Differences between Life in Europe & The USA that I couldn't Believe..

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]All right, y'all. Hello. Today, we're checking out Europeans and Americans experiencing each others cultures, some of course clashes, and a little bit of explanations for each other on well, why things are the way they are.

[00:00:17]>> What do you want?

[00:00:19]>> I'll have a Coca-Cola, please.

[00:00:21]>> Okay.

[00:00:24]>> [laughter] >> What's it in What is it in the [laughter] freaking oven?

[00:00:38]>> Can I have some ice?

[00:00:44]>> Wow.

[00:00:45]>> Thank you.

[00:00:47]>> Ah, so different. Yeah, this is one where unfortunately ah, I don't see I don't see how you guys do it.

[00:00:56]>> You're [laughter] welcome.

[00:00:58]Hey there, how's it going?

[00:00:59]Welcome in.

[00:01:00]My name is Ashley. HERE'S THE MENU WITH ALL our specials. Let me help you open it up. Which um >> At the same time though I do like my drinks a little bit colder with ice, the American way the whole experience is a little bit overwhelming.

[00:01:19]Fair. Fair enough.

[00:01:20]>> tilapia is our special today.

[00:01:22]Also, the chicken wings are so freaking good. I usually get the buffalo. They are so good. I'm going to get those [music] I think later on today. Do you want anything to drink or are you waiting?

[00:01:32]>> I'll get a Coke.

[00:01:33]>> Okay, no problem. I'll come back and get you shortly, okay?

[00:01:36]>> OKAY.

[00:01:36]>> ALL RIGHT.

[00:01:38]>> [music] >> HEY, I'M BACK. ALL RIGHT.

[00:01:43]GET that in there for you.

[00:01:46]Yeah. Is that enough ice for you?

[00:01:49]Is that good for you?

[00:01:50]>> When I did say I like ice, I like a decent amount, but not too much because it does it does ruin the experience and again I know this is a parody but it's really not far off.

[00:02:04]Sometimes they do fill up the ice like that and you're like jeez. Wow, is there any drink in here?

[00:02:09]>> Perfect.

[00:02:10]>> And some people ask for extra ice here.

[00:02:13]Here's your [music] crispy coke here for you.

[00:02:19]>> Here's a straw for you.

[00:02:23]>> [laughter] >> Okay, let me top you off there. Don't forget to call me if [music] you need a free refill, all right?

[00:02:29]>> All right, thank you.

[00:02:30]>> Awesome, enjoy.

[00:02:31]>> Yeah, that was hilarious. It's definitely like the exact way the waiter or the waitress was was talking. The high pitched the woohoo, right? Like yeah, definitely accurate at some restaurants and I can imagine some Europeans experiencing that being mortified like oh my god, what's happening?

[00:02:53]>> I live in Germany right now and I recently got a part-time 20-hour week barista job and I want to talk about the benefits that this measly little part-time job gives me because it is like unheard of in the United States. If you saw my video about this before, you know what I'm talking about and there's more. The first thing is that when I was going through the hiring process, all the focus seemed to be on me whether I liked the job and I liked the environment there. Not really at all talking about whether they liked me. I literally had to ask to get them to tell me if they liked me and if you're an American, you know how crazy that is.

[00:03:35]Like that is not how that goes. The second one is that I was immediately like not only given but literally required to go on the social health care system which for context, I've been on just like essentially travel insurance since I turned 25 and moved to Europe.

[00:03:54]Through this, about 80 euros a month gets taken out of my checks, and I can go see whatever doctor I want for the most part as long as they have an available appointment, either for free or almost free. The next thing is that I get 6 weeks of paid vacation time for a part-time job.

[00:04:17]>> For a part-time barista job, she's getting all this?

[00:04:24]What?

[00:04:26]>> That is crazy to me. The next thing is that they let you listen to music in your earbuds >> Or is it crazy that in America that's crazy because that's unheard of.

[00:04:39]>> [laughter] >> while you're working. As long as it's not like keeping you from doing your job, like no one cares. Like the boss literally has earbuds in, too. There's also like a lot less of that extreme sort of like capitalistic culture where like if you're not constantly like moving, moving, going, like working as fast and hard as possible, then like the boss is going to yell at you or >> Yeah, in a like you may have seen this maybe in like if you've ever seen any sort of American media, right? TV shows or movies or something like it's real though. Like you always have to look a busy at work.

