Americans can be a strange people with their own perspective of the world and their own idiosyncrasies

As individuals, I really like Americans. They're generous, outgoing and very friendly. But, together as a whole, they can be a strange people.

I regularly travel to the States for work and am constantly amazed by how Americans insist their way is the best, even if the rest of the world thinks different. The rest of Western civilisation tries to work within common-accepted parameters of standards - not the Yanks.

Theirs is the only country in the world where I have trouble deciding if I need a morning jacket because they insist on weather forecasts in Fahrenheit. I also have to calculate how far my business meeting is in miles because they don't want to know about kilometres.

Americans tend to see the world from their rather unique perspective. I met one guy in cowboy boots at an investor dinner who couldn't understand why cheese was offered for "dessert". In his mind, cheese is only a condiment for hamburgers. And what he referred to wasn't even real cheddar cheese. It was the stuff in plastic slices, simply called American cheese.

Naturally, no other country has any cheese-making skills. Well, except for the Swiss.

I said: "Do you mean Emmental?"

"No, I mean Swiss cheese."

Renaming everything just for their own perspective is another charming national characteristic.

When I order a salad in one of the Midwest states, there is no such thing as balsamic, Roquefort or honey Dijon vinaigrette. It's either Italian, French, ranch or - heaven forbid - thousand island dressing.

If I ask for extra virgin olive oil, I usually get a hearty laugh from the down home-waitress who replies: "Good luck finding anything extra virgin in this town, sugar!"