Going back to America after living in Australia [CULTURE SHOCK]

[@Mamabear55]

Living most of my life in northeastern US, I can relate to the safety issues. We were visiting our daughter in Australia and met up with one of her Australian friends for dinner. Her friend had an event to attend in another part of town that night and thought nothing of walking alone in the dark (a sidewalk along a river) to get to the event. My husband and I were shocked and wouldn’t let her go alone. Later, I realized I was still thinking like an American and felt pretty silly. Miss Australia!

[@julzhunt7790]

Australia is what real freedom feels like. ❤️🇦🇺😊

[@-sandman4605]

@@julzhunt7790 👍😊

[@guest5967]

an old statistic the average American teenager at twenty would have watched more than 50,000 gunshot deaths watching TV, US TV seams to require 2 basic themes tension and guns

[@julzhunt7790]

@@guest5967 and the almighty dollar!

[@carlreed6186]

In America walking alone along a river at night could get you assaulted. walking alone at night along a river in Australia could get you eaten.

[@pando1112]

I'm an Australian who visited Minnesota in 2005. I found Americans to be very friendly to me, but quite rude to "servers" as the are called now. Australians thank people when people bring food to them. The girl I was with, completely ignored them, and accused me of "Ozzing it up" because I was being friendly. If I had my time again....

[@Sonofabeach2006]

Interesting, Thanking waiters/cleaners and whoever is what we do as Aussies hey… I think as Aussies, we don’t want to make others feel that we believe that we are above them. We shouldn’t change that part of our culture..

[@davidhuett3579]

Sounds like you training to become recognised as an Aussie is now complete! Welcome to the family.😀

[@Cookieboymonster1962]

As as Australian for me the biggest shock about the USA is how quickly an area can turn from good to rough. You'd be walking down a nice shopping street, you'd turn a corner and all of a sudden there are huge weeds growing out of the broken footpaths with trash everywhere and you suddenly realise you're in a ghetto and you'd better get out of there. It is a very spooky sensation and one I have never experienced in Australia. It can be click of your fingers quick.

[@jaci_mac23]

Omg, yes. I found this in New Orleans. One side of a main road were huge mansions and the other side felt like post Katrina.

[@SimonBarrett74]

Yes, I completely noticed this on my holidays there, and when I lived in Minnesota.

[@tanoz1440]

Yes absolutely, I was in Miami and taking photographs in streets, being an artist I was interested in the difference compared to Australia on housing. Anyway my friend who was with me was so cagy, explaining to me this was not good and that it was unsafe and was on high alert, something I never had to experience here in Australia. And your right it was like one street away from my hotel that was a no no to go down

[@Sydneysider1310]

Agree and it's very prevalent in Hawaii. The main drag along Waikiki beach, with all the shops and tourist spots is what you see on tv but get on a local bus and go for a ride along the streets behind and... let's just say it's a huge eye opener! Very run down.

[@inodesnet]

So true. My old US office was in an area of San Francisco that was "okay". There were some trendy parts. But walking only about 10 minutes away got into areas that I felt were not safe. It was then confirmed when I looked down one street and saw an overturned car on fire. Seriously..... I couldn't believe it. I later explained to colleagues what I saw and they looked at me as if I did understand some basic, well known local knowledge "you don't go down there" On the flip side, I grew up in Redfern in Sydney. It would have to rate as one of the toughest neighbourhoods. Actually The Kid Laroi lived in a house a few doors down, albeit a decade later... and a US documentary crew was following him as he explained it was the toughest neighbourhood. They looked around and were not convinced. Redfern looks expensive next to many US ghetto areas. A friend from Florida confirmed this. I took her through the no-go zone in Redfern. Said to her, I wanted to show her the worst of Sydney so that she knew where I came from. She said "why do you only show me the best areas" (and she wasn't being sarcastic).

[@howardburnette9169]

When taking my three young children to visit the USA, at a meal time the waitress said oh you guys ( children ) are the ones that the other shift waitresses told me , always say please, and thank you, made me feel very proud,and that word discipline, isn’t a nasty word, then I seemed to notice that , please and thank you is in the USA is often overlooked.

[@valsyaranamual6853]

I used to babysit.Taught the children to say please,thank you,excuse me.

[@IsabellaL82]

i had to smile when you were talking about the bad waitress and tipping. Congratulations you really are kinda Australian 🙂

[@anthonyparisella7224]

Having visited America I totally agree with the annoying tipping system and the scarcity of healthy food.

[@gracedagostino5231]

This is absolute rubbish. I live in Southern California the health food capital of the world. Olivia Newton John lived for over 50 years in California, and only 11 in Australia, Im pretty sure she didn’t have any problem getting good health food. In my Los Angeles neighborhood many people have lemon, plum, peach, orange, grapefruit, banana, apple etc.trees in their backyards, as everything grows here. This KZbinr is from Philly, and she is debating whether she has to tip a rude server? Of course you don’t tip for bad service!

[@anthonyparisella7224]

@@gracedagostino5231 read the first line again,I said AMERICA not just CALIFORNIA. I visited many states in the east coast and San Francisco on the west. There is a tendency everywhere for food that's high in fat,sugar and salt. In many major cities fastfood shops were everywhere but not so much fruit and vegetable stores. I guess you must think the high number of obese people there must be because it's the health food capital of the world . Wake up to yourself,even most expats acknowledge a lot of their food is unhealthy and in large portions

[@gracedagostino5231]

@@anthonyparisella7224 Anthony, please get of your Aussie High Horse! I saw a lot of fat white people in Australia, now and then you would see some fit attractive people, with Asians tended to be slimmer. There were fast food places all over Australia, even in the CBD’s I saw KFC, McDonalds, Burger Kings (Hungry Jacks) in prominent places. You normally don’t see that fast food shit in Downtown America, more out in the suburbs. I have every single available fruit and vegetable available in the world here. If you can’t find it in America, it doesn’t exist.

