I think the American tipping system is totally crazy. It has nothing to do with a "little attention" to the waiter. In the end, the customer pays the entire restaurant staff IN ADDITION to their bill. Therefore, the restaurants in the US should actually be cheaper since they don't have "real" employees. After all, they don't work there for a "normal" salary. It's like going to Walmart and adding 20-30% to the end of your bill as the salary of the Walmart employees, in addition to taxes. This is totally insane.
"Tipping culture" is in my opinion the completely wrong term for it! This is about the relationship between employer and employee. As a German, I expect, even demand, that every employee is paid properly by the employer - knowing full well that this sometimes doesn't happen! But if he's not getting paid properly, it's up to him, with the help of his union, to make sure it's paid properly! The waiter is an employee of his employer - it is not my job as the employer's customer to ensure that the employee of the restaurant owner is properly paid: the two of them have to work this out together, possibly with the help of the union!
I agree with you. I am an American that is direct but always try to be polite. There is a difference between direct and being blunt. I do have a hard time in certain regions of the U.S. with my directness. On the other hand, I find that some cultures/regions to be too direct and sometimes biting ,i,e, NYC, Northern Germans, Tel Aviv. I say "never bring blood to the face of another person, but mean what you say, say what you mean, but don't say it mean".
In Austria we have dances in school, but it is like one per High School graduation class, even though anyone can come to those. In smaller communities these Balls are quite the social event, with people who don't even have a kid in school buying tickets and going. The proceeds from the ticket sales is often used for school projects or charity. While the graduating students are the stars of the show, often dressing in a theme or putting on a performance, old and young end up sharing the dance floor. Balls are also put on by other organisations, like political parties or the fire department to collect funds.
Love the point you made about dining out! We live in Mexico and we so enjoy leisurely eating out, chatting and spending time with friends around the table. The bill is only brought when it is asked for; no hurry up and get out of here so the restaurant can rush another group through. Almost like a revolving door. Also a recent trip back to the US reminded me of how loud everyone is! Overwhelmingly so. Thanks for sharing your life. Love your channel!
Belgian here. About 5 km from where I live lives a person who goes all out with Christmas lights, and every year he tries to top his previous year's decorations. He often makes the local news around Christmas time. It's a regular single-family house in a neighborhood of single-family detached and semi-detached houses. I don't know anyone who complains about it, so I guess it's fine. I do think his electricity bill for those lights will go through the roof this year though! But yeah, he is an exception, it's definitely not a rule.
Here in northern Germany there are also a report or two of people getting all decorated at Christmas time and running up their own electricity bills. Maybe it will be less this year as the energy costs are so high.
Naturalised German Brit here in North Rhein Westphalia, Germany. We don't see excessive Christmas lights here. It seems to be a niche for cranks. We notice it, but people just shrug.
There's usually the odd one here and there. In many countries. Most if them are Christmas hoarders, but in a good way. The lit up house thing is usually due to wishing to cheer people up, during the coldest and darkest time of the year..... No harm in that ! Love from Norway >>♡♡♡
I tend to notice, when someone asks what others do for a living, they determine what they think that person's level of intelligence is. I act like I'm not very smart, just to get away from those people. Also, Americans LOVE to show other Americans how American they are. There's nothing they won't put a flag on!
Great video Jay. Tipping is really much different in Europe, mostly is the tips included. I give when the service is good or round it up the bill When you go in Italian Restaurant the first thing how the waiter bring to the table, is bread. My father always said,a meal without bread on the table is not a real meal. It's true we European very directly not so like Americans. But i like when someone is directly.To ask someone, what are you doing for living at the second sentence it's for me very rude. It's not so important also what kind of car you are driving. I gave mostly the answer. To go to work, i use my Mountain bike. For 4 km i don't need a Car. Mostly they can't believe it that. To go to shopping grocery is mostly in walking distance or you can use the public transportation for longer distance. It's very common that's the Rich and Business men use the Public transportation. its nothing special in Europe.
About tipping. In several European countries "service charge" is included in the menu prices. Funnily, it is often displayed ONLY in the local language, even on English menus. I first noticed this in France and managed to shock some American tourists when they complained that adding 20% tip to the bill makes restaurants in France much more expensive than in the US. When I pointed to the notice at the bottom of the menu indicating that 18% service charge is included in the price they complained that it should be in English. In Hungary, it is customary to add 10% tip, except in restaurants where they indicate that the service charge is either included in the prices or added automatically to the bill. It is complicated by the practice that some restaurants add the service charge automatically if more than a certain number of people (often above 6) eat together. Somebody has claimed that this happens because as the number of customers increases at a table they take much longer to decide what to order and even longer how to share the bill.
Exactly, and it says a lot about how much people really care about their service to you in a restaurant, it's brutal in a way, it's like "Aren't you done yet, come on get out of here that I need to make room and have the next customer"...Wow sure I'll leave you a large tip.
