Weird things Americans do (Icelanders perspective)

[@chrismcclure4264]

We are currently in Iceland and you could not be more wrong about the politeness of Icelandic people. For the last week they have been an absolute delight. We drove around the entire country and we haven't met a single Icelandic person that wasn't amazingly friendly.

[@chrismcclure4264]

I will add to my comment. The only place with rude workers was the blue lagoon. 👎👎👎👎👎 Skip that tourist trap.

[@IcelandwithaView]

So glad to hear you had a great experience! 💚

[@raderator]

Being friendly is less boring. I always talk to strangers.

[@JeanStAubin-nl9uo]

Me too. How's it going?😊

[@karlamackey4675]

There are places that have well and septic so you need a water softener which contains sodium. People that have physical illness like congestive heart failure, kidney failure, and others are on a sodium restricted diet. Buying the bottled and large jugs of water are necessary. My husband had both congestive heart failure and kidney failure. Bottled water is a lifesaver. Literally!

[@theoriginalmrinfo]

Ironic that right at the start of the "commercial" segment KZbin interrupted with....a commercial!

[@jerene2]

Servers can legally be paid as low as $3 an hour in the USA, we tip to pay their salary. In Iceland I’m sure servers are paid a living wage.

[@telepathicpenguin]

@@Nonybusinessxxxxxx being a server is not "brainless". Everyone deserves a living wage. "Kids" don't always work and most of the waitstaff at restaurants consists of people who live alone and have bills to pay.

[@mikeonhisbikes]

You could almost re-title this as ‘Things that the rest of the world finds weird in the USA’ 😂

[@lilibetmargaret]

The biggest difference between you and Jens: as an American, you smile almost constantly. Jens smiles very little. I had a friend from England who said you know an American by their big smile, loud voice, and white, white teeth. And, he said Americans are friendly like dogs. I cracked up and thought about it. He was right. Americans are friendly, smiling, and loud. Just like a dog. So funny!!

[@edwarddore7617]

I live in the US so I agree, but it also applies to Nigerians.

[@kathryn1304]

Ouch

[@whatisthishandlegarbage]

Don't mean to ruin your fun, but I think the difference is mostly attributable to gender. Men smile much less than women in general. Women tend to smile for no reason, much more often than men. Also personality differences: introverted people smile less than extroverted. Also cultural differences, but not in this case. I would say for Europeans it is more masculine to be more stoic, but so it is for American men too. IDK

[@miriamcohen7657]

"Friendly like a dog?". You are amazingly and unbelievably rude. Stay home. Keep your ride ways to yourself.

[@carries6427]

Women are TOLD to smile a lot . Whether we want to or not, we smile as a defense mechanism

[@chrisd3712]

Out of the world's 196 countries, the US and Papua New Guinea are the only ones that have no federally mandated policy to give new mothers paid time off. And of the world's richest 41 countries, the US is one of only 15 that does not offer any paternity leave, according to a 2019 Unicef report. Finland Starting in 2021, Finland will give all parents leave, regardless of their gender or whether they are a child's biological parents. Under the new law, each parent will be allowed 164 days, or about seven months, the government said in a statement. A single parent can take the amount of two parents, or 328 days. Denmark New moms in Denmark get a total of 18 weeks of maternity leave: four weeks before the birth and 14 weeks after, all at full pay. During the 14-week period, the father can also take two consecutive weeks off. From that point on, parents can split 32 additional weeks of leave however they see fit. They can extend the leave for another 14 weeks if the child or parent gets sick. By law, the government covers 52 weeks of pay, though not always at the full salary. Belgium Mothers in Belgium can take up to 15 weeks leave. They can take this time all at once, or they can extend it, taking part-time leave over a period of up to 10 months. In addition, fathers, including self-employed fathers, can take up to 10 days leave. Sweden New parents in Sweden are entitled to 480 days of leave at 80% of their normal pay. That's on top of the 18 weeks reserved just for mothers, after which the parents can split up the time however they choose. Sweden is unique in that dads also get 90 paid paternity days of those 480 reserved just for them. The idea is to promote bonding between father and child during a time when moms are getting most of the attention. Iceland Icelandic parents can split their 12 months of post-childbirth leave straight down the middle. New moms get five months, new dads get five months, and then it's up to the couple to decide how they'll split the remaining two months. Neither parent can transfer any portion of their three-month chunk, however, as the government wants to ensure both parents can work and that kids get to spend time with both. Serbia Mothers can take 20 weeks of fully paid leave after giving birth, with the amount of money paid calculated by finding the average daily wages a woman made the 18 months prior to giving birth. After that, they get an additionally full year of leave, but compensation diminishes over time. They receive 100% pay for the first 26 weeks, 60% for weeks 27-39, and 30% for weeks 40-52. Fathers get one week of fully paid leave. Norway Norway's system is flexible and generous. Mothers can take 49 weeks at full pay or 59 weeks at 80% pay, and fathers can take between zero and 10 weeks depending on their wives' income. Together, parents can receive an additional 46 weeks at full pay or 56 weeks at 80% of their income. Hungary Hungary offers 72 weeks of paid leave for mothers, according to a UNICEF report. Estonia Mothers in Estonia are given 140 days of fully paid pregnancy and maternity leave, which may begin 30-70 days before the expected delivery date. Fathers in Estonia are given two weeks of paid time off to promote extra bonding with their child. After maternity leave ends, parents get an additional 435 days off to share, with compensation calculated at the average of their two earnings. Lithuania Nordic countries get a lot of attention for their generous leave policies, but Lithuania may beat them all. New moms get 18 weeks of fully paid leave, new fathers get four weeks, and together the parents get an additional 156 weeks to share. Note: This information is from www.businessinsider.com/countries-with-best-parental-leave-2016-8

[@johnp139]

Why should I have to pay for you to raise your kids?!?

