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The United States

MJFAN90TN

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Hi, I'm from Holland, and I would like to know more about the american culture. So I would like everyone who lives in the States, to call me something that's typically american. It could be everyting: breakfast, prayers, school, family, work, food, street(life), or whatever..
tell me so I have an idea of what america is like.
thankss
 
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Re: The U.S

Well, every region in America is different from the other!
Can you think of a place in particular?
 
Re: The U.S

hmmm i'm interested in every part of America. that's just interesting to me, that everying is different. So if you can tell me *if you're from america* what is typical for your state or place?
 
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Re: The U.S

I am an american, I was born here and I live here..

I have also traveled and lived in the middle east.. Have been to several countries and have been introduced to several different cultures.


There a great things about America, and bad things about it..

I can tell you the culture (Not EVERYONE) but for a large part are not as "nice"..

What I mean by this is the culture teaches many things and people fall into it.. They stray from what true LIFE is about..

Many americans (as some in other countries) "Live to Work".. Instead of "Work to Live"..

The aim in life is not in my opinion in the right direction..

There is a reason why we have the highest suicide rates, highest depression rate..

Too many of us have lost focus on TRUE LIVING..


There is a lot of great things to do, and is still a GREAT, GREAT country.. It's the land of opportunities.. It's a catch 22.. Because of the opportunities, people go after them and put there lives at risk.. Leaving family to another state, secluding themselves from people etc..

I'm so sick of seeing people walk around like there mr. big stuff because they walk into a grociery store with dark sunglasses and a bluetooth in there ear.. lol!

If you have never been here, you are not missing much.. But if you have been here it's really hard to leave.. There is just so much for you..

thinking about visiting?? It would be awsome, there is much stuff to do, and to see...




we just get lost in it.. (not all, but majority)
 
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Hi KOPV, i'd really like to thank you for your post. What you say about live to work and not work to live, applies for us *in holland* as well. I'm thinking about visiting America once. You recommend it, and even if you wouldn't I'd like to see this country myself, just to discover it, which i don't think it's fault, is it? Another reason to visit America(or England/UK.. whatever) is to improve my English language. I don't think I speak English well and I'm learn English, so I can express myself in that language too! It's important, because this is such a important languange.
For now, thank you. I'm going to sleep. It's 23:15 here right now, so that's very late for me to stay in front of this computer screen! :p
Have a nice day and I love to hear more.
bye
 
Re: The U.S

you most likely speak English better than most Americans :lol: seriously, we slaughter the language :yes:
 
Re: The U.S

I have a question: why the peanut butter is so huge thing in US? What makes it sooo good you'd do anything for it? :lol:
 
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:huh: PB&J is an American Institution ... with many variations

Peanuts are a large crop in the States.

The talented botanist George Washington Carver, recognized the intrinsic value of the peanut as a cash crop. Dr. Carver proposed that peanuts be planted as a rotation crop in the cotton-growing areas of the Southeast where the boll weevil insect threatened the region’s agricultural base. Not only did Dr. Carver contribute to changing the face of southern farming, but he also developed more than 300 uses for peanuts, from recipes to industrial products.

There are approximately 25,000 peanut farmers in the major producing regions.

Originally peanut butter was created as a simple paste for geriatric patients with bad teeth. Peanut butter provides an inexpensive and high protein alternative to meat. For this reason, peanut butter was on the U.S. Military ration menu, during WWII. Jelly happened to be on the ration menu also. Soldiers added jelly to their peanut butter to make it more pleasing & palatable.

The combination was an instant hit and returning servicemen made peanut butter and jelly sales soar in the United States. An additional factor was the nationwide food rationing, which was instituted in the United States during World War II. Each member of the family was issued ration books, and it was the challenge of the homemaker to pool the stamps and plan the family's meals within the set limits. Margarine, butter, sugar, lard, shortening, oils and assorted fresh meats were rationed and expensive. Peanut butter was a good, cheap (sold for $0.24 a jar) alternative and a readily available, unrationed source of protein.
 
