These things SHOCKED me when I moved back to the USA

[@maikelaoshi]

Have you ever had culture shock going back to your own country? 回国后，最让你意外的文化差异是什么？

[@wocaishipc]

出国念书前还需要现金支付，出国以后刚学会用各种卡支付，结果到国内以后都是无现金社会了。

[@jeffreysetapak]

Just look at the bright side. At least, they didn't robbed you out of nowhere. They asked you to pay tips politely.

[@mapleshine-kids]

I moved back to Shanghai one year ago after ten years in Canada, and I’ve noticed a lot of changes since my return. One major difference is the food-everything seems to be very spicy, even the burgers at McDonald’s and KFC! I’ve also had to adjust to the fact that almost everything is bought online. It’s challenging to find physical stores; most purchases have to be made through apps, and it can be frustrating to choose products based solely on fake images and promotional videos. After a year, I’m gradually getting used to it. For instance, I went to a coffee shop and ordered through my phone, spending quite a bit of time comparing deals. I miss ordering at the counter and talking directly to people. I don’t enjoy having to navigate numbers and pictures on an app-it feels kind of overwhelming.

[@wxy8104]

I agree with some points, but others I don’t fully agree with. I’ve been living in the U.S. for 12 years without returning to China during this time. If tips are given directly to the server and I receive good service, I find it acceptable. However, if the tips only go to the restaurant owner, it’s understandably frustrating. It's true that sugar intake is quite high in the U.S., but salt intake is also excessive in Chinese food. Mobile payment in China is undoubtedly convenient, but it mainly benefits long-term residents. For tourists, short-term visitors, and the elderly in China, it’s not as user-friendly. Bicycles used to be a primary mode of transportation in China, but now people have more diverse travel options. In the U.S., cycling on streets can be quite dangerous, especially when riding on busy roads.

[@九方名座]

Alipay在国内也有那种不需要扫码的无接触付款，商家要安装一个小小的外接设备。

[@Hermit-Crab]

I'm neither American nor Chinese but I used to have a very strong sense of affinity for the US because of the ordinary Americans that I met. They left a deep and indelible impression on me through their generosity, magnanimity, selflessness and extraordinary kindness. But over the years, the US appears to have changed very subtly and imperceptibly for the worse. I have no doubt that there are still many ordinary Americans who are kind and generous and helpful, but when I look at the US as a country, I'm appalled by its hypocrisy, and downright disgusting dirty tricks and bullying behaviours. The people responsible for this are the politicians and establishment elites. They don't represent the totality of the ordinary Americans. Unfortunately, they will be the face of the US seen internationally.

[@XkMeng]

Bro you have a keen eye. Sometimes you need to step outside the circle of the United States to see just how ridiculous the American propaganda can be.

[@demon2others]

and so ironic these elites and corrupt politicians are voted into office by the American people itself. A very self destructive system.

[@cedriclynch]

All the countries I have visited have been much nicer than I expected based on what I had read about them.

[@peterchristie1096]

The US is the most propagandised country in the world and even leaves North Korea in the dust. It is very subtle and pervasive, highly sophisticaed psychologically and endlessly jingoistic. Utterly insidious.

[@9064peterpan]

@@XkMeng Congress has just allocated 1.6 Billion for 'journalists' who propagandize against China. Imagine spending that kind of money on Americans struggling daily with the costs of living.

[@alexma5848]

中国有明确规定要“明码标价”，每个商品必须要有明确的价格标识，没有任何隐藏价格。所以标识的价格就是总价，就是你需要花费的价格，包含税费、商家及工作人员的利润。因此没有小费这一说。

[@owalay1]

在台灣，目前就一間餐廳會額外收10%服務費，但這10%應該是要給雇員才對，不過都算在營業額去了（反正政府也收稅）

[@AnonyXnm1450zz]

Restaurants tips are minimum 20%!!!

[@murrymu4632]

👍

[@yilizhang2175]

不喜歡稅和價格分開算，是多少就是多少，直接了當。 價格之後又是加小費(還要按百分比鍵特煩瑣)又是加稅。 付款時多付1/3還多。

[@instructorenglish7113]

直接了當，在家吃，不用付小費又可以吃健康👍

[@jybian]

看评论，好像必须纠正一些关于中国的认识。在中国不是不给小费，不是中国人小气，不是中国人不懂得底层劳工的辛苦，是中国就没有“小费“这种外来观念，购买一个商品或某种服务，它的价格全都明码标价在价目表上了，好吧？！这也是中西方文化的一个比较具体的差异。

[@whollyshoots3587]

这好像也不是中西文化差别吧，这纯纯是美国的特别文化，欧洲也没有这些小费的文化，就是当时在美国最强盛的时候（好比10-20年时的中国，人人都刚发财人人都是土豪，没有守财观念）产生出来的文化

[@T_T-A_A-Q_Q]

廢話...為什麼要小費??? 老闆本來就應該支付員工的薪水不是嗎???

