USA vs EUROPE - Guide To Cultural Differences
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 28. 05. 2024
- Here are some cultural differences that struck tourists and us.
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0:00 Cultural Differences
0:38 Beer
2:31 Tax
3:20 Food
4:29 Water
5:20 Ad - SurfsharkVPN
6:33 Service
7:45 Bill
8:37 Tipping
9:43 Packaging
11:26 Coffee
12:44 Restrooms
True story, A friend of ours went to Europe, ordered coffee and got an espresso in tiny cup. He complains that the cup is too little, and the counter guy obliges him and serves him a big cup -- of espresso. Couldn't sleep at all that night. Lesson learned.
haha good for him
Fun fact. You can get kind of american style coffee also in Europe. It is called Americano and it is this bigger size espresso diluted with water. It won't be as big as galon, more like 300 ml, but still bigger then standard espresso.
@@marcinszymczyk4148 Yes, my friend was not aware of that, and apparently the server didn't offer. For me, going though Italy I felt a bit guilty about ordering Americano since I know the Italians don't consider it "real" coffee, but I still prefer it most of the time. My wife, not from the USA, loves espresso and will happily drink what I consider battery acid.
That tiny espresso cup thing is true mostly in Southern Europe and some countries in Central Europe. In Nordic and many post soviet countries espresso isn't that common, even though you can order it. People usually drink an average (probably still small for Americans) sized cup of coffee with milk or cappucinos and lattes if classical Italian style.
Hahaha! In France American coffee is called sock juice.
I'm 43, live in Phoenix and have never been outside the U.S. So videos like these really give me a kick in the butt to want to explore worlds outside my little bubble.
Bro you need to travel. And you need to do it quick, in europe you walk 1000X more than in the USA, don't want to be touring when your 60-70 and your legs don't work or you miss all the really cool stuff...
Go travel it is really fun to learn about other cultures! Love from Europe!
@TomĂĄĆĄ Nosek He said "My little bubble". There is a difference.
@@Randomadventureswithpaul But in Europe being 60-70 and retired is when you reach your prime and really start walking everywhere.
Wow! I hear that happens a lot in America, so sad that people donât leave that terrible place
I feel like this should be USA vs Prague. Because europe is so diverse, there are MANY countries where almost everything on this list isn't the same as it is in prague, for instance service, beer, and food.
Same in America tho
legit the same in the US
or usa vs czechia
America is a country. Europe is a continent.
Ok? Don't really see why that's a relevant comment here but yes you are correct lol??@@TanishaJeannelle
So Iâm from the US and spent a year overseas with the military in Europe. A lot of places didnât want us to tip, but understood because we were from the US that we tip on everything. One of the first times I ate out in Romania I tipped the server 25% of the bill because it was very good service. The server chased me out of the restaurant and didnât understand why I paid over the bill. I explained to them that it was for them. The young girl hugged me and said thank you. Most places understood but some places refused to even accept a tip.
How much was the bill generous man? 20 bucks?đđđ
Tipping is a toxic culture in the US, don't spread it elsewhere
To this person it could have been a sign of disrespect or in a even worser case "belitteling/condescending". Romania is not a rich counrty, but people still have pride in what they do. If then all of a sudden a US person comes a long, seemingly throwing with money... I could see it having a different effect.
This is more and more common in the UK.
we don't pay servers $2 an hour so they don't need tips to put a roof over their head
Here in Finland it is quite a bizarre thing to tip in restaurants. We tend to be quite humble people so when somebody tries to tip, we ask are you really sure you want to do that with your hard earned money?? Large tips often mean that the tipper has something to prove... "I am not poor, believe me!" kind of thing:D
Love it!
Same in Sweden. If the bill is 775 kr and I have to type in the amount I would just type in 800 maybe, if the food and service is good. People that tip a lot usually have something to prove to his friends.
Imagine that in the US, they'd think you're a stingy freak đ
I tip a lot more lately because many waiters and waitresses were out of work for months when their restaurants had to be closed due to Covid. It has nothing to do with trying to prove something or show off.
Tipping culture in the US is awful, you can tip for excellent service, not to keep your waiter alive
Being a restaurant owner in the U.S. Our menu reads with the tax included. So when you see $15 on the menu that's the final price. The actual cost breakdown is $13.73 with a $1.27 sales tax. Not sure why more places don't do this. The only change we deal with is quarters.
But do you pay your waiters/waitresses a living wage or do they have to depend on tips to survive?
@@torrothebear7240 new business so itâs just myself and my business partner right now. When we do hire people, it will be at a livable wage with tips being split to everyone who works that shift.
@@njones8610 thank you for answering. I wish you all the best and good luck. Peace
@@njones8610 do it i bbelieve it will positively backfire in the future altought it might be hard on you in the beginings and a lot of people will want to work for you, and you will get better employess by doing this which will return the investments for you.
@@MrMajsterixx you're absolutely right. Employees are the backbone and face of any business. Most employers failed to understand this and they keep complaining that "NoBoDy WaNtS tO WoRk AnYmOrE!"
This actually happened to me. 11 year old boy, got my 20 dollars, walk into walmart, pick out my LEGO ; and the cashier tries to explain "tax" which went clearly over my head as an 11 year old whose native language is not english - and who was used from europe to paying what it says on the sticker and being fine
We taught our kids young about tax.... I would serve them Ice Cream... then take a several bites of it and call it a Daddy Tax.... At 4 years old both my kids said " I hate Taxes" Teach them young!
đ
Here, taxes are normally taught pretty early in school. They tend to use money in teaching kids about math. That way they'll be ready for it when they start making purchases on their own.
â@@dbarrington1 I'm known for "Uncle Tax' đđ
But I'd still rather pay a tax in the US that be short-changed in Prague, which happened a lot!
Well its rather simple. For any US waiter, the ratio of customer to tips is directly proportional. So increasing the rate at which they get new customers is their main goal. Yes, there are variations depending on how much you liked the service, but generally, it will stay extremely superficial to give you a nice warm feeling at the beginning and the end of your meal (primacy-recency effect) to get the biggest tip in the shortest possible timeframe out of you and then kick you out asap to make place for the next customer. Tips being obligatory within a certain %-range helps in that regard as well of course.
We in Europe do not depend on tips, instead we pay our employees decent wages so they don't have to rely on the customer to make up for it.
Sure, does that mean that my waiter is sometimes not as superficially friendly? Yeah. And maybe it is because they had a bad day or are not feeling well - after all, they are human? Sure.
But at the same time that means that they can be nice because they want to, and have an actual connection with the customer without seeing them as walking euro/dollar bills.
I know what I prefer.
my sister makes shit ton in tips only people she knows that don't make much is either work pools tips or shitty workers
On our last trip to the US, my husband and I were shocked by the fact that almost all hotels use plastic plates, forks and knives only, styrofoam cups for tea and coffee. I canât even imagine the mountains of rubbish hotels create. For no reason.
because it's insanely cheap compared to the initial cost, employee to wash everything, soap, water, electricity. We do things efficiently and with high profits. And that thinking is the reason America became the world power.
We have a premium recycling system...it's all reclaimed thru processes.
@@camtwan1 Funny
@@Awholekit the order is "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", recycling should be the last option instead of the first. Proper plates and cutlery reduce waste and are reusable.
@@StevieC89 most restaurants do, I'm not even sure the original comment makes since, they say most hotels....đ€ the hotel is where you sleep.
That's from Starbucks is not coffee, it's a olympic pool of dirt water.
*Burnt* dirt water.
yeah but they add a lot of sugar so people loooove it
Luckily, in civilized places in America, you can get really good real coffee/lattes, etc. with fresh baked goods/food. Starbucks is for amurikuns who don't know any better.
@@namcat53 given how popular starbucks is (and others like it depending on region) in north america (i am including canada as well here,) i would say that most of the population doesn't know any better!
sugary sweet dirt water
Iâm American and lived in Brno for a few years, and I miss the coffee in Europe! Anywhere you go, the espresso is delicious and inexpensive. My coworkers would cry when our espresso machine was broken and they had to drink drip coffee. More than once, I was called down to the break room to make it because nobody knew howâŠand there was no need to learn because great espresso was in every corner! Heâs right about the service, thoughâŠespecially as youâre learning the language. I thought I mustâve done something to offend the server. Turns out, they donât have to turn on their service voice because theyâre not fighting for tips.
I think service is more of a cultural aspect than a matter of "begin for tips". In Brazil we don't tip and service is usually kind.
