What is a stereotype about Britain that is NOT true...but you kinda wish was?
Posted by LegitimateFoot3666@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 310 comments
Fit-Capital1526@reddit
I saw a video where apparently Brits settlers disputes with sword fights…I think this would legitimately solves some problems
BeardedBaldMan@reddit
That we're well educated and eloquent with excellent manners.
The French have a much more realistic opinion of us.
scalectrix@reddit
and we of them.
InfiniteDecorum1212@reddit
No one better to give an honest opinion of you than someone who has a deeply ingrained mild distaste towards you.
scalectrix@reddit
Haha - the French love us really (and we them ofc) - the animosity is purely performative, like between siblings.
Fit-Capital1526@reddit
And when you think the rivalry partly started over the king of England marrying the king of France’s wife after the divorce ( they knew each form the crusade before the divorce) and her then immediately having the son the king of France didn’t have
thetobesgeorge@reddit
May I introduce you to r/2westerneurope4u
bbm66@reddit
It's not just the french. Everyone knows
itssearstower@reddit
The French would though. Most obnoxious nation on earth
spiderglide@reddit
Or just closer to the facts
Many-Information8607@reddit
That you have high tea regularly 😆 I'm a swede and we have Fika like all the time, and after seeing so many shows and read books etc., it felt like high tea was just like A Thing brits did pretty regularly... after I met my boyfriend who is english i was informed that it was not true... I was so excited for the scones and finger sandwhiches lmao
shugersugar@reddit
Overrun with Corgis.
Heavy-Usual-715@reddit
Dim sum in China Town in London is the only authentic dish that is the same in China and the UK. All the other dishes are better in China because the Chinese restaurants in the UK cater to the English sweet palate. I was very disappointed when I ordered an aubergine dish I loved in China because it is a savoury dish there only for it to be sweet here.
Heavy-Usual-715@reddit
I know my comment didn’t fit the brief! Here goes! I was flabbergasted when I heard that the British were known for fair play especially given our colonial history. Then we won the Fair Play award at the Football World Cup as we got the least bookings! What is happening now regarding Immigration and the rhetoric around it is evidence that the fair play label is not true but I wish it was. I always thought this country was more tolerant than its EU neighbours with a live and let live attitude. Not sure that applies anymore as Brexit and beyond has set us back years and brought intolerance out of the closet!
Erewash@reddit
It’s not an especially rainy country. I have spent fucking ages watering my plants this morning.
BobbieMcFee@reddit
You need to move around more. I've never visited in a greyer skyed country. Maybe Ireland. Weeks of mild drizzle.
That makes the UK very green and fertile, but also miserable unless you're a duck.
Yes, there are local hosepipe bans in dry months. That's as much about poor infrastructure as the weather.
The country I am in now has perfectly decent amount of rain - but it gets on with it, then it's done.
bambiiambi@reddit
The duck comment made me laugh 🤣
InfiniteDecorum1212@reddit
I mean, it is higher than average among all countries by any definition, whether that be in annual rainfall or number of rainy days, it falls short on rainfall compared to most tropical countries but we still see more rainy days than them, and it falls short on rainy days compared to some northern countries but we still see more rainfall than most of them. We also rank in the top 25% easily for number of overcast/cloudy days.
It's often an exaggerated issue but it is also true that we aren't exactly the land of sunshine and sunny days.
Not that it's necessarily an intrinsically a bad thing. I love our climare for many reasons, such as it meaning very little issues with dust build up and the lack of insects that tend to exist in warmer climate like cockroaches or mosquitoes.
Wibblywobblywalk@reddit
If you're trying to grow food crops, it's exciting when it rains :)
criptosor@reddit
Really? I don't know man. It rains 265 days of the year. I was just there and the rain was constant, it really surprised me.
SataySue@reddit
But you must admit that's very unusual this time of year?
Erewash@reddit
It’s genuinely overblown. London is pretty dry compared to a lot of European capitals. Only a few places are properly dreich.
PipBin@reddit
I agree. I’m in East Anglia. It’s not unusual for it to be a month without rain.
Most-Needleworker454@reddit
Bloke who works outside all year round. This year has been particularly dry. Especially considering last year
auntie_climax@reddit
Cumbria has entered the chat
cookiesandginge@reddit
The tea alarm obviously
Tea_Fetishist@reddit
You don't have one?
TrueCrimeFanToCop@reddit
The tea alarm needs to be real 😄
Substantial-Bug-4998@reddit
I wish everyone had impeccable manners.
Fentonata@reddit
Brits have manners on the surface, but underneath that we are seething and unfriendly to strangers, and can’t wait to be irritated.
One of the most British things ever is the sarcastic, hissed “You’re welcome” if somebody forgets to say thank you when you hold a door open or stand aside for them.
I once had a shopkeeper hit me with one as I was leaving, 30 seconds after I’d walked up to him, made eye contact and said “Goodbye, thank you so much so much”. He waited for me to leave, then stopped his conversation with another customer to yell it at me as the door swung shut. It was so ingrained in him, he just did it by reflex.
OriginalMandem@reddit
Less sarcasm, more passive aggression. Also the inverted snobbery is terrible. If the news reports a car crash, they'll be sure to mention if it was a luxury brand, or a vilified clutch my pearls BMW (clearly drug dealers, hun), but otherwise the brand of the car always goes unmentioned. Then you get to read the comments :-/
Proof_Drag_2801@reddit
The inverted snobbery kills me. The IHT on family farms being a case in point - a farming family making slightly more than minimum wage (because of the woeful ROA) will get hit with a tax bill, but they're viewed as "wealthy" because they could sell up and after paying CGT and moving away because literally everyone now hates them, they have enough money to live in a house that they didn't live in before and not be a farmer any more.
But that's fine, because they're imagined to all be Tories that voted for Brexit (despite there being nothing more than a single magazine article in "evidence" to support the statement).
