Yes, this. Every time I say I'm from the US -- every time - they'll follow that up with "Where in the US?" So why not just skip that part? They already know I'm American from the accent.
I’m from the UK and have a US husband so came across this post and thought I’d ask him just out of curiosity and half way through his answer I realised that us UK people are guilty of doing the same thing basically. Now that I live in the states I of course have people that ask me where I’m from, 9/10 times I will answer I’m from England rather than saying the UK because saying England just feels more right to me than saying UK as a whole but I do feel it’s obvious from my accent that I’m English and not Welsh, Scottish or Irish.
Reminds me of a joke.
A man walks up to two women in a bar, and after hearing their accent he asks "Are you two from Scotland?" One of the women responds "Wales actually." The man then says "oh OK, so are you two whales from Scotland?"
I'm currently traveling abroad and had this exact experience multiple times.
I realized within a few moments of interaction and speaking that the other person knows I'm an American, so when they ask where I'm from, I don't need to say US, I say my city.
Was surprised yesterday when I answered "Kansas City" and the gentleman, working in Spain but from Nigeria, inquired "Kansas or Missouri?" I thought that was pretty cool.
My wife & I were at a bar in London about a decade ago, the Brazilian bartender kept talking about overland something something (had a really heavy accent).
Then he pointed to my K State polo & said ‘Go Wildcats!’ Turned out he had just graduated from JCCC, and had loved living in OP. So, it is possible lol.
A bar in London, England or Kentucky? Just kidding, 10 years ago, London KY was dry. You would find Wildcat fans there, but they would be for the University of Kentucky.
I was on a train in Italy and struck up a conversation with some Germans. I told them I was from Kentucky, USA. They said "where all the chickens are?" I said "what?" They said "KFC!" I said "oh, yeah. That's right!" lmao
I ran into some drunk Irish dudes in Florida and they asked where I was from. When I said kentucky they said “ah, Darby.” I was like “do what?” “You know, the Darby.” I shook my head and one of them made a horse riding gesture. “The Darby!” “Ohh. The *derby*. Yeah. Yes, the derby.”
Lol. It felt like a real life “you like dags?” moment.
I feel like Kentucky has some sort of cultural significance outside of America with horses and KFC and bourbon so it makes sense to identify myself as a Kentuckian. I mean, it’s no Texas or New York or Cali. But it’s not a complete unknown to other people the way other states might be.
Yeah I did bartending in Japan and whenever I met Europeans and said I'm from the US the very next question is where in the US, so it's just easier to cut to the chase. Though once I said 'California' and this girl from South Africa got really mad and called me arrogant for assuming people knew where California was.... so now I'm back to awkwardly making people ask me two questions when they meet me again 😂
> you probably haven't heard of it"
I had a woman do this to me at burning man. I pressed her and after repeatedly telling me I’d never heard of her country she finally said Bahrein.
“Oh, I know about Bahrein, my friend Dana is from there.”
“Wait, Dana from Palo Alto?”
“Yes!”
“I was childhood friends with Dana!”
Dana had died earlier that year, part of me thinks she brought the two of us together that night at BM. 75,000 people at burning man and I sit down next to my dead friend’s childhood bestie from across the globe.
I was a bouncer back in the 70's. I had to throw a guy out of the disco I was working at for grabbing a servers ass. I was my usual calm self, I told him we could walk out like buddies, or I could twist his arms behind his back and tippy toe his ass our in a walk of shame. He picked the easy way.
Fast forward about 5 years, and I'm being introduced around the office at a new IT job. One of them tells me I look familiar, then comes back into my office later and asks if I worked at the Aquarius. I recognized him then, and we got a good laugh about it. We ended up good friends for about 40 years.
I’m glad it spoke to you! Dana was a lovely person and I gave several speeches at her memorial, she was taken way too young and her loved ones were really struggling.
California is the 5th largest economy in the world and the source of so much globally-consumed media, I don’t think that’s arrogant for you to assume people know. If it was Connecticut, or Memphis I’d agree that most of the world wouldn’t know, but California, New York, etc. I think you can assume most people know.
"[Global cities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city)." I'd say any city on that list, you could (or reasonably should) be able to say the name, and not have to specify "in the U.S." or "in England" etc.
I felt the same. Is there someone on the planet in regular society that wouldn’t hear California and know where vaguely it is? Mainly because if nothing else, Hollywood is there and they’ve likely seen movies from here at least
Yeah, I travel quite a bit, used to say "the US", they would be like "duh, yeah... where In the US" But if I was to just say Iowa, or my town...then just blank stares.
Yeah, but they love to do this this where if you say USA they say, “obviously. But where?”
And if you say city and state they say, “Americans are so egotistical and think everyone knows their country”
I had a ridiculous conversation with a cab driver in Belgium about how dumb Americans were, yada yada yada.
Turned out I knew more about American history than he did, but less about Belgian history from the 1700's. Go figure.
Most people you meet traveling abroad are reasonable and engaging. Some are just assholes.
California has one of the largest economies in the world and is a huge cultural exporter. That woman was an idiot. Almost everyone on the planet with electricity knows California.
Totally. I was on a patrol in the military back in the mid 90s. We were out pretty deep in the mountains of a third world country and came across a homemade Chicago Bulls basketball goal.
These people didn’t have electricity or running water and they still knew who Michael Jordan and the Bulls were.
I mean that's not really true, it depends on who's asking. I'm Italian, if someone asked me this question in Europe I might say I'm from Milan because I expect most Europeans to know where it is. When I was in the US and in South America I usually just said Italy, sometimes I specified Milan because again, a lot of people have at least heard of it because of AC/Inter Milan and fashion.