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I'm from the United States and I live in South Florida. Northern and central Florida can be very different from south Florida. :yes: There's more hicks up there. Hicks are white trash... umm, like really stupid people that just live off of the state giving them money that don't care much for education. (Although, not everyone living off of welfare is a hick. My mom and I rely on it because she is disabled and unable to work)

South Florida is like Broward County, Miami-Dade, etc. It's more of the touristy kind of place depending on where you specifically live.

Florida is like... America's penis. It's at the bottom right corner of the US.

A lot of the time teenagers I've met won't eat breakfast because they feel it makes them fat or they don't have time for it, but they're now being told that not eating breakfast in the morning not only helps them gain weight, but it decreases focus and mental abilities throughout the day.

Capitalism (opposite of communism) has started to control the lives of Americans, as we have all these things we DON'T NEED pushed in our face through advertising (TV, radio, movies, etc.) and yet we live to buy them. Whoever has the most new things is considered cool, sometimes.

There's a lot more about America, though... If you want any specific questions answered about where I live, feel free to ask.
 
Re: The U.S

Rawr said:
I'm from the United States and I live in South Florida. Northern and central Florida can be very different from south Florida. :yes: There's more hicks up there. Hicks are white trash... umm, like really stupid people that just live off of the state giving them money that don't care much for education. (Although, not everyone living off of welfare is a hick. My mom and I rely on it because she is disabled and unable to work)

South Florida is like Broward County, Miami-Dade, etc. It's more of the touristy kind of place depending on where you specifically live.

Florida is like... America's penis. It's at the bottom right corner of the US.

A lot of the time teenagers I've met won't eat breakfast because they feel it makes them fat or they don't have time for it, but they're now being told that not eating breakfast in the morning not only helps them gain weight, but it decreases focus and mental abilities throughout the day.

Capitalism (opposite of communism) has started to control the lives of Americans, as we have all these things we DON'T NEED pushed in our face through advertising (TV, radio, movies, etc.) and yet we live to buy them. Whoever has the most new things is considered cool, sometimes.

There's a lot more about America, though... If you want any specific questions answered about where I live, feel free to ask.
Click to expand...

Every country has places that are less nice to be there. I just found some pictures of South Florida on Google, when you said you live there. It is such a beautiful place (what I see on the pictures). I especially say 'what I see... pictures', because these only show the most beautiful things. It's the same here in The Netherlands. The postcards and pictures on the internet only show the most nice things of our city and surroundings, but (there's always a but...) we also have dangerous and pour places in Holland. For what I see on the pictures of South Floride, it's more beautiful than the place I live.

It must be hard for you and your mom, if she is disabled. I don't know how bad it is, but it's always difficult. My cousin is disabled too. How are the facilities there?

About the breakfast, here in Holland there are so much campaigns. They say: ''it's better to eat breakfast, otherwise you'll.....'', and so on... And they're right. It IS better to eat breakfast. Sometimes when I don't have that much time, I skip my breakfast(not good), and I notice I get tired earlier that day, and I also can't concentrate on my school.
What do you eat for breakfast?

And now, I'm going to eat breakfast. Haha, that's no joke; I just woke up, because it's 10:37. For those of you who're also going to eat; Have a nice breakfast, or as we say in Dutch: eetsmakelijk. pronounce: aidsmackelike or something like that :p haha
 
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Re: The U.S

MJFAN90TN said:
Hi, I'm from Holland, and I would like to know more about the american culture. So I would like everyone who lives in the States, to call me something that's typically american. It could be everyting: breakfast, prayers, school, family, work, food, street(life), or whatever..
tell me so I have an idea of what america is like.
thankss
Click to expand...


