Things Americans can learn from Europeans
I’ve done a lot of traveling outside the US in the last 5 or so years of my life. And if you’ve ever travelled outside of the US yourself for a sustained period of time, you know that when you travel you meet a lot of Europeans.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, I didn’t know much about “Europe”, and I certainly didn’t know anyone from Europe. I watched soccer games on my TV at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, the Bernabeu, and Camp Nou – but that was the extent of my knowledge.
When you grow up somewhere, you think the things you do are “normal”. You don’t know any different. Then one day, you’re exposed to people who do things differently. And for me, that was when I started traveling abroad at age 26.
Things Americans can learn from Europeans
Most of the things I’ve learned from Europeans has come from traveling alongside them in other places like Central/South America and Southeast Asia. I’ve found the easiest way to meet people is in a neutral area – somewhere else that is far from your country and their country.
Lesson 1 – Not everyone eats highly processed food
I was in Panama at a hostel, flanked by a Danish girl named CC and an American guy named Paul. They were talking about bread, and their conversation went something like this.
Paul from the US – “Why would I make my own bread when I could go buy it at the grocery store? They have like 50 different options!”
CC from Denmark – “Because it’s better for you, it’s a fun experience, and you’re more connected to your food”
If I could sum up the difference between American and European eating – it would be this. Americans value convenience over almost everything, while Europeans aren’t used to buying everything they eat/use from massive corporations like we are in the US.
Growing up, I thought it was normal that we ate premade chicken tenders, french fries, frozen peas and corn, meatloaf, etc etc. Turns out … that wasn’t so normal in the rest of the world.
The rest of the world eats real food that was usually grown close to where they live. They cook their meals from scratch with single ingredients, and they’re healthier for it.
The lesson – don’t eat highly processed food.
Lesson 2 – Enjoy long meals with friends and family
In America when you go to a restaurant – you order your food, your food comes, you eat it, you pay, and you leave.
Simple, right?
Europeans do things very differently. Around Europeans, conversation is very important. We don’t just sit down, eat our food, then leave. We sit, wait a while for our food, eat our food, then have wine and talk for a few hours after we eat.
Eating is not just something you have to do. It is something to enjoy.
Europeans in general are much more social than Americans.
The lesson – dinner doesn’t end when the food is finished. Dinner is a social experience to be enjoyed with friends and family. Don’t leave the table/restaurant when the food is done. Keep talking, enjoy the vibes. What are you rushing for?
Lesson 3 – Travel cheaply and to interesting places
This is a HUGE one. I remember being in the middle of Siquijor, a small island in the Philippines. My gf and I were eating lunch at a small restaurant and we see a French family pull up on three motorbikes. Mom, Dad, and three kids – all under the age of 16.
Would my parents, or any other American parents that I’ve ever known, take their family of 5 motorbiking around the Philippines for a family vacation??? HELL NO! But would I have benefited from traveling around a third world country on a motorbike when I was 13 years old and seeing how people in a country like the Philippines lived on a daily basis? Hell yes.
I also remember eating out at a restaurant outside of Tayrona National Park in Colombia. We met a German couple who were traveling with their 1 year old daughter. Have I ever met an American couple who would do this? Absolutely not. This German couple had maybe 6 months of leave and didn’t want to waste it sitting at home in Germany!
On a backpacking trip, when I showed up at hostels in Central America and told people that I was American, I’d always hear the same thing –
“Oh! That’s weird. We don’t meet many Americans at hostels here.”
The stereotype (and truth) is that Americans travel to safe, expensive, “resorty” type places, while Europeans like getting off the beaten path and learning about authentic life in different countries that many Americans would never visit. And this is definitely true.
Growing up, I knew people who went on vacation to Cancun, Punta Cana, Virgin Islands, etc. But never anyone who went to rural Colombia. Or Vietnam. Or India!
Lesson – Travel to interesting places and get out away from the tourist traps. You don’t need to be scared of the world. Also, if you travel cheaply you can take much longer trips.
Lesson 4 – It’s ok to disagree
Americans are very sensitive, and we don’t want to disagree with people to their face. Instead, we act happy and fake it to their face, then we gossip behind their back. We can’t have conversations about things that we respectfully disagree on in person.
That would be too confrontational, of course.
Every European I’ve met always comments on how fake Americans are. They say we ask “How are you?” when we don’t care.
They say we agree with you out loud and then go talk shit on you behind your back.
This is a huge problem. A lot of people in the US won’t even talk to their relatives anymore because they don’t agree with their political views.
Lesson – Having a conversation with someone you disagree with is perfectly normal. You can still be friends with people you disagree with.
Lesson 5 – Don’t dress like shit, and wear natural fibers
This is a huge one. Everyone knows that Americans dress like absolute shit most of the time. XXL shirts and shorts, sweatpants everywhere, always “athleisure”. You look at any public school these days and it’s just a bunch of kids in sweatpants.
How you look matters. It’s important to contribute to something in a positive way. Are you making a place look better or worse?
Another thing you’ll probably realize is that while we douse ourselves in polyester athleisure brands like Lululemon, Patagonia, etc, many Europeans really value wearing natural fibers like linen, cotton, wool, cashmere, etc.
Lesson – When you go out in public, make an attempt to look decent. And try to wear more natural fibers. All this polyester can’t be good for our bodies!
Conclusion – Meeting Europeans
Meeting Europeans has definitely opened my eyes to a different way of life. Things that I never thought were possible before. For me, the biggest difference is that in America the big corporations dominate our life.
- We eat industrially processed foods vs local foods
- We shop at massive grocery stores vs local markets
- Every town looks the same & has the same stores vs different villages
- We’re hooked on drugs from big pharma vs no drugs
- We buy bread from the store vs making it
European societies and cultures have been around for a while, and there’s probably a reason for this. The way America is going – we might not last that much longer.
We should try to learn from these cultures and take what they’re getting right to improve our society.
Sam