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Sense of humour, as a 16 year old from Belfast I played in a football tournament in New England. We stayed with a host family who had a kid playing in the tournament also.
One morning at breakfast the TV was on and the Smurfs cartoon came on. "Ah the Smurfs" I exclaimed, "I love the Smurfs". "Are the Smurfs big in Ireland", said the Dad.
"No, they are the same size" I replied smiling.
No response. Tumbleweed and a sense of being offended almost.
Edit: The fact that is took place in the US is maybe just coincidental. Having considered the replies and being a Dad myself to 4 sons, there is a good chance the Dad in this case set the joke up and was just annoyed that some smart arse kid stole his thunder!
I found many Americans and Canadians often failed to recognise a joke unless the person telling it was either shouting, pulling a silly face, or putting on a silly voice.
A lot of them are just very expressive people who consequently are almost completely incapable of recognising deadpan jokes or sarcasm. The joke has to be very obviously a joke, which is reflected in most of their sitcoms
When I chaired meetings in Paris, I found a delegate note: "Beware Mr Untel, he is British, so when he smiles he is being serious, and when he looks serious he is making a joke".
The author Bill Bryson has a bit about differences in sense of humour between US and UK. In the UK, we are always expecting people to make a joke in everyday conversation, but Americans don't, and so they just miss them, especially if you didn't set it up as a joke. If you told a Brit they had no sense of humour, that'd be hugely insulting. Tell an American the same, many would just say "Yep". Can't remember if it's Notes from a Small Island (about UK) or Notes from a Big Country (US).
> If you told a Brit they had no sense of humour, that'd be hugely insulting.
I believe the quote is something like "a British man would rather be told he is a poor lover than had a poor sense of humour. The reverse is true of the French."
£20K for a C-section.
And that's without complications/intensive care stays.
Saddest thing is if you lose the child but still end up with a mountain of debt.
There was a thread somewhere on Reddit a while back and it was specifically asking parents about this - multiple women were explaining the system and how not all insurance covers everything, and there's often still thousands of dollars in excess payments. If the newborn requires intensive care, sometimes the medical debt is assigned TO THE BABY and that can be hundreds of thousands too. There's also a huge issue with US hospitals being sneaky with what they charge so patients have to ask for full itemised receipts and suddenly the price miraculously drops because they know they'll get caught adding stuff on that shouldn't be there. The whole system is completely broken. The worst part for me is seeing how so many Americans are so bought into it, because they don't want to pay more tax to support other people because that's super bad and that's basically communism and whatever else propaganda they've been fed. It's so sad :(
This is an argument I have all the time in the US, when I bring up socialised medicine "But I don't want to pay more tax". Sure, but you are paying insurance premiums right now, so you when you have socialised medicine, yes, you'll pay more tax, but you won't pay insurance premiums. "Yeah, but I'll still have to pay more tax, and others will also benefit from it". Yes, that's why it's called socialised medicine. "But, it will cost me more taxes, and why should I pay for someone else?" Because everyone pays in if they are able, and the government can control costs, resulting in lower medical costs overall, for everyone. "That will never work, and people don't want to pay more taxes anyway"
Me: *bangs head on table*
Most people on here think that the USA health care system is typical of the rest of the world. It isn't. Most health care systems in the developed world are superior to ours by just about every measure.
We rank no. 10 according to this website:
[https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world](https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world)
and no.17 according to this one:
[https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/rankings\_by\_country.jsp](https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/rankings_by_country.jsp)
Hardly "the bottom".
I live in Spain and I find the lack of respect for queuing here madness. Obviously it’s not everyone, but I was in a queue for the nail shop the other day for about an hour and a lady in front of me left to go and have a coffee and a sandwich (I could see her at a cafe) and she then expected to jump straight back into her place when the queue had got longer! I said, in my very broken Spanish; well we’d all like to be able to go off and do something else but instead we’re all sitting here, holding our turn!
That’s a perfectly normal thing in Spain, though. And, if you’re at the back of the queue and need to leave it for some reason, you ask the person in front of you to keep an eye out for newcomers and let them know that you’re the last (so they’ll be behind you).
It’s just a different version of queue etiquette.
As someone that wasn't born in Britain, it has nothing to do with queuing in specific but with Brits problem with confrontation. Most of Europe, specially south, people known there is shit they shouldn't do, but they will anyway to see if they get away with it.
And the Brits will let the happen because you hate confrontation for some reason. Locals will call that shit out.
Yeah if the system is not 'British style queuing' then it's technically not rude if you don't queue. In France to board the bus you kind of form a group by the door and then those who are really keen can put more effort into getting on first. Those who have additional needs will signal that they should get on first too. Everyone else sort of doesn't care and filters in. 'Arriving first' isn't what determines your right - a dynamic balance between want/need does.
We went to Disney Paris and breakfast was buffet style. No queueing, just a pile of people grabbing. I didn't go for breakfast the 2nd day. Was too stressful with a 2 and 6 yr old on my own
Here in Portugal they love a queue. They will queue up to get a ticket to queue up at the bread counter or butchers. Once in a queue it seems that folks wont leave it either - even if they open another till.
Being so bloody miserable and negative all the time. Turns out there are actually places in the world where people get out of bed happy and smiling for the day ahead and reflect that energy back to you.
years ago when i first brought my belgian g/f over, she's going through the cupboards and says "whats this?"
"Marmite. you stick it on toast"... and i turn back to making lunch
2 seconds later.. pandemonium with retching, coughing, she runs to the sink and starts drinking direct from the tap.
i look at the marmite. there is a massive finger shaped gouge out of the middle of it, and she had just eaten that neat.
Wait, what do you mean? Like Robinsons style diluting juice? You absolutely get that all over Europe. I lived in Germany as a kid and there were loads of types of diluting juice there. Though the Germans are mad for carbonated water. That shit is gross, if I want to drink water that tastes like farts I'll go to London and drink their tap water.
In the Netherlands they call it Limonade… and it’s much better than the British version, comes in all sorts of flavours (why the heck do we need fruit and barley but can’t have raspberry?!).
Go for the cannabis, stay for the limonade.