[@JeanStAubin-nl9uo]

We are way behind in the amount of paid leave new mothers get in the USA. I never had kids myself but I believe new parents need this time.

[@wancia3547]

I'm from Canada 🇨🇦. We have 20% of the world's fresh water and I still buy bottled water. Tap water is gross. The metric system is in 98% of the world. My thermostat and oven uses Fahrenheit even though Canada is metric. My scale is in pounds even though Canada is metric. And when we tell people our height, it's in feet and inches not centimeters. Canada is so confused. 😕

[@humansvd3269]

You can still get bad water from public sources, but Iceland is lucky to have the geographic make-up that they have.

[@rum-ham]

We didn't buy water in the US when I was a kid, it started in the '90s.

[@MichaelWilliams-ro9bm]

It’s a convenience thing

[@karenbonnici6204]

Come to Texas, you won't think it is a convenience thing. I have lived in Denison, Sherman, Denton, Kerrville, San Angelo and Valley View and the water is horrible. Filled with chemicals. It may be convenience in other parts but we appreciate every bottle of water we drink.

[@MichaelWilliams-ro9bm]

@@karenbonnici6204 live just west of you. Bottled water )16.9 oz) is a convenience thing.

[@KimSpurre104]

I remember that..and before (I’m 70). The only types of water my parents bought when I was a kid were: 1. Sparkletts or Culligan( with fluoride) or 2. Soda Water for my parents to mix drinks 😂

[@gloriamenchero1926]

I have to agree with Jens in many of the items on his list: Long distances drives, adds in the middle of a t.v. show, sales tax, big portions and may others. Thank you again! Have a wider view of the world with your videos.

[@tiffanyb6420]

This is an eye-opening insight into perspectives. Because neither perspective is wrong per se. It’s just different. And different isn’t always bad, not that anyone was saying it was. Thanks for putting out this content. Iceland seems fascinating. Definitely my wanderlust.

[@Autism_Forever]

Having 6 weeks maternity leave IS bad. Even in my home country it used to be 2 years. Having a child should not be professional and social death. It is outrageous that women in USA are forced to be stay at home mothers. When I was a teen my Mother told me - when you have babies do not spend all of your time with them or you will turn into them.

[@pliniol4163]

I am from Brazil and I totally agree with the guy from iceland. The overpolite thing, the tipping buying water...almost everything

[@ianmackenzie686]

Of only all that politeness was sincere....

[@chrispease6939]

I just found this channel and I’m gonna watch it all starting from the first video. I absolutely love Iceland and I want to visit one day and this is great to see for someone that has never been before. Thanks !

[@IcelandwithaView]

Hi Chris! I'm so glad you've found me! I am so happy to show you all the things about Iceland (well, not ALL, but the really useful stuff for travelers) as an Iceland travel planning expert! Be sure to check out my website too where you can find my blogs, packing lists, guidebooks + maps, pre-written itineraries and custom itinerary services! 🥰

[@chrispease6939]

@@IcelandwithaView I did look at it. First of all that logo with the turquoise Iceland outline is a very cool design. And I already watched a couple of videos of what to bring and wear and how to find the right hotels and other spots to try to stay at. When I have the money and more serious I’ll be over that website from top to bottom definitely. It’s an amazing site and the work you put into it on top of everything else you do is totally incredible. Thanks again!

[@lynfl9814]

Definitely visit Iceland. My friend and I visited on a short trip and we both absolutely loved Iceland. I really want to visit this wonderful country again. I will never forget the incredible clean smell of the water at the Blue Lagoon. With the arthritis I deal with; I should move to this magical place for therapeutic reasons.

[@beckyshell4649]

Back in the late 1950s, my aunt went back to work 2 weeks after she had her baby. They had my other aunt who was 15 at the time come live with them to take care of the kids. They had an infant, a five-year-old, and another child who was 6 or 7 years old. The two older kids walked to school then came home for lunch then walked back to school. It is crazy to think a 15-year-old was responsible to get kids ready for school, making lunch every day, and take care of a 2-week-old baby. Add to that they didn't have a phone, and lived in a different state than the rest of her family.

[@cyndi4006]

Iceland has the best water. I visited there in the early 2000’s. I remember asking for bottled water thinking I would get sick. The lady at the hotel laughed and assured me that I would not. She was right.

[@ipadoddagata963]

I mean come in this country you can drink tap water and be fine

[@maverick214]

I'm from New Zealand and we don't tip either. We also use day/month/year for dates. We also use the metric system (changed over in 1967).

[@edwarddore7617]

Plus you have Hobbits! On a serious note, New zealand seems like a beautiful place. I've always wanted to go to Australia, but after seeing the LOTR, I thought to myself "why not both?"

[@kaleidoscopesthirdeyevizions]

But they get paid by an hour in America servers live off of the tips not a hour wage !

[@dawnesmith-sliming7004]

Couldn’t agree more that maternity leave is desperately needed, and deserved. Better for the whole family. And let’s not forget paternity leave and the value of supporting that. That said, every mother is a working mother and contributes to society even if they don’t work outside the home for money. Period.

[@vw8886]

Who pays for the maternity leave?

[@dianacryer]

In America it’s not about family, it’s about money. That’s all it’s about.

[@jacquelines7281]

I’m blown away by their maternity leave! Been to Iceland two years in a row & yes the no tipping is weird for us. Also I did find some of their humor is dryer than ours. Lol which we might think is rude but it’s a different culture.

[@IcelandwithaView]

Jacqueline S I agree! I’m so glad to be living here for the maternity leave! Families are really taken care of 🥰

[@stinkygraykitty6808]

Me too Jacqueline, been there 2 years in a row. We still tipped though, couldnt get past that lol!! Yah the maternity leave when we lived in Germany, you were guaranteed your job being held for 2 years, when you went back you got breastfeeding breaks during the work day, and even we Americans working there, we got kindergeld which was money they gave you to pay for child care. The US is so far behind.