Go to Italy
I dunno. I work in business customer service and I am polite and eager to help despite not having tips. I've found American servers to be much better at service, but I didn't get that kind of insincerity that would come through if it was forced.
@@louiseogden1296 Yeah, it's not needed in some states in the U.S. also. There are becoming more and more states where they're required to pay the full going minimum wage in that state. For example, here in Washington State, they're required to pay the full $15.74 per hour minimum wage. Yet, you'll still find that the service is normally good.
It's a cultural thing. In retail, especially big chains, part of the training is to greet customers with a smile and help them whenever they need it. These places even specifically state that they're not allowed to accept any tips or gratuities. Yet they'll still be very helpful.
I worked for Walmart just after high school. They would have secret shoppers who we were told might come by some day and they'll judge your customer service. If you greet the customer from about 5-10ft away and ask if they are finding everything that they're looking for, then you pass. If you don't, you may end up getting a talking to with your superior and/or a bad mark on your next pay review.
@@chb2551Plus, the average european restaraunt wage makes less than an american one. Even without tips.
In Los Angeles, there is a chain burger restaurant called Tommyâs. When I was growing up in the 80s & 90s, the prices were the final prices. It even said on the menu that they already included tax and that blew my mind! The thought of not having to calculate tax in my head and just paying what the price was has never been more satisfying. Sadly, itâs not that anymore. Theyâre now just like every other store or service: itâs the price PLUS tax. SMH
I went to La for the first time a few summers ago being from the Midwest myself.
I miss In N Out burger.. we are stuck with stupid Culvers here EVERYWHERE.
@@casedistorted I lived in Minnesota for several years and only ever got to go to Culverâs twice lol. Went to Taco Johns a bunch of times, though lol
I remember that! Why canât this catch on in the rest of US?
We've already problems to call Burger-places restaurants....most of the are fast food.....
The tapwater thing isn't true everywhere in Europe. Restaurants are mandated to serve tapwater and bread for free in France (if accompanied with something you bought obviously)
And even if you don't buy anything. You can enter a pub or a restaurant and ask for water. They will usually give it to you for free (maybe not in Paris but in other cities that's the norm)
Yes they generally will but they are not mandated to by law
The title is confusing. The title is "USA vs EUROPE" but in the beginning of the video he sort of clarifies that he is talking about czech republic / Prague and not entirety of Europe. Most of the things he says in the video are not true here in Denmark.
@@splinte111 but a lot of what he mentions does apply in Germany and Austria too
Tap water is always free in England in pubs and resturants
Fun fact for all the Americans here: Czech Republic is not the entire Europe, there is a huge difference between CZ and for example FR
This video is mostly valid for central europe, Germany and Austria are mostly similar, Poland is close too, but not that close as Austria in case of restaurant culture, Poland is more like western europe. Some differencies are in southern europe or more west countries, but it's much less difference than between us and USA.
Right. Here in Germany, if I'm served one beer after another without having ordered it, I just leave it there and don't pay for it either. I mean, after 10 minutes at the latest, they can't offer it to any other guest and have to pour it away. I have no sympathy for that.
And in most restaurants here, you can also customize your menu when ordering. Of course, the waitress does not constantly ask for it and exotic special requests are usually not fulfilled. But if I want croquettes or fried potatoes instead of French fries, want a lot or a little sauce, or simply don't like a salad as decoration, that's never been a problem.
If it's different in Prague, I may have to rethink my travel plans for this summer.
it wasn't the best choice for the title.
Fun fact for all the Europeans here: California is not the entire US, there is a huge difference between CA and for example TX. In many states tax is included (at least in stores, and in NY there is not tax sale tax on food in grocery stores). US service is way better and waiters are extremely polite. I've seen too many very rude waiters and waitresses on my past trip to Germany (still tipped them for their service as it could be just a misperception). That's a clear advantage of our system. Indeed, if you provide excellent service, you should be rewarded. In NYC 20% is a typical tip rate these days. But you should also consider that waiters do live off their tips...and cost of living in NYC is through the roof.
@@fipsvonfipsenstein6704 I live in Czech republic but i have never been to a pub that would serve me one beer after other. Also most restaurants will allow you to do small changes as you mentioned.
As an American I find a bunch of things we do weird, but I love hearing about differences in our everyday culture to others. That way whenever I do travel I can be as cognizant as possible to be as respectful as possible đ
I mean all the countries have different culture but we all unite when we see garbage types of things from America
Relative to bringing the receipt before you leave in the US, a couple of thoughts.
1) You can still always buy more, the server will just bring you an updated bill.
2) If you happen to catch a shift change, your server could close you out and get their tip after which a replacement server will help you if you decide to buy more.
3) It's generally considered a courtesy so you don't have to hunt for your server when you are ready to go. This is particularly true in a lot of diners and "breakfast" restaurants like Denny's, Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel, etc. where you don't pay your server directly - you go to a register and pay them when you leave.
I tend to pay at the cashier to avoid stupid looks when I dare to only tip 10 percent. Cashiers usually don't GAF
"You can still always buy more, the server will just bring you an updated bill." It is a complete nonsense, fuck logic, well murrica, fuck yeah.
ya.i hate waiting for the bill when im done.i just want to leave,but often have to wait 10 min for the server to bring the bill.drop it off halfway through,and ask if everything was ok
Yeah there is no pressure when the bill is dropped off. 99% of the time the server will come and ask you if you want anything else, and if you do want extra drinks or dessert, they will happily bring it to you and then check on you again. Once you say that you're done, they will immediately go and get the bill for you, no need to flag them down later!
I understand that tourists might find the periodic checking in annoying, but it makes it so you don't lose your server. And you usually don't have to feel awkward and flag them down (unless it's super busy).
As someone with social anxiety I actually liked this. Having to ask is nerve-racking. I have gotten better though.
As an American, I can't believe how much places charge for beers. It's such a social thing to get a beer at a sporting event or concert and people are willing to pay outrageous prices. I just flat out refuse.
In Spain a pint (10 oz) generally costs between 3/4 euros, about the same in dollars. With lovely weather and free tapas I give thanks to live somewhere where outdoor socialising and leisure is not severely taxed. Also we tip when we feel its deserved and can afford it, not out of obligation.
It's greed. They have a monopoly on the supply so they jack up the price. It's why all food and beverage is so expensive and honestly how most sportsball teams make money.
Recently in a restaurant i went to with a friend we got a board of ber (3 diffren types of bear each 33ml wich adds up to about 1l or 33, something ounces) it cost about 4-5 dolar
It chocked me that the donât up charge anything even when the have a captive audience I the Check republic.
Canadian here, stopped in a local pub. Ordered 2 draft beer 2 Caesars and an appetizer, cost just over $50 plus a $7 tip. The only place you can get cheap beer in north America is Mexico.
Here in Germany it's exactly like in the Czech Republic. Many greetings to our neighbour country. I love Praha :-)
nicht alles
Exactly? I did spend a couple of years in Germany, but I found the first point not true. In all pubs I've been, there was always a variety of tap beer in addition to bottle options.
Not really. There are many differences. Like getting a beer without asking. You might get one if the people there know you, but they wouldnt just bring another beer to your place without asking. I would get mad at that. Also the coffee. I've never seen such a tiny cup in my life and I would never go there again if they sell me something like that for a full price.
â@@Krisstal67 Nah, depends where you are. In Köln you will keep getting beer without asking because they will continue to serve their "Kölsch" (or "Plörre" how the rest of Germany calls it) in tiny glasses until you put the lid on the glass. Coffee is inconsistent across Europe, some countries serve Espresso by default, in Germany they will serve filter coffee or Kaffee Crema, but you can just specify what you want, Espresso is quite common here too just not the default so you will absolutely see these "tiny cups" here.
@@Krisstal67 not even in Czech lands is normal to get another beer without asking. In village pubs is normal mostly for Stamgasten and in cities is not very common. ;)
My Irish friend was amazed that when she finished a cup of coffee in the US, they filled it again without asking.
Sometimes they donât wait for it to be empty.
Takes sip... more coffee!? Lol, just sitting down at the bar at a dinner, you can practically pick up the carafe and drink from it if you'd like đ.
And it is free refills. So I am hoping when I get to Ireland it is like that with the beer. Lol
@@darrinr8592 No it won't. I remember ordering a round of Guinness in Ireland. The barman filled the glasses about 2/3s and walked away. I didn't know they needed to settle before he topped them off. Note to self...don't order Guinness if you are thirsty. LOL.
