A great question posted by Matt over at 37Signals, Do Americans have bad taste?
He wonders:

Interesting question re: the taste of Americans. I think there’s def more of a culture of design in Europe and some parts of Asia/S America. Even little things tend to look designed. Even if it’s just a restaurant menu or signage for a bookstore. There’s an appreciation for details and things that look good.

Read the comments section too, there’s a lot of great points of view.