[@julianamagg3177]

It's kinda funny. I have heard from people from other parts of the world saying that we are really polite and then Americans saying we are rude. I always explain it as not only a cultural difference but a language related difference. My friends that visit get the explanation that since we use first names, not surnames and we do not use words like please in regular speech that means that even when trying our best our brain just doesn't translate to these words when we talk to you in English

[@jacquelines7281]

Juliana Magg that makes total sense & completely understandable! Thank you for sharing your feedback. Its interesting to see both sides. Iceland is truly one of a kind, just a magical place :)

[@SewKatt]

I think we've actually gone backwards in the US since I had my children. My youngest is 26 and oldest 31. I had 16 weeks maternity leave in those days, and 100% pay WITHOUT having to have bought "disability" insurance. Disability insurance pays 80% of your salary and often doesn't pay out until the mother has returned to work.

[@Golfnut_2099]

FYI... You do NOT always have to tip in the USA> There are lots of times I get terrible service and I do NOT add a tip. Now, if the server is great, the food is amazing, I am happy to let the server know this through a good tip.

[@marilynsgt8]

Jens seems so much more comfortable in front of a camera now. You’ve made him a star Jeannie!

[@hakunamatata1352]

He looks like a very nice guy 🥰

[@johnp139]

Temperature: anything below 0F is really cold, anything above 100F is hot. Plus 1.8x as accurate.

[@Demetri450]

I've traveled throughout Europe and you just adjust; look, listen and learn. I don't expect things to be to what I'm use too.

[@blotski]

With the measurement thing. I think it's perfectly fine that the Americans use their own system of measurements. It's their business what measurements they use. I just get irritated that they use this system when they are addressing an international audience. If any American is talking to a foreigner they will almost never avoid giving information in their own system. They expect everyone else to either learn their system or do the conversions for themselves. Or more likely they don't even think about it.

[@edwarddore7617]

I think it's more about how we in the US, simply don't know the conversions, it's not something we think about, except for meter Vs yard, and liter Vs quart, I have to look up conversions for everything else lol

[@johnhudelson2652]

As a native born American citizen I absolutely HATE the US customary units. For my projects I use metric measurements instead of US customary units.

[@brummie0007]

I agree with Jens on the date thing, I am from the UK and when I see the date in the American format I have to think about it, just not used to it, the UK format is easy to understand! so many things are the same in the Iceland as they are in the UK, great video!

[@blotski]

I wonder if it fits in better with the way Americans say the date. In the UK we say for example 'the tenth of April' so it's natural to write 10/4. Americans are more likely to say 'April 10th' so it's more natural to say '4/10'.

[@edwarddore7617]

I live in the US, neither is easier or better, just what we are used to.

[@daniellehurrell6620]

Believe me, I think most of these things are bizarre and I'm American. 😂

[@trinawms3749]

😂😂😂Right

[@ianmackenzie686]

Agree accept about portion sizes. I'm with the giant Viking on that one.

[@1ACL]

Me too. I was just thinking that!

[@Sigur_Sixx]

Yeah the only thing I don't find odd is the driving distances. The US is huge, so it makes sense we would be more accustomed to driving longer distances.

[@dickburns9200]

Me too! This is a twisted country.

[@elib7311]

Just discovered your channel. I’m gonna love this, having resided in Germany for several years (military), but had opted to live on the economy vs on base. Miss it so much. Soon as your guest said weird thing is tipping, I laughed. Germany has gotten used to this weird trait we have, but basically, same thing: they look at customer service as that is what they are supposed to do, so why are you tipping them? I miss also that you can eat at your leisure and truly enjoy your meal/company. There is zero rushing you off so they can hurry up and fill your table again for their next ‘tip’. The waitress brings your food and the vanishes until you’re ready to leave. Love it!!!!!! This channel is going to be fun as well as reminiscent of having lived overseas.

[@IcelandwithaView]

Awesome! Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy my other videos! I too really love the restaurant/service culture in European countries!

[@Volundur9567]

In the US, they only make about $1-$3 an hour. They literally depend on tips to survive. That's why it's their primary focus. Also if someone doesn't pay, you have to comp it out of your own pay, which leaves you with literally no money. I have a relative who works in restaurants in the touristy areas. It sucks and needs to change.

[@TNBuckeye1617]

All things being equal and with the federal system in the US, I prefer to know what cut the local and state governments are taking on the money that I spend. This could be a reason for me to not spend any money in a city (also add unreasonably low speed limits and/or strict police). On another topic, the US is (technically) on the metric system in that the the US customary units are defined by the metric system. Practical use of the metric system will only gain dominance in the US when and where it makes sense (pharmaceuticals [prescription or OTC]). The US is a sufficiently large market that certain products (milk, for example) will only go metric when its time to replace the machines that manufacture the packaging (and maybe not even then). Certain products (cold cereal) will only go metric if/when Americans start thinking primarily in metric...because the manufacturers already play games with decreasing the amount sold instead of increasing the nominal price. When your domestic market is as large as the US is, you don’t really become that much more efficient by switching to what everyone else is using on products that are localized to the US for final manufacture.

