What’s a British stereotype that’s actually pretty true?

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Buddha-dan@reddit

We do like a nice queue, and we know how to spell it. Tea is everything. Sausages are always a good food option.

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GaldrickHammerson@reddit

I love a ku-weh-weh. I just can't get en-oo-ug-H of it!

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SeriouslyGetOverIt@reddit

We don't like queuing we just hate the alternative which is chaos

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Express_Landscape_85@reddit

The weather one is odd to me. Like I only think it's a thing because enough people said it was a thing so people started doing it more and more.

Saying sorry all the time is absolutely true, we don't mean sorry, it's just a nice little filler word that sounds polite enough in enough different situations.

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ResplendentBear@reddit

Everything stopping dead for cups of tea. It's less of a thing now some people drink coffee, and the Gen Zs have something weird in a giant plastic cup, but it does still happen.

People being obsessed with class. See the posts on here about when a middle class person can drink after work, or who should have a cleaner for proof.

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

It's a mug not a cup. Nobody uses a cup and saucer. Except oldies and toffs

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soopertyke@reddit

I love tea out of bone China! It just tastes better. For context I sourced bone China mugs to not appear posh

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

You must raise your pinky as high as you can as you sip And finish every sentence asking 'what-what-what-what'? Every uk millennial and older will love it 😂

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

I used to do that to piss adults off, when I was fucking age 6

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absolutelyshafted84@reddit

I think they mean the huge Stanley ones

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American fear of dehydration, imported and combined with hypercharged overconsumption. If you get shown something over and over again and it's always labelled as a must-have AND you see the social clout it brings (not to mention how it broadcasts you being a member of a specific social group) - it's hard to resist that, especially (but not only) if you're younger, in search of connection / community etc.

I say this as someone who drinks a lot of water and will take her water bottle almost everywhere... Some things are just a bit much. They're not even leak proof! 😬

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Careless-Ad8346@reddit

Class divide is our greatest export lol

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

Lol until there's no middle class and it's very rich or very poor and no middle ground

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purply_otter@reddit

Apparently when filming starts wars in London Harrison Ford was perplexed by the neverending tea breaks

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DelonghiAutismo@reddit

Not ‘open’ with emotions

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Express-Motor8292@reddit

We are with negative emotions, I’m my experience. A lot of people are very happy to display anger, for example.

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DelonghiAutismo@reddit

We find death hard to discuss, and love

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Basis_Safe@reddit

We really do love tea

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Youppi27@reddit

Why aren't Indians stereotyped with this too?

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LikwitFusion@reddit

Indians love tea as well. In India it's masala Chai but most Indians I know over here will have either that or normal tea.

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OwnSolved@reddit

Interesting. The Japanese call tea "ocha" . Interesting

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nsnyder@reddit

In most of China it was called Che (or something similar), but in the Min Nan dialect in Fujian it's called Te instead. But since most ocean trade at the time came out of Fujian you get two different families of cognates depending on whether it arrived by sea or land. There's a great map for this.

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Srapture@reddit

Masala means mixed spices (like tikka masala). Chai means tea, which is certainly similar to the Japanese "cha" (or "ocha").

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ding_0_dong@reddit

It's the drinking of the tea, stew for 3 to 5 minutes take the tea bag out and leave it on the side By the kettle for no good reason other than that's where the used tea bag lives. Add milk and sugar, drink . None of this 5 foot drop between cups

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pintsized_baepsae@reddit

That's how long you stew them? All my British friends just dunk it, stir, that's that.

Is this another regional thing or do they just hate their water actually tasting like tea 😭

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Good_Operation_1792@reddit

All depends on how strong you like your tea. When I'd make tea for my nan I'd leave it for 2 mins but I like a stronger tea so I'd do 5 mins

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LikwitFusion@reddit

I leave the bag in with a dash of milk because I'm a double hard bastard tea drinker.

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random_character-@reddit

A truly hard bastard just chews the teabag with a mouthful of milk.

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

My exexex was hard as fuck then she didn't need milk

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TimeNew2108@reddit

Hubby hates me leaving the teabag there

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pintsized_baepsae@reddit

'normal tea' is such a British thing too :D

'What tea do you want?' - 'oh, normal tea'

Drove me to despair the first few times!