[@Sammy-il1qf]

New York was different. I could find a great salad bar on many corners. I think the more you get out into the suburbs in ANY country you get more shite food. My local shopping centre doesn't have a salad/panini type place. It's all kfc, maccas, overrated subway 🤮

[@peterbreis5407]

@@gracedagostino5231 It is not rubbish. I agree Southern California is far better than the rest of America, in fact much closer to Australia, but junk food still rules as much as everywhere else in the States. I still couldn't drink the soft drinks because they were so sugary, and there is far too much salt and fat dosed in all food. Yes there are fat people in Australia. Thank you America for bombing us with your junk food diet, subsidised by the US Congress in a typical hypocritical "Free Trade" move.

[@Robochop-vz3qm]

As an Australian who lived in America for many years I found tipping was a way the business owner got out of paying staff properly. A bit of a rort. As for the food, in the US its brilliant, yanks know how to cook a good steak and the meat quality is great. You dont get ripped off like you do here in Oz when eating out. I.e, you can get a good breakfast for under $10 in some places. Just dont get coffee in the US, its awful. Oz, best place in the world for coffee.

[@zoe9190]

That would be because they arent increasing prices to be able to pay their staff a living wage, thats why its dirt cheap, labour costs arent added

[@persephone213]

I just got back to the States from NZ and Australia and I miss their coffee already!

[@andrewmiller9207]

Yep, coffee very good in Australia....Food and grocery stores are not so good.

[@Robochop-vz3qm]

@@andrewmiller9207 true, I found your groceries cheaper in US and wider selection. More competition over there, Albertsons, Ralphs, heaps of others. We only have two large tyrant supermarkets here who run the show.

[@maggie6]

Amazing. We export our steaks to the US and they can but it cheaper over there than we get it here.

[@nevilleapple629]

If your forced to tip then it’s not really a tip. Why not just charge more.

[@Mattb81]

Exactly

[@Daniels_ATS_W900]

I heard that tipping in Japan is highly insulting against their culture. Respect is everything to them.

[@inodesnet]

It's a country that provides a stark comparison with the US. I spent a lot of time in both countries and a comparison comes to mind. Japan not only has a reasonable living wage, but for a given role they often will get a lot to do and all of it will be inclusive to their wage. In a very good hotel for example in Tokyo, I was shown to my room them given a demonstration of all the features. Then the staff member slowly walked backwards and bowed. Had I given her a tip, she would have been confused. It's understood they are paid in whole to perform their jobs to a very high level of satisfaction for the guests. Paying extra would insinuate they had not done enough. In the same situation in the US, I feel you would get a very high level of service with the anticipation that the guest would reward the staff for a tip for that service. The difference is that Japan knows it should be included as part of the payment and is part of their job, but in the US there could almost be a divide between guests who do and guest who don't pay. Repeated non payment when staff come by might result in staff holding back service.

[@bera0014]

I was in a restaurant in the US and when I got the bill I saw a 20% tip...I said to the owner why not just raise the prices by 20% and pay the staff properly. He said the price of the meal would go up....I said how? You've just ADDED 20% to my meal.

[@graemebayles6652]

On our first visit to NYC my partner who has a massive social conscience would greet homeless people in the street just because it was polite. We live in Canberra but we spent time in Sydney and Melbourne so we are aware of that safety bump. However the joy of recognition from these invisible people made all safety concerns irrelevant

[@robertclothier3597]

Good to see you back home again. Was starting to get concerned cos we hadn't heard from you for a while. Hope you both had great hols

[@westnblu]

@@RyanLye1975 yes but tipping is appreciated here in Australia as well , and although the base rate is higher if you're solely reliant on that as income you're pretty much on struggle street when factoring in the high cost of living. In many States in the US u can still own a perfectly good home for under 100 grand.

[@ironside210]

"Feeling safe" is a nebulous concept, impossible to quantify, but real, all the same. To feel safe in an environment is a hugely valuable thing, and controls your entire outlook on life, and therefore colours every experience and personal interaction. Find somewhere where you "feel safe", and live there. You will have a happier life.

[@baird55aus]

I lived in China for four years and when I came back to Australia I didn't feel as safe as I did in China. It surprised me.

[@poppachoppa8956]

@@baird55aus well they do have immense control and grip the people with fear of prosecution for any crime. A scare tactic that keeps their citizens in line. It is not freedom.

[@andrewmiller9207]

Problem is in Australia you don't feel safe as you might be homeless due to housing crisis.

[@thatsterroristsbro7855]

Uhm we have qualitative studies.....

[@johnpage7735]

G'day, the reason shots and other alcoholic drinks are so tightly controlled in Australia is because the bar/restaurant can be sued if that person has an accident. Responsible serving of alcohol laws. Regards. P.S glad you're enjoying Australia, Welcome.

[@Bellas1717]

@@aheat3036 so well said.

[@Bellas1717]

So important to be able to judge how much you are drinking.

[@grandmothergoose]

@@Bellas1717 Yes, especially if you plan to only have one or two drinks for the night and drive yourself home. The only way to tell if you might be over the legal driving limit in the USA would be to use a breathalyser if the drinks aren't standardised due to generosity.

[@shooterdownunder]

Not so much sued as much as they would be fined and penalised if it was to happen.

[@Bellas1717]

@@grandmothergoose Yes, could mean you had to teetotal for the night!