America is fabulous. The most amazing Country ever. After you know that the rest is easy.
I can just speak for where i live though so here goes.
Here in Missouri its very much about scenery and agriculture. Alot of country, rolling hills and farm animals. lol
Prayers are the same here for everyone i know and have ever heard about here. Pretty much everyone believes in God and there are at least 2 or 3 churches in every single town here. Ever heard of the bible belt? Yep there ya go.
Work ranges from anything and everything. You can be a person that picks up dog poop to a very successful doctor or lawyer or real estate agent. Pretty much the skies the limit as far as that goes as long as you have the education to do so. Which is of course obviously available as well. Its law for every child to attend school in Missouri. No one gets left out.
There is such thing as welfare for the ones that cant get a job for whatever reason - the state pays for them to have a car or look for a job or have food if you make under a certain amount in a year. Too many people take advantage of that.
Streetlife?
There is what u call the bad and good part of every town here. The bad part of town is usually where people live that do drugs and stuff and the good part is where they dont.
Food?
Well obviously America has an overabundance of it. There is a town about 25 miles away that has, im not even kidding, at least 50 or more different places to eat. We will never have a problem finding food. Or whatever else we need for that matter.
Here in the USA we are pretty much spoiled rotten. lol
But you also have to work hard and earn what you get. You cant just sit on ur butt and expect handouts. It dosent work like that.
Another thing is that most all people in the US are very pro-America. Ever heard the phrase 'if you dont like America you can kiss my a$$?' People all over the place have that on their bumpers here. Cause its very true. We know what we have and we share it with others - we are some of the kindest, hardworking people you ever hope to meet. Just dont get on our bad side. lol
 
Re: The U.S

suspicious_mind said:
America is fabulous. The most amazing Country ever. After you know that the rest is easy.
I can just speak for where i live though so here goes.
Here in Missouri its very much about scenery and agriculture. Alot of country, rolling hills and farm animals. lol
Prayers are the same here for everyone i know and have ever heard about here. Pretty much everyone believes in God and there are at least 2 or 3 churches in every single town here. Ever heard of the bible belt? Yep there ya go.
Work ranges from anything and everything. You can be a person that picks up dog poop to a very successful doctor or lawyer or real estate agent. Pretty much the skies the limit as far as that goes as long as you have the education to do so. Which is of course obviously available as well. Its law for every child to attend school in Missouri. No one gets left out.
There is such thing as welfare for the ones that cant get a job for whatever reason - the state pays for them to have a car or look for a job or have food if you make under a certain amount in a year. Too many people take advantage of that.
Streetlife?
There is what u call the bad and good part of every town here. The bad part of town is usually where people live that do drugs and stuff and the good part is where they dont.
Food?
Well obviously America has an overabundance of it. There is a town about 25 miles away that has, im not even kidding, at least 50 or more different places to eat. We will never have a problem finding food. Or whatever else we need for that matter.
Here in the USA we are pretty much spoiled rotten. lol
But you also have to work hard and earn what you get. You cant just sit on ur butt and expect handouts. It dosent work like that.
Another thing is that most all people in the US are very pro-America. Ever heard the phrase 'if you dont like America you can kiss my a$$?' People all over the place have that on their bumpers here. Cause its very true. We know what we have and we share it with others - we are some of the kindest, hardworking people you ever hope to meet. Just dont get on our bad side. lol
Click to expand...

i agree. america is my #1 fave country in the whole world. i believe that ppl who hate on america simply have inferiority complex.
 
Re: The U.S

Thank you suspicious_mind,
I think America must be great! I hope to go there once. I would really love to have a few(or one) friends in America, so I can go there whenever I want. And that also makes it much easier for me. People can say me where to go and where not! You know. I wanna taste the real 'american' life, not what you see in movies and stuffff.......
What do you actually eat for dinner? What are the kind of ingredients, what vegetables do you use? What's it all like? love to hear from you

Do you also celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas or other festivals? And how?
When it's Christmas, we use to come together with the family and have a nice time. We eat something special for dinner. After that, we play games and have a cosy talk... something like that
 
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I found this from a website, and it's actually pretty true! :lol:

-- You know how baseball, basketball, and American football are played. If you're male, you can argue intricate points about their rules. On the other hand (and unless you're under about 20), you don't care that much for soccer.

