America. The United States. The USA. The Land of Opportunity. 'Murica. Call it what you will. It's all things to all people: a behemoth of a country, both geographically and culturally. America looms large over the globe, with its very specific ways, behaviours and style. Some of it enviable, some of it slightly less so. Here, though, we'd like to celebrate the nation of the stars 'n' stripes. As such, we bring you 23 American things that make the rest of the world jealous… (Picture: Getty Images)

1. Spacious houses

You know the phrase, 'go big or go home'? Well, in America you can do both. Only with space not at a premium in the States like it is in so many other countries around the world, houses can be built as big as people want or - at least - can afford (Picture: Getty Images)

2. Restaurant substitutions

One of the things that the world admires about the way America dines is the flexibility with which eateries operate. You can very often substitute items or ingredients; you only need ask. Do that in most places in Europe or Asia and you'll be given short shrift by a precious chef or officious owner (Picture: Getty Images)

3. Entrepreneurialism

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, there are some 31 million entrepreneurs in the US, with a whopping 55% of adults having started some sort of business at one point in their lives. There's an enviable 'can-do' attitude amongst most Americans and no shortage of capital investors prepared to help those independent businesspeople get an idea off the ground (Picture: Getty Images)

4. Nice teeth

In the US, there is a long-standing gag about just how terrible British people's teeth are. And, compared to their cousins across the Atlantic, it's true. Brits often have crooked, unsightly gnashers. In America, cosmetic dentistry is taken very seriously indeed. That's why so many Americans proudly boast such pearly whites (Picture: Getty Images)

5. Hot dog vendors

Okay, okay, so not every American street corner is like Times Square, with hot dog sellers tossing warm, briny wieners at every other passerby. But there are enough vendors of those delicious processed piggy treats in the US to make the place well worth living in. There is no better quick snack that the blessed hot dog. It's a mustard-y, ketchup-y gift from God. Amen to that (Picture: Getty Images)

6. Movies

Sure, Europe makes films. And Bollywood produces more than a thousand movies a year. Nigeria can beat that with an incredible 2,500+ pictures being released every twelve months. But let's be brutally honest, no one does it quite like Hollywood. The US movie industry is unrivalled, making America the global kings of popular culture. As well as very, very rich (Picture: Getty Images)

7. Bacon

Bacon's not popular across the entire planet, but in those areas that the smoked meat is consumed, it's often worshipped as the ultimate breakfast food and sandwich filling. Yet few countries have really mastered just how to cook the stuff. In fact, it's only really North Americans who have worked it out that the best bacon is streaky and cooked until perfectly crispy (Picture: Getty Images)

8. Ranch dressing

Ranch dressing is a delicious savory and creamy salad dressing made from buttermilk, garlic, salt, onion, mustard, herbs and other spices which is all mixed together to form a thick, dippable, mayonnaise-like sauce. Increasingly it's more and more available outside of the US, but nowhere near to the levels that it should be. If there's a superior-tasting salad dressing/sauce/dip out there, we've yet to dunk things in it and get it all over our faces and shirts (Picture: Getty Images)

9. Theme parks

If there's one rather broad and sweeping statement that you can make about the US that's undoubtedly true, it's that Americans do things bigger and (often) better. Theme parks are a great example of this. There are excellent water parks, fairgrounds and amusement parks all over the world. It's just that all the very biggest and best are in the States. Mostly, they're in Florida, of course (Picture: Getty Images)

10. Halloween

It's tempting to say that Halloween is such a big thing in the US because they came up with the idea. Trouble is, that'd be wrong. Of course, it's a Pagan festival at its core. But still, it was the Americans who really decided to take the original Celtic Pagan 'Samhain' festival and build a new festival - with its own traditions - around it. Halloween's an increasingly big deal in the global calendar, but no one does it quite like the Americans. You've never truly experienced Halloween until you've been in the US for October 31. It's basically an annual shakedown of terror, harassment and eventual tooth decay (Picture: Getty Images)

11. Friendliness

Alright, so New Yokers might give you a hard time. And people from Boston have got a very 'particular' attitude to politeness. But for 95% of the country, there's a warm openness to the people that makes visiting the USA and interacting with folk a genuine pleasure (Picture: Getty Images)

12. Comedy

There's a strange lie that permeates global pop culture which tells us all that the British are the funniest people around; that their comedy is best. Their funny films, TV shows and comedians are - apparently - elite. This was, perhaps, true many decades ago. But Monty Python was a long time ago. In truth, it's American movies, TV comedies and stand-ups that dominate the comedy sphere (Picture: FX Networks/Everett/Shutterstock)

13. Access for the disabled

Most countries try their best to make public spaces as accessible as possible for disabled people. They'll have their own laws and statutes around it. But very, very few are as comprehensive as The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. For 34 years, it's ensured that buildings are all fully accessible and made America world leaders in the field (Picture: Getty Images)

14. Friendly waiting staff

There's an argument to be made that the service in America is so good because of the tipping culture that exists. Even if that's true (which, let's face it, it almost certainly is...), you still get high quality service. Staff are friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, attentive and quick. None of this surly, shoulder-shrugging continental Europe nonsense (Picture: Getty Images)

15. Cinnabon

Cinnamon rolls are tasty. Seriously tasty. People love them too, that's why there are so many of them in malls and airports across America. They have slowly begun popping up in other countries but not with the frequency of the US. Over there, the average person is never more than 100ft away from a Cinnabon. That fact may be entirely made up, but you get our point (Picture: Getty Images)

16. Taking BBQs seriously

Barbecuing food isn't just an American thing. Just ask any Koreans, Australians, South Africans, Argentinians or Brazilians you may know. Charring hunks of meat and scoffing it down is a worldwide pursuit. But there's a particular love and care that goes into the smoking and preparation that makes the US world leaders (or certainly up there in the rankings). The US takes BBQ seriously. And it shows (Picture: Getty Images)

17. Great Mexican food

Look. We get it. Mexico is - clearly - the best place to go if you want authentic Mexican food. But with just shy of 2,000 miles of shared border between Mexico and the United States, it's little wonder that Mexico's northern neighbours are pretty good at making tacos, burritos and chimichangas too. Or, at least, the Mexicans that emigrated there are, anyway (Picture: Getty Images)

18. Decent salaries

Wages in the United States of America tend to be somewhat higher than those in the rest of the world, particularly when it comes to skilled and high-paying jobs. There are a number of reasons for this, but wages tend to be higher in countries with strong economies. And the US economy is usually quite reliable (Picture: Getty Images)

19. Optimism

Travellers to the United States have long been amazed by the unbridled optimism of its citizens. Studies have even shown that Americans are more generally upbeat about the future than their counterparts in other rich western countries, supporting the stereotype of The Optimistic American. And it's something everyone else admires (Picture: Getty Images)

20. National parks

Of course, the world is blessed with beauty everywhere. But in terms of officially designated, preserved and maintained 'national parks', no other country comes close to the States. There's Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, the Everglades, Grand Teton, Death Valley, North Cascades, the Rockies… The list goes on (Picture: Getty Images)

21. A/C

When a heatwave hits in the US, they're equipped for it. The fact that air conditioning is something that comes as standard pretty much across the country is a thing of beauty when the temperature rises. Most of the rest of the world, even many hotter countries, have been slow to adopt the 'A/C everywhere' approach. Spells of intense heat across Europe are often unbearable, with millions relying on ineffective desk fans and fanning themselves theatrically with folded-up newspapers instead of the cool blasts of chilly air that Americans are used to (Picture: Getty Images) This article was originally published in May 2024