When we first decamped to these shores in the early years of the 21st-century, I used to entertain visiting family and friends by bringing them to the local Walmart. Such a weird and entertaining rush to amble around a supersized shop where it was possible to buy nappies, a pint of milk, underwear, a set of tyres and a hunting rifle. Other times, I ferried them to a supermarket boasting an aisle of frozen desserts that included a dedicated freezer full of doggie ice cream. Photographs were often taken of these curios. A good time was had by all marvelling at the American retail experience sensory overload.Those days have been brought back to mind by the natives’ delighted reaction to foreigners traversing the continent for World Cup matches, discovering anew the strange and wonderful culinary delights this country has to offer. Chief among the celebrity tourists has been Freddy the German, as he has become known and loved for documenting his experiences of the smorgasbord of junk food options available to travellers on the road. Having set out merely to track his progress across the deep south on X, he ended up going viral, posting his way into a country’s hearts.From Waffle House, a late-night staple of rock bands seeking comfort vittles on the road, to Buc-Ees, a sprawling chain of service stations catering for every possible whim, to Taco Bell, church of the teen stoner in search of sustenance, Freddy has sung hymns of praise to the American devotion to convenience. In eating and so much else. And the locals have reacted in the same slightly over-the-top-way that Irish people do when a celebrity such as Jim Furyk or Bill Murray tells us hurling is great. Aw shucks, you didn’t need to say that. We all love the approval of the outsider. Even if he’s waxing lyrical about eye-popping portions of chicken fingers at Raising Cane’s.“We found another surreal place on our way,” wrote Freddy of the moment he and his companions discovered Bass Pro Shops, a store the size of Brown Thomas catering only for outdoor pursuits. “I know some people will say I’m too positive about everything I see, but this place was crazy. They had a shooting range in the store. They were selling rifles in there.”At first glance, Freddy’s travelogue becoming a source of serious national pride might be construed as evidence of low self-esteem. Having been through so much of late, perhaps America is at such a pitiful ebb right now that it has overreacted like a struggling restaurant grateful for an effusive Yelp review? It was telling that the moment he started throwing out plaudits, he received free tickets to all manner of events, including a Houston Astros Major League Baseball game, which he loved.Scotland fans have ben charming locals in Boston. Photograph: Joseph PRezioso/AFP via Getty Images Nothing makes people around here feel better about themselves than somebody from far away being enchanted by the national pastime. That may also explain why the Tartan Army’s casual fling with Boston turned into a full-blown love affair across the early stages of the tournament. Among other feats, the men in kilts serenaded a bemused Fenway Park with a raucous rendition of Super John McGinn as thousands of them watched the struggling Red Sox versus the Texas Rangers. In bars and taverns across the city, their performances were no less eye-catching and novel.“They’re hot for Scots,” reported the New York Post. “Boston women who spent last week partying with charming Scottish guys in town for the World Cup are predicting a ‘baby boom’ in nine months. Single ladies were swept off their feet by Scottish soccer fans – proclaiming their chivalry and cheerful pub vibes had ‘restored their faith in men’, according to social media posts. One Beantown gal posted an image of a Photoshopped throng of babies dressed in kilts, predicting ‘Wee World Cup babies’.”If that sounds a little far-fetched, others also got carried away by the good vibes being generated by wide-eyed football fans. Clay Travis, a right-wing radio and television bloviator, turned up on Fox News one night and reckoned a few positive posts from an excited German somehow offered definitive proof of American exceptionalism.“Sometime seeing your own country through fresh eyes makes you appreciate things in a way that you’ve come to take for granted,” said Travis. “This is the greatest country in the history of the world. I have thought for a while that if everyone had to do a Mormon trip-style mission and had to go leave the country for a couple of years ... you would kiss the ground of this country when you come back. It’s so much better than almost everyone else.“And this guy, this Freddy individual ... he’s just seeing all of the incredible experiences many of us take for granted, SEC football, Bass Pro Shops, Buck-Ees. So many super cool experiences with all of the wealth and opportunity here. I love that the people of the south have welcomed Freddy so much and I would encourage anybody out there if fans of the world come into your county welcome them ...”Soon, Freddy will return to his wretched home country, where he will just have to tolerate stuff such as healthcare that won’t bankrupt him if he gets seriously ill, tuition-free university education, five weeks annual vacation, up to three years paid parental leave and greater life expectancy. Just another poor European for Americans to pity.