Rasmus Rasmussen dot com

Being a Dane living in the US, I constantly notice little (and big) differences in the two societies. As a whole, there really isn’t that much of a difference, but the devil is in the details, as they say, so I figured, I would share some of them. I have taken a classic meme, the “100 list”, and given it a twist. I bring you …

100 Differences Between Denmark and the US

001 : Denmark uses Celcius and the metric system. The US does not.
002 : The selection of fruits and veggies is generally a lot better in the US.
003 : Everyone rides bikes in DK, where mostly kids or enthusiasts do it in the US.
004 : Denmark is barely above sea-level. The US is all over the place.
005 : The stores are open a lot longer in the US than in DK.
006 : … except bars and pubs, where it’s the other way around.
007 : You’ll see a lot more SUVs and pick-up trucks on the American roads.
008 : Toiletbowls generally have more water in them in the US.
009 : You can say “fuck” on public radio/television in Denmark.
010 : There are no doorknobs to speak of in Denmark. Only door handles.
011 : Danes love soccer. Americans often refer to it as a second rate sport.
012 : Americans love base- and football. Danes generally don’t care much for these.
013 : Clothes are cheaper in the US.
014 : You may have to wait weeks to see a doctor in the US. DK has same-day service for all.
015 : There are about twice as many commercial breaks on American TV compared to Danish.
016 : In Denmark, you may legally drink alcohol from age 16. In the US, you have to be 21.
017 : In the US you can get a driver’s license at age 16. In DK you must be 18.
018 : In Denmark, you only tip if you feel like it. In the US, you’re expected to.
019 : Minimum wage in DK is around $20/hr. That’s more than double, compared to the US.
020 : There are almost no classic diners in Denmark. They are everywhere in the US.
021 : “Mountain Dew” is only available in special import stores in DK.
022 : “Remoulade” is only available in special import stores in the US.
023 : A club sandwich has very different ingredients in the US, than it does in Denmark.
024 : The US has carpool lanes, for people travelling in groups. No such thing in Denmark.
025 : Religion is common in the US, but relatively rare in Denmark.
026 : No book is banned in Denmark, whereas many books are banned in the US.
027 : Sidewalks are most often slabs of concrete in the US, but tiles in Denmark.
028 : A standard piece of paper is A4 size in Denmark and “Letter” size in the US.
029 : Gay marriage is legal in Denmark. Not so in the US.
030 : It is rare, you get coffee in a paper cups in DK, where it is the norm in the US.
031 : Popcorn is served sweet and buttery in the US, compared to salty and dry in Denmark.
032 : In DK, people have a personal account manager at their bank. Not so in the US.
033 : The US uses the 12-hour am/pm clock. Danes use the 24-hour clock.
034 : In the US, you sometimes find off-ramps in the left lane on the freeway. Not so in DK.
035 : Denmark has multiple political parties in power at any given time, where the US has two.
036 : Residential houses are built mainly of wood in the US. Brick/concrete is common in DK.
037 : Americans small-talk with strangers all the time. Danes don’t.
038 : There are a lot more public benches on the streets in Denmark than in the US.
039 : Telemarketers and bill-collectors commonly call people in the US. Uncommon in DK.
040 : Books are generally a lot cheaper in the US.
041 : Cellphones and their use is cheaper in Denmark.
042 : There are no school buses in Denmark (see comments).
043 : Electric heating is common in the US, but relatively rare in Denmark.
044 : Scrapbooking is huge in the US, but not a very common pastime in Denmark.
045 : Almost no one owns guns in Denmark, but they are fairly common in the US.
046 : There are many more microbrewery beers readily available in stores, in the US.
047 : Tax returns are a lot more complicated in the US.
048 : In the US, people vote on all major local decisions. In Denmark, the politicians decide.
049 : Taxes are much, much higher in Denmark than in the US.
050 : There are many more homeless people and panhandlers visible in the US cities.
051 : Danish buildings don’t have fire-escapes on the outside. Which is common in the US.
052 : In the US, you may turn right on red. No can do in DK.
053 : In Denmark all education is free. Students age 18+ are even paid to study.
054 : There are no drive-through banks or pharmacies in Denmark.
055 : Bumper stickers are more popular in the US than in Denmark.
