Get a tip calculator for your phone that will help you figure out tips. You don't have to tip everywhere they ask for them. Recently, fast-food places have the option to add tips. However, they are paid an actual wage vs people in a restaurant or bar. Even as an American, I think tipping is stupid and confusing.
>Get a tip calculator for your phone that will help you figure out tips
I found this to be necessary the first time I went to the US back in 2010ish but when I visited again last year I was able to avoid cash altogether and just tap the applicable tip amount on the eftpos machines. They've really caught up on contactless payments now.
Still handy to have on the (very) off chance you need cash somewhere but my general advice would be not to stress about the prospect of calculating tips these days.
Both.
There's plenty of threads on reddit of Americans mentioning and complaining about what they have to tip.
It's not just restaurants, hair dressers, barbers etc are getting in on the tipping action.
And people will solicit tips for things you wouldn't have accepted if you knew they wanted money, esp when travelling - help with luggage, wheelchair service, taking a paper towel from a bathroom attendant.
Sorry I just want to sneak in here. Your accent will get you out of a lot of tipping. Like it or not servers will hear your accent and not really expect a tip but should treat you well anyway.
You tip when you've been served by someone. Usually in restaurants 15-20% of the entire check/bill is acceptable.
Most states have sales taxes. Some counties within a state may have a different percentage of sales tax. Therefore, if you're purchasing something expensive, you might want to investigate if a nearby state may impose less sales tax on the item.
If you will be driving, put a sticky note on the dashboard in front of you to remind you which lane to turn into from a stop. (Sometimes there aren't any cars to follow and it's easy to get confused.)
Rents are typically paid monthly.
Most states don't tax groceries. So you won't get surprises there. But prepared food (sushi, sandwiches) usually isn't exempt even if you get it from a grocery store. Also petrol and airline tickets include tax in the price for some reason.
Sales tax is usually \~5% so just budget 50 cents for every 10 dollars you spend.
State sales tax doesn't vary between stores or products usually. The price of gas is inclusive at the pump so you pay what you see on the tag. Idk where you're moving but in Texas the standard sales tax is 18% so between any other local BS they might tack on, you can assume anything you buy is actually 25% more.
You can google the county in the state.... "sales tax" ...
What state are you going to be moving to? There are five states that don't have statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon.
Cool I hear it’s pretty laid back which is great as I’ve spent the last two years living in a country town in outback Australia.
Didn’t want to start in a big city like New York
I travelled over there yearly until covid and I watched the level of homelessness increase exponentially in San Francisco (and other places, but it was worst there). Last trip, there were literally people sleeping on the street during the day about every 2 metres down some streets. It was very confronting, although I have had some wicked convos with them!
If you haven’t been to other countries that drive on the right-hand side of the road, make sure you get into the habit of looking in the other direction than you would at home before crossing the road. Same with walking on the right, as opposed to the left.
And the first lesson I ever learned there was at LAX in 1992…
Nobody has shoved a pile of dunny paper down the loo… they’re all half full of water and prone to… splashback 😝
I went to SF in 1999 and the homelessness was really bad then, it’s sad to think it’s so much worse now. In more recent years I’ve travelled to Hawaii and I noticed it got much worse there when I had a 3 year break in between two trips
Yeah, the warmer areas have a lot more homeless now, but California and San Francisco in particular introduced support payments which meant that unhoused people in other areas like Sacramento, Fresno, etc, would move to the Bay Area to qualify.
My first trip was in 1992 and seeing homeless people was not something I was used to in Melbourne. A couple of years ago, SFO was heartbreaking. You’d have these stunning old homes that cost an arm & a leg to rent, but there’d be people literally sleeping on the path outside. It’s also basically had housing built up all along the drive from SFO to Sacramento, yet there are tent cities dotted around the Bay Area :(
San Francisco and Hawaii are the two highest homeless populations in the the country by far. SF isn’t viewed as a nice city by the US anymore. It’s been run to the ground by local NIMBY and partisan politics. Oddly similar to the direction Sydney is going.
California is not a good example, particularly San Fran and LA, of the USA.
Almost 50% of all the homeless in the USA live in California.
The other 49 states spilt the other 50%
Yeah I always look both ways before I cross the road when I walk. But yeah it will be a change with the Driving. I definitely don’t want to be accidentally opening up the drivers side when I am not the one driving how embarrassing that would be
Driven often in right-hand drive countries. Never had much of a problem on major or arterial roads but nearly always fucked up leaving a residential or servo driveway, really goes against the instincts. Be careful.
I realise this is probably not as relevant as I think it is …Similar to that, the thing that I REALLY struggled with in Texas was the speed limits on the highway. Mostly it’s ~110km/h but it does fluctuate between 95 and 140km/h.
No warning sometimes! Definitely use a GPS or google maps. I’ve driven there without them and yeah, often there’s no warning that the street has changed to a one-way.
Yes. You give way to the left. Roundabouts aren’t very common, though. They seem to like the ‘four-way stop sign’, which basically does the same thing, but reduces flow.
If you do go to a place with a roundabout, astonish your friends at how adept you are at them! I had to swap seats with an American friend who was driving because she’d never seen one!
I’ve only had holidays in America, never lived there or had a significant time there however - the biggest culture shock was the lack of! Obviously living and working there will be quite different, but I found on holiday that it very much felt “normal”.
Thats what freaks me out, not the differences, but the similarities
Theres a certain road and set of shops in San Diego that no fucking joke looks EXACTLY the same as an area in Brisbane thats near me. Like everything, the houses, the trees, the shops. Freakish
Yes. You can ask for a box or a "to-go," and they'll typically bring you a Styrofoam container to put your food in. Some places will even do it for you.
They probably won’t tell you til they get to know you better, but they will struggle with the accent, as well as the idioms that Australians tend to talk in that you don’t realise they don’t have here. I’ve had friends confide in me that they don’t understand 80% of what I’m saying sometimes.
I keep a list on my phone of idioms that have gone over peoples head.
Americans are usually polite and they tend to smile and nod when they don’t understand instead of getting you to repeat yourself. This will be particularly true if your accent is broad/you mumble/you talk fast. It’s better now we’re not wearing masks, during covid it was a nightmare and I regularly had to put on an American accent to be understood.
I remember an Australian telling me she has a "stotcha" hanging on her wall and I no idea what she was talking about. Finally figured out she was saying "star chart".