I guess electricity must be considerably cheaper to be able to afford to light up the outside of your house over Christmas. In general America seems to be more about excess.
I think the more likely reason American waiters bring you the check right away is to free up the table quicker for the next person for more tips. The more people they serve per day, the more tips they get. In Germany, they don't really mind if you want to sit and chat for a while after dinner, because they don't need to reach a certain quota to earn their day's pay.
One thing I’ve noticed in trendy restaurants in Switzerland is that they put a 2h limit to your table and I hate it. Because they get so many guests, they want to get 2 rounds in per evening. In those cases I’ve started to make later reservations, around 20:30 or 21:00 in order to be able to stay as long as we want. I prefer to start dinner late than being rushed🤷🏻♀️ kitchens usually close around 22:00 or 23:00 so the likelihood of them getting a 3rd round in is very low.
I'm a German in my 40ies and 10% was actually what my parents taught me already back in the 80ies. But it was socially accepted that according to your own income you could tip less if you felt you can't afford the 10%. So e.g. as a student, when you have little money nobody would expect you to give 10%, you'd usually just round up up to 2€. But if you had a proper income it was considered normal to give 10% in the 80ies already.
4:55 there is no wrong or right tipping culture, but the German tipping culture is more stabel and makes it easier for u to calculate at the end of the month.
I love your honesty, you are open minded and you also appear to be comfortable with saying what you don't like about the US, a little like a recent video you posted about taking time for yourself when you are feeling not at your best and some of the fairly simple ways of grounding yourself again, taking time off for yourself, I loved that video because it shows that we can be pleased by the small things in life, the simple things let's say, watching the rain, going for a walk etc, I see aspects of this in this video too, but being fortunate enough to step back and see the US in a different way as you have made the effort and done the hard work to have that in your life. I enjoy the content that you post, I feel better after seeing what you post because what you say has value, its heart felt and for me that means a lot, you are being honest with yourself and therefore the viewers, thank you :)
About the Xmas decoration - it seems to me that in the USA there is no "decoration" but more lights covering. In Europe it is just decoration - bringing something more just as a woman wears just a ring or a necklace - she is not covered with dimonds. It reminds me a sentence written at the exhibition about money few years ago. "You can have money but you can´t buy taste - you just can pay someone who has it." And in that part of exhibition were thing that were extremely expensive but completely awfull.
"The greatest country of the world", "America is best at ", flags all over the place, a strange variant of patriotism, worship of the military, often abysmal education, ... These are some more American things that I don't understand, in addition to the ones you named in your video.
"The cheapest kind of pride, on the other hand, is national pride. For it betrays in him who is afflicted with it the lack of individual qualities of which he could be proud, in that otherwise he would not take hold of what he shares with so many millions. On the contrary, he who possesses significant personal merits will see most clearly the faults of his own nation, since he has them constantly before his eyes. But every miserable wretch, who has nothing in the world to be proud of, seizes the last resort of being proud of the nation to which he just belongs. On this he recovers and is now gratefully ready to defend tooth and nail all the faults and follies peculiar to it." Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher, author and university lecturer (1788-1860) sadly its still true today.
I'm Norwegian. Tipping in my country is basically a fancy restaurant matter. That said, I'd rather tip a little extra to my student waiter, doing double shifts to pay his rent, in a less expensive place. The fancy places' waiters are tipped plenty anyway. By big show offs with company credit cards a plenty.... And before you comment on how I know a waiter is a student, working hard to pay the rent, I'll let you know ; I talk to people. I listen to them. I'm polite, so greet my waiter goodbye before leaving the premises. Lots of people are downright rude, and abusive. It only takes a few friendly words to save somebody's miserable day... Love from Oslo
"Hausschuhe" or pantoos : This is not German but South German! I am from North Germany and there it was considered as extremely low-brow to ask guests to take of their shoes. I was 23 years old when this first happened to me that a friend's mother asked me to take off my clean shoes. I refused to enter the house.
Eating manners, or lack thereof. Un-be-lievable how many Americans have poor manners. Noise? Compare the noise level in restaurants. I’m surprised they don’t break their plate more often the way they attack their plates with their cutlery! 😂
Die meisten, amerikaner. Stochern mit gabeln...messer aushilfe....eine hand zwischen den beinen....unter dem tisch........und die frauen not den langen krallen. Essen. Viel mit den handen....
My gosh, that lady who wanted to know what you do for a living I would consider super rude! I would have had a hard time to answer in a respectful way. This "Oh, I thought you guys were important." What the hell is that, "important"? That is so irrelevant. I really admire you for giving this woman that kind of answer, that was the best you could have said.
