Oh, Olive Garden. The hold you have on our American souls. We know it’s about as authentic to Italian food as Taco Bell is to Mexican food, but does that make the breadsticks and Alfredo sauce any less addictive? No, certainly not. Still, one cannot expect an actual Italian person to hold the same fondness. And yet, one American host mom insisted on introducing her Italian exchange student to it anyway. In a hilarious three-part series, we see Rhonda, an American, tell Alessandro, an Italian, “Today’s your lucky day! We are taking you to dinner at a very special place!” She then does her best to coax Alessandro out of the car and into the Olive Garden where they’re currently parked. Alessandro was “not mentally ready” for Olive Garden @italiangirl1130 @alessandro.salimei trying @Olive Garden for the first time @It’s the one and only Jade @Lou Pimber @Muahdp #foreignexchangestudent #olivegarden #foryoupage #funnyvideo #fyp ♬ original sound – Italiangirl1130 Alessandro, however, is NOT feeling it and even asks if there was a McDonald’s nearby where they could go instead. He then declares, “I’m not going anywhere.” After several pleas, all to no avail, Alessandro eventually gives in. Though he clarifies, “This is something against my will, just so you know,” as he passes the “Benvenuto!” sign. Scouring the menu, poor Alessandro can’t help but exclaim, “Mamma mia! Why am I here?!” When Rhonda suggests getting the fettuccine Alfredo, he looks downright appalled. You can actually catch his nostrils flaring. @italiangirl1130 @alessandro.salimei @Olive Garden Part two taking our foreign exchange student to Olive Garden… #houston #italy #foryoupage #funnyvideo #foreignexchangestudent ♬ original sound – Italiangirl1130 The real history behind the very American fettuccine Alfredo As Rhonda points out in the video, Alfredo sauce would not be found in Italy—at least not the thick, cream-laden version we know here in the United States. The original Roman dish, made by Alfredo di Lelio around 1908, was simply butter and Parmesan tossed with hot pasta water to create a silky coating. As legend has it, silent film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks—one of Hollywood’s first power couples—tasted the dish while in Rome and loved it so much they popularized it back home. With the American mentality often being “more is more,” the recipe eventually evolved into the heavier, cream-based sauce known today. Another theory is that Italian immigrants adapted the recipe to American tastes. Either way, American sensibilities are to blame. Back to Olive Garden… Holding his head in his hand, Alessandro eventually orders the fried mozzarella and calamari (honestly, solid choices), which he seems to enjoy well enough. He also tries the fried ravioli. Though he cannot quite comprehend why ravioli needed to be fried in the first place, he graciously labels it “interesting,” which feels like the international diplomatic way of saying, “I only tolerate this.” But you know what? He absolutely DEVOURS those breadsticks and Alfredo. @italiangirl1130 @alessandro.salimei trying @Olive Garden #foreignexchangestudent #funnyvideo #foryoupage #fyp #houston @Lou Pimber ♬ original sound – Italiangirl1130 “I feel like I’m betraying Italy right now,” he says, clearly enjoying the salty, creamy, oh-so American indulgence. Alfredo di Lelio must be rolling in his grave! The series ends with Alessandro being forced to reconcile with what we Americans know to be true: Olive Garden is in no way, shape, or form authentic, but it is super tasty nevertheless. He may never admit this back home, but in that booth, surrounded by unlimited carbs and a very pleased host mom, he cannot deny the appeal. Wonder if he’ll ever be brave enough to try the chicken parm… The post Italian exchange student ‘forced’ to try Olive Garden for the first time. His reaction has people rolling. appeared first on Upworthy.

