I’m American, but I’ve heard in a lot of countries they hate how we start talking to someone who is still kind of far away. Like when your friend is approaching from the other direction and you say “Hey, how’s it going?” but you have to talk more loudly because he’s several paces away.
What common American habits do people find quietly annoying?
Submitted 3 days ago by hxxdjay@lemmy.world to nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
Comments
AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.ca 3 days ago
rwdf@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Eating with only a fork instead of knife and fork. Cutting the food into pieces first, then shifting the fork to the right hand and eating the pieces like a toddler.
morphballganon@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Do toddlers where you are keep a hand free to multi-task, be available to lend a hand where needed, or use a napkin?
Or is dedicating both hands to stuffing your face the more toddler-like method? Maybe think before you fling shit.
starlinguk@lemmy.world 2 days ago
You can put the knife down when needed, Janice. It’s not rocket science.
Honytawk@feddit.nl 2 days ago
They don’t have a hand free when they use fork and knife you numbskull.
lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com 2 days ago
That’s the whole western hemisphere.
I also loathed when they tried to teach me that custom, especially the whole utensils switching hands deal: it’s especially frustrating for a young child who will fumble and drop utensils to the floor trying pointlessly unnecessary maneuvers.
I loathe the European convention just as much: bring pointy, sharp thing to mouth in less coordinated hand? Fuck no.
I don’t follow either convention. Instead
- utensil that approaches mouth (fork or spoon) in dominant hand: least chance of fumbling, dropping food, self-injury
- knife in non-dominant hand: cutting doesn’t require fine coordination (practice makes it 2nd nature) & fumbled knife ends up on plate
- utensils never switch hands: minimizes fumbling.
Basically, the European convention with opposite hands.
exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
If we’re talking table manners and conventions, at this point I’m on board with combining three principles, two from the West and one from the East, for making dining more convenient and more pleasant:
- (From Western restaurant norms): Every item on the plate or in the bowl should be intended to be eaten. The kitchen should remove bones and inedible seeds, and all garnishes should be edible.
- (From Western fine dining): Food should be properly seasoned when served. There’s no need for salt or pepper to be available at the table.
- (From Asian dining culture): Knives at the table are barbaric, and everything on a plate or bowl should already be cut into appropriate sizes for one handed eating.
That would also take care of the American versus English etiquette (and whatever countries fall on either side of that convention) on how to use knives at the table.
Earthman_Jim@lemmy.zip 2 days ago
Imperialism
GeneralEmergency@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Treating their assumptions about others as facts.
Being Northern Irish I see this a lot. Always about The Troubles, Political Identity, and the modern working of Northern Ireland.
When Michelle O’Neill became First Minister all the plastic Paddy’s came out the woodwork to say that Ireland would be united in 5 years time.
Despite Unionists still holding the majority of seats, the larger share of votes, and British being the most popular political identity.
reksas@sopuli.xyz 2 days ago
sayings like “make no mistake”
MutilationWave@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
It is what it is
Scirocco@lemmy.world 1 day ago
“the likes of which”
Vittorio@lemmy.world 2 days ago
That they still exist
prac@lemmy.world 2 days ago
pancake and honey on it
Nemo@slrpnk.net 2 days ago
whaaaaa?
I confess, I mostly expected this post to contain things that also annoy me about my fellow Americans, but here I am now, rocked to my core
prac@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Wait, is it actually that rare in the US? I thought honey was a standard alternative!
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 days ago
The same variety every country finds annoying about tourists from different cultures because foreigners. Loud, demanding, not obeying local social cues or courtesies, not speaking any of the language, walking too slow because tourist, crowding, messing up local living conditions thanks to vacation rentals, drunks, etc.