7 Ameculture - 7 culture custom of America - Tài liệu tham khảo | Đại học Hoa Sen

Faculty of Foreign Languages
Subject: British and American Culture PORTFOLIO
British and American Culture
Lecturer : Nguyễn Phạm Duy Anh
Student : Phạm Võ Trường Duy Student ID : 2185755 Independence value
In America, Independence value plays a crucial part in defining each person identity and destiny
through their decisions. An independent life can help an individual to gain the ability to be self-
reliant and self-sufficient. It was so important that The First and The Four Amendments included
guarantees the freedoms of speech, religion, and the press as well as prohibited “unreasonable
searches and seizures”.Which mean even the government cannot enter your home or search
for your personal information without a reason. Independence can be understood in other ways
like freedom or liberty, as such American government are limited in controlling your personal
lives. Whereas in America, it's visible to see the affection of independence in every aspect of
American people lives. At home, children were encouraged to feed and dress themself from an
early age without relying on their parents. Same thing in their workplace where each employee
are allowed to pave their own career path. Furthermore, they have the right to vote for the
candidates they chose or live where ever they wish to live. To sum up, these independence
values allow Americans to live their own ways, creating unique lifestyles and not bound to government control.
https://www.state.gov/courses/answeringdifficultquestions/assets/m/resources/DifficultQuestions -AmericanValues.pdf Directness value
Directness has always been valued by Americans when it comes to communication. Getting to
the point is usually their goal when communicating with others. Although being direct is not
always mean that a person is trustworthy and can be trusted. Despite that, directness prevents
miscommunication between two people. The Americans usually mean what they say, not in the
figurative sense. For Americans, being direct is the key to solving any conflicts. You may
consider a coward who isn't able to face the problem if you bring up this conflict with a third
party. The Americans prefer telling you their thought about something despite it isn't pleasant to
hear and if you let someone deliver your messages, you are seen as a manipulated person. In
some cases, only those in a higher hierarchy can be directed to people 'below' them, while
those below the titles will be considered rude being direct with people above them in social
standing or pay grade. It's interesting that in some cases, Americans consider it inappropriate to
be direct when talking about personal issues or communicating with foreigners. In conclusion,
being direct to an American is the most effective way to communicate and foster better mutual
understanding with them.
https://sites.google.com/site/americanvaluesandtraditions/home/directness Informality value
Americans are known for their informal cultures than any other country in the world, which
include hugging everyone, calling their first name, straight forward and prior inclusivity.
Americans prefer to greet their close ones with a hug. Rejecting an American hug may be
considered a gesture that you don't like them. In some situations, you may offend them based
on your current relationships. One thing you need to keep in mind is that Americans see this
gesture as a form of politeness. It means that you're welcome. In contrast, Americans often give
handshakes in a formal setting like interviews or appointments with high professional people like
lawyers and professors. Although Americans prefer informal cultures, it doesn't mean that they
aren't polite. They would use a word like "could" instead of "can", "would" instead of "will" to
indicate their politeness in a specific situation. They also add a modifier like "maybe" to make
their request sound less demanding. In America, people only give kisses to their partners only,
not even to their families. Moreover, calling people by their first name is considered normal in
American culture. To greet someone in America, here are some ways to do it. The phrase " How
are you? " could be changed to "What's up?" or "How it's going?" while saying hello can be used
like "Hey there" and heavy slang greetings like "what's cracking" or "what's good". Keep in mind
that the heavy slang greetings mentioned above should be used for close friends and family
only. The more slang you use to someone means the closer your relationship is in American
culture. Although Americans prefer informal cultures rather than formal ones, you have to know
how to use them and when it’s an appropriate time to use them.
https://blog.lingoda.com/en/american-culture-formal-or-informal/ New Year’s Day
Americans start using the Gregorian calendar in 1752, which lead January 1st to become New
year's day. Although there is different conventionality from many countries on New year's day,
they all have one purpose is to pursuit good luck and positive changes. In the US, Americans
start celebrating from December 31. People would hold a masquerade ball and dress
themselves to hide their identity, unmask at midnight. Watching television is also a part of the
festivities. All eyes focus on Times Square in New York as the count down reach zero, the new
year's sign glow up and people wish each other "Happy New Year!".Americans visit their
relatives, close friends and neighbours in the first days of the year. They all gather around and
watch the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena California. At first, the parade was divided
into three parts: Decorating in the morning, an athletic event in the afternoon and a ball for the
champion in the evening, but it's soon being replaced by colleges football games years after.