That with the bill in restaurants is irritating for Europeans! So once we decided to resist. When the bill came we looked at each other and asked why we could not order desert. We could and the bill went. When the bill came back, we asked why we could not have coffee. (Quite usual in Europe to have a little pause and have coffee after a good meal.) Finally they got it and came to ask whether we desired anything else. When we told them we were finished, they politely asked if they could bring the bill. Of course! It always feels as if you have to leave after finishing the main dish. Very annoying! The tipping system is confusing for Europeans, with normal service you leave the change coins on the table, with excellent service and good quality food, you hand the tip to the waiter as token of appreciation. In the US the servers seem entitled to get a huge tip, without showing any gratitude. And service isn't that good, smiles are fake, and you can see them talking about you when they are not at your table. Something that only happens in Europe when you give them reason to or when you have left.
One difference between Europe and North America that I noticed is that if you go to a restaurant with your partner in Europe, they may sit you at a table for 4, so two spots are unoccupied. Nothing unusual so far. Where things get weird, is if the restaurant is busy, they will then sit 2 more people at your table. The same table. Not two tables for two that are pushed together. One table. For North Americans, your first thought is "Who tf are these people?". It's super awkward. For Euros it's completely normal.
I have never experienced that. I’m 54 and have been living and traveling in Europe my whole life. It’s definately not normal in Europe. I can only imagine that if it would be in a very informal setting, like a cafe, with a large ‘communal’ table that is meant for people to socialize. The Dutch call it a ‘stamtafel’, which translates to a table for regular guests, although you don’t need to be a regular to sit at it. Similar to a table in a Biergarten in Germany, but inside. I have been seated at a table for four while being with two, but if they would put stangers at our table I would be very unpleasantly surprised.
I really like your videos. So educational! As of the amazing high school culture in the US, in Germany most of the extra curricular activities take place outside the schools in the "Vereine" (clubs), so they don't interfere as much with your 'acceptance' by your classmates. It's not as visual or obvious if you are a cool kid or a nerd or whatsoever. The question: what do you do for living? is kinda more important for people in the US, because you clearly don't want to relate to people, that don't meet your standards! So it seems a bit rude in our european eyes but it is honest and prevents you from wasting your time by connecting to the wrong people that don't empower you.
On the other hand, most schools here in Germany are not that big. Secondary schools rarely have more than 1000 students in the larger cities. (5th to 10th grade or 5th to 12th/13th grade) Funnily enough, one of the first questions we ask our (new) customers is the question of the profession? And some customers feel "stepped on the tie" until it is explained that in some cases the profession also decides which consultant takes over the appointment.
I don't know, that actually sounds rather dishonest and unhealthy to me. If you only "connect" to people that you can use as a stepping stone, you're just being a cog, not a human.
@@Llortnerof I thought the same. If a person can "impower" me (whatever this means) does not depend on what they do for a living and how much money they earn but on their private personality as a human being. I cannot imagine to behave as if I want to say: "No, thanks - I do not talk to hair dressers or plumbers." I am interested in people and their personality, their personal story, their mindset, goals and dreams, but not in "money earners" and "job makers". As we all know: A person can be unemployed today but having an astonishing career in six years - or they are having an impressing job and good income now but have an accident tomorrow or become ill next year and then the highly qualified job is no option anymore. But they are still the same person, same interesting mindset, same humor, same intelligence and values. Having a big job does not mean that one is a nice and interesting person. Great personality, trustworthyness and beautiful character can be found in every profession and of course also among unemployed people.
Interesting, but it ignores huge regional differences in both Europe and the US. Germans and Scandinavians are straightforward as you say, but Southern Europeans are not at all. On the other hand, New Yorkers are very straightforward. Windows are high quality in Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia if the house is modern. In other parts of Europe, they might be pretty flimsy. US windows are hard to open and close, in some cases it is because these are more resistant to hurricanes. There are very high quality windows in the US, they just cost more money. And so on and so forth.
Who said that? 😀As for my experience I found myself to be considered very direct and I am Southern European, and aside from that I know for a fact rather I had already known that it can be quite challening to converse with an Anglo-Saxon because you have all sorts of politically correctnes that prevents you to be direct most of the times. There is a reason why Newyorkers are straightforward, and if you look at the demographics of immigrants which constututes 90% percent of New York people fabric they are mostly Italians originary of Southern Italy and Irish not certainly Scandinavians.
The tipping thing really bothers me, I was used to do it in Italy (where I am from) although, as explained, it is not compulsory and usually not a very large sum. In the last ten years though, I have been living in places where tipping is not a thing and I think it's great for so many reasons: 1) waiters are paid a reasonable salary, do not get abused by employers (at least not as much) 2) waiters do not need to bend over backwards to clients for tips. If the customer is rude can just f him/herself 3) tipping is an unfair measure of the quality of the service, as it favours attractive/charismatic waiters. 4) It's a very 1800's thing, where gentlemen use to rewards their servant. Wake up, it's 2022. So I'm glad it's not a thing in many places and I think the lack of tipping is a symbol of an overall better society. P.S. The shoes thing is not very common in Rome and AFAIK Italy overall. It's a pity because I think it's a very good practice. I hope it will get more widespread.