056 : Small bakeries are much more common in DK.
057 : They put more alcohol in the drinks in bars in the US, than is the case in Denmark.
058 : ATM machines have a deposit slot in the US. Not so in Denmark.
059 : In Denmark you never see crutches that go above the elbow.
060 : Having an ethnically diverse circle of friends is more common in the US than in DK.
061 : Nearly all Danes are at the very least bi-lingual. Many Americans speak English only.
062 : Cars often get towed in the US for illegal parking. That’s extremely rare in Denmark.
063 : You can subscribe to the lottery in Denmark. In the US, you have to buy a ticket every week.
064 : American towns are full of alleyways. In Denmark there are next to none.
065 : There is no real wilderness left in Denmark. The US has a lot of it.
066 : Homeschooling is not uncommmon in the US, but it’s unheard of in Denmark.
067 : Public transportation is cheaper to use in the US, but runs more frequently in Denmark.
068 : Teachers are referred to by their first names in Denmark, but their last names in the US.
069 : Cubicles are common in American officescapes, but hardly ever seen in Denmark.
070 : Checks are commonly used as payment in the US. Danes don’t use them much anymore.
071 : Danes can drink alcohol openly in public. That’s much more restricted in the US.
072 : In the US, supermarkets have many kinds of whole bean coffee. They only carry a few in DK.
073 : You must register to vote in the US, whereas that is not necessary in Denmark.
074 : The 1st floor is called the ground floor and the 2nd floor is called the 1st – in Denmark.
075 : Bookstores usually offer nice reading areas in the US. In DK they don’t even have chairs.
076 : There bi-directional center turnlanes on many streets in the US. That doesn’t exist in DK.
077 : US mailboxes often have little “flags” on them. In Denmark, they’re just boxes.
078 : Danes take their flags down at sunset, but leaving them up is normal in the US.
079 : There is no serious threat from natural disasters in Denmark. The US is a different story.
080 : There’s around double the fat in American ground beef (“lean”), compared to Denmark.
081 : There are topless women and men in all parks/beaches during the Danish summer. No-no in the US.
082 : The national bird in the US is a bald eagle. In Denmark it’s a white swan.
083 : They bag your groceries for you in the US. That doesn’t happen in Denmark.
084 : US cities tend to have square blocks and numbered streets. In Denmark it’s not like that.
085 : There are little reflectors in the middle of the roads in the US. DK doesn’t have those.
086 : Denmark does not have nuclear powerplants. The US does.
087 : In Denmark, you are never more than an hour from the ocean. Not so in the US.
088 : Trucks go much faster in the US than in Denmark.
089 : There are enormous stripmall-areas with large shops all over the US. Not so in DK.
090 : It costs about 20 times the price to get a Danish driver’s license, compared to the US.
091 : Americans have pastries called Danish. Danes don’t.
092 : TiVo, TV On Demand and similar things have yet to become available in Denmark.
093 : Danish supermarkets generally have better bread than American ones.
094 : US supermarkets generally have a better selection of cheeses than Danish ones.
095 : Danes pay almost the same for 1 liter of gas, as the Americans pay for a gallon.
096 : Danish has the letters æ, ø and å in it. These are not found in English.
097 : Americans generally eat more fried food than the Danes do.
098 : Free refills for coffee and soda is common in the US, but nowhere to be found in DK.
099 : Trailerparks can be found all over the US, but there is nothing like them in Denmark.
100 : The US is one of the largest countries in the world. Denmark is one of the smallest.

And there you have it. Perhaps this has given some food for thought, or maybe you just wasted a few minutes of your life reading through this list. The list is not meant to put one country in a better light than the other, nor are the differences listed in any particular order. They are simply differences I have noticed. Make of it what you will.

As an extra disclaimer, I should add that I have not been everywhere in neither the US or in Denmark. Therefore the differences are not scientifically proven in any way, but merely my own observations, based on the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met. Many of the details listed about Denmark are true for other European countries as well, but far from all. The same is probably the case about the US and its various states.