[@Katieee014]

So much yes on the safe feeling. I've been in Australia for a week now, came from Portland Oregon and the immediate difference in feeling safe as a young female walking around the city alone is so out of body. I can't even imagine what it will be like going back for a visit next year. But on the opposite side, my current culture shock is the cocktail pours. The price is double the amount for not even half the amount of liquor. In my opinion it's not worth it to drink liquor here as it pretty much is just the mixer. Not the worst of things to cut down on, but a shock I wasn't ready for.

[@liandren]

When you go to the states as an Aussie, you need to read your insurance PDF carefully. It costs extra to ride a motorbike over 250cc and you must wear a helmet no matter what bike you ride or they wont cover you.

[@gregmullins6927]

Ms Kinda you're an Angel who is going to be a great Aussie citizen,I appreciate your honesty being direct is an Aussie trait,it must be difficult for you to talk about your country like this.

[@persephone213]

Yeah, the excessive use of plastic is a real problem in the US. As an eco-conscious American, I was pleasantly surprised when I visited Australia at how much less plastic they use and it was great being able to use my reusables everywhere without people looking at me funny or acting weird about it. It was actually received quite well there!

[@redwarpy]

Hired a small open top jeep when in Hawaii and driving was pretty simple I just kept the driving wheel in the middle of the road. Riding a motorcycle would be very different. Using my right hand to change gears was not difficult either except I did turn on the wipers instead of the indicator some times. Tipping was just 10% and we ended up going to dinner at the same small Italian Restaurant in the evenings because it was good food, good prices and a family run business with exceptional staff. Easiest lunches were going into Supermarkets, grabbing food from the international isle to make something, usually sandwiches with fruit and buying just water to drink. Hardest thing I found was lack of good milk to drink.

[@denipric]

Good to see you back

[@garryrichardson4572]

The states of Australia are different too. My mum is from south Australia where it is super hot. We live in Tasmania where it can get cold ( Hobart is super cold in winter , especially when the wind is blowing off mount Wellington with snow on it) summer can get warm. I lived in Townsville for 6 and a half years and that was hot and dry Cairns is humid and hot. All the towns and cities have their own personalities. Townsville currently has a crime problem but Launceston feels safe any time.dallyup in Western Australia seems to be a place of sickness.

[@godamid4889]

I love my rabbit food. I rarely eat the chips. I am surprised the US doesn't do salads, they are good bang for buck, add appealing colour to a plate, and are quite tasty! Haha, I just noticed the "wanker coffee" - very good 😂

[@andrewmiller9207]

Most grocery stores in the US have a lovely salad and soup bar for cheap healthy eats. Far superior to Woolies.

[@craigwilliams1806]

Thanks Kaitlyn, awesome JBR (aka Just Back Report). Your videos are always enjoyed 😉

[@dragonite87]

As an Australian, if I ever go out for a drink, there's a fair chance that I'm driving, because the public transport isn't great where I live. So I need to be careful how much I'm drinking. And generous pours would certainly be something to be aware of. I remember being told in Spain that they're also very liberal with how they pour drinks.

[@inodesnet]

As an Australian who travels frequently to the US (among other countries), I am always mindful of a variation in wage structures. Most countries will set their minimum wage to a suitable level that in most cases, it is also a living wage (i.e. the minimum paid will allow you to earn enough to pay the essentials for living such as rent and food). Most countries also index this wage on a regular (often annual) basis usually having it tied to CPI (consumer price index). The USA is slightly different in that the last time the minimum wage approximated a living wage in the early 70's. Indexing linked to CPI hasn't occurred nationally, leading to erosion of purchasing power. However in 2003 San Francisco and Santa Fe chose to follow the rest of the world, linking to CPI. Some states have followed on, leading to a discrepancy between states. California for example is USD $15/h The last time there was a true increase of minimum wage by congress was in 2009 (which for any other first world country outside the US would seem quite strange). The increase was to USD $7.25. But the loophole here is that in some cases, the minimum can be $2.13 if the service has tipping, and adding the tipping amount becomes at least equal to the minimum. This is why tipping is SO IMPORTANT in the US and all visitors should be informed of the reasoning and always tip. Effectively it's up to the customer to pass on the living wage to the employee. This saves companies a lot of money. Great for business, but pushing the onus of paying the wage to the customer leads to a widening of wealth inequality. Best way to illustrate the impact of not indexing is to look at average minimum years earnings (i.e. the absolute least you should be earning). In USD, 2020 values and 2020 US exchange rate, the OECD (stats.oecd.org) shows that: In 2001 - Australian minimum was USD ~$22,000 and the USA was ~$15,000. In 2020 most countries indexed and this is shown in an increase. In 2020 - Australian minimum had increased to ~$27,000 but the USA was still at 2001 levels of ~$15,000

[@stevegraham3817]

Don't forget that the tips often go through eftpos so the boss/company gets their grubby maulers on it first, and there are more than enough to concerning who don't pass it on.

[@ykook7000]

We know why there is a tipping system but it's the USA Govt job to provide a living wage...not up to tourists to do it

[@oumunfeiholeto6885]

I don’t agreed with tipping. The owner of the business should pay the employee wages , not expecting the customers to do by tipping. I find tipping is very annoying and degrading. Australia is definitely better than USA. That is why I am so angry that Australia is going US way which is not our way or culture.

[@inodesnet]

@@oumunfeiholeto6885 I completely agree with you, The owner of the business *should* pay the employee a living wage as part of doing business. This model not only works well, but it's the most common method globally. Unfortunately the US system is borne out of governmental decisions that have effectively aimed to reduce costs for business. Ideally this would be reflected in prices, but there isn't really evidence supporting this as prices are comparable in places the pay the employees a living wage versus the method the US uses.