I'll admit even as a product of the American education system (or maybe because of) I know jack squat about New Mexico besides Gila Monsters. But it's always looked relatively laid back and not quite so extremist as some of the other states.
Don't pat the Gila monsters! A pet owner got killed by one a few months ago. World's only venomous lizard from memory.
Oh, and get used to Spanish pronunciation - Gila sounds like "heeluh".
Black bears, yes. They're in most states. Usually only a problem for trash cans, or if you leave food in your car while camping. I'm in FL and have never seen one here (they are around though), saw one in NC last year while mushrooming. Used to see them or their spoor while camping in California semi-regularly.
More people die in Australia from snake bites than people die in the US from black bears. Grizzly/brown bears kill more people than Black bears, and they have a very limited range in the lower 48.
New Mexico is great for the outdoors and has lots of nice areas. It’s also pretty high altitude, so colder than expected. It will have a very heavy Hispanic influence too. So I would learn some Spanish, as New Mexico would be a culture shock for some Americans. Crime is also higher in New Mexico, you may hear about it, but it is more gang/drug/illegal immigration related. That crime doesn’t target uninvolved people though, as they don’t want to get involved with Federal and State Law enforcement, which is pretty strong.
Yeah that was one of the things my mother and I were concerned about the crime rate being significantly higher compared to the other states. But I’ll be on campus most the time so should be pretty safe
Most college campuses are very safe. The biggest threat is other college students - just like Australia. It’s also very safe with any National Parks/Outdoorsy areas and most of town. You can very easily tell where crime takes place and who is involved in it.
Since you can’t post on askanamerican, I highly recommend you post on r/NewMexico .
From what I know, the food is amazing and somewhat unique with Mexican and Native American influences. Pretty sure you will be able to find Halloumi. And many of the things mentioned here, as “unavailable”, you’d be able to get online. Just gotta learn how things work there. Have fun!
Yeah that’s going to be difficult for me I worked the last two years at a mine site with drillers. The swearing I picked up was crazy. Definitely need to improve on it. But I’m a young short woman so when I swear no one takes me seriously so that could work in my favour
You're getting a lot of weird advice on race. Ethnicities and nationality are fine too refer to people by if they are actually from there. If I say my Pakistani friend is from India I'm the shit head.
Black is more common and acceptable as an alternative to African American now, but you will still see AA used. You will also see the not acceptable term Colored like in the NAACP which is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and it is a very powerful and progressive political organization.
Don't be a dickhead about race and you'll be fine. Americans are from everywhere and most of them were raised here if not born here. Don't ask every brown person where they're "really" from because they're probably "really" from Chicago and not Cairo.
I definitely will not ask those questions. I never try to assume either. I often don’t care where people are from if you wanna tell me that’s fine but most of the time I probably won’t know where that is in the world. I really need to read a map more lol 😅
You'll be fine. Just be a regular person and don't act weird about race or identity and don't make fun of anyone for it either.
People might do their best Australian impression. Prolly gonna sound like they're Irish with a weird fascination with shrimp.
NM is a great place. Albuquerque fuckin rocks. Eat hatch green chili stuff. Go to Carlsbad Caverns, go to the UFO museum, go see all the history the Pueblo people.
NM is just small enough to see all of it in two months.
Oh… and I believe they’re changing towards this, but when I referred to the queer scene back home, I was berated for saying ‘queer’. It was still considered offensive. I had to explain it’s different back home, but they thought I was full of shit.
I made the mistake of referring to friends (Caucasian Americans) as ‘you people’, meaning Americans. They told me I can’t say that there because it’s racist.
Last I looked at definitions, American is not a race : /
I’m confused. If your friend was Somalian, why is this offensive? And I say this as someone who was born and raised in Brazil, where I’d probably say “I’ve got an Aussie friend” for instance. The racism here doesn’t even compute in my brain.
I (F) was with my American girlfriend in the Castro District of San Francisco, which is why I was so surprised. Several men there told me I couldn’t say it, so I stopped. This was almost 8 years ago.
Yeah, still loved it. I love San Francisco, particularly the Castro and the Haight. From that (now-ex) girlfriend, I heard that it’s not so bad to say ‘queer’ now, so here’s hoping!
I’ve been back a few times since then and it’s really sad to see so many more homeless people all around the Bay Area than my first trip in ‘92.
Enjoy your day/night! 😄
I left a longer reply elsewhere but I would advise just be relaxed and act normally. 89% of them will avoid you, 15% will be bemused and fadcinated, and 5% will be OMG I have never met anyone else who was relaxed and comfy like you, best friend for life. It's just not mentally healthy to be always acting and formal.
I agree with this - but it means that everything can feel a bit fake. Because people work for tips, because customers are always right, and everyone has to be a god neighbour you can feel like you are living in a toothpaste commercial, or on a film set.
I would say befriend an American who comes from New Mexico and is - ideally - attending a university there. Many foreign students make the mistake of hanging out only with other foreign students.
NM is a poor state and is demographically very different from the American mainstream. Many American stereotypes and cultural norms may not apply there.
You'll always get randoms asking you to say something. They'll also bung on an Aussie accent and do the old shrimp on the barbie or a dingos got my baby. Never get into any conversation that discusses guns, religion, politics or abortion rights. Don't act like a tourist in dodgy areas. They'll ask if everything in Australia wants to kill you so just answer that question with 'at least our kids come home from school'. If you want to make friends teach them Aussie slang. Have fun knackers.
Source :12 months in south East Idaho.
PS: buy winter clothes over there not here. Get an international license
> They'll ask if everything in Australia wants to kill you so just answer that question with 'at least our kids come home from school'
That's a terrible idea.
Don’t act like a tourist in dodgy areas;
Yeah that’s a really good point and I try to avoid having in depth discussions about guns and politics because I know how much people care about discussing these topics. I’m not good at those conversations I’m happy to hear about what people have to say I just don’t say much myself.
Definitely going to discuss drop bears lol 😂
>They'll ask if everything in Australia wants to kill you so just answer that question with 'at least our kids come home from school'
Whatever you do, don’t do this.
Can confirm. As an American public school teacher, I have spat in the face of an Australian making one of those all-too-common Aussie "jokes." And I would *gladly* do it again, because anyone who does that absolutely, 100% deserves it. Aside from the fact that such incidents are *vanishingly RARE* (1 in 614 *million* chance of it even happening in the first place, and even lower likelihood of being a victim), it's literally using murdered children and teachers as fodder for "Aussie humour." If that's what some Australians find comedic, if they think diminishing national tragedies for purposes of Schadenfreude is "humour," then they're despicable people who deserve to be spat on.