[00:05:13]Uh even if your job, right? Like you might have a job where what your job is is done for a while, right? Um you're all caught up on everything you're supposed to do. You know, would it kill you to just relax? You're still on the job, you're still attentive, but maybe um you want to relax for a few minutes if everything's caught up. No, of course not. Why would that be a problem? But it is a problem in certain workplaces in the US. You got to look busy. Got to look busy all the time.

[00:05:41]Uh otherwise, you know, the boss is going to get mad. Like it's so weird.

[00:05:45]>> You're to get scrutinized for something.

[00:05:47]Like as long as you're working at like an adequate pace and like you care, things are fine. Like, I feel like I'm working with like this trauma behind me where I have to remind myself like, "Okay, wait. I'm not about to get yelled at. Like, I can actually like relax my nervous system a little bit." I got an injury last week that wasn't related to work, but I had to call out for a couple of days and I was like, "I'm so, so sorry. Like, I can pick up extra shifts next week or like after to like make it up. Like, I'm so sorry." And >> American mindset.

[00:06:21]>> My boss was like, "You don't have to pick up extra shifts. It's okay.

[00:06:25]Everyone gets sick. It's normal." And I was just like, >> Damn.

[00:06:29]>> And I'm still getting paid as if I've been working there the whole time.

[00:06:33]>> And this is a part-time barista job.

[00:06:35]It's not like she got some big, you know, corporate job or something. Like, this is just >> They also give you a bunch of paid sick days. This is so stupid and pisses me off so much that the capitalist ownership class will give you a bunch of paid sick days.

[00:06:51]>> They gave me a 55% discount. Wow.

[00:06:53]>> So stupid and pisses me off so much that the capitalist ownership class of the United States has paid so much money to propagandize like 50% or more of American people into believing that things like this are bad actually and that you should never want something like this.

[00:07:13]>> Yeah, the work culture here comes up a lot and there's so many factors in it.

[00:07:17]There's so many angles and aspects to it.

[00:07:21]But really all of it, almost all of it is a mess here, right? I would I would argue, you know, it's a generally a good thing that a lot of Americans do have good work ethic and stuff, but other than that, it's it's really the work culture here is a mess. It can It can be toxic.

[00:07:41]Um and uh, just the demands versus what you get for pay versus what you get for benefits a lot of times is just, uh, an absolute mess. It's, uh, not good. I sometimes it's even embarrassing on the world stage. And like always, I'm sure there's good and bad experiences in Germany.

[00:08:00]Anywhere else, there's good and bad experiences here in the US. But you can look at a lot of standards and a lot of consistencies.

[00:08:08]Uh, I see a lot of people like her getting absolutely mind-blown by just a part-time barista job.

[00:08:15]Um, if you compare this directly to what she would experience in the US, unfortunately it'd be a lot different and it'd be a lot different in a bad way.

[00:08:25]>> Your boss can fire you right now, legally, for nothing. Welcome to American at-will employment. And rewires how you think about work. So, in Europe, your job protects you. In America, your performance protects you. So, same job, completely different stress response.

[00:08:44]So, if you have been wondering why you check your email at midnight, it's not you. It's the system. And nobody told you the rules changed.

[00:08:52]>> Yeah, it's pretty crazy what she's getting at. It does vary state to state, you know, a little bit, but it's mostly similar.

[00:09:00]Um, yeah, you can just be dropped like that and it's kind of crazy.

[00:09:06]Um, and, you know, in unfortunately in modern day America versus even, you know, 30 years ago when I was like, you know, you know, that's picture like the '80s or '90s, um, you know, even your performance can't save you sometimes. Uh, there are just way too many crazy, uh, horror stories when it comes to work and what has happened to people, even good people, good workers in, you know, US companies. It's, uh, really a shame. Uh, as a lifelong American, there's no job security, there's no amount of performance that will keep your job secure. The CEO wants a bigger holiday bonus, he will cut your job a month before Christmas and will not care that your family cannot afford to eat. Yeah, that is um It sounds a little doomsday-ish, but honestly it's accurate. This has happened to a lot of people. I know people that this has happened to. And they do it, they do it really in your face. They will do it like 3 weeks before Christmas. Hey, how are you?

[00:10:06]By the way, sorry to say this, you're done. You can't come back.

[00:10:09]>> beauty standards or y'all are just nicer out here. But something very interesting about losing weight in Spain is the reaction you'll get from other people.

[00:10:16]Because let me tell you, it could not be further from what you could expect to get in the US. Let me explain. In the US, if you ever were to lose weight, the first thing people would say to you is, "Oh my gosh, you look great. What are you doing? What diet are you following?

