The number one dead giveaway for spotting an American is—ice, ice, baby. Let’s face it, ice is the surefire way to make a tasty beverage even more refreshing. First, one will observe the shock of indignation on the American tourist’s face as a glass of Coca-Cola is handed to them sans ice.
Accustomed to a heaping pile of bubbly and refreshing fizzing cubes, the Americans will panic, assuming the foreign nation expects them to consume a room-temperature soft drink. That’s when the second sure-fire sign sets in. The typical American will ask for ice. Because it’s always the real thing.
You Wear a Baseball Cap
If you are an American, you may not realize that MLB is not a worldwide sporting league. After all, they go to the World Series each season. The fact is baseball is a very American sport, and the baseball cap is a unique type of lid. It doesn't just keep your head protected from the sun, but it makes anyone look automatically ten times cooler.
It’s practical and comfortable and even stylish, in your homeland, that is. So, if you’re wearing a baseball cap while traveling abroad, the cool factor might not be there, and it’s a red-flag sign of where you’re from.
You Wear White Socks
In Europe, wearing white socks is a fashion faux pas. Sock color should match the color of the pants, according to Europeans. A leaked memo out of the Dutch Finance Ministry stated that wearing white socks is “transgressing the limits of decent dress behavior.” Pardon us for our cultural insensitivity, but that's a bit strong, don't you think?
If an American is spotted wearing the ubiquitous athletic socks, locals may laugh. But since sneakers (also a red flag) are the most common shoe for Americans—again, practical and comfortable—naturally, athletic socks are a closet essential. What is it with Americans wearing white socks wherever they go?
You Have Perfectly Aligned Teeth
If you are traveling abroad, you have managed to escape notice; a big, friendly smile will be your outing. In America, orthodonture is an inescapable part of life. Being fitted for braces is like an adolescent right of passage, not so in the rest of the world. Showing off our pearly whites is one of the quickest ways to expose our citizenship...
How comes every American, no matter where they are from, seems like they are about to star in the next Indiana Jones movie? In the rest of the world, it's just not guaranteed to have a set of pearly whites.
You Clap to Show Your Enthusiasm
Uproarious applause is the United States of America’s favorite way to express appreciation. From ballparks to rock concerts, clapping, shouting, whistling, and making as much noise as possible is normal. It seems like Americans will clap at nearly everything. But it does not stop there.
Tourists will clap for a server if he makes an exceptional save on a teetering trayful of drinks or for the conclusion of a tour guide’s spiel; it is too much! And, It could get you labeled as an “ugly American.” If the table at the Parisian cafe you are visiting ruptures into applause, they are probably American.