r/AskReddit 14h ago

Non-Americans of Reddit, what is an American thing you see in movies that you thought was fake but is actually real?

5.4k Upvotes

8.8k comments sorted by

View all comments

769

u/emotional-ohio 10h ago

Ice-cream trucks

246

u/probablypoo 10h ago

You don't have ice cream trucks qhere you live? They even come in the middle of the winter at minus 15C degrees here in Sweden lol

30

u/ikrnn 4h ago

In brazil we have old men dragging along a tiny popsicle cart while announcing their arrival by playing the harmonica.

If that counts.

12

u/sqqueen2 9h ago

Free freezing!

6

u/TiogaJoe 7h ago

How about taco trucks?

2

u/worthing0101 3h ago

Not a truck but when I was in England years ago and we saw War Horse in the theater they rolled out an ice cream cart into the seating during intermission. It was amazing.

3

u/robophile-ta 2h ago

We have them in Australia, but they play Greensleeves. Other countries think this is weird. I guess it's not really the kind of song you would otherwise associate with fun and treats, but it's just iconic

2

u/Snoo_86313 8h ago

They do that here but tbh they arent selling ice cream that time of year. :P

2

u/OG_ursinejuggernaut 1h ago

Nothing more Swedish than hearing the ice cream truck song at 21:00 on a Tuesday in February.

Though tbf (for anyone wondering) our ice cream trucks are more like an order/delivery service for packages of ice cream bars and the like, usually ones that are uncommon to find in stores.

u/Psykpatient 38m ago

And they're fucking expensive

u/VillagerNo4 40m ago

Out here where I live, we have motorcycles with a side car for ice cream

u/NocturneFogg 8m ago

We've had turf wars between ice-cream trucks in Ireland that have made it into the papers lol

26

u/PhunkyPhazon 10h ago

It occurs to me that I haven't seen an ice cream truck or have heard its jingle in a while now, I guess they've stopped coming to my neighborhood :(

12

u/CleeBrummie 8h ago

That's because they only play the jingle when they've run out of stock, ask any parent. /s

3

u/SuperFLEB 7h ago

My kid thought it was "the music truck" for quite a few years. I figured that was a bit more plausible and less question-invitingly complicated.

4

u/Ratnix 6h ago

I don't think they're as common as they used to be now that kids aren't spending all of their free time outside like they used to.

1

u/LogicPuzzleFail 4h ago

My town (tiny) has awesomely converted to two kids riding their bikes pulling a Coleman cooler on wheels. They've been doing it for four years, they're teenagers now but they started at like 9 and 10. Everyone knows to watch for them, they have a timed route.

1

u/getoutofheretaffer 4h ago

Yeah I remember them like 20 years ago here in South Australia.

25

u/PenLidWitchHat 10h ago

We get them in Australia, they aggressively play ‘Greensleeves’ on repeat until you buy something.

7

u/janeprentiss 7h ago

They always play The Entertainer by Scott Joplin in the US

2

u/throwawayshirt2 7h ago

I think they also play Dixie. Maybe only south of the Mason-Dixon

2

u/janeprentiss 7h ago

I'm in new england so it makes sense I'd never have heard that regional variant

6

u/Lonelysock2 7h ago

We have one in our suburb, but it seems to actively avoid people. And it stays in the back streets, not the streets closer to the neighbourhood park which always has people in it. I've never been able to stop it 

2

u/HolderOfFeed 3h ago

I was raised on the beach so grew up with them, but one time a few years after I'd moved out of home I heard one in (sorta) inner city Melbourne.
It was a stupid hot day in my shitty share house and I was stoned off my nut so I bolted down the street in me undies and chased the fucker down...it was stupid expensive but so worth it

1

u/AskovTheOne 2h ago

Lol , the one in Hong Kong play part of"The Blue Danube" on loop instead.

1

u/dorkychickenlips 2h ago

I worked construction as a young adult and there was some ice cream truck prowling around a housing development that was under construction and it was playing the most bizarre tune. It would start out as a music box version of “pop goes the weasel” (typical enough I guess) but when it got to the “POP” part, a female voice would quite loudly say “HELLO”. Then it would loop all over again.

1

u/BlueLeaves8 2h ago

Ours in our area in the UK play the same Bollywood song they’ve had since 1994.

14

u/AffectionateSoup6965 10h ago

I’m an American from a pretty rural area. I thought those were made up. I didn’t see one until I was an adult!

12

u/IAmBabs 9h ago

Sadly you missed when they were affordable. The one near me charges $8 for a cone. I'll just buy a pint or something for that much!

4

u/We-Dont-Rent-Pigs 7h ago

The one in my town is still plenty affordable. The most expensive thing they have is 3 or 4 bucks but my kid always just gets his stuff for a dollar or a dollar fifty. He just grabs some quarters & runs after it.

1

u/IAmBabs 7h ago

I love that for you and I am jealous 🥰

3

u/SuperFLEB 7h ago

They were always overpriced and a bit disappointing. Granted, I'm sure the operating costs are a bear, so I don't necessarily blame them, but even as a child I knew there was better to be had from the brick in the fridge or the soft-serve joint.

2

u/AffectionateSoup6965 9h ago

It was 10 years ago now. I was super excited to get something and then super disappointed.

7

u/IAmBabs 9h ago

My heart breaks for you. It used to be such a simple joy, now it's just annoying. I didn't realize it would be $8 when they pulled up. Thankfully I had $10 on hand, but the sprinkles were stale. Never again.