[@mizuza12]

Im from Scotland and I think Scotland and Iceland seem very similar. Except for driving distances I live rural in the highlands so a 20-30 minute drive is quite normal ( used to do that just to go to highschool)

[@RosemaryWilliams49fruits]

I thought all his points were excellent. I think the point about tipping, well, I agree it's very weird, but for different reasons. Tipping was originally put in place, so that businesses could get away with paying their staff below a living wage by claiming that staff would make a living wage through tips. This is why we have to tip people in the service industry, because if we don't, they will make less than minimum wage, and less than a living wage. When doing taxes, people who work as waiters and similar service jobs, will lose a percentage of their income based on assumed tips received, not on how much they actually get, which is why the standard tipping rate is 15% I believe. The tipping system is predatory and terrible. I live in Japan, and I am really glad I don't have to tip here, and I'm glad to know that the reason I don't have to tip is because people are getting paid minimum wage or better already, and they don't have that system set up to deny workers wages. If you check the federal tipped minimum wage it's less than 2.50 an hour. With that small of a minimum wage, if you don't make tips, you don't make enough money to survive despite working your ass off. It's a seriously flawed system. People should get paid a living wage for working.

[@tragicslip]

if a server gets less than minimum wage, their employer is required to pay the difference.

[@tpalo6802]

Of course there are flaws in the system, but think about it...a moderately competent server can make significantly more than minimum wage. Instead of us the consumers paying the business for them to be taxed then passing down more to the server, we get to pay the server directly for their work, in accordance with the value we perceived they provided. If a restaurant owner, for example, was forced to pay a higher wage multiple things would - and do - logically happen - 1. the price of food will rise since the owner still needs to maintain their profit margin (which is crap for the significant financial risk and crazy hours they have to put in to own a restaurant), 2. the servers may get a more consistent wage, let's even say $15/hour, but I know my wife and others I have known closely that were servers, that is still much less than they made with tips. 3. the incentive to provide exceptional service falls away - I have noticed this in countries with no tipping. It's just human nature - if my take home pay is dependent on being a good server, it actually becomes enjoyable to see how much you can haul in. Instead of the drudgery of a set wage, you get to go make it happen each day. You are functioning more as an independent contractor with quite specialized skills - let's face it a good server contributes quite a bit to the dining experience. It really is a win win win situation - the owner gets to pay less in wages and reduce the price of their food to attract customers, the servers get to decide how much they are going to make and hone a valuable skill (people skills) and the customer gets exceptional service. Oh and the servers have a large incentive to make sure the rest of the system runs well - if the cooks are slow or food is poorly prepared or the place is dirty it affects them directly and believe me they make it known it isn't acceptable. I love tipping huge when it is warranted - and it often is. Even the new servers I tip big, I appreciate the hard work they are doing to make my experience enjoyable.

[@RosemaryWilliams49fruits]

@@tpalo6802 it's not human nature though, Japan doesn't do tipping at all, and it has what is largely considered some of the best service in the world. Servers in Japan and workers are fast food and convenience stores generally get paid a living wage, and one much better than workers at the same institutions in the US. Japanese service is almost 100% of the time better, and a big part of the reason is people who don't have to worry about making enough money to survive are happier, and feel valued by their employer, and work harder. We have examples of companies making more money, and having improved service in the US too, when the companies choose to pay their employees better. Paying people a living wage always makes things better.

[@tpalo6802]

@@RosemaryWilliams49fruits Fair enough, I concede I oversimplified a complex issue. For example, there are cultural considerations. But I suspect many of those cultural differences are not always or completely tied to compensation (i.e. lower paid workers form one culture may perform better than higher paid workers from another). Anecdotally I would say that every server I know in the US does NOT want to replace tipping with a higher wage. It would be a pay cut for them, even at $15/hour. I am aware that is simply people I know, and does not represent other's thoughts and experiences. I do my best to ensure servers earn a "living wage" through tipping - though that term is rather nebulous. Interesting discussion, thank you.

[@AL.BUNDY.]

America does numerical dates all convoluted. MM/DD/YYYY makes no sense. The European way makes sense - from shortest to longest - DD/MM/YYYY. But it can be confusing in regards to the first pair of digits such as: does the first 2 digits the represent the month (as in USA) or the day (as in Europe)? Canada does dates in reverse order of Europe - longest to shortest - such as YYYY/MM/DD. I think this is the best method as there is no confusion if it is American or European style. Just my opinion.

[@DannyOccoquan]

Maternity leave policies in the US are designed to keep the poor poor. Some are lucky to get 6 days let alone 6 weeks. A good beginning is so important for a child to thrive and reach their potential, and if mom isn't stressed and has a year to bond before daycare, that's gotta be a better beginning for the child, and by extension, for society as I would guess the child is more likely to feel secure and to be well adjusted. America punishes the poor simply for being poor, and purposefully perpetuates the cycle of poverty.

[@emmib1388]

in what job does a woman go back to work after 6 days? Six week is standard unless a c section then 8 or other complications...and then they can choose to take another 12 weeks for FMLA.

[@RosieJ7223]

I mean, that’s fair, but the problem could also be solved by stronger multi-generational families. I do think maternity leave is good, but the government and your employer cannot love you. Having stronger families with shared expenses, childcare, housing etc. would be so much better. Even if a woman has maternity leave, she still needs so much help from not only her husband, but from her “village.” The 50s “ideal” of a nuclear family in isolation is not a “traditional gender ideal” it’s modern. And it sucks.

[@nervyblogger4581]

There are two kinds of countries in the world. Countries that use the metric system and countries that landed people on the moon.

[@caraiya]

"We just watch the show." ...Never have I been as jealous of Iclandic media than I was hearing that straightforward statement. 😫

[@Bubba-ot7jb]

I'm weak 😂😂 as an American I can also say that it how it made me feel 😂

[@a.brasil6126]

So interesting... I have been living in Switzerland since 2014 and some things are the same here: tapped water is drinkable everywhere, we also have a break (15 minutes) during films at the cinemas(to go get more porpcorn and drinks). Because Switzerland is also very small, a 30 minute-drive is also considered a good distance. Nowadays if we have to drive for 1 hour to get somewhere, for me it is far - coming from Brazil, that is huge, it was very weird in the beginning.

[@johnp139]

Tap water is drinkable in the US as well.