TLDR: inverse snobbery is still snobbery. Stop it if you do it.
darcys_beard@reddit
99% of Brits do. I mean, that whole "Stand on the right" on the elevators is incredible. It's society at work as it should be.
You have no idea how much that Would... Not... Work!!! even just a hop over the sea here in Ireland. We don't like being told what to do: though, that's probably a lot to do with you guys... Swings and Roundabouts, I suppose...
DasharrEandall@reddit
I think Covid showed that far fewer than 99% of Brits will go along with what is required of them, even when there's goid reason for it.
InfiniteDecorum1212@reddit
I'd say about 70% have decent manners, out of that maybe 40% have good manners and maybe 10-15% have "impeccable" manners. 99% is a huge stretch. And the other 30% can range from somewhat unpleasant/harmless to going very quckly to downright horrid.
darcys_beard@reddit
Japan are militant about it, though. With you guys it's just kind of: "that's just how it is."
"Innit?"
InfiniteDecorum1212@reddit
Yes, Japan believes in a uniform social culture that wraps around a class heirarchy, whereas the UK more exists around stratified class heirarchies with entirely separate societies so the powers that be have no (or reverse) incentive to encourage a uniform social confluence based around strong social values and etiquettes.
EstablishmentUsed325@reddit
English and Japanese cultures have lots of similarities- both islands, hierarchical, showing emotions is frowned upon. I prefer more extraverted and more warm, expressive cultures so, unlike many people I know, I’ve never fancied visiting Japan. I love travelling and discovering foreign countries, however, Japan is at the bottom of my travel wish list, only above UAE. Just IMHO
Honkerstonkers@reddit
I find Japanese people very warm and kind. The amount of times I’ve been offered help by a total stranger in Tokyo. The British, in comparison, are very withdrawn.
Although it depends where in Britain you are. In certain parts it seems to be culturally acceptable to have shouting matches in the streets, for example. And I have never seen litter like in Britain, even nice areas have it.
Ok-Suspect-9595@reddit
I loved Japan, mainly because the people were so pleasant. Streets were clean and very safe, even central Tokyo. Would revisit anytime.
EstablishmentUsed325@reddit
Great. To each their own
darcys_beard@reddit
And yet thatcher still managed a decade in office, after basically handing the country to that class, with privatisation.
Efficient-Piglet88@reddit
Roundabouts. Literally, entirely rely on manners to work effectively.
Tewd_Feesh@reddit
Following rules isn’t manners really, manners is giving little wave when someone lets you out, holding a door - the little things.
DazzlingClassic185@reddit
Except it’s a stupid rule, especially in the London Underground, where it’s predominantly found
darcys_beard@reddit
It makes sense to me. One side for chilling, another side for "oh bollocks, is that the time?"
DazzlingClassic185@reddit
Scientific studies show it just makes things worse: bottlenecks in the vestibule between the escalators and the barriers add to any delays
BigBlueMountainStar@reddit
So if the government said “ok feck it, we don’t care any more, just do what you want” they’d be a meltdown?
darcys_beard@reddit
No. But, rules are there to be bent. That's kinda the way. We'd be very averse to purposely stepping on someone else to get ahead, but if nobody was looking, and there was an opportunity... Bloody sure we'd take it, lol.
Eddie_F_17@reddit
I second this.
darcys_beard@reddit
You second this... "th-tht-thank.. y-y-?
BigBlueMountainStar@reddit
Fuck off, twat.
pleiadeslion@reddit
Were stiff upper lips ever a thing? It feels like TV has been full of people crying their mascara off for the past 30 years.
SendMeYourDPics@reddit
That we all live in cozy stone cottages surrounded by foggy moors, drink tea out of delicate china at exactly 4pm and solve murders in our spare time with dry wit and zero panic. Honestly I’d take it over overpriced rent and Greggs on the go😭
knighthawk989@reddit
Every other person speaking posh and living on cobblestone streets
GingerJade311@reddit
American. I moved to England when I was 22. I was told everything stopped for tea time. I also expected this to be a high tea, for some reason. That wasn’t the case but there was always a kettle on and biscuits ready!
nomoreplants@reddit
High tea or afternoon tea? 😜
user2739202@reddit
snow
DJ-Stu-C@reddit
The food thing, have a look at the Michelin guide and how many of the world’s best chefs are British.
Wetherspoons is not a representation of our food culture, it’s essentially a British McDonalds
Purple-Hamster499@reddit
Late 50s/early 60s village market town life.
DweebCrusher98@reddit
That our food is bad because maybe i wouldnt be such a fat gluttonous bastard
SuomiBob@reddit
The food one is mad, the very best British food is an example of how good we are at embracing the excellent food that people brought here from elsewhere.
That’s not something that happens by accident, there has to be a market for pho, or pad Thai, or biriani in the first place. I love our food culture.
Norman_debris@reddit
I think it's based on the post-war years. I think British food being good is a fairly recent development.
Xaphios@reddit
More true to say the post-war years were a blip - it was good before and good again once rationing went away and we got back to normal.
RijnBrugge@reddit
For high cooking, sure, but I think part of the perception comes from something that happened all over Northern Europe during the industrial revolution which was that poor people became incredibly dependent on a diet of plain boiled potatoes for many if not most meals. And that plus the wars really rubbed off on how our great-grandparents and grandparents though about food. Add to that the inclusion of women in the general workforce after the war and you end up with a very bland, convenience oriented cuisine. Only the prosperity of the decades that followed have prompted us to maybe want and expect a bit more of our food than bare nutrition.
I’m a Dutchman myself but I think the story of our kitchen is quite analogous to what’s happened in the UK, and we also get ripped on a lot for supposedly not having any good food (which is also bollocks, frankly).
Xaphios@reddit
To an extent even the mid-rationing years were interesting in places - we had a VE day party and one of the guys made cakes to a rationing recipe. No eggs or butter as I recall and they were pretty good. On the other side of the fence you have my grandma, who according to family legend (and everyone who was there at the time) could make a tin of beans into dinner for 4. No-one, including her, can explain how this was possible.
