‘The Road That Made America': Traversing the Wilderness
These are well remembered today. Yet the oldest of the great migratory routes, and perhaps the most influential, is largely forgotten today. James Dodson explores this road in 'The Road That Made America: A Modern Pilgrim's Journey on the Great Wagon Road.'
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Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
People Horrified As American Brings Water Backpack to European Restaurants
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When 34-year-old Liz White from North Carolina couldn't find the water she wanted on her European trip, she came up with an unusual solution—bringing her hiking hydration backpack to the restaurant. White had been traveling through London, Venice, and the Dolomites, where she says she struggled to meet her daily water intake. "I drink a lot of water in general," she told Newsweek. "After a few days of struggling to get the water amount I desired at restaurants in Italy and England, I realized I could be innovative." Her solution? Bringing her hiking hydration backpack to sit-down meals. "It worked really well! I didn't have to repeatedly ask for water refills, or buy water at the restaurant," she said. "I adapted to the conditions by just sipping from my backpack instead." Pictures of Liz who shared why she came up with the water backpack idea. Pictures of Liz who shared why she came up with the water backpack idea. @lizwizdom/TikTok She shared her unusual method for hydration in a now-viral video on TikTok which has more than 100,000 views since being shared last week. The response was swift as people reacted to White's backpack solution. In the video she said: "Y'all are flaying me alive in the comments, calling me a stupid American, but I don't think you understand how accessible water is in the States," she explained that the difference in Europe was stark, offering examples: "This is a typical pour of water I receive in Europe when I ask for water in a restaurant," she said, showing a small glass of water. The debate follows a recent wave of TikTok videos where American tourists claim water is hard to come by in Europe. Europeans took to TikTok to debunk the idea that water is hard to access, with one viral clip showing a Danish woman calmly filling her bottle from a bathroom sink, captioned, "It's literally free from the tap." While Philippa Raphet Meeg from France responded to the trend saying: "Just because we don't carry around big Stanleys all the time doesn't mean we don't drink water. Please, please stop." Read more Americans book table for dinner in Europe, realize mistake once they arrive Americans book table for dinner in Europe, realize mistake once they arrive As White's video gained more attention, opinions on White's water method were seriously mixed. "This is satire right?" asked Noémie. While Alex said: "Tap water is free all over Europe. This is insane nonsense." While others agreed with White's idea. Kat from Arizona said: "I feel dehydrated just looking at this. You go girl!" While another commenter said: "They never serve you enough water and the 500ml bottles for 4€ is too much!" The clash, however, isn't just anecdotal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) U.S. adults drank an average of 44 ounces of water per day. While data from the European Commission found that most European countries consume less than 34 ounces per day, with the exception of Austria, Germany, Norway and U.K. White was shocked by the reaction, but added that it didn't put her off her new water travel hack. "I was pretty surprised how offended many Europeans were," White said. "I don't think I said anything insulting, nor did I indicate that anything should be different. In fact, I shared how I chose to adapt to the culture by bringing my own water. "I do think Americans are much more used to kind of poking fun at each other, and I've learned Europeans are a lot more defensive of their homelands," she said.
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
American Millennial Films Herself Eating Pasta in Italy—Then Comes Outrage
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A video capturing how an American tourist did while having pasta at a restaurant in Italy has gone viral on TikTok. The clip was shared by 37-year-old solo traveler Charisse Bruin (@charissesstyles), who lives in Savannah, Georgia, but has been visiting a few countries in June. The viral video, which amassed more than 3.2 million views since it was shared on June 11, was captured in Venice, Italy. "It was my first time, hopefully not the last," Bruin told Newsweek. Text overlaid on the clip simply reads: "Eating pasta in Italy." The video shows Bruin sitting at a table at a restaurant in Murano, a small island of the Venetian Lagoon, tucking into a dish of spaghetti pasta. Bruin later stares down at her dish before nervously grabbing a knife and cutting into the pasta, flashing a slight grin as she puts the knife back down. A caption shared with the post notes: "the noodles are so loooooooooooong." A screenshot from a viral TikTok video in which Charisse Bruin cuts her pasta with a knife at a restaurant in Italy. A screenshot from a viral TikTok video in which Charisse Bruin cuts her pasta with a knife at a restaurant in Italy. @charissesstyles on TikTok Bruin told Newsweek: "No one at the restaurant corrected me nor offered me a spoon—just more wine." Around 300 million tourists were reported to have traveled internationally in the first quarter of 2025, around 14 million more than in the same period last year, notes the U.N. World Tourism Organization. Contrary to what some might believe, most Americans have been out of the country at least once, according to a June 2021 Pew Research Center survey. It found that 71 percent of U.S. adults traveled internationally at some point in their lives, while 27 percent have not. The survey found that the degree to which Americans have traveled varies widely. Nineteen percent have been to only one foreign country, while 12 percent have been to two countries. Meanwhile, 15 percent have visited three or four countries and 14 percent have traveled to five to nine. Only 11 percent of Americans were reported have been to 10 or more countries. 