[@carole2403xqv1]

@ johnnp139 " drinkable water"-.Depends on where you live in th US and the meaning of "drinkable" . You won't get typhoid or other contagious water borne illnesses but if you live in a place likeFlint, Michigan or a "cancer alley" state like Louisiana where the water is full of toxins tap water is not so appealing. I was lucky to grow up in NYC and most of our water supply came from upstate New York and had the a reputation for being among the greatest tasting tap waters in the US. Now, who knows???

[@robertschulke1596]

My wife and I will order at a restaurant, and take half of it home. Really, the food costs are a tiny part of operating a restaurant, so why not give large portions.

[@mpeacock7696]

The best water in the world. I remember seeing how incredibly clean the water was in the hotel bathroom sink and being shocked.

[@stephaniewozny3852]

I bet no forever chemicals in it, either. 😭

[@chrisd3712]

I mainly use the date system for year, month and day (YYYYMMDD). But if I have to write short/fast, it's just day/month and sometimes even the year at the end. The United States is the only industrialized nation that uses the international foot. The length of the international foot corresponds to a human foot with shoe size of 13 (UK), 14 (US male), 15.5 (US female) or 48 (EU sizing). Fahrenheit is the official temperature scale in the United States, its freely associated states in the Western Pacific, the Cayman Islands, and Liberia. Fahrenheit is used alongside the Celsius scale in Antigua and Barbuda and other islands which use the same meteorological service, such as Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Bahamas, and Belize. A handful of British Overseas Territories still use both scales, including the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Anguilla, and Bermuda. In the United Kingdom, degrees Fahrenheit are often given alongside degrees Celsius. All other countries in the world now officially use the Celsius scale. Note: This information about foot and Fahrenheit is copy/paste is from Wikipedia.

[@raymondporter2094]

No - in the UK we use Fahrenheit and Imperial Measurements, too. Temperatures are give. In Celsius and Fahrenheit but I think in Fahrenheit. Length is measured in both, too, but most people would measure their height and weight in Imperial and speeds of cars on the roads (all road signs show Imperial measures - 100 miles to London, 40mph speed limit etc). Younger people learn Metric at school.

[@ba00ba00]

I just randomly found your channel and i love Jens already lol.

[@lizkeith1356]

the Icelandic ways make for a better society.

[@ianmackenzie686]

So does the homogeneity.

[@odinaconley1186]

I don't know how true it is but the story I always heard was we got 12 in as 1 ft from the actual measurement of one of the English kings his foot being actually 12 in long if googled it right now and Google said that story is normally referenced to King Henry the 1st however there are other stories out there as well.

[@Sandra-qs1mi]

Only 3 countries (US, Liberia, Myanmar) currently use the Imperial measuring system. I think the US believes it to be too expensive to change--road signs, etc. I do believe they will convert in the next few decades. I watch KZbin and find that more and more I'm having to convert measurements from metric to imperial to understand. Maybe they're trying to get us accustomed to the change. As for Fahrenheit vs Celsius, again, there are only 3 countries using Fahrenheit (US, Liberia, Cayman Islands) although several countries use a mix of both. Fahrenheit would be easier as no decimals or negative numbers are needed and the system is based on 0 to 100. I like the idea of breaks at the theatre for bathroom and getting more food. I can't imagine living in a country of 370,000 as I live in a city with more than 5 million. There are so many things the US could reassess, and probably improve upon, if they would look at other countries' models--higher education, health care, maternity/paternity leave, cost of medicine, etc. Much of these changes would probably reduce our stress levels which would improve our overall health. But I do like the fact that the US does free drink refills!

[@lagrossemimi]

I am a Quebecer, who lives close to Montréal, Québec in Canada. What strikes me is that often, people around the world use the word “america” when they talk about the U. S.A. We have to be very clear when we describe the american mentality and the canadian one. There is a huge difference between these two countries, even tough they are neighbours and more specifically in the province of Quebec which is a french province.

[@jamesage24]

USA tried converting to the metric system in the late 1970's and it was a disaster!

[@Bigmosbigmos]

🇮🇸 is an amazing country.Where else you get to see an active volcano, crazy waterfalls, aurora …?? I enjoyed every second of my 8 day trip in Iceland. These videos were very helpful.

[@IcelandwithaView]

Exactly - the most magical place! Thanks for watching :)

[@chrispease6939]

I hope to go one day. There and Sweden and Norway from the us. I absolutely love everything about Scandinavian culture

[@lydiawiley4662]

I like having the sales tax included in the price as in if it is marked $1 it is $1 at the register. It sure makes it easier to calculate what you are spending. Also like that commercials are not in the programs.

[@IcelandwithaView]

I agree 100%! What's the point in having a price listed on the tag when that's not the total price?!?!

[@evgenia0411]

I agree with all of the things! 😅 I was so laughing about the tourist water 😁

[@mathiasknutsson9270]

I enjoy this. You guys have a great synergy. You are both so likeable.

[@jay-rus4437]

Agreed on US not using the metric system. I have an engineering background, and it would make so much more sense to be on the metric system. 12” per foot? Really? Then engineers decided to make up their own hybrid that consists of tenths of a foot. So then we are constantly converting back for construction guys on the ground. Born and raised in the US, but metric seems to be so much more logical.

[@johnp139]

That all goes to hell when you bring in natural things like atmospheric pressure and weight, which is mass (kg) * 9.81 (Newtons).

[@theythespian]

I feel like at least 50% of these can be explained by existing in late stage capitalism

[@sierramay5934]

EXACTLY HAHA

[@gavinrolls1054]

Iceland is also capitalistic though

[@korybeckwith834]

Its funny but in the US I learned the metric system when I was a kid. It was the future I was told. I understand it but dont use it often. I look at young people here now and they dont know anything about the metric system, cant read or write cursive and can barely print. Interesting.