The tournament size scales up and its theme changes every year. Today parade has changed
up into a five-mile-long marching band and floats. With a celebrity or official master as a grand
marshall leading the floats, the queen of the tournament will sit on a special float made from
250,000 flowers. In some states like Florida, Texas and Louisiana, people held their own bowl
game. Lastly, Americans also inherited the tradition of writing new year resolutions like other
countries. Being known as a country with diverse multi-cultural, Americans still have their unique
traditional ways to celebrate New Years Day.
https://at.usembassy.gov/new-years-day/ Christmas Day
America is known for its multi-cultural tradition. As such, Christmas Day in the US is a
combination of Irish, Belgian, Polish and Austrian traditions mixed together. Americans celebrate
this day with many activities depending on that place climate. The most well-known activity is
travelling to another place over the holiday. Christmas tree is a must-have in the holiday, It's
often decorated with a star at the top to represent meaningful things. You can see each family
heritage through kinds of decoration put on the tree. Speaking of decoration, Americans usually
decorate their entire yard and house with small colourful LED lighting. They also decorated
using a small figurative shape like a snowman, Santa and reindeer. Food is an important part
when it comes to Christmas. When guests drop by to give a gift, food and beverage are
prepared by the owners for the guests. The main dish for Christmas dinner usually includes
turkey or chicken. For American families, going to church at Christmas is a must-have tradition.
Moreover, there are many activities held by the church such as church dinners, special church
services and encouraging the spirit of giving for unfortunate people. To sum up, what makes
American Christmas Day so special is the way Americans celebrate the holiday with their family customs.
https://www.christmas-day.org/christmas-in-america.html Valentine Day
In different countries, Valentine's Day is meant for couples or lovers, but that is not the same
case when it comes to America.It's a special occasion to show your appreciation for the people
around you. In elementary school, kids will make a special box for others to put their Valentine
cards inside. The student will also gift their teachers with flowers, chocolate or small gifts. Even
family or friends also exchange gifts during Valentine's Day. In the card, you can express your
love through short messages like "You're the best dad ever! Happy Valentine's Day".Finally is
your lover, you can surprise them with a traditional gift like flowers or jewellery. Valentine Day in
the USA it's the time where you show your love for people you care about.
https://christinarebuffet.com/blog/valentines-day-in-the-usa/ American cuisine
When it comes to defining the cuisine by locality, American cuisine is a different matter
altogether. The most notable ones for American classic dishes such as pizzas, burgers and
hotdogs. From Northeast to Mid-Atlantic, Southern to Southwest, the eccentric blend of exotic
food eventually made America what it is today. Given its advantageous location near the Atlantic
Ocean, the Northeast is recognized for its variety of seafood-centric meals. Lobsters and clams
are frequently employed, with dishes like the lobster roll and seafood chowder gaining
popularity. The Midwest (Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin) is known as America's breadbasket
because it is the heartland of grain production, particularly wheat, corn, and soy. Bread pudding,
deep-dish pizza, and sandwich sandwiches are typical Midwestern cuisine that is filling and
substantial. Midwestern cuisine, such as bread pudding, Chicago deep-dish pizza, and
sandwiches, are typically filling and robust meals that reflect the area's common resources.
Meanwhile, southern cuisine (Texas, Florida, and Tennessee) is characterized by bolder
flavours and a heavy reliance on frying and barbecue. Some notable Southern mainstays
include barbecued beef, fried chicken, and brisket burgers. To sum up, the beauty of American
cuisine lies in its dishes that come from various cuisine all over the world.
https://www.unileverfoodsolutions.com.my/en/chef-inspiration/knorr-world-cuisine/western-
trends-and-tips/introduction-to-american-cuisine.html