“Surfer dudes actually talk like that.”
If you don’t live in the USA, you might be curious about what it’s actually like there. So Reddit user u/Shelleton8 asked, “What is the craziest rumor you heard about America that turned out to be true?”
Here are some of the best responses that’ll make you either say, “That actually happens?” or “Well, obviously.” If you have one to add, leave it in the comments!
1. “Surfer dudes actually talk like that.”
—u/Hasetate
2. “Drink sizes! Whoa.
“When my family visited in 2017, we landed in Texas for a stopover. First thing I saw in the shops part of the terminal was a dude who was drinking from what looked like an actual bucket. Here in New Zealand, our ‘large’ drinks would be considered an American ‘small’ or ‘medium.'” —u/The_Sly_Sloth
3. “Yellow school buses are actually a thing in America. I honestly thought it was just a cartoon thing, but nope!”
—u/Kwickly1
4. “Sports bars are actually exactly how they’re portrayed on TV.”
—u/BeYourOwnDog
5. “Dolly Parton has her own theme park in Tennessee.
“I thought it was just a joke.” —u/panda_1996
6. “Schools have a ton of extracurricular activities and clubs, including basketball, football, swimming, cheerleaders, chess, and a lot more.”
—u/Tanerer
7. “You can buy milk in gallon-sized containers.
“When I visited America, I went to a supermarket for some breakfast stuff — cereal and milk. All they had was milk in gallons! Who could possibly want that much milk? I asked for a smaller carton, and the lady who worked there just laughed at me and asked, ‘Don’t you like milk in England?'” —u/memesalwaysdie
8. “In many US states, some criminals can’t vote, even while on parole.”
—u/apophis-pegasus
9. “You have a whole aisle in your supermarkets dedicated to just cereal.”
—u/outrojin
10. “There are security guards in the school halls, and some schools even have metal detectors at the entrance like the TSA at airports.”
—u/Jacilund
11. “You have those angry sinks* that chop shit.”
—u/idk-what-name
12. “Red Solo cups are not just a Hollywood prop.
“When I immigrated to the US, my mother-in-law was making dinner and offered me iced tea in a red Solo cup.” —u/RavynLearnsBadly
13. “On Halloween, masked people come to your house and knock on your door asking for candy. Mostly it’s just packs of kids, but sometimes whole families.”
14. “The minimal number of paid days off you get from work.
“A friend of mine from Wisconsin was very proud that he got 20 days off per year. If someone in Germany offered me only 20 days, I would laugh at them and leave.” —u/_Warsheep_
15. “Americans are nice and will stop to talk to strangers.
16. “American kids eat straight sugar.
“Walked onto the playground and saw kids chugging these long, thin sticks. I tried one and realized it was just colored sugar. They called them Pixy Stix.” —u/whowantsrice
17. “The honking…I thought it was a movie stereotype, and then I went to New York.”
—[Deleted]
—u/nibs123
19. “Free soft drink refills in restaurants.”
—u/JeezasKraist
20. “You can get into university just by being good at sports.”
—u/SuperFluffyness
21. “Nearly every man is circumcised, regardless of religion.”
—u/tschoerk
22. “Higher education can cost upward of $50,000 per year.”
—u/anixudh
23. “Americans are very good at making pie.
“I was pretty much all alone during Thanksgiving because everyone else was with their families. One of the resident assistants I’d befriended knocked on my door and brought me all different kinds of pie. Dear lord, I’ve never tasted anything that delicious. From blueberry to apple to pumpkin. Every. Single. Pie. They were all amazing.” —u/DeeKaah
Written by: Michelle No
This article was originally published on BuzzFeed