There is the version of America that gets reported internationally and there is the version of America where strangers are inexplicably friendly and the portion sizes are enormous and you can refill your Coca-Cola a thousand times, and British World Cup fans have been discovering the second version at a rate that is producing enough TikTok content to constitute a genre.
Oliver Henry, a fan from England attending his first World Cup matches in the United States, posted a video that has circulated widely, per Breitbart: “We owe America a huge apology, because America is nothing like the media tells us. Everyone is so friendly, everyone is so accommodating, and I’ve honestly had the best time.” He then sang a verse of the England fan song “Please Don’t Take Me Home,” which contains the lyrics “I just don’t want to go to work, let me stay here and drink all your beer,” and said he had never related to it more than in America. He is from England. The beer is American. He is staying.
A separate video featured an Italian fan who discovered free soda refills at a restaurant, per Breitbart. “I can refill this a thousand times,” he declared. His friend pointed out: “Yeah, but you won’t drink a thousand cups of Coke.” The Italian replied: “You don’t know me,” and then: “It’s free.” His friend noted: “You paid for it.” The Italian responded: “Once!” This is the most efficient available summary of the American restaurant economy, delivered by someone encountering it for the first time.
A Japanese fan, per Breitbart, reported that food arrived before his group had finished ordering, which he described as evidence of American hospitality and which is also evidence of American restaurant turnover economics, but the effect is the same and the video went viral.
These fans arrived in a country that is currently debating its own identity, holding a national birthday party with empty food lines, arguing about birthright citizenship, and building a $400 million jet on a Qatari donation. They are reporting that everyone is so friendly.
When foreign visitors come to America for the World Cup and apologize for everything they thought about it, what exactly did they think?
Sources
Breitbart: Brits Visiting U.S. for First Time for World Cup Apologize to Americans
Breitbart: Europeans Visiting U.S. for World Cup Fall in Love with America
