Unlimited free soda at your local McDonald's may not be the first thing you think about when selling America to tourists.But for Japanese soccer fan Rinta Goto, it was one of the more memorable parts of his short trip to Dallas for the Netherlands and Japan World Cup game on Sunday.That, along with the massive Starbucks he visited in the city and Walmart's plethora of treats (including a family-sized bag of Reese's Miniature Cups).Goto, a 24-year-old who traveled from Osaka, Japan, with his girlfriend, also told NPR that he cannot get a particular Texas Roadhouse meal out of his head.
His post on social media gushing about the "insanely good" bread and "ridiculously delicious" steak received over 200,000 views.During an interview with NPR, when Goto learned that the chain has restaurants in several countries outside the U.S., he put his head in his hands.
"Why isn't Japan on the list?" he wondered in anguish.Goto is not alone.Thousands of soccer fans swarming the U.S.
have shared their discoveries on social media.They've marveled at the array of food options, huge portion sizes and other facets of American life that many may take for granted: yellow school buses, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and sunburns on supposedly rainy days.
Even Spanish soccer star Lamine Yamal made a pit stop at Walmart, and there's been a large fan base oohing and ahhing at Buc-ee's.At a time when the United States has tense relationships with many of its overseas allies, international tourists' appreciation of American culture offers a counterpoint to the animosity between politicians.Experts in global sports and politics told NPR it's exactly what the tournament — held this year across 11 U.S.
cities, as well as sites in Mexico and Canada — is supposed to do, and it's building the soft power of the U.S."At a time when there is so much criticism and uncertainty with regard to the United States, for our country to have this unexpected windfall of people from around the world comi...