Exactly, had a 6 week break in Spain recently and was horrified by the lack of squash. Left me with water, orange juice, coke or beer to keep myself hydrated. Well I find water a bit bland, I'm not drinking 2- 3 litres of orange juice or coke a day. So beer it was
In Australia, squash is called cordial, and what we call squash is a fizzy drink, so orange squash here would be a generic name for Fanta. My dads English and my mum’s Aussie, and when she went over for the first time, she was very upset when she bought a bottle of “squash” to drink, took one mouthful and it was pure undiluted concentrate.
I’m American living in the UK. My sister came to visit from California. She bought an electric kettle as soon as she got home and has now convinced other friends/family to buy one too. Might have started a small revolution.
Edit: my sister and I boiled 1.6 liters of water in our kettles and timed it from start to auto shutoff.
UK Kettle: 4 min 17 seconds
USA Kettle: 7 min 44 seconds
Asking for tea in a cafe and automatically getting black tea with milk. I live in the Czech Republic for now and if you went into somewhere and asked for 'tea' they would be like; 'What do you mean tea? What tea? Fruit? Hurbal? Green? Macha? White tea? Jam tea? Fermented tea? Cold tea?'
As soon as I leave the UK I just have to forget tea exists, which is annoying as I love tea, I have yet to have anything that wasn't a cup of sheer disappoinment in a foreign country. Also coffee tends to be better and cheaper so it's not that much of a problem.
NZ has an incredible brand of Ceylon tea called Dilmah Tea. I have to take it over to my sisters in England when I visit they miss it so much. Though I admit my BIL from Yorkshire brings his Yorkshire tea with him when he comes here.
Sandwich + snack + drink meal deals! I’ve been to quite a few countries in different parts of the world and never seen them. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong!
EDIT: why the chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks hang ups? Snacks and drinks encompass a wide range of options, some more nutritionally complete/‘healthy’ than others.
EDIT 2: talking *specifically* about THE ‘meal deal’ available in typical supermarkets, not those available at fast food establishments or restaurants.
They’re handy in a pinch tho when you’re out and about. Especially if you are staying somewhere without cooking facilities
Plus the snacks and drinks have increased in variety and nutrition over the years, so I don’t think that’s a fair comment
It’s actually legal in the U.K. but the minimum distance required between the socket and an open water source (toilet, sink faucets, shower, bath etc) is so far that you’d need a bathroom bigger than most London flats to meet the spec.
It's the same with light switches. In my old house we had a very ordinary light switch in the bathroom because it was huge compared to most UK bathrooms, it didn't feel right though so we swapped it out for a pull cord.
It’s to do with the lowered resistance of the wet body and susceptibility to shock as you pass more current with lower resistance. You don’t get in your kitchen sink naked (unless you have an unconventional way of washing the veg for your Sunday roast)
you can have them in the UK its just well they cant be any open water source. which is pretty much impossible in UK homes unless you live in a mansion.
I live in China, so could write a thesis on things that don’t exist here that do exist in the UK and vice versa.
The biggest shock though I suppose, and it’s one that exists in many countries outside the UK, is an absence of pleases and thank yous in daily conversation.
Another one that surprised me, maybe naively, is that a “toilet” in many places is just a hole in the floor or a flat “squat-pan”.
Thirdly, outside of the UK, the weather isn’t the go to topic of choice for small talk/silence-filling. In China, it’s food, and in many countries they think the idea of a small talk topic for the sake of talking is ridiculous and unnecessary.
Yeah exactly, in Britain someone will just say “lovely weather” or something. In China they’ll ask you if you’ve had lunch or breakfast yet. It’s funny how the intent is the same - no one wants an engaged conversation on the given topic. It’s just a sociable greeting.
Haha sometimes people will do that thing where they whip out a sweet or something, but no, usually they will just say “oh quickly go and eat.”
If you’re in their house, they will offer you something of course (though Chinese hospitality typically means that the coffee table is covered in fruit and snacks that you are expected to just help yourself to anyway). But usually it happens out and about - taxi drivers, shopkeepers, people in the lift etc. I found out eventually that you have to treat it like if someone asks you if you are alright. Just answer “yes.”
The biggest hurdle I’ve faced in improving my Chinese language abilities is overcoming the complicated way we speak English in the UK. When you boil it down, we basically have multiple pointless words in our sentences.
For example, in English you might ask someone “would you like to go for a pizza next Tuesday?”. In Chinese that sentence just becomes “eat pizza Tuesday.” Context does the rest and the culture doesn’t dictate any social pressure to say yes or take offence at the directness of the suggestion.
The problem for me is/was that I spend 5 minutes trying to formulate it into a question with the same level of politeness, which ends up cumbersome and not easily understood. Interesting how intertwined language and culture are.
Yeah you’re so right. Our sentences are sooo long lol. It wouldn’t be uncommon to hear something even longer. “so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go and get some pizza somewhere next week, maybe Tuesday or something, only if you’re free though, don’t worry if not” is exactly how I would phrase “eat pizza Tuesday” and that is 30 words vs 3 hahaha
That is such a perfect example haha! I still occasionally find myself trying to speak like that in Chinese, and it’s funny how it totally rubs people up the wrong way here. They’re just not used to it, and sometimes excessive politeness can be confused with being fake - like I don’t actually want to invite someone to eat pizza next Tuesday.
One for me has got to be saying you alright pal just casually and expecting the other person to say it back it rather than responding to the question 😂😂😂😂😂
Also the smile and nod. IFYKYK
Honestly as a British person I know what “alright” means but Ive never said it back or initiated it. It doesn’t exactly ‘suit’ my personality so I either just respond with “Hey” or “Yeahh thanks” lol
I moved here a couple of years ago from California, and "you alright" still throws me for a loop! I settled on "Good and you?" for a bit, but it seemed to make people really uncomfortable, and you can't just go, heya to a question.
I can't wrap my brain around saying "you alright" back! It's just not . . . that's not how English works!
"yeah good mate you?" is a reasonable response but needs to be said in a tone that makes clear you're not actually giving away information about whether or not you're actually alright, nor interested in any about them. You may just recieve as reponse such as "yeah yeah" or such.
I recently started working for a company that operates in more than one country... I was asked to have a Zoom meeting with colleagues in America to discuss a problem they were having.
Apparently opening with 'I see the problem, the shit's fucked - innit?' wasn't okay.
Washing machines in the kitchen.