The "women no longer at home to cook" definitely had an impact. On the convenience food front - that was also the period when fridges and microwaves started to appear and all the marketing was around how ready meals were the future - my mum said her generation (born late 50s) weren't taught to cook either at home or at school because convenience food was all they were supposed to need.
Intrepid-Let9190@reddit
I'd agree with this. I've dug out and made some victorian recipes before and they were incredible.
ToddleWaddle@reddit
Can I ask for some examples please? I'd love to try!
Intrepid-Let9190@reddit
Not that I can remember off the top of my head. The recipe book belonged to my great, great grandmother and it went missing during one of my grants moves when I was in my early 20s. I know we made a Victorian chutney and piccalilli. A couple of suet puddings, some pies and a Victorian style curry that was pretty interesting. Rationing and 2 world wars did a real number on cuisine in the UK for a long time
alienfranchise@reddit
British food being good isn’t a thing. Sorry to have to break that to you.
Good-Animal-6430@reddit
There's plenty of good British food. There's lots of top tier restaurants that serve British grub, that aren't doing another nations cuisine and that use top British ingredients
alienfranchise@reddit
Which doesn’t support your case. A few isolated restaurants isn’t proof of a wider good food culture. Go to 80% of restaurants in Italy and you’ll get superb food. Go to 80% in the UK and it’ll be terrible food. Fact.
SwiftJedi77@reddit
Typing "Fact" at the end of a sentence doesn't make it so. Fact.
alienfranchise@reddit
And yet you don’t have the mental capacity to challenge that fact
SwiftJedi77@reddit
If it was a fact, I wouldn't be able to challenge it. However, no facts have been presented, just your subjective opinion and a random statistic pulled directly from your arse provide some evidence to back up your assertion.
alienfranchise@reddit
How about every single foreign guidebook saying our food culture is shit. You not being able to accept fact, doesn’t affect those facts.
SwiftJedi77@reddit
I don't believe you, but even if I did that's still not a fact, but opinions. You don't seem to understand the basic concept of what a fact is. Until you do, I can't really have any kind of meaningful debate with you.
alienfranchise@reddit
WORLD renowned for our shit food culture. Suck it up buttercup.
SwiftJedi77@reddit
I don't know what you think I should suck up? I don't really care what stereotypes exist about British food, nor am I necessarily arguing that it's great - I was, and still am, taking exception to your complete lack of understanding what constitutes a fact. You still are incapable of offering anything other than a dumb statement of opinion and trying to pass it off as fact. You have the intellect of a squash. Jog on.
alienfranchise@reddit
Says the person who thinks Wagamama is british food because it’s owned by British people. Probably the most moronic statement I’ve seen on this website and that is saying something.
SwiftJedi77@reddit
I didn't say it was British food, you utter moron! I said it was a British food chain. Your reading comprehension is pathetic. Utter twat.
Feline-Sloth@reddit
You need to stop going to chains that don't actually prepare the food from scratch.
alienfranchise@reddit
Tell me a british chain that is good?
SwiftJedi77@reddit
Wagamama
alienfranchise@reddit
It’s not british and it’s shit
SwiftJedi77@reddit
It very much is British, whether it's shit or not is down to personal taste.
alienfranchise@reddit
So if I go to Asia and start cooking British food, it will then be Asian food will it? Stop talking shite and it’s objectively shit. Deal with it.
SwiftJedi77@reddit
Regardless of what type of food they serve, Wagamama is a British restaurant chain, you ignoramus. There's nothing to deal with, your opinion of Wagamama means nothing to me..
alienfranchise@reddit
So now your logic is that any british owned food establishment must therefore be serving up british food. You’re probably one of the stupidest people I’ve encountered on Reddit in 15 years. Congrats.
Usual_Ad6180@reddit
Thsts the point. You DONT go to chains if you want good food.
alienfranchise@reddit
Then how do other countries in Europe have decent chains of their OWN food?
Usual_Ad6180@reddit
They don't. Maybe you just have bad taste buds. Chains are low quality slop.
alienfranchise@reddit
Clearly you’ve travelled to Benidorm every year for 20 years and think you’re well travelled. Clueless.
Usual_Ad6180@reddit
I've been to all continents aside from South America and Antarctica. I would consider myself well travelled but that's irrelevant; chain restaurants are notoriously bad and nothing changes that.
alienfranchise@reddit
We don’t need to focus on chains to say the food culture in this country is among the worst in the world. I doubt very much you’ve travelled at all if you don’t realise that.
Feline-Sloth@reddit
There isn't one. Go to independent pubs and restaurants instead.
Rynabunny@reddit
serve the same shit
alienfranchise@reddit
Shit that is 1000% better than us
Rynabunny@reddit
yeah but I get bored if I eat the same thing everyday, even if it's amazing, you know? sometimes you just want diversity
alienfranchise@reddit
Oooh yeah I know what you mean. Britain is so diverse in cuisine. Are you choosing between Greggs, McDonald’s, Spoons or Toby Carvery??
Rynabunny@reddit
haha, knew that was coming, but unfortunately for you I live in London and have disposable income
alienfranchise@reddit
That doesn’t mean those 1000’s of decent restaurants are british. It’s food in Britain, not british good. 🤦♂️
DweebCrusher98@reddit
Not from my experience... if you like food you will find good food
alienfranchise@reddit
That’s because you don’t know what good food is
DweebCrusher98@reddit
yeah ive never had any good food in my 26 years of life, excuse my ignorance lol
alienfranchise@reddit
Thanks for confirming
DweebCrusher98@reddit
Take my upvote sir!
StrawberryIll9842@reddit
Wetherspoons is not a restaurant
alienfranchise@reddit
Eh?
poundstorekronk@reddit
Your a fuckin knobhead, with no clue pal. I'm a chef, worked all over the world. British food is amongst some of the best. Our produce is amazing, our seafood is world class.
