Question of the Day - Tuesday, October 17

[cassiopea]

Salutations! I hope everyone is having a good Tuesday!




What's something that's mundane in your country, but foreigners think is incredible?




I reside in Eastern Ontario - Many tourists and newcomers are fascinated by the thousands of lakes in the area and vast space of the fields and forests. Same goes with the local wildlife (Racoons, beavers, squirrels...big groups would stop and take photos like no ones business!) and the size of houses, stores or cars that certain visitors get so excited about. Pretty cool! Reminds me of all mundane things I was excited about during my travels. Reminder that wherever you are earth can be a nifty place, even if you take for granted what is on your doorstep sometimes.


Oh, and can't forget about snow!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I’m not really sure for my part of the US. Maybe the national parks?

My dad used to administer licensing exams for his career field. There weren’t enough to go around; so people would travel to come to him for their tests and it was a 2-3 day process. He said this one guy couldn’t get over the yellow flowers he kept seeing in people’s yards. They were dandelions.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Free public toilets
The wildlife
Tax being included in advertised prices - no having to figure it out
Our great coffee is everywhere

 

[Kat0121]

I wouldn't call these mundane but we're used to them

for my area

The wildlife
The Everglades
The Florida Keys and the overseas highway
Our citrus

For the US

People seem fascinated by free drink refills
Our national parks
The sheer size of it. I've seen reaction videos on YT about people coming to visit and plan on seeing many places in a relatively short period of time without realizing how far they are from each other and those plans turn out to be unrealistic.
The size of our grocery stores and big box stores. The YT reactions I've seen to the cereal aisles alone are hilarious.
That yellow school buses really do exist.
Our deep love for Halloween

 

[Mia6]

for ne ohio

we have so much green in spring. a friend was visiting from LA and was amazed

i have cousins who visit from europe but they have never said anything they felt was special, ha!!!!

 

[mani]

Koalas
the vastness and lack of people in most of the country.
the Great Barrier Reef

And all of what catloverfromwayback said, although I've had some pretty dodgy coffee.

 

[maggiedemi]

The pretty colors of the leaves in fall. It doesn't really excite me. And the snow, which I absolutely hate. Cold, wet, muddy, sloppy, dirty. I hate winter.

 

[betsygee]

The ocean--well, not the whole country, but on our West Coast. I forget that some people don't have the beautiful sight that I get every day.

 

[Kat0121]

The pretty colors of the leaves in fall. It doesn't really excite me. And the snow, which I absolutely hate. Cold, wet, muddy, sloppy, dirty. I hate winter.

I'm with you on both points. As far as those "pretty" leaves go, it's all fun and games until they hit the ground and need to be raked up. Snow has no redeeming qualities. It's just evil. It may be pretty to look at from afar but black widow spiders are too until you get bitten by one.

 

[neely]

One of our daughters is studying abroad for her Ph.D. She said when she was getting ready to plan a Thanksgiving dinner for her Expat friends she couldn't find pumpkin puree. Evidently they don't have it there so when people from another country come to the U.S. they think the taste is incredible. It's funny how we take certain things for granted not realizing how different it is in other countries.

 

[maggiedemi]

neely --I take it other countries don't have Pumpkin Spice everything like us?

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Koalas
the vastness and lack of people in most of the country.
the Great Barrier Reef

And all of what catloverfromwayback said, although I've had some pretty dodgy coffee.

Yes, it's more "you can easily get great coffee anywhere" than "all our coffee everywhere is great"! I remember a friend from LA visiting a decade ago and being very impressed with how good the coffee was in all the Melbourne cafes we visited. On a similar tack I'm impressed with all the coffee I've had in Geelong.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

Since the US is so big, I don't think I could actually think of something. As for Minnesota though, the Mall of America is definitely mundane to most of the people who live here.