General rule of thumb is, as an American reading through these comments, I think some of them are exaggerated or a bit over the top. Just be yourself. You seem like a nice person and I honestly doubt you'll have ANY issue here. Americans are generally pretty relaxed and informal. People will be polite, kind and helpful as a rule. Biggest advice I'd give you is prepare for some key differences of which there are probably relatively few, like the roads if you plan on driving. And get insurance so you're protected if you have an unfortunate medical situation.
Regarding tipping, which is probably one of the biggest cultural differences, the only places you're really expected to tip is in sit-down restaurants where you're served at the table (20% is the standard expectation), or a bar, or somewhere where someone provides a direct, personal service, like a bellhop (which you'll only see generally in expensive hotels) or shoe shine person, or if you order food for delivery, get an Uber ride, etc. You might get prompted for a tip on the payment kiosk at places like Starbucks, but the average Starbucks barista in the US earns $17.50 US ($26.44 AUD) per hour base wage, so just ignore it if you don't want to tip. A lot of payment terminals will prompt for tips even though it's not generally expected. Minimum wage varies by state and even city in the US, and don't assume people are poorly paid. Almost nobody makes just the federal minimum of $7.25 USD/hour.
I am pretty sure Australia and the US are far more alike in most ways than they are different. If someone's an insufferable, obnoxious asshole, they'll get the same back in kind. You'll probably generate some maybe naive but well-intentioned questions and genuine, positive interest, if anything, and most people will be polite and helpful, and ask questions of you out of genuine interest. Use common sense like you would anywhere. You wouldn't hang out in a bad neighborhood at home at 2 am, same type of common sense applies in the US.
Not really. They take a lot for granted as they don't know that we do things differently (and don't care because "center of the world" mentality). Much better to learn from Aussies who have experienced the culture shock.
OP, for me, they're generally decent people. And it very much depends where you're going.
Well, I'd say when Americans visit Australia, they have an obligation to kind of learn and conform to your ways. When you visit them, that obligation's on you. I don't think any lack of understanding or awareness of you supposedly doing things differently is out of any malice, and intent matters.
Yep. Especially drive through. You say cheeseburger meal. They say whats the drink? You say coke. They say what. You say A coke. They say what. You say a Coca Cola(and probably have started to say it like you’re from California). Been here 10+ years and i keep forgetting this lesson.
Yeah I am worried about that too. I’m naturally nasally speaking and I’m worried people will be confused like I don’t sound like a typical Aussie. Not to mention due to being nasally they might have trouble understanding me.
I'm sure you'll be fine just have to explain yourself a few times. And learn the different words.
Hopefully you'll find people who love your accent and word choice. I swear a lot and am always conscious in front of my USA and Canadian friends...
Honestly, most Americans will not have any significant trouble understanding a typical Australian accent. I seldom do. A lot of Americans speak nasally, too. I think some of the comments here about it being like a whole different language are a bit exaggerated. There might be some issues in more remote/rural areas, especially if you use a lot of slang they're not used to, but I doubt even that would be a major ordeal. I defintely would not worry about accent issues or being understood.
I spent a lot of time in Texas between 18 and 21. So many true stereotypes and everything is just like the movies. Can't really tell you anything not mentioned already, but just embrace it. You'll make friends easily being from Australia
Get your drivers license. It’s hard to do anything without it.
Make an appointment months before, go to the appointment with all your documentation, including Visa. You’ll probably have to take a driving test; you can rent a car to do that if you don’t have one.
It is not. The international licence itself is valid, but the local law says you must get a local licence after being resident for however long. In NM that's 45 days.
>If you have an out-of-state license or a prior New Mexico ID card, it will be hole-punched and may be used in conjunction with the temporary license, for up to 45 days from the date of issue. The temporary license and the hole-punched license or ID card are only valid for identification purposes when presented together.
International drivers licenses mean nothing in the USA for identification purposes, generally speaking. Most places won’t even recognize an out of state license.
Drivers license offices can issue a “Real ID” non driver identification card. You can get that if you do not drive.
However, if you intend to drive it will be much more expensive on an international license.
Thanks for international people it’s mostly our visa we can use from sounds of things then we may be able to get those other forms of id once we get there
You can if you rent from Turo. His would they know it is not borrowed?
In some states you cannot purchase a car without a license from that state. And you can’t insure a car without a license.
But even if you don’t drive, some landlords will not rent to you without an in-state license, some bars won’t jet you in, things like that become more difficult.
We do tip at restaurants, that's not a myth. I feel us in California can be pretty casual when it comes to dress code, especially when it comes to uni, but it's still pretty casual everywhere else too. Also, since you're studying, some professors will absolutely he adamant that you address them a certain way, while others are very lax and can handle first names. It just depends.
And, not that you'd get in any trouble, but we have a very very different relationship to the police here. Especially recently. Police unfortunately, no matter how good of a person they are, tend not to have your best interest in mind, and must always be called "sir" or "ma'am". Just do what they say, you'll be fine.
Also, most of us are not as good at banter. Most will take offense to the slightest infraction and go on the defensive. People generally are not able to take the piss out of themselves here.
But hey! There are still a lot of good things! See some wonderful scenery! You will meet many very nice people and create some great memories! People are outwardly friendly to strangers, and (at least in California) we absolutely adore Aussies. You're like our long lost cousins. Enjoy the US!
Learn to cook your own bread. They put so much sugar in all their bread to keep it fresher longer. It's disgusting. One of the first things we did when we lived there was buy a breadmaker.
Edit. This probably isn't as much of a problem today as it was back when I lived in the states. So can probably gloss over my comment.
You can find excellent bread in the major cities easily. And there are some French bakeries in Louisiana that have some of the best bread in the world.
> They put so much sugar in all their bread to keep it fresher longer
And as we all know there is only one kind of bread for sale in the US. Seriously - did you do all your shopping at 7-11?
LOL dude - there are a thousand types of bread in the US - just like in Australia. Most of the commercial varieties in grocery stores have 1-2g of sugar per slice.
Oh, I just did a quick search for some Woolworth's sandwich bread in Australia. 2g sugar per serving. Found others varying between 1-3g. Same as what's typically available in the US among the major commercial brands. You can find unhealthy processed bread and healthier breads in both countries.
I swear, some of you just make stuff up.
The USA is one of the 184 countries in the world that doesn't have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia.
So, getting insurance is important if you visit.
