An American woman complained about all the things Australia does worse than the US, including chocolate and parking spaces.
The 27-year-old quit her job 12 months ago and moved Down Under to visit picturesque destinations across the country in her 2000 Pajero.
But during her stay in Australia, she couldn’t help but make a list of the little things that annoyed her.
“Here’s my list of trivial, insignificant things that I still think are worse in Australia than the US,” she wrote on TikTok.
“I’ll start with the worst things to be a little controversial.”
And her attempt to spark a debate worked, with hundreds of Aussies outraged by her criticism, although others agreed with her points.
The woman indicated that she disagrees with the standard flush buttons on toilets and that she finds it gross to have to touch them in public restrooms.
In America, some public toilets are designed with a lever instead of a button, which the woman presses with her foot, not her hand.
An American expat who moved to Australia 12 months ago and made a list of the things that annoy her about living Down Under – from the flush buttons on toilets to chocolate and parking spaces (stock image)
‘You guys are so mean about the flush button. Every time I have to use my dirty little toilet fingers to push a button that everyone else has to [uses] “I want to cry and go home,” she confessed.
The choice of chocolate also posed a problem for the young woman, as she is vegan and struggles to find treats that are not made with milk.
“The power that Cadbury has over the Australian chocolate industry is enormous,” she said.
“It’s so much harder to find chocolate here that’s not made with milk, like why is all your chocolate made with milk? Even the 85 percent dark chocolate.”
The fact that many supermarkets in Australia are located in shopping centres also caused a stir.
“Here’s my list of trivial, unimportant things that I still think are actually worse in Australia than the US,” she said in a TikTok (stock image)
The amount of frustration this [shopping centres] “What I did was outrageous,” she said.
‘Why do I have to walk through a door to a public place and then through another door to an even more crowded place, just to buy some vegetables and fruits?
“Why am I walking past shoe stores, bra stores, people getting coffee? And then after all that stimulation I have to walk into a supermarket.”
The traveller also noted that Australian car parks are often poorly designed and difficult to access, and locals agreed.
She joked that it seems that city councils and architects are “determined” to make parking garages “the worst” experience for motorists.
The video has now been viewed more than 420,000 times and opinions are divided.
She stood up for herself, writing: ‘I’m just complaining on the internet, calm down. I still think Australia is better than the US in so many ways.’
Someone who disagreed with the flush button on toilets said, “But you wash your hands after using the toilet, right?”
“We don’t want giant concrete parking lots, thank you,” wrote another.
A third said: ‘I love having the supermarket in the mall. I can go to the pharmacy or do another errand and then finish it all in one place.’
But some agreed with her.
“Me covering the little flush button with toilet paper so I don’t have to touch it. I totally agree,” said one woman.
‘At least Americans here who currently live in Australia don’t have to worry about the actual price of something until we get to the checkout. If it’s $5.99 here, that means it’s $5.99,’ someone else wrote.
“I buy those at the supermarket,” added another.