[@台灣南波丸]

​@@whollyshoots3587😂這是資本家為了成本發明的…

[@泡泡茶壺-p1r]

@@T_T-A_A-Q_Q在我个人看来，这就是老板为了节省用人成本发展起来的小费文化，就像服务员在餐厅受伤属于工伤，服务员属于餐厅的雇员，本质是餐厅提供的服务。在公司谈业务，我是甲方，难道还要我给乙方的业务员小费吗😂

[@siting1178]

他们小费的概念其实是一个经济学概念，让服务员服务好而得到小费，从而提高服务质量，从而雇主减少了开支，只需要付很低的工资。所以没有好和不好，资本主义概念吧。作为一个消费者，如果不满意那个服务员，是完全可以不付小费的。但其他市民又会道德绑架你，说服务员已经很惨靠tips过活，但问题不是出在我们顾客啊！是雇主付得钱少啊！ so

[@freakmoister]

Recently was in US for a conference. On check out day the hotel was really busy. It took over an hour just for the Bell desk to bring up luggage from storage. There were so many hotel employees walking around doing nothing. Guests were all getting desperate because the delay was making everyone late for things worst being catching flights. There really urgent ppl started giving tips to these ppl loitering around the foyer to go and get their luggage specifically. There was one employee who just stood around the bell desk counting a stack of bills, and only moved when someone gave him a tip. It was disgusting to say the least. Would not give a single cent to these people.

[@alexloh4894]

Hehehe, you got it. It is our culture. Can you get our president to do anything if you don't tip him/her really BIG tips???

[@Go4Broke247]

Theyre probably going through your luggages to see anything expensive to steal.

[@LW78321]

That is actually so terrible to read... The tipping culture is so out of hand there

[@GeorgeForman-i9t]

Try the DMV, it's like those people move in slow motion just to spite you.

[@Go4Broke247]

@@GeorgeForman-i9t schedule an appointment. It's always quicker.

[@outsidewell6932]

My husband voluntarily gave 25% tips during pandemic because he wanted to offer help during difficult times. But it became almost mandatory nowadays. Once we paid 50% tip on a $168 bill unaware the bill included a 20% tip already. I later requested a refund of $35 to reduce the tip from 50% to 25%. The tipping culture is getting out of hand.

[@maikelaoshi]

It's insane

[@yq77777]

Agreed!

[@samxxu]

Tipping makes things complicated, and ppl take it for granted finally, and the meaning of tipping will be bound to lose

[@99184806]

说得好,我之前也很想去人少的地方居住.但是现在不会了,慢慢发现一个道理,当一个城市聚集的人足够多的时候,做任何事情的边际成本都会变得相对比较低.所以在中国因为人多普遍可以用较便宜的价格享受到较好的服务和较美味的服务,同时事业所面临的机会也更多. 各有各的好,现在中国这样人多且效率高的社会我挺喜欢的.

[@joanli2528]

Dude, your biggest concern should be the safety of your kids: shooting at school, gangs, crimes, drugs, improper exposure to or influence by discrimination or LGBTQ or Psy-Ops or politics or whatever. Good luck.

[@nigellim4124]

Agree. He should move back to China, better teaching in school for his kid

[@instructorenglish7113]

Well said 😂

[@fs5775]

😂 somebody has been drinking too much CCP kool-aid … the shootings, gangs, drugs for a family living a normal life in a small suburban town in North Carolina 😂 You are clueless bro

[@yuqingzhu3483]

开心看到麦克老师回来🎉

[@flywithpinky]

I can so relate to you on this, I was born and raised in shanghai and moved to the states when I was 17. I lived here for about 13 years now so kind of reverse with your suitation but I definitely know and feel strongly of all the things you talked about. First of all, tipping is outrageous here, whenever I go back to shanghai, the service i get from there are so nice and I never have to tip. Even by being here for so many years I am still not used to the crazy amount of money I have to tip here and sometimes the server here would even give you an attitude and you still have to be nice to them and tip them. Lol. Second, it is way less people here in the United States. Good and bad... I am a flight attendant I get to travel a lot. If you don't live in like a major city here in the US, most of the places that you go to, it will be way less people compared to shanghai. It's less crowded which is good but then when you want to order food delivery or get things done here it's much slower cause we have less people here, less efficiency here. I love how in shanghai the food delivery system is so good and so fast. I love wechat pay as well, however sometimes as a foreigner in shanghai the payment methods has limitation to it and I can't use like Facebook or Instagram and stuff. Overall I miss the food in shanghai and I never liked the sweets here in the states it is way too sweet I definitely agree. ❤😂😅

[@塵世中一個雜碎小書僮]

米果粑粑要点小费不行吗？😂

[@sebastiano.6010]

I am living in Shanghai right now. I am originally from Germany. I agree that delivery here is so much faster and more affordable. But to be honest, what’s the cost of all that? How much do delivery drivers get payed? And when they are late for a few minutes they have to pay the delivered goods from the few bucks they get paid on their own cause the mighty companies they work for have thousands of potential workers walking on the streets? There is a huge cost on the actual humans delivering your bubble tea while you are sitting at home enjoying life. Which brings me to the the cultural change this brought. So many people are making use of delivery nowadays cause they don’t have time or are tired because of the work culture here. People don’t even have time to cook a good meal or go outside anymore. How sad is that? I agree that the diversity of leafy greens is something I would miss in Europe. Regarding the sweets, for me Shanghai sweets are way too sweet! So, I guess it depends on your general baseline. I mainly it fruits instead of sugary, artificial things when I need something sweet.