[@inodesnet]

​@@oumunfeiholeto6885 I completely agree with you. It *should* be up to the business to pay employees a living wage. This system not only works, but it's the primary system worldwide. Unfortunately it's very difficult to change, and only some states such as California, have noted the issue and made steps to improve conditions. The reasoning behind a US governmental change (that really started to become more evident in the early 80's when Reagan was President), is surely to allow for money that would otherwise be put into employees pockets, to instead be used to decrease prices? Right? Sadly there isn't really evidence to back that up, with prices not differing that much in countries that pay the living wage versus the US, which tends not to. Another area that differs greatly is the retirement system. The US has 501k. On the surface it might appear similar. But its more complex (in terms of taxing depending on the fund), has lower contributions that often have to be also met by the employee and the business, tends to have a higher fee ratio, and isn't as transferrable. Worse still some occupations don't get granted one. As one would know in Australia, even the 16 year old working at McDonalds in Australia automatically gets a superannuation account that is in their name. They get to choose the fund, can change the fund when they want to and can transfer the fund to any company they work at in the future (or send multiple funds from multiple employers to the same fund).

[@inodesnet]

Helmets…. Comes down to it’s proven life saving and therefore enforced. I have crashed a motorcycle and wrote the helmet off rather than my life. I’ve also been in groups of skaters and bike riders where serious crashes have occurred (which is also why bike helmets are compulsory). Saves a life. Saves a police officer going to the door of a family and telling them their loved one has died in a preventable accident (or has severe and permanent brain injury). Related to this is the fact Australia was the first country in the world (specifically Victoria) to introduce compulsory front and rear seat belts in cars (1970). But Australia is usually over concerned with safety being the country also introduce the black box to aviation and the inflatable slide in Aircraft was designed by a Qantas employee who had safety on his mind (I suppose in line with Qantas still being considered the worlds safest airline).

[@davidsage124]

Caitlin, I went on a cruise with Royal Caribbean and the bartenders were EXTREMELY GENEROUS with the spirits! I spent a whole week stonkered, mate!

[@shanedorival3177]

I have to agree with everything you said. Having visited the US, healthy meal options and portion sizes are a nightmare. I couldn’t finish a meal. Driving wasn’t too bad. The pedals are the same. It’s the indicators and wipers I confused. Lucky it wasn’t a manual. It would be weird changing gears with my right hand. The other thing was centring the car in the lane.

[@TheSamleigh]

Great job Well presented Huge amount of info giving a concise look @ some American communities. Close as I got was a booked holiday to Hawaii which then got cancelled after finding out I was pregnant. Ahhh well - cest la vie. Mmmm the old “male chatting to other people” issue … Yep! Hanging about waiting for the end of the convo - dear god!!

[@Greg....]

Helmet laws in Australia, its nothing to do with overloading the public healthcare system or anything like that. Its about saving lives. Yes its technically cheaper for a police officer to notify a family of a deceased loved one. But thats not the aim. Then theres the debate that open faced helmets are better for peripheral vision vs full faced. Thats different. So i hate riding on the back of my brothers bike. But he always supplys full riding gear. Jacket, pants, boots, gloves and a helmet. He rides all year round, so even if its 45° outside, still full gear. Thing is, so full gear wont stop broken bones in the unfortunate event, but it will save your skin. Skin is the bodies best barrier against infection. So even if its just a run to the shops on a hot day, wearing shorts and a tee shirt, stack your bike and its going to be much worse then sweating for a few minutes and maybe scuffing up your riding gear.

[@arokh72]

With the cost of healthcare in the US, you'd think more riders would want to minimise their injuries, and thus their medical bills.

[@Greg....]

@@arokh72 theres also the sense of self preservation. You go out to come home in the same condition you left in. Yes accidents do happen, but if you are responsible, an accident is just that, an unfortunate event. So nothing intentional. Its the one time that blindsides a person. Standard issue, done it 1000 times with no issue attitude. Its time 1001 that'll get you unstuck. 99% its not the rider. Its the people in cars. If i car knocks a rider its just maybe a dent, but a car will do much worse to the rider.

[@sigmaoctantis1892]

I had a Bell full face helmet in 1973. There was some marginal infringement of peripheral vision with that model. A few years after that there was a new model and many other manufacturers of helmets with full peripheral vision. There is no debate just excuses from people who aren't confident enough to say, I don't care, I'm just going to do what I want to do.

[@pickledkumera5065]

Dress for the slide... not for the ride....

[@Greg....]

@@pickledkumera5065 100%

[@kylieanderson6452]

US should dump the tipping thing. Up the wages.

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

Exactly. The USA is so outdated socially

[@stanrubin1206]

Yes the Parmi is also available with steamed vegetables too. Fee pouring is aimed to garner a bigger tip. And I don’t know how you put up with wait staff dropping by every 5 minutes to check on how you are enjoying meal or is there is anything else I can get you .

[@garyradley5694]

Just share a meal if they are too large. My wife and myself do it all the time in Australia. No need in France as meal sizes are a reasonable size, but normal meals we find are too big in Australia. Another option is to order a seniors meal.

[@dragonite87]

It's interesting. I've heard that in the USA, they're very friendly and they will talk to anyone. I suppose it depends on where you are. Like you say, each state is different. And being in a big city is obviously different to being in a smaller town.

[@chriskelly9476]

I spent some time in the south and the midwest and the people were lovely and so friendly (a bit too churchy for me but we agreed to disagree 🙂). I didn't have the same pleasant experiences in LA or Las Vegas however. They weren't unpleasant people but not as openly friendly and welcoming as the others. So yes, I think there's a good mix like in most places.

