REUTERS/ Jonathan Alcorn
A recent /r/AskReddit thread posed the question: What does America do best?
The outpouring of responses covered everything from food to patriotism, and were submitted by Reddit users based all around the globe. Here are some of their best responses.
1. Jazz And The Blues
"The Blues really changed the world and is pure American. Although I guess it was influenced by slave gospels. I'm a huge blues fan. BB King, Chuck Berry, and Robert Johnson all paved the way for rock and pop music of today." - WastedPotato
2. Food
"'France is the country of good food.' No, not really. France is the country of an expensive grilled cheese given a name you probably can't pronounce with a slice of tomato on it. ALL THE DIFFERENT FOOD, EVERYWHERE. And I'm not just talking fast food. I'm talking about everything." - Jhaturtle
3. Friendliness
"Default smiling. Buy a coffee, get a smile. Make random eye contact, get a smile. In most parts of the world, smiles are not as readily given out or are causes for suspicion." - cream-of-cow
"I find Americans are the most extroverted group of people. I've never met more forceful personalities, it's almost impossible to miss an American abroad. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, it's not rowdy or disruptive, it's just something about the mannerisms, like a complete abandonment of discretion replaced with the overwhelming compulsion to engage in conversation and introduce themselves, their reason for being here, their family history, their career and to compare seemingly random attributes around them to back home, while blissfully ignoring the palpable European disdain for being talked to while on public transport." - Didalectic
4. Guitars
"Virtually every single significant guitar ever made is American. Regardless of a band's nationality, the bands that don't use an American Fender, Gibson, Martin, Epiphone, Rickenbacker, PRS, etc... are few and far in between. With the exception of several British amplification companies, America has virtually every aspect of the guitar market covered." - StolenNachoRanger
5. Corn
Especially: "Turn[ing] corn into things that are not corn." - lift_heavy64
6. Pride In Our Culture
"I was at a local brewery/grill a few months ago when the table next to me said to the waitress, 'Our friend here is from Germany, and he's never had hush puppies or sweet tea!' (we're in the South)…Our section of the restaurant went dead quiet. The waitress says, 'In that case, one order of hush puppies and tea, on the house.'
It's that pride and willingness (if not insistence) to share parts of our culture that we love." - pirateofspace
7. Porn
"I'm pretty sure America makes the highest quality porn in the world." - Bk7
8. Junk Food
"Here in The Netherlands, our junk food is decades behind the godly snacks and beverages that the USA offers. Besides how good it is, the variety that you have is so vast that I think anyone in the world would have something they like…Bless Americans for Reese's Pieces, Warheads, Airheads, Hot Cheetos, Fruit Rollups, Nerds and Hot Cheetos again." - TotolLies
9. Free Speech
"I know that free-speech battles are being continually fought in the US and that sometimes it seems like a never-ending battle. I also accept that there are all sorts of problems like free-speech on campuses, free-speech 'zones' and so on. Even so, recognize that you are still ahead of most of the world when it comes to the right to say what you want." - backtowriting
10. Cereal
"Variety of breakfast cereals and other processed foods. I was in Walmart with a bunch of foreigners and they were taking pictures of the cereal aisle to show everyone back home." - lo_dolly_lolita
11. Entertainment
"The U.S. is by far best in movies and TV series, something of which the influence on the world should not be underestimated." - Didalectic
"Cartoon adult-ish comedies. Futurama, South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, (apparently King of the Hill, I've never watched it) and of course the Simpsons. The Simpsons, taking all things into account, could very well claim to be the best TV show of all time." - nayimhittingalongone
12. Beef
"Nowhere else does as good steak as commonplace and as cheaply as America does." - sciazs
AP
13. Higher Education
AP
"Top students from across the world flock to America's universities for education in engineering, finance, math, medicine, law, and everything else. The smartest (and often richest) high school students in other countries frequently will move to a different country to go to Harvard, Princeton, and even highly regarded public universities like University of Wisconsin or Michigan. But it's extremely rare for top students in the US to leave the country for education elsewhere." - MichaelScarn5
14. The Military
"You guys have the most advanced military on the planet, and are willing to use it to protect other people as well as your own; be it against the NSDAP or modern terrorists. While many Europeans like to complain, the world is better for having America." - madwill101
"Military. I'm just sayin', if aliens invaded, America would put the world on it's back." - hammy831
15. Muscle Cars
"Cars with 650 horsepower under $60,000." - THE_GR8_MIKE
16. Being "Cool"
"If you are an American abroad, you would probably have a 90% chance of being regarded as cool just by opening your mouth and saying something. Especially if you are in Scandinavia as we LOVE to speak English (downside to this: you will never learn Swedish except maybe words like:, köttbullar, Systembolaget, kukhuvud, tunnbrödsrulle, kräftskiva and fan)." - wyldcat
17. Diversity
"I'm an international student studying in the US at one of its best engineering colleges, and the sheer level of diversity is insane! In one day I see guys and girls from India, China, Korea, Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America as well as most of the racially diverse groups here in the US, including whites, blacks, Mexicans and (sometimes) Native Americans. The fact that all of them live together in peace and harmony, and in a society where everyone is treated equally and is judged on their merit is truly phenomenal." - jkthe
18. The States
"The United States of America is one country, but to me, as an outsider, it's like 50 different countries. I've only been in a handful of different states but it's AMAZING. The scenery changes, the people, the culture." - Jhaturtle
"I've only been to a handful of states, but each one is like a different country. The cities are something to behold and feel truly different (something you don't get in Europe so much), not to mention the stunning landscape." - madwill101
19. Hope
"When other people ask me what I miss most about living in the USA I answer with all of the lesser ones above, the food, the TV, or the nature; but, I've never said: 'I miss being in a country which knows it is capable of greater things: that we will cure cancer and advance the sciences, that we will pursue corruption and combat poverty, that we will be the world's police to those who wish it harm and the world's shelter to those who have been harmed because that is our duty, that we will go back to the moon and then on to Mars, because our forefathers forged our greatness and our children compel us to utilize it." - TheWanderingSuperman