[@flywithpinky]

@sebastiano.6010 I only get to use the delivery system in shanghai when I go visit nowadays. When I lived in shanghai back then, there was no wechat pay at the time, no delivery system like nowadays. Before covid time I stayed in the states for six years then after that I went back to shanghai to visit. I was so shocked how shanghai changed so rapidly and like you said I agree there is the good and bad. I feel like the delivery people in shanghai works really hard and they do deserve to be tipped. Compared to the people here that drives a car to deliver food and sometimes they takes longer time than these people in China who use a motor bike to delivery food. It is huge cost living in shanghai and working environment is definitely not as free and chill like united state. Which is why I left shanghai .... I miss shanghai, but it's the shanghai in my memory not the shanghai now. Because I have left too long and everything has changed. But I definitely love the food in shanghai and there's always so much variety there. I hope you will enjoy the food there too and stay away from the cakes of you ever come to united state to visit lol

[@flywithpinky]

@@塵世中一個雜碎小書僮 小费因该给那个在上海送快递的人！

[@ericjacky9927]

Why you think that China is not as free and chill as the USA? What means chill here?

[@eq9478]

I agree, tipping is crazy! It is out of control! I brought my folding bicycle and I have not even ridden once. Because there are so many black bears around, I may panic if I encounter one or a few, my bicycle won’t go as fast as the bears 🐻. So I rather drive my car, or sight seeing walk with other people. I enjoy the scenery. Desert is way too sweet, I prefer the Japanese deserts.

[@All-gp3tt]

You are correct, the restaurant tips just getting accessive

[@maychu7447]

Still remember some years ago when I travelled in the US for the first time, I was very disappointed to find that I could not eat any dessert in a buffet restaurant. Couldn't tolearate the amount of sugar.

[@maikelaoshi]

It's so crazy.

[@yq77777]

Hmart, Liming s global market,have less sweet breads and cakes

[@fs5775]

I felt exactly the same about all the OILS in Chinese food. Vegetables and meats always cooked in unhealthy thick cooking oils. Made me sick, it was disgusting. So grateful I moved to Vietnam where I could eat healthy and delicious food everywhere again.

[@dimmoony]

人們能對陌生人抱著善意，是因為國家經濟沒崩潰。希望美國人能一直像這樣友善地活著，希望全世界的人都能在自己家鄉永遠自在地活著。

[@锅巴喷火-f5k]

小费文化很明显就是商家把矛盾转移到了服务员跟顾客那边，而且当所有东西都要比定价贵20%才能获得，那为什么不直接定价？为了付更少的税是吧？

[@davidyang8265]

还是中国那种商业方式好：没小费，没税金，要付多少钱一目了然。北美这里，先告诉你价格是多少，然后这个税，那个费，与起初的价格相差甚远。

[@ccchen4990]

新西兰也是，没小费，没额外税金，价格包含税金。

[@erkang27]

First time been here and like your video ! I like to know more about small town living experience because as a Chinese in Taiwan 🇹🇼, it’s not possible to move to a small town living for a while! I also use the video to practice listening and reading the subtitle ! Thanks for your creation !

[@XkMeng]

Almost all foreigners misunderstand one thing, and even those who have been to China describe it inaccurately. The convenience of China's cashless society does not lie in the mobile payment method itself. In fact, mobile payments are not necessarily faster than cash or credit cards. The true essence of the convenience of China's cashless society is that it has digitized almost all aspects of daily life and services, integrating them into mobile payment apps. This allows modern Chinese people to complete an entire life without leaving their homes, and their social activities and consumption are even more diverse than people in other countries.

[@sht-co5gv]

还是很方便的，因为出门手机是必带的，不用带现金就少一些麻烦了。而且免去了找零的麻烦，要付多少就输多少数字就行了😂

[@lilth501]

I think this KZbin is comparing a small town raisin to an orchard of fruit.

[@instructorenglish7113]

Cashless transactions, easier for government taxes.

[@XkMeng]

@@instructorenglish7113 Are you aware that the Chinese government does not impose taxes on individual entrepreneurs, private transactions, or even "micro" enterprises (such as those with an annual turnover of less than 500,000 yuan)? Citizens with an annual income of less than 60,000 yuan are also completely exempt from taxation. Moreover, millions of farmers not only do not pay any taxes but also receive agricultural subsidies as long as they continue to grow food instead of working in cities. In fact, China conceals a significant portion of its GDP.

[@fs5775]

This describes why the Chinese are so freakishly phone addicted, not physically fit, socially awkward and develop myopia. Weird flex.

[@johnny1635]

我们也是和您差不多时间全家回到美国。住的小镇经过一条很有名的几十英里长的单车车道，所以骑行锻炼的人还蛮多的。食品太甜。小费这些都差不多。见人肯定是没有那么方便了。我已经渐渐习惯了这种安静的生活。

[@ZoneCrasher]

You want to see people? You are in the wrong place. Try NYC or anywhere NJ.