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

It heavily depends on context and where you are. Hawaii has some really dodgy areas too.

[@stevedehosson275]

This is really good. One of your best.👍

[@jenniferdaulby5519]

I go to visit my son in Seattle once/year (from Adelaide) & when I see a good exchange rate I will buy American dollars, mostly in travellers cheques but sometimes cash. I estimate a savings of almost $2K Aus in 4 years. Just a thought.

[@arokh72]

Your anecdote about the bloke asking for a ciggie is interesting. Just this past weekend I was in Bathurst (hope you come and visit) and someone approached me asking for some money for the "bus to Sydney". I don't carry cash and said as much. He just wandered off and I continued on with my business. No fears for my safety of anything. Just a normal day to day thing IMO. It seems alien to me that you'd have to be concerned for your safety in something so seemingly innocent.

[@andrewmiller9207]

She is over reacting.

[@ryan_r849]

Hey Kaitlyn, interesting analysis. Did you and Mark travel all that way and not go back to Philly? With salads, when I was in the US, I actually found most of the time, a salad was like an appetiser/entree dish (first course), in Aus, we tend to combine it all as one meal, protein, carbs, salad all on one plate. But you're right, most of the time in Aus, you get the option of chips & salad, or mash and veg. I later learned that one of the reasons salad comes first in US (well FL is where I was) is that it's really good for the digestion of the protein later. Pour sizes for drinks is probably related to our RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) laws, and also the DUI laws. The guidance in Aus, for an average sized male, is 2 standard drinks in the first hour, and 1 every hour after that 'should' keep you under the legal BAC limit. So if a customer is not drinking standard drinks, it could be trouble. (not condoning drink driving, and it is only a guide, many venues have breathalyzers for customers to check) Single use plastics, as you probably know, most states in Aus have banned many single use plastics, so the govt and laws have kind of dictated that their use be reduced. Weed is a funny one. If you go to SA (and maybe ACT), you'll smell it quite regularly. I can't remember exactly what the law is, but it's something like it's illegal to grow and sell it, but not illegal to use it.... something like that anyway, very weird.

[@tanoz1440]

YeH, visiting the US tipping totally confused me too, especially on poor service, I was not sure if it was ok not to tip, when I got absolutely poor service

[@Rassskle]

American alcohol measurements are bigger than Australia most of the time, but it does vary between spirits. For spirits and liqueurs the US measure is usually 150 to 200 % of the Australian measure. So in Australia we expect a martini glass to hold 2 fluid Oz originally and now the smaller metric equivalent. In America, a martini glass usually holds 4 fluid Oz, but many shonky establishments will use a 3 or 3.5 fluid Oz glass. Smart crooks use special glassware that is super thick..... the glass thickness makes a 2 Oz glass look 4 Oz in size. Also in Australia..... bar staff are taught to put the ice in first, lots of ice. Once they start work, they are told to FILL the glass with ice..... ice is cheap. High priced restaurants are using post mix for basic drinks.....that is, they might be charging $10 for a rum and Coke that is mostly ice with about 10c worth of rum syrup ( not real brand name rum. ) and about .01 c worth of coke or lemonade . Buy a glass of soda water at $10 a glass..... water is tap water, soda is free. The licensed business never pays for the gas bottles, only for the syrup canisters. Trust me...... if it is new or newish, like computers and smart phones, it is a big con making trillions of dollars from idiots caught up in a fad.

[@Shireman24]

Love the wanker coffee mug ...classic 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@thelibraryismyhappyplace1618]

Shouldn't it be "not so wanker coffee" since she's from Sydney?

[@lordoffishtown4455]

Mate I got up and walked up to the tv to get a better look to see if I was reading it wrong lol

[@somefatbugger]

I worked in Nevada in 2011/12 and the Australian dollar was worth $1.10 US dollar. I bought so much while I was over in the US.

[@cyclops92]

Don't feel unsafe with Mark around he is a truckie from Blacktown that's the equivalent of a navy seal for combat protection

[@tonitrusz4943]

🤣🤣🤣😂😂trucker?? ? nah mate - you keep ya trucker we got truckies

[@lauraterry4558]

@@aheat3036 definitely called a Truckie here 🇦🇺

[@julzhunt7790]

@@aheat3036 it’s not wrong it’s just different coz it’s Aussie English. Strine is different to Queens English.

[@teresabealey7049]

@@aheat3036 nah mate its a truckie

[@adrianross8383]

In Australia it's Truckie. Not right or wrong, just different. Keep on truckin'.

[@tomwareham7944]

I was lucky both my trips to Hawaii the Aussie dollar was on parity with the American dollar so the only shock was the tipping which at the time was 10% . I suggest the next time you want to go tropical you visit the Cook Islands , its like Tahiti was 40 yrs ago but everyone speaks English they are all super friendly their currency is interchangeable with the New Zealand dollar which is a great deal for us Aussie's they frown on tipping and the place is absolutely stunning . . I've visited all the south pacific island groups and I have to say that the only places I felt uncomfortable at night were Honolulu and American Samoa , Fiji had pushy street vendors but the regular citizens were gentle beautiful people and Tahiti was the most exspensive , but without exception we had a great time on every island we travelled to over a 25 yr period . Bora bora and Atutakie lagoon's the Cook Islands were the most beautiful . Now having said all this if you travel 3 hrs nth of Sydney you can visit Port stevens and on the northern shore is a village called Tea Gardens which has a camping ground at Jimmy's Beach whose sand and clarity of water would rival on a cloud free day anywhere in the South Pacific , and its free

[@georgejetson9801]

Going back soon myself. I absolutely hate the tipping. Everyone and their dog asks for tips. Airport people, courtesy van drivers, everyone. Those people aren't making $2.80 an hour or waitress wages. It depends on the city when people are talkative and friendly or not in the US. Sydney sure isn't talkative and friendly. I'm looking forward to getting my Walmart and fast food fix. That passes after about a week of it though lol.