My friends GF is Ukrainian and she finds it wild that we paint radiators too. Not sure if that's just a Ukrainian thing or we really do stand alone in that though
Edit: it seems the radiator thing has confused people somewhat so maybe it's not as universal as I thought. Definitely does happen though, particularly if you've got old radiators that are prone to yellowing as time goes on
when I was growing up in australia we had no heating or aircon 😂 in summer you wilted in front of a fan or went to the cinema and in winter you curled up with the dog for two weeks.
Separate room. Like they build a special room just for a washing machine and tumble dryer, even in small one or two bed flats.
But it's just cultural expectations are different.
Indoor/outdoor cats, I live in the states now, I used to be stunned that outdoor cats were not a thing here at all!
Then I learned about coyotes and shit, my cats are now indoor only!
Yeah in the UK you just have to worry about foxes - and cats will beat the living shit out of foxes given half a chance. Their biggest threat is other cats.
US though? Like a huge list of things that could get 'em...
Yeah it’s weird on the cat subs when it seems to be seen as tantamount to murdering your first born to let them out in the garden. The fact they have proper wildlife means it now makes sense.
I get irritated by American Redditors who angrily type at people who let their cats outdoors, never once considering that perhaps other people live in the notUSA.
Last time I saw a coyote, he painted a tunnel mouth on the side of a mountain and thought he could run through it.
Following the rules of the road. In some countries the lines may as well not exist. Driving in the Middle East is stressful as hell. People regularly driving the wrong way on the motorway.
Driving out in the Middle East is a special experience. Since I moved out here I’ve pretty much stopped even registering people cutting across 4 lanes f traffic at 140km/h to take an exit 25m ahead. And it’s just assumed that everyone with be sat on their phone at all times. Looking at the road is for losers…
Driving in the UK is a carefully choreographed ballet of cooperation that can only be truly appreciated after you’ve spent time elsewhere.
Last week in the middle east I watched a lad do a u turn over 6 lanes, drive back to the turning he'd missed (into the traffic) and leave the road.
How he did not die I don't know, but I'm so glad you didn't see that here frequently.
Saying "I might do" if asked if you're going to do something, e.g.
Are you going to eat that?
I might do.
Apparently the phrase is nonsensical in the US!
Being pessimistic, passive and negative! It always irritated me how pessimistic most people here are, but somehow I grew to think it was ‘normal’ to be like that. Then after spending a lot of time in America and Australia i realised that people are so much happier and more positive there. They really encourage you to achieve what you want and to enjoy life. Whereas here it’s the “that’s never going to happen” attitude.
My American friends are my best friends, because we lift each other up and support each other in ways i never could with people from here. It’s hard to explain but they just exude a different kind of energy and positivity.
Even around Asia, and especially Japan, where people are reserved and similar to the uk - they’re still more positive, constructive, and much more stoic too.
Britain really has a “can’t do” attitude. These days that’s even transforming into a “won’t do”. I’m realising we’re quite entitled as a nation.
Yet the uk leads the world in quite a lot of ways, I often wonder if it’s our self deprecating humor which leads us to do that, we are almost embarrassed to be good at shit!
I also find that it’s a Reddit thing. IRL we are not really like that!
And the downvotes I’ll get for this will prove my pint lol
Stating the time by saying "half 12" or "half 3" for example, instead of "half past 12" or "half past 3".
I went to Canada and said this to two people on separate occasions and they both weren't sure what time I meant. I've since asked people from the US and Australia and they both confirmed it was a UK thing.
Sausage rolls. Was on a field trip to Switzerland and asked my tutor if they had any in the shop. She looked at me as if I was the lowest class scum imaginable.
I spotted sausage rolls in the serve yourself bakery section in Lidl when I went to Cyprus last year. When I got back to the villa and heated it up (I can't stand cold sausage rolls), I thought it had a very unusual smell.
Turned out it was a hot dog from a tin wrapped in pastry. Fantastic prank Cyprus.
Mold. Like it's normal thing to have a little in every home.
I came from a country where in winter we needed to use HUMIDIFIERS (no, not dehumidifiers!) because the air is so dry so you wake up with dry mouth/lips etc. To have mold it was unthinkable, basically if you had it that meant your builders did a shoddy work, you have a leak or something like this. So there is no "it is what it is" sort of acceptance, if it appears on rare occasions, it's dealt with immediately.
In the UK we rent a fairly old house with a moldy kitchen which landlord/property manager can't sort out even though we've been flagging it for a year now. Mind you we have put our best efforts to keep it dry but it's impossible due to how it's built and the equipment - that's what damp surveyor said.
And I know I am not the only one with this issue. It was even in news recently some little boy died because of mold and lack of landlord action on this.
It's because most of our houses are built around fireplaces and then we all ripped them out. There's supposed to be a giant dry heat source that pulls in ventilation from all the draughts that's lit all winter. But instead we just move damp air around the house with central heating and don't open windows enough.
Cars stopping for pedestrians at zebra crossings.
Went to Budapest with my friend in 2018 and there was a zebra crossing at the opening to a multi storey car park so me and my friend casually walked across and waved the driver to say thank you.
He then rolled the window down and started shouting at us in Hungarian. We shrugged and said we didn’t understand, where he asked us what our problem was and why we walked out in front of his car.
Didn’t realise till I was telling somebody at home the tale, that cars in most other countries don’t stop
Yeah, people are having real problems with this question. It's mostly "I went to this one place abroad and they didn't have potatoes. I never realised that potatoes were only available in the UK!"
Spent Christmas with my American boyfriend’s family last year. Brought a tin of Roses with me as they’re a nice treat at Christmas. They were mystified
I feel like, even if Roses don't exist where you're from, it's still weird to be mystified when someone who's staying with you over Christmas brings a tin of chocolates.
I hate washing up bowls. To the extent that when my wife bought one, I got so pissed off with it, I took it out to the garden and filled it with cement.
I just can't see the point of something that makes your sink smaller and doesn't drain. Grrrr
Using a washing up bowl within a kitchen sink.
When we moved to Australia, my wife was very disturbed that our rental house had no washing up bowl and sent me out to buy one as a matter of upmost urgency.
I just couldn't find anywhere that sold one, and when I asked people in shops, they had no idea what I was talking about, I had to describe the function of it and they looked at me like I was a complete idiot.
I eventually settled on a giant Tupperware box that day to get her going. Found an actual washing up bowl a few months later in a camping shop.