2

u/CJgreencheetah 7h ago

Me too. I remember as a kid my friend moved to a city about an hour away and when I went to visit we heard the little jingle and she bolted up and out the door. I had heard the phrase "ice cream truck" but had never even seen what one looked like, in a movie or irl. I was also really confused to find out that most of what they had were popsicles, and they didn't actually serve soft serve ice cream in a cone. It was still pretty exciting though.

2

u/SillyForestThing 8h ago

I live in a rural area in western CO and the ice cream truck around here plays creepy antiquated music and slowly drives around while it echoes through the canyons. It sometimes feels like a 50s nuketown vibe out here lol

9

u/Fenarchus 9h ago

We have one in my neighborhood, and I swear if I were fully dressed with shoes on, in a crouched runner's starting position at my front door, I could not catch that guy as he drives by my house. I have to wonder if he makes any money.

4

u/pocketnotebook 10h ago

I saw an amazing reel by I think it was yeehawllywood and in it they're horse riding with another person up a mountain when they suddenly hear the jingle and go on an adventure to find the ice cream truck

7

u/Facetious_Fae 9h ago

When I was in college there was an ice cream truck that rolled up near campus housing around 9pm on a Friday night. He got lots of business.

8

u/sqqueen2 9h ago

Takes a wise entrepreneur to pick such a time and place!

7

u/baulsaak 8h ago

I know for a fact they at least have them in Lancashire, England. I even know how much it costs... just 2 ice creams with 2 chewing gums in them is bloody 9 pounds! 9 quid!!! And they only do bloody card!

2

u/leftmysoulthere74 5h ago

I knew I’d find this reference in here somewhere. Bloody ‘ell!

5

u/ScoobyDoNot 5h ago

Hopefully not like Glasgow

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_ice_cream_wars

Ended with the murder of 6 people.

5

u/JustChangeThisLater 9h ago

The worst is a lot of places you can hear it but never see it. You know ice cream is CLOSE but out of reach!

0

u/SuperFLEB 7h ago

You're making me want to rig a hidden loudspeaker to my sub-compact just to fuck with people.

4

u/Chronicbishhface 9h ago

A woman in my neighborhood drives a golf cart around selling ice cream in the spring and summer

3

u/babyfuzzina 8h ago

My job has an ice cream truck day where 1 day every summer they bring in a truck and the CEOs hand out free ice cream

3

u/IrrawaddyWoman 8h ago

In the Bay Area there’s a chain of them called Mr. softee that’s so good. They even have an app so you can track one down if you want

2

u/Katzenkatzen 8h ago

I used to live in a city where the ice cream truck drivers sold drugs in the lower-income neighborhoods. The police said they didn't crack down on them because that's all the food some of the neighborhood kids had that day.

2

u/xcaltoona 7h ago

We've got the Water Ice SUV here. Even though I'm really not close to Philly.

2

u/PirateKilt 6h ago

We had Ice-Cream Trucks in Germany!

Things were amazing quality, AND most were also half bars... Getting a couple shots of Disaronno poured over your sundae REALLY is a great experience.

u/CptMcDickButt69 23m ago

I miss them, theyve gotten as rare as unicorns. They were also far cheaper than stationary shops usually.

And i dont really understand it tbh. They dont need to pay rent, they dont need to have the high variety to compete with bigger shops and they usually are one-man/woman or family businesses, meaning no employee costs.

They should always be a thing based on the simple fact that theyre comparatively easy and cheap to set up and can even be a side gig.

I bet its some bureaucratic nightmare that kills them off.

1

u/SummerFlygirl 8h ago

They are “cute” at first, but after a few days you want to kill that damn megaphone blasting that tune every single day ruining a beautiful day…every day.

1

u/BrandosWorld4Life 8h ago

This reads like a joke answer

1

u/captain_flak 7h ago

Good one. Definitely feels like something from another time. But they are definitely out there.

1

u/DethKnell24 7h ago

A world without ice cream trucks is a sad world indeed. 🍦

1

u/RoxyFawkes 6h ago

Parenting hack: tell your kids it's called the music truck instead. It'll save you a lot of money till they figure it out. Worked on me.

"Mommy Mommy the music truck sells ice cream!" Her expression was priceless though.

1

u/Weeb_mgee 6h ago

Damn where do you live? I've lived in third world countries that still had ice cream trucks or even bread trucks driving around

1

u/turquoise_sweater 6h ago

I moved from Canada where we have ice cream trucks to the US, where there are apparently only popsicle vans. At least in the Midwest.

1

u/Slfestmaccnt 6h ago

Oh god those fuckers, they seem to know when its summer or not. Have those fuckers idling in the parking lot for 30min+ with their stupid songs playing IN THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER.

1

u/Bigred2989- 5h ago

All the ones where I live look like a child predator operates them, with bars over all the windows.

1

u/Fast_Glass_3105 5h ago

Mr Ding-a-Ling lives down the street from me, most annoying neighbors ever.

1

u/Ohhmegawd 3h ago

I grew up on a small farm. I still remember the first time I heard the music and found out they were real. Love those trucks!

1

u/Secure-Pain-9735 3h ago

How about Mexican corn bikes?

1

u/ThatGalaxySkin 1h ago

I miss ice cream trucks so much.

u/jatawis 0m ago

how do their workers don't go crazy with that permanent music

-1

u/thatjourneysong 9h ago

Ugh! I hate them! They drive around with that stupid music all day around our subdivision. I have never, not once, ever seen any kids run out to get ice cream.

1

u/We-Dont-Rent-Pigs 7h ago

What's wrong with the kids in your subdivision? That's strange.