codi14cd]

Th bridge freezes and not necessarily the actual road before or after the bridge. Because the dew on the bridge freezes because the air draft under the bridge itself

[@mandeepeterson2297]

Full time positions have mandated benefits such as paid time off, retirement, insurance, etc. Part time work isn't required to give such benefits to employees.

[@AskJeeves-l1x]

Dude, you’re an American at heart! I cannot wait to watch your KZbin videos when you get here. Do you have a plan? Are you saving monthly? What can we do to help? (Be careful though. Don’t just stay with some rando and do not come alone! S-trafficking doesn’t just happen to young females).

[@Arianna-tf5tn]

I think we should start a go fund me for Lewis so he can come over here and see his reactions on his experiences. That would be fun

[@KatyFaulkner-f6c]

It's 17 hours from southern California to the Northern end. And, you are in the same state the whole time.

[@nothanks4509]

How slow are you driving? San Ysidero to Hilt is less than 12hr. I drove Spokane to Orange county 9 times a few years ago and that drive was 17hrs.

[@KatyFaulkner-f6c]

@ I’ve never made the actual drive so that was what I saw online. I used to drive from Laguna to Sacramento a lot and that was 7 and half hours for me who has to stop for big gulps and the pee! 😂

[@bluflaam777LSA]

certain times of the day/week driving in southern commifornia can take WAY TOO LONG just because of traffic or because of the route you're forced to take. I went from San Diego to just north of LA on a Saturday morning to meet up with some friends and it should have only taken a couple of hours at most. It took just under 4 hours. Just because of traffic and that was in the morning. Coming back in the evening was worse because everyone was driving down the coast for ...whatever reasons.

[@jewelmaster210]

​@@bluflaam777LSAI used to live in San Pedro. The traffic is so bad there, I had to switch schools so my parents didn't have to drive me anymore. I recently went on Maps to see how far the school really was. Turned out I walked over a mile to get to Jr High in a city where there was 2, maybe 3 Jr Highs!

[@davidcopple8071]

Howdy from Texas. Regarding the sales taxes in America. They vary from state to state. Just like they do in Europe from country to country. But in those countries. It's unlikely that the average person knows exactly how much of the cost of an item is just taxes. Making it much easier for those countries to just arbitrarily raise the sales taxes without anyone understanding that this was the actual cause of the price going up on what they buy. And that's something Americans have been very sensitive about since the beginnings of our country. We actually fought an entire war over taxes after all to be fair. So we can always know and see exactly how much money the state is taking out of our pockets.

[@hoestacyhad2go]

It varies even by city in the same state

[@BadNews501]

9:06 Door holding is kind of a fine art. You do it for the elderly or mobility challenged, or even the guy rolling in the crates of drinks automatically. But, you do it for your everyone as well. Say you're at the gas station or convenience store. If you're within a couple of strides behind me I'll hold it, or "pass it" to you, which is you walk in giving the initial open then, knowing someone is right behind you, give it that extra little push so the next person doesn't have to do the initial push. It's one of those things you just do out of habit without really thinking about it. Also, your local c-store people like and respect you when you show respect and just be kind.

[@riptidegamer]

I honestly do love to work and don't always take my vacation days, and know tons of people in my field that do the same thing. Some hardly ever take a day off and if you ask them they do actually enjoy their work. I know people who have saved up over 900 hours of vacation time just because they didn't want to take off, but pretty much all companies do give vacation time, but only to full-time workers. If you're only part time you will pretty much never get any benefits in the US. Just a FYI

[@CassTheStinkyChicken]

Will say that was one of the things I loved about going to MO from CA, I've been to England a few times. I was SHOCKED at the impoliteness of the Brits LOL... I found out it's just your culture hahahaa

[@justflippingwork8049]

Bridge freezes before road. In cold weather, the bridge will start forming ice on it before the normal road will. so slow down or you may spin on the bridge.

[@Julia-l6o4y]

20 hours from Houston, TX to Sturgis, South Dakota and 24 hours from Houston to Niagara Falls, NY….actual drive time

[@daniellelevy8056]

The credit card thing is a built in honor system that exists because of the fact that it has always existed. It’s similar to how in Australia and other countries people pump their gas first and pay after. If you implemented that system in the us today, people would take advantage of it because that honor system is not built into our society. Similarly, if you put the system in the uk that servers take your card away to pay people today would immediately try to take advantage of that because that’s not an honor system built into your society.

[@lisajones4971]

It has only been that way since the early 80s. Before that most casual restaurants had cashiers. In order keep cashiers from giving free food to friends or pocketing the money, the burden was out on servers who have to bring cash to make change, take the card back to run it. I was a server before and after and I hated having to take peoples.payment because it took time away from waiting on people.

[@SuePajcic]

I drove from upstate NY to Wisconsin 950 miles in 18 hours in one day. Never again.

[@adfdasdfadfadsfareae]

19:00 We are used it, and smart people like it. The reason taxes aren’t included in the price is *transparency*. That way you know exactly how much the product costs, and how much the government is screwing us.

[@paulw2117]

Yep. The current tax system is unjust. and they are still going broke.