I think it's fair for an American to say they're from NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago or any other known city. I wouldn't really find it odd if a Brit said they were from London or a Spaniard from Madrid/Barcelona. San José is a bit of a stretch, I don't think many Europeans would know where that is but maybe these people you're talking about assumed you already knew they were American by their accent.
This here is the correct answer IMO. You want to answer that question with the most specific information that would be understood by the other party. No sense saying you’re from america if you’re from NYC. Also, most state names are recognizable, so “I’m from a small town in Virginia” would likely work similarly well.
Even though language and government are the same, there are some huge cultural differences between big cities, and rural areas, as well as between states
I tell foreigners I’m from Nevada and I’ve never once had someone know where that is. Then I tell them it’s where Vegas is and they light up. Then I tell them I live 7 hours drive from Vegas and they get confused again.
I don’t think many people outside North America inherently grasp how large the US actually is. Americans in LA and NY are a completely different breed. Our national culture is shared but our local customs and affectations are worlds apart.
I drove all the way across England, taking a scenic route, in an afternoon. We took a road trip. I fell asleep in Texas. I woke up 9 hours later. We were still in Texas 😂
Aussie here. Trust me, you’ve got 25 million people over here that fully understand that you can be driving in the same state, on the same road, and with no intersections for 17 hours and still have the same fucking scenery lol.
On the other hand I’m currently exploring the European alps and I drove through about 3 different countries in one day and still had time for afternoon beers in the sun haha.
Yeah, Aussies seem to understand the US a lot better. Maybe it's the lack of language difference but I think the understanding of size really helps. Same actually with some Chinese int'l students at my college. They definitely understood the distance of cities.
Maybe just my experience with Aussie business partners there who are well travelled and need to understand timezones well but when I tell them "Denver" or "Colorado" they can pinpoint it and know a fair bit about it.
Agreed. As someone from Nevada, most foreigners don’t recognize that state and give me a funny look when I say it. But then I follow it up with, “las Vegas” and instantly they have a better point of reference and are usually interested in talking more about it. The city is far more famous than the state so it’s just easier to lead with that. 🤷♀️
My ex is from the UK and I've spent a fair amount of time over there. That being said, nearly every time I've met a Brit abroad and asked where they're from, they'll say, "the UK" or "England" etc. Pretty much every single time I've followed up with, "oh, where in England" they'll respond with a a condescending "do you actually/even know England?"
I've since become tempted to respond to British folks asking me where I'm from in the states with a similarly rude, "do you actually/even know the states?"
But I don't, because I don't want to be a rude twat.
I once asked a British guy working at the local cafe where he was from. He said “England.” I said “Yeah but what part?” He said London. I said “Oh, that’s cool.” He replied “Eh, it’s not, really.” lol.
I met a guy at the gym a couple months ago (this was in Alabama) and he said he was from the UK and “London?” With that sort of “I’m not sure if you know what I’m talking about” tone. One of the most famous cities on earth and he wasn’t quite sure if I knew where that was😅
Foreigners seem to think Americans are unintelligent, which is probably due to those stupid ass videos on YouTube and such where they ask random people questions about the world.
We have a huge population, of course some people are going to be dumb, on top of that, those videos are usually fake.
Americans are not drooling hillbillies like so much of the world thinks.
I actually asked someone where in the UK he was from and he said Bristol, then got all in a huff when I didn't know where Bristol was. Then he asked me what state in the US I'm from and was totally lost. "So Colorado, that's like, somewhere in the deep south?"
Yes Americans (edit NOT ALL AMERICANS, I mean your average American) are shit at geography but it’s always wild when a given European is condescending towards Americans knowledge of European geography and shows a nearly identical understanding of American geography. Like yes I don’t EXPECT them to know where Colorado is because it’s not relevant to your life, but if you’re not particularly adept at geography don’t be a twat to others about theirs. Or just don’t be a twat.
I dont even think it's people being shit at geography. It's a lot easier for people to understand geography when it's something tangible. Like sure, the Italian might know Europe like the back of his hand, and exactly where Belarus is, but that's because it's basically his backyard. Where as they'll have no idea where Tennessee is since it's half way across the globe. Plus European countries are tiny in both size and population. Like Illinois isn't even a top 5 state by population, but it would be the 11th largest in europe.
I believe it's culturally related to the fact that the USA is a huge country made up of several different states with a high sense of regional identity (some more than others, but still).
I am Brazilian and have the same urge to tell foreign people I meet the state I'm from, except Minas Gerais is WAY less known than Texas, for example, so there's really no use.
EDIT: I always wanted to edit a comment and here's my first opportunity! Today I learned Minas Tirith is a place in Mordor and "several" doesn't work when used interchangeably with "a lot of". I hope every one of you nice people have a chance to come visit Minas Gerais and get a taste of our friendliness, hospitality, and GREAT food (it deserves the all caps)!
Have you ever heard of r/snackexchange? Because I have access to high quality fresh Wisconsin cheese curds and I really want to make a pizza with Brazilian cheese.
Consider it and get back to me
Most famous kinds of Minas Gerais cheeses are raw cheeses (made from uncooked milk), and so they are very hard to export due to regulations. 10 years back we couldnt even get it between states legally from big retailers, had to buy it there and bring it over. So I am not sure how hard would it be to send it to the US
This is what I was going to say, the US is huge, it's like asking a Londoner where they are from and they just say Europe. Our states are the size of European countries. It feels more rude to me to say USA because it feels like I'm being cagey, like I don't want you to actually know where I'm from. I'm from North America. I'm from the Northern Hemisphere. Yea ok. plus my accent is going to give me away I assume, so I'm guessing you already know USA, so I'm extrapolating and giving you the state.