-- You count yourself fortunate if you get three weeks of vacation a year.

-- You're fairly likely to believe in God; if not, you've certainly been approached by people asking whether you know that you're going to Heaven.

-- You think of McDonald's, Burger King, KFC etc. as cheap food.

-- You probably own a telephone and a TV. Your place is ALWAYS heated in the winter and has its own bathroom. You do your laundry in a machine.

--The train system, by contrast, isn't very good. Trains don't go any faster than cars; you're better off taking a plane.

-- It's not all that necessary to learn foreign languages anyway. You can travel the continent using nothing but English-- and get by pretty well in the rest of the world, too.

-- If you're a woman, no way in hell do you go to the beach topless.

-- No bargaining

-- You leave home at 5 AM to avoid the city traffic on the way to work.

-- You instinctly add 5mph to the posted speed limit while driving.

:lol:

Honestly though, whether this sounds arrogant or not, America IS the most powerful and greatest nation in the world. I've been all over the world and there is nothing, by far, like America.
 
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Re: The U.S

browneyedgirl said:
I found this from a website, and it's actually pretty true! :lol:

-- You know how baseball, basketball, and American football are played. If you're male, you can argue intricate points about their rules. On the other hand (and unless you're under about 20), you don't care that much for soccer.

-- You count yourself fortunate if you get three weeks of vacation a year.

-- You're fairly likely to believe in God; if not, you've certainly been approached by people asking whether you know that you're going to Heaven.

-- You think of McDonald's, Burger King, KFC etc. as cheap food.

-- You probably own a telephone and a TV. Your place is ALWAYS heated in the winter and has its own bathroom. You do your laundry in a machine.

--The train system, by contrast, isn't very good. Trains don't go any faster than cars; you're better off taking a plane.

-- It's not all that necessary to learn foreign languages anyway. You can travel the continent using nothing but English-- and get by pretty well in the rest of the world, too.

-- If you're a woman, no way in hell do you go to the beach topless.

-- No bargaining

-- You leave home at 5 AM to avoid the city traffic on the way to work.

-- You instinctly add 5mph to the posted speed limit while driving.

:lol:

Honestly though, whether this sounds arrogant or not, America IS the most powerful and greatest nation in the world. I've been all over the world and there is nothing, by far, like America.
Click to expand...

I like it :D you guys make me all so curious.... i wanna see america!!!!!!
 
Re: The U.S

MJFAN90TN said:
Thank you suspicious_mind,
I think America must be great! I hope to go there once. I would really love to have a few(or one) friends in America, so I can go there whenever I want. And that also makes it much easier for me. People can say me where to go and where not! You know. I wanna taste the real 'american' life, not what you see in movies and stuffff.......
What do you actually eat for dinner? What are the kind of ingredients, what vegetables do you use? What's it all like? love to hear from you

Do you also celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas or other festivals? And how?
When it's Christmas, we use to come together with the family and have a nice time. We eat something special for dinner. After that, we play games and have a cosy talk... something like that
Click to expand...


It is absolutely AMAZING! Im not just saying that cause i live here either. lol
Well to be honest we eat whatever we feel like eating. lol
There arent rules here (i dont know if there are in any other Country?) but in America we just eat whatever sounds good at the time. There are like every kind of vegetable imaginable in every grocery store here. As far as ingredients i mean.....just think of this. Everything you could ever imagine cooking with is in every grocery store in America. Like 20 different kinds of spices..But also alot of people here grow their own vegetables - usually the ones that live on a farm. Things are insanely expensive here too - well not for US lol but maybe for other countries. Like my dad for example can sell one of his 25 cows today and get at least $600 for it. Thats nothing.
Hes got about 88 acres on his land and just 1 acre usually goes for $6,000. I mean here you never have a problem making money. lol