And you are speaking out the hole in your fucking arse.
Jerico_Hill@reddit
Yeah it is. A roast dinner is god tier.
alienfranchise@reddit
And the places you can dine out and get a decent roast are probably less than 5% of places serving them.
_Pencilfish@reddit
Yeah, that's the best thing about a roast dinner - you can make it yourself! In fact, that's exactly what I plan to do today :)
3Cogs@reddit
Pubs serve mediocre food.
News at 11.
Jerico_Hill@reddit
That's absolutely fair, I've never had a good roast dining out.
But let me tell ya, pop round mine one Sunday afternoon and try my roast dinner. You'll see what I mean!
scalectrix@reddit
Demonstrate your ignorance in one easy step.
rmczpp@reddit
I'm sure it means food from Britain, not food you can purchase in Britain. British food has some things I really enjoy but I wouldn't call British cuisine particularly good. Cottage/shepherds pie, fish and chips, toad in the hole etc we have a lot of tasty stodge but there's not much I go crazy for.
loudly03@reddit
Fish and chips was introduced by immigrants to the UK. Most of our 'national' dishes were. Meanwhile dishes like toad in the hole and shepherds pie were dishes created to stretch out a piece of meat - usually from a Sunday roast.
They're effectively 'peasant food' like a French cassoulet or Gazpacho in Spain and Panzanella in Italy. All hearty foods made with few or cheap ingredients or leftovers.
They hardly represent the pinnacle of a nation's cuisine, and they were never intended to. Yet they remain popular due to their simplicity.
Whereas the Sunday roast was always intended as a celebration.
I think the reason other nationalities think of British food as being bad is the lack of spice. Historically spices were imported so used lightly. It all comes down to the weather!
DaveDavidTom@reddit
I realise this wasn't your intention, but it's always frustrating when someone characterises food invented in Britain by immigrants as not really British. Given how hostile some sections of this country are becoming, the implication that immigrants aren't (or can't become) British isn't a great one for me. Britain is made up of a lot of cultures, and it's enriched by them. The food can be too, and that doesn't stop it from being British in my eyes.
loudly03@reddit
Absolutely - I was responding to the previous post.
All our food is influenced by other cultures. Not to mention most of what we consider to be 'British foods' were not originally native to the UK - including beef and potatoes.
It's impossible to discount immigration, migration and conquest from what is British.
imac526@reddit
Beef? Domesticated cattle have been in the UK for 6,000 years. How far back are we going here?
MonstrousFemme@reddit
The stereotype comes from American GIs coming to the UK after three years of war rationing and being surprised that we didn't have access to the same foods that they had at home.
What's wild to me is that people think a period of severe want 80 years ago is considered a good basis to judge our cuisine today.
YchYFi@reddit
You can tell they've never left the USA.
Soaring670@reddit
I personally think spice is overused. I rarely put any on my food at all. When I stopped adding sugar and salt as well, I noticed I actually began tasting the food on the plate. I don't think spice adds to the flavour, but masks it, like perfume.
HoxtonRanger@reddit
I’ve moved to America and I’ve found the quality of their produce isn’t always the best so you need an abundance of spices to make their chicken taste of anything.
A lot of them don’t seem to understand you can make the ingredient itself do the talking with light additions.
rmczpp@reddit
Good point to be fair there's a few like Sunday roast and English breakfast that I would say are excellent
scalectrix@reddit
And who do you think cooks that food that you can buy..?
Take your time.
Just because you can't cook don't project that onto the rest of us.
rmczpp@reddit
I cook and bake every week, I make chocolates when I am in the mood.
alienfranchise@reddit
British food isn’t Chinese or Indian though. Our food is 100% correctly ridculed. What chains serve british food? Toby carvery and Greggs.
DweebCrusher98@reddit
Well what youd get in China or India is totally different to we get in the UK so id say it is British in a way
alienfranchise@reddit
Oh yeah, I forgot that Indian and chineses have british people in the kitchens
THSprang@reddit
TBF the first Indian restaurant in the world, was in Birmingham. In the 1800s. Sorry, I can't remember the exact date off hand.
alienfranchise@reddit
And?
THSprang@reddit
And that your view that a cuisine is entirely based on geography is simplistic. You're so aggy pal. Touch grass.
alienfranchise@reddit
So Indian food didn’t exist before that restaurant opened in Birmingham? What is your point??
THSprang@reddit
Do we go out to eat? If so, that's part of cuisine. If you wanted to go out to eat what we'd call Indian food, where would you go? Well, first of all, Birmingham, apparently.
Suggesting that a new bit information invalidates all of history before it is low tier trolling. Seeing that strange bit of information and thinking, "Oh, maybe it's more complicated than I think," never crosses your mind.
alienfranchise@reddit
You don’t even know what you’re arguing at this point. Literally arguing with yourself.
THSprang@reddit
Saw this and thought about how this doesn't exist in your myopic brain
https://youtube.com/shorts/_Fhw-L_PI3A?si=Keav05ZC5QdrWHK0
DweebCrusher98@reddit
Youd probably also say people born in the UK from other backgrounds arent British
alienfranchise@reddit
Has nothing to do with racism and more to do with what their parents and culture have taught them. Try again.
scalectrix@reddit
It's surprising how many racists use this line. Almost like they don't want to admit to being racist.
alienfranchise@reddit
If I moved to Kenya and married a Kenyan woman and our children started to cook roast dinners and it caught on. That wouldn’t make roast dinners African food you moron.
Prestigious_Stuff831@reddit
That British people would Never call another person a moron. That the Brit’s have class.
alienfranchise@reddit
Wrong. We call a spade a spade.
DweebCrusher98@reddit
and if you think that what they serve in Chinese takeways resembles actual chinese food then you have no right to even talk about food from anywhere
alienfranchise@reddit
Which has to do with what? Neither are british food made by british people. Try again.
