Europe Is Different
Posted on January 17, 2009
Filed Under Random musing | 2 Comments
Posted by Daria
Things I learned about Europe—Who Knew?
* The toilets will flush anything every time.
* No one owns a clothes dryer.
* They eat tuna fish on pizza.
* You can’t buy ibuprofen or Tylenol off the shelves; you have to go to a real pharmacist.
* Dogs are welcome in restaurants.
* The under 12 discount isn’t universal.
* Gas stations in many countries have great food, including fresh baked pastries and breads.
* Gas stations in Italy have bars.
* Waitresses carry big wallets to make change. If you use a credit card, they bring the machine to the table.
* No one uses a top sheet; instead you cover up with a duvet (thick comforter).
* Bathrooms seldom have hooks to hang stuff on.
* Even in the north, farmers grow crops year-round.
* That I’d be eating pizza so much and in so many countries.
* Car ads tout the cars’ low carbon dioxide emission levels.
* There’s no such thing as a large coffee, and carryout coffee is almost impossible to find (except at American chains).
* Bagged “baby carrots” are extremely rare.
* There are still buildings that were bombed in World War II that haven’t been repaired yet (not just those left as memorials).
* Some hotels have the hairdryers built into the desk drawers.
* Tunnels are more common than bridges.
* In Belgium you can buy fresh bread from a vending machine.
* Supermarkets charge you for plastic bags.
* German youths put chocolate powder (Quik) atop chocolate cereal.
* Border crossings are frequently unmanned, and you almost never get a passport stamp.
* They don’t wear Christmas-decorated clothing at Christmastime.
* The TV shows very few commercials for Christmas sales or Christmas present suggestions.
* Houses aren’t decorated much for Christmas.
Things I had heard about Europe beforehand that turned out to be true:
* They have stand-up toilets.
* Everyone smokes.
* French people carry baguettes around and wear scarves.
* French and Italian people greet others by kissing them on both cheeks.
* Beer and wine are cheaper than water and soda.
* Europeans don’t use washcloths.
* Europeans are much better at recycling than we are. Even the Pope recycles.
* Europeans really do eat late; those restaurants that are open before 7 p.m. are open to accommodate tourists.
* Most of the toilet paper is rough.
Things I had heard about Europe that weren’t true:
* French people are rude and unfriendly.
* Everyone speaks English.
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2 Responses to “Europe Is Different”
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Minor dissents:
When I lived in Norway (1979) we had a drying closet. It was a cabinet in the bathroom (next to the itty-bitty washing machine) with a fan and a heater. We would hang the laundry in the closet and turn it on to dry. I think I would consider that to be a “clothes dryer”. No?
I know a bunch of Europeans, from various countries, who don’t smoke.
The drying closet sounds cool. I noticed even the gasthauses hung their linens out on the line. Dryers are such energy hogs that I might do the same when we get back.
Re smoking, what I noticed was how it was popular with all age groups.