An obvious influence is on eating habits. The large number of Italian, Chinese, French, Greek, and Japanese restaurants suggests that Americans are extremely fond of ethnic foods. Another example is foreign automobiles. Since World War II, many Americans have come to prefer driving cars made in Germany, Japan, England, Italy, and Sweden instead of those produced by Detroit automakers. Part of this preference has to do with the prestige of owning an expensive imported car, though much of it is a desire for better-made automobiles.
Sports offer another instance of cross-cultural influence.
Skiing, which originated in Norway, is extremely popular with many Americans and has come to support a major tourist industry in Colorado, Vermont, Utah, and other states. Soccer, or association football, long the most popular spectator sport in the world, has also finally caught on in the United States to the extent that there is a professional soccer league and the game is played in high schools and colleges. Unity and Diversity Regional differences in the United States developed long before the country was tied together by mass communications and rapid transportation. They have persisted, though in a modified way, into the late 20th century. Regional dialects of English persist, especially in the Northeast and in the South.