DweebCrusher98@reddit
Are you british
DweebCrusher98@reddit
Lol, no British born indian is taught the recipes we get in takeaways. They use a base gravy to pad out the dishes for example, you wouldnt find that in an Indian home most likely.
alienfranchise@reddit
No shit. Those chefs were coming in from Bangladesh up until brexit. That food is adapted for british people, in no way it is british food made by british people you moron.
DweebCrusher98@reddit
So if its not British and its not Indian what is it then?
alienfranchise@reddit
Most ‘Indians’ in Britain before brexit were Bangladeshi run. There are some run by Indians. None of which changes my point. It’s not british food. Christ. Go and listen to some YouTube videos that explain this before entering a chat you’re clueless about.
DweebCrusher98@reddit
So its Bangladeshi food then? Please link me wise one lol,
alienfranchise@reddit
It a mixture, their cultures are very similar. The base gravy was Bangladeshi which was used to made quick curries for takeaway.
scalectrix@reddit
Yes, they do. Well done for remembering and try to be less racist in future.
alienfranchise@reddit
Uh, no they don’t
scalectrix@reddit
Yes they absolutely and provably do old son. You're not from round these parts I assume?
alienfranchise@reddit
So you think some Chinese takeaways are run by british people do you? Probably the stupidest comment I’ve read on this site in over a decade. Congrats.
scalectrix@reddit
Yes you fucking muppet. Do you think every person of Chinese extraction you see is still a Chinese citizen? Fuck's sake I'm fed up of repeating myself for morons. Use you brain.
BeardadTampa@reddit
Tiki Masala was invented in Glasgow
scalectrix@reddit
Very much so. It is British food cooked by British people. Ask them.
2xtc@reddit
Be gone odious, dog-whistly troll.
Feline-Sloth@reddit
Chicken Tkka Masla is British
alienfranchise@reddit
And?
Tachanka-Mayne@reddit
It’s also mad because it often comes from Americans...
Sure they excel at certain things e.g. BBQ etc, but having visited ‘fine dining’ and Italian restaurants over there, what the average run of the mill UK high street has to offer is far better. That’s before we get on to their unregulated groceries…
CalTheBlue@reddit
In general, I'd agree with you. But I will say that the best Italian food I've had outside of Italy was at a restaurant in Little Italy in San Diego.
RijnBrugge@reddit
So for the best, maybe Domo Mea in Cologne, Germany. But a close second best Italian food outside of Italy for me would’ve been Domo in Sheffield. If you’re ever up there, highly recommend. Both of them are Sardinian and no relation despite the similar names.
bigtreeblade@reddit
British food is bland because it contains onion not onion powder, garlic not garlic powder, fresh chilli not chilli powder etc.
Good chefs use salt, that’s it. Americans do alchemy with powders and say it’s seasoned and besmirch anything that’s not
LordAxalon110@reddit
As someone who was a chef for 20 years in England, all I can say is you know absolutely nothing about food with that kind of statement.
A good chef knows how to use FRESH ingredients as well as knowing when and where to used DRIED ingredients. About flavour profiles, what herbs and spices to blend and what they work well with.
The fact you think dried herbs and spices are better is beyond idiotic.
bigtreeblade@reddit
I would read the comment again more slowly chief
LordAxalon110@reddit
God damn it did I r/whoosh myself? My bad.
bigtreeblade@reddit
It’s just a tongue in cheek comment on the American obsession that lots of powdered stuff from Walmart = good and fresh ingredient = bland
Obviously not worded well or clearly
LordAxalon110@reddit
Just a mini whoosh then haha.
Can you tell I've been arguing with yanks too much recently about food? Lol.
darcys_beard@reddit
I remember the day I found out Tikka Masala and Balti were british...
DweebCrusher98@reddit
I enjoy both!
ciaodog@reddit
As a nation though we do seem to have a rather high tolerance for crap food in general
johnsmithjacksparrow@reddit
Stop it’s so early I’ve woken up my roommates 😭
DweebCrusher98@reddit
Lool
WeRW2020@reddit
That you can get across the country in an hour. It takes me longer than an hour to get across London every day.
CrustyHumdinger@reddit
Given that I drove from the far coast of Norfolk to Bristol yesterday, I wish this was true
Economy-Fox-5559@reddit
Hell it can take me an hour just to get out of Bristol some mornings and i live pretty central.
tastydirtslover@reddit
The rest of the country isn’t London
Adept_Platform176@reddit
I'm sorry but rail in this country is outdated and costs you an arm and a leg
tastydirtslover@reddit
It’s even worse in America but better in Europe. Our rail isn’t the best but honestly I can get miles in an hour in the midlands compared to London
WeRW2020@reddit
I used to live in Bristol and my family were in Southend. It took 3 hours and 15 minutes to get from one to the other. It takes me 4 hours to drive from London to Manchester. I went to university in Aberystwyth and it took me 3 hours to drive to Coventry.
The perception is that the UK is a tiny island that you can drive across in no time at all, but in most places that is not possible, barring the north of Scotland. I was using London as an example personal to me, but there are some others so you understand my point.
WeRW2020@reddit
Did I say it was?
senorjigglez@reddit
It takes 2 hours for me to get out of Wales, neber mind getting across the rest of the country.
BigJDizzleMaNizzles@reddit
It always makes me laugh every time Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves is on. Kev and Morgs walking along the white cliffs of Dover "We'll be in Nottingham by nightfall"
Sufficient-Drama-150@reddit
Dover yo Nottingham via Aysgarth Falls in N Yorkshire!
BigJDizzleMaNizzles@reddit
Lol, first readthrough of that sentence made me think you'd had a stroke.
my internal monologue "A lot of those aren't words."
slattsmunster@reddit
I’m averaging 45 mph going from Scotland to wales over the last year, it’s painfully slow.
auntie_eggma@reddit
Valid, but also let us not pretend that travel time across a major city is something you can extrapolate to non-urban areas.