My good friend, I'm German. We approach tea differently. You need to give me a clear answer or I'll give you the fruit infusion that's my favourite this week. 😭

That said, for someone who doesn't like any black tea, I apparently make the perfect cup. I've been voted tea champion three times in a row in my office 😆 feels like I should get citizenship on the basis of this alone!

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DameKumquat@reddit

They don't make tea properly. (if we're talking Brit stereotypes)

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

How's it done properly?

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DameKumquat@reddit

I believe Indian tea is made by boiling up tea, water and milk together and letting it stew?

Brit style is tea leaves, add boiling water, remove tea after a few minutes, add cold milk. No boiling with the tea.

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

Brit tea used to be boiled over heat,water and tea bags in a pot, stew for preference, pour add milk and sugar if desired

Sounds pretty much the same, I was told by someone that it's actually better to wait until you've boiled and left to sit for a minute as the tea can get scolded if boiled

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averageinformant@reddit

They say the same about English tes

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running_on_fumes25@reddit

When India plants a flag British soil, they get to decide. Not before.

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UsefulPurpose2539@reddit

But theyre wrong and we are right.

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OwnSolved@reddit

Hahahaha love it

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

Think it's because the global tea trade was a monopoly of the British empire once they invaded countries that grew tea, flooded them first with opiates

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FlyingCloud777@reddit

The Turks. Oh, the Turks. They put us to shame with how much tea they actually consume.

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wildOldcheesecake@reddit

I do not like tea. I do like Turkish tea. I love the sweetness.

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Time-Mode-9@reddit

It's only sweet if you put sugar in it. Same as normal tea.

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Honey-Badger@reddit

Because we also have various tea ceremonies like high tea, cream tea etc

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guIIy@reddit

I don’t think this one is that true. I know way more people who drink coffee over tea. Go to Turkey and you’ll see a country of actual tea drinkers. They have a tea before and after every single meal.

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running_on_fumes25@reddit

Maybe it's about volume amount....

We drink massive sports direct mugs of the stuff. I imagine the Turks have dainty little glass cups.

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Time-Mode-9@reddit

Yeah, but they drink a lot of them.

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running_on_fumes25@reddit

We need to do a scientific test. How many dainty Turkish tea glasses are required to fill one British Sports Direct mug?

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Time-Mode-9@reddit

They're about 100ml, and a sports direct mud is a pint (568) ml, so 5.68.

I knew my maths a level would be useful one day!

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2AMarvin@reddit

I don't.

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OwnSolved@reddit

Yeah me neither actually. But I dont mind drinking it

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The_Brock01@reddit

I think we love alcohol more.

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ComprehensiveAd8815@reddit

People will go into a legal war over a bit of fence or a six inch bit of driveway to avoid having a conversation with their neighbour.

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Jolly-Minimum-6641@reddit

My uncle was a solicitor. His firm refused to take petty cases like that.

I had a summer job at another firm which did - and the file was an inch thick.

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SchoolForSedition@reddit

Did your uncle have any stories about the case of Pye v U.K.? (before it was rescued bub the Grand Chamber)

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ComprehensiveAd8815@reddit

It’s utter wasteful madness isn’t it. Just talk people.. talk!

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dai4u-twonko@reddit

I 100% agree with that as my mother and step father have effectively built Hadrian's wall in wood fencing so they haven't gotta see there neighbours😄

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ComprehensiveAd8815@reddit

It’s a hobby now 😜

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Sean001001@reddit

I think that's maybe more of a southern thing

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ComprehensiveAd8815@reddit

As a northerner, and with the greatest respect we all know that whilst Northerners are chatty they are also nosy fucks and they get all up in your business.

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PM_ME_UR_VULVASAUR_@reddit

Sounds like my nan.

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Fuzzy-Loss-4204@reddit

We are polite because we talk about the weather, when it comes to more serious subjects such as politics or religion we are a lot less polite and a lot less tolerant, the weather is a safe subject,

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PsychologicalRow8034@reddit

Complaining. Bad teeth, I spent most of my adult life in California so moving back to the uk and meeting people with expensive highlights and lash extensions but with clearly rotting teeth absolutely blew my mind

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Linguistin229@reddit

Brits have healthier teeth than Americans. We don’t have fake white teeth on the whole but our teeth are in better shape when it comes to actual health.

