When I was a car rental associate attending college, I had a family come up to my counter to rent. There were three of us on, my manager, and there were counters for other companies along the entire wall so every agent could see just about everyone else.A married couple with a teenage daughter and a son clad in military gear are there. The son, very self-important is all movie soldier, comes to the front and asks about the military discount. I agree there is one, and he very properly brings out his wallet to display it - he’s giving me directions about how to deal with him as a military dude. I wasn’t going to ask but thanked him. Mom and Dad are beaming with pride.When filling out the forms for who was driving I need licenses, so he again gives me his wallet and Dad also gives me one. Telling me they are from Wisconsin, at which the teenage daughter breaks into a cheerleading routine with pretend pompoms and spells Wisconsin.Literally every agent at every counter stopped, blank faced and turned to watch what was happening. Like everything around us just stopped dead. After a second I smiled and thanked her and continued to fill in the form. I was renting to the American Dream. It was a bit surreal.There were also the hunters, looking for the biggest most macho truck or SUV, telling me at length about their booked hunting trips for bear season. Some clearly desperate for someone to say something about it. Lamenting that they could not bring their rifles. While there are plenty of hunters in Canada, and my own grandfather used to stock our freezer with it every year, they just don’t do this. The sheer display of Machismo for its own sake in case I might miss it is truly very American.Americans don’t hike. So when you run into them at National Parks and whatnot they are all geared up, but only go for like 2 kms max and usually not that. My kids and I literally walk 15–20 kms hikes in runners in the mountains for a picnic. Americans are decked out man, for a tiny walk. It is kinda cute really.Nothing terrible, and nothing wrong with it, just very much a US thing and not a Canadian thing at all. The need to put on display a shared identity in case anyone missed it, it is a bit strange. I suspect some of the strangeness of it comes from being so similar but the differences are so jarring then.