[@yhtzou]

我台灣人，我去美國吃牛軋糖或是巧克力，不誇張的說死甜齁甜，怕不夠甜裡面甚至有整塊砂糖顆粒！這也很好說明了為什麼美國看上去有一堆超級無敵胖的人！ i’m taiwanese, when i ate nougat or chocolate in US, it is sickly extremely sweet! they even put some sugar grains in it to make sure it is sweet enough! i think it explains well why there are lots of XXXL size people walk around the street in US😂😂

[@揍辰崽]

欧美的都是齁甜，咱东亚人应该大多数都受不了

[@yhtzou]

@@揍辰崽 日本人也吃的蠻甜的，但是離歐美還有一段距離，東南亞我不太清楚

[@揍辰崽]

@@yhtzou 日本有吗?我认知里饮食上和咱们区别只有吃生的凉的比较多。东南亚的话比较多用小青柠，口味酸溜溜比较多吧。

[@揍辰崽]

@@yhtzou 我记得日本比较甜的好像有个红姜，日本人吃这玩意儿是真大口炫

[@herblocklee6239]

俄羅斯的食品也是齁甜的，受不了。

[@晴天-n7g]

😮😮😮30%的小费超夸张的！你要知道大型连锁超市单品平均利润也不超过30%

[@HantaoCui]

The roads are not designed for bikes. Sharing the road with vehicles that runs at 40 or 50 miles per hour is scary. I thought about getting an e-bike to go from my work building in NC State to the gym, but having to go up and down hill alongside traffic-aggravated drivers feels unsafe.

[@maikelaoshi]

That's why you stay on the greenway. If I had an E-bike and worked the Cary downtown area, I could just hop on that and drive my bike to work. It might take 20 minutes instead of 10, but it would be a beautiful drive every day. Still thinking of buying one soon as I don't want to have 2 cars. Would much rather just have one car and E-bikes to get around.

[@quietsmiler]

Totally agree. The US road is more dangerous to pedestrians and bicyclists as people are buying bigger cars. The economist just has an article on this.

[@maikelaoshi]

@@quietsmiler Also US drivers are just not expecting to see people walking or bicyclists.

[@SunnyMa-iv2xu]

But most foreigners live in HK and Macau can apply the Non-Chinese citizen permit card can go to China trip for 90 days is similar as normal Chinese citizen HRP card go to China also.

[@depyini]

The tipping system is really annoying, even people in Central America have learned it and now even tip for using the toilet.

[@周美希-d3c]

前面两点说的太对了！I cannot agree anymore.

[@yindu_Weige8888]

*谢谢你的视频，周围的环境我很喜欢。💓*

[@cryptogourdbaby9530]

Moving back to the U.S. was the best thing you could have done.

[@goldl3147]

許多外國人，包括你在內，會把 “城鄉差異” 誤認成 “中西文化”差異。 上海是全世界數一數二的世界大城，北卡是鄉下州，你住的小鎮更可能是鄉下中的鄉下，在住習慣一個超級大城市後，回到鄉下小鎮是需要適應的。你影片所提，除了小費和食物甜之外，都是城鄉差異。

[@maikelaoshi]

Yes. Still surprising and I have to get used to it.

[@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185]

​@@maikelaoshi好快你會習慣，因為我們人類要生存，適者生存是定律

[@zbillian9224]

难道小费疯狂也是城乡差异？你在美国哪个大城市不要给小费？这是国家的文化差异好不好。😇

[@goldl3147]

@@zbillian9224 下次張嘴亂吠前，先看清楚原來的留言。

[@laniu1513]

上海太卷了，亚洲的大城市都卷到不能再卷了！

[@NZCH-007]

不得不说一点，Mike说回到美国感觉人们都友好，但别忘了你是美国人的脸，试试如果是黑人，亚洲人在美国，有多少是被友好对待的，看你时翻白眼已经算好的了。在上海无论什么肤色什么国籍的都会友好对待，包括非美国人或者欧洲人。这就是文化的包容性而不是文化差异性。

[@yo7989]

😅可能你不是黑人吧 你当一个非洲人试试在中国会不会被歧视

[@wngmv]

作为刚刚去了上海的在美国生活的中国人 在美国我被人对待的态度可比在上海那种爱搭理不搭理到态度好多了 而上海人对我的态度又比北京人强很多

[@vocaldeng1]

上海封城時不是有小區群裡說要吃黑人嗎😂

[@NZCH-007]

那是你们自己心里对种族的歧视扩展到以为所有上海人都跟你们一样吧

[@廖伟林-m9d]

@@yo7989 我在广州工作，上次有一个黑人进不去地铁，我帮他买了票，后面我们闲聊，那黑人说中国人都很喜欢他们，上次他还被人免费请打车。女孩子对他们也很热情，没想到自己在中国这么受欢迎，说完还展开灿烂的笑容。你说黑人如果被歧视？

[@tianlin4027]

no i totally cannot get thr raising of tipping calture since Covid. Tipping is absolute excuse and irresponsiblity to tramsfer their duty to regular customers.

