Differences between the US and New Zealand (Part 2)

Differences in Culture:

1. America is definitely much more fast-paced than NZ. People are everywhere. Everyone has something going. Here, everyone can spread out. Maybe see someone else besides our family once or twice a week (that might depend on where you live, though), but nothing more. In the States, you see others a lot more. Socialising is a big thing there. It’s definitely more relaxing here.

2. Over all, the average Kiwi eats a lot better than the average American. In America, if you would go to a mall you’d probably see quite a few obese people. Here, you might see some who are slightly overweight, but few very obese.
      If you compare the colour of butter you can buy in the supermarket here with the colour in the States, you’ll see that there’s really no comparison. In the States it’s a pallid white colour, here it’s very yellow. That’s because almost all the cows in the States are fed grain and kept inside all the time, while here they’re outside and even though they are fed some grain it isn’t their whole diet.
      Over all, NZ meat is also a lot richer and better for you than US meat.
      I don’t know if that’s something that would be different from England or not—it would probably depend on the time period you’re writing at!

Notice the cows on the lush grass? This was taken in October 2012.

3. A lot more people have their own little lifestyle blocks here. I know that not everyone does, but a good majority do. In the States, there are some small farms, but not very many as small as here. A lot of people are in the cities there, and there are bigger farms for the most part.

4. You say things differently here than we would. But NZ has closer ties to England than the US to England, so maybe the different sayings would be a lot the same? (For example, you say “wee”, whereas we would say “little”. You say “that’s _____ as!” but we would finish the sentence or else leave out the comparison [“as”] part. Maybe we’d say, “that’s lovely!” or something like that. You say “good as gold”, whereas we would say “that’s great”, or something else to that effect. I know there are others, but that’s what I can think of at the moment.)

5. When you’re shopping, you don’t have as many choices as you would in the States. For example, say you wanted to buy a dish pan. You go into the shop, and you’ve got two choices—big, or small, and if you’re fortunate two or three colours to choose from. In the States, you’d go into the shop and maybe you’d have five or ten choices—big or small, in several different shapes or colours!

Those are just a few differences I can think of. There are more than likely lots more.

~Esther

Also in this series:

• Differences between the US and New Zealand (Part 1)