[@hsheuw]

As an Indonesian, you just thoroughly convince me to buy Australian rather than American produce. I don’t have that high of an opinion on American produce anyway 😂.

[@danielradd111]

Yeah buy Australian produce you won't be disappointed

[@hsheuw]

@@danielradd111 It's also cheaper and faster to transport of course. Shipping American produce to Indonesia just took awfully long. it's just hard to expect it to be fresh, of high quality and fairly-priced. 🤣

[@danielradd111]

@@hsheuw yeah Indonesia and Australia aren't that far away so it's probably a better option and if it's cheaper and fresher

[@deebea6364]

Indonesia and a lot of Asia has some really amazing produce! So definitely do your research, and give local a chance as well if you’re looking at products that are grown at home as well :) Aus imports a lot of produce from our neighbours, including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand!

[@adoreslaurel]

When I visited Vancouver in 2011/12 tipping [I think] was about 15%.

[@RainArchiver]

I live in NH and I've never had a hard time finding healthy food. Heck, even some of the better convenience stores have been selling healthy foods for a while now.

[@heatherfruin5050]

I go to a lot of pubs and restaurants in Perth that don't give coasters or napkins.

[@turquoisebubbles2042]

I’m in SA not really a thing , I mean there can be some sitting on the bar or table but as to with a drink um no .

[@gregmullins6927]

Sutter Street in San Francisco is a classic of what everyone has written here,one side of the street is 'well to do upper class' the other side is 'broken down slums',I don't if things have changed since I was there,it's very strange.

[@inodesnet]

Love lane filtering. Keeps bike riders safe. And always important as a car driver to give a bike some space in traffic and watching blind spots. Love the change to spacing for cyclists too.

[@Donizen1]

Exchange rate one time I went there (2001) it was about 2 AUD for 1 USD. Then another time (2011) the AUD was higher than the USD. I saw somewhere that the average over the years has been 1 AUD worth about 0.75 USD.

[@chrisayles7694]

I have not ridden in the States, but while driving keeping right in traffic was easy, you just stayed with the crowd, but out on open country roads I had to concentrate and not pull out onto the left after a stop. However I found it more dangerous as a pedestrian and looking the wrong way when crossing a road.

[@danielponiatowski7368]

there has been times when the exchange rate is more even but it effects our export industry.

[@australiasindustrialage689]

There are subtle differences between states in Australia. NSW and Victoria are very similar, though in Victoria they play AFL, in NSW we play Rugby League. In Queensland, they view themselves as Queenslanders first and foremost and Australians as second. As aresult, Queenslanders can become rather parochial, in contrast to New South Welshman who tend to be more cosmopolitan. This matter is rather subtle and an outsider may not decipher this difference. As an Australia, I notice the difference and I have suffered culture shock going to Queensland. Overall most Australian are quite friendly. In South Australia, they are very similar to Victoria and in Tasmania and WA they are different again. In Perth, the population consists of people from the eastern states as well as native Western Australian's, hence there tends to be some differences some similarities.

[@markallen1782]

I visited America in May 2001, when the $A = 53cents US. Ouch!. It did make converting prices back to Aus money easy , just double the price!

[@robertschouten5810]

It's been awhile since I was in the US but then it was common in a restaurant that before the main course a salad would appear (as an entrée) and 'they' would expect you to eat this before serving the main (we generally would eat the salad with the main and so would be waiting and waiting for the next course to appear). Also I remember eating for the first time in the lunch cafe in Macey's NY with a groups of Aussie friends and we would see the Americans cut all their meat then change the fork to the right hand to eat whereas 'we' usually cut and eat each piece individually.

[@lindar6569]

When asked what I wanted to tip that rude waitress, I would have said that my tip is for her to get an attitude adjustment and treat customers with friendliness and respect if she wanted a monetary tip. She needs to be taught a harsh and expensive lesson and I would have been happy to give it to her.

[@harrygoldun5779]

Just watched a vlog on Philly, he was travelling to Kensington, a sketchy area. As he was driving, he travelled along some streets that had tram tracks in them or what I assume are tram tracks. Overhead wiring long gone but tracks still in situ. Was there a tramway system in the city way back?

[@CQuinnLady]

On the alcohol measuring issue... All our pub staff must have 2 certificates .. Responsible service of alcohol and Responsible conduct of gambling. These are mmust haves. They came about because of the high rate of accidents and death that was put on the shoulders of publicans and their staff. Many years ago a publican was done for not following "duty of care". The person was very drunk and had continued being served, he left, smashed his car and died. The family sued the pub for their lack of duty of care. Now we have the right to refuse service if the punter is too drunk/abusive or any other uncontrollable attitude that comes along with drinking too much. Measuring ur nips is also so the punter knows exactly what he has injested because of the driving laws..... 0.05 is the limit which is about 2 standard drinks assuming each drink had 1 nip which I think is 30mls. When I go out I have 2 drinks and a softie or glass of water in between. That way I know when i go to drive home that i should be under the limit. I guess Americans dont care that much about drunk driving and education of drunk driving is very much lacking if American waiters pour more than the standard nip. Education in Australia about drink driving has been hammered home since the 80's. Of course there will always be morons who assume they are above the law but Im glad we have strict laws governing such things.