Yeah and the Thanksgiving thing we all celebrate - its spent eating a HUGE meal usually always with ham and turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, deviled eggs, (omg im getting hungry...lol)
tomatoes, about 10 different kinds of desserts - and then we all talk and laugh ALOT and watch american football all day. Its a BLAST.
On Christmas its the same thing all over again - sometimes the men in the family get together and play poker. Which my late grandpa LOVED. Its just all one big party basically. lol
All the adults draw names instead of everyone having to buy everyone something and that way everyone gets everything they want. There are about 30 kids in the family altogether and they usually get $50 each after we all chip in.
Its just really fun and cool and seriously in the USA there arent hardly any rules. I mean beyond the obvious you can do whatever u feel like doing. I mean if you wanna take off work that day and u happen to get fired then its really no biggie cause you can go out the next day and get another job just like that. Things arent really serious here.
Teenagers cruise the streets each day with music blasting and sometimes the cops do it too. lol
I mean like every place theres downsides but to be honest i cant think of one single downside to living in America.

Mags all that is soooo right! lmao!
 
Re: The U.S

My America is the right to vote, the right to express yourself, the right to worship as you wish and the potential to become something if you're willing to work for it.

A nation built on what the rest of the world considered "trash" and "unwanted". To become a hyper power, who's intentions are good, but leaders who don't always think of people when making their decisions of right and wrong. America is the nation where my ancestors from Ireland fled to escape forced starvation and slavery, and my German ancestors fled to escape regime change. America is also the nation that forced my Native American ancestors from their land, slaughtered their people and destroyed their culture.

No, our streets aren't paved with gold and there's not a chicken in every pot, but I would still not trade this for anything.

-D
 
Re: The U.S

I live in America and let me tell you I just hate living in this very dull and very boring country of mine. What makes this country of mine boring is its HIStory. I remember spending most of my 8th grade year learning about American HIStory and I couldn't believe how dull and boring it was. The only 3 things that kept this country from being a real total bored was the:

Salem Witch Trials
The old Wild West
and the gangsters of the 20s and 30s

The last one is what really made my country's HIStory exciting. Especially Al Capone and his men. I am just so very fascinated by Al mainly how he had planned the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. I think that such genious how he had planned it. I would have so love to live in Chicago during those days. Always hearing about Al and his gang. And Bugs Moran and his gang.


Other than what other Americans think about their country I just hate living in this country. I always have hated living here. I totally think I was born in the wrong country. I should have been born in England now that is the country I just totally love and am extremely fascinated by. Mainly its HIStory. But I will admit there is only one thing about my country that I really love. And that is that we still have the death penalty. And I am very glad to live in a country that it still has the death penalty.
 
Re: The U.S

MJsBollywoodGirl7 said:
I live in America and let me tell you I just hate living in this very dull and very boring country of mine. What makes this country of mine boring is its HIStory. I remember spending most of my 8th grade year learning about American HIStory and I couldn't believe how dull and boring it was. The only 3 things that kept this country from being a real total bored was the:

Salem Witch Trials
The old Wild West
and the gangsters of the 20s and 30s

The last one is what really made my country's HIStory exciting. Especially Al Capone and his men. I am just so very fascinated by Al mainly how he had planned the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. I think that such genious how he had planned it. I would have so love to live in Chicago during those days. Always hearing about Al and his gang. And Bugs Moran and his gang.


Other than what other Americans think about their country I just hate living in this country. I always have hated living here. I totally think I was born in the wrong country. I should have been born in England now that is the country I just totally love and am extremely fascinated by. Mainly its HIStory. But I will admit there is only one thing about my country that I really love. And that is that we still have the death penalty. And I am very glad to live in a country that it still has the death penalty.
Click to expand...
lol.... just a tad sarcastic
 
Re: The U.S

MJsBollywoodGirl7 said:
Other than what other Americans think about their country I just hate living in this country. I always have hated living here. I totally think I was born in the wrong country. I should have been born in England now that is the country I just totally love and am extremely fascinated by. Mainly its HIStory. But I will admit there is only one thing about my country that I really love. And that is that we still have the death penalty. And I am very glad to live in a country that it still has the death penalty.
Click to expand...