The lack of directness or frankness is so harmful and annoying. It creates me problems every day at work. No we are not rude, it's about honesty to someone else.
I dont know what to say, as a Brit who has been to America many many times, driven through many many States and have some wonderful American friends, why you would want to come back to the USA unless it was a holiday?. None of us are getting any younger and the thought of becoming seriously ill in America does destroy all the good things of America. Its set up to bankrupt you, leave you destitute- what kind of country does that? I love visiting America and can put up with over eating of non food, questionable police and the unfairness of the law, which prioritises companies over the people, because I'm on a flying visit and highly covered by British Insurance as a protection I can visit, but stay for ever? no way.
No no no no, it doesn't work that way. In Italy for example we have what is called "coperto", but that is like 5-6 % of the service and it's fixed, we're talking about 4-5 Euros like it would be 4-5 Dollars. Taxes? Do we want to talk about taxes? Like discovering an extra 10 $ on your check due to taxes? Those are never extra in Europe, are always included and never hidden, you know that up-front, a quite substantial difference. If you see that a restaurant is charging crazy taxes in Europe, you can turn around and leave before getting anything. On the other end in the US you sometimes end up having to leave 20 $ in tips to somebody who already receives a salary(even if less usually than the waitresses/waiters counterparts in Europe), it's ridicolous. Most of the times just for basic service, nothing that exceptional.
I remember my Abiturabschlussball back in ... well, long time ago. And thinking back of those days, I was with the nerds AND the goths, so I became a gothic nerd, and that's what I still am. I know that you love Lufthana, and so do I, but KLM isn't bad either. People identifying themselves with their jobs, I always thought that's typically German. A friend of mine is a talented football player (no, it's not soccer!), but identifies himself as an electrical engineer, which is his profession. Why doesn't he say he's a football player? I've never been to the USA, but I think I won't like the restaurant culture there. In Germny, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, you'll get asked if you want some dessert, another drink, or a cup of coffee when you've finished eating. Sadly, there's that smoking ban in Europe, so I usually order a small cup of coffee and request my check. I'd sure eat a piece of cake if they weren't so strict about smoking. I wear my shoes in MY house, for sure, but when visiting friends I always ask if it's alright with them to keep my shoes on, always mentioning that I didn't have a chance to wash my feet in days, and my socks may stink. That usually works, and I don't want to put my feet into their "house shoes", the Filzpantoffeln where germs and mold have grown. Having Fußpilz is the next bad thing to diarrhea. I knew you would come up with the window thing. Yes, German windows are AMAZING, that's true, but they're also expensive. However, I had the windows renewed in my house in 1992, and now it's 2022, and they're as good as new. The frames needed some painting in between because I chose wooden frames for the overall appearance, but had I chosen aluminum, I guess I wouldn't have had any other work besides cleaning. And finally, I have some christmas lighting although I'm an atheist. Winter days are dark and dreary in Germany, as you may know, and I'd rather be in California during the dark season, but am unable to. Each spark of light you see on a winter's night is heart-warming, and even if we have an energy crisis, we should not save on christmas lights.
I like to give some tips to the waitres but I wouldn´t like to be kiked out of the resteraunt. I think staying together for a talk and maybe a dessert should not be a problem. I have a problem how americans use fork and knife. They cut there meet and than eat it with the fork. We do that as children. As adults we use knife and fork together. I was allways wondering why americans do that. But this is the correct manner in the states. I wouldn´t cut a steak or a schnitzel in peaces and put away the knife to eat the meal just with the fork. I would always use both tools to eat. Knife and fork. But this is a little difference between ower countrys. I think the most biggest difference is that the americans claim to have evented everything and they are the greatest and the biggest and the best of all. This is not very sympathical.
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I think the American tipping system is totally crazy. It has nothing to do with a "little attention" to the waiter. In the end, the customer pays the entire restaurant staff IN ADDITION to their bill. Therefore, the restaurants in the US should actually be cheaper since they don't have "real" employees. After all, they don't work there for a "normal" salary.
It's like going to Walmart and adding 20-30% to the end of your bill as the salary of the Walmart employees, in addition to taxes. This is totally insane.
My standard answer for people asking me what I am doing for living is "well.... you know.... I inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale........ "
"Tipping culture" is in my opinion the completely wrong term for it! This is about the relationship between employer and employee. As a German, I expect, even demand, that every employee is paid properly by the employer - knowing full well that this sometimes doesn't happen! But if he's not getting paid properly, it's up to him, with the help of his union, to make sure it's paid properly! The waiter is an employee of his employer - it is not my job as the employer's customer to ensure that the employee of the restaurant owner is properly paid: the two of them have to work this out together, possibly with the help of the union!