In Czech republic it can actually happen with beer:) In some very ordinary pubs if youÂŽre finished with a beer, you immediately get another. I guss thatÂŽs because we all assume here you wonÂŽt have just one:) But I think it might happen only to a local, not necesarily to foreigner
Being from Croatia which has very similar culture, I find these videos so entertaining :D Can't wait to visit Prague again in a few weeks :)
For me the main cultural difference is the service.
- In Europe they check on you once in a blue moon or when you call them (respecting your privacy/debate with friends you sit with)
- in the US the staff is always checking on you (sometimes too excessively so you cannot have a normal conversation with people you sit with).
Always found that off-putting.
If i want something i'll call you over.
If i don't call for you i'm fine, go away.
Interesting perspective. I guess in America we are so obtuse we just don't care who overhears and it's considered bad service if they aren't there to refill your drink. I think also that it's considered rude to "summon" the waiter so we prefer them to show up on their own. I agree though, I prefer not to be intruded upon
It depends. Everything is about people. I working at restaurant with team of people at the servise. And everytime we go around the table we looking for the empty plates, bottles etc. Not everytime asking if something needed. But trying to serve everytime the custumers need something. ( CZ )
âŠand they always ask you when your mouth is full đ€Ș
Yeah, which is why I only went to eat at a restaurant *once* when I was in the US for 4 months.
So in Czech republic they refill your beer automatically, in the US you have your waiter asking if you wanna order another drink nearly 10 seconds after your finish the first one, and here in France ... well you waive at your waiter for 10 minutes to hopefully catch his attention and order a new round đ
We get free water though
In Croatia we're like France lmao. Seems a bit absurd that you would get an automatic refill, who says you want one? I also don't want the waiter to stalk me and spawn behind me asking if I want another one, just wave at the waiter and he'll come
Rule of thumb, if refills are free then it getting empty is not permitted. If it is not free, then run by 10 seconds later to offer a new one. (Of course fetching it from the bar or whatever, because canât pre prep).
I am from the U.S.
@@ararune3734 instead of asking for another you just tell them it was(is) ur last, or they tell you it was your last ;) sincerely, i am from poland and i love pubs in CZ for these auto refills.
@@ararune3734 in czech it's like we going into pub with friends , we drink untill we leave , so yeah you get refill automaticly , and if you want something else you can just say to waiter when he/she comes for glass
That's because in the US and in Canada pricing is often countrywide in stores but taxes vary by state, province and even cities.
This is something that is not understood in Europe. In the US and Canada, we have unions of former colonies which became countries. Each former colony was granted certain administrative autonomy with respect to some laws, taxes, medical services, alcohol, education, drivers license's etc. I wanted to drive on a visit to Europe and it was recommended that I go to the local automobile association to get a Canadian drivers license because European police may not recognize my British Columbian license even though it is legal and the Canadian license is not.
They just don't care to understand something indifference đ
@@austinschwebel819 I think we do understand, we just don't want to learn every state's tax situations. Btw in europe there are various taxes. In Hungary especially you pay different taxes after services, different kind of food products and a bunch of other things. Just imagine doing a european tour and you have to study every countries every different taxes...
Much love from America! Was an amazing video!
Nice reaction Connor!
I just finished watching your reaction, and as a Czech who has been following @HONESTGUIDE for a long time, it is interesting how Americans view this and I like their reaction.
I love that you called out the US on excessive packaging
I remeber when i saw watermelon or pineapple in plastic packages. In my memories even fresh banana slices could be thrown to some container in US.
@@Misiok89 I have seen that in Europe sadly.
as an open defacator you save on paper by using your hand.
Hah, wait til you get to Japan, buddy.
@@just_one_opinion my friend was in Nepal and said you take a shit and then you wipe with your hand and then you wash it in stream , and it took a while to get used to
some Italians including my friends pack their espresso coffee machine when they travel abroad to be sure to have their coffee every day and avoid drinking "gallons of dirty water".
Which is insane because we have some amazing coffee on the West Coast
@@rnjbond american coffe or espresso? there are in fact fundamental differences, American coffee and a slowly filtered coffee, espresso is obtained with a jet of pressurized steam that passes through the powder in about 30 seconds; in addition, the powder for American coffee has a coarser grind than the coffee for espresso
Coffee in Italy plain sucks. After a week in Italy, all I wanted is a Venti Starbucks, and I do not think Starbucks is even that good. Most of the ubiquitous "uncafes" in Italy aren't good at all. One has to find a place where they serve good espresso. This is true for the US, too, but at least in the US you have normal drip coffee to fall back to.
@@rnjbond you have amazing dirty water.
@@nsbioy ahahahahah! It is so difficult to find espresso coffee in Italy, you could roam around 3 days and not find a bar... better to drink dirty water.
Its funny to me as a british woman where its like a half and half between this, leaning more toward the european, but theres stuff like, its a legal requirement if a restaurant sells alcohol they must also offer free tap water if asked, and both forms of coffee are very common (although the more cafe european style is usually in cups that are a bit bigger than what was shown, but still meant for the same purpose)
I'm a waiter in Austria. Here we round up the tip to the next 50 cent, next euro or the next two euros. So if a beer is âŹ4.10 we will round it up to 4.50. If you're paying for a large party you may tip a little more, perhaps up to 5 euros. Only very large parties or 15 plus would you think of tipping 10%.
But in Europe we're paid a fair wage, all tips are just that...a little extra for doing your job well and making the customer happy.
Fun thing in Mexico is that we are used to tip 10% every time we go to a bar, pub, café or restaurant but very recently some bars started "asking" for 20% which according to them is "10% tip + 10% service"... The result? Most of them were closed down by the Government (which made me happy, to be honest)
pero que
@@jcsfc2842 some bars were lowering the minimum wage which is illegal their excuse was the US model replacing the rest of the wage with tip earnings, profeco said thatâs BS and closed them for wage irregularities
Heck yeah. You should be paying decent wage to servers.
@@jcsfc2842 En MĂ©xico es ilegal cobrar la propina o una cuota de servicio. Puedes denunciar con PROFECO o negarte a pagar la tarifa adicional.
First time Mexico city in a very tourist restaurant in main Avenue, I left 50 pesos as tip. The person scream to me that was too low. I was đŠđ€Ż, I literally saw the guy for 5 seconds in all the night.
I live in France, and a few aspects of this video dont apply here ^^ :
- There's usually several beer on tap in France, and bottled beer is served even though people prefer on tap usually
- We have free water in France too !
- Tipping is not common in France. It's something you do if you had a really really great time at a restaurant and if you have some cash to spare.
Everything else is pretty much spot on !
Same as the uk....
â@@jezlanejl Same in Spain, bottle beers are very common, and very often without glass, mainly between young people
Totally. This video is about the Czech Republic vs USA, not Europe.
But no free water, God! It`s punishable by law in 99% of world to refuse someone to have a glass of water.
@@leolight5369 You could say it's about Czechia/Austria/Germany vs. Europe. Very similar bar culture in those three countries.
Minimum wage for tipped workers in Oklahoma is $2.13 per hour. A wage you can live on is closer to $17. The waitress needs to make up the difference in tips. It is not an "extra" gratuity for good service. It provides basic compensation for what they do at a restaurant as opposed to self-service. This is also the incentive for turning tables faster: Using the same spot for another customer who will then leave another a tip.
I came across your channel while planning a trip to central Europe. Your videos are great. I wish you much success. The cultural differences had me laughing and shaking my head in agreement. Your observations are "honest" and spot on.
You don't need to apologize every time you point out to a difference. People should not be that sensitive, they will just get over it, really :-)
I agree, but then there are those who are outraged you didn't apologize! He's just covering his bases (is that an American-only phrase?)
us Americans get offended allot more then we'd like to think
Yea but we are talking about modern day US
hahahah good one, some wont get even over this
It is 2022 though.
Iâm from the US and I love this video. We here in the USA are crazy. Thatâs why I love traveling all over the world.
YES! I hope we can return to Europe soon.
Please remember Europe is so diverse, like e.g. here in Finland, beer *is* normally the equivalent of about 10-15 USD (in Euros) in pubs / bars! Especially in city centres. I would *love* us to have Czech drink prices!! ;) Everything else in the video I can relate to. Especially tipping - we never tip in Finland, simple as that.
