Remember the Russian travel tips for visiting America? Here’s a little peek at what Japanese travel agents tell people about America before they make that trip. First off, the food may be disappointing.
American food is flat to the taste, indifferent in the subtle difference of taste. There is no such thing there as a little “secret ingredient.” Sugar, salt, pepper, oils, and routine spices are used for family meals. There is no such thing as purely U.S. cuisine, except the hamburger, which isn’t made at home so much. There is almost nothing special to eat based on the different seasons of the year. Basically, they like sweet, high fat, high calories things.
But we are pretty nice drivers.
Manners with cars in America are really damn good. Japanese people should be embarrassed when they look at how good car manners are in America. You must wait whenever you cross an intersection for the traffic light. People don’t get pushy to go first. Except for some people, everyone keeps exactly to the speed limit. America is a car society, but their damn good manners are not limited to cars.
And just like the advice to the Russians, Japanese travelers are told to expect Americans to be loud, smiling, and optimistic. Read the rest at mental_floss.
(Image credit: Akaniji)