Five Odd American Things I Don’t Get and Probably Never Will

Some more important than others

This is not one of those articles where I ponder on all the fundamental differences between Scandinavia and the United States. I’ll save those for another day. This is me, simply trying to make sense of 3-car garages and the size of Costco’s chips. Those kinds of not-very-important but fascinating things.

Let’s start with the garages.

Car garages

The average family in the United States consisted of 2.53 in 2020. This is according to Statista. Yet, in most suburban areas, you’ll find homes with large garages attached to the house, with room for least two cars. Many of them have space for three. Kids often purchase or are gifted their own car at 16, and you gotta have a garage for it.

Some of these garages are as big as homes in the country I grew up in.

I find it fascinating. A little odd.

I grew up in a family of 6, and my parents only had one car growing up, and a one-car garage. I never felt like we lacked a car or space. That being said, it is hard to get around in typical American suburbs without a car.

But do you need a giant garage for all your engines?

Costco

I still remember the first time my husband took me to Costco. It was 2012, and before entering the store I didn’t know what to expect. We lived in Norway at the time so I didn’t know much about American grocery stores. My husband and I met in a city so I hadn’t experienced those regular grocery stores. Not to mention Costco isn’t necessarily a normal go-to grocery store. It’s something else, and I don’t really have the words to describe it.

What truly got to me was the size of the bag of potato chips. I took a photo of it and posted it to my Instagram account, back when that was the cool platform.

I don’t know if they sell these chips anymore, but I know the sizes of all things at this place is still h-u-g-e. I know, because I have my own Costco-card.

Don’t tell anyone.

UPS trucks

Have you ever driven on an American highway? They can be terrifying.

And yet, these UPS trucks, doors always open, find their way to these major roads. It seems like a recipe for disaster. Up until last year, I’ve only spotted these trucks in our neighborhood and on smaller roads, but last summer, of all things, I saw a UPS truck with the doors wide open on a giant interstate highway.

Time is money, I guess?

And if there really is no air conditioning in many of these trucks, something I realized while doing some light research for this article, keeping the doors open is the only way to make it through hot and humid seasons while on the job.

Why else would someone keep the door wide open while driving a truck on a major highway? It seems dangerous to be driving around in these trucks, not only because of the open doors but the possibility of heat strokes in the summers.

Sugar coffee

Pumpkin spice, peppermint mocha, whatever the season, there’s a coffee drink for it. Loaded with sugar. These sugary drinks find their way to ads and billboards as soon as it’s their season to shine.

Where’s the appreciation for a simple, home-brewed black pot of coffee?

As a teenager, I loved those sugary coffee drinks. Yes, they have them in Norway too. Not nearly as many options or as easily available, but mocha lattes is what first introduced me to coffee.

These days, I find the taste of these to be a little too sweet.

I love the simpleness of high-quality, coffee beans, roasted to perfection. I’d much rather have a coffee made at home in my favorite cup rather than some sugary drink in a disposable paper cup.

Shoes on carpet

I can’t take it. I cringe just thinking about muddy shoes finding their way to carpets. Beautiful carpets, being destroyed slowly but surely, by everyday habits. Even in rain, people wear shoes inside, on carpets.

I don’t get it.

While those who aren’t American, myself included, may see this as odd, this article in Think Real Estate highlights that wearing shoes inside is a completely normal practice for many American families and usually something that’s not given a second thought. Some may even say they feel more comfortable wearing shoes in their homes so they don’t have to step on things while in socks. Seeing how it’s so common for Americans to walk around in their shoes no matter where they are, it can be easy to see how this can become a habit, even if it may seem strange to us outsiders.

When we bought our first house in the United States, we ripped up the carpet and replaced it with wooden floors, in Scandinavian fashion.

I still leave my shoes in the hallway, though.

I still enjoy living in this country I get to call home, despite the oddness here and there. Scandinavia has its weird quirks too, whether I like to admit it or not.