[@maggie5190]

Talking about tipping, I would say the food delivery drivers in China should be tipped not only they always arrive on time , it’s that living is so hard, I would like to give them a big tip, for some good food or rest a day or so. I really think they deserve better

[@chenzhao3905]

I believe that normal person are kind and welcoming wherever they from. And World will be a better place if every country‘s gov focusing on their own problem.

[@guodongwu-o6t]

看到评论列表中出现了很多中文，我感到很开心。

[@HumminbirdMoth]

It was $1.60/Hour minimum wage when I went through college working in gas station West Los Angeles 1969 but cheapest regular gas was $0.25/Gallon and eggs 4 or 5 dozen/one dollar。Campbell Tomato Soup was 0.06 and ChickenMushroom 0.10/Can

[@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185]

你嘅工資係汽油的六倍，現在香港汽油是25蚊一升，如果照計工資應該係160蚊一小時，但是我們最低工資好像是45蚊一小時，你可知生活幾咁艱難

[@soyouluo]

@@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185 你也是的，拿一个石油出口国的油价和一个连炼油实力都没有的地方比，这是能比的吗

[@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185]

@@soyouluo 我重點係生活艱難請你睇清楚

[@soyouluo]

@@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185 谁生活不艰难，只见贼吃肉不见贼挨打

[@kangli2]

I have had a strong sense of reverse culture shock after living overseas for over 12 years and it seems that I have to get used to the life back to my hometown again. I am used to spacious environment with very few people and light traffic and whenever I return to my hometown I feel overwhelmed by the crowd on the streets as well as the heavy traffic.

[@maxyang7919]

The tap and pay requires some kind of a device. QR codes require a printed QR code. It makes a world of a difference for some small vendors in a remote area.

[@freetalk927]

I hate tipping culture. I had a 15 dollar haircut and it asked me if I want to pay $5, or $10 or $15 tip on the screen? In other countries like Canada and China, I Pay people tips when people help me, but they don’t take it, they even feel insulted. USA probably is the only country where you HAVE to pay tips, otherwise, they will curse you. People also expect tips even for takeout food orders,although they don’t need to serve you . Too bad!

[@晴天-n7g]

😂网购也要付小费就超夸张的

[@JinsGirl]

...tipping culture is just as bad in Canada, at least in big cities like Toronto.

[@maikelaoshi]

They get mad because they rely on it for income, which is the problem.

[@lanshansiyang]

@@晴天-n7g从加拿大网购运输到美国？

[@SongchunShi]

@@maikelaoshiso I think the owner of the restaurant should pay enough wages to the waitress or waiter ，sometimes it is too low

[@lindalui3628]

I have been in US for decades. I still cannot handle the sweetness here. It is too sweet and unhealth! I need to buy it at a Chinese store if I want any cookie or something sweet.

[@maikelaoshi]

It's really crazy when you think about it.

[@ruil4171]

I am seriously considering moving to NC because of the climate and it is closer to both ocean and mountains. I think I am going to book my next family trip to Cary to get a little bit of feeling of how it feels like living there.

[@antonioli1953]

Lol, I grew up in shanghai and currently studying in US. Shanghai food is known to be sweeter among chinese cuisine, guess you already know, but yes, it's so much sweeter here lol.

[@Lzzzz155]

100% agree with you about the current tipping culture😢

[@Jjirehc]

The US under pay their employees and expect consumers to tip instead.

[@SlawekPruchnik]

Just wait for the weather to cool down - you will see plenty of people on bikes, running on the greenways.

[@maikelaoshi]

That's good to know! The weather has already cooled down a bit but I still haven't seen many people. Not a bad thing, I like the quiet and lack of crowds.

[@SS-ek9ek]

In the past, tipping was your own request, but now tipping is a request from the other party. Interesting shifts

[@basicvince]

I am moving back to Chicago after being in China 8 years and not going back to visit not even once. I am super nervous

[@bphau9313]

中國也可以不坐地鐵.的士很便宜方便

[@yongjiangli6373]

15年在亚特兰大生活了一年，旁边就是北卡。最大的感受是居住的小区到处都是树绿化率非常高，小区里有三个小型的游泳池一到夏天带孩子泡游泳池里，当时物价还不算高，逛超市是一大享受，特别是Costco。但公交系统比较差，只坐过一次地铁就再也不愿意去了，晚上九点后不会出门，尽量不去城市的南部区域。最遗憾的是没能去西雅图和体验十一月后的大烟山和蓝岭公路，强烈推荐秋天的时候去住一下大烟山里的森林别墅，开车听着Take Me Home, Country Roads在五彩斑斓蓝岭公路享受自然之美😁

[@dxdline]

很诚恳，和我想象的一样。

[@its_tomtom]

America is not a 100% cashless society. Here in NYC, you still need cash for many mom and pop stores and food trucks.

[@eggheadegghead]

I was surprised that he said he can use his phone to pay most stuff in that small town. Here is TX, we still need actual credit card, not the phone, to pay for most groceries or eat in restaurants.....

[@HAILANSteven]

Back to Shanghai, just like what I really want to do😊

[@mrsmakwm]

i am an Australian HongKonger, that means a one from a city to a western country. The things I find interesting in Australia is same as your last one. There is no people on the street, how come, just like a ghost city... Now i know all people are in the cars on the street.