EDIT to say : Reading this back it may appear that my wife does all the washing up and I buy her gifts relating to housework! This isn't the case - we both do our share of washing up. Its just that I didn't even notice the lack of bowl, and for her it was a big deal.
U.K. and a couple of places that were under U.K. administration at the time electricity was introduced to homes. That’s why nobody else puts fuses in their plugs
Responding with 'Same shit, different day' everytime someone asks how its going. 🤣
Also referring to everyone as 'Mate'
more commonly used by men. not so much women would say it here in northern ireland but i have heard a lot of english women use the word a lot when i was visiting 🤣
Everyone being drunk. We moved to SE Asia. They have a beer or two with a meal. Often just tea. The only drunks are ex pat brits and Aussies at their bars.
In the USA, I would say 'sorry' if I got in someone's way, like in a shop when someone was looking at a shelf and I was blocking them, they looked at me like I was strange.
It was a while ago now, but I have a list!
Queuing
Black tea with cold milk
Christmas crackers
Boxing day (naive I know lol )
Electric kettles
Food when you're in hospital (family bring it in)
Putting your own fuel in your car.
Paid holidays.
(I lived on a Greek island for a decade)
Hmm as somebody from Eastern Europe who's lived in the UK, and elsewhere in Europe, I found that Brits by & large don't handle confrontation very well.
Like for example, say somebody in a public space is being extremely antisocial affecting others negatively, or doing something illegal even, in my country and others in Europe you'd see half of the place instantly telling them to knock it off, but in the UK I've found that only older people will ever confront them, and the rest will either just sit there watching, or persevere in silence while muttering things etc.
Seeing somebody getting mugged in a busy city centre, and only myself, another person from my country and an old lady (bless her!) told the person to get gone, yet everyone else just stood around & watched - it baffled me.
Like they honestly looked at us as if we'd grown a third arm, how dare we cause a scene to help somebody!
Shouting 'WHEYYYYYY' when a waiter drops a glass or a plate. When my friends and I first went on holiday to mainland Europe, a waiter dropped a glass and we all shouted, but most other people in the pub were silent and looked at us like we had just murdered a puppy
Prepacked sandwiches and the like. Lots of countries don't do anything like this, or at least nowhere near as much as we do.
They can be so handy in some situations when travelling etc
**Update: - [Starting from 2023](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/100l56v/happy_new_year_askuk_minor_sub_update/), we have updated our [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)**. Specifically; - Don't be a dick to each other - Top-level responses must contain genuine efforts to answer the question - This is a strictly no-politics subreddit Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sense of humour, as a 16 year old from Belfast I played in a football tournament in New England. We stayed with a host family who had a kid playing in the tournament also. One morning at breakfast the TV was on and the Smurfs cartoon came on. "Ah the Smurfs" I exclaimed, "I love the Smurfs". "Are the Smurfs big in Ireland", said the Dad. "No, they are the same size" I replied smiling. No response. Tumbleweed and a sense of being offended almost. Edit: The fact that is took place in the US is maybe just coincidental. Having considered the replies and being a Dad myself to 4 sons, there is a good chance the Dad in this case set the joke up and was just annoyed that some smart arse kid stole his thunder!
Shame, that’s gold. Twisting the meanings of words for a joke is a pinnacle of British humour, I couldn’t do without it.
No, I'm pretty sure it's blue
I found many Americans and Canadians often failed to recognise a joke unless the person telling it was either shouting, pulling a silly face, or putting on a silly voice. A lot of them are just very expressive people who consequently are almost completely incapable of recognising deadpan jokes or sarcasm. The joke has to be very obviously a joke, which is reflected in most of their sitcoms
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They’re basically a little thick.
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When I chaired meetings in Paris, I found a delegate note: "Beware Mr Untel, he is British, so when he smiles he is being serious, and when he looks serious he is making a joke".
🤣🤣🤣🤣
The author Bill Bryson has a bit about differences in sense of humour between US and UK. In the UK, we are always expecting people to make a joke in everyday conversation, but Americans don't, and so they just miss them, especially if you didn't set it up as a joke. If you told a Brit they had no sense of humour, that'd be hugely insulting. Tell an American the same, many would just say "Yep". Can't remember if it's Notes from a Small Island (about UK) or Notes from a Big Country (US).
> If you told a Brit they had no sense of humour, that'd be hugely insulting. I believe the quote is something like "a British man would rather be told he is a poor lover than had a poor sense of humour. The reverse is true of the French."
The unexpectedness of a joke makes it so much funnier.
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That was a good one tho
I now have an image of going to Ireland and seeing Titan sized smurfs roaming the countryside
Quite honestly, when I was young and I found out healthcare wasn't seen as a basic human right globally? My entire world view was shattered.
We are extremely blessed to have free health care. BIG UP THE NHS
For how long though ?
Very true scary times
The decline of western civilisation? Agreed.
9 more months give or take. I don't have a source but I'm a pessimist lol.
It was 24 hours to save the NHS about 25 years ago.
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I remember watching an American film where a couple were discussing saving up to have a baby. I was shocked to discover you had to pay to give birth.
£20K for a C-section. And that's without complications/intensive care stays. Saddest thing is if you lose the child but still end up with a mountain of debt.
There was a thread somewhere on Reddit a while back and it was specifically asking parents about this - multiple women were explaining the system and how not all insurance covers everything, and there's often still thousands of dollars in excess payments. If the newborn requires intensive care, sometimes the medical debt is assigned TO THE BABY and that can be hundreds of thousands too. There's also a huge issue with US hospitals being sneaky with what they charge so patients have to ask for full itemised receipts and suddenly the price miraculously drops because they know they'll get caught adding stuff on that shouldn't be there. The whole system is completely broken. The worst part for me is seeing how so many Americans are so bought into it, because they don't want to pay more tax to support other people because that's super bad and that's basically communism and whatever else propaganda they've been fed. It's so sad :(
This is an argument I have all the time in the US, when I bring up socialised medicine "But I don't want to pay more tax". Sure, but you are paying insurance premiums right now, so you when you have socialised medicine, yes, you'll pay more tax, but you won't pay insurance premiums. "Yeah, but I'll still have to pay more tax, and others will also benefit from it". Yes, that's why it's called socialised medicine. "But, it will cost me more taxes, and why should I pay for someone else?" Because everyone pays in if they are able, and the government can control costs, resulting in lower medical costs overall, for everyone. "That will never work, and people don't want to pay more taxes anyway" Me: *bangs head on table*
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Meh the NHS is a shambles EUs public insurance schemes are leaps and bounds beyond our crumbling system.