'I Wasn't Expecting That' Bruin has been traveling to find a new home in Europe or Central America. She told Newsweek: "I'm a creative entrepreneur and content creator so I have flexibility to move around the world." The content creator said she typically does not use a knife to cut pasta, "but now I definitely know better and realize how serious the pasta cutting is and that it is pasta and not noodles." Viewers on TikTok were amused and shocked by Bruin's pasta-eating technique in the viral clip. Véro said, "Oh. I wasn't expecting that," and Laura wrote: "I am Italian. Don't do it again!!!" Emhyr Van Emreis noted, "i'm offended and i'm not even from Italy," and Chantel posted: "I'm American and don't cut my pasta." User @ur_favofficegirlie wrote, "Girl why you make me scream like that," and @user356746843237 said: "I ain't never seen nobody do that ever Italy or America." Others were less bothered by Bruin's use of the knife, such as Attolini Claudia who wrote: "As Italian, I think people should be free to their spaghetti as they feel most comfortable." AliceB noted: "I'm Italian and I tell you: just eat like you want, you're on vacay so you should relax." Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Buzz Feed
19 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
18 Tourists Reveal Favorite Fast Food In America
Recently, a Reddit user asked, "Non-Americans of Reddit, what was your favorite fast food chain you visited in America?" Here are some of the most top-voted responses: "Five Guys. We had German coworkers who came to the US for a couple of weeks. We asked if they were taking any souvenirs back with them. They looked at each other and said in perfect unison, 'burgers.'" —DustinJ428 "Arby's. I COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH MEAT WAS IN THAT SANDWICH!!! I came from England, where a sandwich never had more than a thin half piece of ham that didn't cover the whole bread." —lucianw"You would have loved Arby's in the '90s. They had the five for $5 deal. I used to get five beef and cheddars (they were big, too) for $5."—BusFew5534 "I had a German exchange student friend who loved Taco Bell. He was so bummed when the school year ended and he had to go back." —American_Non-Voter "My partner is Irish, and every time he comes over, he asks if we can go to Taco Bell. What's worse is that I live in an area with a big Hispanic population, and we have some incredible and authentic Mexican places to eat, but no, only Taco Bell." —FiveHoursAhead"Mexican food and Taco Bell are completely separate items. You can appreciate both for very different reasons."—Pikeman212a6c "I introduced my first cousin from South Korea to Culver's while she was staying with us for a month one summer, and she then asked my parents to go to Culver's every day for the next month. They didn't always do it, but she had A LOT of Culver's in that month." —C_Werner "We had a German exchange student at the school I teach at a few years ago, and the kid loved Little Caesar's. Like dude, that's our 17th best pizza chain." —Liverpool510 "I'm Canadian, but I have family in Texas, and we make a point to stop at Whataburger whenever I go visit. I also buy some bottles of spicy ketchup to bring back." —BaganLeleo "Before I moved to the US and just came as a tourist, I looooved Wendy's. At the time, they used to have a small buffet that was insanely amazing. Imagine being able to design your own Wendy's burger! Sadly, they were phased out by the time I got here permanently." —mundotaku "A German friend of mine loves Panda Express when he's here, specifically the orange chicken. He gets a two-item entree, with both items being orange chicken. He says he craves it when he's back home in Germany." —Bierkerl "KFC. I used to walk 25 blocks in NYC to get it." —RecipeDangerous3710 "My buddy from the UK is absolutely devastated that he can't get Bojangles there. He keeps talking about making a trip back just to get a Cajun filet biscuit." —tbyrdistheword "My niece dated a French guy, and he and his friend used to describe how much they loved Jack in the Box." —KariKHat "Does Denny's count? We went there for breakfast every day for two weeks, and it was pretty nice." —trullaDE "Southeast Asian here: Chipotle." —4getprevpassword "My Aussie relatives are in town and they love Wingstop." —strayainind "My cousin from Greece came to visit for a few months. He was obsessed with Krispy Kreme glazed donuts. He would eat multiple donuts every single day." —Agnam999 "Took my Scottish buddy to 'Chick-o-Fil' as he called it, and he went absolutely bonkers. Loved it and raved about it long after he got back home." —MacAttack0711 "As a European, the first time trying Cinnabon was insanely good. I still remember the divine gooey thickness of the pretty bad after eating it, but it was well worth it." —NorronSeier What American fast food chain blew your mind when you visited? Tell me in the comments!