[@abunasermd.tawhidanwar4057]

Tipping is a common practice in my country (Bangladesh) and most of the Asian countries!!

[@cheryltoeller3933]

Agree about the metric system. I think us Americans are the few not to use it. Although I’m a runner so I do understand the kilometer. Just wish I knew an easy formula to convert to Celsius

[@IcelandwithaView]

All you really need to know about Iceland is that it's COLD - not much need for Farenheit and Celsius 😂 - it's just cold

[@veepotter307]

I’m an American and two things drive me crazy about US….1) that we never followed through converting to metric measurements. Try to imagine the measurement 12/15 or 7/12 on tools like wrenches….I have taught myself temperatures in metric because it’s easier to converse with my friends in other countries. If I say it was 38 degrees today, it wasn’t coat, scarf, glove weather. 2). This is something my friends from overseas pointed out and now I tend to agree with how annoying it is…..you meet someone and when parting they say „let’s get together sometime“ or „come by anytime“ but the person really doesn’t mean it because you don’t go to someone‘s house UNinvited. If you did, they would consider it impolite and imposing. It’s like asking „How are you today?“ and we really don’t care to know….all we expect back is „Fine“, not a list of your ailments. Now, that’s just rude of Americans. And I might add to Jens list, Americans talk loud.

[@justjules2029]

It’s not rude and most of the loud people I come across in the US aren’t American

[@wyskass861]

What you say about metric is true. But I think the problem with using US Imperial is even worse for when learning physics and science. Lb is confusingly used for force, mass and weight, usually interchangeable making it harder to teach, as just one example. Pressure and density another. Also the inconsistency in unit conversions and adding arithmetic to what could be just decimal place move, adds unnecessary and confusing steps when just learning. The fact that Americans are able to do physics and science is despite this added hurdle, and maybe STEM would be more enjoyed if there was none of that unit BS added.

[@amarketing8749]

Canada had planes crash when they were converting to metric, because they would calculate the fuel wrong. Now, considering a lot of people think the USA has a terrible education system and we have a lot more air travel I'm ok with it. Those in science fields often get used to it. So the partiality think kinda sucks, but again no need to worry about planes with not enough fuel crashing everywhere.

[@wyskass861]

@@amarketing8749 American proficiency in engineering is despite the stupid unit system. I think the bigger problem is not in industry, but for students learning the sciences. It adds a complicated layer which confused understanding and adds arithmetic in every simple problem, when just moving the decimal would natural thinking. It makes Americans think that engineering is all complicated math, which in fact conceptually it shouldn't be when thinking qualitatively.

[@amarketing8749]

@@wyskass861 I agree it's confusing to have to learn 2 systems. I was just pointing out a very real situation that happened in Canada. I suspect those airplane fatalities probably contributed to at least partially keeping the system we have. The United States could not risk even a percentage of the number of crashes the Canadians had, simply because the amount of air travel we have far exceeds Canada.

[@moynkey]

Damn Jens has got some guns 💪🏼, he be ripped

[@IcelandwithaView]

Moisés GC he will be very happy you noted that 😆

[@stevekollen1672]

@@IcelandwithaView He's not the only one who noted it.

[@johnp139]

Sales tax varies not only from state to state but also county to county, and sometimes even by city. What price should a merchant put on ads?!?

[@marinamarshmallow7212]

"the correct way" lol so funny!!

[@Puffin_14]

My partner and I are considering either having a second home in Iceland or moving to Iceland in the future. I was wondering if you would be able to make a video on what process you had to go through (ex. Visas, employment, real estate, etc).

[@bigdavek.8322]

I found the part concerning the over-politeness very confusing. I've always heard throughout the years that Americans were rude. I can't speak for others, but I go out of my way to be polite to people because I've experienced enough rudeness from folks in this world that I don't wish to add to it. I guess I'm weird.

[@brandonb.5304]

I think it's mostly interactions in retail or service environments. American employees are required to be super polite, often because their wages come from tips. That over-politeness is often weird if you're not used to it.

[@mercedesvelasquez8781]

This is why foreigners who have come visit California have told me in their words I am not like others they meet and I am very kind/polite which to them I always gave a smile & said thank you. It was in related to the fact these ass hat Americans in California never wanted to help foreigners get around and understand the bus/train system and where streets or places were and I was always more then happy to help and it might be due to the fact I am a daughter of a immigrant so I was raised extremely different in fact raised with European mannerisms because despite my mom & her family being from Colombia their form the white race wo thay being said culturely they were raised with the European ways if that makes sense...

[@bigdavek.8322]

@@mercedesvelasquez8781 I'm willing bet it's regional; a friend of mine from Norway thought Americans were very friendly when he and his girlfriend came to visit the U.S. Attitudes can vary state to state, or so I've observed. I'm from the Midwest so the attitudes here may be a bit different. For me, I'm always willing to help folks out if I can. I'll likely even ask about where they're from. :)

[@edwarddore7617]

It really depends on location. People from the south are definitely more friendly, and general people from say New York or Chicago are more to the point and blunt, but some of us in the Chicagoland area are also very friendly.

[@darrellhagan6124]

@@brandonb.5304 Absolutely true. And the politeness is often not genuine but rather just part of the job to hopefully get tips.....

[@michele-kt]

I'm born and raised in NYC. NYC has what's been called possibly the best water in the US or close to it. 😊

[@MelissaSRabidoux70]

Love Jens! Anytime he wants to visit New Orleans, I’d be honored to show him some epic proportions on some of the best food in the country! 😂😉☺️

[@the_sheet]

OMG we want to Rv from Toronto to New Orleans and make stops in Nashville, Memphis, Robert Johnson museum. can't wait

[@anamazingfantasy1999]

Nothing like Louisiana food!