Tourists see new places with fresh eyes and fresh observations. In 2024, 72.4 million tourists visited the United States, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. (That’s a lot of eyes seeing America in a new light.) Tourists to the States have pointed out that Americans really do like to put ranch dressing on everything. They’ve also noted that in the U.S., squirrels seem to run rampant. While these are insightful observations, most Americans would say they already know them to be true. On Reddit, Americans shared the shocking realizations they had about the U.S. that were only revealed to them by tourists. As one American noted, “I’ve lived in the US my whole life. Somehow, I’ve never noticed this before.” These are 15 eye-opening things tourists brought to Americans’ attention that truly blew their minds: Culture “We sure do have a lot of flags everywhere.” – myfourmoons “American coins don’t have numbers on them.  Some of the coins will say ‘One Cent’ or ‘Quarter Dollar’ but I don’t think that’s helpful if your English is not so good. And sometimes that labeling is just not in a place that easy to see on a coin.” – chocotacogato Michael White, a former spokesman for the United States Mint, told The Gainesville Sun that the reason coins in the U.S. don’t have numbers is simple: “It is an artistic choice in the majority of instances.” White added that certain coins in the past in the U.S. have used numerical notations, including the dime, nickel, and quarter. The article notes, “From 1809 to 1836, there was a half dollar imprinted with ’50 C.’ That was changed to ’50 cents’ for two years and then, in 1838, artistic choice deemed it should be called ‘half dollar.'” “The gap around the stall doors in public restrooms. It’s weird, and I hate it.” – SidheRa “So. Many. Insurance. Commercials.” – Reddit_Talent_Coach “Bank drive-thru lanes. I was told ‘why don’t you just get out of your car and walk in the bank?'” – JWilsn_Art According to Wells Fargo, “motor banks” (aka drive-in and drive-thru banks) were invented in the U.S. and came into existence in the 1930s. “That every morning, all American children from kindergarten to 12th grade, stand before the US flag (found in every classroom, ofc) and recite “the pledge of allegiance” to the country in unison, with their right hands over their hearts. Upon learning this universal American school experience, my Russian colleague said: ‘That is the most Comm*nist thing over ever heard!'” – jzzdancer2 The Pledge of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy, debuted in 1892, according to the American Legion. Over the years, it went through various edits until it was recognized by Congress and included in the U.S. Flag Code on June 22, 1942. “How much daily life revolves around cars. In many cities, if you don’t drive, you basically don’t exist. It’s convenience on steroids.” – Prior_Bank7992 Mannerisms “That Americans switch between hands when eating with silverware, cutlery, etc.” – BasilRevolutionary38 Called the “cut-and-switch” table habit, it’s described by NPR as when you “hold your fork in your left hand and cut with your right and then put down your knife so you can switch your fork to your right hand before you take a bite.” Americans actually adapted this use of cutlery from the French. Writer Mark Vanhoenacker explained to NPR, “Americans got it from France in the 19th century even as France was giving it up, and no one knows why France gave it up. Maybe just convenience or another change of fashion.” “We smile too much. To the point where foreigners, specifically Asians (Korean and Chinese) have pointed out that our smiles feel disingenuous and mean nothing. Really hit home, but despite that, I still smile ‘too much’.” – BMdabbleU “How much casual socializing we do with strangers. From small talk to things people in other places consider weirdly intimate (like talking about health problems).” – Practical-Water-9209 “The lean! The fact that people from the U.S. tend to lean on things while standing, no matter how inappropriate a place or circumstance. I’ve thought about it, and I think its because the U.S. (for the most part) isn’t walkable, so we aren’t used to standing for as along as other countries.” – Lobstertales143 The Central Intelligence Agency has deemed the “American Lean” a dead giveaway that someone is an American. In 2019, Jonna Mendez, the CIA’s former chief of disguise, and Gina Haspel, former CIA director, told NPR that Europeans can easily spot Americans in a crowd. “They think that we are slouchy, a little sloppy,” Mendez said. “And they think that they can almost see that in our demeanor on the street because they stand up straight. They don’t lean on things.” Food “Root beer tastes like medicine. It’s still my favorite soda but… yeah it tastes mediciney.” – TheNerdNugget “Had a German foreign exchange student and she said ‘All American breakfast is dessert. Pancakes, donuts, Cinnabon, muffins, French toast…’ I was like yea you have a point lol.” – dom954 Words “Apparently Americans use the word ‘awesome’ a lot. I’ve had people in other countries tease us for how we think everything is awesome lol. But to be fair, tons of things ARE awesome, and also you’re talking to me on vacation when I’m in the best mood of my life lol.” – Gold_Telephone_7192 “‘Yeah’ ‘Yeah no’ ‘Yeah right’ ‘Oh yeah’ ‘Hell yeah!’ All mean different things!” – zippy_97 The post 15 things tourists notice in the U.S. that Americans totally miss appeared first on Upworthy.

