What do Americans mean when they say "The Best"?

Carlos, I’m smiling as I type this because it’s so much of all of the above! The answer can depend on a person’s age, just as one example - whether “the best” hotel should be large, or modern, or historical, or not noisy, or have a restaurant & bar, etc.

And the social media has so many lists of “The best…” that it’s silly. And yes, there’s even some “The best villages”!

For this American, “the best” - let’s take gelato, could be described as an experience where I will skip a meal in order to return back to the same shop where the flavor & texture were exquisite and the customer experience was nice. There are only a couple of shops where I would call them “the best”. “Good enough” is one that was fine for an afternoon treat, but I won’t be seeking it out to have one more as a last chance before leaving that city.

Generally, dare I say this? I think Americans might say “What’s the best…?” for travel when they don’t want to take the time themselves to research and find out where or what they might really enjoy.

It means different things to different people.
Best restaurants for some people means best food regardless of price, for others is best value (a good mix of price and quality).
Best beaches usually might mean most beautiful, for others the most accessible or the cleanest or the least crowded.
Rental car companies might mean the cheapest, for others the best service or a combination of both. Same with hotels.

That is why when in this forum people ask for "best" of, I ask to qualify what they mean by best.

It is good = es bueno
It is better = es mejor
It is the best = es lo mejor

Rated low to high,
Good
Better
Best

Carlos, I’m smiling as I type this because it’s so much of all of the above! The answer can depend on a person’s age, just as one example - whether “the best” hotel should be large, or modern, or historical, or not noisy, or have a restaurant & bar, etc.

It means different things to different people.

So on this forum it is essential that posters give sufficient background to who they are and what they like in order to recommend "the best" place for them? Unfortunately that is rare to get, many times it's just what's "the best beach in Barcelona" or "the best afternoon tea in London" without any context. That's why I have the suspicion that "the best" has a deeper unsaid meaning.

There are at least 3 restaurants in Madrid that have signs outside saying "La mejor hamburgesa en Madrid". I've joked that we should go on a cata/route to test and compare.

Your question isn't easy to answer. A couple of somewhat pessimistic thoughts: I think people sometimes ask for 'the best' just because they're intellectually lazy. (Or is that two generations of undervaluing and defunding education has left a population with miserable critical thinking skills?) Also, I think asking others for 'the best' can be a way to avoid responsibility in case of disappointment, "Carlos said it was the best tapas, but I wanted pulpo gallego and they didn't have it. Carlos gives bad advice." (Not, "Carlos answered the question I asked, but maybe I didn't ask the right question."

Thanks Scudder, I had hoped it was not like that though :-(

There are at least 3 restaurants in Madrid that have signs outside saying "La mejor hamburgesa en Madrid". I've joked that we should go on a cata/route to test and compare.

Wow those must be very authentic hamburger restaurants, as they even use the American style of advertisement lol! Madrileños have always been a bit superlative ;-)

Carlos, I am rolling eyes because it's an IMPOSSIBLE question and one I personally try to avoid. It's sort of like asking for the best BBQ joint in city ___ here in the US. You want sweet sauce? Spicy sauce? Wet mop? Dry rub? There's no single answer. I know what I like but that doesn't mean YOU will, and if I send you to a fave and you hate it, then it's not YOUR 'best'.

We can offer up all sorts of suggestions for great art museums, historical sites, and tons of fabulous architectural structures but if they come back and say, "Er, we really don't like museums, history, architecture...." then what?

So I'll press for more info that might help or skip the question entirely.

From Roberto:

It means different things to different people. That is why when in
this forum people ask for "best" of, I ask to qualify what they mean
by best.

Exactly. :O)
(Edited)

It's just a way to open a conversation. Yes it is "best" to ignore the adjective "best" when attempting to answer a question without more information. People tend to assume that you can infer what they mean, or all have the same criteria. And technically there is no way anyone can give any answer except an opinion based on their experience, since no one individual has experienced every single restaurant, hotel or whatever, in any given place, enough times to crown a place "the Best".