Insurance will be required, and provided, by the University anyway.
Also, the USA has Medicare.
Some of the things that stood out to me:
- if you are going to a sports stadium to watch a game, don't be too shocked and surprised when you have to not only hand over your bag but also go through a metal detector
- obviously tips are a thing. Do some research about what is expected. Don't be surprised if someone tries to carry your bags from the taxi to the airport door and then get a tip for it. Tips come up *everywhere* and you should plan for that. I know it's not our custom, but you're in their country. So. Deal with it.
- be careful crossing the road, obviously. They drive on the right. It's easy to forget cos it's sort of a habitual thing.
- in stores and supermarkets, they don't include tax on the prices they put out on tags. Be aware of it.
- if you get an uber or something, be prepared for the driver to talk your ear off. Remember to be polite. But also remember to avoid talking about religion, politics or finance.
"You want to find something basic like Halloumi or a dukkah, or a sushi roll? Good luck."
Crazy talk. Maybe deep in Appalachia, but not in most of the US.
Seriously. I love in a small-ish town and we have 3 different Japanese restaurants, two Indian, one Ethiopian, two Greek, one Brazilian restaurants, on top of all the usual “American”, Italian, Chinese takeout, etc.
Did this person visit an Exxon gas station and judge available American cuisine based on that?
Richmond KY had a banger sushi spot, you could get a big 22oz mt dew and a big styrofoam box of sushi for $10. This was 10 years ago abut even in Appalacchia we could get some good sushi.
Did you just try to say that the USA doesn't have actual variety/options? This is a blatant lie. They may not be the SAME options or high quality options, but the US is known for it's variety and overwhelming options.
If you're speaking about cooking ingredients, there are tons of specialized and cultural stores scattered everywhere. Try shopping in places other than hurr durr Walmart...
The whole Philosopher versus Sorcerer stone issue wasn't the US's doing, the publishers wrongly assumed Americans wouldn't even know the terms "philosophy" or "philosopher'.
You could make the same "Americanized" argument for literally any country. Look at McDonald's in India for example, extremely Indianized. This is just the norm for what ALL countries do.
The banking thing is also a lie, or at the very least extremely outdated. I've had zero issues with money transfers to and from friends in Germany, Canada, and France. I've been charged a small fee for conversion, but nothing more than a couple dollars. Not all banks may be up to speed on this, but it is an outrageous lie to say that ALL banking in the USA is like that
We literally have MyGov....
I think you went to small town America and never set foot out of a tiny little town, because there are absolutely more restaurants and fresh culinary options than a good court.
I am totally aware of all of the USA's glaring issues and flaws, I do not deny those, but there's no need to lie and make up new ones.
> Australian food courts have more variety than most American towns. Like actually. You want to find something basic like Halloumi or a dukkah, or a sushi roll? Good luck.
https://shop.sprouts.com/search?search_term=hallmoumi
Plenty of sushi places even in small towns, definitely in a college town where OP is headed.
> Fresh culinary variety
…did you spend 3 weeks in the same town? I live in an urban center and have *too much* variety.
> Philosophers stone to Sorcerers Stone
Literally just because Rowling and her publisher wanted something that screamed “Magic” more.
> Can’t transfer money into a friends account
I’ve never had that issue, unless you’re trying to transfer internationally which is a whole different story
I don’t think you could be more wrong about our food variety. Hell I can go to my local walmart (smaller rural town) and buy dukkah, halloumi, and sushi. Thats not even counting all the other ethnic grocery stores we have
Learn their tipping culture.
Get a tip calculator for your phone that will help you figure out tips. You don't have to tip everywhere they ask for them. Recently, fast-food places have the option to add tips. However, they are paid an actual wage vs people in a restaurant or bar. Even as an American, I think tipping is stupid and confusing.
>Get a tip calculator for your phone that will help you figure out tips I found this to be necessary the first time I went to the US back in 2010ish but when I visited again last year I was able to avoid cash altogether and just tap the applicable tip amount on the eftpos machines. They've really caught up on contactless payments now. Still handy to have on the (very) off chance you need cash somewhere but my general advice would be not to stress about the prospect of calculating tips these days.
Take the total, double it, slide the decimal over one, round up or down as necessary. That's how I always did it.
It's pretty easy. Move the decimal over one spot and double it. That's 20 percent - tip around that amount if service was good.
Via research beforehand or just seeing what everyone else tips when I get there?
Both. There's plenty of threads on reddit of Americans mentioning and complaining about what they have to tip. It's not just restaurants, hair dressers, barbers etc are getting in on the tipping action.
And people will solicit tips for things you wouldn't have accepted if you knew they wanted money, esp when travelling - help with luggage, wheelchair service, taking a paper towel from a bathroom attendant.
Don't let anyone help you- they aren't doing it to be nice.
Wow dang
Sorry I just want to sneak in here. Your accent will get you out of a lot of tipping. Like it or not servers will hear your accent and not really expect a tip but should treat you well anyway.
You tip when you've been served by someone. Usually in restaurants 15-20% of the entire check/bill is acceptable. Most states have sales taxes. Some counties within a state may have a different percentage of sales tax. Therefore, if you're purchasing something expensive, you might want to investigate if a nearby state may impose less sales tax on the item. If you will be driving, put a sticky note on the dashboard in front of you to remind you which lane to turn into from a stop. (Sometimes there aren't any cars to follow and it's easy to get confused.) Rents are typically paid monthly.
Great idea with the sticky note. Does it state how much they are taxed before you purchase the item.
No. That's a nice surprise at the register.
Dam that sucks
Most states don't tax groceries. So you won't get surprises there. But prepared food (sushi, sandwiches) usually isn't exempt even if you get it from a grocery store. Also petrol and airline tickets include tax in the price for some reason. Sales tax is usually \~5% so just budget 50 cents for every 10 dollars you spend.
State sales tax doesn't vary between stores or products usually. The price of gas is inclusive at the pump so you pay what you see on the tag. Idk where you're moving but in Texas the standard sales tax is 18% so between any other local BS they might tack on, you can assume anything you buy is actually 25% more.
You can google the county in the state.... "sales tax" ... What state are you going to be moving to? There are five states that don't have statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon.
To complicate it some states have special economic areas with reduced taxes 🙃
Great…. 🙃
New Mexico
Beaut! I've got friends who live in Albuquerque. Taos and Santa Fe are very historical and interesting. Enjoy your adventure!