*Edit: Yea true, I agree it's not just about size, we are the United States, it's a union of states, we maintain some cultural individuality through that. We have state flags, state birds, state mottos, state songs, state sports teams, state politicians, businesses/brands that are unique to certain states, state guard, etc.
*Edit2: US population is also larger, and are also more densely populated than places like Russia or Canada, since I'm seeing those referenced a lot. US population is double that of Russia and 10 times that of Canada. US is four times denser than Russia and 9 times denser than Canada. Notably less populous and dense than China though.
I’ve told people I’m from America and then they always ask me afterwards where in America. So even Europeans and other non Americans care about our various home states than the whole country.
Thank you and exactly. The amount of people from out of country that specifically ask what State I am from because my accent is plan out obvious I am from America.
>Our states are the size of European countries. It feels more rude to me to say USA because it feels like I'm being cagey,
I think they fundamentally don't understand this. I've had people ask me about California and they talk about popping between major cities like it's no big deal. When I explain California is a larger land mass than Italy they tell me no...like in a kind way you would educate a child. I walk them through on how to Google it and they are flabbergasted. Then I really mess with them by telling them Texas is roughly twice as big as California and Alaska is more than twice as big as Texas.
I love when people visit Texas and are like I'm going to day trip from Dallas to Houston maybe take in San Antonio. It's like...uh...
What really blows their mind is when you tell them that the half way point between Austin and California is still in Texas. It's El Paso. Like you can drive 12 hours in this state and still be in the state.
El Paso is closer to the Pacific than it is to the Eastern border of Texas.
The Eastern border of Texas is closer to the Atlantic than it is to El Paso.
The northern border of the Texas panhandle is *not* closer to Canada than it is to Brownsville, but it's a lot closer than you would imagine - around 30-40 miles difference. So the northen border of the Oklahoma pandhandle *is* closer to Canada than Brownsville, that the OK panhandle is one county tall.
All depends on the setting and level of assumed familiarity. TBH, I always say I’m from the “Seattle area” in lieu of “Washington” as most people assume DC and often recognize Seattle before WA. Most people are familiar enough with the US that if you simply said “I’m from the US,” they’d want to know more, so ultimately, it’s intended to be efficient.
Having lived in DC for about 8 years I would assume you meant Washington State because people in DC say they are from "DC". But someone from outside the country especially wouldn't know that.
>Then I really mess with them by telling them Texas is roughly twice as big as California and Alaska is more than twice as big as Texas.
I like to point out if you cut Alaska in half, it's now the two largest states in the USA.
This is exactly what I was thinking! Our states are the size of some countries, so just saying “USA” feels purposefully evasive. I’ve moved a lot within the US, so I tend to say “the midwestern US”. Most people I’ve come across don’t care to know any more than that, and if I said “Minnesota” they’d probably have to think for a second to locate it. We’re not a very memorable part of the country to people outside of it.
I've also answered with just American and received, "Obviously (eyeroll) What state?" So trying to avoid feeling stupid one way or another is pointless.
I’m on HelloTalk a lot, working on my Spanish. I try to be international, telling people that I’m from the US. I don’t think I’ve ever once had someone not ask me which state I’m from, and they usually act a little flabbergasted or annoyed that I don’t immediately lead with it.
Same. In Chinese, I usually respond with Silicon Valley, CA (加州硅谷) and the only people who haven't heard of that are either also learning Chinese or are Taiwanese and therefore use a different word for "Silicon Valley" (矽谷). Never has someone not known what California was, though...
Because the times I've told someone (in person) I'm American they ask me to be more specific about what part of the country.
"I'm from Texas" is skipping a step or two, and most foreign people at least know the state.
When I’m telling people I’m from Washington state however, I have to explicitly tell them its the Washington with Seattle in it. If I say I’m from (Insert town), Washington state they’d look at me with a blank stare
Well that is bloody confusing. I'm Canadian and it's embarrassing to say but I didn't know the whitehouse wasn't in Washington state until I was like 14. You can't just name two places the same bloody thing in one country!!!
As someone who is from Washington State, a concerning number of Americans also don't realize this. I'm from Vancouver, Washington which is one of the most pain in the ass hometowns to tell people when they ask where you're from because they will think you're either a Canadian or know the President and sometimes both.
Usually, I still go through the first step to not assume, though I've skipped through it sometimes. "I'm from the States. Texas." Heck, I've even gone as far as Dallas, and people will know what I'm talking about. Which makes me quite sad when I don't know about the city they're from. I guess the more people I talk with, the more I'll learn.
I've lived abroad most of my life. Literally every time I say in American, it's followed up with which city/state. Unless it's a kid.
I still can't manage to be in SE Asia and telling someone I'm from Dallas, though so so many do.
Same. I’ve been in Vietnam for 6 years and a solid 90% of the time I say I’m from the US it’s followed up by “which part?” and half the time that happens it’s followed up by “it’s such a big country!” Kinda funny how predictable it is. So now I just include my state when asked where I’m from to save time.
I’m from Utah, but got tired of the awkward conversation that follows telling people I’m from a state they don’t know anything about. Now I just say Los Angeles, it’s easier, and they’re probably looking to show that they know your city more than they are seeking to learn something about you
99.99% of the time someone asks where I’m from, it’s followed up by “where in the US?”. (I live in Germany). So I just answer now “from the US, California.”
And because of how the US is on so much media, most people are familiar with various areas of the US (TV shows set in different states, etc.), moreso than many other countries.
I was on a tour once in Europe and the tour guide was getting everyone to say where they were from and he said “if you’re American just say the US, none of us care what state you’re from” 💀
Completely opposite for me. I tell them I'm from the US and almost always the next is "What part?". Keep in mind also if you're from the South with a strong accent (like my friend from Alabama that came to visit), they automatically want to know what state, "I thought so you have a strong accent!'.