I found you comment about no free water true when I visited Germany in 2004. They didnât sell water in the restaurant so I ordered a small Coca Cola which was like 4 Euro. My husband had a beer and it came in a huge glass and was only 3.5 Euro, lol.
Ofcourse they sell water, many restaurants it's free, in every restaurant in Europe, but on tourist like you can earn more lol
@@waso778 In Belgium you don't get free (tap) water in restaurants. They'll sell you bottled water. There are several beers on tap though these are often owned by the same brewery.
I have noticed that in several European countries local alcoholic beverages (wine or beer) are often cheaper than soft drinks.
In the UK tap water is usually free, but it doesn't get liberally refreshed automatically, nor is it iced. It usually comes in a jug at room temperature with glasses for each person.
Yes, beer is cheaper than soft drinks. But by law, they have to offer at least one non-alcoholic drink which is cheaper than the cheapest alcoholic drink.
@@louiseogden1296 In the UK it's part of their licencing conditions. If they don't bring free water then kick up a fuss and call the licencing authorities
As an Australian when we hear your beer prices a tear goes down my face. It's super cheap compared to here
Well in Switzerland at a bar it is easily 10-12 AUD / 7.20-8.20 USD (and up) and nope Swiss people aren't all rich we just pay more for everything... Even Swiss products are often cheaper abroad... In German there is a word for that "Kaufkraftabschöpfung" means skimming rhe buying power by charging more in a country which has a higher average income - just because you can đ€·đ»ââïž
And if you live in CZ village in shop bottled beer costs like $0.5/0.5l, that is normal price for me. In bigger shops even in cities it's like $0.7-8, tap beer costs more, especially in Prague center of course :)
@@DaweSlayer The cheapest supermarkets beer I got in Prague (admittedly 10y ago) was around 8c for 500ml bottles, and you got 5c back for returning an empty bottle. It was a Polish brand that was obviously not popular so it was heavily discounted. That is free beer basically. Although it says a lot about the beer patriotism of Czechs that they werenât drinking it at 3c for 500ml.
I think that it is tacitly a public health policy. There is very low duty on beer there compared to Australia. But wines and spirits are not that cheap. The Czechs would rather channel heavy drinkers into their beer, rather than having the public health issues with distilled spirits that countries further east have. Fun fact: The Czechs drink 140 litres of beer per capita per year. Australians only drink 75 litres per capita. Imagine just how beer soaked Australian culture is, and then double it.
Some people here just go to pub, some almost every evening, younger use to go at friday and have 4+ beers. Thats what makes that number even higher, it's just lemonade for us :D
I had the EXACT same thing happen to me as a kid in the US !!! I thought a "well done" burger was going to be extra tasty. Another cultural difference : when asked "how are you doing ?", Europeans will assume you are genuinely interested in their general well-being or daily whereabouts, and consider it so very kind of you to ask. It is mistaken for genuine interest. You want to know how I'm doing, so I'll tell you about my crappy day at work, or my dog is sick, I've been planning this, and my doctor said I should work out more, etc.
So when the American turns around halfway into the story, and walks away, that is perceived as very, very rude.
Exactly. And what about the absolutely idiotic and strange English (British) custom of asking "How do you do" and your only possible answer having to be to ask back "How do you do" again. Super weird! Wtf do you ask in the first place? I'd much rather have a vulgar but honest Aussie "Hey, how they're hanging?" than a polite but utterly hypocritical "How do you do?" or a US "How are you? - Don't tell me anything!".
It's just part of the fake culture that plagues the US. This is similar to the abomination infecting many unthinking people these days where they'll just say stuff like "thank you very much!" Oh, really? Just for me holding the door for you? So what would you say to someone who saved your life?
@@x2y3a1j5 As a Brit it is a bit weird but it serves a purpose. The experience is genuinely just to indicate how you want to be treated. Someone says "Alright?" and you give a hand signal or maybe a couple words to roughly indicate if you are in a good or bad mood and then return the favour to them. You might have a conversation later but, it's a greeting to quickly say something between 'leave me alone for a bit' or 'I'm in a good mood let's chat' - mutually.
In Poland we sometimes ask "Co tam? /Jak tam?/Jak siÄ masz?" - (rarely but it means the same as the other two) which roughly means What's up? /How are you? And we mean to ask someone that and we genuinely expect an answer
How are you doing in us is basically a hellođ , something which i did not understood too at first
I'm gonna say this is THE BEST Video of yours and I've seen more than a dozen.... congrats! Humor and Confidence made it a more than an Honest Guide video. Thank You!
Something to add about the toilets! In Czech Republic the toilets are soo but sooo clean that you can eat on one of them basically! I was amazed with the level of cleaning! Love you Czech Republic! Thanks guys you are amazing!
No one, absolutely no one can make me watch the same video twice.
Oh, what's that? New videos from Kluci z Prahy and Honest Guide. I'll watch them bothđ
same
Yeah, We will see what the good point is
Same here, just from curiosity how content will turn out, and i have to admit, very well!
JĂĄ to vidÄl rovnÄĆŸ v obou vydĂĄnĂ:D
So we all, Czech native speakers, can learn some new phrases and i love it. Sometimes those vids in English are even better.
American here, and I agree with you guys! I'd be interested in seeing more videos like this, and also videos about cultural differences between Czech Republic and your neighbor countries.
@sundaesmile Check YT channel Dream Prague. Jen is from USA, but I would say that she is ours now.
Al An Al An what a history? I think even at the rest Of their country neighborhood is still life going on. Maybe I didnât get the point right but what did you mean by that?
@honestguide dobrĂĄ prĂĄceđ
@@archaniel11 Probably one failed Austrian artist and Sudetenland
Check out Dream Prague channel. Made by your compatriot living in Prague, exactly the topics that interest you. Very interesting and witty point of view!
Czech here. Well, a few notes. Our German-speaking neighbours Germany and Austria are certainly much tidier, whenever I cross the border from there I go, yep, home again, more dirt, more houses and roads that need repairs or at least some attention... Poland... Hm... We are sort of famous for being the most atheist country... so... what the hell is going on in Poland?? ThatÂŽs -middle ages to us.
The tax not included and the forced tip culture are the biggest shocks for me in the US
The tip culture is directly related to the extremely friendly and attentive service. They aim to please, because the tip depends on it
@monkeyballs512 "extremely friendly and attentive" haha that's a goodieđ do you really think waiters in europe are less friendly? a waiter has to be friendly at all times, it's part of his job, and the employers should not have this excuse to pay them far too less
@@manuelperathoner4922 yes, actually, it is a fact that waiters in Europe are less attentive and friendly. This isnât up for debate. Even Europeans who visit the US are surprised by the difference in service quality at average restaurants. Obviously, this doesnât apply to Michelin star restaurants and whatnot, but at your average pub? 100% better service in the US because of tipping
About the tap water in restaurants pubs and such places, here in Spain is illegal to deny giving tap water to anyone that asks for it
Italian living in Prague. For us, tipp is really an exception (service is included in the price): you give it only when you're super happy about how they treated you.
Exactly the same in Portugal. I think I've tipped 2-3 times in my life in restaurants in Portugal. And it wasn't even close to 10% :D
Czech person here. When I was in Italy this was very surprising to me that the tip is usualy included in the price already.
You do have coperto, which was quite surprising to me when I went abroad ;)
There is a "coperto", which doesn't exist in Czechia.
US person here, that's why service sucks in Europe, you get what you get no matter what. If you know you may get a tip for your service, then you'll put the effort. You may say, "I don/t want to be bothered," then tell them right off the bat.
I think it's disgusting - if it's like you say - that native Czechs when dining out in restaurants in Czech republic are starting to tip. The no tip approach should be upheld in Europe.
Tip whatever you want approach is best. Not expected, but nice if people do it and they had a nice experience. I legit tip according to experience. If the food and service is really good, nice tip. If things are off, no tip.
difference is in europe tip is extra money for waiters on top of their pay, in america tip is considered pay
Tipping is basically catholic. Lutherians donât.
Of course, in the socialist times, nobody tipped. Service was awful, too.
@@francoismartini5148 In Italy we do not tip, and we are catholics, USA is mostly protestant and they tip, so I wouldn't say it is in any way related to being catholics
@@gabrielepicco3582 E lo stesso a Espagna, no hay propinas tampoco. Si las hay, no es probable que sea mas de 50 centimos o 2 euros, es decir, poquĂsimo. Saludos
I have just returned back to Europe from a week in New York.