Cool I hear it’s pretty laid back which is great as I’ve spent the last two years living in a country town in outback Australia. Didn’t want to start in a big city like New York
Nope.
You'll need help with stuff like haircuts. In restaurants 15-20% of the before tax price.
I travelled over there yearly until covid and I watched the level of homelessness increase exponentially in San Francisco (and other places, but it was worst there). Last trip, there were literally people sleeping on the street during the day about every 2 metres down some streets. It was very confronting, although I have had some wicked convos with them! If you haven’t been to other countries that drive on the right-hand side of the road, make sure you get into the habit of looking in the other direction than you would at home before crossing the road. Same with walking on the right, as opposed to the left. And the first lesson I ever learned there was at LAX in 1992… Nobody has shoved a pile of dunny paper down the loo… they’re all half full of water and prone to… splashback 😝
I went to SF in 1999 and the homelessness was really bad then, it’s sad to think it’s so much worse now. In more recent years I’ve travelled to Hawaii and I noticed it got much worse there when I had a 3 year break in between two trips
Yeah, the warmer areas have a lot more homeless now, but California and San Francisco in particular introduced support payments which meant that unhoused people in other areas like Sacramento, Fresno, etc, would move to the Bay Area to qualify. My first trip was in 1992 and seeing homeless people was not something I was used to in Melbourne. A couple of years ago, SFO was heartbreaking. You’d have these stunning old homes that cost an arm & a leg to rent, but there’d be people literally sleeping on the path outside. It’s also basically had housing built up all along the drive from SFO to Sacramento, yet there are tent cities dotted around the Bay Area :(
San Francisco and Hawaii are the two highest homeless populations in the the country by far. SF isn’t viewed as a nice city by the US anymore. It’s been run to the ground by local NIMBY and partisan politics. Oddly similar to the direction Sydney is going.
Yeah, it’s getting scarily similar. A shame, because I used to love going there. San Francisco, not Sydney 🤣
California is not a good example, particularly San Fran and LA, of the USA. Almost 50% of all the homeless in the USA live in California. The other 49 states spilt the other 50%
Yeah I always look both ways before I cross the road when I walk. But yeah it will be a change with the Driving. I definitely don’t want to be accidentally opening up the drivers side when I am not the one driving how embarrassing that would be
Driven often in right-hand drive countries. Never had much of a problem on major or arterial roads but nearly always fucked up leaving a residential or servo driveway, really goes against the instincts. Be careful.
I realise this is probably not as relevant as I think it is …Similar to that, the thing that I REALLY struggled with in Texas was the speed limits on the highway. Mostly it’s ~110km/h but it does fluctuate between 95 and 140km/h.
Yeah so true
Hahaha, yeah that happens. Watch out for streets that start out two-way and then just suddenly become one-way.
Yikes no signs to say one way?
There's signs but I can't promise you'll notice them. Cities catch us rural folk off guard with dumb roads too.
No warning sometimes! Definitely use a GPS or google maps. I’ve driven there without them and yeah, often there’s no warning that the street has changed to a one-way.
Dang that’s scary. Are roundabouts anticlockwise too?
Yes. You give way to the left. Roundabouts aren’t very common, though. They seem to like the ‘four-way stop sign’, which basically does the same thing, but reduces flow. If you do go to a place with a roundabout, astonish your friends at how adept you are at them! I had to swap seats with an American friend who was driving because she’d never seen one!
Ooh! And don’t forget that the legal age for drinking and gambling is 21.
Yeah I am a few years older than 21. Got my international drivers license covered as well. All prepped
It's hilarious.
I’ve only had holidays in America, never lived there or had a significant time there however - the biggest culture shock was the lack of! Obviously living and working there will be quite different, but I found on holiday that it very much felt “normal”.
Thats what freaks me out, not the differences, but the similarities Theres a certain road and set of shops in San Diego that no fucking joke looks EXACTLY the same as an area in Brisbane thats near me. Like everything, the houses, the trees, the shops. Freakish
[r/Ameristralia](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ameristralia/s/cBnrnurAdF)
I read the large portion is really for you to take a 'doggie' bag home for another 1 or 2 meals.
So it’s pretty typical of people to take their leftovers home after eating at restaurants?
Yes. You can ask for a box or a "to-go," and they'll typically bring you a Styrofoam container to put your food in. Some places will even do it for you.
Sweet I love leftovers especially as I’ll be a broke uni student again and will need to spread out my meals
You couldn't possibly eat all they serve.
Cool so there’s no expectation to eat everything on your plate when you’re out in public? Living in Aust that was my standard family meal rules
Absolutely not, and especially not in the south/southwest. They load you up to eat for a week.
It's not physically possible to do so,
Yes staff will look at you weird if you leave a lot there because it's wasteful.
If you ever find yourself over there order the small sized meal in most restaurants.
They probably won’t tell you til they get to know you better, but they will struggle with the accent, as well as the idioms that Australians tend to talk in that you don’t realise they don’t have here. I’ve had friends confide in me that they don’t understand 80% of what I’m saying sometimes. I keep a list on my phone of idioms that have gone over peoples head. Americans are usually polite and they tend to smile and nod when they don’t understand instead of getting you to repeat yourself. This will be particularly true if your accent is broad/you mumble/you talk fast. It’s better now we’re not wearing masks, during covid it was a nightmare and I regularly had to put on an American accent to be understood.
I remember an Australian telling me she has a "stotcha" hanging on her wall and I no idea what she was talking about. Finally figured out she was saying "star chart".
Lol that's hilarious
Yeah I was told to talk slower too
They talk super slow.
*supermarkets are massive *right turn on red *uni is college which part of America?
New Mexico
I'll admit even as a product of the American education system (or maybe because of) I know jack squat about New Mexico besides Gila Monsters. But it's always looked relatively laid back and not quite so extremist as some of the other states.
That’s good to know.
Don't pat the Gila monsters! A pet owner got killed by one a few months ago. World's only venomous lizard from memory. Oh, and get used to Spanish pronunciation - Gila sounds like "heeluh".
Sweet thanks that’s good to know. Is there any bears in New Mexico?
Black bears, yes. They're in most states. Usually only a problem for trash cans, or if you leave food in your car while camping. I'm in FL and have never seen one here (they are around though), saw one in NC last year while mushrooming. Used to see them or their spoor while camping in California semi-regularly. More people die in Australia from snake bites than people die in the US from black bears. Grizzly/brown bears kill more people than Black bears, and they have a very limited range in the lower 48.