You could probably traverse the Yorkshire dales in less time than it takes to get from one end of London to the other.
Magnus_40@reddit
I live on the East coast of Scotland and work on the west coast. I can dip a toe in the Forth Estuary and do the same in the Clyde Estuary in an hour.(Terms and conditions apply)
Cold_Timely@reddit
Lol yeah if you consider a small county "the country"
vikingraider47@reddit
It's freezing cold constantly in winter with the country blanketed in snow
Slutty_Foxx@reddit
Once I went to Germany for new years and the Germans thought it was hilarious that we were freezing (it was -5). They didn’t get that British winter is just a shitload of rain and not that cold
Soaring670@reddit
I've noticed that we never seen to get thick snow in winters anymore.
jimbo8083@reddit
Depends where in the country you go. I think it was particularly thick in the winter of 2009-2010
BobbieMcFee@reddit
Does anyone think that? Slush, maybe...
vikingraider47@reddit
I saw a few posts on here from Americans visiting during winter and they couldn't believe that chance of snow was practically zero
ParanoidQ@reddit
That we were mostly next level genius, or at the very least smart. Would have helped with a few shitty political decisions recently.
Cat-guy64@reddit
That British people in general are intelligent. Brexit proved that stereotype wrong.
Global_Geologist8822@reddit
That everyone is polite and courteous; are they fuck.
We're at the point now with British society that I find Germans more polite and courteous when I visit there Vs the UK. A large proportion of British people now DGAF about anyone but themselves and what they want / need / feel at all times.
the_Athereon@reddit
Patriotism
Sure, we have a monarchy. But we're not royalists. No one is raised that way anymore. The King existing is all we really know about him. He doesn't rule us and we don't follow his leadership.
ogami75@reddit
That we’re rich
BetYouThoughtOfThis@reddit
All the foreigners that come over get huge mansions for free and don't have to work and get loads of money. There must be a backlog. 25 years and I still haven't seen either.
Blueeyes85xx@reddit
That every Brit walks around with a cup of tea in hand at all times, even in emergencies.
Like, your house is on fire? “Hold on, love, let me just grab me Earl Grey.” Paramedics show up and you’re bleeding? “Cheers, but can you pop the kettle on first?”
It’s not true (mostly)… but imagine how iconic that would be. Britain: fueled by panic and PG Tips. 🤣🤣
loulatrec1000@reddit
We had a fire drill at work and half the employees walked out with their cup of tea in hand! Needless to say, a cup of tea is not an emergency essential and we got a company wide bollocking from our CEO 😆
MartinUK_Mendip@reddit
To be honest the only emergency essential in a fire-drill is your coat and all your belongings in case you can't get back into the building.
But I bet your CEO would bollock you off for that, as well:
"What! You just went home?!?".
Bravestar84@reddit
What, you don't carry a flask? You shouldn't leave the house without a flask an umbrella and a bowler hat all packed in a nice briefcase
Wibblywobblywalk@reddit
I like the idea of a bowler hat in a briefcase!
InfiniteDecorum1212@reddit
I'm pretty sure that the data would back up that tea drinking has gone down sharply among the younger generations but at the same time we're probably the highest per capita tea drinkers in Europe.
Xaphios@reddit
Well no, but we do have tea making facilities in everything from highways agency incident support vans to challenger tanks! Most countries can't brew up in a war zone quite that easily.
Dizmondmon@reddit
So it's essentially an armoured teabag storage and transportation device?
Xaphios@reddit
With self defence capabilities in case anyone decides to take our tea, yes. We learned our lesson in Boston Harbour all those years ago!
MrRWhitworth@reddit
Always time for a brew. Makes me ponder why the Japanese have made things tea related so complicated
Blueeyes85xx@reddit
True! I guess when it comes to tea, the British are prepared for anything - whether it’s a highway incident or a battlefield. Who needs a weapon when you’ve got a kettle?
khspinner@reddit
My friend is a paramedic and more often than not she is offered tea wherever she goes!
SilverellaUK@reddit
As a Brit who doesn't like tea, I often feel like I was born in the wrong place.
Flippanties@reddit
I feel this one. People think it's insane I don't fully know how to make a good cup of tea but like, why would I? I don't drink the stuff and my mother never taught me because she doesn't drink it either.
Feline-Sloth@reddit
Tea is a drink for all seasons and reasons... when I travel I do take my favourite tea with me.
PipBin@reddit
Yes and no. I remember when my Father in Law died (at home and it was expected) the kettle went on with in about 2 minutes.
In fairness it gave me and the other daughter in law there something to do for five minutes while letting the direct family have some time.
Nipplecunt@reddit
Wombles
Pootles_Carrot@reddit
Sorry, do you think the council are paying to clean up the Common every day? Wombles make much more sense.
Nipplecunt@reddit
Maybe we send them to Birmingham
Wessex-90@reddit
That we’re all respectable ladies and gentlemen.
NuzzyNoof@reddit
We ALL live in London. The rest of the country is empty.
stevej9900@reddit
The Tea alarm. I wish that were true for every workplace.
itssearstower@reddit
Everyone's well mannered
Xenc@reddit
Quite
potataps@reddit
That we all live in castles
ckayd@reddit
Snow White was an accountant and that the 7 dwarfs are very successful businessmen who could only pay for snows skills was by board at there business school which looked like a house in the forest because of tax reasons.
Drewski811@reddit
We all have castles
PupMurky@reddit
Found the guy who doesn't live in a castle What are you some kind of peasant
Blueeyes85xx@reddit
Or just a humble lord of the couch!
TwiggyFingers8691@reddit
Lord of the dance settee?
Fierytoadfriend@reddit
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, and I'll lead you all to the dance settee.
Goldf_sh4@reddit
This is PEAK Reddit. Take my upvote.
