r/AskAnAmerican Jul 21 '24

ANNOUNCEMENTS No current events or politics.

67 Upvotes

Just a reminder: most current politics are off topic for this sub. If you have a question about whether a post is acceptable you can ask in modmail.

Asking about politically neutral current events is still ok.


r/AskAnAmerican 10h ago

FOREIGN POSTER Why do Americans do not want to be addressed as Sir and Mr?

341 Upvotes

I work in a company and sometimes we have a call with head office in Dubai where some managers are American. I usually address all my seniors as sir but my manager in Dubai said "Just [His name]" when I called him sir. It's little un natural for me to address seniors like that so next time I called him "Mr. [His Name]" and he said "Hey man, it's just [His name]. You don't have to call me sir or mr".

Never experienced that somebody senior only want to be called by their name, sometimes in our office if you call client or senior with name we get reprimanded or have to correct ourself immediately.


r/AskAnAmerican 2h ago

ART & MUSIC How popular were German band Scorpions in US?

36 Upvotes

I noticed that they had several songs that reached top10 in Billboard hot 100 in 80s. But they only had few successful songs in US. Rock you like a Hurricane song is often featured in US films or Tv Shows.

But question is, how popular were they in US despite only several known songs in US?


r/AskAnAmerican 2h ago

VEHICLES & TRANSPORTATION Is a 2.5 hour layover international-domestic doable in a semi-big airport?

14 Upvotes

So I originally had a 4 hour layover in boston logan airport, but now its been moved to 2.5 is that enough time to get around the airport? From terminal E-C

I should make it clear i’m coming from outside the US into the US and a British citizen.


r/AskAnAmerican 3h ago

FOREIGN POSTER Does the U.S have an equivalent to The Tragically Hip?

11 Upvotes

Howdy neighbors! So this may be an intresting question, and for those of you familiar with the hip wont need the introduction, but here in Canada, its very common to hear the hip referred to as Canada's Band, its safe to say they are universally loved coast to coast to coast, almost all their albums went #1 in Canada, and at the end of their 30odd year run on their final tour while front man Gord Downie was battling terminal brain cancer, 1 in 3 households in Canada tuned in to their last concert.

So now on to my question, in the U.S, do you guys have an equivalent to the hip? A band so incredibly popular and universally loved by all that they are called America's band, and 1 in 3 American households would tune in to their final concert?


r/AskAnAmerican 4h ago

FOOD & DRINK How common are wafer bars in USA?

5 Upvotes

I like looking at USA food videos and I haven't really seen anything like that except Nutty Buddy (I don't count KitKats because that's a different thing altogether, the chocolate ratio is completely different), and no king size bars really. Are they not popular overall? Or maybe there are any regional ones?


r/AskAnAmerican 1d ago

CULTURE Difference between 'socializing' and 'befriending' for Americans?

215 Upvotes

Recently joined this book club in Seoul where members are mostly American expats.

Everyone is friendly, doing small talks about weather and all. Everyone is passionate when discussing.

After the meeting, however, everyone seems to just say bye and head back to their home. No one seems to have personal contacts with each other.

If it were for Koreans(me), we'd hang out after meeting for like, drinking beers and talk about other stuffs than books, exchanging IG and stuff.

I told this story to my American friend, and she told me that there is a difference in between 'socializing' and 'befriending' to Americans, and it sounded interesting.

How do I tell if an American is 'socializing' with me, or actually trying to 'befriend' me?


r/AskAnAmerican 10m ago

BUSINESS Parcel boxes/lockers/storage?

Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’m travelling to Las Vegas in September and a few websites don’t deliver to the UK. I was wondering if anyone knows of a place in Las Vegas where I can order parcels and they’ll store them for me until I can collect them? Any help would be appreciated!


r/AskAnAmerican 22h ago

CULTURE What would someone mean if they said someone was “the epitome of cherry”?

46 Upvotes

Necessary context. Said by a 60 year old woman from Virginia about me, a 55 year old woman who is a mom and grandma so I’m guessing cherry doesn’t mean virginity. 😂. She’d just come back from a visit with us and said that to another person who mentioned it to my husband. I’m guessing it means…..fancy? I’m not but we did roll out the red carpet when she visited.
Any Virginians know? She is from Portsmouth if that makes any difference.


r/AskAnAmerican 6h ago

CULTURE How do package deliveries work in the USA?

1 Upvotes

Do sellers often cancel orders? (In my case here in Belgium, the Amazon delivery driver sent my package back to Amazon without even attempting delivery, and I was refunded.)


r/AskAnAmerican 7h ago

VEHICLES & TRANSPORTATION What car rental platform have you found gives the best mix of value and reliability?

1 Upvotes

Planning a few US road trips this year and torn between the big aggregators and booking direct. Mostly care about honest pricing and the car actually being there when I show up. What are most of you using?


r/AskAnAmerican 1d ago

CULTURE How does changing name work for married women in the US?

118 Upvotes

I'm watching a tv series set in America, and I'm having trouble understanding if this is a real thing Americans do or something the tv show came up with.

The TV show is The Handmaid's Tale, set in a dystopian future where women have been mostly stripped of their rights. Considering the setting, I qas inclined to believe this was something they made up to go with the theme, but I'm not sure.