The espresso in the hotel wasn't what I would consider an espresso, however I did find some specialist coffee houses where you could get an espresso (although very expensive).
In the diners it was large weak cup of poor quality coffee.
The burgers and fries were great, but this tipping business is stupid.
Just add a service charge and pay the waiters properly.
Don't worry, nowadays the restaurants here are charging you a service fee and you still have to tip the waitstaff
Prague is an AMAZING city with AMAZING people AND BEST BEER Iâve EVER HAD! Canât wait to get back âïž
The pushing of the bill is very common b/c they want people to LEAVE as soon as possible. Since the income of the waiter is determined by sales. More customers means more likely of higher sales. Get them in, get them out, flip table, repeat. The only places that do not have this are ones that have minimum buyout. That guarantees a certain amount of sales so the waiter will get decent pay for their time.
Well that's a shitty system then, why the waiter has to be paid by the customers,??
I'm from Belgium and I must say: our beer culture is completly defferent. Only 1 beer? Refills? The size??
I'm excited to visit next month though!
Belgian beer is top tier quality. I want to visit some time. Im from Northern Ireland so we love our beer
Just a note, i stayed in different cities in CZ including Prague and not once did anyone bring me a refill.
Maybe it's a Germanic-Slavic thing? Because I know it's the same way in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and Germany.
When you finish your beer, the waiter almost jumps you with another beer immediately without you needing to ask.
And if you're not interested you can just say "no thanks"
@@Thor.Jorgensen i've been to all but poland and no one has ever brought me a new beer, WTF dude. :(((
â@@marvahinspace What kind of places did you go to? Snooty restaurants? CafĂ©'s? Places made for tourists?
In Demmark you should go to what's called a "vĂŠrtshus" meaning "host house/tavern" or you should go to a bar, although bars are hit-or-miss often made for foreigners.
Look especially for places where they offer benches to sit outside at.
Lastly expect to sit there a long time. Bring friends. The beer is treated as a distraction from the conversation, which should be your main goal of going. You go to talk first and eat and drink second.
In Porto, if you go to a pub, a beer will cost you 1 euro (or 50 cents if there's a discount, which sometimes happens once a week). Coffee used to cost 50 cents, but now it's gone up to 80 or 90 cents, 1 euro or more in tourist locations.
Tipping is more of an economic issue than a cultural one: European waiters get full wages and mandatory social security. Prices of drinks and meals are expected to have been calculated in a way, which covers for all costs of the restaurant. Tips are meant to round uneven amounts billed and to be a small courtesy. All tips are collected and then spread evenly (or by some general key) among personnel. Keeping a tip received for oneself is taboo and will get you fired.
US waiters often get a basic wage significantly below the legal minimum. Nothing illegal here: The customer is basically expected to provide a large part of waiters' income by tips. In the unlikely case the tips are not high enough to make up for the difference between basic wage and minimum wage the employer has to add to the basic salary. However, if that keeps happening, the waiter will be fired as not being able to satisfy customers.
So in a nutshell - tips in Europe are decoration, whereas in the US they are an informal yet substantial service charge paid by the customer directly to personnel.
Well, when I've been in Prague few years ago, I felt almost like home in those Prague's pubs. It was really nice experience
Greetings from Ukraine
Itâs because your from Europe. Itâs not that different around Europe
Wait... are u saying that you get yourself drunk at home?
@@u6uggg6hguiuggy Occasionally
entry of Monday, 18th July 2022
My Grandfather (maternal) Jakob Mahler (22th July 1931 - 5th March 1994) was born in Schabolat (Bessarabia).
He must leave Schabolat in 1941. Then came to the Schaalsee, which became a part of the "Iron Curtain".
How near are you to the military front line?
Being a czech guy I also experienced some cultural shocks in the US when I visited Florida a couple of years ago. At an ice hockey game (hell yeah, there is an ice rink in Florida and our soon-to-be-retired hockey star Jaromir Jagr played there in 2016, which was the reason of my visit at the first place) it cost me 14 dollars. Then at the baseball game in Miami it cost me 14,50. I didn't get it, why it had to be that expensive, but hell yeah, I wanna drink beer while watching a sports match, so let's do it. But the shock was caused by something else. At the baseball match the lady at the beer stand asked me for an ID card, as she needed to check my age. I was 36 at that time! I told her I had my passport locked in my car outside the stadium, but I was 36 yo and she should be aware of it, at least that I was way over 21 even when I looked younger my age. But she intended to see my ID, because how could she be sure? I was shocked. So I asked my friend, 42 years old then, to buy that one beer for me, and so he did. And the lady at the stand said I know what you are trying to do, you buy it for that youngster without ID card. He was like yes, that's exactly what I am doing.:-))) I mean the scare of the tiny chance, that maybe you do something bad (like selling a beer to a youngster, even if he's uncertified 36), is a cultural shock to me. The people are very very afraid of getting into trouble in US, much more than the people here in central Europe. We would sell with no stress a beer to your 10 yo son believing his word, that he is buying it for you (I'm kidding, but.... it's kinda true).:-)))
But you have to understand. She is protecting herself. She can get into alot of trouble and probably even get fired for serving an underage person. In the US just saying, "hey I'm 36, believe me", will not work in 99% of establishments where they want proof.
But you can buy a gun at the age of 18. Lmao. Merica.
It's because regulators in plain clothes check restaurants. So the bartender is in trouble if they sell to someone they are not supposed to. That aside, Americans don't really care about this and even though the legal drinking age is supposed to be 21, everybody starts drinking much before that.
I like your .:-))) :)
Jo to mĂĄm pro tĂĄtu, mĂĄm mu zavolat?
Aaale, neĆeĆĄ to mladej, ale pĆĂĆĄtÄ aĆ„ si pro to pĆijde sĂĄm!
Jojoo, tak dÄkuju
đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
USA here; I enjoyed this video a lot. Cultural differences are very interesting to me, and it's always fun to watch your videos! :)
It blew my mind when I heard that water wasn't free in some countries. I worked at Starbucks and some people would literally just come in for free water. We weren't supposed to give it out through the drive thru, you had to make a purchase there. But Starbucks also has a crazy water filtration system so your also getting like REALLY good water.
I really enjoy tipping, it's a nice way to let people know they did a great job and that you're happy with their service. However outside of the food industry it's sort of crazy. I guess when you have tipping culture that's what happens, you now have to tip for everything.
Totally agree about the waste aspect. I'd love it if places charged for sauce packets or at the very least had a base amount (like 2-3) and charged for any extra.
As for coffee, Starbucks is essentially fast food. That said you can order espresso or coffee in a "for here" cup, which is a ceramic mug that you can use in the store. I enjoyed being a barista but hated the fast paced rushed environment. A relaxing cafe where you sit and enjoy an actual cup of coffee is way nicer.
And 100% agree on the restrooms. You'll find really nice restrooms with basically mini-changing room stalls with full doors and stuff but generally that's only in upscale places. The quality of a restroom is a big deal for me when it comes to restaurants and such. It can make a huge difference!
I just came back from Europe and something I admired specifically was how Draught beer was always served to me in a sub zero glass. It was amazing. Liquid gold. Most glasses Iâve been served in have just been room temperature glasses, at least in Canada.
Of all countries I know in Europe (and that is the majority) using such glasses is common in Greece and happening in Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro. Czechs and Bavarians (record beer consumers globally) would rather argue that too cold a beer will not give off its rich aroma. Which country did you visit ?
I'm used to refrigerated draft glasses here in the states...Its always half and half here...big mugs are frozen but drafts are chilled.
Some words to ice-cold-beer-maniacs: the colder the drink, the less you taste ! Means some watery Bud-light is better ice-cold. Some high level beers full of taste you better drink almost room temperatures. It's bit like wine : good red wine should never be cold !
In the US everything is over priced especially in bars, pubs, stadiums, amusement parks and tourists areas and yes must Americans hate the sales tax added to the final price. I love the European âwhat you see is what you pay priceâ. As an American, I â€ïž this video. Please do more.
Isn't the price without tax, since that is different in every state?