Blueeyes85xx@reddit
Summoned from the ancient realm of Flatpackia, he dances not for fame… but because one leg is shorter than the others
joffff@reddit
Cries in stately home
narnababy@reddit
I used to work in a castle, I wouldn’t have wanted to live there though, it was really cold
BobbieMcFee@reddit
Really? They're neat, but I'd much rather live in a normal house.
Drewski811@reddit
It's a fair point, but not every castle is Windsor, there are some smaller things that would be cool
Chungaroo22@reddit
Just a normal house but with a moat and drawbridge would be the ideal for me.
Dr_Vonny@reddit
We all speak like the late Queen
I_Stan_Kyrgyzstan@reddit
My Turkish friend loves this posh accent, and I had to break it to him that it's actually pretty rare to hear that accent.
The other day, myself and a friend from Surrey got drunk and decided to send a voice message of a conversation we were having in an overexaggerated posh accent. It was a blast fof him!
To be fair, he's also a big fan of Derry Girls and knows about the Liverpudlian accent too.
sloefen@reddit
That we are thoughtful, moderate and tolerant, not the racist ranting tools that seem to be prevalent these days.
KnowledgeSea1954@reddit
That It's not like a Richard Curtis movie.
jeanclaudebrowncloud@reddit
Blitz spirit. Being kind and friendly to each other. We're a bunch of individuals worriedly smiling at each other at best.
PartTimeLegend@reddit
I’ve lived in the city my entire life. Keep your head down, don’t look at other people. Get where you’re going.
First time I went to America was for work and I was on my own. New job. Bit mad when I think about it.
Walking down the street people are all “hey, how are you?” And I’m so confused. Do they know me? Have I got shit on my shoes? Does my t shirt mean something here?
I’d nervously say “I’m good, yourself?” As the standard response we’ve all learnt and repeat.
“Are you British?” “Erm yes” “wow, I love the British” “cool, I like it here too” “where are you from in England?” “I’m from Liverpool” “you must know the Beatles”…
I have had this conversation a thousand times now. I’m really not sure how I get out of it. I’m thinking about learning sign language.
senorjigglez@reddit
IMO we're an incredibly selfish nation with the vast majority of people looking out for themselves at the expense of anyone else.
InfiniteDecorum1212@reddit
True, but I think that's largely due to the immense and deeply ingrained classicist nature of our society, and especially the way the working class outside of major cities has always existed in semi-isolated villages and small towns (and even tends to isolate into small communities even within cities) which I suspect is something that has been passively encouraged by those who manage the class structure.
TarcFalastur@reddit
That doesn't add up. Blitz spirit came about at a time when classism was far stronger than it is now, and individualism affects many countries far more egalitarian than ours. Additionally, I really don't agree with the idea that in recent centuries the working class outside if cities mainly exists in isolated villages - they are far more likely to accumulate in urban centres - and I certainly can't agree that it's all an upper class plan. That smacks of conspiracy theory, and I'm really not sure how the shadowy ringleaders are supposed to have had the power to induce the working class to live in villages in the first place.
I would say that individualism is more accurately the result of a complex series of social changes. Specifically things like the lack of trust in central government (which itself is a result of easier access to news and information plus the continued decline of our country from a superpower to a minor entity (because it inevitably leads people to see the country as becoming weaker, and as our relative economic strength wanes we can't keep up with social security and community support).
On top of that I would point at the way that people now commonly move permanently away from their regions of birth as they look for work and opportunities, as this has destroyed the previous system where everyone knew everyone and you felt connected to those around you. This level of freedom of movement basically leaves people feeling like they don't need to integrate into their communities as who knows - or cares - if you'll still be your neighbour on 3 years' time? I'd also suggest that globalisation and the mixing of cultures has likely contributed (much as it has many positives too) as it is much easier to feel a community spirit if you know everyone around you shares your values, cultural norms, etc.
I would also point to things like the decline of religion. You can hate on religion all you want and you can highlight the many problems it has caused, but at the end of the day if you are systematically being told - and believing - that you will be judged on your actions and that you should always view others as more important than yourself, it impacts your thinking when in situations where you need to choose between what is in your best interest and what is in the best interest of someone else.
These are just some of the factors. I'm sure there are many more.
Soaring670@reddit
The attitude towards the pandemic and Ukraine war all but confirmed the Blitz spirit is dead. If there was a new blackout campaign, I'd imagine people will obnoxiously shine as much light as possible out of spite. And if we had to go to war, people will be arguing to capitulate to dictators so that they don't have to spend money in higher taxes.
Rough-Army-6424@reddit
That we all speak the queens English when in actual fact a large majority of imbeciles have adopted that roadman dialect
InfiniteDecorum1212@reddit
Mehh, even before roadman dialect became a thing RP was always seen as a posho thing and back before it started dying out and got memorialised by Guy Richie and nostalgia even cockney dialect was seen as uncouth and low-class.
Not that I don't hate the whole roadman speaking style but it's just a product of the time and will inevitably die out after it's time.
Rough-Army-6424@reddit
What concerns me is how much more we could regress from roadman
Novocaine_4_The_Mole@reddit
Stiff upper lip
LegitimateFoot3666@reddit (OP)
I can't say I've ever watched a British person flip out or have a meltdown in person before. Always been very calm settings.
MolassesZestyclose96@reddit
Google Ronnie Pickering
PLRGirl@reddit
Who?
lumtheyak@reddit
Ronnie Fucking Pickering
clicketybooboo@reddit
who?
BigOptrex@reddit
You should hang out in A&E more (not a threat!).
Norman_debris@reddit
This is mad. Go out in any city centre on a Friday night. How many riots has the country had, including just last year?
The UK is full of people seconds away from flipping.
MrsDoylesTeabags@reddit
You need to come work at my place, it's a weekly occurrence!
It's why I prefer working from home
booers79@reddit
But to say an entire nation is calm is ridiculous. There are definitely people in this country who have meltdowns!