[@maikelaoshi]

The parks here always have people, but you don't see people walking around much. Maybe that will change when the weather isn't so hot? Probably not haha

[@SunnyMa-iv2xu]

But the Aussie right now no need to apply China visa can go to China trip stay for 15 days without visa after Kiwis (New Zealand) and thirteen European countries (France, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Germany, Poland, Ireland and Norway) also no need apply China visa can go to China trip stay for 15 days visa free.

[@SunnyMa-iv2xu]

@@mrsmakwm Good Aussie and no need apply China visa can go to China trip stay for 15 days to China trip without visa for your Aussie passport enter to China.

[@XkMeng]

And the Australia media said every day that China's newly built cities were ghost towns

[@manfredl733]

I didn't know whether you are a second generation of a first generation migrated to Australia. I think even Sydney is worse than Hong Kong. Especially the foods and the drinks. The only advantage might be the size of the rooms.

[@lulalala_]

沿海地区人口确实密集，我老家就没什么人，我也习惯了不管什么时候出门几乎总能一个人走在街上的情况，初中第一次去上海旅游，我真的超级吃惊，因为从来没有在街上看到过那----么多人😂

[@Runningbowels]

I never left the country but the tipping culture is ridiculous. Cost of living has gone up and seems like people has to demand more tips. I went to a dim sum restaurant and the bill was over $100 and I left a $15 tip. To my amazement, the waiter said that if we liked the service and food I should leave more of a tip. WTF?!

[@User-imwnx151]

I'd take back the tip and leave 😑 This is ridiculous.

[@Ptzou]

Hmm, that’s lower than 15%, so I would say it is pretty low for a tip

[@boykewang]

上涨的太厉害了

[@doflamingodonquixote4740]

无法忍受

[@XC-iy4il]

Well said. I spent 8 years as an international student in the U.S. Midwest, then lived in Singapore for 3 years before moving back to Southern California last year. One thing that really surprised me was how little I walked here compared to Singapore, where walking was a big part of my daily routine. It’s definitely better for my health. I’m not a fan of how much driving we have to do in the U.S.!

[@maikelaoshi]

It's not ideal but here in Cary it's so convenient. They have a really nice parkway system with 45mph speed limits so you can get across town so quickly without many stoplights. I'm still not sure how they did it so well but it's one of the few places in the USA where I can honestly say the city planners did an amazing job.

[@ylaw8708]

My culture shock while living in US were the lack of elderly people exercising in the park early morning, lack of infrastructures, large amount of obese people, the amount of sugar it is used in desserts, salads eaten as a meal, lack of thoughts, ingredients, and spice/seasonings put into cooking, lack of vegetables, fruits and seafood selection in the supermarket, lack of mom amd pop eateries, restaurants close early (excluding diners and fast food places), after school activities for children besides sports and education system. It has been 30 plus years living in the US, and I have gotten used to it for the most part. BUT I only stick to Asian cooking and buy my groceries in Asain markets. I would walk to places so I don't own a car. On the plus side, I grew up with lots of rough mannered people in Hong Kong, so it was refreshing to meet most Americans have a milder manners and friendlier.

[@patrickge1870]

We live in Australia. Feel the same thing. Western type of bakery, cakes and stuff are just way too sweet. Seriously can't take it. If we buy a birthday cake, we just go to Chinese shops.

[@zheff0231]

Traditionally Chinese cuisine doesn’t have much desserts haha … just look at the dessert section. Maybe also sugar is not really a staple. Maybe more deserts in southern China. But now of course lots of western influence , sweet snacks like pastries everywhere. But yes US desserts and candy are rather sweet . And the portion omg … like for 3 persons to eat. Soda cups are soooo big and pizzas too. Food is rather expensive in the US now even local grown fruits.

[@yuehchen7308]

Your positive mind set is great and your observation is true to the point.,!!!👌👌👌✌✌

[@maggie5190]

Tipping at my own will is fine, but tipping as a must is not tipping, it’s call service charge, we also have that in HK, only in restaurant at 10% of the bill.

[@akeygma]

My friend who moved from Shanghai to US recently once ride a bike out and when she go back its already night and there is no lamp pole on the street... Guess that's why ride a bike is not a good option in US.

[@maikelaoshi]

Yes the homes in the US are much more spread out and not every street has street lights.

[@moyufeng0334]

不止美国，中东，欧洲的甜品和蛋糕也是齁甜，可能就东亚好一些吧，不过确实欧美人种对糖和脂肪的代谢要比东亚人种强

[@konu4476]

我觉得是他们的糖转化成皮下脂肪的能力很强

[@a791j]

House prices in Cary will be a cultural shock. It used to be mid 200s -400s, now they are 800s up.

[@chingo3625]

You are living in a rural area. Try a larger town, you will experience a different. Don't try to compare!

[@Anonymous------]

In USA amd Canada where restaurants use psychological trick to force patrons to tip, people are stop going to restaurants because they are fed up with such psychological tactic used on them, many restaurants went out of business due to this reason. Supermarkets are having very long lines at the cashiers now.