@ stan -That's similar to my working hypothesis, it's a conversation opener. For Americans "the best" does not mean "the best" it just means "good". So if asking "where are the best burgers in town" one expects "in our opinion where are good places to eat hamburgers" but not necessary the number 1 cheapest/tastiest/quickest/etc. hamburger place where the locals are all going. Just like "where are the best beaches" could be interpreted as "where would I go if I wanted to go to the beach myself".

Carlos, I think you're getting close, but you're not quite there yet. I think for most of us, "the best" means simply, "my favorite," or "the one I like most." "Good enough" would never qualify as "the best."

I tend to qualify my answers, because what I consider "the best hotel (for us,)" would probably not meet many peoples' standards. And conversely, what some folks consider "the best," while fancier or more expensive, would not appeal to me at all.

It's a very subjective response; try not to analyze it too much.

When someone posts about wanting the best (hotel, route, experience, etc) we Americans are as much in the dark as those of you in other countries/cultures. Because 'best' is so subjective and may mean different things to different people, we will most likely respond to the poster asking for clarification on what does 'best' look like to them - is it lowest cost, best location for sightseeing, quickest or easiest way to get somewhere, etc.?

So, there's no easy answer to your query about what Americans mean by best.

There are bests out there. The best beach break wave in SoCal is Blacks Beach. Ulysses is James Joyce's best novel. The University of Washington is the best college in the Washington State.

Best means that in the estimation of the person making the assertion the thing is better than the rest of its category. Easy enough.

Whether or not you or anyone else agrees is a different matter. Whether you or anyone else has the confidence to put a marker down is yet another.

Personally I like bests - rarely agree but like to think about relative merits. I don't see bests as some comic American foible but quite the opposite.

what do Americans mean when they say they are looking for "the best" ?

They mean and equivalent to Texas.

Mister E, my husband is from Texas, so believe me, I know what you're talking about! Thanks for the chuckle.

Ah yes everything is bigger in Texas even the egos 😆

Jane I think you're right, when Americans say what's "the best"... they actually mean what's "your favorite"...

The Best Crabs are Blue Channel Crabs, Steamed with Old Bay Spice, best eaten out doors on a table covered with newspaper, and a cold Natty BO on hand.

The best beach in America is Ruby Beach in Washington State.
The best restaurant is any LOBSTER POUND in New England.

If one is asking for the best restaurant in Munich I would understand best ranked ones in the Guide Michelin.

Does not necessarily mean best restaurant in my opinion.

4 pizza joints on the street with the following signs. Best Pizza in Town, Best Pizza in the Country, Best Pizza in the World, Best Pizza on the Block

Carlos, perfection does tend to feed the ego. So I am understanding if Texans (I'm from New York)

So on this forum it is essential that posters give sufficient background to who they are and what they like in order to recommend "the best" place for them?

No, absolutely not. You should know exactly what they are thinking "best" is, I mean their best is obviously a standard that all should be using, it's self explanatory.

Basically "best" is a completely useless term outside of a first person account, and then it only applies to that person.

There are at least 3 restaurants in Madrid that have signs outside saying "La mejor hamburgesa en Madrid". I've joked that we should go on a cata/route to test and compare.

I prefer this tactic when confronted with one of those signs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUPDRnUWeBA

Actually, I ate at a place that advertised "Worlds best Biscuits" (the doughy US type, like an English Scone, not what Americans call a Cookie). After, I wrote like a three paragraph review on some site comparing the virtues of their biscuits, and how they are not really a thing in other countries, so a world title is maybe overstated, plus, mentioned like three other places that claim the same and asked if they went head to head in a competition or if the World Biscuit Federation had judges that traveled.

The Best means, "The best that person has ever experienced." It is very subjective. I think what people really mean is it is "my favorite" so far.

I also know that people generally have "vacation euphoria" when traveling. Meals "taste" better, small hotel rooms become "quaint", "ALL" the people are warm and friendly, they "love" Americans, the tour guide was "wonderful" and then the plane ride home "stunk".