@@gameguild1555 but stores are in one place. You visit a store in California, the prices should include the tax of CA as thatâs where the store is
@@gameguild1555 It's not so hard to add tax to the price tag when you print it, or is it? :D :D
@@gameguild1555 more than that even, most counties have their own taxes and some cities and towns. The reason for this is nationwide marketing. If tax is included you canât just advertise something as being $500 to a national audience without the original unit price varying a lot. Itâs definitely infuriating for food and cheap things but once you get over like $50 it makes sense that the base unit as opposed to the final sale price matters more.
in WA for example almost all groceries are sold without sales tax so in grocery stores most items cost as much as it says on the price tag
Ahoj! MluvĂm mĂĄlo ÄeĆĄtinu protoĆŸe jsem byla uÄitelka angliÄtiny v Praze od 2005 do 2008. Jsem "TexCzech"- ÄeskĂĄ AmeriÄanka... Se uÄĂm ÄeĆĄtina pĆĂĆĄtĂ Äas jsem mÄla 15 roky ĆĄkola v noc. MĆŻj tĂĄta ÄĂst a rozumnĂ© ÄeĆĄtinu taky...
PromiĆ for my rusty Czech.. i ALWAYS felt out of place in the states, being a native Houstonian with deep Czech roots. When i expatriated to Prague to in 2005, I fulfilled my life goal of living there. After first visiting Prague in '94 after summering with my exchange family in Toulouse, I met my parents in Paris and from there we took off to Prague for a week. Every time I return now after being stateside FAR too long, I often do not make the return flight and spend a fortune to delay the inevitable return to the dumpster fire that is America.... Ć koda....
Would love to learn about more cultural differences! Canât wait to come to Prague, counting down! Thank you
Here in Finlandđ«đź we really don't tip. If people tip, it means the service or food were very very GOODđ
ServĂrky jsou tak milĂ© protoĆŸe druhou pĆŻlku minimĂĄlnĂ mzdy musĂ dostat z spropitnĂ©ho...
That's the difrence between eu and US
US stuffs boses pockets eu does the same but it also makes sure the workers can survive
a po pravde, je to tak dobre. Kdyz jdu do restaurace u nas a vidim tam znudene pice jak tam sedi s mobilem a zvykackou protoze maji zaplaceno stejne tak mam dost. At makaji!
To je bohuĆŸel pravda, slyĆĄel jsem nemĂĄlo pĆĂbÄhĆŻ, kterĂ© to potvrzujĂ
As someone who lives in the US tipping is dumb but I also know many waiters and waitresses and they make far more than minimum wage, at upscale restaurants especially because it's percentage based they can make really good money. I've delivered pizza and worked for tips, the minimum wage was $10 and I was making anywhere from $14-$20 an hour depending on the night. Also if you don't make minimum wage after tips the business has to make up the difference so you're guaranteed to make at least that.
@@xinidae that is the problem...your minimal wage is not the same as our minimal wage. Our minimal wage is enough to keep 1 (and a bit of a) person above poverty line with 40hrs/week. Meaning with minimum wage you can afford a flat, doctor, school for your kid and you are still left with some money to spare (not much and depends on the place, but generally that is the intention)
US minimal wage even if paid (wink wink loopholes) is clearly not enough... if you can have two jobs (80h/week) and still have to ration food/insulin/whatever there is something wrong with the system
The idea of tiping is predatory in nature. It is an excuse for the owner to withold part of the payment (the worker is just paid less from the begining with the excuse: "but tips"). Forcing a waitress to be friendly with the threat of starvation-death is not fair. It is so immoral I am honestly suprised china did not come up with it first.
I live in India and while people do leave a tip in restaurants and bars that are mid-range or above, people mostly don't expect customers to leave a tip at all. This is especially true with smaller restaurants (or "dhabas") aimed at the working class population, who really have to ration their money and spend an exact amount on food every day.
Indians have a reputation of not tipping in America.
@@shawnanderson6313 Tipping is not a typical part of eating outside here. In fact most Indians probably see it as an extra, avoidable expense and would prefer to pay the least they can get away with. If it means not shelling out a cent more than the food bill. It is a major difference in how things operate.
@@rohitchaoji I know man. Thus they bring that attitude to the US. And in order to reduces their expenses they choose not to tip. However, what they don't' understand is that you can get away with that if you only go there once or twice. But you try that coming back to the same restaurant over and over again. Then that is a problem.
@@shawnanderson6313 To be honest, for all the posturing we do about tradition and culture, we are the least accommodating people when it comes to others' customs and we also have the audacity to be disrespectful about it. Hopefully things will change but there's a very common thread in India about going abroad, but not adjusting accordingly.
In the States it's customary to deliver the bill after the dessert offer for DINNER, but for Lunch service it's usually delivered after the meals were served and first bites approved of. This is because people during the day may need to head back to work quickly. I have also worked in a fine dinning place near an entertainment district where all the customers requested the dinner bill with their food and paid before finishing their plate so they were not late for a concert or sporting event.
I was in Prague in 2019. My first solo European vacation. I stopped into a pharmacy for natural oils. Unfortunately I don't speak the language and was trying to ask the woman at the register for help. I have no idea what she was saying but I could tell by her tone that she wasn't inviting me to dinner with her family!!! Thank goodness there were several young men in line behind me that jumped to my aid!!! She definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. But Prague was MAGICAL!!! I hope to return some day.
When I was in Prague I found the pub culture to be fascinating. Coming from UK where we have a pretty solid pub culture I think the biggest difference I saw was that almost every pub sold Pilsner. And sometimes a couple of different pilsners. In the UK normally you would expect a pub to have a Larger, Ale, Bitter, stout, and a couple of guest beers then through a sesh sort of work through them.
It's like you would go to oktoberfest and expect IPAs there. Not really happening.
It might be similar in Poland - most pubs only serve like 2-3 types of lager and maybe some other styles bottled, you only get other styles on tap in multitaps, which are pretty much limited only to mid-big size cities.
You must be going to chain pubs.
Well you should go at least one street or block away from the main "kingÂŽs road" and all the tourist traps along it, there you can find a lot of in-house micro breweries or some smaller non-Pilsner Urquell beers. Also one difference worth mentioning between UK and CZ pub culture is the closing hour... We have some drunkies at the end but not everyone is smashed and crawlling back home on all four like you see around ;-)
Yup, I dont like pilsner much though so I prefer the UK. Mostly hang out in craft beer places anyway sipping on my IPAs.
In the US, there is usually a list of beers that usually numbers anywhere from 6-24. In Belgium, a lot of places in touristy areas have over 100 and each beer will come in its own specific glass. Once, a Belgian bar even apologized to me for not having the correct glass for the beer I ordered.
I wouldn't really consider bars in tourist places in Belgium to be representative. Belgium is often seen as the country with the best beers in the world and they probably cater for that too with the hundreds of beers they serve in those touristy places.
In the rest of Belgium it's usually a few of the famous Belgian beers and then one or two local ones. (The same happens in most places in Western Europe I believe).
Normal bars usually have maybe 5 or 6 on tap and maybe 10 bottled depending on what kind of cafe it is. Brown taverns can have bigger bottled beer menus, one in my village has around 80 I think.
Belgian here. We have more choice in beers in a bar. We have bars with a 1000 different beers. I loved my school trip to Praque when i was 17. I enjoyed the beer and i drank a lot of it. Another cultural difference between europeans and americans.
Iâve been to Europe twice (France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, UK, and Ireland). One of the biggest things that surprised me the most was the restrooms - complete privacy in the stalls, and you had to pay to use them. Of course when I was in London, I hit up both Starbucks and Costa for coffee.
Paying for restrooms is not really a thing in Europe. The only place where this happens is at highway restaurants because theyÂŽre frequented by thousands of people everyday and need to be maintained more than normal restaurants like in a village or city. The French are more uptight about it, they make you sit down and order something before youÂŽre allowed to use their restrooms but the french are c**** and no one likes em :) IÂŽm curious where you experienced having to pay for rest rooms, I suppose it was either highway restaurants or tourist attraction places or France hehe
When I moved back to the US after living in Eastern Europe for several years, one moment of reverse culture shock was walking into a bar in the US. I felt like I had never ordered a beer before with the amount of choices to choose from, when for so long, most bars I went to only had âdark or light beerâ on tap. Then, the bartender poured the beer with a lot of head and so he apologized and gave it to me for free for taking a long time to pour-which getting something compâd for something out of the bartenderâs control also felt confusing for me haha. Anyway, I asked my friends to buy my next beer for me that night cause of the amount of reverse culture shock I had gone through. đ
Unless the tap had a problem, I don't see how the bartender can't control the amount of head. Often they'll do this to fill your glass but cost them less.
Ouch...i hope you don't want to say that Prague is in Eastern Europe..if so, then you haven't lived there long enough..
@@PradedaCech No, I never lived in Prague or in the Czech Republic nor mentioned that I did.
As American watching this video, I wish we were more like you, just makes sense.
Please, say that about metric system as well. Lol
:)
The grass is always greener on the other side. I think we should rather learn from each other and get the best from both cultures. I'm Czech, and I really enjoyed how friendly the waiters and waitresses are in the US. Here, they will often be grumpy. And cashiers are even worse. In the US, they will have some friendly small talk with you. I'm not a fan of small talk, but in this case, it kind of works. Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic, cashiers will tell you that they will eat your soul, literally throw your groceries at you, and give you a grumpy look as if you're delaying them from their work.
@@michalhakala2243 Well while people being nice to you in a shop or restaurant is certainly nice. I don't feel like forcing them to do so by making their living dependent on how nice they are to the customers is the right way to achieve that. It's not healthy for the people involved, nor is it particularly fair ( since the tipping dependency is basically there so that the owners can pay their employees less ).
I don't know how about you, but I preffer to stick with having to deal with grumpy waitress or cashier here once in a while, but being sure that they can affort to pay their housing and food bills rather than having people pretend to be happy just to be able to have a roof over their head.
@@milokojjones Haha. You actually want grumpy service? Something tells me you are just virtue signaling.
âBottle or daft - WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?!â I literally burst out laughing and shot (draft) beer out of my nose and back into my glass. Thanks, Janek!
Ok, as a Canadian, when I worked at a restruant, I would always go on a tirade as to why we don't serve medium rare burgers here.
1.) E. Coli is on the surface of meat, shoving the E. Coli into the middle, and then not cooking it is a risky game.
2.) It's illegal here.
3.) It's gross.
I realize this topic is near and dear to Janek, if memory serves his heritage is split between the two counties(?). Either way, you two did a great job as always without being mean like most CZcams comparison do. Cheers!
One of the things I love about Europe is taxes included in the price. The tipping culture in Canada is almost as bad as the US but in Canada servers don't have a separate lower minimum wage.
It's not just Europe, it's every country in the World
Nice they must be loaded
Well, then there's no excuse for soliciting tips, you should tip as a reward, not by default. Unless you're forcing your customers to pay your employees their wage that *you* should be paying but are legally allowed not to. Which I find disgusting.
It is true for Canada and the tipping culture. However, it is important to note that wages can still be lower for servers in certain provinces like Quebec, even though Ontario recently changed server wages to all minimum wages.
My wife and I are going to Prauge this May. I appreciate the videos you produce. They are extremely help full. thank you
Very educational. Thanks for pointing these things out.
About beer culture - I would say that it's more particularly about Czech Republic than Europe. In Belgium in many places you will find a quite long menu of beers, in Poland after craft beer revolution you will also find at least several types of beer (also some craft ones) in almost every pub, and there are places which are specialized in serving craft beer, where more than 10 taps are standard and 20 taps are also not uncommon.
In Hungary we had a tipping culture but since they started to include a "service fee" of 10-15% on the bills without asking, I never tip in restaurants.
In bars, if the service fee is not included, I round up the bill but that's it.
I don't know what's going on in Czechia but I'm Croatian and just rounding up is normal, never see tipping unless it's from tourists
Was in Hungary Budapest a couple of months ago, and was also surprised by the service fee. It's a crappy practice to hide the total cost right at the end of the meal. I swear, I will start asking final bills upfront.
What I experienced in 2023 when I visited the city center of Prague was that the waiters in restaurants were trying to push hard for leaving a tip. More specifically, when I was going to the cashier to pay by card the waiter was setting the machine at the menu where you choose the tip with pre-set amounts of 0%, 5%, 10% or 15%. Whenever I was clicking 0% (because in the EU waiters have normal salary and tip is optional) they were asking me "You won't leave us a tip?", "You know that tip is not included in the bill?", " You didn't like our service?" etc. They were trying to make me guilty and tip them, and they were pushing hard for that. And as I was never leaving them tip, then they were trying to get tip from my friends saying "Your friend didn't leave as a tip...Would you leave us a tip?".
All this behavior was very scammy to my eyes and luckily it was not followed in the suburbs of Prague or in other like Brno, Kutna Hora and Pilsen.
I would be happy to see a video about this kind of scams (mainly targeting US visitors who are used to tipping).
the tipping culture is unfortunately spilling into Europe. A lot of places in Prague, Paris, Berlin etc ask for tips.
No, they don't have a normal salary. They have a guaranteed salary a bit more than minimum plus tips.
Most of the time I physically cannot use the restroom because bathroom stalls are too exposed. I sometimes cannot use a urinal because I would be standing there with my fly down unable to go. I absolutely need privacy if I can get it. It's especially bad when you're trying to take a dump in an empty bathroom and the sounds just echo throughout the whole place.
Thank you for this!! I live in the Midwest of USA and after traveling to Europe (Munich, Prague & Amsterdam) a few years ago I realized how many things are made unnecessarily complicated in the US. Why not include tax/tip (and Iâm a 46 year old career server) in the price? Plus every beer I had in Europe was delicious so I discovered the freedom of not having to choose from a long list just to enjoy a beer! Thank you for pointing out these things. Also, I absolutely loved the availability of clean public restrooms in Europe that were always fully stocked and cleaned by attendants. They were only about $1-2 USD to use and from what I experienced the people working them were mostly older residents who maybe just needed work to keep busy and make a little extra money. Europe just weaves common sense into the whole system. Prague was my favorite of places we went and Letna Garden was by far the place I think of most when remembering our trip. Iâve never seen a more beautiful view of a city. Safe travels!
The tip isn't include so poor people can still afford to use the venue. It's only for people with disposable income.
krista wolf The tips are usually not and should not be included in the bill... I remember it happened to me once and I spoke my mind........ and never came back to that restaurant. I consider it forced payment without my consent... theft actually....
So if you donât have any cash you just pee your pants?
@@Leonardo-cs9ij Europeans have a real sorry not sorry mentality,so you wont get in for free thats for sure...all you have to do is look for a American brand restaurant and they will have free (and handicapped accessible) restrooms. or you can do like the many drunk locals and just piss on the buildings and sidewalk.
Miss Prague so much! Hello from NYC. The only thing I didn't like was the lack of tap water (and the fact that I paid more for the water than glass of wine). Mostly everything else you mentioned, definitely prefer the Czech culture.
even the waiters? :)) sry, been czech the whole life and I still can't get used to that :))
@@fidloch I think I got lucky with waiters when I was there!!! Maybe because it's obvious I'm a tourist so they try to be nicer to foreigners. I found something similar in Hungary - they are nicer to tourists than locals
I understand and respect the culture of tap water in the US. But you wouldnt wanna drink tap water everywhere... and besides, in Europe it will cost you 2 euro the mineral water.
@@onthehardsun8824 that is true! Tap water isn't safe to drink everywhere
Dude I really like your content. I love the don't get scammed videos most of al, but seeing a concrete list of cultural differences is awesome. Great execution.
Of course this is just my and my wife's experience, but when dining in Europe compared to our home country in the US, the pace is tremendously different.
In the US, much of daily life is fast paced and this includes dining. Sometimes, workers scarf down their lunches during their break. I've found that in Europe, much of the dining experience is tailored to the slow paced atmosphere. We quite enjoy this. I say all of this to remind us Americans to stop and smell the roses while in Europe. đđ
Not USA vs EUROPE my dear friend, USA vs CZECH REPUBLIC... Hope to see your kulturnĂ rozdĂly with other European countries. Come visit Greece to get as much free tap water as you wish ;-)
Same in Sweden. Water is usually free especially in lunch cafés.
That is a good note, they've been mixing general European things with mostly Czech ones.
I've visited Athens last week and been to a restaurant, where they gave me water without asking, and charged afterwards. Also a cultural difference - you get something on table, it is free only if you don't open it.
@@bulakmartin They never charge tap water, plus many cafes give you a free 500ml bottle with your takeaway coffee.
Never had a problem to get a free water here in my town. But its a small town in Czech republic, its probably different in cities like Prague.
Great guide as usual. Iâm from the UK, and visit the US and Czech Republic (not just Prague!) often. You describe the differences just as I have experienced them. Thank you.