[@seanlee3863]

Booze is expensive. I always do a mental currency conversion in my head whenever i get something and i often do feel like I'm getting ripped off on something i shouldn't feel.

[@lokyinphotography]

I would like to see your opinion in NYC. 😅

[@ZhengMing-hp5tt]

thanks for your nice information in US.

[@mmaker88]

In my opinion, non-formalised tipping is easy to give rise to a habit of corruption practice.

[@fs5775]

Tipping leads to corruption?? What a very Mainland Chinese perspective on humanity, so sad..

[@mmaker88]

@ It has nothing to do with mainland Chinese, it is human expectation under such circumstances. You do not know about mainland Chinese so do not make such remarks.

[@meiyang3185]

I am a Chinese woman from Wuhan, live in a small village in Germany, very close to the Netherlands. Wuhan is a metropolis, where I live is in the centre of nowhere, everything is 180 degrees different. for me, it's not a shock, but an experience. Because there are different cultures, the world is colourful

[@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185]

同意你講有不同的文化你去體驗一下，才不枉此生，祝你有精彩的人生天天快樂😊

[@rachelhuang543]

跑勒刁的位置，豆皮 热干面 糊米酒 你都不想念啊？

[@meiyang3185]

@@rachelhuang543 我是一只不吃热干面不吃豆皮不喝藕汤的九头鸟。糊米酒嘛，自己做呗。我是有家乡菜会很开心，没有我也不想的人，庆幸自己不是吃货。

[@rachelhuang543]

@@meiyang3185 那样挺好的，我待了三年，一回武汉看到好吃的就要落泪那种😅 武汉胃真的 真的吃不来国外的食物，自己做也不地道🤣

[@meiyang3185]

@@rachelhuang543 我嘴大吃四方，走哪吃哪，不跟自己较劲。反正都是穿肠过。

[@joeymelbourne]

I lived in Australia and China, I feel more willing to go to restaurants, no tip, no tax (already included), what you see is what you pay. In US and Canada, I always think twice, they are already overpriced, and plus tax, plus tips, what a world 😂 I wouldnt think NC is super nice, but in some suburb (definitely not downtown Charlotte), some people are well educated and quite nice. Same in every US city. Hope to see you back in China again.

[@kaiwang9705]

After 5 years of living in Melbourne, i'm just so used to the Melbourne food standard, when i came back, most of the restaurant don't really care how different the food is compare to what they've been advertising. Another thing is people in Melbourne have an awareness of personal space in public area, and friendly distancing themselves from the strangers out of respect. When i'm back In China early this year, the personal space you can have in public area is limited, and people wouldn't willing say a word or acknowledge you that they are about to passing next to you, in some crowded site, can be just shoulder to shoulder.

[@张总震]

。。。我感觉你有点憨批，你是不是没朋友啊

[@fubolibs4218]

I like how much goes back to the US and talk about credit card points. Its like wechat requirs cash and in US evwryone is swimming in credit card debt.

[@fs5775]

You can pay off your credit card bill every month in full and you earn free flights, free hotel stays, free phones etc just for being financially responsible. Soooo much better than China.

[@lexicali-23]

Chinese American here in my 10th year in China. One huge difference for me is the second hand smoke. This one reason alone is enough to pick the US over China especially if you have young kids. The reverse is true if you’re a smoker, haha, because China is a smoker’s paradise. You seem like a grateful guy and I understand that you might not want to get into the negatives of China too much. It’s the grateful guest mentality that we shouldn’t badmouth our hosts. But the way I see it, you also made contributions to China as a foreigner in likely many ways during your time there, so it’s a two way street. It’s okay to talk more about life in China for what it really is.

[@剑桥泉哥]

确实，作为一名烟民，我这辈子都不会去的国家就是新加坡，控烟的已经有点变态了，绝对是烟民地狱，中国真的烟民天堂中的天堂，随时抽烟，还能酒店里抽烟，作为一名烟民，这一点对我来说能包容其它所有缺点😂

[@barryzhang5292]

@@剑桥泉哥新加坡就是大陆文化的反面，儒家文化的现代化😂

[@boykewang]

我也讨厌那些老烟枪太烦了😂

[@sht-co5gv]

慢慢在变好了，大城市吸烟地点越来越规范，年轻人的吸烟比例下降很多，到我大学毕业为止，班上同学只有几个人抽烟。

[@lexicali-23]

@@sht-co5gv 年轻人这方面确实好多了，不过，烟草公司这几年随着政治环境变化也在强化自己，这就导致中国的烟草税一直长不上来，和香烟的包装永远不会像西方那样严格

[@zzzz-xb1hv]

老师的口语真的很清晰，学习英语的好视频。

[@GiorniVenibato]

North Carolina!!!💙💙💙💙💙💙

[@yongdeng1813]

Nice stuff. Yeah the tipping culture is out of hand. Anyway, i havnt been home for 27 years, going back to Foshan this november, i am pretty sure i will have to get used to a lot of different stuff. Cant wait tho!