I think I have eaten gelato at the 49 "best" places in Italy or is it 59? LOL

Too funny that anyone would try to make sausage from our use of our language. Good luck with that.
In a conversational context, "the best" can refer to a personal favorite. It can also be used to describe something as enjoyable. "How is the steak at XXX. Oh, it's the best. They really know how to cook a steak." That's higher praise than "not too bad".
There is nothing analytical or scientific about it...a data free opinion has been given.

If I am considering new tires for my Porsche, the best is something I can quantify, and I will.
Which are the most grippy? Speed rating? What is the wear factor? Sypes, or no sypes. Track tires or street tires. Cost?
The best in that context is something that I can quantify, and I will.

The best does not mean good enough, it means "the best". There is no diminutive.

also know that people generally have "vacation euphoria" when
traveling. Meals "taste" better, small hotel rooms become "quaint",
"ALL" the people are warm and friendly, they "love" Americans, the
tour guide was "wonderful" and then the plane ride home "stunk".

Great point certainly true. The shine wears off eventually if you travel enough and for long enough. I've returned to places that I remembered as being great to find that they were pretty average.

If one is asking for the best restaurant in Munich I would understand best ranked ones in the Guide Michelin. Does not necessarily mean best restaurant in my opinion.

@Mignon - so very interesting, that's exactly how I've always thought of term "the best", I suspect that must be the general European interpretation of the meaning.

Ok so I think I've figured it out:

For a European "the best" means something that is the most distinguished, generally acknowledged by the majority, usually rubberstamped by an esteemed authority, like the Guide Michelin. Of course that does not necessarily mean one's own personal preference. It's less emotional and more objective.

For a American "the best" means one's own personal favorite regardless of popular opinion. That's why it's used so much more freely in the USA, it's just a byword for preference. It's more closely tied to individual experiences, emotions, and sentimental value, rather than relying on external validation. For example Rick Steves' tour "Best of Europe" just means Rick Steves' "Favorites of Europe".

I hypothesize that this goes back to the "Individualism vs Collectivism" cultural differences that often crops up between the USA and Europe.

When some stranger posts on a travel forum and asks for the best hotel in a certain place, my answer usually runs along the line of -- Do you mean the most affordable? The most comfortable beds? The location closest to the tourist sites? The most food at the free breakfast?

"Best" is way too subjective to give an answer because it means different things to different people. It's almost on par with people asking for the five top things to do in xxxxxx. Doesn't that depend on what kinds of things you like to do? Why should I recommend what I like to do without knowing anything about you?

To me, anyone asking for recommendations for "the best" is just wanting to skip doing their own research.

naalehuretiree; and when an answer begins with "the best hotel is ..... " that implies that they are intimately familiar with every hotel in the city. When an answer begins like that, I skip to the next response.

@Carlos

This is really interesting. I think my expertise is not sufficient to judge whether something is the best. Maybe that's typically European - I can't say.

when an answer begins with "the best hotel is ..... " that implies that they are intimately familiar with every hotel in the city. When an answer begins like that, I skip to the next response.

Oh yes I fully agree.
How can anyone know every hotel or restaurant. Besides, someone else can't even know what's best for me.

Here we are again with my perception that 'the best' needs confirmation from outside. So I assume that the best hotel in a city is officially named as such - it's usually the one with the most stars I would think. And if you were to ask me what is the best hotel in Munich, then I would say that with one of the 5 star hotels you will surely get one of the best. I can't tell you the best among the 5 star hotels because I haven't stayed in any before.

Obviously we see and hear this sort of question all the time. And I think the meaning is as varied as the number of people asking the question….. But this makes me wonder: Is this a uniquely American sort of question?

@TexasTravelmom

Can't tell if this is uniquely American because I've never looked into a European traval forum.

But usually when some Germans asking me for recommendation they ask 'what did you like most?' or 'what is your favorite place to go?'.

Mignon, that sounds like much clearer (and better) language to use!

I like the "problem of empiricism" vibe of this thread! No one can say anything is the best if they haven't experienced every example of the category. And even so, can they be really certain that there is not some Black Swan Inn that Google is not finding? Of course not. I, and mostly everyone else in the city, might think that Un Bien is the best Cuban sandwich in Seattle, but maybe some abuela is running Bocadillas Cisne Negro out of her garage! One can never be sure.