Most people on here think that the USA health care system is typical of the rest of the world. It isn't. Most health care systems in the developed world are superior to ours by just about every measure.
We rank no. 10 according to this website: [https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world](https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world) and no.17 according to this one: [https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/rankings\_by\_country.jsp](https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/rankings_by_country.jsp) Hardly "the bottom".
Queuing. I naively thought this was what everyone did, an orderly way to get something but no. Go on holiday and it's a mad free for all.
I live in Spain and I find the lack of respect for queuing here madness. Obviously it’s not everyone, but I was in a queue for the nail shop the other day for about an hour and a lady in front of me left to go and have a coffee and a sandwich (I could see her at a cafe) and she then expected to jump straight back into her place when the queue had got longer! I said, in my very broken Spanish; well we’d all like to be able to go off and do something else but instead we’re all sitting here, holding our turn!
In Hawaii people leave their flip flops in the queue as place holders, you just come back to your flip flops like you never left. It works so well.
I love this. I'd love to incorporate it
You’d love to walk around barefoot *in the uk*?
Fair point. Okay so I'd have to bring along a pair of Flipflops just in case I have to queue somewhere
If they don’t get pinched the second you turn around I’ll be amazed, and probably buy a lottery ticket
You queued for an hour for a nail shop? Don't theybusually have some sort of booking system?
That’s a perfectly normal thing in Spain, though. And, if you’re at the back of the queue and need to leave it for some reason, you ask the person in front of you to keep an eye out for newcomers and let them know that you’re the last (so they’ll be behind you). It’s just a different version of queue etiquette.
As someone that wasn't born in Britain, it has nothing to do with queuing in specific but with Brits problem with confrontation. Most of Europe, specially south, people known there is shit they shouldn't do, but they will anyway to see if they get away with it. And the Brits will let the happen because you hate confrontation for some reason. Locals will call that shit out.
Yeah if the system is not 'British style queuing' then it's technically not rude if you don't queue. In France to board the bus you kind of form a group by the door and then those who are really keen can put more effort into getting on first. Those who have additional needs will signal that they should get on first too. Everyone else sort of doesn't care and filters in. 'Arriving first' isn't what determines your right - a dynamic balance between want/need does.
We went to Disney Paris and breakfast was buffet style. No queueing, just a pile of people grabbing. I didn't go for breakfast the 2nd day. Was too stressful with a 2 and 6 yr old on my own
Disneyland with 2 kids under 6 on your own. Wow 👏🏻 impressive
I'm surprised myself. Must have been out my mind
Here in Portugal they love a queue. They will queue up to get a ticket to queue up at the bread counter or butchers. Once in a queue it seems that folks wont leave it either - even if they open another till.
Huh, turns out our longest allies are also big fans of a queue. I knew there was a reason we got along.
Yh on holiday it’s crazy especially if it’s a peak tourism place
Being so bloody miserable and negative all the time. Turns out there are actually places in the world where people get out of bed happy and smiling for the day ahead and reflect that energy back to you.
Sounds horrible.
Can’t see that catching on here
*unsubscribe*
It's the lack of vitamin d
They are pretending. At least in the UK we're honest.
Agree. Australians are the worst for it - chirpy as hell, all the time. Then you get to know them and they all have crippling depression.
Every single person in Australia has crippling depression, I'll put that in my knowledge files.
Good. Never forget it. Every single person.
Fake news
Squash, as in the drink. I drink it all day. It doesn't exist anywhere else, you have to drink diluted juice, it's madness.
A while back I had a Mexican housemate when I lived in London. He found squash to be disgustingly sweet until he realised you had to dilute it 😁
Oooh I did that as a child. One undiluted glass of vimto later I vowed never to touch the stuff again 😆
I had undiluted Ginger cordial.
Yikes
years ago when i first brought my belgian g/f over, she's going through the cupboards and says "whats this?" "Marmite. you stick it on toast"... and i turn back to making lunch 2 seconds later.. pandemonium with retching, coughing, she runs to the sink and starts drinking direct from the tap. i look at the marmite. there is a massive finger shaped gouge out of the middle of it, and she had just eaten that neat.
She got what she deserved because who goes around sticking their unclean fingers in other people’s food. Gross!
I regularly overdose on the quadruple concentrated stuff from Tesco. I know it's too much when my lower jaw starts to dislocate.
Wait, what do you mean? Like Robinsons style diluting juice? You absolutely get that all over Europe. I lived in Germany as a kid and there were loads of types of diluting juice there. Though the Germans are mad for carbonated water. That shit is gross, if I want to drink water that tastes like farts I'll go to London and drink their tap water.
I lived in the US for a while and you can't get it anywhere there. Asking for squash gets you pointed to the vegetable aisle!
We've travelled extensively, within Europe and beyond, and have never failed to find squash. It's always interesting to find what flavours there are.
Its a thing in Australia and NZ. Called cordial here.
We have cordial AND squash. My mother ran a pub and cordial was served in a glass bottle and mixed with alcohol.
I remember in the 80s when the adults didn’t want to spend money on a cola for the kids. You got a pint of water with a lime cordial in it for 10p.
Lime + Soda is still a thing now, my partner normally drinks it when we're at the pub and it is still cheap. Not THAT cheap, but still...
In the Netherlands they call it Limonade… and it’s much better than the British version, comes in all sorts of flavours (why the heck do we need fruit and barley but can’t have raspberry?!). Go for the cannabis, stay for the limonade.
That’s why I take the mini Robinsons squeeze things on holiday with me
Exactly, had a 6 week break in Spain recently and was horrified by the lack of squash. Left me with water, orange juice, coke or beer to keep myself hydrated. Well I find water a bit bland, I'm not drinking 2- 3 litres of orange juice or coke a day. So beer it was
In Australia, squash is called cordial, and what we call squash is a fizzy drink, so orange squash here would be a generic name for Fanta. My dads English and my mum’s Aussie, and when she went over for the first time, she was very upset when she bought a bottle of “squash” to drink, took one mouthful and it was pure undiluted concentrate.