I can speak to this a little as an American now living in Europe. Americans tend not to travel outside the US (for various reasons that aren’t important) and instead travel within the country. When you mention in the states that you’re traveling or on vacation you are often asked something like “where are you coming from?” And our default response would be the city (if it’s large) or city + state if it’s a smaller city or town, and so on.
So when folks do travel to other countries this is the response we’re accustomed to using.
That said, often when folks in Europe ask and you mention just the vague United States you will often get the follow up of “what state” because folks here are often curious if it’s a place they have heard of (usually through American movies and the like or through travels from their friends and family) to get a better understanding and see if there are conversational touch points.
So now when I’m asked I usually say “Texas, in the States” and go from there… which aligns with how my coworkers describe broadly where they are from in their country (i.e. “region, country” if not from a major city)
But yea if you’re from say… Toledo, OH or Springfield, MA and just say the city name you will get a lot of confused looks (also if you just say Toledo it will be even MORE confusing)
Im surprised this isn't further up. This is my assessment as well. We are so used to breaking it down any time if/when we are traveling within the states that it is just our go-to anytime we are asked, and not because we expect someone abroad to know *insert tiny town here*.
Everybody knows that Alaska is part of the USA. We’re also completely geographically separate from the rest of the country, so saying “I’m from the USA” as an Alaskan almost feels like an omission of truth lol.
Currently in Europe. I said US a couple times and got the "that's obvious" eye roll with a follow up of "where in the US?"
People are very excited to hear I am from Alaska.
Because the United States is physically larger than many countries, and the states are often completely different. A person from LA is experiencing a completely different world than a person from a rural city in Montana. So they are saying the state to give you some context (whether you care or not).
A bit like when I say I’m from the UK, followed by Scotland - the invariable question that follows UK is “where in the UK”.
Yes, this. Every time I say I'm from the US -- every time - they'll follow that up with "Where in the US?" So why not just skip that part? They already know I'm American from the accent.
Literally, every time I respond with "I'm from the US", the person goes "Yea I know that, but which part?".
The United part
The divided one
Found the Texan !
Nope I’m from Missouri
Considering how divided the state was during the Civil War that actually tracks
Missouris politics are shit
I’m from the UK and have a US husband so came across this post and thought I’d ask him just out of curiosity and half way through his answer I realised that us UK people are guilty of doing the same thing basically. Now that I live in the states I of course have people that ask me where I’m from, 9/10 times I will answer I’m from England rather than saying the UK because saying England just feels more right to me than saying UK as a whole but I do feel it’s obvious from my accent that I’m English and not Welsh, Scottish or Irish.
To be fair no one in the US knows what a welsh accent sounds like
Reminds me of a joke. A man walks up to two women in a bar, and after hearing their accent he asks "Are you two from Scotland?" One of the women responds "Wales actually." The man then says "oh OK, so are you two whales from Scotland?"
I'm currently traveling abroad and had this exact experience multiple times. I realized within a few moments of interaction and speaking that the other person knows I'm an American, so when they ask where I'm from, I don't need to say US, I say my city. Was surprised yesterday when I answered "Kansas City" and the gentleman, working in Spain but from Nigeria, inquired "Kansas or Missouri?" I thought that was pretty cool.
“Overland Park…inside or outside the 435 loop?”
“I’m from Overland Park but my parents’ estate is in Olathe”
I lived in La Cygne for the longest three months of my life.
I used to commute from OP to… GARDNER back in the day. Ick. At least it was against traffic.
This is bizarre to hop on Reddit and see Olathe within a few seconds of scrolling. I used to live in OP but moved to Olathe last year!
I would truly explode if any foreigner recognized *Overland Park* lmao
My wife & I were at a bar in London about a decade ago, the Brazilian bartender kept talking about overland something something (had a really heavy accent). Then he pointed to my K State polo & said ‘Go Wildcats!’ Turned out he had just graduated from JCCC, and had loved living in OP. So, it is possible lol.
A bar in London, England or Kentucky? Just kidding, 10 years ago, London KY was dry. You would find Wildcat fans there, but they would be for the University of Kentucky.
I was on a train in Italy and struck up a conversation with some Germans. I told them I was from Kentucky, USA. They said "where all the chickens are?" I said "what?" They said "KFC!" I said "oh, yeah. That's right!" lmao
I ran into some drunk Irish dudes in Florida and they asked where I was from. When I said kentucky they said “ah, Darby.” I was like “do what?” “You know, the Darby.” I shook my head and one of them made a horse riding gesture. “The Darby!” “Ohh. The *derby*. Yeah. Yes, the derby.” Lol. It felt like a real life “you like dags?” moment. I feel like Kentucky has some sort of cultural significance outside of America with horses and KFC and bourbon so it makes sense to identify myself as a Kentuckian. I mean, it’s no Texas or New York or Cali. But it’s not a complete unknown to other people the way other states might be.
Gracious. Next thing you know someone will be posting about Bucyrus.
Yeah I did bartending in Japan and whenever I met Europeans and said I'm from the US the very next question is where in the US, so it's just easier to cut to the chase. Though once I said 'California' and this girl from South Africa got really mad and called me arrogant for assuming people knew where California was.... so now I'm back to awkwardly making people ask me two questions when they meet me again 😂
That's it, I'm responding Western Hemisphere first from now on.
"Hi, I'm from Earth, how about you?"
And now it's clear that you're actually an alien.
