Who does it better? (Fluff)

Yes, the Europeans are far better at chocolate than Americans.

Public transportation

I was thinking police procedurals.

Yes!!! 1000X yes! I'm literally addicted to British police procedurals. Many solid female protagonists, a decided lack of macho posturing, intelligent writing, few guns, the devastating but subtle British wit to counteract the grim storylines.

  Hershey's is way too sweet and doesn't have that smooth creamy "mouth feel" thing going on. 

Several of my friends tell me American winemakers put all kinds of preservatives and crap in their wines (because things aren't as regulated over here) that give them headaches, etc. I don't buy domestic wine.

I don’t like Hershey’s, but I do love Lindor Truffles. They are made by a European company, Lindt, but at a US factory. I also like Milka chocolate. See’s chocolate (American) is pretty good too.

I don’t drink black tea too much, so I can’t comment on the tea debate. 😆

Could not disagree more. There is so much outstanding American beer and European beer is not nearly as interesting IMO.

Europe definitely beats the U.S. in the category of crusty bread.

In my part of the Midwest, I can not find a proper baguette anywhere. In France, they're in vending machines!

I think part of the problem with US products is the mega corporations are being compared to much smaller ones in Europe. There are excellent, cheese, beer and chocolate producers in the US - but people are comparing Kraft, Budweiser and Hershey which all suck.

First of all--Americans of a certain age were brought up to believe that European things are far more glamorous and fashionable and better than American things. This goes all the way back to colonial times with homemade things vs having things imported from Europe.

So while the products may or may not be better, the perception by many, if not most, Americans will be that if it's from Europe it's automatically better. Artisan products here can be every bit as good, but if it's "Irish wool" or "Italian leather" or "Belgian chocolate" etc it's going to be perceived as better than.
And artisan products aren't readily available all over. "Made in Europe" automatically makes most Americans assume quality.


Just as almost anything stamped Made In China is deemed lower quality, whether it actually is or isn't. (Fine china and jade would be notable exceptions). In the past it was Taiwan, or Hong Kong, or Mexico.

I will definitely give you that actual champagne, from France, beats out most sparkling wine and prosecco! I had a bottle of Dom for my 50th bday that was divine. I tried to open a bottle of Korbel after it was gone and I couldn't even drink it. Normally Korbel is just fine for my NYE but that year I got spoiled 😁

I need to disagree with you over a couple of things I’m afraid! I’m confused by kitchens - in most of the house listings I look at, the kitchen are either dark wood or white, and very little in between. In what way are they better?
Dryers may be better, but those of us who choose to line dry do so for the cost and the environment. Oh and that gorgeous smell of clothes that have dried in fresh air. (Seriously, my DS's GF laughed at me hanging out clothes to dry, but was completely won over by how naturally fresh they smelled!😁)
And ketchup? Nope. 

Let me start off by mentioning the things I think the US does better:
mashed potato
brisket, and BBQ meat in general
mac & cheese

The very first thing that comes to mind, that Australia does better than the US, is COFFEE. Every single person I know who has been to the US comments on three things: the very generous serving sizes of food, the free soda refills, and the SHIT coffee!    We Melburnians take our coffee very seriously, so anything less than freshly ground beans is a big no-no. Especially if it's that muddy ditchwater that's been sitting in a pot all day. 

Chocolate is an interesting discussion. I agree that Hersheys is very ordinary. But I LOVE Butterfinger bars, which I can't get here unless I go to a specialty lolly shop that sells US candy and chocolate. We had a girl from the UK working with us a few years ago. She told me that UK Cadbury chocolate is much better than Australian Cadbury chocolate. She then found some UK Cadbury chocolate in a specialty shop, and proudly brought it into work for me to try. And honestly? I preferred The Australian stuff. I guess it's because I've eaten Australian Cadbury for 50+ years, and I'm used to it. I didn't think much of the UK stuff in comparison. 

I came home from Singapore last year thinking that I wish we could scrap our whole train system and start again, using the Singapore model. It really is outstanding.