In the US they don't even know what a Union is Martin..........
You can be straightforward and polite at the same time. It works well.
Thanks for the video and keep up the great work. 🙂
I agree with you. I am an American that is direct but always try to be polite. There is a difference between direct and being blunt. I do have a hard time in certain regions of the U.S. with my directness. On the other hand, I find that some cultures/regions to be too direct and sometimes biting ,i,e, NYC, Northern Germans, Tel Aviv. I say "never bring blood to the face of another person, but mean what you say, say what you mean, but don't say it mean".
In Austria we have dances in school, but it is like one per High School graduation class, even though anyone can come to those. In smaller communities these Balls are quite the social event, with people who don't even have a kid in school buying tickets and going. The proceeds from the ticket sales is often used for school projects or charity. While the graduating students are the stars of the show, often dressing in a theme or putting on a performance, old and young end up sharing the dance floor.
Balls are also put on by other organisations, like political parties or the fire department to collect funds.
Love the point you made about dining out! We live in Mexico and we so enjoy leisurely eating out, chatting and spending time with friends around the table. The bill is only brought when it is asked for; no hurry up and get out of here so the restaurant can rush another group through. Almost like a revolving door.
Also a recent trip back to the US reminded me of how loud everyone is! Overwhelmingly so.
Thanks for sharing your life. Love your channel!
Very interesting comparisons and very true! I'm a European who has visited the States several times. You're spot on!
Belgian here. About 5 km from where I live lives a person who goes all out with Christmas lights, and every year he tries to top his previous year's decorations. He often makes the local news around Christmas time.
It's a regular single-family house in a neighborhood of single-family detached and semi-detached houses. I don't know anyone who complains about it, so I guess it's fine. I do think his electricity bill for those lights will go through the roof this year though!
But yeah, he is an exception, it's definitely not a rule.
Here in northern Germany there are also a report or two of people getting all decorated at Christmas time and running up their own electricity bills. Maybe it will be less this year as the energy costs are so high.
Naturalised German Brit here in North Rhein Westphalia, Germany. We don't see excessive Christmas lights here. It seems to be a niche for cranks. We notice it, but people just shrug.
There's usually the odd one here and there.
In many countries.
Most if them are Christmas hoarders, but in a good way.
The lit up house thing is usually due to wishing to cheer people up, during the coldest and darkest time of the year.....
No harm in that !
Love from Norway
>>♡♡♡
I tend to notice, when someone asks what others do for a living, they determine what they think that person's level of intelligence is. I act like I'm not very smart, just to get away from those people.
Also, Americans LOVE to show other Americans how American they are. There's nothing they won't put a flag on!
sadly they don´t tattoo the flag right over their face, this would warn you and help you to avoid pointless discussions :D
Great video Jay. Tipping is really much different in Europe, mostly is the tips included. I give when the service is good or round it up the bill When you go in Italian Restaurant the first thing how the waiter bring to the table, is bread. My father always said,a meal without bread on the table is not a real meal. It's true we European very directly not so like Americans. But i like when someone is directly.To ask someone, what are you doing for living at the second sentence it's for me very rude. It's not so important also what kind of car you are driving. I gave mostly the answer. To go to work, i use my Mountain bike. For 4 km i don't need a Car. Mostly they can't believe it that. To go to shopping grocery is mostly in walking distance or you can use the public transportation for longer distance. It's very common that's the Rich and Business men use the Public transportation. its nothing special in Europe.
About tipping. In several European countries "service charge" is included in the menu prices. Funnily, it is often displayed ONLY in the local language, even on English menus. I first noticed this in France and managed to shock some American tourists when they complained that adding 20% tip to the bill makes restaurants in France much more expensive than in the US. When I pointed to the notice at the bottom of the menu indicating that 18% service charge is included in the price they complained that it should be in English. In Hungary, it is customary to add 10% tip, except in restaurants where they indicate that the service charge is either included in the prices or added automatically to the bill. It is complicated by the practice that some restaurants add the service charge automatically if more than a certain number of people (often above 6) eat together. Somebody has claimed that this happens because as the number of customers increases at a table they take much longer to decide what to order and even longer how to share the bill.
It's not about service in the US in a restaurant. It's about profit. Be nice first, but get them out fast.
Exactly, and it says a lot about how much people really care about their service to you in a restaurant, it's brutal in a way, it's like "Aren't you done yet, come on get out of here that I need to make room and have the next customer"...Wow sure I'll leave you a large tip.
I guess electricity must be considerably cheaper to be able to afford to light up the outside of your house over Christmas. In general America seems to be more about excess.
I think the more likely reason American waiters bring you the check right away is to free up the table quicker for the next person for more tips. The more people they serve per day, the more tips they get. In Germany, they don't really mind if you want to sit and chat for a while after dinner, because they don't need to reach a certain quota to earn their day's pay.