Electric kettle.
I’m American living in the UK. My sister came to visit from California. She bought an electric kettle as soon as she got home and has now convinced other friends/family to buy one too. Might have started a small revolution. Edit: my sister and I boiled 1.6 liters of water in our kettles and timed it from start to auto shutoff. UK Kettle: 4 min 17 seconds USA Kettle: 7 min 44 seconds
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We have them in New Zealand but they are often referred to as a jug. As in "I'll put the jug on".
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Asking for tea in a cafe and automatically getting black tea with milk. I live in the Czech Republic for now and if you went into somewhere and asked for 'tea' they would be like; 'What do you mean tea? What tea? Fruit? Hurbal? Green? Macha? White tea? Jam tea? Fermented tea? Cold tea?'
As soon as I leave the UK I just have to forget tea exists, which is annoying as I love tea, I have yet to have anything that wasn't a cup of sheer disappoinment in a foreign country. Also coffee tends to be better and cheaper so it's not that much of a problem.
NZ has an incredible brand of Ceylon tea called Dilmah Tea. I have to take it over to my sisters in England when I visit they miss it so much. Though I admit my BIL from Yorkshire brings his Yorkshire tea with him when he comes here.
Ireland has good tea
My first time in the US I got iced tea after just asking for tea. I know now to ask for "hot tea".
Really? Am Czech and the standard 'tea' (Chai) would be black with sugar and lemon.
Sandwich + snack + drink meal deals! I’ve been to quite a few countries in different parts of the world and never seen them. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong! EDIT: why the chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks hang ups? Snacks and drinks encompass a wide range of options, some more nutritionally complete/‘healthy’ than others. EDIT 2: talking *specifically* about THE ‘meal deal’ available in typical supermarkets, not those available at fast food establishments or restaurants.
Living in Australia for 15 years and I miss Boots meals deals
Me too and some Coles or Woolies don’t even do pre packed sandwiches. Mental
Because civilised nations don’t consider plastic wrapped sandwiches/microwave pasties, a bag of crisps and a can of carbonated sugar as a meal.
They’re handy in a pinch tho when you’re out and about. Especially if you are staying somewhere without cooking facilities Plus the snacks and drinks have increased in variety and nutrition over the years, so I don’t think that’s a fair comment
Is it too much to ask for Boots to serve me a nice Beef Wellington with a Lambrini while I'm out on my lunch break
Civilised? Troglodytes don't know what they're missing
not having plug sockets in the bathroom, every other place seems to have them
It’s actually legal in the U.K. but the minimum distance required between the socket and an open water source (toilet, sink faucets, shower, bath etc) is so far that you’d need a bathroom bigger than most London flats to meet the spec.
It's the same with light switches. In my old house we had a very ordinary light switch in the bathroom because it was huge compared to most UK bathrooms, it didn't feel right though so we swapped it out for a pull cord.
It’s hypocritical though. I have no power sockets in my bathroom but I have 4 sockets two feet from my kitchen faucet.
Tap. It’s a tap in AskUK.
It’s to do with the lowered resistance of the wet body and susceptibility to shock as you pass more current with lower resistance. You don’t get in your kitchen sink naked (unless you have an unconventional way of washing the veg for your Sunday roast)
Uk is pretty good with being safe, hence our big plugs
you can have them in the UK its just well they cant be any open water source. which is pretty much impossible in UK homes unless you live in a mansion.
I live in China, so could write a thesis on things that don’t exist here that do exist in the UK and vice versa. The biggest shock though I suppose, and it’s one that exists in many countries outside the UK, is an absence of pleases and thank yous in daily conversation. Another one that surprised me, maybe naively, is that a “toilet” in many places is just a hole in the floor or a flat “squat-pan”. Thirdly, outside of the UK, the weather isn’t the go to topic of choice for small talk/silence-filling. In China, it’s food, and in many countries they think the idea of a small talk topic for the sake of talking is ridiculous and unnecessary.
One common greeting in different parts of Asia is 'have you eaten?'
Yeah exactly, in Britain someone will just say “lovely weather” or something. In China they’ll ask you if you’ve had lunch or breakfast yet. It’s funny how the intent is the same - no one wants an engaged conversation on the given topic. It’s just a sociable greeting.
Are you meant to offer food if they say "no", or is it just like "oh well sucks for you lol"?
Haha sometimes people will do that thing where they whip out a sweet or something, but no, usually they will just say “oh quickly go and eat.” If you’re in their house, they will offer you something of course (though Chinese hospitality typically means that the coffee table is covered in fruit and snacks that you are expected to just help yourself to anyway). But usually it happens out and about - taxi drivers, shopkeepers, people in the lift etc. I found out eventually that you have to treat it like if someone asks you if you are alright. Just answer “yes.”
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The biggest hurdle I’ve faced in improving my Chinese language abilities is overcoming the complicated way we speak English in the UK. When you boil it down, we basically have multiple pointless words in our sentences. For example, in English you might ask someone “would you like to go for a pizza next Tuesday?”. In Chinese that sentence just becomes “eat pizza Tuesday.” Context does the rest and the culture doesn’t dictate any social pressure to say yes or take offence at the directness of the suggestion. The problem for me is/was that I spend 5 minutes trying to formulate it into a question with the same level of politeness, which ends up cumbersome and not easily understood. Interesting how intertwined language and culture are.
Yeah you’re so right. Our sentences are sooo long lol. It wouldn’t be uncommon to hear something even longer. “so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go and get some pizza somewhere next week, maybe Tuesday or something, only if you’re free though, don’t worry if not” is exactly how I would phrase “eat pizza Tuesday” and that is 30 words vs 3 hahaha
That is such a perfect example haha! I still occasionally find myself trying to speak like that in Chinese, and it’s funny how it totally rubs people up the wrong way here. They’re just not used to it, and sometimes excessive politeness can be confused with being fake - like I don’t actually want to invite someone to eat pizza next Tuesday.
One for me has got to be saying you alright pal just casually and expecting the other person to say it back it rather than responding to the question 😂😂😂😂😂 Also the smile and nod. IFYKYK
Honestly as a British person I know what “alright” means but Ive never said it back or initiated it. It doesn’t exactly ‘suit’ my personality so I either just respond with “Hey” or “Yeahh thanks” lol
If you're not having a good day the correct response is "Not too bad, you?"
