Like in day to day conversation or which one comes more naturally?

I keep seeing Americans online say that bagels outside New York "aren't real bagels." Where I'm from, a bagel is basically just round bread with a hole in it, so I'm curious what the actual difference is.

Is it the water, the way they're made, or is it mostly New York pride? And if you've had both, can you honestly taste the difference?

Also, for people who moved away from New York, do you just live without them, or do you find a way to get them?

On Instagram, I recently encountered a reel that a guy is playing Human Resources official in an office and tells an employee that the employees are forbidden to use work PC for personal work such shopping online, even outside the shift. Is this a real case in the States or was the reel creator being sarcastic?

I work in a company in Turkey for 4.5 years I often use my work PC in the lunch break or after work for online shopping, watching basketball/volleyball/football match highlights, but never received a warning regarding that neither from my manager, the boss, nor the HR officials.

Unless you do not give damage to company property (the work PC) and unless you do your personal work in your shift, such thing should be okay.

When I visited San Francisco on vacation, I had the best hot dog I've ever tasted from a street vendor near the Golden Gate Bridge. What about you guys? Where did you have the best hot dog you've ever eaten?

Is there any place in the US that regularly sell milk in a bag?

When I lived in Toronto as a child, milk did not come on plastic jugs, but in liter bags, and you buy a special jug to put the bag in, and snip the corner, and pour it out that way.

I have lived in the USA for 30 years now, but have not seen or heard of it since. Does anyone know if this exist in America? Or any other country that you have been to?

I currently live in the Philippines, and in my school we stay in one classroom and the teachers come to our rooms,

Do you guys have specific classrooms for certain subjects? Like, there's a one for science, one for math, etc?

Some American movies have children with imaginary friends they talk to and adults treat that as normal. Is that an actual thing? Maybe some screenwriter read some article about a quirky kid and thought that was a common thing? In Russia having imaginary friends might send you to the loony bin.

I just watched The Pitt, and I’m honestly amazed by how nice the hospital looks. Americans, are your hospitals really this beautiful and clean?

Currently on a roadtrip and found out the hard way that putting a coaster on your drink does not mean the same thing in each state

Edit: for me it always means you're coming back to your drink, and multiple times I've had people in states west of the Mississippi think I was running out on my tab.

Americans with roots outside the US, how important is it for you to manifest that your ancestors came from that other place - and why?

My image is that many love it. Sometimes I find it easy to get, e.g. Black Americans wearing pan-African colours to show collective pride as a disenfranchised minority. Sometimes, it seems artificially obsessive, like Irish origin people choosing Guinness at every occasion, or Puerto Rico origin people (I know it's a US territory) dressing like they're the PR flag. In some cases, the identity seems to have evolved away, e.g. Italian American cuisine vs Italian cuisine, yet people "brand" themselves as if it hasn't. Not to mention "DNA fraction" pride (is it a thing?) - like announcing you're 1/64th Tamil.

I've see many American movies have Summer camps where kids go to spend their summer in the woods in cabins near a lake. They do various activities and there are counsellor, cooks, the kids sleep in cabins, etc. Are the camps in real life just as we see on movies or they are different? Are they part of American culture? Are they still a around or it was mostly 90s and 2000s thing? Did some of you go to summer camp? Did you like it? How much did they cost?

I grew up in Russia, where remote industrial towns like Norilsk are everywhere: one huge plant, harsh nature, endless gray skies. Photos of them make me feel gloomy at best.

Recently I saw photos of a small town in Oregon, and they felt mysterious, atmospheric and cozy. I know a lot of that comes from the Pacific Northwest image created by pop culture, like Twin Peaks.

Does that image work on Americans the same way, or do you see through the pretty pictures because you know the reality? When you see a photo like that, do you feel the atmosphere first, or think about what living there is actually like?

I was thinking something like this:

• New Year’s - Valentine’s Day = beginning of the year/late Winter
• Valentine’s Day - Easter = early Spring
• Easter - Memorial Day = late Spring
• Memorial Day - Labor Day = Summer
  • This could be separated into Memorial Day - 4th of July = early Summer, 4th of July - Labor Day = late Summer, but this doesn’t seem to be as strong of a cultural separation, the whole season just kinda bleeds together
• Labor Day - Halloween = early Fall
• Halloween - Thanksgiving = late Fall
• Thanksgiving - New Year’s = end of the year/early Winter(/"the holiday season")

What would you say? Do you have any different ideas?

As a born and bred Midwesterner (Cincinnati) I love the fall and winter, the air cools down, the trees on the hills are covered in the most beautiful fall colors. There are fall festivals everywhere, apple picking, pie making, corn mazes, haunted houses etc. It's my favorite season by far. I get to bust my coats and flannel out, it is wonderful. Then winter comes and it's time for making syrup, sledding, and just generally enjoying winter beauty.

But whenever I hear about fall and fall colors people always talk about new england, the Northwoods, the Ohio valley, Appalachian etc. But I never hear about the fall colors out west, I know you guys have larches as well and those are stunning trees. What about places like LA without real seasons?

I wish I can put a picture. An Ushanka is basically those stereotypical russian fur hats. They are able to be worn with the ears up and ears down.

I know Americans have the "trapper hat" but im talking about one that's made out of pure fur, the Ushanka.

Like if you live in a certain region of America, do you know of a family where, for example, the mother or the father will have a strong regional accent, and the children will have a more neutral accent? Is your own family like that? If so, how did that happen?

I used to work construction, so I know what I can handle and what needs a crew. But now that I'm doing everything solo at my place in Henderson, I keep hitting this gray area. I'm about to retile my guest bathroom, and technically I can do it. The physical part isn't the problem. It's the time squeeze with my kid, and whether my work will hold up if I sell down the road. I hear neighbors hiring out basic stuff like fence repairs or sprinkler work, and I wonder if I'm being stubborn trying to do it all myself. Is there a general rule Americans follow for that line?

I was watching a series that had a British actor portraying an American guy and there was a phrase/word which immediately gave away his British accent bcz comments were full of pointing it out in a joking way. Although I speak English well now, I myself am not a native speaker as I learned it in school to a basic level and then through apps/online classes, Dolingo/Praktika etc. It made me wonder if people are quick to point out other people's accent and origin as well that easily even if they are from specific states in the US.

To Americans, are there any specific phrases/words that immediately give out where a person is from, even from the US itself? Like a specific word or accent and you immediately know the person belongs to this place?

Growing up my dad treated lawn care like a moral obligation and now I catch myself doing the same with my own place in Henderson. Mowing schedules, edging standards, the whole performance of it. I have neighbors who practically compete over striping patterns. My kid asked why ours has to look like everyone elses and I realized I dont have a great answer. Where did this expectation come from and how universal is it across regions? I have heard parts of the southwest are starting to shift away from turf because of water, but the social pressure out here is still real. Wondering if this is mostly a postwar suburb thing or if it runs deeper.

If it’s more than about 6ish hours away I start looking at flights. I’ve always lived relatively close to airports on the East coast or Gulf Coast. I have 3 airports within 30 miles. I don’t check bags and have precheck, so I show up 45-60 minutes before takeoff at most airports.

I get bored on long car rides and like to stretch out. With budget airlines I’ve flown for about as cheap as $50-$100 round trip. I know it doesn’t really work like this for people in the middle of the country. I have a friend in the Plains and visiting him is a pain in the ass, because the flights are limited and expensive. I just fly to a bigger city, rent a car, and drive 3+ hours. So how far until you fly?