One thing I’ve noticed in trendy restaurants in Switzerland is that they put a 2h limit to your table and I hate it. Because they get so many guests, they want to get 2 rounds in per evening. In those cases I’ve started to make later reservations, around 20:30 or 21:00 in order to be able to stay as long as we want. I prefer to start dinner late than being rushed🤷🏻♀️ kitchens usually close around 22:00 or 23:00 so the likelihood of them getting a 3rd round in is very low.
I'm a German in my 40ies and 10% was actually what my parents taught me already back in the 80ies. But it was socially accepted that according to your own income you could tip less if you felt you can't afford the 10%. So e.g. as a student, when you have little money nobody would expect you to give 10%, you'd usually just round up up to 2€. But if you had a proper income it was considered normal to give 10% in the 80ies already.
4:55 there is no wrong or right tipping culture, but the German tipping culture is more stabel and makes it easier for u to calculate at the end of the month.
I love your honesty, you are open minded and you also appear to be comfortable with saying what you don't like about the US, a little like a recent video you posted about taking time for yourself when you are feeling not at your best and some of the fairly simple ways of grounding yourself again, taking time off for yourself, I loved that video because it shows that we can be pleased by the small things in life, the simple things let's say, watching the rain, going for a walk etc, I see aspects of this in this video too, but being fortunate enough to step back and see the US in a different way as you have made the effort and done the hard work to have that in your life. I enjoy the content that you post, I feel better after seeing what you post because what you say has value, its heart felt and for me that means a lot, you are being honest with yourself and therefore the viewers, thank you :)
About the Xmas decoration - it seems to me that in the USA there is no "decoration" but more lights covering. In Europe it is just decoration - bringing something more just as a woman wears just a ring or a necklace - she is not covered with dimonds. It reminds me a sentence written at the exhibition about money few years ago. "You can have money but you can´t buy taste - you just can pay someone who has it." And in that part of exhibition were thing that were extremely expensive but completely awfull.
"The greatest country of the world", "America is best at ", flags all over the place, a strange variant of patriotism, worship of the military, often abysmal education, ...
These are some more American things that I don't understand, in addition to the ones you named in your video.
"The cheapest kind of pride, on the other hand, is national pride. For it betrays in him who is afflicted with it the lack of individual qualities of which he could be proud, in that otherwise he would not take hold of what he shares with so many millions. On the contrary, he who possesses significant personal merits will see most clearly the faults of his own nation, since he has them constantly before his eyes. But every miserable wretch, who has nothing in the world to be proud of, seizes the last resort of being proud of the nation to which he just belongs. On this he recovers and is now gratefully ready to defend tooth and nail all the faults and follies peculiar to it."
Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher, author and university lecturer (1788-1860)
sadly its still true today.
@@sockosophie3132 👍👍👍👍from Germany.
I'm Norwegian.
Tipping in my country is basically a fancy restaurant matter.
That said, I'd rather tip a little extra to my student waiter, doing double shifts to pay his rent, in a less expensive place.
The fancy places' waiters are tipped plenty anyway.
By big show offs with company credit cards a plenty....
And before you comment on how I know a waiter is a student, working hard to pay the rent, I'll let you know ;
I talk to people.
I listen to them.
I'm polite, so greet my waiter goodbye before leaving the premises.
Lots of people are downright rude, and abusive.
It only takes a few friendly words to save somebody's
miserable day...
Love from Oslo
Do for living? - "Breathing!" 🤷
Maybe restaurant experience shows the difference between customer and guest?🤔
"Hausschuhe" or pantoos : This is not German but South German! I am from North Germany and there it was considered as extremely low-brow to ask guests to take of their shoes. I was 23 years old when this first happened to me that a friend's mother asked me to take off my clean shoes. I refused to enter the house.
Eating manners, or lack thereof. Un-be-lievable how many Americans have poor manners. Noise? Compare the noise level in restaurants. I’m surprised they don’t break their plate more often the way they attack their plates with their cutlery! 😂
Die meisten, amerikaner. Stochern mit gabeln...messer aushilfe....eine hand zwischen den beinen....unter dem tisch........und die frauen not den langen krallen. Essen. Viel mit den handen....
Tips have increased in C19 times. We became more grateful?! That woman omg. Well done Jay
My gosh, that lady who wanted to know what you do for a living I would consider super rude! I would have had a hard time to answer in a respectful way. This "Oh, I thought you guys were important." What the hell is that, "important"? That is so irrelevant. I really admire you for giving this woman that kind of answer, that was the best you could have said.
That with the bill in restaurants is irritating for Europeans! So once we decided to resist. When the bill came we looked at each other and asked why we could not order desert. We could and the bill went. When the bill came back, we asked why we could not have coffee. (Quite usual in Europe to have a little pause and have coffee after a good meal.) Finally they got it and came to ask whether we desired anything else. When we told them we were finished, they politely asked if they could bring the bill. Of course!
