The ISA JournalAlumni Perspectives: What I Preferred in Greece

Addison Cash is an ISA Athens alumna at the University of Denver. In the following blog, Addison observes almost a dozen specific cultural differences between Greece and the United States. For all of these differences, she prefers the Greek way.

When it comes to living in another country, one can suddenly fall in love with how some things are done differently there. This is exactly what happened when I studied abroad at the American College of Greece, during the Fall of 2023.

Before I went abroad, I had family, friends, and advisors telling me not to be shocked if things were done differently in Greece. So when I went to Greece, I was excited and nervous to see what those differences would be, and if I would like any of them. I compiled a list of 11 things that I preferred in Greece over the United States.

1) Taxes Included in the Price

The first thing that I loved about Greece and Europe overall was that taxes were included in the price. It was so nice knowing that when I purchased an item, the price on the tag was the actual price. There were no surprises and it made life easier when I was trying to figure out how much I would spend in total. When I came back to the U.S., I was so upset with my first purchase. I had forgotten about taxes and it made me miss Greece a lot.

2) Credit Card Readers Brought to the Table

I loved that restaurants would bring credit card readers to you instead of taking your card. It reassured me knowing that my card would not be stolen or taken and that I was there watching my card get charged. Returning to the U.S., I felt uncomfortable giving my card to a server and having them take it away.

3) Not Having to Tip

I feel that in the U.S., tipping culture has gotten out of hand lately. I wish service industry wages were more livable. I would rather know that my dinner is going to be more expensive to give the server a living wage instead of them having to rely on tips. In Greece, they had this figured out as I was never once asked to leave a tip. If I chose to leave a tip, it typically was only a Euro.

4) Menus in Multiple Languages

Greece always offers menus that have both Greek and English on them. Multilingual menus are typical in Europe at large, since people speak many different languages but many Europeans know English. Offering menus in multiple languages made it easier for people to communicate with their servers. I believe the U.S. could benefit from this and offer menus in both English and Spanish. Spanish makes sense as it is the second most spoken language in the United States.

5) Menus Outside of Restaurants

I enjoyed being able to look at a restaurant menu on the street as it made choosing a restaurant significantly easier. I did not have to pull up my phone to look up a restaurant’s menu. I know that in extremely touristy cities restaurants do this but I would like to see it in restaurants everywhere.

6) Gas Pumped for You

I know that in New Jersey gas is pumped for you, but it is not pumped for you in any of the other states. In Greece, as far as I could tell, gas was pumped for you everywhere. I believe that in the U.S., it would be beneficial for gas to be pumped for you.

7) Trash Picked up at Night

At first, I thought trash being picked up at night was strange, but then I realized how much sense it made, especially in big cities. During the day, roads would be filled with cars, so having the trash picked up anywhere from 1-4 am made a lot of sense. It was easier for the trash collectors to maneuver their trucks and not interrupt peoples’ daily routines. This would make a lot of sense for big U.S. cities to implement.

8) Pharmacies on Every Corner

Having a pharmacy on every corner made it incredibly easy to grab a last-minute prescription or medicine. It was accessible and only took max a 5-minute walk to get to the pharmacy. Again, I think this would be beneficial in big U.S. cities.

9) Convenience Stands Everywhere

After a long night out, it was nice being able to walk a few minutes to a convenient stand that was selling snacks, water, and a bunch of other things. If the U.S. were to have convenient stands everywhere in major cities and college towns, they would be popular and profitable.

10) Not Being Rushed by Servers

I enjoyed that when I would go out and eat, the servers would never rush me. I could sit at a restaurant for hours upon hours and they did not care. It was nice knowing that my friends and I were able to relax and enjoy our time as well as our food. I understand that servers in the U.S. make money off of tips, but at times I find it annoying when they start rushing me to go. I believe that being able to enjoy a meal with family or friends at your own pace is a nice thing to have. I miss being able to take my time at restaurants.

11) Food Delivery Being Affordable and Done by Motorcycles

Typically in the U.S., I do not order food via delivery as it is expensive and takes forever. However, when I was in Greece, I decided to give food delivery a try. To my surprise, delivery costs only a few euros (usually around 1-3). Additionally, all food was delivered via motorcycles and came fairly quickly as motorcycles were allowed to drive on sidewalks and in between cars. Now, I have to go back to picking up my own food since food delivery here can cost more than the meal itself.

Conclusion

Overall, I felt that while the U.S. offers some of the aforementioned things, Greece does it better. The way Greece generally operates felt more relaxed and less stressful to me. It created ease and convenience for my lifestyle, which I believe the U.S. lacks. While the U.S. and Greece can be similar to one another, the ease and laid-back culture that Greece provides is why I enjoyed and preferred many aspects of daily life abroad.

Curious to hear more from ISA/TEAN alumni? Read more Greece blogs.

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