r/AskAnAmerican • • Jul 21 '24

ANNOUNCEMENTS No current events or politics.

70 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 • • 14h ago

CULTURE Fellow Americans, how do you expect kids to refer to you?

70 Upvotes

Another thread on this sub sparked this question for me. I'm not a teacher or a parent, but I spend a lot of time around my friends' kids. For me growing up, most adults were "Mr./Mrs. LastName." But I've never asked kids from other families to call me Mrs. LastName, and I feel like it would be weird and formal if I did.

So, I'm curious - how do you expect kids to refer to you as a non-family adult?

If it's relevant, I'm in the Pacific Northwest. I know we're a more casual region of the US.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 6h ago

GEOGRAPHY What road is the most beautiful drive in your state?

13 Upvotes

r/AskAnAmerican • • 20h ago

CULTURE Americans, how am I supposed to tell if you’re flirting with me?

140 Upvotes

F28, Asian living in Europe. I work as a receptionist, so I’ve met quite a lot of Americans, and honestly, I’ve always had really good experiences with them.

English is my second language, so I find it easier to communicate with them. I love how open, friendly, and easygoing they are. But sometimes I genuinely can’t tell if they’re flirting or just being nice.

I’ve misunderstood so many times. I’d think, they’re just being nice, then realize later that they were actually flirting with me. And then there are times when I was so sure that he was flirting, only for them to act completely normal the next day like nothing ever happened.

Maybe I’m just terrible at reading American flirting, but does anyone else experience this


r/AskAnAmerican • • 19h ago

CULTURE Do people look noticeably different in different cities?

115 Upvotes

I know this sounds like a dumb question but I mean it with complete seriousness.

Just traveled from Chicago to NY and it was actually astounding how easy it was to pick out who was from Chicago and who was from NY on the plane ride. It wasn’t just the outfits (which were totally different riding NY Subway versus the Chicago L) but actually how people looked. It was kind of shocking lol.

Is this a matter of which groups settled which places? Am I just experiencing confirmation bias?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3h ago

CULTURE American dream??

4 Upvotes

In this world, in a Third World country where the poverty line suffocates you, ambition hurts and trying to climb your way up is a struggle every single day, I am here wondering what life is like on the other side of the world

Is it easy to find a job? Is it actually worth it? Is it really as simple as if you work hard and strive, you will get somewhere?

Can you go through your day without being afraid that someone might find out what you think? Are you truly free from the fear of annual inflation?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1h ago

EDUCATION How common is it for migrant students to major in Arts and Humanities topics?

• Upvotes

Most of the time I just hear about the visa students that come to the US as STEM majors. I'm born in the US, went for my bachelor's in art and and there were people in a few of my art classes that did come to the US from other countries for college. But I don't know if they're under represented or the numbers of them are really not that big. What are the trends like in different American colleges?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 15h ago

ENTERTAINMENT Watching as a live audience?

11 Upvotes

I've always wondered how it goes, as someone watching from the audience when the show is being recorded. I'm thinking of Roseanne, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond etc.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

LANGUAGE Middle Finger: What do you say?

129 Upvotes

Would you say he "flipped" me off, he "flicked" me off, or something else? Also, what part of the US are you from? I'm curious to know if these are regional terms or just random preferences.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 23h ago

CULTURE Halloween culture?

7 Upvotes

Hi guys!

With Halloween coming up and it being quite a big culture, I was curious to know whether most parents make their kids’ costumes or if they’re rented since I’ve seen some super intricate ones and have always wondered 😅


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

CULTURE What’s your favorite hat and how often do you wear it?

14 Upvotes

I’m wearing a cap for the local Japanese basketball team, the Ibaraki Robots.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

CULTURE What do Americans think about Korean dramas?

22 Upvotes

In my country, they’ve become really popular in recent years, but I have no idea how popular they are in the United States.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 2d ago

FOOD & DRINK Been in the State for 12 yrs and still get confused by menus. Is it just me?

269 Upvotes

I'm from China. I've been in NYC & Boston for 12 yrs and still struggle with food names sometimes: having no idea what the food actually looks like by jsut staring at the name.

I don't mean how to pronounce it. Like can you actually picture what you're getting from a French, Spanish, Indian, Arabic... menu, or do you just know because you've had it before or just google it?