It always feels as if you have to leave after finishing the main dish. Very annoying!
The tipping system is confusing for Europeans, with normal service you leave the change coins on the table, with excellent service and good quality food, you hand the tip to the waiter as token of appreciation. In the US the servers seem entitled to get a huge tip, without showing any gratitude. And service isn't that good, smiles are fake, and you can see them talking about you when they are not at your table. Something that only happens in Europe when you give them reason to or when you have left.
One difference between Europe and North America that I noticed is that if you go to a restaurant with your partner in Europe, they may sit you at a table for 4, so two spots are unoccupied. Nothing unusual so far. Where things get weird, is if the restaurant is busy, they will then sit 2 more people at your table. The same table. Not two tables for two that are pushed together. One table. For North Americans, your first thought is "Who tf are these people?". It's super awkward. For Euros it's completely normal.
I think this mostly happens at Biergartens or some casual places. You won't experience that at a normal or fancy restaurant.
I have never experienced that. I’m 54 and have been living and traveling in Europe my whole life. It’s definately not normal in Europe. I can only imagine that if it would be in a very informal setting, like a cafe, with a large ‘communal’ table that is meant for people to socialize. The Dutch call it a ‘stamtafel’, which translates to a table for regular guests, although you don’t need to be a regular to sit at it. Similar to a table in a Biergarten in Germany, but inside. I have been seated at a table for four while being with two, but if they would put stangers at our table I would be very unpleasantly surprised.
As a guest in a restaurant in the US you are actually paying part of the servers salary.
The high school culture is very different for sure. I had to move schools abroad and OMG, it was very different for me.
The Christkindelmarkt in Landshut is the most beautiful anyway
While I knew most of the points the windows one was totally new to me and quite peculiar to hear. Definitely a surprising one
I really like your videos. So educational!
As of the amazing high school culture in the US, in Germany most of the extra curricular activities take place outside the schools in the "Vereine" (clubs), so they don't interfere as much with your 'acceptance' by your classmates. It's not as visual or obvious if you are a cool kid or a nerd or whatsoever.
The question: what do you do for living? is kinda more important for people in the US, because you clearly don't want to relate to people, that don't meet your standards! So it seems a bit rude in our european eyes but it is honest and prevents you from wasting your time by connecting to the wrong people that don't empower you.
On the other hand, most schools here in Germany are not that big. Secondary schools rarely have more than 1000 students in the larger cities. (5th to 10th grade or 5th to 12th/13th grade)
Funnily enough, one of the first questions we ask our (new) customers is the question of the profession? And some customers feel "stepped on the tie" until it is explained that in some cases the profession also decides which consultant takes over the appointment.
I don't know, that actually sounds rather dishonest and unhealthy to me. If you only "connect" to people that you can use as a stepping stone, you're just being a cog, not a human.
@@Llortnerof I thought the same. If a person can "impower" me (whatever this means) does not depend on what they do for a living and how much money they earn but on their private personality as a human being. I cannot imagine to behave as if I want to say: "No, thanks - I do not talk to hair dressers or plumbers." I am interested in people and their personality, their personal story, their mindset, goals and dreams, but not in "money earners" and "job makers".
As we all know: A person can be unemployed today but having an astonishing career in six years - or they are having an impressing job and good income now but have an accident tomorrow or become ill next year and then the highly qualified job is no option anymore. But they are still the same person, same interesting mindset, same humor, same intelligence and values. Having a big job does not mean that one is a nice and interesting person. Great personality, trustworthyness and beautiful character can be found in every profession and of course also among unemployed people.
Also you can make friends from other schools and other social backgrounds in clubs
What's about the Vampire kids? 🤔 (South Park ref)
It's not always 10%. It's 10% when all was fine, less or nothing when not.
What am I doing for a living? Hm ... breathe ... I very much breathe ... that´s generally what keeps me alive ...
👍👍👍❤from Berlin Germany
Interesting, but it ignores huge regional differences in both Europe and the US. Germans and Scandinavians are straightforward as you say, but Southern Europeans are not at all. On the other hand, New Yorkers are very straightforward. Windows are high quality in Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia if the house is modern. In other parts of Europe, they might be pretty flimsy. US windows are hard to open and close, in some cases it is because these are more resistant to hurricanes. There are very high quality windows in the US, they just cost more money. And so on and so forth.
Who said that? 😀As for my experience I found myself to be considered very direct and I am Southern European, and aside from that I know for a fact rather I had already known that it can be quite challening to converse with an Anglo-Saxon because you have all sorts of politically correctnes that prevents you to be direct most of the times. There is a reason why Newyorkers are straightforward, and if you look at the demographics of immigrants which constututes 90% percent of New York people fabric they are mostly Italians originary of Southern Italy and Irish not certainly Scandinavians.