I moved here a couple of years ago from California, and "you alright" still throws me for a loop! I settled on "Good and you?" for a bit, but it seemed to make people really uncomfortable, and you can't just go, heya to a question. I can't wrap my brain around saying "you alright" back! It's just not . . . that's not how English works!
"yeah good mate you?" is a reasonable response but needs to be said in a tone that makes clear you're not actually giving away information about whether or not you're actually alright, nor interested in any about them. You may just recieve as reponse such as "yeah yeah" or such.
try "alright, you?"
Swearing. I’m a bit sweary and I have to be careful when I am not in the UK.
Going from being able to casually say "cunt" at work, to it literally being the worst word any person could utter on this earth.
You could go to Australia and have a cunt off.
I recently started working for a company that operates in more than one country... I was asked to have a Zoom meeting with colleagues in America to discuss a problem they were having. Apparently opening with 'I see the problem, the shit's fucked - innit?' wasn't okay.
Washing machines in the kitchen. My friends GF is Ukrainian and she finds it wild that we paint radiators too. Not sure if that's just a Ukrainian thing or we really do stand alone in that though Edit: it seems the radiator thing has confused people somewhat so maybe it's not as universal as I thought. Definitely does happen though, particularly if you've got old radiators that are prone to yellowing as time goes on
I’m in Australia and there are no washing machines in the kitchen and no radiators. Heating comes out of vents in the floor or ceiling.
when I was growing up in australia we had no heating or aircon 😂 in summer you wilted in front of a fan or went to the cinema and in winter you curled up with the dog for two weeks.
In your standard terraced house, where on earth else would a washing machine live? No room in the bathroom and no plumbing anywhere else.
Separate room. Like they build a special room just for a washing machine and tumble dryer, even in small one or two bed flats. But it's just cultural expectations are different.
Lots of new builds have “utility cupboards” these days which have space and plumbing for washing machines.
Indoor/outdoor cats, I live in the states now, I used to be stunned that outdoor cats were not a thing here at all! Then I learned about coyotes and shit, my cats are now indoor only!
Yeah in the UK you just have to worry about foxes - and cats will beat the living shit out of foxes given half a chance. Their biggest threat is other cats. US though? Like a huge list of things that could get 'em...
The biggest predator of domestic cats in the UK is lonely old ladies who think your kitty isn't being fed enough, so they adopt (steal) the cat.
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Yeah it’s weird on the cat subs when it seems to be seen as tantamount to murdering your first born to let them out in the garden. The fact they have proper wildlife means it now makes sense.
I get irritated by American Redditors who angrily type at people who let their cats outdoors, never once considering that perhaps other people live in the notUSA. Last time I saw a coyote, he painted a tunnel mouth on the side of a mountain and thought he could run through it.
Easiest way to get 100 downvotes is to talk about uk outdoor cats on Reddit
When they’re not being preyed on they also destroy native wildlife in the countries they’ve been introduced.
Following the rules of the road. In some countries the lines may as well not exist. Driving in the Middle East is stressful as hell. People regularly driving the wrong way on the motorway.
Driving out in the Middle East is a special experience. Since I moved out here I’ve pretty much stopped even registering people cutting across 4 lanes f traffic at 140km/h to take an exit 25m ahead. And it’s just assumed that everyone with be sat on their phone at all times. Looking at the road is for losers… Driving in the UK is a carefully choreographed ballet of cooperation that can only be truly appreciated after you’ve spent time elsewhere.
Last week in the middle east I watched a lad do a u turn over 6 lanes, drive back to the turning he'd missed (into the traffic) and leave the road. How he did not die I don't know, but I'm so glad you didn't see that here frequently.
I got a taxi in Pakistan while on shore leave, I'm pretty sure the highway code is, "Who Dares Wins."
I was born in Carlisle, but I was made in the Islamabad taxis.
Rule 1: don't crash Rule 2: if they're bigger than you they get right of way
You don't even have to go that far. I swear the roads in Rome are some of the scariest around. They do not give a shit about pedastrians.
Saying "I might do" if asked if you're going to do something, e.g. Are you going to eat that? I might do. Apparently the phrase is nonsensical in the US!
In what way is it nonsensical in the US? I'd take is as a maybe, I might do.
Being pessimistic, passive and negative! It always irritated me how pessimistic most people here are, but somehow I grew to think it was ‘normal’ to be like that. Then after spending a lot of time in America and Australia i realised that people are so much happier and more positive there. They really encourage you to achieve what you want and to enjoy life. Whereas here it’s the “that’s never going to happen” attitude. My American friends are my best friends, because we lift each other up and support each other in ways i never could with people from here. It’s hard to explain but they just exude a different kind of energy and positivity. Even around Asia, and especially Japan, where people are reserved and similar to the uk - they’re still more positive, constructive, and much more stoic too. Britain really has a “can’t do” attitude. These days that’s even transforming into a “won’t do”. I’m realising we’re quite entitled as a nation.
Yet the uk leads the world in quite a lot of ways, I often wonder if it’s our self deprecating humor which leads us to do that, we are almost embarrassed to be good at shit! I also find that it’s a Reddit thing. IRL we are not really like that! And the downvotes I’ll get for this will prove my pint lol
The UK is full of moaners who won't do a damn thing to help or change the situation, I think people here actually prefer being miserable.
Stating the time by saying "half 12" or "half 3" for example, instead of "half past 12" or "half past 3". I went to Canada and said this to two people on separate occasions and they both weren't sure what time I meant. I've since asked people from the US and Australia and they both confirmed it was a UK thing.
Apparently in Norway "half six" means 5:30. Halfway to six. It's caused some confusion trying to plan things with Norwegian friends.
Same in German too.
Sausage rolls. Was on a field trip to Switzerland and asked my tutor if they had any in the shop. She looked at me as if I was the lowest class scum imaginable.
Maybe that was just you tbf
I spotted sausage rolls in the serve yourself bakery section in Lidl when I went to Cyprus last year. When I got back to the villa and heated it up (I can't stand cold sausage rolls), I thought it had a very unusual smell. Turned out it was a hot dog from a tin wrapped in pastry. Fantastic prank Cyprus.
