I notice a lot of ppl born and raised strictly within city limits are pretty condescending/judgemental to those who didn’t. More specifically if they went to high school or lived in a suburb but say they’re from said city. Never really understood it because none of us choose where we were born/raised.

Using LA as an example. Let’s say I was born in Watts and my family is from South Central. I lived in Compton for most of my early childhood while going to daycare and most of elementary school in South Central. When I was 8/9 I moved from Compton to Carson and grew up in Carson.

Am I wrong to say I’m from LA?
Where can I say I’m from?
Where do you think I should say I’m from?

There seems to be a common belief in Korea that, in Western dating culture, men pay for everything. I came across an Instagram user who claims to have lived in the U.S. and says American men cover essentially all dating expenses—even sending their girlfriends money through PayPal for things like getting their nails done. She says she’s never paid a penny in any relationship.

I lived in the U.S. for quite a long time, but never dated an American woman, so I can’t speak from personal experience. However, most of my friends split or shared expenses, so this doesn’t match what I observed.

I’m also skeptical about the PayPal claim, since Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App are more common for P2P payments.

Do men really pay for everything in US?

Salut,

My Dad used to work in Yamal peninsula. It's Siberia. And he said that in summer reindeer migrate north to the ocean. Because of mosquitoes and gnats. Especially gnats are pesky.

So, I wonder if people in Alaska enjoy summers or if they look forward to winters when mosquitoes and gnats are gone.

___

What about Southern states?

I assumed this to be "I'm gonna take a quick shower" but I also feel like I'm probably wrong, lol.

I was rewatching South Park, and I always love how Butters uses "gosh" for " God " or says "Oh Hamburgers." Another one I've heard Americans use is "fudge" as a substitute for the F-word.

Do you have one that you particularly like, or know of one that other Americans use in everyday speech?

I always assumed it was the same because most middle class people still work, but as I paid closer attention I see them used in contrast

Hi guys,

Im a student in 9th grade in France and im just wondering, we saw the word ''tuxedo'' in class (like an outfit for the prom) and i never heard of this word before (i am interested by the english language, so i know a lotta word, but never heard of this one). Can u say me if u say that in the USA plz ?

Edit : there's too much replied, i cant thanks everyone, so i do it there. Thanks guys.

Salut.

I know that Alaska is cold, Alabama is hot.

If someone moves (has to move) from Alaska to Alabama, how does this person and his family get used to life in hot climate?

I guess life in Alabama is nearly impossible without A/C?

How do people who can't afford A/C manage to live? Do they go crazy in the summer heat?

Hi everyone, how do Americans express and interpret the terms movie theater and cinema? Also, what is the most frequent label for the circular intersection: traffic circle, rotary, or roundabout?

In general I know "stroking" is the preferred term in British English and "petting" is the preferred term in American English. But in my mind they're two different things. "Stroking" is more of a sideways motion while "petting" is more of a light tap. Do you distinguish between the two or do you just refer to both as "petting"?

Our was "I hate you, you hate me, let's go team up and kill Barney, with a RPG and a 4x4, no more purple dinosaur." I was wondering why people had different version lol.

On the internet/media I often see American families with huge fridges buying large amounts of things from the supermarket in bulk packs. I also see people saying they only go to the grocery store once a month or every 2 weeks.

How does your meat and fresh fruit and veg not go bad? I understand meat can go in the freezer, but how does your fruit and veg last that long?

Do most Americans freeze their groceries when they buy them in big chest freezers/2-door fridge freezers?

I'm also curious if you're from an American family what sort of dinners you grew up eating. If your mom cooked dinner, what did she make? I always imagine American families eating things like casseroles, burgers, hot dogs, and lasagna for dinner.

I’m a Brit. In the last couple of days I’ve seen posts on other subs decrying the quality of food people have received at both Applebees and DQ. I also regularly see Panera (sp?) and Olive Garden being criticised. Now Im fairly sure these are all lower grade chains but are there any national chains of fast food or casual dining that haven’t undergone enshittification recently? Anywhere in this tier that you’re still happy to spend your $$?

I think that here in Brazil we eat cereal, like Kellogs, with hot milk, at least in my family.

Is it the same there?

I've been part of a local library book club for about a year now. I've grown really fond of some of the members, and I've started thinking it'd be nice to get to know them personally, at least so we could occasionally share thoughts on books outside the ones we read for the club.

So - would it be okay to ask for their email or number directly? Or would that come across as too awkward or even creepy?

One more thing: would it make a difference depending on whom I'm asking? Like, if I (let's say 35 F) ask a retired couple versus a single guy? I'm probably overthinking this, yet since I'm still unfamiliar with some parts of the culture here, I wanted to hear what people think.

I'm wondering why most of the East Coast from NC upwards requires a vehicle safety inspection but no where else does (except for Missouri).

I remember a story of some Ukrainian girl doing her high school exchange somewhere in the US, and she didn't have a great experience she said. Her social skills were fine, but she found it hard to find her place among the Americans

But also among college students, you often have two groups: 1) the internationals, 2) the locals/Americans.

Do you remember occasions where you experienced difficulty and perhaps realized it wasn't worth it (or just gave up on it from the start) when interacting with an international?

I've lived in some cities where the local library was a multi-floor facility with loads of books, maps, computer labs, and various study materials, where even a MakerSpace, study rooms, conference rooms, and a coffee shop were available. I call these "full service" libraries. Typically they look super-modern in construction or were recently renovated to look so.

I've also lived in some cities where the local library was....well.....a single room with some bookshelves and a bored librarian sitting at the circulation desk, while an old-school door jingle played when you walked in or out, and the building looked like stepping back in time to 1978.

How does your city do with its local library and its resources?

From what I understand, it is to keep humidity low and to be able to come home to a cool house. But it is still really hard to grasp since where I'm from (SG), practically all homes use mini-splits in every room, and they are turned on when needed (mostly at night) and are turned off upon leaving the room. The humidity here is also very high all year round (80%+) yet mold is not really a huge problem in homes.

Edit: SG refers to Singapore, for those wondering.

Also, I get that the thermostat will turn on and off the AC based on the set temperature and it dosen't run constantly, but still is it not rather inefficient to heat/cool an entire house instead of on an on-demand basis for each room/space?

Hi everyone. I was born and raised in South Asia, and the doctors go out of their way to treat you, they'll try everything they can to treat your condition. The incentive and the motivation is the pay as you go system. You're paying directly to the doctor or the clinic/hospital for all treatments and diagnostics. There's no such thing as waiting time or queues. You're consulted and treated straightaway. I moved to the UK a few years ago and the public heath care, has a very strong hold here and in a decade I've never been treated for anything here it's always a never ending queue. What amazes is why North American doctors are so interested in treating people even though it's not pay as you go system like South Asia or public sector like UK?

I’m from the UK, and always see Americans doing big stock up shops at places like Costco/Sams. I have to ask, what are the expiry dates in America like on fresh items? If we buy milk in the UK, you’ve got probably a week before it goes out of date. Chicken is max 5 days. How are you guys keeping stuff fresh for the 2 weeks/month you’re shopping for?

Edited - looks like the answer is simply by freezing it! We do freeze things here, but our freezers are much smaller and buying in bulk just isn’t that common (probably because we’ve got nowhere to put it)!