The pursuit of happiness is seen as such an inseparable element of being human that the founders of the United States put it in the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence. Everyone wants to be happy. And yet, so many find happiness elusive. Harvard University social scientist Dr. Arthur C. Brooks has made human happiness (and the pursuit of it) the central focus of his research. In his studies, he has identified four habits that the happiest people practice each day. Defining happiness How are “the happiest people in the world” measured? Brooks explained the happiest people are those who score highest on what he calls the “macronutrients of happiness”: enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning. Enjoyment doesn’t mean pleasure, Brooks said at a John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum in 2024. “The pursuit of pleasure is a great way to ruin your life,” he said. “Enjoyment takes the source of pleasure and adds two things: people and memory.” What makes someone happy? Photo credit: Canva Satisfaction involves both achievement and detachment. We are satisfied when we successfully achieve a goal. We are also satisfied when we want less. Meaning is the most important of these macronutrients. “Meaning is about coherence—why do things happen the way they do? Purpose. What is my direction and goals? And significance. Why does it matter that I am alive?” Brooks said. People who score highest in these areas tend to engage in four “big habits” every day. Brooks collectively refers to these habits as a “happiness pension plan” that people make deposits into: Happiness Habit #1: Transcendence “They’re paying attention every day to their faith or philosophical life, which is religious or not, but is transcending themselves and standing in awe of something bigger,” Brooks shared. Transcendence is seeking something greater than yourself. Photo credit: Canva Brooks talks about transcendence as a “vertical” practice, “where you’re looking for something that’s divine, something that’s bigger than you.” But that could look like a lot of different things: “Maybe that means studying the Stoics and living according to their principles, even as an atheist,” Brooks explained to Mark Manson. “Maybe that’s walking in nature for an hour before dawn without devices. Maybe that’s studying the fugues of Bach. Maybe that’s studying the Vipassana meditation practice with seriousness. And maybe that’s going to mass every day. Transcending yourself is one of the great secrets to happiness.” Happiness Habit #2: Family “They’re taking their family life seriously,” said Brooks. Brooks told How To Academy: “All families are imperfect and everybody cares about their families. Anybody who says ‘I don’t care about my family’ they’re just lying. It’s very, very important that we understand that the strange and magical nature of family relationships we have, they’re some of the most intense love relationships that we have. And we didn’t choose them. It doesn’t even make sense. It’s almost a mystical thing, that people have those people who can drive you absolutely around the bend, make you completely crazy, and you didn’t even choose a relationship? And you feel great sorrow where there’s schism? This is something that we need to understand.” Brooks said that stress in families due to differences in opinions or values is “inevitable.” He added that we need to understand the imperfect nature of families and that we all need to work at making those relationships better. Happiness Habit #3: Friendships Happy people also take their friendships seriously, Brooks said. “And that’s super hard for people in business,” he added, “especially the higher you go in management, the fewer real friends you have and the more ‘deal friends’ that you have. And deal friends don’t count.” Brooks told the Mighty Pursuit podcast that friendship exists at three levels. Deal friends are the lowest level of friendship, where the relationship is transactional. Next are friendships based on beauty or admiration. The friend has something magnetic about them that attracts you and makes you enjoy being around them. Finally, there are friendships of virtue, the deepest and truest form of friendship. Brooks called this level of friendship “useless” because it’s not about either person gaining anything, but rather about truly knowing one another on a deep level. View this post on Instagram Happiness Habit #4: Work that serves others “Last but not least is dedicating your work to earning your success and serving other people,” Brooks said. “Joy comes from work under two circumstances that have nothing to do with money and power and position and prestige, nothing, nothing, nothing,” Brooks shared in a video. “It has to do with earning your success, which means that you’re creating value with your life, you believe that you’re needed. And that you’re serving other people. You’re doing something that’s actually good for other people.” @arthurcbrooks Joy at work doesn’t come from money, power, or prestige. It comes from earning your success, creating value, serving others, and knowing you are needed. When your work becomes an act of love, it sanctifies everything you do. ♬ original sound – Dr. Arthur Brooks – Dr. Arthur Brooks “It’s faith, family, friends, and work that serves,” Brooks said. “Those are the big four.” Ultimately, if that’s what the data shows, it’s worth taking to heart. You can find more from Dr. Brooks on his website. The post Happiness researcher shares 4 ‘big habits’ the world’s happiest people engage in daily appeared first on Upworthy.