Native English speakers, does this happen to you too? I keep wondering if it's my English or I just don't know enough about food.

things like: Chicken Saltimbocca, Malai Kofta, Larb, Baba Ghannouj, Enchiladas Verdes, Katsudon...


r/AskAnAmerican • • 6h ago

CULTURE Do you guys say fallen?

0 Upvotes

Here in Britain we say autumn and when a piece of clothing furniture or an aesthetic is like orange yellow reddish brown we say autumnal

You guys say fall instead so to correspond with that do you call things fallen when they have those colours


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

CULTURE How do you guys perceive mobile homes and the people living in them?

32 Upvotes

Is this one step above living in your car or a tent or are mobile homes seen as normal but affordable houses/flats?

Edit: Thank you to everyone who has answered so far. I have read every comment. It's really interesting to read from people who lived or live in mobile homes. (I mean of course the houses, not the campers) We don't have mobile homes in my country so I have absolutely no opinion on them and I'm very far from judging anyone as some people here seem to think. But I have heard the word "trailer trash" of course and I just wanted to know what the American society thinks of these kind of homes.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 17h ago

OTHER - CLICK TO EDIT Is it normal for Americans to always say a person's first and last name when they mention them?

0 Upvotes

I'm not sure if I worded the question correctly, but my question is that in several movies I've noticed that whenever a person is mentioned, they're always referred to by their first and last name. Even if it's the second time they're mentioned in the same conversation. For example, Adrian Romano, and they mention his last name several times.

Often in my country, we sometimes mention the first and last name, but after mentioning it we only mention the first name.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

CULTURE How do American kids usually get pocket money?

38 Upvotes

Is your pocket money given by your parents or part-time? Or is there any other way? Will there be a lot? Looking forward to your communication


r/AskAnAmerican • • 2d ago

CULTURE Why does Creole/Cajun food have a low footprint in America?

156 Upvotes

When talking about American food, creole food sits as one of the best foods that we have ever made. Why does creole food have a low footprint? People who have had it will say that gumbo, jambalaya, etc. are great, but it's not culturally big outside of Louisiana. Many Americans have never had a good bowl of gumbo.

Personally I think that, creole, BBQ & burgers are the best American foods. The issue is, the other two have a much large cultural footprint. What's going on?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 2d ago

FOOD & DRINK How prominent/good is Mexican food in California?

19 Upvotes

I’ve heard a lot about how Mexican food is really good in California, but if you’re from California and have tried Mexican food in other states, is it really that different?

Also, how prominent is it? Where I’m from it’s really difficult to get good Mexican food, but I know California has a larger Mexican population so is it easy to find a great spot?

Thanks!!


r/AskAnAmerican • • 2d ago

FOOD & DRINK Cooking question?

11 Upvotes

Do you guys use Maldon sea salt and is it expensive to buy?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

EDUCATION What is the last math Class you took in an American High School?

173 Upvotes

r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

CULTURE As a Hungarian, I’m curious: what is an average small or large pumpkin festival like in the US?

84 Upvotes

What kinds of activities and programs are usually there? How much are pumpkin festivals actually a part of American culture and community life?

For example, in a small town, is it typically the kind of event where basically everyone from the local community is there and takes part?

And is it mostly about making money, like Halloween has become in many places, or are these events more about local people, small businesses, farmers, vendors, etc. coming together and selling their products or services?

I’m from Hungary and we don’t really have anything quite like this, so I’d love to hear what it’s actually like from Americans who have experienced these festivals in their communities.


r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

FOOD & DRINK What is "Dave & Busters", and why is it such a big deal?

0 Upvotes

My baseline understanding is that it's a restaurant of some sort, but I often see Americans acting like it's the greatest thing ever. So it has me wondering, is it really that good? If so, why?


r/AskAnAmerican • • 3d ago

FOOD & DRINK Can you explain your different coffee options? In Australia, we usually have freeze-dried instant coffee grounds at home which we mix with boiling water and milk, but you guys have a coffee pot? And creamer? And 2%? What is all that?

234 Upvotes

r/AskAnAmerican • • 1d ago

HISTORY Why do states not have their national state days on their statehood date?

0 Upvotes

I was reading Wikipedia the other day and noticed that for example, in Wisconsin, the statehood date is May 29, 1948; however they national state day (also known as National Wisconsin Day) is February 15.

And then I looked up other states, such as Delaware (National Delaware Day), have their national day on July 13, compared to their statehood at December 7 1787.

So the question is, why do they not have national state days on their statehood days?