[@ginnamin]

True ❤

[@marywilson1948]

Tipping. Maybe explain that servers in the U S make a small amount per hour … so tips ( good , friendly, efficient) service makes their pay overall FABULOUS! I worked at Pizza Hut in high school. Omg. The tips from construction workers really were over the top!!😂. Seriously, though! It can be a very good income. Maybe in Iceland they get a salary instead….

[@IcelandwithaView]

Yep! Service workers in Iceland generally have a salary or hourly wage much higher than service workers in the US. The culture around tipping is different because the workers aren't motivated by tips. Some say that this results in lower quality service but I appreciate both perspectives.

[@raydunn8262]

Fourteen countries use Fahrenheit; most are islands in the Caribbean, in the Pacific, or off of Southern Europe. Liberia in Africa and Myanmar/Burma in Asia are the only other nations in the world that use the Imperial System (inches and ounces).

[@annetakubiak3374]

I'm originally from Poland, but I'm 🇺🇲❤️USA❤️🇺🇲 citizen for loooong time and I'm still confused with inches and Faranhite thermometer , some 😂😅😂. My car is set for metric system. I thout my grandson when he was 7 yo 24 hrs clock

[@Indianaparadise]

The only time I didn’t tip was when the waitress dumped the tray in my sons lap didn’t even apologize or take money off the bill. Poor kid had to wear food the whole meal and we were hours from home. I don’t buy water since it’s just filtered tap water 😂.

[@louierivera7512]

I HAVE TO AGREE 100% WITH YOUR FRIEND JEANNIE REGARDING TIPPING & TAXES

[@kaykepop4084]

So funny, as he said "so many commercials," the video cut for a commercial 😅.

[@lindaelane]

You put up a sign that said "Fact: There is no tipping in Iceland". False - they will take tips and they do appreciate it but they do not expect it and it is fine if you do not do it. They know the meal is already very expensive for you. Still, when I tipped, they always said thanks and once they said thank you and they said that in the restaurant they pool anything they get for tips and then eventually they all go out together.

[@MichaelWilliams-ro9bm]

Tip= to insure promptness.

[@ironrose888]

I’m an American but I have always written my dates the day.month.year. It makes sense to me. I don’t know why I always do that.

[@mon5360]

I buy Iceland water (in Chicago) so i can make my coffee with it. It’s like being on vacation every morning!

[@gubjorggisladottir3525]

I am Icelandic, live in Iceland and buy waterbottles (bottle of water) sometimes: when the water in the taps at my workplace is undrinkable and I forgot to carry waterbottle from home or when I am taking a drive out of town and want to have a drink... I do not drink soft drinks nor do I drink coffee or tea.

[@conniedavis3377]

I do too!! That is all I drink. I trust their water more than ours here in the states;) I worry about all the additives in water that should not be ;). I would love to live there. Do they need any Nurses ;)

[@Halli50]

I live in Ísafjörður (the town Jens grew up in, I probably know his kin - what is his patronym?) and since 1996 I simply open the cold water tap to get the water you are buying in bottles. Before that we used "surface water" (water from nearby creeks - still absolutely uncontaminated but unfiltered), but it meant that meant the water could get quite colorful during "leysingar" (the spring melts).

[@conniedavis3377]

@@Halli50 very nice! I would love to just turn on my tap water and know that it's safe to drink but unfortunately where I live it is not it's good for showering and that's it I don't even give it to my dog she gets bottled water sad but true water is not drinkable here in the states at least not New Jersey.

[@Halli50]

@@conniedavis3377, sorry about the sad state of affairs where you live. I am a retired airline pilot and have been all over the place, and I fully recognize how privileged we are in the Nordic countries to a) live in a pristine environment, and b) having politicians that (sometimes) respond to what we want!

[@lfs-x1r]

I also don't understand tipping in USA. Do you also tip doctors if the perform a good surgery on you? It's their job! The salary should be enough. And if they don't do a good job they should be fired that's it. In Europe we use day/month/year

[@SunniMerlot]

We only tip at restaurants where we get served our food.

[@lfs-x1r]

@@SunniMerlot I wasn't expecting you to tip in restaurants where you didn't eat.

[@sasquatch-7634]

I'm American and I like your list. You left out many people are not sure what sex they are.

[@MichaelWilliams-ro9bm]

Amen

[@Catilieth]

Fahrenheit is more precise

[@jessicaeddins6550]

There are fourteen countries that use the Fahrenheit Scale for temperature measurement: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, The British Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Bahamas, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Turks and Caicos Islands,...

[@bobbyriley19]

When returning to the US tipping does actually feel very weird! Haha, good list!

[@the_sheet]

I was hanging around the crew room at Columbus airport one day, one the wall showed the state minimum wage list. It was something like 9$/ hour for non-tipping type jobs (in 2000) and 3$/hour for jobs that have tips. The system is wrong, but where tipping is the standard - TIP

[@korybeckwith834]

Talk about a waste of a holiday. In the American Southwest people always want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. What is that? The 5th of May. A date of a battle in Mexico, where the Mexican army defeated the French. Ask anyone from Mexico and they say its not celebrated in Mexico. Its a consumer holiday probably started by alcohol companies.

[@lucieni]

Maybe I missed a vid but CONGRATULATIONS! Litið barn á leiðinni! x

[@deborahmichalak8991]

I agree that the USA needs to guarantee maternity leave for all mothers and for a standard time, like 6 months to a year, at least. I cried and cried every day after the 6 weeks when I had to go back to teaching!! My husband worked the afternoon shift (4 pm to 11 pm) and he lost some sleep, but he took care of our son until I had my summer vacation from teaching, which was 7 months later.

[@annascarpallini2461]

15-20 is a long drive.....lol....The nearest store to my house is that far. I enjoy my semi-rural living with my 300+ foot deep well that isn't and doesn't need treating.