Also vibing with the postmodernism! How can there be a transference of standardized criterion when we all live in our own little sector of the Foucauldian heterotopia? One person's Four Seasons is another's sheet of dirty cardboard in a traffic circle! Maybe some particularly lonely people like bed bugs!

Best is clearly a puffy American delusion that we express with both characteristic bravado and naivete. Best is best avoided. Oh no sorry! I did it again right there didn't I ;-) No one can say if best is best avoided for the reasons outlined above.

Just having some fun, pointing out that one can ride slippages to the evaporation of any sorts of judgments or standards at all. I don't necessarily buy it wholesale if you couldn't already tell by my I'm With Wittgenstein tee-shirt 😁

Jane I think you're right, when Americans say what's "the best"...
they actually mean what's "your favorite"...

That is my interpretation as well. If I can figure out the proper wording I'm tempted to start a post as an experiment to how people answer a 'best' question.

Well, to my surprise, Oxford says:

best
/best/
adjective
of the most excellent, effective, or desirable type or quality.

My emphasis on "of the" which is a different meaning than "the". Leaving room for the statenent to be used even if all options hadn't been investigated.

Still, the topic of "best" I would think requires a tight definition if the statement is to have any value. "The best hotel" vs. "the best 4 star hotel with breakfast included located on lower Main Street".

The fact that it's subjective I think is self evident.

My usual first response to a "what...... is best" question is to ask the poster to define what they mean by "best". I think a lot of the time they have no idea, other than "they know it when they see it". It's a useless question because unless the person defines the term it is left up to the responder's interpretation.

The fact that it's subjective I think is self evident.

Yup, 👍 definitely the best way to think about it ;)

Language is squashy in general, usually good enough to get the job done if you don't poke at it too hard.

Philosophers of language process this stuff with mind numbing complexity, but Wittgenstein, a post-structuralist linguist himself, would tell a cheeky little story roughly recreated below when communicating with civilians on the subject:

I left Derrida's lecture on postmodern semiotics trembling at the idea that no word pointed at any specific idea. Stopped at the fruit stand and asked the vendor for four red apples. He handed me a paper bag and I handed him the money. Up in my apartment I opened the bag and there were four red apples inside. Hmmm.

For Americans, I think the "Best" means the best fit. In other words the best logical choice, at the time. Its not the best as in the best in the World, or the best they have ever experienced anywhere else. It was the best, considering all the alternatives in that area.

And Americans should use qualifiers, which mostly they don't. Properly, they should say something like, "It was the Best Value," or it was the "Best Location," or "Best Viewing Site."

And then give a context as to why that place, meal, or thing, earned a "Best" endorsement.

We no longer follow any tourist guides as to "Best" recommendations.

There are at least 3 restaurants in Madrid that have signs outside
saying "La mejor hamburgesa en Madrid".

There is a family-owned Italian restaurant in my home-town. One of their patrons drew a picture for them showing 3 buildings in a row. The first building was huge, had flags and flashing lights and the sign said, "The best Italian food in the world". The second next to it was a little smaller, less flashy and the sign said, "The best Italian food in town." The third was a small, quaint building with the family's name and the sign said, "The best Italian food on the block."

I’m an American and I will say that not only does “the best” mean different things to different people, it is a somewhat fluid description depending on context. I confess to many google searches that begin with “what is the best _______?” For example “what is the best part of town” might mean the safest or the prettiest or the area with the most restaurants. Just depends. It seems that a lot of people use it as a catchall.

I can’t resist commenting on “Village.” I didn’t see the post on that or responses but I have different perspectives on that as well. In the context of Europe I imagine a village as a small quaint town, maybe with narrow streets, medieval architecture and dotted with shops and cafes. I also spend a lot of time in Alaska. “Village” has a fairly specific definition there. There are a number of cities and towns like anywhere else, but villages are rural, usually inhabited primarily by natives and are often lacking modern infrastructure.