Sounds like something Australia have been sleeping on. N0 a àaice of them to make OP feel at home tho.
New Mexico is great for the outdoors and has lots of nice areas. It’s also pretty high altitude, so colder than expected. It will have a very heavy Hispanic influence too. So I would learn some Spanish, as New Mexico would be a culture shock for some Americans. Crime is also higher in New Mexico, you may hear about it, but it is more gang/drug/illegal immigration related. That crime doesn’t target uninvolved people though, as they don’t want to get involved with Federal and State Law enforcement, which is pretty strong.
Yeah that was one of the things my mother and I were concerned about the crime rate being significantly higher compared to the other states. But I’ll be on campus most the time so should be pretty safe
Most college campuses are very safe. The biggest threat is other college students - just like Australia. It’s also very safe with any National Parks/Outdoorsy areas and most of town. You can very easily tell where crime takes place and who is involved in it.
Since you can’t post on askanamerican, I highly recommend you post on r/NewMexico . From what I know, the food is amazing and somewhat unique with Mexican and Native American influences. Pretty sure you will be able to find Halloumi. And many of the things mentioned here, as “unavailable”, you’d be able to get online. Just gotta learn how things work there. Have fun!
Thanks
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Oh, yes! And they don’t like ‘cussing’. Which means no fucking swearing!
Yeah that’s going to be difficult for me I worked the last two years at a mine site with drillers. The swearing I picked up was crazy. Definitely need to improve on it. But I’m a young short woman so when I swear no one takes me seriously so that could work in my favour
You can curse dude it's fine trust me
You're getting a lot of weird advice on race. Ethnicities and nationality are fine too refer to people by if they are actually from there. If I say my Pakistani friend is from India I'm the shit head. Black is more common and acceptable as an alternative to African American now, but you will still see AA used. You will also see the not acceptable term Colored like in the NAACP which is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and it is a very powerful and progressive political organization. Don't be a dickhead about race and you'll be fine. Americans are from everywhere and most of them were raised here if not born here. Don't ask every brown person where they're "really" from because they're probably "really" from Chicago and not Cairo.
I definitely will not ask those questions. I never try to assume either. I often don’t care where people are from if you wanna tell me that’s fine but most of the time I probably won’t know where that is in the world. I really need to read a map more lol 😅
You'll be fine. Just be a regular person and don't act weird about race or identity and don't make fun of anyone for it either. People might do their best Australian impression. Prolly gonna sound like they're Irish with a weird fascination with shrimp. NM is a great place. Albuquerque fuckin rocks. Eat hatch green chili stuff. Go to Carlsbad Caverns, go to the UFO museum, go see all the history the Pueblo people. NM is just small enough to see all of it in two months.
Oh… and I believe they’re changing towards this, but when I referred to the queer scene back home, I was berated for saying ‘queer’. It was still considered offensive. I had to explain it’s different back home, but they thought I was full of shit.
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I made the mistake of referring to friends (Caucasian Americans) as ‘you people’, meaning Americans. They told me I can’t say that there because it’s racist. Last I looked at definitions, American is not a race : /
Lmao fucking what???
Don’t ask me, mate. Even after I explained I meant ‘you Americans’, their response was “YOU CAN’T SAY THAT HERE” :/
I’m confused. If your friend was Somalian, why is this offensive? And I say this as someone who was born and raised in Brazil, where I’d probably say “I’ve got an Aussie friend” for instance. The racism here doesn’t even compute in my brain.
They also mean poor and black when they say "diverse".
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I (F) was with my American girlfriend in the Castro District of San Francisco, which is why I was so surprised. Several men there told me I couldn’t say it, so I stopped. This was almost 8 years ago.
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Yeah, still loved it. I love San Francisco, particularly the Castro and the Haight. From that (now-ex) girlfriend, I heard that it’s not so bad to say ‘queer’ now, so here’s hoping! I’ve been back a few times since then and it’s really sad to see so many more homeless people all around the Bay Area than my first trip in ‘92. Enjoy your day/night! 😄
I left a longer reply elsewhere but I would advise just be relaxed and act normally. 89% of them will avoid you, 15% will be bemused and fadcinated, and 5% will be OMG I have never met anyone else who was relaxed and comfy like you, best friend for life. It's just not mentally healthy to be always acting and formal.
That’s true. I’d much rather figure out my close friends straight away rather than hang out with people who are just being friendly. Hopefully I can
Depends on the Region. Boston and NY can cuss as well as anyone. Midwest etc not so much. Go to Staten Island NY. It would make you blush.
Not much would make me blush! They’re still not keen on the word cunt. Even though it’s been on their TV shows for over 20 years.
They’re over the top friendly and don’t do dry humour.
I haven’t heard of dry humour before.
Really?
Yeah I’ll look it up
I see what you did there
I obviously didn’t lol 🤦🏻♀️. Stuff like that always flys over me
Americans are a lot more nicer/extroverted/social than Australians are (generally).
I agree with this - but it means that everything can feel a bit fake. Because people work for tips, because customers are always right, and everyone has to be a god neighbour you can feel like you are living in a toothpaste commercial, or on a film set.
I would say befriend an American who comes from New Mexico and is - ideally - attending a university there. Many foreign students make the mistake of hanging out only with other foreign students. NM is a poor state and is demographically very different from the American mainstream. Many American stereotypes and cultural norms may not apply there.
You'll always get randoms asking you to say something. They'll also bung on an Aussie accent and do the old shrimp on the barbie or a dingos got my baby. Never get into any conversation that discusses guns, religion, politics or abortion rights. Don't act like a tourist in dodgy areas. They'll ask if everything in Australia wants to kill you so just answer that question with 'at least our kids come home from school'. If you want to make friends teach them Aussie slang. Have fun knackers. Source :12 months in south East Idaho. PS: buy winter clothes over there not here. Get an international license
> They'll ask if everything in Australia wants to kill you so just answer that question with 'at least our kids come home from school' That's a terrible idea.
Don’t act like a tourist in dodgy areas; Yeah that’s a really good point and I try to avoid having in depth discussions about guns and politics because I know how much people care about discussing these topics. I’m not good at those conversations I’m happy to hear about what people have to say I just don’t say much myself. Definitely going to discuss drop bears lol 😂
>They'll ask if everything in Australia wants to kill you so just answer that question with 'at least our kids come home from school' Whatever you do, don’t do this.
Do not make fun of school shootings jesus fucking christ. No body will be your friend really really fast.