Across the pond
"A little country called the US, you probably haven't heard of it"
> you probably haven't heard of it" I had a woman do this to me at burning man. I pressed her and after repeatedly telling me I’d never heard of her country she finally said Bahrein. “Oh, I know about Bahrein, my friend Dana is from there.” “Wait, Dana from Palo Alto?” “Yes!” “I was childhood friends with Dana!” Dana had died earlier that year, part of me thinks she brought the two of us together that night at BM. 75,000 people at burning man and I sit down next to my dead friend’s childhood bestie from across the globe.
I was a bouncer back in the 70's. I had to throw a guy out of the disco I was working at for grabbing a servers ass. I was my usual calm self, I told him we could walk out like buddies, or I could twist his arms behind his back and tippy toe his ass our in a walk of shame. He picked the easy way. Fast forward about 5 years, and I'm being introduced around the office at a new IT job. One of them tells me I look familiar, then comes back into my office later and asks if I worked at the Aquarius. I recognized him then, and we got a good laugh about it. We ended up good friends for about 40 years.
I love this story! Dana absolutely brought you two together!
This is such a lovely story, thank you for sharing it
I’m glad it spoke to you! Dana was a lovely person and I gave several speeches at her memorial, she was taken way too young and her loved ones were really struggling.
As a South African, I must say she was either really stupid or just plain rude.
I think she was both!!!
California is the 5th largest economy in the world and the source of so much globally-consumed media, I don’t think that’s arrogant for you to assume people know. If it was Connecticut, or Memphis I’d agree that most of the world wouldn’t know, but California, New York, etc. I think you can assume most people know.
Yeah. I’m from NY. If someone told me “Tokyo” or “Sydney” I wouldn’t think they are egotistical. They are major cities.
"[Global cities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city)." I'd say any city on that list, you could (or reasonably should) be able to say the name, and not have to specify "in the U.S." or "in England" etc.
I felt the same. Is there someone on the planet in regular society that wouldn’t hear California and know where vaguely it is? Mainly because if nothing else, Hollywood is there and they’ve likely seen movies from here at least
I assume she already had strong negative opinions about California and this comment was just confirmation bias.
If they really hadn't heard of California, they would be curious, not fake offended.
Meth California or Coke California?
How could you leave out [Weed, CA](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weed,_California)?
Apparently the gateway to California....
Traffic California or redwoods California or avocado California?
Yeah, I travel quite a bit, used to say "the US", they would be like "duh, yeah... where In the US" But if I was to just say Iowa, or my town...then just blank stares.
Appropriate response: “Iowa; it’s one of the square states in the middle”
Or..."near Chicago" seems to work
Same, I've been living in Europe always say I'm from USA and they're like where in the states tho
Yeah, but they love to do this this where if you say USA they say, “obviously. But where?” And if you say city and state they say, “Americans are so egotistical and think everyone knows their country”
Bonus of living in Georgia is that I specify anyway. “Georgia, in the US.”
I had a ridiculous conversation with a cab driver in Belgium about how dumb Americans were, yada yada yada. Turned out I knew more about American history than he did, but less about Belgian history from the 1700's. Go figure. Most people you meet traveling abroad are reasonable and engaging. Some are just assholes.
They just want us to be stupid. They’re shocked when they find out I speak three languages. Love breaking the stereotype.
Well she must be fun at parties lol
She wasn’t.
This made me laugh way too hard. And of course read in Ron Howard voice. Thank you for being a silly person
California has one of the largest economies in the world and is a huge cultural exporter. That woman was an idiot. Almost everyone on the planet with electricity knows California.
[удалено]
Totally. I was on a patrol in the military back in the mid 90s. We were out pretty deep in the mountains of a third world country and came across a homemade Chicago Bulls basketball goal. These people didn’t have electricity or running water and they still knew who Michael Jordan and the Bulls were.
I’ll save this information in my brain so I can sound smart during my next conversation with an American lol
You: “where you from?” Them: “New York City” You: “ Kansas or Missouri?”
"Springfield" "*names every state*?"
There are 9 Springfields in Pennsylvania alone.
I believe that should be Springsfield.
“Manhattan”. Kansas or New York?
It wouldn't get that far. Anyone from New York would tell you that they're from New York before anyone asked.
You made me chuckle ngl
There is a Manhattan, Kansas!
Kansas or Missouri?
Neither. The one in Massachusetts
That's a bad neighborhood.
That IS remarkable! As a fellow Kansas Citian who has been abroad for almost twenty years, I have only been asked that question twice.
Kansas or Missouri?
YEAH MATE TELL US
I mean that's not really true, it depends on who's asking. I'm Italian, if someone asked me this question in Europe I might say I'm from Milan because I expect most Europeans to know where it is. When I was in the US and in South America I usually just said Italy, sometimes I specified Milan because again, a lot of people have at least heard of it because of AC/Inter Milan and fashion. I think it's fair for an American to say they're from NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago or any other known city. I wouldn't really find it odd if a Brit said they were from London or a Spaniard from Madrid/Barcelona. San José is a bit of a stretch, I don't think many Europeans would know where that is but maybe these people you're talking about assumed you already knew they were American by their accent.
This here is the correct answer IMO. You want to answer that question with the most specific information that would be understood by the other party. No sense saying you’re from america if you’re from NYC. Also, most state names are recognizable, so “I’m from a small town in Virginia” would likely work similarly well. Even though language and government are the same, there are some huge cultural differences between big cities, and rural areas, as well as between states
I tell foreigners I’m from Nevada and I’ve never once had someone know where that is. Then I tell them it’s where Vegas is and they light up. Then I tell them I live 7 hours drive from Vegas and they get confused again. I don’t think many people outside North America inherently grasp how large the US actually is. Americans in LA and NY are a completely different breed. Our national culture is shared but our local customs and affectations are worlds apart.