[@CBooks543]

Brits would be flabbergasted by southern hospitality. When I had my baby I was new to the small town where we moved to and every day we had people from our church bring us family meals. When we first got here and our UHaul was outside the house my parents were trying to bring things in while my husband and I went to sign the deed to the house and get the keys, in the maybe hour we were gone the people from the church we visited just a couple of times came, unloaded our huge UHaul (including taking stuff up the stairs) and left. By the time we pulled up everything was inside the house.

[@mary-suemcgarry3027]

I'm from Michigan and we are talkative. You would love it here in the summer. Lots of lakes.

[@theturtle2121]

To fix the sale tax issue…there should be two prices listed on the product you are purchasing. One would show the price of the product and the other would show you the price of the product with the sales tax included.

[@JordanaBeum]

Which would be the best way to do it since many tax-exempt entities (non-profits) shop at retail stores and have to also stay within a budget. I used to work as a cashier for a Walmart during college and we would have to make sure to type in the tax-exempt ID before we started scanning items so the system would know not to flag anything for tax at the end.

[@mbourque]

Learned to drink coffee in the Army. It has to be black and thick enough for the spoon to stand up straight.

[@trailryder5813]

I didn't realize there was any other way to drink it LOL.

[@piratetv1]

Im pretty grumpy a lot of the time, but im both worried people will think im a jerk if i don't smile and hold doors. It also sometimes does make you feel better being nice to everyone. When you hold a door for someone and they don't even look at you, or say anything back, it makes you want to go back in time and close it faster so they need to open it themselves. I just took 2 weeks off and the guy who covered for me did such a bad job taking care of my customers, im still going back to redo some tv and appliance repairs from a month ago that didn't get done right. Sometimes it isn't worth taking vacation. you might have twice as much work to do when you come back

[@jack-of-all-trades1234]

An extremely large menu is often a warning sign. There's a good chance that they are freezing and reheating food. Unless they are literally swamped with customers who are ordering everything they can't maintain all that inventory without either throwing loads of food away (which means losing money) or freezing it (which means not fresh as it should be).

[@n2thefuture563]

Eggs are eggs, no matter the manner they are fixed. Usually, tho, that isn't on the menu, waitress/ waiter just asks how you want them. I understand that the Cheesecake Factory has a largish menu, tho 😎

[@jack-of-all-trades1234]

@n2thefuture563 The cheesecakes are frozen too.

[@sarawoods7874]

​@@jack-of-all-trades1234our location makes them fresh as they have a big open area where you can watch

[@Estranged180]

"Eggs, please" "We've got sunny side up, over easy, scrambled (it's what happens when sunny side up goes sideways), eggs benedict, poached, 1,000 different types of omeletes, soft boiled, 3 minute egg, hard boiled (Easter colors not included)..." "Bridge freezes before road surface" The driving surface ON TOP of the bridge will freeze before the road that led up to it. Why? Convection. The air UNDER the bridge is cold, and will cool the road surface ON TOP of the bridge long before the air ever gets under the road surface that led up to the bridge.

[@BrLoc]

If you don't want to have to survive on tips then don't take a job that pays tips. There are plenty of jobs for first timers that are not tip jobs.

[@richardbruce2233]

The "Wrong Way" signs are confusing when they are not aligned correctly. I slammed the brakes once when entering the highway. Thought I was going the wrong way.

[@trailryder5813]

Agreed!

[@TomCharles-kx4qg]

Thanks Lewis I love seeing our country through your eyes, my longest drive was from Charlotte NC to Lake Tahoe California/Nevada (the Stateline runs through the town), it took me 4 days (42hrs) and was the most eye opening and beautiful trips I have taken, looking forward to the next video

[@Arianna-tf5tn]

Im impression! It took me 7 days to drive from Wilmington NC to Modesto CA but I was driving with a kid, dog and a cat. 😳

[@thecouchpotatocom]

The coffee People in the US who like black coffee are making pots of it at home or work. They aren't buying it at expensive coffee shops.

[@bradleyjacobs7870]

You are American brother you would love it here. I hope you get to visit soon.

[@jsjazz12]

LOL, he's still shocked by our culture. I wouldn't call him an American.

[@Mike28625]

Bridges have nothing under them and they freeze faster. When it's cold and wet, an icy bridge on an otherwise clear road is a nasty surprise.

[@johnl5316]

He wants the gov to dictate all prices, wages, holidays; but not give info on the danger of an icy bridge......

[@grandpaallie1553]

It used to baffle me how people from 🇬🇧 couldn’t understand why, when we’re asked ‘how far is it from A➡️B,’ that our answer is given in Time, Not Miles or Kilometers… now, having been to 🇬🇧 I can totally understand their confusion. Your country is TINY! 😆🤷🏻‍♂️

[@catrinaspitsen]

At least an hour drive, each way, to work is quite common.

[@rowynnecrowley1689]

The credit card thing only really happens at nice places, where 2 people can easily spend over $100. They bring you a little folder with the bill in it, you put your card in the little pocket and give it to your server, they run it and bring it back to you. But if you're just at Denny's or McDonalds or some place where you're comfortable wearing flip-flops, you run your own card.

[@teerat8451]

I live in the middle of the US and have driven to both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico. It's an 18 hour drive from my house in Nebraska to NYC, 20 hours to Los Angeles, and 15 hours to New Orleans. I was with friends so we drove straight through stopping for gas and grub and mandatory stops just to stretch. Sometimes we just chose a direction and drove on the backroads to wherever.