[@kentdunne1320]

I love the commercial in complaint about too many commercial.😊

[@bobprice6274]

What are three meals that are unique to Iceland that you like?

[@geirkarlsen7329]

Is not the tip already in the prices in Iceland? I think it is. Things are "expensive" because the tip is 10 % already. At least in Norway it is.

[@AMK544]

You’ll understand buying water if you ever come to LA. Try drinking our tap 🤢

[@anniestru]

Interesting video!! Most of these things are weird for people in Greece too.

[@michelleturner6865]

Canada uses both imperial and metric. So does the UK. I live in Canada. Height is feet and inches. Weight is pounds and ounces. Liquid is litres distance is KM temperature is Celsius or Fahrenheit. That’s just how it is. I cannot think in KGs. I have to convert to pounds in my head. Same with cm. I have to convert to inches to be able to visualize it.

[@gliderchick1]

So much importance is placed on commercials in the U.S. that I know so many people who watch the Super Bowl just to watch the commercials!

[@tubularfrog]

For the last 22 years of my work, I drove 100 miles (161 km) a day commuting. There were a couple of other people there who drove 200 miles (322 km) a day commuting. My folks used to say the program on TV is there to get you to watch the commercials, because that's how the TV station makes money. I live in Oregon, no sales tax. Some states have no income tax.

[@blueeyedlady8973]

I hope we NEVER have a sales tax voted in!!!

[@marymary4093]

Australia - the price you see is the price you pay! Yay!!!! And waiters are pleasant because being friendly to customers is part of the job, no secret motive. If we give choose to leave a tip, it's a sign of generosity, not obligation. I love that.

[@marymary4093]

@Ding Dong True. Usually those tip jars contain small coins that people cannot be bothered putting into their wallet. It doesn't mean anything.

[@timisaac8121]

WOW!!! you are so hardcore: Did you say "The service is not good in Iceland because they don't care???" Best line EVER!!!~ one part Jens doesn't understand: USA has very low minimum wage, but servers do not get that, often slave wages of 2.13 hour, are forced to pay tax on "allocated tips" and have very often MANY side jobs NOT directly covered by tips at all. Nevertheless, I loved your words and so want to hear more of your channel!! BTW: do you have a vid explaining the legal or immigration part of "we moved to Iceland"? Can anyone do that? TY!!

[@the_sheet]

tipping, are the restaurant workers paid a reasonable wage? buying water=long drives and access to water while driving as a tourist. metric system, I remember in early 70's the US was supposed to go to metric along with Canada. Canada went to metric, US said "gotcha". what are commercials😜?

[@flowerlass]

What do you and your husband do for jobs in Iceland? Did you learn to speak Icelandic before you moved there?

[@amyl.9477]

I’m Canadian and when I had an internship in Timmins (about 12 hours north of where I live) they were using Fahrenheit too! I was so surprised.

[@JeanStAubin-nl9uo]

I wonder why that is? Strange.

[@bourgeoise2]

Great video! Learned a lot. Visiting Iceland in October.

[@lkrause]

Fantastic video, as always. Thank you.

[@RosieJ7223]

Part of the reason tipping is standard: each state decides many of its own labor laws (although there are basic federal standards.) So there is a federal minimum wage BUT in many states food service workers are paid less than half that “minimum wage” per hour! So some people are making $2.50 an hour while serving/ waiting tables. The IRS expects you to claim a certain amount of tips on your wages, so the tips are taxed. I personally hate this. I think tipping is and should be a personal exchange between people. But since it’s counted as a wage, the cycle of “always tip your server” is perpetuated, because they make practically nothing from the business. This does allow more businesses to open on a smaller start up, but it definitely has a downside.

[@CrankyCat78]

As an Australian, most of these are things we find weird, too.

[@user-bs6zh7ws2v]

I wish we had the metric system. It also makes more sense to have the day/month/year format for writing the date. I guess we Americans do some things that don’t make sense. Like naming a sport where you use your foot to kick a ball soccer instead of football.

[@IcelandwithaView]

L 😂 yeah that one doesn’t make sense!

[@gubjorggisladottir3525]

@@IcelandwithaView The name "soccer" is a shortening from "Football Association" or "association football"... (even I know that :P) see www.britannica.com/story/why-do-some-people-call-football-soccer

[@Rich-vg4yt]

US Military writes it this way as I do and my employer told me to write it the "normal" way. Needless to say I still write it the way I was taught!! 4 October 2020 ---- Who ever said I was normal!

[@brendafrazier811]

It’s a very late response to your comment but I’ve always read that it was called football because you play on your feet (not with your feet) as opposed to playing on horseback. Don’t know if that’s true but it makes sense.

[@RamaSivamani]

Actually in the US is required to honor the price on the tag as well. If you look closely at all the tags the all say in small print next to price "+ sales tax". That put in on the price tag so that technically they are honoring the tag price even though they are charging sales tax.

[@handcraftedluxuries1980]

I think we are more polite because our ]opulation is so varied. Less change for offense

[@sandralantau7395]

Regarding the first point about tipping, the biggest problem I (a non-American) have with the American custom (expectation?) of tipping is that the wait-staff are (generally) poorly paid and depend on tips for their livelihood. It's precarious and uncertain

[@ohotnitza]

I don't care about the rest of the metric measurements, but I prefer Fahrenheit because you have more of a gradient. There's a big difference between 25 C and 30 C. Even though the numbers are close together.

[@stephaniewozny3852]

I've seen someone else explain Fahrenheit as how the temperature "feels" to a human. Like, it's 80° outside, and you're like, "Yeah, that FEELS like a high number." I think I once saw someone use Celsius for the outside temperature, and it clocked in at 26 degrees. I converted it, and thought, "That number doesn't match what I'm feeling 🙁" Maybe it would be different if I had grown up learning the metric system, but Fahrenheit makes sense to me.