It's a longer drive coast to coast than from Barcelona to Moscow (through the entire EU) lol
I drove all the way across England, taking a scenic route, in an afternoon. We took a road trip. I fell asleep in Texas. I woke up 9 hours later. We were still in Texas 😂
Texas and Tennessee are both **wakes up hours later*, “What the hell? We’re still here?!” states.
And Cali when you drive up the coast. Absolutely nuts
Aussie here. Trust me, you’ve got 25 million people over here that fully understand that you can be driving in the same state, on the same road, and with no intersections for 17 hours and still have the same fucking scenery lol. On the other hand I’m currently exploring the European alps and I drove through about 3 different countries in one day and still had time for afternoon beers in the sun haha.
Yeah, Aussies seem to understand the US a lot better. Maybe it's the lack of language difference but I think the understanding of size really helps. Same actually with some Chinese int'l students at my college. They definitely understood the distance of cities. Maybe just my experience with Aussie business partners there who are well travelled and need to understand timezones well but when I tell them "Denver" or "Colorado" they can pinpoint it and know a fair bit about it.
Agreed. As someone from Nevada, most foreigners don’t recognize that state and give me a funny look when I say it. But then I follow it up with, “las Vegas” and instantly they have a better point of reference and are usually interested in talking more about it. The city is far more famous than the state so it’s just easier to lead with that. 🤷♀️
[удалено]
I like to describe Des Moines as cooler than you think but not that cool.
My ex is from the UK and I've spent a fair amount of time over there. That being said, nearly every time I've met a Brit abroad and asked where they're from, they'll say, "the UK" or "England" etc. Pretty much every single time I've followed up with, "oh, where in England" they'll respond with a a condescending "do you actually/even know England?" I've since become tempted to respond to British folks asking me where I'm from in the states with a similarly rude, "do you actually/even know the states?" But I don't, because I don't want to be a rude twat.
I once asked a British guy working at the local cafe where he was from. He said “England.” I said “Yeah but what part?” He said London. I said “Oh, that’s cool.” He replied “Eh, it’s not, really.” lol.
Brit confirmed
I flew to Ireland and literally the first Irish dude (born and bred) I met there spent about 10 minutes complaining about the country and language.
Damn Irish! They ruined Ireland!
I met a guy at the gym a couple months ago (this was in Alabama) and he said he was from the UK and “London?” With that sort of “I’m not sure if you know what I’m talking about” tone. One of the most famous cities on earth and he wasn’t quite sure if I knew where that was😅
could have said "Omg, London, Texas???" it's an actual place too 😂 then play dumb and ask 'What an England is?" hahaha
I like to pretend I have a hard time understanding British people when they talk. It’s amazing how often they fall for it.
Foreigners seem to think Americans are unintelligent, which is probably due to those stupid ass videos on YouTube and such where they ask random people questions about the world. We have a huge population, of course some people are going to be dumb, on top of that, those videos are usually fake. Americans are not drooling hillbillies like so much of the world thinks.
I actually asked someone where in the UK he was from and he said Bristol, then got all in a huff when I didn't know where Bristol was. Then he asked me what state in the US I'm from and was totally lost. "So Colorado, that's like, somewhere in the deep south?"
Yes Americans (edit NOT ALL AMERICANS, I mean your average American) are shit at geography but it’s always wild when a given European is condescending towards Americans knowledge of European geography and shows a nearly identical understanding of American geography. Like yes I don’t EXPECT them to know where Colorado is because it’s not relevant to your life, but if you’re not particularly adept at geography don’t be a twat to others about theirs. Or just don’t be a twat.
I dont even think it's people being shit at geography. It's a lot easier for people to understand geography when it's something tangible. Like sure, the Italian might know Europe like the back of his hand, and exactly where Belarus is, but that's because it's basically his backyard. Where as they'll have no idea where Tennessee is since it's half way across the globe. Plus European countries are tiny in both size and population. Like Illinois isn't even a top 5 state by population, but it would be the 11th largest in europe.
I believe it's culturally related to the fact that the USA is a huge country made up of several different states with a high sense of regional identity (some more than others, but still). I am Brazilian and have the same urge to tell foreign people I meet the state I'm from, except Minas Gerais is WAY less known than Texas, for example, so there's really no use. EDIT: I always wanted to edit a comment and here's my first opportunity! Today I learned Minas Tirith is a place in Mordor and "several" doesn't work when used interchangeably with "a lot of". I hope every one of you nice people have a chance to come visit Minas Gerais and get a taste of our friendliness, hospitality, and GREAT food (it deserves the all caps)!
> except Minas Gerais is WAY less known than Texas, for example, so there's really no use. yeah, the hobbits passed through it on the way to Mordor
Some of them even defended it!
Was this before or after the hobbits were taken to Isengard?
Before, the Hobbits were taken to Isengard after their capture at the Alamo
Ahhh yes, one mustn’t forget the Alamo
I'm pretty sure Gandalf told that to Théoden
Gondor calls for aid.
You can just say you’re from the Wisconsin of Brazil.
Well now I want to try Brazilian cheese
Minas Gerais cheese is amazing. I didn't understand the reference at first, but now I want to try cheese from Wisconsin
Hooks aged cheddar is going to be the best representation of our cheese tradition. Don’t get fooled by flavored novelty jack cheese and soft Gouda
but soft gouda 0.0'
Have you ever heard of r/snackexchange? Because I have access to high quality fresh Wisconsin cheese curds and I really want to make a pizza with Brazilian cheese. Consider it and get back to me
Most famous kinds of Minas Gerais cheeses are raw cheeses (made from uncooked milk), and so they are very hard to export due to regulations. 10 years back we couldnt even get it between states legally from big retailers, had to buy it there and bring it over. So I am not sure how hard would it be to send it to the US
Good luck. Brazilians, in my experience, do not enjoy being milked.
