Bonjour.

Si j'écris ce message aujourd'hui, c'est pour avoir des réponses sur les "vrais" États-Unis d'Amérique.

Certaines remarques ou questions vont peut-être vous paraître idiote, mais sachez que tout est très sérieux et premier degré.

Je suis français, et chez nous, nous avons pendant longtemps eu le droit à la culture du "american dream". Cependant, la nouvelle génération s'en délaisse et vous voit comme des abrutis (pas de haine, mais la plupart des jeunes français aiment se moquer de vous).

Je n'en fais évidemment pas partie, j'adore votre pays et son histoire. J'étais d'ailleurs à Las Vegas en avril et c'était génial, mais c'est difficile de se faire un avis en une semaine.

Ma question est la suivante : recommanderiez-vous le rêve américain en 2026 à un étranger ? Vous êtes les mieux placés pour le savoir.

Je me pose beaucoup de questions sur comment les vrais américains aperçoivent leurs systèmes de santé, les armes à feu, l'éducation, la nutrition etc.. Ça peut paraître cliché mais ça m'intéresse.

Je suis fan de films d'horreur, et les films comme Texas Chainsaw Massacre me vendent du rêve sur vos paysages (j'ai l'impression d'être un gosse en écrivant ça).

Bref, j'ai toujours eu ce American Dream en tête mais qu'en pensez-vous ?

A few days ago I made a post about visiting an American-style restaurant called Route 66 here in Thailand. I ordered a steak and asked for it to be cooked medium rare.
When the waitress brought it to my table, it looked much rarer than I expected. To me, it looked closer to rare than medium rare.
I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t very confident, and I honestly wasn’t sure if I was the one who was mistaken. I also didn’t want to make the waitress feel uncomfortable or create an awkward situation.
Now I’m curious…
Does medium rare in the US normally look like the steak in my photo, or do you think the chef simply overcooked… or rather undercooked it? 😅
I’d really like to learn how Americans usually judge steak doneness. Thanks! 🥩🇺🇸🍽️

I'm a European professional looking into US immigration seriously, since I'd like to relocate long-term. Experienced, no criminal record, financially stable, the profile that's supposedly wanted. But the pathways are rough. H-1B is a random lottery even with a job offer. O-1 needs "extraordinary ability," excluding almost everyone who isn't a public standout. Sponsorship costs real money and most companies won't bother for a mid-level hire. Green card backlogs run for years.

Meanwhile you hear, including from politicians, that America wants skilled workers. From the outside those don't line up.

How do people here see this? Real contradiction, or am I missing context?

In the UK and Ireland there's a convenience store almost always within a 5-10 minute walk like a Tesco or Sainsburys and they offer something called a meal deal, where for £4 you can get a main (like a sandwich), a snack (yogurt, crisps, fruit), and a drink of choice.

It's very cheap and filling, easy to grab full meal that is often actually good. Traveling to america and looking at food options, do you guys have anything comparable that's actually somewhat good for you? Best I can find is fast food value deals

Cheers

For lack of a better word, weird here means overprotective.

For context I’m Asian. My friends and I (all women in mid/late 20s) were hiking in Tennessee sitting by a lake when a kind lady offered to take our picture. She was with her daughter who was probably 7-8 years old.
One of my friend commented on how pretty her daughter was. The lady looked visibly uncomfortable but proceeded to take our picture. The friend again complimented the kid saying she looks just like a doll. To which the lady replied ‘Ok, we’re out of here’.
Now I know most Americans don’t want people commenting on their kids looks but is there a specific reason for this? Did we offend her?

A comment like this would’ve probably made some parent’s day in my country 😅

PS: Not saying it’s the lady’s fault. Just keen to understand the cultural differences.

This is something I’ve heard is popular in the USA. Is it really a common belief that this makes the coffee taste better than milk and/or sugar instead?

Ive never tried it, but my understanding is that it often contains vegetable oil and artificial sugar and flavouring?

I often read in comments on the internet that people are being histrionic, and that Republicans are going to lose their monopoly on federal power. We should all calm down — a bunch of the stuff the rest of the world is upset about isn't going to happen. So, what does that look like? What would you like to see change, and what would you like to keep? What happens if Republicans don't lose power, for one reason or another?

Hi everyone! 👋🇹🇭
I’m from Thailand, and I’ve recently become really interested in American food and culture. ❤️🇺🇸 Today I visited **Route 66** in Pattaya and ordered a **200g Wagyu beef burger** with **home fries** 🍔🥔 I honestly enjoyed every bite 😄 The beef was juicy, everything tasted fresh, and the meal was surprisingly filling. Even afterward, I felt great. Before today, I always associated American fast food with places like **McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC,** or **Five Guys** 🍟🍔 This meal felt completely different from what I usually!

As someone from Europe, I grew up watching movies where neighbors bring pie to new people moving in, kids play on the street until dark, and everyone knows each other on the block.

Is this kind of community feeling still common in American suburbs/small towns today, or has technology and modern life changed that dynamic everywhere? Would love to hear your experiences in your state!

I visited San Diego last week and noticed if I held the door open or gave way they would always say this - always men

I watched this scene thousands times in movies, cartoons and series.

The USA has tried permanent Daylight Saving Time twice—once in the 1940s and again in the 1970s. It failed both times, and people hated it. My question is why haven’t we ever tried the opposite—abolishing DST altogether and going to permanent standard time?

Travelling to The U. S. From the U. K. At the end of the month and I'm just wondering what are the fast food places that should be avoided, particularly from a food safety/hygiene perspective?

I'm going on a trip to the U.S. this time, and I'm going to take Korean cigarettes and get close to Americans, but the Internet says that they don't smoke cigarettes in the U.S., is that true?

I am 5'5 as a girl and there is a lot of result about average american girl height. 5'3, 5'4, 5'5... I am european and they say amercan people are short.

I spent a semester in the US as a student and played on the soccer team. part of the prep was having a physical and getting my balls cupped by a doctor And being told to cough. the doctor was a cute lady and I was 19. It was weird and awkward.

I’ve lived in the uk and several other countries. no one does this. no one thinks this is normal or necessary. what gives? How are all these places not suffering from hernias galore?

My feed is somehow flooded with content of American middle class moms feeding their family. What strikes me is not what she is feeding, because i don't believe it is standard everyday food, being fast food style, but that they all use plastic or paper plates and forks.

Doesn't everyone have a dishwasher in the US? It is odd to me, here we bring real dishes at picnics too, then when we get home put them to get washed. Never have i seen someone use paper plates in their homes.

Why is this trend and when did it begin?

Thanks!

I genuinely can't wrap my head around the concept that people would willingly return to their secondary school, and why is there such a massive deal about it?

Went to a seafood spot today that’s marketed as a casual diner, nothing fancy. Ended up paying 704.12 SAR for 3 people ($187.72 USD). My friends keep telling me this is just normal seafood pricing, but it’s making me second guess myself. I told them I don’t remember sea food being this expensive in the states…. Is seafood actually this expensive in the US? 😅 I don’t remember it being like this.

FYI this’s a restaurant in Saudi Arabia.

How am I to read this? What is the 1-1 mark at 317 mm/12.5"?