[@linmal2242]

Thankyou for your cultural expose !

[@anngill6481]

Talking about plastic when we were there we went for a walk found ourselves at the marina was shocked the amount of rubbish/plastic floating in the marina we could not believe what we were seeing

[@anngill6481]

@@aheat3036 no lie

[@persephone213]

@@katv1195 I’m an American and it drives me crazy! We need more of a community mindset and personal responsibility in the US.

[@russellhammond4373]

Sorry to hear of the problems going back to your home country.

[@stuwhiteman3810]

Another great video Kait. Even though the waitress was rude I wouldn't blame her for the bad food, that's the chef's job.

[@DenOnTheCoast]

Accelerator (gas pedal), brake and clutch (if you have a manual transmission) are the same in LHD and RHD cars...

[@ianhinson2829]

In Australia if you ask for one or two "shots" you'll get that many nips, which is a measured fluid ounce (~30ml). Although people in Australia have taken to using the American word, they're not really the same. In the US a shot is 1½ fl oz, so it's meant to to be bigger.

[@TheHaymeadow]

One thing that has astounded me, is the amount of people in the US who use disposable table wear in their homes and not regular crockery and cutlery! Apparently this is for environmental purpose….saving water/detergents in waterways….. ummm……really???

[@paul.kristoff]

Tip for Hawaii, get out of Waikiki next time you're there. It's so touristy focused and very little worthwhile in the way of good food. Outside of Waikiki, in neighbourhoods like Kaimuki, Kaka'ako, and Chinatown, there's so much great quality food, the kind of level you'd find in Surry Hills and Newtown in Sydney. But yeah general standard in Aus is definitely higher.

[@musicalneptunian]

OK, biggest culture shock. I have never been to the US. But once I had a Microsoft exam and it said "Guns are not allowed into the exam room". Interesting thing about tipping as well is that many Australian universities use American mathematics textbooks that have examples using American tipping and American sales tax! There are some differences between states. But it would take awhile to notice them. For instance the radio media culture in Sydney is very different to that of other states. Sydney has a lot of what we call shockjocks [think Alex Jones type broadcasters] . But in other states such broadcasters don't get any traction.

[@brunetteXer]

who even listens to the radio anymore?

[@appytight8468]

So a group of tropical Pacific island are very different to an industrial city about 5 thousand miles away and in the north eastern continental United States. What a shock that must have been. Whoever would have thought it ?

[@doubledee9675]

Driving on the right side of the road: the right side to drive on is the left. Think back 500 years or so. You're riding to the nearest town to do your duty and attend the assizes. As you ride along, you see someone coming the other way along the path. How do you pass? The other rider is a bit far for you to recognise him, so you draw to your left so you pass right side to right side. If the other rider turn out to be a friend, passing right to right allows you to salute each other and shake hands. If he's a stranger or an enemy, you want to be able to draw your sword if necessary and passing right to right allows this.

[@markboscawen8330]

Another reason for left side/right side is jousting & horse drawn wagons. Jousting was popular in England & riders needed to pass to the left of the oncoming rider so they could carry the joust in their (dominant) right hand. This carried through into road etiquette & thus onto Australia when colonised. Whereas in America, the settlers & farmers used wagons drawn by a team of horses. The driver needed to sit on the left side to use their (dominant) right hand to whip the horses. Driving on the left side made passing to the right side of an (oncoming) wagon better as it was easier to judge the clearance distance between when passing. As well as, as the OP said, being closer to greet as passing.

[@RE1974]

Have you been to Karen's Diner "Great Burgers and Terrible Service" in Sydney? I think you'd love it and it would be great to hear your thoughts (not affiliated with the place). But I was thinking about this listening to item # 2.

[@pensiveboogie]

American employers have a good thing going by underpaying (wage theft?) wait staff, and other service personnel, and then expecting the customer to make up the shortfall, even if the service is lousy. Well not this little Aussie wood duck. My philosophy is that a tip is a reward for good service. I have been to the USA twice and each time I dutifully paid this extortion when the service was good, however I won’t tip poor service.

[@canadianicedragon2412]

I was at a conference in the US a few years ago... a group of us were meeting at a pub/bar in daytime. This guy waked in... as the quintessential polite Canadian... something was still off about him. I noticed. So did a couple of the ladies with the group. After he passed they mentioned that no one get as creepy as an American Man. Then she quickly added, "present company excepted". I glanced around table... at the other Canadian guy, the Irish, Scottish, and... Welsh(?) guy and said "what American guy?" of the 2 ladies one was American the other was a Canadian that was living in the UK. So I'm with you on the gut feeling you need in the US. (And I'm probably less attuned than you are.)

[@astorbeijer9424]

As an expat living in Europe, the last time I went back to the US I was shocked by the extreme poverty. Of course, there were some nice cars and people who were obviously well off, but the vast majority of both the cars and people looked like they were in need of repair. It was quite depressing. I wondered if it was like that when I used to live there, but I never noticed it, or if the US stopped being a 1st world country over the years. Whichever the reason, it was sad seeing so many people living in misery and not even knowing that things could be better.

[@wrj888]

When I go to a restaurant,, I tip the waiter when he brings my first drink .. great service the rest of the time I am there ..

[@lizmacleod8903]

In other advanced countries servers or waiters and waitresses a decent wage so that they don't have to depend on tips !