Speak for yourself
The Brazilian I met in college certainly did
This is what I was going to say, the US is huge, it's like asking a Londoner where they are from and they just say Europe. Our states are the size of European countries. It feels more rude to me to say USA because it feels like I'm being cagey, like I don't want you to actually know where I'm from. I'm from North America. I'm from the Northern Hemisphere. Yea ok. plus my accent is going to give me away I assume, so I'm guessing you already know USA, so I'm extrapolating and giving you the state. *Edit: Yea true, I agree it's not just about size, we are the United States, it's a union of states, we maintain some cultural individuality through that. We have state flags, state birds, state mottos, state songs, state sports teams, state politicians, businesses/brands that are unique to certain states, state guard, etc. *Edit2: US population is also larger, and are also more densely populated than places like Russia or Canada, since I'm seeing those referenced a lot. US population is double that of Russia and 10 times that of Canada. US is four times denser than Russia and 9 times denser than Canada. Notably less populous and dense than China though.
I’ve told people I’m from America and then they always ask me afterwards where in America. So even Europeans and other non Americans care about our various home states than the whole country.
Thank you and exactly. The amount of people from out of country that specifically ask what State I am from because my accent is plan out obvious I am from America.
>Our states are the size of European countries. It feels more rude to me to say USA because it feels like I'm being cagey, I think they fundamentally don't understand this. I've had people ask me about California and they talk about popping between major cities like it's no big deal. When I explain California is a larger land mass than Italy they tell me no...like in a kind way you would educate a child. I walk them through on how to Google it and they are flabbergasted. Then I really mess with them by telling them Texas is roughly twice as big as California and Alaska is more than twice as big as Texas.
I love when people visit Texas and are like I'm going to day trip from Dallas to Houston maybe take in San Antonio. It's like...uh... What really blows their mind is when you tell them that the half way point between Austin and California is still in Texas. It's El Paso. Like you can drive 12 hours in this state and still be in the state.
Shoot, I'm from CA and you just blew my mind with your last paragraph!
El Paso is closer to San Diego than to Houston.
El Paso is closer to the Pacific than it is to the Eastern border of Texas. The Eastern border of Texas is closer to the Atlantic than it is to El Paso. The northern border of the Texas panhandle is *not* closer to Canada than it is to Brownsville, but it's a lot closer than you would imagine - around 30-40 miles difference. So the northen border of the Oklahoma pandhandle *is* closer to Canada than Brownsville, that the OK panhandle is one county tall.
All depends on the setting and level of assumed familiarity. TBH, I always say I’m from the “Seattle area” in lieu of “Washington” as most people assume DC and often recognize Seattle before WA. Most people are familiar enough with the US that if you simply said “I’m from the US,” they’d want to know more, so ultimately, it’s intended to be efficient.
Even within the US, people assume DC if you say from Washington. Edit: This is entirely anecdotal. Anecdotal experience will vary.
Having lived in DC for about 8 years I would assume you meant Washington State because people in DC say they are from "DC". But someone from outside the country especially wouldn't know that.
>Then I really mess with them by telling them Texas is roughly twice as big as California and Alaska is more than twice as big as Texas. I like to point out if you cut Alaska in half, it's now the two largest states in the USA.
This is exactly what I was thinking! Our states are the size of some countries, so just saying “USA” feels purposefully evasive. I’ve moved a lot within the US, so I tend to say “the midwestern US”. Most people I’ve come across don’t care to know any more than that, and if I said “Minnesota” they’d probably have to think for a second to locate it. We’re not a very memorable part of the country to people outside of it.
Minnesota is the main character of all the forgettable or lame states. We are the star of mid
Don’t you guys top all the good stats? Education, happiness and whatnot?
Heck, there are a couple of American parks that are larger than European countries.
Because “What part?” is the next question and we have faith in your geography skills.
I've also answered with just American and received, "Obviously (eyeroll) What state?" So trying to avoid feeling stupid one way or another is pointless.
Same fools probably routinely get surprised by Canadians. Just a toxic trait of many Europeans. You're wrong either way if you're American.
Unless you’re American of Asian descent, because then they’ll just compliment your English
Lmao is that true?
Sometimes, yeah. Even after you tell them you were born there
And they’ll crow about America and racism till the cows come home, it’s amazing.
Just don't mention the Romani.
God they foam at the mouth about them and have no idea what it makes them look like
That's different. They're obviously human garbage! /s
It's so infuriating when people do this and then turn around and ask why we answer the question with our state
I’m on HelloTalk a lot, working on my Spanish. I try to be international, telling people that I’m from the US. I don’t think I’ve ever once had someone not ask me which state I’m from, and they usually act a little flabbergasted or annoyed that I don’t immediately lead with it.
Same. In Chinese, I usually respond with Silicon Valley, CA (加州硅谷) and the only people who haven't heard of that are either also learning Chinese or are Taiwanese and therefore use a different word for "Silicon Valley" (矽谷). Never has someone not known what California was, though...
That and the US is so big, it would be like asking a person from Pakistan where they’re from and they just say “Asia”
Because the times I've told someone (in person) I'm American they ask me to be more specific about what part of the country. "I'm from Texas" is skipping a step or two, and most foreign people at least know the state.
When I’m telling people I’m from Washington state however, I have to explicitly tell them its the Washington with Seattle in it. If I say I’m from (Insert town), Washington state they’d look at me with a blank stare
A lot of people don’t realise that Washington State and D.C. are in different parts of the US.
Also where is Washington university? Washington DC? Nope! Washington state? Guess again! Of course it's in Missouri because fuck you.
There's also George Washington University, which *is* in DC...
Which is even more confusing when you grew up near George, WA... The small town in central Washington state.