In all fairness though, the US is only a baby when it comes to it's history. The common acceptance is that Christopher Columbus discovered America back in... what was it.. 1492 or there abouts? (this is now being questioned as people believe Vikings and others might have found America earlier.. but anyway). That makes US documented history only what.... 600 and something years old... that's not very old :)



To compare US history with the likes of the UK or Europe or China is like comparing apples and oranges.

This is the exciting thing about the US... it's a country that is still trying to define it's own identity.




I enjoyed both of my visits to the states and I will visit again. However I could never live there, mainly because my chosen profession (highschool teacher) is so badly under paid there.

oh and also because I don't think you can do much better than Australia ^_^ :lol: (not that I'm biased lol :p)
 
Re: The U.S

L.J said:
The common acceptance is that Christopher Columbus discovered America back in... what was it.. 1492 or there abouts? (this is now being questioned as people believe Vikings and others might have found America earlier.. but anyway).
Click to expand...
well to be fair, you'd have to give it to the native americans who are still called Indians to this day because of Columbus's mistake lol

oh and also because I don't think you can do much better than Australia ^_^ :lol: (not that I'm biased lol :p)
Click to expand...
pshh

vicky_pollard.jpg
 
Re: The U.S

^ :rofl: yeah but no but yeah but.....



that's something that always stumps me... why when we discuss a nation's history like the US, does the pre-existing history that occurrs before white/european or colonial settlement always either not get a mention... or gets taught as a seperate entity?

the same occurs in Australia, we're taught that Australia was discovered by Capatin Cook and the First Fleet in 1770 and that is how Australia began.... the british and the dutch etc moved in and life began so to speak lol

whereas aboriginies have been living on this land well before the good captain came along, and they have a history that gets taught seperately in schools. Most schools dedicate a good portion to aboriginal studies but still...

certainly strange to me but I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles
 
Re: The U.S

America(the new world) as it was claimed by European explorers, was already here, waiting for them to drop anchor. They did not construct the land, all they did was sail 'til they arrived somewhere.

European explorers where not the first people here, as is proven by the mistreatment of the actual Natives of this land. Who were pushed back, belittled, treated as second class people on their own land and ultimately demonized as savages. Then placed in the history books as the 'enemy'.

The 'arrogance' that many countries label The United States with, started and was born on the opposite side of the Ocean. That 'arrogance' was imported from Europe. And our history extends back as far as those arrogant explorer's history did. We are the product of all the Nations all across the globe. Therefore our history and culture is as vast, if not more so, than any country's.

All of our ancestors came from somewhere else. Their ancestors before them came from another land... We were all cast out and sought a haven at one point in our history. If you are religious, there is a binding thread that makes us all equal... Since originally, God cast us all out of the Garden for our sins.

To be proud of sinners in our History is quite Ironic :huh:
 
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Re: The U.S

Something interesting to think about. How different would the world be if there was no American Revolution? If the terrorists didn't win, how would the world be today? Would it be the Commonwealth of America under the British Monarch still to this day? How powerful would the British Empire be? Overall do you think the world would be a better plan? I just thought it was something interesting to think about.
 
Re: The U.S

Bob George said:
Something interesting to think about. How different would the world be if there was no American Revolution? If the terrorists didn't win, how would the world be today? Would it be the Commonwealth of America under the British Monarch still to this day? How powerful would the British Empire be? Overall do you think the world would be a better plan? I just thought it was something interesting to think about.
Click to expand...

Well, the US could join the Commonwealth Of Nations, with the original 13 colonies, Oregon and Hawaii having been possession of the crown. I doubt we will see that happen though. But it has been asked by many people what has independence gained us in the 232 years since the Declaration was signed.

-D
 
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