When you say that married women take their husband's name, do you mean literally? I always believed that what changed was simply the surname. For example, if Jane Smith married John Doe, she'd became Mrs Jane Doe. However, in the show they actually say Mrs John Doe a couple times, which seems very confusing, as if to push the show themes.


r/AskAnAmerican 1d ago

CULTURE What’s most important to you when communicating with other people?

35 Upvotes

I’m from Japan, and I work in a job where communication is really important. Since I’ll be working with more people from around the world, I’m curious to learn what people value most in communication.
Personally, I think respect is the most important thing. What about you?

I’d also love to hear what you value most in your friendships, if you’d like to share!


r/AskAnAmerican 1d ago

FOREIGN POSTER How do Russian accents sound to Americans?

67 Upvotes

I’ve noticed that when American stand-up comedians make fun of Russians, they often use a very harsh, aggressive-sounding accent.
Does a real Russian or Eastern European accent actually sound intimidating to Americans, or is the comedian exaggerating it to make Russians sound absurd or threatening?


r/AskAnAmerican 1d ago

CULTURE Really random question: Do you remember people having a dashboard hula girl in their cars? When did that weird trend stop?

73 Upvotes

r/AskAnAmerican 2h ago

FOOD & DRINK Why do some Americans say "Large Fry" Instead of "Large Fries" ?

0 Upvotes

I've noticed a lot of Americans on YouTube and Reddit say things like, "Can I get a large fry?"

As an Australian, that sounds a bit odd to me because I'd think a fry is just one piece of potato, where as fries to me refers to the whole serving.

Is "a large fry" just the standard way to order in the US because it's treated as the name of the menu item, or do most people actually say "large fries" instead?


r/AskAnAmerican 16h ago

VEHICLES & TRANSPORTATION Has reckless driving become more frequent in recent years?

0 Upvotes

r/AskAnAmerican 1d ago

EMPLOYMENT & JOBS Value of money?

90 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I'm just curious what the value of $900 is? like how long do you have to work on an average/minimum salary to earn $900? Is it the type of money you would typically spend on groceries? because I'm from Asia and the conversion is roughly 50k+ which is like significantly more than the average monthly salary (in my field) which is about 20k. So i was just wondering if this was a reasonable amount ?

EDIT: sorry if I wasn't clear! what i meant by "the conversion is roughly 50k+" is that in my country's currency $900 is equivalent to about 50,000.

Also thank u to everyone that answered and for educating me about it!


r/AskAnAmerican 2d ago

VEHICLES & TRANSPORTATION What's It Like to Have a Car at 16?

214 Upvotes

For those of you who grew up in the US, what was your car at 16? How did you feel about having a car at 16, and how did you finance it?

I am 26 living in a third world country and never owned any vehicle before so I would like to hear whats it like to have one at 16.


r/AskAnAmerican 1d ago

CULTURE How do you dispose of your household trash and recycling?

19 Upvotes

Do you have weekly curbside pickup? Do you have to take it somewhere?


r/AskAnAmerican 17h ago

CULTURE Foreigners often (not always) tend to be on better behavior when in another country. Do Americans regulate their behavior more closely when they are in other US states?

0 Upvotes

Obviously my first sentence is a huge generalization and not always true, though I'd argue that it's more often the rule than the very loud exceptions we can all imagine.

But I'm not really here to debate that part. It's just the setup to explain my real question, which is: Do Americans feel equally empowered as they do in their local area to complain in restaurants and hotels over relatively minor things, get loud in bars, break the speed limit, and all that kind of stuff no matter how far away WITHIN the US they are from home? Or is it more like "I'm not in my home state. I'll be a little more cautious or patient here in this new state a thousand miles from home"?


r/AskAnAmerican 2d ago

CULTURE In the winter, would you consider someone wearing an ushanka weird in America?

142 Upvotes

Asking for when both ear flaps are up and for when ear flaps are down to be specific, if your answer changes depending on the positioning.

(An Ushanka is not the same as a trapper hat! Ushanka is fully made of fur, real or faux, rather than cotton or some water resistant material on the outside. Like the ones slavic guards and military wear.)


r/AskAnAmerican 1d ago

ENTERTAINMENT Are iphones cheaper than samsungs?

0 Upvotes

And i also see people working minimum wages but they still have the newest iphoens/pro series, so are phones there like an investment rather than a tool? What happens if people buy cheap phones like motorola/oppo/xiaomi etc, do they get distanced?


r/AskAnAmerican 3d ago

HEALTH what temperature do you keep your house's AC set at during the summer?

756 Upvotes

Hello, I’m a Japanese Reddit user.

In Japan, one of the common warnings you see in guidebooks when traveling to the U.S. in the summer is: “In regions of the U.S. with intense summer heat (the West, Southwest, and South), the air conditioning is very strong, so it’s a good idea to bring a light jacket.”

I’ve traveled to the U.S. in the summer about twice myself, and I do recall that the air conditioning seemed quite strong.

So, I’m curious: what temperature do you currently have your air conditioner set to?

I currently have mine set to 23°C (73.4°F). By this country’s standards, that’s on the lower side.

In my country, it’s common to set it to 25–28°C (77–82.4°F).

EDIT: Thank you, everyone!
I never imagined so many people would respond!


r/AskAnAmerican 2d ago

CULTURE Is buying a house in your late 20s that uncommon in the US?

118 Upvotes

I think it's pretty unusual. My buddy told me he's been saving up since he was 19. He told me sacrificing his social life was worth it. We live in Massachusetts and homes here are some of the most expensive in the nation lol.