'I once put a whole pineapple in [the garbage disposal]': 22 Weirdest Americanisms According to Foreigners Journeying to the USA

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Oct 5, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

America is a strange and vast place.

Accompanying as much land mass as the entirety of Europe, travelers to our red-white-and-blue lands sometimes forget that it takes 45 hours to drive across the waistband of this enormous country. And as you go, you pass through 1,000 microcultures, strange accents, unique National Parks, and state lines that would probably be considered entire countries anywhere else–Yet we are all somehow still quintessentially American.

It's those Americanisms that unite us. But there are some Americanisms that are weirder than others that you probably never thought about living in the States–but the travelers certainly notice.

No matter if you're deep in the bayous of Florida, the foggy coasts of the Pacific North West, NYC, or southern California, nearly all Americans have an angry sink that chops up leftover foods, we can make revisions to any meal on the menu, and we'll always open the door for a little old lady.