Seven things Americans are used to that are perplexing to our
About American features of the project "Poshepki" said the minskblog blogger, who was born and raised in Minsk, but spent most of his life on the road: “Our life is full of things that we take for granted. Many details surround us since childhood, and we can’t even imagine that familiar things can look completely different. When you first come to the USA, you begin to be sincerely surprised at the many details and habits that the locals do not pay any attention to. ”
These are the usual things of American life that cause bewilderment among people from post-Soviet countries. The story of the blogger minskblog is from the first person.
Fluorinated water
In the mid-XNUMXth century, scientists found that fluoride prevents tooth decay by reducing the leaching of mineral salts from tooth enamel. Since then, water in the USA has been fluorinated to prevent caries in the population. You notice the effect after a month of using such water, the teeth become whiter and stronger, we really lack such practice.
Food choppers
More than 20 million food choppers are produced and sold annually in the United States. An ordinary American cannot imagine his life without this device, while the average resident of the post-Soviet space is unaware of its existence. The chopper allows you to grind absolutely all kitchen organic waste and lower it into the sewer. As a result of no smell from the kitchen bucket, only dry inorganic waste goes into the trash.
On the subject: 6 things unusual for our immigrants that are in every American home
Duct air conditioners
Almost all rooms in the United States are equipped with air conditioning, and this is done at the construction stage. Unlike personal split systems, ducted air conditioners do not cool the stagnant air in the apartment, but take in and at the same time cool the fresh air from the street. The room is maintained at a comfortable temperature and humidity, while the air remains fresh.
Phone numbers with letters
A brilliant invention of American marketers, absolutely unknown here. Instead of memorizing a bunch of numbers for dozens of companies, Americans simply memorize their names, and commercial numbers look like 1-800-ABC-DEFG. Instead of letters, you can choose any word - for example, the number of a law office can look like 1-800-JUSTICE. At the same time, a call to 1-800 is always free for the subscriber.
Piece potatoes
In the countries of the former USSR, it is customary to buy potatoes in bags or buckets from attendants in the market. With the advent of large ponds, it became possible to buy washed potatoes by weight. In the USA, for several decades now people have been buying potatoes individually, each potato being wrapped in polyethylene and marked with a barcode.
On the subject: Dependence on cars and one supermarket per city: why ours is unusual in one-story America
Tilted buses
People with disabilities in the United States are considered full-fledged members of society, all the necessary infrastructure has been created for them: smooth sidewalks, lowered ramps, lowered buttons in elevators and at traffic lights. At the same time, public transport is equipped with air suspension, due to which the bus bends to the level of the sidewalk. As a result, a person with a disability easily goes inside without any help.
Lack of traffic signs with pictures
In the USA there are practically no road signs in the usual sense. Almost all road signs are written in letters, so that it is clear to anyone who has mastered the Latin alphabet. No bricks, yellow diamonds with white borders or red triangles - everything is written with the words: “yield to pedestrians”, “50 mph speed limit”, “crosswalk” and so on.
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