[00:10:29]Who's your doctor? How can I do it? I'm literally so jealous." That's like your standard, right? But out here in Spain >> Pretty accurate.

[00:10:36]>> it's like the exact opposite. You may notice from 2 years ago or even a year ago, my face looks a little different now. Yeah, girl's been on her health >> She does look thinner.

[00:10:44]>> just not eating ham and cheese for every meal. Because this is Spain, where you can basically be siblings with your barista. The first thing my favorite barista said to me after not seeing me for like 6 months, "Dani, you're you okay? Nothing to hug? Are you eating enough?

[00:10:59]A lot?

[00:11:00]Consistently?

[00:11:02]What's the nutritional value?

[00:11:04]How many times a day?

[00:11:06]Mhm. You know what she did? It cut me the biggest chunk of carrot cake and just [laughter] watched me. The exact opposite reaction I've literally ever gotten in the US. But I think it's cuter. Like in the US, no one cares if you're doing it healthy or not. They just care if you look better or better than them. But out here, it's like, "You look good, but are you being healthy?" It's just judgment you first feel instead of pride.

[00:11:26]>> That's a good way to kind of bring it home at the end. Okay, so They're saying, "Okay, cool.

[00:11:34]You look You look smaller. You look thinner. Whatever, right?

[00:11:38]But, like, are you good? Like, you Are you feeling okay? I I get it. It's totally different than here.

[00:11:45]Um people here I I mean, generally See, that's actually tough, right?

[00:11:50]Losing weight isn't always a good thing, right? It It can be both. It could be good and it can be bad. So, I I I kind of get what she was saying cuz at first I was like, "Why, you know, what's wrong with getting compliments if you lost weight?" But then I I kind of get it.

[00:12:05]It's you know, a compliment, but it's a little more shallow. Like, what if you're losing weight for some bad reasons, right? That's kind of awkward.

[00:12:13]Cuz there could be unfortunately multiple reasons you might lose weight.

[00:12:17]>> good. But, are you being healthy? It's judgment you first feel instead of pride.

[00:12:20]>> Right. Like, uh that is a different standard.

[00:12:23]That That What was it? A barista she was talking to kind of you know, knows her and knows that she's lost weight. And so, it's a little bit more caring saying, "Okay, >> that's cool. Here's some cake though.

[00:12:37]Like, are you being healthy? Like, you're not losing weight too fast or in the wrong ways?"

[00:12:42]>> Why don't Americans use public transportation? I don't know. Maybe it's because it looks like this. Sun beating down on me, no shade, [laughter] no timetables, nothing. I'm just trying to get to an IKEA, which mind you >> bad, man.

[00:12:53]>> Filled with trash. Car-free Olympic my balls. Nobody is going to take the bus when the stations look like this. At least give us a bench or something. It's crazy that Southern California has the climate of Italy, yet we decided to build this. You pick which one you like more, Italy or the Inland Empire? Will my bus ever come? I don't know. There's no signs. Google Maps said it should have been here a couple minutes ago.

[00:13:13]Will it ever come? Oh, no, that's that's not it. It just happens to be a single number off. Oh, but is this it? Is this it? Is this it?

[00:13:20]>> Let's go. The 480 to Montclair has arrived, only 5 minutes late.

[00:13:23]>> Oh, the 601 at a time.

[00:13:25]>> Wait, why does it say not in service?

[00:13:27]>> Came off the bus, time to cross the street with no crosswalk.

[00:13:30]>> It's like playing Crossy Road in the IRL.

[00:13:32]>> Yeah.

[00:13:33]>> Crossing the street on a busy street in the US is scary, dude.

[00:13:38]>> [laughter] >> Just saying.

[00:13:39]>> Finally, I have completed the pilgrimage.

[00:13:42]>> God. And then you got to walk through the parking garage. Do you see what walking's like in in the US in cities here?

[00:13:50]Just to look at this.

[00:13:52]This looks like a big pain in the butt.

[00:13:54]Concrete jungle.

[00:13:56]It's hot, the sun's beating on you. Do you see this walking experience? Now, do you wonder why the hell we all hop in our SUVs and drive around? I mean, I'm sorry, it beats sitting there at a bus stop with literally nothing but a tiny sign and and waiting like You know what I mean? Public transportation, walking here is really rough. That's why we walk recreationally in like nice areas have trees and stuff. We walk in parks, but we don't walk for function.

[00:14:25]Just because it's a nightmare. I'm sorry. This kind of conveys that better than most videos have.

