If you’re a human being with senses, you’ve probably noticed that there are some stark cultural differences between the U.S. and various countries in Europe, even Western Europe where things are a bit more similar. Most people know about things like the metric system, driving on different sides of the road, and various differences between American English and British English.
However, there are quite a few differences that many on either side of the Atlantic are not aware of — differences that are extreme enough to cause feelings of horror on one side while being considered perfectly normal on the other.
One Ask Reddit post requested that people share some of the common practices in Europe that freak us Americans out, and some of them are indeed a little horrifying.
A couple of the items listed actually sound rather appealing, at least to U.S. individuals of a certain political persuasion, such as taxing churches, automatic voter registration, and broad union support. Others sound truly terrible, including having to somehow buy and install your own kitchen into an apartment, paying for water at a restaurant, and something called a “TV tax.” Then, of course, there’s the bagged milk.
Some may surprise even those Americans who think they know Europe well. Here are some of the top responses: