American homes seem just as odd to foreigners as theirs do to us

___

Published Date 11/22/2022

The ponds between the U.S. and other countries go both ways. So while Americans visit other lands and think their habits, homes, and lifestyles are “foreign” to them, well, guess what? The opposite is true as well, and just because melting pot Americans see themselves as the most “evolved” homeowners in the world, it doesn’t always translate that way to foreigners.

When it comes to U.S. homes, there are certain design features, appliances, and customs that are so distinctly—and weirdly—American, you may as well wrap the stars and stripes around them. The first is our insatiable need to be cool. Not jazz cool. Air-cooled. Those baby boomers who grew up without AC remember well how air conditioners only existed in places like dental and medical offices, commercial buildings, and large stores and hotels. But throughout most European, African, and Asian nations, having air conditioning is not a given. And it’s not just because they feel less discomfort from heat than we do. For one thing, AC is really expensive there. For another, they consider it damaging to the environment. Did you know the U.S. uses more electricity on air conditioning than the entire rest of the world? Apart from that, many foreign visitors are more comfortable as well as accustomed to real air than that conditioned by a machine to keep them frosty. Where AC does exist overseas, it’s usually relegated to a bedroom unit only.

Where’s the plug-in kettle? That question comes from Europeans who think it’s strange that we use a cooktop to heat up water for tea or coffee. While you're likely to find a coffee pot in many American kitchens, the sight of a kettle on the stove or countertop is undeniably less common—and their absence is nothing short of confounding. "They're on the level of fridges or doorbells to me," says one Redditor. "I'd never have thought they wouldn't be a common thing in a household… Imagine if you learned doorbells didn't exist in the U.K., everyone just knocked. It'd work, but just be oddly unexpected to you.”

Wearing shoes indoors is another oddity to many foreigners visiting here. In much of Asia, Northern Europe, and the Middle East, shoes are removed before entering a home, school, or house of prayer, either for sanitary purposes or as a means of showing respect. Bringing samples of “street shmutz” on our shoes into a home makes them recoil in shock. So they generally keep a basket or slippers or socks by their entry doors, where outside shoes are left for a sojourn during a visit.

Front lawns are a curiosity to many non-Americans as well. They see suburban front yards in films, but can’t fathom the idea of driving past a repeated, endless expanse of cut grass, with each front yard looking the same as the next. Drought-tolerant landscaping is their go-to look, with lots of potted plants thrown in as well. You’ll see no John Deeres in their garages.

Our homes look enormous to them. Greek-American Dena Kouremetis recounts a memory on her first trip to Greece when her father flashed a photo of their suburban home to their relatives. His cousin asked how many families lived there. The average single-family American home measures just over 2400 square feet — simply enormous to a foreigner. Another Redditor remarked, "I've seen people complaining about their small kitchen which was as large as my living room.”

Within those big houses, we boast all manner of electrical as well as appliance features not seen elsewhere — such as light switches and outlets inside bathrooms, washers AND dryers (most air-dry their clothes) that look industrial size to foreigners, hot water on tap all over the house without having to flip a switch to make it hot, garbage disposals, and ice makers. In general, they remark on our huge elevators, and carpet underfoot throughout many homes and hotels.

So next time you have a foreigner in your home, think about how different it all looks to them. You can bet when we are in their country, we’ll wonder why they live so differently as well.

TBWS

All information furnished has been forwarded to you and is provided by thetbwsgroup only for informational purposes. Forecasting shall be considered as events which may be expected but not guaranteed. Neither the forwarding party and/or company nor thetbwsgroup assume any responsibility to any person who relies on information or forecasting contained in this report and disclaims all liability in respect to decisions or actions, or lack thereof based on any or all of the contents of this report.

“Equal Housing Lender. NEXA Mortgage, LLC NMLS 1660690. I am a licensed mortgage originator, NMLS # 630337, and licensed to originate mortgage loans in the state of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, Tennessee, and Texas. To learn more, visit my NEXA Mortgage website at http://lillianwong.net."