World Cup Travelers Have a New Appreciation for American Culture

As someone who has little to no interest in sports, my favorite part of the World Cup hasn’t been the matches, it has been the overwhelming amount of videos that I am seeing of people enjoying America. Specifically, my TikTok feed has been flooded with international visitors experiencing day-to-day American life for the very first time. There are so many baseline attributes of our culture that we completely take for granted, and it is incredibly lovely to see newcomers having such a wonderful time. This is a collection of TikToks that have come across my feed of some prominent categories of things that have been popular.

After years of exhausting online debates over which countries are better and constant discourse about cultural differences, it is incredibly refreshing to see everyone come together over shared joy. While these are just the topics that have managed to reach my specific algorithm, a few prominent categories of appreciation have taken over my feed.

General Appreciation

This visitor from the U.K. discusses how America feels more positive, supportive, and happy than the U.K. And sure, there are many Americans who live the way he is describing the U.K. and vice versa. However, hearing that our culture is perceived as warm, enthusiastic, and welcoming by outsiders is a beautiful reminder of a national trait that we often forget we possess. It proves that despite our internal disparities, our hospitality still shines through.

Food

Food is by far the largest and most chaotic category dominating visitor feeds. It turns out that our casual dining quirks and grocery habits are a novelty to the rest of the world.

For example, our condiment obsession. TSA had to issue a travel warning to international tourists, reminding them that they must put their bottles of Ranch dressing into their checked bags. Apparently, so many people are trying to fly home with Ranch in their carry-ons that it is clogging up airport security lines! This made me realize that many places outside the U.S. don’t even have Ranch, which is an absolute staple condiment for us.

This compilation really showcases the whole picture. Free refills, large portions, exploring common grocery stores, eating at common fast food restaurants, wide flavor assortment. Seeing people this happy about things that we find normal makes me appreciate the little things a bit more.

This video goes into more specific popular foods. Ranch, soda machines, and fast food.

And here is someone's ranking of some American food!

I'm putting this one in the food category although it kind of doesn't belong— but I was shocked to find out that we have stronger melatonin for sale than what's allowed in some other countries.

Walmart

I would have never guessed that Walmart would be a popular tourist attraction. However, there is an influx of videos showing tourists wandering the aisles, genuinely amazed by items in the store that I have walked past my entire life without a single thought.

Air Conditioning

Another topic that I am seeing lots of discussion about is the air conditioning.

One thing that I have noticed while traveling in Europe is the lack of air conditioning and the lack of cold drinks, although I had originally thought that it was just me. Seeing that they are caught completely by surprise by these cooling strategies makes this not only validating, but also makes me feel grateful.

This gentleman is expressing his enjoyment of the air conditioning in his rental car and appreciating the mere size of the car itself.

Overall

Ultimately, watching these travelers fall in love with our fast food places and marvel at our cooling systems does something important: it forces a bit of perspective. It is a gentle reminder to look at our daily environment with fresh eyes and appreciate the unique comforts that make up our day-to-day lives.