[00:14:30]>> You know what? I deserve the falafel, too. Who's going to stop me? Why don't Americans use public transportation? I don't know. Maybe it's because it looks like this.

[00:14:37]>> Yeah. Look at that.

[00:14:38]Look at this bus stop.

[00:14:40]And then describe the bus stop nearest to you.

[00:14:44]America, oh, plastic forks, plastic bags, Styrofoam, yuck. Yeah. And that that I actually admit like this is what we do like 99% of time for takeout food.

[00:14:57]And I actually don't like it. I wish like I appreciate when restaurants come up with something different because this is gross. Um I'll and I think that's not just me. I think a lot of people even here in the states think that. Um it this just I don't know what it is, but this makes your food like taste worse.

[00:15:13]It's like not I don't know. It's not pleasant to eat out of.

[00:15:18]>> [laughter] >> So, uh yeah. We definitely lose that.

[00:15:20]And yeah, there's just a lot more I mean, they're out there in the US, but they're unfortunately more rare.

[00:15:28]There's just more effort and more sustainability and awareness for even just containers and how things are packaged in European countries. I have noticed that. It's been a pleasant surprise.

[00:15:41]Um here, we are just unfortunately way behind.

[00:15:45]Way behind on that stuff.

[00:15:47]>> Cans, what the actual hell are you putting in your energy drinks? Because I just purchased this energy drink from America, BuzzBall. Tell me why it is something I have never experienced in my life. My words are slurring. I couldn't even drive straight. I had that much energy. This would never, ever be legal in England. I don't know what they're putting in it for it to give you that much energy, but oh my gosh, I feel like my eyes have enlightened. I feel like I'm awakened.

[00:16:20]>> So, in case you didn't know, sounds like she doesn't know.

[00:16:26]I'm 99% sure that that BuzzBall or whatever is in I don't know what the actual genre of drinks is called, but it's basically an alcoholic energy drink. So, it has a lot of energy energy drink things like tons of caffeine and whatever else they put in those. I stay away from those.

[00:16:49]And it has alcohol. And yes, it turns out that that's a absolutely chaotic, sometimes dangerous combination. So, good luck.

[00:16:59]>> It literally [laughter] is so good. I've drank three this morning. My mom was like, "Okay, it's >> Whoa, whoa, whoa. Three?

[00:17:08]In one day? Three in a row? Yikes. Three and I heard the word morning.

[00:17:13]>> [laughter] >> Whoa. She said for a while day.

[00:17:16]>> a lot of caffeine and you probably need to relax. I said, "Mom, I don't care.

[00:17:20]The feeling I'm getting right now is euphoric. I need to go over to America and see what other energy drinks they've got.

[00:17:29]If you want to travel, that's good.

[00:17:30]Don't don't come here just for energy drinks. Ouch, that's the American capabilities of an energy drink is. What are they putting in their energy drinks?

[00:17:44]Bad stuff cuz I can pull up tons of videos of people trying all these new trendy energy drinks that are trendy on, you know, the social medias and trendy with the girls posing with them and all these things and um some of them send the people to the hospital. People are getting like heart palpitations and weird fogginess and feeling off and they don't know how to describe it. Like, yeah, I I'm sorry. I just stick to water, coffee, a little bit of tea here and there. Energy drinks are just not it. I'm sorry. They're not.

[00:18:13]>> People were fully stocked up. It's just for the weekend. So, as always, let me talk you through some of the stuff.

[00:18:19]>> So, these are European like car dealers or used cars.

[00:18:25]Which I've always wanted to do. Like, yes, I want to travel to European countries. Duh. I think there's a many reasons we could all come up with why I would want to do that. Uh but I also I'm just a freak. I would love to just travel to insert country here and just go to car dealers. Look at used cars cuz I'm a car nerd.

[00:18:47]We don't even have those.

[00:18:50]That's low miles.

[00:18:53]1.2 L. See, that's so funny. A small engine in small US cars would only go down to like 1.6. Usually everything's 2 L or above. It's rare to see like 1.8s, 1.6s.

[00:19:08]1.2 Right now I'm thinking like motorcycle engines. That's We don't use a decimal.

[00:19:18]1,500 pounds I think this is UK, right?

[00:19:30]1,500 These are cheap.

[00:19:33]And they're in decent shape. They're old cars. They're used. But like they're not all rusted, you know, dented up. They're in decent shape.

[00:19:41]Damn, cars are just cheaper in in Europe, aren't they?

[00:19:47]Oh my god.

[00:19:49]Like assuming these especially like he said there's been maintenance done and stuff.