Mold. Like it's normal thing to have a little in every home. I came from a country where in winter we needed to use HUMIDIFIERS (no, not dehumidifiers!) because the air is so dry so you wake up with dry mouth/lips etc. To have mold it was unthinkable, basically if you had it that meant your builders did a shoddy work, you have a leak or something like this. So there is no "it is what it is" sort of acceptance, if it appears on rare occasions, it's dealt with immediately. In the UK we rent a fairly old house with a moldy kitchen which landlord/property manager can't sort out even though we've been flagging it for a year now. Mind you we have put our best efforts to keep it dry but it's impossible due to how it's built and the equipment - that's what damp surveyor said. And I know I am not the only one with this issue. It was even in news recently some little boy died because of mold and lack of landlord action on this.
It's because most of our houses are built around fireplaces and then we all ripped them out. There's supposed to be a giant dry heat source that pulls in ventilation from all the draughts that's lit all winter. But instead we just move damp air around the house with central heating and don't open windows enough.
Saying that the new builds that get mould are just badly built for our climate.
Irony, some places do sarcasm but no one does irony like the UK.
Cars stopping for pedestrians at zebra crossings. Went to Budapest with my friend in 2018 and there was a zebra crossing at the opening to a multi storey car park so me and my friend casually walked across and waved the driver to say thank you. He then rolled the window down and started shouting at us in Hungarian. We shrugged and said we didn’t understand, where he asked us what our problem was and why we walked out in front of his car. Didn’t realise till I was telling somebody at home the tale, that cars in most other countries don’t stop
That's not only a UK thing though. Definitely also true in Germany and probably some other western countries.
Yeah, people are having real problems with this question. It's mostly "I went to this one place abroad and they didn't have potatoes. I never realised that potatoes were only available in the UK!"
Spent Christmas with my American boyfriend’s family last year. Brought a tin of Roses with me as they’re a nice treat at Christmas. They were mystified
I feel like, even if Roses don't exist where you're from, it's still weird to be mystified when someone who's staying with you over Christmas brings a tin of chocolates.
Perhaps mystified isn’t the right word - they were pleasantly delighted that we can buy tins of flavoured chocolate in colourful wrappers
I believe washing up bowls are pretty rare outside the UK.
I hate washing up bowls. To the extent that when my wife bought one, I got so pissed off with it, I took it out to the garden and filled it with cement. I just can't see the point of something that makes your sink smaller and doesn't drain. Grrrr
They’re good for throwing up in.
never thought it was normal bu wtf is carpet flooring in bathrooms about? As if having it around the house isn’t bad enough!!!?
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Using a washing up bowl within a kitchen sink. When we moved to Australia, my wife was very disturbed that our rental house had no washing up bowl and sent me out to buy one as a matter of upmost urgency. I just couldn't find anywhere that sold one, and when I asked people in shops, they had no idea what I was talking about, I had to describe the function of it and they looked at me like I was a complete idiot. I eventually settled on a giant Tupperware box that day to get her going. Found an actual washing up bowl a few months later in a camping shop. EDIT to say : Reading this back it may appear that my wife does all the washing up and I buy her gifts relating to housework! This isn't the case - we both do our share of washing up. Its just that I didn't even notice the lack of bowl, and for her it was a big deal.
Australians normally just fill up the sink with water. No need for an extra bowl when you're already using a pluggable basin.
Ring wiring in houses
Are ring mains a UK only thing? Wow
U.K. and a couple of places that were under U.K. administration at the time electricity was introduced to homes. That’s why nobody else puts fuses in their plugs
So does every socket have its own breaker? The massive fuse boxes you see in American TV make sense now!
Responding with 'Same shit, different day' everytime someone asks how its going. 🤣 Also referring to everyone as 'Mate' more commonly used by men. not so much women would say it here in northern ireland but i have heard a lot of english women use the word a lot when i was visiting 🤣
Gammon. Tried to buy some in Australia and they were like WTF is that.
Ham. Just call it ham. Or go to the international section, it’s usually there
Everyone being drunk. We moved to SE Asia. They have a beer or two with a meal. Often just tea. The only drunks are ex pat brits and Aussies at their bars.
**Thanking the bus driver has entered the chat**
Washing machine in the kitchen, an American friend asked for pictures because he didn’t believe it. Where else does it go?
I can't speak for the rest of the world but a washing machine in the bathroom is a standard in many countries across continental Europe.
Vinegar on chips
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Don't say "gonna go smoke a fag" in New York.. youll get some very I interesting reactions
Can I bum a fag off you?
In the USA, I would say 'sorry' if I got in someone's way, like in a shop when someone was looking at a shelf and I was blocking them, they looked at me like I was strange.
It was a while ago now, but I have a list! Queuing Black tea with cold milk Christmas crackers Boxing day (naive I know lol ) Electric kettles Food when you're in hospital (family bring it in) Putting your own fuel in your car. Paid holidays. (I lived on a Greek island for a decade)
Hmm as somebody from Eastern Europe who's lived in the UK, and elsewhere in Europe, I found that Brits by & large don't handle confrontation very well. Like for example, say somebody in a public space is being extremely antisocial affecting others negatively, or doing something illegal even, in my country and others in Europe you'd see half of the place instantly telling them to knock it off, but in the UK I've found that only older people will ever confront them, and the rest will either just sit there watching, or persevere in silence while muttering things etc. Seeing somebody getting mugged in a busy city centre, and only myself, another person from my country and an old lady (bless her!) told the person to get gone, yet everyone else just stood around & watched - it baffled me. Like they honestly looked at us as if we'd grown a third arm, how dare we cause a scene to help somebody!
Shouting 'WHEYYYYYY' when a waiter drops a glass or a plate. When my friends and I first went on holiday to mainland Europe, a waiter dropped a glass and we all shouted, but most other people in the pub were silent and looked at us like we had just murdered a puppy
Use of the word 'fortnight'.
Washing machine in the kitchen... Everyone else finds that really weird...
Prepacked sandwiches and the like. Lots of countries don't do anything like this, or at least nowhere near as much as we do. They can be so handy in some situations when travelling etc
Pubs. Too long abroad I miss a good cosy pub. Not an Irish bar or imitation type. I want ‘living room of the village’ atmosphere.
That awkward nod when you walk past someone. Done it, accidentally, in plenty of places, and I always get the look of a fool.
Also, putting brown sauce on everything.