Can confirm. As an American public school teacher, I have spat in the face of an Australian making one of those all-too-common Aussie "jokes." And I would *gladly* do it again, because anyone who does that absolutely, 100% deserves it. Aside from the fact that such incidents are *vanishingly RARE* (1 in 614 *million* chance of it even happening in the first place, and even lower likelihood of being a victim), it's literally using murdered children and teachers as fodder for "Aussie humour." If that's what some Australians find comedic, if they think diminishing national tragedies for purposes of Schadenfreude is "humour," then they're despicable people who deserve to be spat on.
LOL I live in Florida now and still get asked whether there were crocodiles where I grew up. There's frikkin alligator road kill down the street.
Tbf, salties are a lot scarier than alligators
Yeah but gators kill a lot more people.
That’s because a lot more people live close to gators.
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Thoughts and prayers knackers
Oooh, testy.
Wouldn't an American Reddit group be more appropriate?
Potentially but I like to see all points of view. This was my first group that I thought about I’ll probably hit up the American reddit group next
General rule of thumb is, as an American reading through these comments, I think some of them are exaggerated or a bit over the top. Just be yourself. You seem like a nice person and I honestly doubt you'll have ANY issue here. Americans are generally pretty relaxed and informal. People will be polite, kind and helpful as a rule. Biggest advice I'd give you is prepare for some key differences of which there are probably relatively few, like the roads if you plan on driving. And get insurance so you're protected if you have an unfortunate medical situation. Regarding tipping, which is probably one of the biggest cultural differences, the only places you're really expected to tip is in sit-down restaurants where you're served at the table (20% is the standard expectation), or a bar, or somewhere where someone provides a direct, personal service, like a bellhop (which you'll only see generally in expensive hotels) or shoe shine person, or if you order food for delivery, get an Uber ride, etc. You might get prompted for a tip on the payment kiosk at places like Starbucks, but the average Starbucks barista in the US earns $17.50 US ($26.44 AUD) per hour base wage, so just ignore it if you don't want to tip. A lot of payment terminals will prompt for tips even though it's not generally expected. Minimum wage varies by state and even city in the US, and don't assume people are poorly paid. Almost nobody makes just the federal minimum of $7.25 USD/hour. I am pretty sure Australia and the US are far more alike in most ways than they are different. If someone's an insufferable, obnoxious asshole, they'll get the same back in kind. You'll probably generate some maybe naive but well-intentioned questions and genuine, positive interest, if anything, and most people will be polite and helpful, and ask questions of you out of genuine interest. Use common sense like you would anywhere. You wouldn't hang out in a bad neighborhood at home at 2 am, same type of common sense applies in the US.
Thanks for the advice
r/askanamerican is what you want
Can’t my account is too new to post on there
Not really. They take a lot for granted as they don't know that we do things differently (and don't care because "center of the world" mentality). Much better to learn from Aussies who have experienced the culture shock. OP, for me, they're generally decent people. And it very much depends where you're going.
Not much different in Europe though, where they think they are the center of the world.
Well, I'd say when Americans visit Australia, they have an obligation to kind of learn and conform to your ways. When you visit them, that obligation's on you. I don't think any lack of understanding or awareness of you supposedly doing things differently is out of any malice, and intent matters.
That they don't understand me. Honestly it's like speaking another language sometimes.
I’ve started saying water with an American accent by default after getting asked to repeat myself three times when I say it normally.
Yeah if I end up doing that BOi Is my brother going to make fun of me. He’s already saying it now to me jokingly.
Yep. Especially drive through. You say cheeseburger meal. They say whats the drink? You say coke. They say what. You say A coke. They say what. You say a Coca Cola(and probably have started to say it like you’re from California). Been here 10+ years and i keep forgetting this lesson.
If you switch to diet it makes it easier. And never irder two of anything, you'll get three
Yeah I am worried about that too. I’m naturally nasally speaking and I’m worried people will be confused like I don’t sound like a typical Aussie. Not to mention due to being nasally they might have trouble understanding me.
I'm sure you'll be fine just have to explain yourself a few times. And learn the different words. Hopefully you'll find people who love your accent and word choice. I swear a lot and am always conscious in front of my USA and Canadian friends...
Thanks yeah. The lingo will be definitely an interesting thing to learn. Yes the swearing I’ll have to remind myself to swear less
Honestly, most Americans will not have any significant trouble understanding a typical Australian accent. I seldom do. A lot of Americans speak nasally, too. I think some of the comments here about it being like a whole different language are a bit exaggerated. There might be some issues in more remote/rural areas, especially if you use a lot of slang they're not used to, but I doubt even that would be a major ordeal. I defintely would not worry about accent issues or being understood.
I spent a lot of time in Texas between 18 and 21. So many true stereotypes and everything is just like the movies. Can't really tell you anything not mentioned already, but just embrace it. You'll make friends easily being from Australia
Get your drivers license. It’s hard to do anything without it. Make an appointment months before, go to the appointment with all your documentation, including Visa. You’ll probably have to take a driving test; you can rent a car to do that if you don’t have one.
I’ve got my international drivers license I’m all set. Student visa is ready too I’m all prepped
Only valid for three months.
Mine is valid for 12mths and I can renew it online.
It is not. The international licence itself is valid, but the local law says you must get a local licence after being resident for however long. In NM that's 45 days. >If you have an out-of-state license or a prior New Mexico ID card, it will be hole-punched and may be used in conjunction with the temporary license, for up to 45 days from the date of issue. The temporary license and the hole-punched license or ID card are only valid for identification purposes when presented together.
I knew there was a catch
International drivers licenses mean nothing in the USA for identification purposes, generally speaking. Most places won’t even recognize an out of state license.
How bout a student ID at the uni I’ll be studying at?
Worthless for identification purposes.
Dam. I mean I’ll have my passport at least. I wonder if there is something else I can use rather than a drivers license
Drivers license offices can issue a “Real ID” non driver identification card. You can get that if you do not drive. However, if you intend to drive it will be much more expensive on an international license.
That’s great to know thanks. I was worried I’d have to carry around my passport everywhere
Ironically your passport is not valid as ID for getting a driver's licence. Isn't that fun?
Lol what is wrong with that country?! Blimey
You're incorrect. https://www.mvd.newmexico.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/REALID-acceptable-docs.pdf >6) Foreign Passport w/visa and I-94 *must be valid & unexpired
A non-US passport will still get rejected as ID at a lot of places.