[00:19:53]So, assuming this is a fully working car, fully drivable, right? You know, quote unquote like safe for the road.

[00:20:01]1,500 bucks or even 1,500 pounds rather.

[00:20:05]So, you know, whatever the US equivalent of that is maybe like 2,000, 2,500 bucks, whatever. 2,500 bucks that is going to be an absolute diamond in the rough. Like that is going to be so rare to find a you know, presentable nice running car for 2,500 bucks in the US. That just doesn't exist anymore. It did, you know, maybe 15 years ago, but not anymore. I mean, they're charging like 9, 10 grand for things that are falling apart at some dealers here.

[00:20:35]Um yeah, this is insane to me.

[00:20:38]I'm so jealous.

[00:20:41]800 What? That's it?

[00:20:47]Do I need to buy one of these?

[00:20:50]Can I like seriously get a small just European hatchback from the UK or or France or somewhere wherever these prices are this cheap, can I just buy one of these for literally 800 pounds and then ship it over here? Like can we get on that?

[00:21:07]I I'm willing to do that. If they We're getting running cars If we're getting running cars for under 2,000 bucks, like, I I'm I'm in. Sign me up.

[00:21:19]>> This is not long coming to stock.

[00:21:21]>> Ford Fusion.

[00:21:24]That's a Ford Fusion. Holy crap.

[00:21:27]We have the Ford Fusion here, and it is totally different. It's like, um, you know, like a decent like a mid-size sedan. This is like nothing like a Ford Fusion in the US. I think ours is more like your, I think it's a Ford Mondeo in the UK.

[00:21:43]That's I don't know what that is.

[00:21:46]That's kind of cool.

[00:21:50]I can't believe this is that cheap.

[00:21:56]Yeah, and [snorts] we had this body style Fiesta for only a couple years in the US, but even these Now, they're still going to be eight, nine, 10 grand.

[00:22:05]Like, this is extremely >> Wow.

[00:22:40]>> All right, there has got to be a way to address that, right?

[00:22:46]I mean, I'm sure this is like partially true Fresh, you know, like frustrating experiences trying to rent somewhere in a different country as an American, but like there's got to be a a workaround, right?

[00:22:56]Funnily enough, someone in the comments actually references Illinois. Illinois is a pain about a lot of different things, and this is a like an example. Couldn't rent in Illinois without a job. So, you can't rent an apartment that I I know that. I remember a couple apartments when I was younger, you have to prove that you have a job, right? You have to show them pay stubs.

[00:23:20]Um and you know, like you have to have the history of this job, right? Like that they do make you do that. We didn't have jobs yet because we were moving across the country. So, someone was moving from across the country into Illinois. They had a 800 credit score, which by the way is extremely good, like about the best you can get here. Plenty of savings and offered 6 months up front. So, these people weren't broke.

[00:23:40]They had tons of money. So much so they could just hand over 6 months of rent up front. I mean, they got money.

[00:23:47]So, instead, we rented a spot in St. Louis cuz Missouri allowed it. Had our jobs in less than 2 weeks once we got there. I mean, we already had interviews lined up. Yeah, see that's funny. Um good for Missouri allowing that. Yeah, Illinois is just super weird. It's like, why are you a pain for no reason? If they have the money, why can't they just pay the rent up front? Right? Like, why would you deny them when they're going to get a job? But yeah, that's just a lot of the bureaucratic nonsense that um a lot places do. And hey, to be fair, uh some of it is necessary sometimes.

[00:24:20]So, some of it I you know, I get. Some of it is definitely a pain for no reason. Also, also, I mean, come on. That exists everywhere.

[00:24:29]It exists here in New York less in certain states.

[00:24:32]And it definitely exists in sounds like France and other European countries.

[00:24:35]Remember, some things you guys have I'm like, oh my god, that's a little overkill. Come on, guys. Um someone actually mentions in the comments that EU law guarantees anyone can have a bank account. You have to specify that you want a basic bank account. They'll know what that is. If they don't, ask for the manager, and they will know. Okay, so that makes sense. I knew there had to be a workaround, right? Because that would be frustrating if you're trying to rent a place. I'm going to cut it there.

[00:25:02]Those are some hilarious differences and just experiences in the US and different European countries. There's definitely more always more we could do with this. So I hope you guys enjoyed this and perhaps we'll do one in a future video. I appreciate you watching. I hope you all have been great lately and I hope to see you again. My name is Ian and you're watching a double rocker. Until next time y'all, catch you later.