Apple Pie every Day and other Misconceptions about America

[Dinner]

I know what I'd do with them. Being a drunkard I'd make as much hard cider as I could and then be drunk off my ass for a month or two.

[Saras]

WORD!

[Q Classic]

myth: we're all idiotic morons.
reality: a few of us actually aren't.

[DAVOUT]

In America they eat tons of pop corn in watching TV or movies.

[Seeker]

I have never had apple pie in the US.

The best eating, is, of course, Las Vegas buffets.

The best buffets and smorgasbords in the world.

I was also surprised to hear people talking with real thick Southern accents. I thought they were just pretending or trying to be cool or something.

[Inverse Icarus]

myth: americans are all fat and stupid.
reality: we're dieting.

[Flandrien]

Americans take their car to go to the gym next door

[Japher]

I always like it when you tell someone your from California and they assume that means you live on Venice Beach...

All Americans wear Nike or Cowboy Boots...

In America they eat tons of pop corn in watching TV or movies

I know I do!

[Japher]

oh yeah:

In America Everything Is Near By...

My sister-in-law is from Nottingham and her parents came over for the wedding (which was in Malibu)... They wanted to go to Monterey for the day.

I was once asked by some tourists in SF how long it would take them to get to Tahoe and they were shocked to hear that it was around 4 hours away!

Your country may be small, but ours isn't!

[Richard Bruns]

Re: Apple Pie every Day and other Misconceptions about America

Originally posted by Smiley
Origin of misconception: Taiwan, ROC
1. In America, every child eats apple pie every day.
2. In America, people live either in skyscrapers or on farms.
3. In America, the most common form of entertainment is the rodeo.

Keep 'em coming!

Our International Programs office gave us a paper with lots of these. Some were already mentioned, but it was easier to copy the whole thing. These are from Spaniards:

Physical Appearance and Dress

Most Americans are very tall with blue eyes and blond hair.
All American men are as handsome as movie stars.
Men in the U.S. have muscular builds; they resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. America men like to wear short, sleeveless T-shirts to show off their physiques.
American women are either unusually fat or unusually thin, never of normal build.
Women in the U.S. wear a lot of make-up.
Americans wear very bright colors and mixed patterns, and they wear summer clothes even in the winter. They have no sense of style.
The typical American "native dress" is jeans, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat.

Work and Leisure

Americans spend almost all day at work; they have very little free time.
Although they are extremely punctual and efficient in their jobs, Americans don't consider their work important; family comes first.
The first two things an American wants to discuss are salary and age.
The two favorite leisture-time activities in the U.S. are movies and rodeos.
Young people usually just take walks for fun, because they're not allowed to drink or go to discos.

Home Life

Most Americans live either in skyscrapers or on farms.
In big cities everyone hs a large car like a Cadillac, but outside of cities people usually travel on horseback.
Americans divorce repeatedly and have very complicated private lives.
In marriages in the U.S., the wife always dominates.
American cities are so dangerous that a person has a good chance of being killed in the street; therefore, American men either know kung-fu or carry a gun.

Food

Americans eat almost nothing but hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, and Coke.
Americans generally eat fast food Monday through Saturday, but never on Sunday.
American men are always drinking beer, even at breakfast.
American breakfasts are huge. A typical one might consist of eggs, toast, bacon, and pancakes with peanut butter.

Communication and Social Interaction

Americans speak very quickly and very loudly. They use their hands a lot, often gesturing in an exaggerated way when they talk. Their strange intonation makes their speech sound like singing.
American English is extremely difficult to understand because people speak as if they were chewing gum.
The typical American is very rude, often putting his feet on a desk or table and frequently belching in public. He yawns a lot, never trying to hide it. In international affairs as in personal life, Americans do whatever they want and don't care what other people think.

[mrmitchell]

The typical American "native dress" is jeans, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat.

Wait...you're telling me they think we dress? Man, what a bunch of idiots.

They have no sense of style.

How is this a misconception?

In marriages in the U.S., the wife always dominates.

Word!

Americans eat almost nothing but hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, and Coke.

Americans generally eat fast food Monday through Saturday, but never on Sunday.

American men are always drinking beer, even at breakfast.

American breakfasts are huge. A typical one might consist of eggs, toast, bacon, and pancakes with peanut butter.

Indeed

Americans speak very quickly and very loudly. They use their hands a lot, often gesturing in an exaggerated way when they talk.

Odd, I had that misconception as well. Maybe it's partially because most people I know speak loud or fast.

The typical American is very rude, often putting his feet on a desk or table and frequently belching in public. He yawns a lot, never trying to hide it. In international affairs as in personal life, Americans do whatever they want and don't care what other people think.

Sounds like an American to me

[monolith94]

"Young people usually just take walks for fun, because they're not allowed to drink or go to discos."

Sadly, this is not entirely innacurate.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Japher
My sister-in-law is from Nottingham and her parents came over for the wedding (which was in Malibu)... They wanted to go to Monterey for the day.

Come now. They could get to Monterey if they didn't mind driving for nine hours. Theres still plenty of time in a 24 days.

I was once asked by some tourists in SF how long it would take them to get to Tahoe and they were shocked to hear that it was around 4 hours away!

Tahoe is only three hours from SF if your driving correctly (i.e. 90+ miles per hour).

[Bosh]

the strange belief that americans eat huge numbers of "cheese sticks"
curse you lotteria!

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Uber KruX
myth: americans are all fat and stupid.
reality: we're dieting.

I thought the myth was that the majority of Americans are dieting??