[@Robrulz666icloud]

Welcome home ❤️🇦🇺❤️

[@miceinoz1181]

I have driven through all of the lower 48 and Hawaii. I am well versed with USA and when we last travelled, the cost of living and quality of the food was fantastic. I agree with the tipping stuff, it is a pain in the arse for those not familiar with it. However most service people need the tips to live on, and it does get you much better service than in Australia, without doubt. Yes, we got a real bad server once too. We avoided capital cities for the most part and saw a lot of country USA. Unfortunately, inflation has put the US out of reach for a lot of Aussies these days. Alcohol is available in supermarkets in the states, and is much cheaper than Australia.

[@flaminggmonkeyss]

11:38 thought it was just cause i was shy that i felt uncomfortable thats crazy that people visiting the states feel it too.

[@heatherfruin5050]

My husband and I went to the UK in 1986 and the Aus $ against the English £ was the worst it has ever been. It made everything we spent so expensive.

[@Zenjohnny]

USA has much more wealth inequality. Australians also has a higher quality of life on average. Its not perfect but as an American who has lived in Australia for a year I agree with you 100%.

[@andoncroft]

If I lived in America and owned my own cafe or restaurant, I'd make it VERY CLEAR on various signs that tips are not necessary. Tips are optional but DON'T be pressured to tip my staff, they are already over paid. Add cheeky grin. My staff WOULD BE well paid coz my business would have an above average high annual revenue, so I'd be able to pay them least $30 an hour. Christmas time all my staff would get extra pay. I'd really look after my staff, happy workers are good happy workers, happy workers are more cheerful 😊 It's all about love and positivity

[@whymeeveryone]

did you it does snow in Hawaii on their highest mountain top, also snows in Sahara desert.

[@dalewyatt1321]

I raced bikes and sidecars, open face helmets are useless, why protect your brain if your nose and jaw are gone? Gloves are also a must even if it's hot. Fingers are quite good things to keep also and on it goes with safety gear. Plus, how many of the car drivers are stoned?

[@OmnivorousReader]

yeah, tipping is one reason I have always avoided travelling to America. the idea of trying to figure out %10 every time you pay for something always put me off. And %20 now? Funny, im fine figuring out exchange rates on the fly, but tipping just sounds too icky.

[@Jon-cb3xy]

G'day mate Another great video , i hope you and Mark had a fantastic holiday, are you glad to be back home ? I know when i go on holidays i am always happy to be back home even if i did have a great time away 🏝

[@adrianross8383]

I wasn't there so I can't tell, but is it my Australian way of thinking that says your Aussie partner might have actually diffused a potentially bad situation by continuing to talk respectfully to the guy that creeped you out? By cutting off the conversation- could that have led to a worse outcome?

[@MrJoe81]

15% is what’s expected and isn’t guaranteed. And if you have a back experience inform management. And Under cook or over cooked food isn’t the waitress/waiter fault…

[@inodesnet]

Free pour shots aren’t really possible in Australia. One interesting tie in to responsible service of alcohol and alcoholic laws has to do with driving. Australia decided on a blood alcohol level of 0.05 decades ago. As part of that drivers were educated as to the approximate maximum allowed standard drinks that would push one over the limit. This education was required as compulsory random breath testing was introduced. In law ignorance is no excuse for the breaking of a law, so the states baked it into knowledge tests. But by doing so, standard drinks had to also be baked into every drink that could be purchased (this is why shots are measured and considered to be roughly one standard drink). Sadly it was to be later verified with numerous studies that 0.05 is far too generous. Many countries have now chosen 0.00 (best) to 0.02 (lenient) due to how many lives it saves. The jump from 0.02 to 0.05 increases chance of being killed under influence by 5 times for young males and 3 for women. Thus jump massively to 52 times at 0.08. Countries with a 0.08 limit and above tend to have significantly higher levels of alcoholic related car accidents. And countries that don’t impose random testing or stringent laws, tend to see that figure increase even further (I.e. countries that use sobriety tests to determine if further testing should occur). It’s for these reasons many European countries are considering reducing BAC to 0.00

[@-sandman4605]

I would struggle with alot of food and drinks in the U.S because im a clean eater & motorcycles i have been riding all my life and never have i ridden one without a helmet, you would have to be an idiot to ride without one. 👍🤠

[@robby1816]

No way anyone should be tipping 20% for *that* service. Send a message, so the next customer *might* have a chance at getting reasonable service.

[@9459viola]

Tassie/Victoria in Aus have definite four seasons all our states are different in Australia, but accents not really that different, or culture etc

[@canto10mosha65]

Never had the problem of being disoriented and driving on the left (wrong) side of the road when we went for a holiday in my home state of NY. Why? I didn’t even attempt to drive. But I did try and sit on the cabbie’s lap when we hailed one in Manhattan. That was embarrassing 😅

[@MrWilliam.Stewart]

Why would you move from Ozzy to Merrica?

[@1kmphillips]

As a person who has served in a range of restaurants in America, you are not expected to tip the expected rate if you did not receive excellent service!

[@mithrasrevisited4873]

The food the waitress delivered is not her fault, but fixing it was. I would be complaining about the chef even though that would be dangerous.

[@neilm4236]

As an Aussie, I don't understand the tipping system. Yes , in the USA you tip the wait staff, but what about the rest of the staff. The waiter is just the last person on the line of people who make your food come to you. What about the chef or cooks or cleaning staff. All valid jobs, but no recognition.

[@harryhatter2962]

FUNNY thing about that exchange rate post I put.....it was in 2012/2013 when the Australian dollar was HIGH, that was under the Labour Government who were not in bed with the mining companies and in 2013 the Liberal Government came into power and it was from that point the A$ went down and you can actually search this......it is VERY ineteresting and quite scary,

[@becp488]

I had a giggle at the Wanker Coffee cup in the background.