[@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185]

佛山的朋友歡迎你回來，我是香港的🤚

[@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185]

這麼多年沒有回來中國，一定很詫異他的變化，中國現在太美了

[@yongdeng1813]

@@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185 thank you! 我知我一定会非常开心的

[@RZ-rw6gy]

在美国生活出门不带现金其实十年前就可以了，但是不带卡，我觉得即使是现在也还办不到，apple pay其实没那么普及。

[@pretzelezgamingz7764]

Do you know what I do to avoid paying coffee shops, fast food tips( unless you really served me) ! I pay online ahead of time. I hate it when at window trying to pay my food and server showing me the screen for tips before I can pay the food. Ridiculous! It made me not want to go there.

[@kuoliu1978]

Several things mentioned here are not necessarily culture shock. They are just the difference between a mega city and a mid-smallish sized city.

[@maikelaoshi]

Yes, but it's still something I'm not used to and was surprising to me.

[@harryj1081]

What changed is your home country printed trillions of dollars and fiscally spending it.

[@呵呵-q4s]

I'm in Romania and the tipping here is even more outrageous, and you also have to tip about 30% for a taxi.

[@yanyanmmyanyanmm9185]

貴

[@子房-m3z]

😂～美國小費是因為老闆工作沒給夠要客人填補😅（要員工服務態度好．必須要羊毛出自羊身上的觀念）😆．．．小費本來就是個人意願給多給少都是本人隨意．．美國現在很多地方小費是固定的（簡直就是明搶😂）

[@周琳玲-i4g]

凡尔赛大师！没有人潮的拥挤而且安全是多么美好的事情

[@luomaggie9817]

新西兰的甜点也很甜，我很少买来吃，都是自己在家做。新西兰的环境和风景都不错，特别是南岛。

[@lilth501]

It probably would have been better if you compared Shanghai to maybe a Chicago, New York or a Seattle rather than a small rural rown in American. The difference between the two environments is so expensive they're not even in the same ballpark. Even in America the difference between rural America and Big City America can be enormous.

[@anakinskywalker9752]

I grow up in the vicinity of Shanghai and spend the last 12 years in the US, currently also live in Cary. Visited home the first time last year after so long my feeling is pretty much the same but from an opposite angle. There is no clear justifications for which place is better for work and living, just personal preferences now, and the trend is in the favor of China.

[@davepsk7334]

I got used to all these long ago as I had travelled around the world with a humanitarian aid group for more than 15 years.

[@cfyao677]

it's crazy, 25+% tips, in China, the commission fee is included in the price, waiter or salesman can get more money if he/she can sale more, not asks for tips from customer directly. the boss standardlized like process , communication, polite..., we don't need pay for that, and surpised me, also need to pay tips even if online shopping, you know all transaction will be done by machine.

[@lumengbai]

Haven’t seen 15% option in the Bay Area for a while…18% is the minimum, pretty crazy

[@sulittipid9945]

Can you review my current place? New York

[@maxyang7919]

10 years in The Down Under. Went back earlier this year. Nah not a lot of shocks. Guess that's because I have been following "the trend" on my WeChat subscription feeds and video platforms like YT and Bilibili.

[@iamyoda66]

Most machine tips go to the company and a portion goes back to the worker. Usually less than 30% of what you tip…

[@maikelaoshi]

That was my sense too but need more verification on it.

[@yu-jd5jg]

yes, the cultures of the 2 countries are like South and North Poles. But as long they have mutual respect and accept co-existence on this blue planet without trying to dominate each other, it should be fine and peaceful

[@frankcameratalk]

When we met anyone from US, we always get into topic of crime rate, gun control, any concern, 麦克老师?

[@wck-o8v]

Many people have asked the same question, especially if you’re in a park, where’s everyone? But try Costco!

[@JingzhiZhang-m6m]

Tip culture change is related to recent years of restaurant workers, cash driven politics and the first lady's name tip. And the system plays the words tips, fees and commissions. The word driven system even changed the name of roads and numbers of buildings

[@JingzhiZhang-m6m]

Plus the debate of do you tax tips

[@ksenijavojisavljevic2034]

Coming back to Belgrade from Melbourne, where I have a supermarket on 2 km from home, and any destination needs 2 + hours of a travel, while in Belgrade every building has a supermarket at the ground level, people are unsatisfied if they have to walk 50 meters between stations and if a new tram does not come in 2 min. If they would have to walk 2 km , they would make a revolution.

[@bryanzhan4050]

I can never imagine

[@nigelku7234]

Thumbs up for suggesting to ask if the server get to keep the tip before you tip.👍

[@congjuny]

2:48 The $2.13/hour wage for tipped workers is pretty much across the board, and it's been like this forever. But it's a bit misleading. The employer is required by law to pay the difference if the base pay of $2.13 + tips is still below minimum wages.

[@maikelaoshi]

Correct. I would imagine most people in the service industry would take a job with a $2.13/hour base pay anyways. Just like no one working at McDonald's is making $7.25/hour.

[@dusttime8939]

你好，朋友。现在欧洲大部分地区都没有小费了。而且欧亚大陆甚至英国都在使用【公制单位】。 英国都在用【公制单位】！

[@beautifuldream108]

30 years ago, i had a culture shock in my own country at living and working in EU 15years. Why can't they mind their own business. 😂😂😂😂😅😅😅😅😅😅 Now, i understand.😅😅😅😊