Bemused in America

What article and topic did you examine?
Food for thought: the supermarket.

What aspects of American culture does Stefan find strange?
Stefan finds it strange that we have so many deals. He doesn’t understand why we have deals such as: “buy-two-and-get-one-free,” because we would have so many extra items. He also finds it strange that we are so obsessed with sweets, while at the same time, a lot of our food is fat-free. He finds it extremely weird that we have so many places that are open 24 hours because in Germany, this is considered wrong and unheard of.

Why do you think Stefan finds these aspects of American Culture strange?
He might find these aspects of American culture strange because in Germany, their traditions and values are completely different. In Germany, stores wouldn’t we open past 8 P.M., and on a Sunday, nothing would be open because Sunday is considered to be a day of rest. Whereas in America, people could really care less about the day of rest. We close stores earlier on Sunday, but it’s nothing compared to how Germany runs their country.

What American values can you relate to this article? Explain how and where.
In America, we have many deals. We are always trying to save money. When you go to a store you see posters everywhere trying to sell you two of something for the price of one. We always want more, but we want to spend less. We also have many businesses that are open 24 hours. For example, McDonalds is a fast food restaurant that you may go to at any given time during the day. This shows how Americans value their money and their time greatly.