Traveling to another country can be an eye-opening experience. Different languages, different foods, different customs and, apparently, different opinions about how we're supposed to behave in a restaurant.

BuzzFeed recently highlighted some American habits that can leave people in other countries scratching their heads.

And honestly, if you think some American habits are confusing overseas, wait until they meet somebody from Michigan who just drove through a construction zone.

"I'll Do the..."

One complaint is Americans saying, "I'll do the..." when ordering food.

As in, "I'll do the chicken."

Apparently, that's confusing.

Here in Michigan, we're just trying to get our coney dog before somebody changes lanes without signaling.

Others apparently don't like when Americans say "gimme" when ordering.

For the record, "Gimme a Vernors" seems perfectly reasonable in Michigan.

Why Isn't My Food Here Yet?

Another complaint is that Americans expect restaurant service to be immediate.

This might be true.

We're used to checking the menu, ordering, eating and getting the check before we've completely forgotten why we came in.

Michigan has its own version of this.

If you've been waiting 20 minutes for your food, you don't necessarily complain.

You just start wondering whether your server got trapped behind an orange construction barrel.

We Clean Our Plates

Apparently, finishing every last bite can be considered strange in some cultures.

In places such as Iran, an empty plate can suggest that your host didn't give you enough food.

Meanwhile, in Michigan, an empty plate usually means:

"Yep. Those were good. You got any more?"

Especially if we're talking about Coney dogs, pizza, pasties or cider mill donuts.

Don't Pat People on the Head

One person specifically warned against patting someone on the head in another country.

Fair enough.

But this raises an important Michigan question:

Does this apply to dogs?

Because if there's a friendly golden retriever at a Michigan backyard party, we're probably going to pat that dog.

It's practically state law.

Americans Are Too Loud

Another complaint is that American tourists can be loud, complain about everything and expect things to work exactly the way they do back home.

We're also apparently pretty friendly.

One person said Americans smiling and chatting with strangers is actually refreshing, even though the downside is...

We're loud.

Michigan can relate.

Have you ever been inside a Michigan bar during a Lions game?

That's not "loud."

That's community broadcasting.

The Michigan Tourist Starter Pack

If somebody from another country really wants to understand Michigan culture, just give them this checklist:

• Say hello to strangers.

• Talk about the weather with everyone.

• Apologize when someone else bumps into you.

• Complain about road construction.

• Defend your favorite Coney dog.

• Give someone directions using landmarks that haven't existed since 1998.

• Say "It's not that far" when it's clearly 45 minutes away.

• And if somebody offers you a cider mill donut, take it.

That last one isn't a custom.

That's just common sense.