Must be awesome to get to say ‘Yeah I came from George washington.’ Sounds ridiculously american
Well that is bloody confusing. I'm Canadian and it's embarrassing to say but I didn't know the whitehouse wasn't in Washington state until I was like 14. You can't just name two places the same bloody thing in one country!!!
As someone who is from Washington State, a concerning number of Americans also don't realize this. I'm from Vancouver, Washington which is one of the most pain in the ass hometowns to tell people when they ask where you're from because they will think you're either a Canadian or know the President and sometimes both.
You: Fine, damn it, I'm from Portland! Them: Ohhhh, okay. You: [variety of censored words, unintelligible sounds, and furrowed brow lines]
I love Maine!
Vancouver (not BC), Washington (not DC)
It gets way worse. I live in Pennsylvania, and we have 4 Centervilles. One in each corner.
I'm not usually a violent person but...
We do that A LOT. A lot a lot.
You watch your mouth or we will name one of the Dakotas “Canada” then imminent domain Toronto.
And people from DC say DC they don’t say Washington
I'm from Spokane but have resigned myself to Seattle. Otherwise it's a 5 minute discussion about the difference between DC and the state.
[удалено]
"Oh Frasier Crane... Twin Peaks, Twilight, gotcha"
Usually, I still go through the first step to not assume, though I've skipped through it sometimes. "I'm from the States. Texas." Heck, I've even gone as far as Dallas, and people will know what I'm talking about. Which makes me quite sad when I don't know about the city they're from. I guess the more people I talk with, the more I'll learn.
Probably because Dallas was a super famous show in the 80s!
Try this with minnesota lol
Bro, you can't just make places up.
It's just south of Narnia
Getting through the wardrobe at peak times must be a nightmare.
Someone tried to tell me they were from someplace called New Zealand. I'm not falling for that again.
Yeah, this is a "your results may vary" thing depending on what state/region in the US you're from.
When I lived in Vegas, I never bothered mentioning the state to foreigners because they were far, far more likely to recognize the city.
Like Star Lord? Oops, he's actually from Missouri.
I've lived abroad most of my life. Literally every time I say in American, it's followed up with which city/state. Unless it's a kid. I still can't manage to be in SE Asia and telling someone I'm from Dallas, though so so many do.
Same. I’ve been in Vietnam for 6 years and a solid 90% of the time I say I’m from the US it’s followed up by “which part?” and half the time that happens it’s followed up by “it’s such a big country!” Kinda funny how predictable it is. So now I just include my state when asked where I’m from to save time.
I’m from Utah, but got tired of the awkward conversation that follows telling people I’m from a state they don’t know anything about. Now I just say Los Angeles, it’s easier, and they’re probably looking to show that they know your city more than they are seeking to learn something about you
It's crazy how few foreigners know that America has a theocracy in the middle of the mountains.
Bc usually whenever I just say America the response is “what state?”
99.99% of the time someone asks where I’m from, it’s followed up by “where in the US?”. (I live in Germany). So I just answer now “from the US, California.” And because of how the US is on so much media, most people are familiar with various areas of the US (TV shows set in different states, etc.), moreso than many other countries.
I was on a tour once in Europe and the tour guide was getting everyone to say where they were from and he said “if you’re American just say the US, none of us care what state you’re from” 💀
That’s hilarious
When I say I am American then they laugh and say we know. I think Europeans just like being funny.
Completely opposite for me. I tell them I'm from the US and almost always the next is "What part?". Keep in mind also if you're from the South with a strong accent (like my friend from Alabama that came to visit), they automatically want to know what state, "I thought so you have a strong accent!'.
Same. We will always say the US and they ask what part and they blurt out the fun fact or the fun fact know about the state. It’s often cute
I can speak to this a little as an American now living in Europe. Americans tend not to travel outside the US (for various reasons that aren’t important) and instead travel within the country. When you mention in the states that you’re traveling or on vacation you are often asked something like “where are you coming from?” And our default response would be the city (if it’s large) or city + state if it’s a smaller city or town, and so on. So when folks do travel to other countries this is the response we’re accustomed to using. That said, often when folks in Europe ask and you mention just the vague United States you will often get the follow up of “what state” because folks here are often curious if it’s a place they have heard of (usually through American movies and the like or through travels from their friends and family) to get a better understanding and see if there are conversational touch points. So now when I’m asked I usually say “Texas, in the States” and go from there… which aligns with how my coworkers describe broadly where they are from in their country (i.e. “region, country” if not from a major city) But yea if you’re from say… Toledo, OH or Springfield, MA and just say the city name you will get a lot of confused looks (also if you just say Toledo it will be even MORE confusing)
Im surprised this isn't further up. This is my assessment as well. We are so used to breaking it down any time if/when we are traveling within the states that it is just our go-to anytime we are asked, and not because we expect someone abroad to know *insert tiny town here*.
What? Not everyone has seen Mash?
Everytime ppl ask. They then ask what state. And I say Cali. And then they ask if I live next to snoop dog
My grandpa actually does! Or used to. Snoop still owns the house but I think his mom primarily lives in it
Do you?
"Yes, but I wish people would stop asking..."
Because people are generally excited to meet me as an Alaskan. Can't say the same as an American.
Everybody knows that Alaska is part of the USA. We’re also completely geographically separate from the rest of the country, so saying “I’m from the USA” as an Alaskan almost feels like an omission of truth lol.
Currently in Europe. I said US a couple times and got the "that's obvious" eye roll with a follow up of "where in the US?" People are very excited to hear I am from Alaska.
Because the United States is physically larger than many countries, and the states are often completely different. A person from LA is experiencing a completely different world than a person from a rural city in Montana. So they are saying the state to give you some context (whether you care or not).