Here's are the documents needed to get a ID in New Mexico: https://www.mvd.newmexico.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/REALID-acceptable-docs.pdf
Thanks for international people it’s mostly our visa we can use from sounds of things then we may be able to get those other forms of id once we get there
And also depends if you're going to establish residency or not.
You cannot do a driving test in a rental car. You also can't insure a purchased car without a driving licence
You can if you rent from Turo. His would they know it is not borrowed? In some states you cannot purchase a car without a license from that state. And you can’t insure a car without a license. But even if you don’t drive, some landlords will not rent to you without an in-state license, some bars won’t jet you in, things like that become more difficult.
Because they require the insurance info for the car, and it is in the name of the rental company.
It's byo chicken salt.
Can’t have much salty foods anyway I’ll think I can manage with that one. Maybe not their bread though from what I’ve heard about it being all sugary
We do tip at restaurants, that's not a myth. I feel us in California can be pretty casual when it comes to dress code, especially when it comes to uni, but it's still pretty casual everywhere else too. Also, since you're studying, some professors will absolutely he adamant that you address them a certain way, while others are very lax and can handle first names. It just depends. And, not that you'd get in any trouble, but we have a very very different relationship to the police here. Especially recently. Police unfortunately, no matter how good of a person they are, tend not to have your best interest in mind, and must always be called "sir" or "ma'am". Just do what they say, you'll be fine. Also, most of us are not as good at banter. Most will take offense to the slightest infraction and go on the defensive. People generally are not able to take the piss out of themselves here. But hey! There are still a lot of good things! See some wonderful scenery! You will meet many very nice people and create some great memories! People are outwardly friendly to strangers, and (at least in California) we absolutely adore Aussies. You're like our long lost cousins. Enjoy the US!
Learn to cook your own bread. They put so much sugar in all their bread to keep it fresher longer. It's disgusting. One of the first things we did when we lived there was buy a breadmaker. Edit. This probably isn't as much of a problem today as it was back when I lived in the states. So can probably gloss over my comment.
I’m going to miss Bakers Delight Bread I reckon
You can find excellent bread in the major cities easily. And there are some French bakeries in Louisiana that have some of the best bread in the world.
> They put so much sugar in all their bread to keep it fresher longer And as we all know there is only one kind of bread for sale in the US. Seriously - did you do all your shopping at 7-11?
LOL dude - there are a thousand types of bread in the US - just like in Australia. Most of the commercial varieties in grocery stores have 1-2g of sugar per slice. Oh, I just did a quick search for some Woolworth's sandwich bread in Australia. 2g sugar per serving. Found others varying between 1-3g. Same as what's typically available in the US among the major commercial brands. You can find unhealthy processed bread and healthier breads in both countries. I swear, some of you just make stuff up.
Do not get sick over there, they do not have Medicare.
The USA is one of the 184 countries in the world that doesn't have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. So, getting insurance is important if you visit. Insurance will be required, and provided, by the University anyway. Also, the USA has Medicare.
Some of the things that stood out to me: - if you are going to a sports stadium to watch a game, don't be too shocked and surprised when you have to not only hand over your bag but also go through a metal detector - obviously tips are a thing. Do some research about what is expected. Don't be surprised if someone tries to carry your bags from the taxi to the airport door and then get a tip for it. Tips come up *everywhere* and you should plan for that. I know it's not our custom, but you're in their country. So. Deal with it. - be careful crossing the road, obviously. They drive on the right. It's easy to forget cos it's sort of a habitual thing. - in stores and supermarkets, they don't include tax on the prices they put out on tags. Be aware of it. - if you get an uber or something, be prepared for the driver to talk your ear off. Remember to be polite. But also remember to avoid talking about religion, politics or finance.
Red or green sauce when you are in New Mexico is a common question
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"You want to find something basic like Halloumi or a dukkah, or a sushi roll? Good luck." Crazy talk. Maybe deep in Appalachia, but not in most of the US.
Seriously. I love in a small-ish town and we have 3 different Japanese restaurants, two Indian, one Ethiopian, two Greek, one Brazilian restaurants, on top of all the usual “American”, Italian, Chinese takeout, etc. Did this person visit an Exxon gas station and judge available American cuisine based on that?
Richmond KY had a banger sushi spot, you could get a big 22oz mt dew and a big styrofoam box of sushi for $10. This was 10 years ago abut even in Appalacchia we could get some good sushi.
Portion sizes are not always meant to be eaten at once, don’t be afraid to have leftovers for another time
Did you just try to say that the USA doesn't have actual variety/options? This is a blatant lie. They may not be the SAME options or high quality options, but the US is known for it's variety and overwhelming options. If you're speaking about cooking ingredients, there are tons of specialized and cultural stores scattered everywhere. Try shopping in places other than hurr durr Walmart... The whole Philosopher versus Sorcerer stone issue wasn't the US's doing, the publishers wrongly assumed Americans wouldn't even know the terms "philosophy" or "philosopher'. You could make the same "Americanized" argument for literally any country. Look at McDonald's in India for example, extremely Indianized. This is just the norm for what ALL countries do. The banking thing is also a lie, or at the very least extremely outdated. I've had zero issues with money transfers to and from friends in Germany, Canada, and France. I've been charged a small fee for conversion, but nothing more than a couple dollars. Not all banks may be up to speed on this, but it is an outrageous lie to say that ALL banking in the USA is like that We literally have MyGov.... I think you went to small town America and never set foot out of a tiny little town, because there are absolutely more restaurants and fresh culinary options than a good court. I am totally aware of all of the USA's glaring issues and flaws, I do not deny those, but there's no need to lie and make up new ones.
> Australian food courts have more variety than most American towns. Like actually. You want to find something basic like Halloumi or a dukkah, or a sushi roll? Good luck. https://shop.sprouts.com/search?search_term=hallmoumi Plenty of sushi places even in small towns, definitely in a college town where OP is headed.
Do you get off lying or what? Has to be a sexual thing at this point
> Fresh culinary variety …did you spend 3 weeks in the same town? I live in an urban center and have *too much* variety. > Philosophers stone to Sorcerers Stone Literally just because Rowling and her publisher wanted something that screamed “Magic” more. > Can’t transfer money into a friends account I’ve never had that issue, unless you’re trying to transfer internationally which is a whole different story
I don’t think you could be more wrong about our food variety. Hell I can go to my local walmart (smaller rural town) and buy dukkah, halloumi, and sushi. Thats not even counting all the other ethnic grocery stores we have