Yek se mas? Hello from the US. My grandmother's family moved here from Bohemia. My daughter studied abroad in Prague when she was in college. Her name is Takla, after my grandmother and my grandmother's grandmother. When she got to the school and the teachers and students were meeting, the Czechs gasped when Takla told them her name! They told her that they hardly ever had a student go there because of their family history. She took some very old family pictures we have of our Czech ancestors, and they translated the writing on the back for her. For her, the culture shock was when she came home! She asked if our city was always so ugly. đ. I live near Seattle. If you two ever come here, I would be happy to show you my favorite places!
Iâm from Colombia and I was shock to learn that we have FAR much in common with Europe than the US. Cuz in general we have a closer everyday relationship with the US. Cool video.
Really, that surprised u? Just take a first look to your national language and I guess there is reason why itâs not English⊠đđ
I think it's getting a little better with the water in CZ. Whenever we go to a restaurant, my sister orders a carafe of water and usually gets it even with some lemon slices in it. It's not free, but not expensive either. Baby steps I guess.
Weird. In slovakia I always can order tap water for free
i like all the cultural differences except having to pay for water in cz, because water is like our #1 need for survival!
Here in Italy the tip is something that you leave when you had a really good experience.
Usually the scene is like this:
- everything was good
- yeah! We ate so good. How much I owe you?
- it's 46.
- here 50 and I'm fine (implying they can hold the change as tip)
- thank you see you.
Exactly the same in spain
Same in Greece
Same in Germany
Its not a rule in Italy, i never tip in my life.
Same in Serbia
Yes, packaging condiments is resource intensive. However, for people with allergies and other dietary restrictions, it helps to be able to know what ingredients youâre eating and if they have certain certifications.
Interesting video. I'm from Greece and thanks to your video I see that we have a lot in common with America!
First of all, when you finish your beer, you have to say that you want another one so the waiter bring it to you, otherwise, it is also rude to us if he brings another one without asking.
The waiter, also here in Greece, asks you if you prefer draft beer or bottle, (there are some beers from specific regions of Greece that are only available in bottles).
We also have several dishes that you need to say/specify how you want them.
We have free tap water, except for the places where the water isn't potable.
As for service, for us not only is it necessary to be polite and helpful but you will be preferred for this job than someone else who isn't polite, (maybe this is also based on our culture as we are a more open-people anyway).
Îoreover, in most restaurants, cafes etc., they bring you the receipt from the start, not because they want you to leave but for tax inspection reasons, (restaurants go through tax audits very often and the receipts should be always on the tables).
Tipping is not included in the bill but it goes without saying, most of the people gives tips, unless they aren't happy with the service.
As for the coffee, we have many categories of coffee, cold ( greek coffee frappe, freddo espresso etc) and hot (classic like espresso, cappuccino ofc, or greek coffee, etc.)
So you will have to specify what kind of coffee you would like to drink, you can't just say, "a cup of coffee".
The difference is called the beer culture.
I loved the video, and Iâm an American born in California and raised in Mexico, Central America, and Brazil. I now live in the US and have so for the last 35 years, so Iâm culturally more American than any other country I lived in. So let me explain from an American perspective a few of these differences⊠1-Tipping - The reason why the expected tipping percentages are so high in the US is because that is how the wait staff makes their money. Some restaurants pay their staff a ridiculous low wage, and the expectation is that the wait staff makes a large portion of their salary in tips. This is why lots of servers (not all) try to up sell you more items on the menu or try to sell you more drinks because the higher the bill, the higher the tip. 2-Bringing the Check With Your Food or Before You Are Finished- This is an insult in most countries I lived in except in the US. Americans are always on the run and a meal is not necessarily a ceremonial event unless you are at home with your family during a holiday (Thanksgiving, ChristmasâŠ). Iâm sure there are a few exceptions, but more than 90% of the time, a meal is just something you have to get (we all got to eat at some point). When Americans are abroad, they want to get their check ASAP, so they can go explore. Who wants to sit in a restaurant after a meal with nothing to do while there is so much to see and do in whatever city they are in? No restaurant is more pleasant and/or interesting than a Royal Site, Old Town Square, European Park, or a European Museum. Even in the US Americans donât sit at restaurants for a long time as they are always on the run there too. It is all about maximizing your free time. I had European restaurant staff tell me that I could only have the a table for 1.5 to 2 hours, but what they didnât know is that I didnât plan to sit at the restaurant for that long. In fact, if that happens is because they didnât bring my food fast enough and I wonât be happy. Telling Americans that they have a limited time at a table is not well received and many have complained to me about this. From the restaurant standpoint is about table turn over. The faster a table turns (customer sit, eat, and leave), the more turns in a shift, the more money the restaurant makes. Itâs about how much money a table can generate per day. Iâm not saying this is right or wrong, or that I like it or hate it, but this is the way it is. 3-American Toilet Stalls - I absolutely HATE this about the US. It is an invasion of privacy, and I never understood the reason why it is the way it is. I was at a seminar in Seattle with over 100 people and when the organizers asked to rate the facility, the number one complaint was lack of toilet stall privacy. I guess not many Americans like the stalls either. 4-Food Prices at Events in The US - They are ridiculous!!! No one likes them. I donât go to many events, because they are too expensive from all perspectives (tickets, food, parking). A few years ago I took my daughter to a Phoenix Suns vs Golden State Warriors game (NBA professional basketball game). Tickets = $300 each (Not court side by any means. These were far up seats in a corner of the arena). Parking = $30 (no public transportation from where I live to the stadium). Food = 2 hotdogs $24, 2 500ml bottles of water $20, 1 beer $20. We spent almost $700 for one event⊠RIDICULOUS if you ask me. Whether you go to a sporting event, or an amusement park, or a concert, the prices are high for the quality of food they provide. Only place in Europe we found ridiculous prices was in Copenhagen⊠12 euros for a glass of wine and 18 euros for a flavorless hamburger at a fast food stand⊠will never go back there again.
Paragraphs is a thing you might want to look into.
Sorry about Copenhagen. Denmark is basically a socialist country and prices are generally very high. Especially in Copenhagen. People don't eat out like in the US. The burger you found was overpriced for fastfood though. You should be able to have a burger at a fast food stand for $6-10. A meal at McDonalds with soda and fries is like $12 or something.
I have been in the US quite a few times and have similar stories from there. You just got unlucky, I think.
Nowhere in Denmark have I ever seen prices like the ones you specified from the ball game though. Not even at the airport or at events.
As an American living in Europe I completely agree with all of this! I love Prague and love you guys!!
As someone who's in the process of moving to the US, these videos really help me prepare.
I'm from England, lived in Germany and Switzerland, and now I live in the USA.
I never tipped before until I came to the USA. I hate tipping, but I do it because it's the thing here.
10% and round up to the whole dollar. None of this 20-25% crap, you get 10% and a little more.
Still a little confused about tipping in some places, like why don't you tip McDonalds but you do tip a food truck? No idea still and I've been in the USA now for 5 years.
I was in a restaurant in Switzerland (near Lugano), and the waiter casually asked if I would like some water after taking my order for wine. The glass of water ended up costing âŹ6.
I little surprised by that becouse the water is free here in sweden.
In Switzerland everything is quite cheap
@Sigrid Kaag ah I mixed it up
Why didnât you ask for tap water (Hahn wasser)
@@Lgx-ie4if In Germany we call it "Leitungswasser", tap = "Wasserhahn"
When some friends and I travelled to CZ in 2005, I wasn't drinking alcohol. My friends would order a beer and would get a 500ml glass of Czech beer for about $2.50 (CDN). I'd order a Coke and would get a 200ml bottle of warm Coke for about $4.20. I had to start drinking just to save money đ
Welcome in the Czech republic
well... We are a huge brewery. There is like brewery in every bigger town, so the logistical price of beer is very low, thus very cheap beer.
Damn 200dl? Thats a lot of coke
@@katiequeen7225 Haha! Whoops! 200ml!
@@edthebunny in czech pubs there is almost every time tapped kofola and cold best cola honestly,
In the Netherlands, tipping at all is a thing that almost nobody does, if the service is exceptionally good, you could tip 2 euros but itâs almost never higher than that.
Hahaha. I loved your video. I'm from the US and travel to Europe frequently. You are right on the mark with your comments. I love so many things that they do differently in Europe. Now, I have to point out two things. Do you know how a queue work? Yes, that's right, if I'm in front of you for the train that means I get on first. Simple. No shoving, we just get on in an orderly way. Easy. The second thing... You need a lesson in how a sidewalk works. Imagine there's two lanes going in either direction. Works just like the street. That means you don't walk four abreast and clog up the works. Or stop in the middle to read a text message.