The tipping thing really bothers me, I was used to do it in Italy (where I am from) although, as explained, it is not compulsory and usually not a very large sum. In the last ten years though, I have been living in places where tipping is not a thing and I think it's great for so many reasons:
1) waiters are paid a reasonable salary, do not get abused by employers (at least not as much)
2) waiters do not need to bend over backwards to clients for tips. If the customer is rude can just f him/herself
3) tipping is an unfair measure of the quality of the service, as it favours attractive/charismatic waiters.
4) It's a very 1800's thing, where gentlemen use to rewards their servant. Wake up, it's 2022.
So I'm glad it's not a thing in many places and I think the lack of tipping is a symbol of an overall better society.
P.S. The shoes thing is not very common in Rome and AFAIK Italy overall. It's a pity because I think it's a very good practice. I hope it will get more widespread.
If i had to choose,.. *i'd choose the nerds* ;)
>> bc for the long time benefits vs the short time benefits
The lack of directness or frankness is so harmful and annoying. It creates me problems every day at work. No we are not rude, it's about honesty to someone else.
I dont know what to say, as a Brit who has been to America many many times, driven through many many States and have some wonderful American friends, why you would want to come back to the USA unless it was a holiday?. None of us are getting any younger and the thought of becoming seriously ill in America does destroy all the good things of America. Its set up to bankrupt you, leave you destitute- what kind of country does that? I love visiting America and can put up with over eating of non food, questionable police and the unfairness of the law, which prioritises companies over the people, because I'm on a flying visit and highly covered by British Insurance as a protection I can visit, but stay for ever? no way.
You tip less in Europe because they already add several taxes plus a fee to use utensils to your bill
No no no no, it doesn't work that way. In Italy for example we have what is called "coperto", but that is like 5-6 % of the service and it's fixed, we're talking about 4-5 Euros like it would be 4-5 Dollars. Taxes? Do we want to talk about taxes? Like discovering an extra 10 $ on your check due to taxes? Those are never extra in Europe, are always included and never hidden, you know that up-front, a quite substantial difference. If you see that a restaurant is charging crazy taxes in Europe, you can turn around and leave before getting anything. On the other end in the US you sometimes end up having to leave 20 $ in tips to somebody who already receives a salary(even if less usually than the waitresses/waiters counterparts in Europe), it's ridicolous. Most of the times just for basic service, nothing that exceptional.
I remember my Abiturabschlussball back in ... well, long time ago. And thinking back of those days, I was with the nerds AND the goths, so I became a gothic nerd, and that's what I still am.
I know that you love Lufthana, and so do I, but KLM isn't bad either.
People identifying themselves with their jobs, I always thought that's typically German. A friend of mine is a talented football player (no, it's not soccer!), but identifies himself as an electrical engineer, which is his profession. Why doesn't he say he's a football player?
I've never been to the USA, but I think I won't like the restaurant culture there. In Germny, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, you'll get asked if you want some dessert, another drink, or a cup of coffee when you've finished eating. Sadly, there's that smoking ban in Europe, so I usually order a small cup of coffee and request my check. I'd sure eat a piece of cake if they weren't so strict about smoking.
I wear my shoes in MY house, for sure, but when visiting friends I always ask if it's alright with them to keep my shoes on, always mentioning that I didn't have a chance to wash my feet in days, and my socks may stink. That usually works, and I don't want to put my feet into their "house shoes", the Filzpantoffeln where germs and mold have grown. Having Fußpilz is the next bad thing to diarrhea.
I knew you would come up with the window thing. Yes, German windows are AMAZING, that's true, but they're also expensive. However, I had the windows renewed in my house in 1992, and now it's 2022, and they're as good as new. The frames needed some painting in between because I chose wooden frames for the overall appearance, but had I chosen aluminum, I guess I wouldn't have had any other work besides cleaning.
And finally, I have some christmas lighting although I'm an atheist. Winter days are dark and dreary in Germany, as you may know, and I'd rather be in California during the dark season, but am unable to. Each spark of light you see on a winter's night is heart-warming, and even if we have an energy crisis, we should not save on christmas lights.
I never tip.
How I answer the question “What Do You Do for a Living?” None of your damn business!
I like to give some tips to the waitres but I wouldn´t like to be kiked out of the resteraunt. I think staying together for a talk and maybe a dessert should not be a problem.
I have a problem how americans use fork and knife. They cut there meet and than eat it with the fork. We do that as children. As adults we use knife and fork together. I was allways wondering why americans do that. But this is the correct manner in the states. I wouldn´t cut a steak or a schnitzel in peaces and put away the knife to eat the meal just with the fork. I would always use both tools to eat. Knife and fork. But this is a little difference between ower countrys. I think the most biggest difference is that the americans claim to have evented everything and they are the greatest and the biggest and the best of all. This is not very sympathical.
your a good guy, i like you 💁♂️🫣