We went to Tamer's first political debate last night, 4 DFLers (aka minnesota democrats) running in the primary for a congressional district this fall. My husband chatted with a few of them after the debate. I thought that would be a very american thing to do, except I suppose the most american thing to do would be to sit and home, ignore all the debates, and then not vote on election day because it's too inconvinient

We're also signing up to volunteer for Keith Ellison's campaign.

This one wins the thread.

The most American thing I have actually done:

Got fat.

Fell in love with peanut butter
I used to walk everywhere now I just walk to my car....really lazy
Sit on my couch and watch Jerry Springer while eating a dozen of Dunkin Donutss

Started writing checks.. instead of cheques, coloring instead of colouring and going to the theater instead of the theatre.

Alot of people here write cheques too.

Alot of girls fart and burp here without saying "excuse me"

The most important thing to people down South is FOOD. They eat soon as they get up, till the time they go to bed.

Plus they drive everwhere, there is no sidewalks anywhere here. I find that odd.

Not me! I just can't do it. No matter how hard MS spell check tries to tell me I've spelled 'em wrong

OMG LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great thread!!!

Thanks everyone for posting! This is really fun to read.

Prolly never seen the liquor aisles at a Tesco!

Buying lot more than we need (or afford) and then throwing it away

Sharing my toilet with a cat

Charuhans

what??

I keep telling my fiance I won't get an automatic car, I want my car to have a standard shift! Let's see if I can get that much of my brazilian self intact.

Even if I still haven't moved to PR, I've lived in US in the past. What I've done as american things are eating more junk food than ever in my life, leaving school on lunch break, btw, at lunch time I'd be home already here in Brasil.

That is one thing that drives me crazy here in Texas. Hardly anyone says you're welcome, always uh-huh after I say thank you.

This is a super fun thread to read folks Its got me laughing this afternoon reading everyones experiences.

I totally hear what y'all are saying on the uh-huh thing but I have to confess that I'm now guilty of it as well, and tend to now just say uh-huh or mm-hmm when I hang up the phone at the animal shelter. I can't help it but i'm becoming Texas-icated!

- having a yard sale
- eating hot dog at highschool American football game
- loading and unloading the car with a load of crap I don't need whenever I go out of town
- celebrating 4th of July with fireworks
- driving a non shift car which btw I love it
- driving from Ross to Target which are in the same parking lot
- eating junk food and gaining weight - I hate this part - but I am on a diet right now

Good thread...

I'm actually more American now than I am English I think...

I go to baseball games, eat hotdogs, take my glove, spit sunflower seeds, yell at the ump, make obscene comments about the other team.
I go to NFL and College Football games - stand on the front line (even done a spell out - yeah, having a big letter painted on your chest is always fun) get drunk before the game, smuggle in beer during the game, get even more tanked after the game.
In N Out is my favorite burger
I drive a big black SUV and listen to Howard Stern
I have a massive TV and TIVO everything and fast forward through the commercials
I can't use my mum's washing machine in the UK, but i know what Perm Press is
I finally have given up eating English cucumbers - the american ones are fine by me.
I get vast amounts of popcorn and soda at the movies and don't go crazy on the caffeine and sugar any more.
I wear polo shirts and chinos and old navy flip flops
I have a flip flop tan line
I drink American microbrews and think that english beer is crap by comparison.
I have a vast assortment of baseball hats.
I drive one handed.
I drink green tea, not the black stuff.
I go on ridiculously long road trips just to watch sport.
I buy preshredded cheese.

Oh the list is endless! I love being American.

I ate a corndog yesterday.

Great, more whiney liberals brought to the US in the name of love. If you want to live with UK style liberal/socialist politicians, then why the heck did you come over? To screw things up here too? Maybe you can bring over more of your Political Correctness too, and the taxes, and .........

I was referring to folks a page or two back who sounded like they have already attended a few Cindy Sheehan rallies. Quite a few of these posts are really kind of heartwarming. My mom is from Germany, and she loves Americana too, while also noting many of the objections reaised here, like driving 50 feet, McDonalds, etc.

I'm guessing that Spartacus has in mind posts like these from earlier in the thread:


Truth be told, I found both posts offensive but chose to ignore them because I didn't want to hijack a fun, light-hearted thread. But since the subject has been brought up, I have a news flash for those who think Americans are watching "from the sidelines quietly" while President Bush is "destroying america":

George W. Bush was elected president by American citizens in the last two elections. He was not crowned king nor selected prime minister by parliament, but rather chosen by the majority of citizens who voted. Most Americans do not share your opinion that the current president is destroying this country; that is a view largely confined to the extreme left. While I did not agree with much of what Bill Clinton did during his two terms in office, I would hardly say he was engaged in destroying the country. In fact, the American president has limited powers and generally needs the cooperation and consent of Congress for any significant initiative, making it rather difficult for him to destroy the country on his own.

I should add that my immigrant husband, who has a degree in political science and has been following American politics for several years, does not agree with everything President Bush does, but would hardly characterize his actions as "destroying america".

Okay, end of rant! I don't usually jump into political discussions on this board, but something about a recent immigrant to this country arrogantly opining that Americans are just sitting by while the president destroys the country really frosts my cookies!

************

Back to the topic at hand -- when I came home from work one day last week and found that my husband (who still can't work -- no EAD, green card is in the mail) had been laying on the couch watching TV while devouring an entire bag of Cheetos, I knew that his assimilation into American culture was well in hand! (Only one little problem to work on -- he was watching cables news instead of Jerry Springer!)

Well, in that vein, one of the things my husband loves about America is the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. He's tickled pink that people here can openly critisize, nay mock the government and politicians on tv and not be thrown in jail for it.

That is definitely something to be grateful for and that perhaps Americans tend to take for granted. On the flip side, I had an uncle in Australia tell me that he was amazed at how much respect and even reverence Americans have for their president; at the time, television comedy shows in Australia were brutally mocking their politicians. I think how Americans view the president has changed over recent years, but perhaps we still aren't quite as rough on our leaders as the Aussies, who call their current prime minister, John Howard, "The Lip"! (Or so my Aussie relatives tell me!)

Was offered some chewing tobacco at work Yuk!!!!!!

Tony

I'm on first -name terms with all of the attendants at every drive-through beer and smoke shop within 5 miles.

Have had to take a dump in a bar with no door on the cubicle.

Have downloaded country songs on limewire. (currently listening to Blue moon of Kentucky).

Got used to KFC not selling fries.

just roaming around the store with no intention of buying anything...
at home, i would go to the store for a real purpose... in and out as quick as possible...

also, road rage. i have developed my hubby's impatience for bad driving jerks (and they are plentiful in philly... makes NY & NJ look like wimps )

That is not American, that's disgusting.

Ffffs, you're not doing the ultimate American thing until you sue someone

and I nathan's corndog nuggets

Does this face look bothered?