TrueCrimeFanToCop@reddit
That native Brits can all speak and write English impeccably? 😂
ifknhatereddit@reddit
It's full of English people
Dailymailflagshagger@reddit
Where's the lie leftists?
MrGeekman@reddit
Actually, I think it might be a reference to the somewhat recent influx of immigrants from places like the Middle East.
homemadegrub@reddit
Even Constin kisin the left wing YouTuber knows the difference between an English person, a British person and someone from a particular ethnic descent, everyone in England may be British but not English. It's ridiculous really does a scot living in England call himself English?
Erewash@reddit
If you move to Scotland and contribute to society, you’re a Scot from day one.
SilverellaUK@reddit
After 3 years if you want free higher education.
homemadegrub@reddit
Not if I'm English mate no.
Erewash@reddit
You can’t really control what other people classify you as, but okay.
homemadegrub@reddit
Er doesn't matter what the Scottish government believe they can do or not if I move to Scotland I'll still be English and I think most scots would be wise enough to respect that
Erewash@reddit
Sounds like nationalism, but okay.
homemadegrub@reddit
Ok there must be a lot of nationalist scots living in England then, I never met a scot who would describe themselves as English just because they lived here
Dailymailflagshagger@reddit
Slough, Luton, Tower Hamlets, Redbridge. What do they all have in common?
ifknhatereddit@reddit
Stay posting.
PsychoticDust@reddit
White British people make up 74.4% of the population.
That link is directly from the official UK government website. It also took me less than 30 seconds to find. Fact checking is so easy in this day and age, yet so many refuse to do so. Incredible.
BobbieMcFee@reddit
There are significant clusters where that's not true though. For good or bad. And I get why! I am an exported Brit and have an occasional pub night with some other emigrees. We can tell bad jokes and doyourememberwhens.
ifknhatereddit@reddit
Perhaps living in Tower Hamlets (In London white British is now an actual factual minority) or ten years has skewed my perspective, but nonetheless that 74.4 used to 94.1 just 30 years ago.
PsychoticDust@reddit
Whatever the case maybe, your initial comment is an easily provable lie. Yeah the numbers have changed, but then the birthrate was at 1.44 children per woman in the UK in 2023. The replacement rate is 2.1. Understandably demographics will change. What we should be asking is why are we having less children?
The UK is not an outlier, this is a common trend around the developed world. No government seems to be doing anything substantial about it.
ifknhatereddit@reddit
...sorry I'm gonna need a minute to get over this rational debate of obviously opposing views.
Stunning-Bumblebee45@reddit
Houses are like ones you see on Midsummer Murders
LexiLewis@reddit
That we all love drinking tea and eating beans on toast. Well, I like drinking tea but I know not everyone does and even prefer coffee. As for beans and toast, it was and is a quick cheap meal that fills the tummy when one cannot be bothered to cook or lacks the time to cook a meal. But it definitely isn't the height of British cuisine that some Americans seem to think us Brits hold on a pedestal, quite the contrary.
showmeyourkillface@reddit
That our humour is sarcastic. We have a keen sense of irony but save sarcasm for special occasions.
spaciousputty@reddit
Yeah right.
Dense_Bad3146@reddit
That our streets were paved with Gold
InfiniteDecorum1212@reddit
Pretty sure that stereotype died out in the 14th century.
_ThePancake_@reddit
That we're all dukes and dutchesses living in stately homes
auntie_eggma@reddit
That everyone is well-educated and cultured.
Soaring670@reddit
That British people love animals. Some of the most miserable dog and cat haters fester the UK.
Maleficent_Wash7203@reddit
I wish we all knew the queen. I would like an invite to the odd fancy party. Also I could dog-sit the corgis!!
LittleKitten702@reddit
Her corgis were nightmares, super aggressive you wouldn’t have wanted to dog sit them XD.
rhrjruk@reddit
Politeness
TheeMourningStar@reddit
I wish it was the tolerant melting pot that 90s Labour tired to claim we were.
NeighborhoodLeft2699@reddit
I wish that there really was no-one armed here.
Krismusic1@reddit
That we have a strong sense of decency and fairness. Actually I hope this is true but everything seems to indicate otherwise.
Ok-Ambassador4679@reddit
That we are a conservative nation. We're no way near conservative in our society compared to Japan. I would like some of Japan's ways of life like a show of respect but candid honesty with your bossa, CEO's take a hit if the company doesn't do well and staff are retained, manners, cleanliness, good public transport, etc.
I don't think there's rumours that Britain is a wealthy nation with good living people though...
AutumnWindRhapsody@reddit
Rumours? Us migrants spread those "rumours" because we can genuinely afford more than we would have earning in our home countries 😂
As much as I admire the Japanese for their organisation, manners, and for being helpful to others, I wouldn't like to be expected to "read the air" and easily excluded or branded a failure. But if that's what you like, you could try working there and decide if that's really better for the British people...
Away-Tank4094@reddit
that the people are smart or that they believe in fair play. it is also funny how the symbol of England is a lion yet they are absolute pussies when it comes to even a minor inconvenience like politely correcting a cafe order.
Most-Needleworker454@reddit
You say this like a person not from England, yet clearly work in England. Do you see why people get fucked off now?
AlterEdward@reddit
We're all smart and intellectual.
MrRWhitworth@reddit
That we are all intelligent and carry ourselves with dignity, a stiff upper lip and a cup of tea
kittystillbites@reddit
I think it's a lot less cloudy and moody than it really is. No matter the year. I like cloudy weather and don't like sun all that much. And it never rains as much as people say, hardly ever it's a full day rain, and an hour here or there once in a while makes all the plants pop and air smell amazing - wouldn't change this.
Apprehensive-Visit-3@reddit
That everyone has impeccable manners.
BeachBoysOnD-Day@reddit
That we had pride in our history and accomplishments as a nation
qualityvote2@reddit
Hello u/LegitimateFoot3666! Welcome to r/AskABrit!
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