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PsychologicalRow8034@reddit

Honesty it could be more a class/money thing because I moved from a fairly wealthy area of California to a poorer area of the uk.

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

Free dental care on the nhs for those on welfare or low income

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PsychologicalRow8034@reddit

Except you can never find an nhs dentist accepting new patients

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PlayOk1920@reddit

Scaled up to us size and population, uk boxers win absolutely everything

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jaymatthewbee@reddit

A lot of Brits don’t care about good food and drink, evidence being the popularity of supermarket meal deals, Greggs and fake Spanish lager.

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

Gordon Ramsay gonna merc u lol

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barryshmee@reddit

Bad teeth

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soopertyke@reddit

Bad trope, Richard Cranium

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JoeDaStudd@reddit

Queueing British are masters of queueing and waiting their turn.

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GivMeBredOrMakeMeDed@reddit

British men are racist lager louts that completely disrespect the people who maintain their favourite holiday destinations.

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TimeNew2108@reddit

We do apologise when some idiot bumps intovus

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Formal-Proposal7850@reddit

I know this isn’t answering your question but I don’t think we’re actually that polite. Sure we have an elaborate and impenetrable-to-outsiders system of pleases, thank yous, and sorries but it’s a mask to cover up the fact that our interpersonal relations tend to be quite rude if you look at our expectations, etiquette, and behaviours. I live in Canada now where the politeness is both words and actions, and when I come back to the UK, I find the shift to rude behaviours paired with nice words quite destabilizing.

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KeysUK@reddit

One subconscious theory i have that's made us polite is because of our narrow roads. So many of our roads are able to fit one car down it at a given time, so the other car has to yield and let them through.

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guIIy@reddit

Agreed. I don’t think people are very polite to each other here. I was in Normandy recently and couldn’t believe how polite everyone was despite the stereotypes of the French being rude.

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Common-Extension8892@reddit

This! I feel the same. Their politeness doesn't come with genuity

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Robprof@reddit

I say “alright” as a greeting too much as a northerner

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TheRealFriedel@reddit

To which the reply should be 'oreyt' or 'a'ight' and nothing else

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blueytangled@reddit

Like the French, Sava? Oui Sava. A greeting, never an inquiry

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Robprof@reddit

“Good, how are you?” 😐

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blueytangled@reddit

No No no. Alright? is a greeting never an inquiry

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Blue_Bi0hazard@reddit

ey up!

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PowerApp101@reddit

I said this in Australia. Silence and blank looks ensued.

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Robprof@reddit

West, not east 😂

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Blue_Bi0hazard@reddit

ah a red rose, "neveh should of come ere" *skyrim encounter music plays*

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inkboy84@reddit

We can turn anything into a chant.

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kettle_of_f1sh@reddit

Bob Bylan has entered the chat

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MeatGayzer69@reddit

Wrexhams American fans are really going to let them down

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Janjannaj@reddit

"Champions of chanting - you'll never sing that"

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Tildatots@reddit

Our teeth really aren’t great. I remember when I moved back to the UK after a long time living abroad and was shocked at the state of people teeth. Think the turkey teeth/invisalign/whitening accessibility is making it somewhat better but maybe too much in the other extreme in some cases

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wildOldcheesecake@reddit

They might not cosmetically look good but Brits have better teeth in terms of how healthy it is. Not sure what American trope you’re reading into

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

..😂 turkey teeth, bright enough to blind big enough to cause a speech impedement

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HighlandsBen@reddit

Yep. I mean, maybe the average is not too bad healthwise, but I regularly see people on tv who are either subject-matter experts and/or posh, who have alarmingly crooked, discoloured teeth. Usually 50s or older though, so maybe things are improving?

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chaos_3311@reddit

Classism.

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chaos_3311@reddit

The weather is diabolical 100% of the time

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FlyingCloud777@reddit

Loves tea, utterly mad about football (me, that is).

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PbJax@reddit

Fed up with Islam.

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Ashamed-Necessary-25@reddit

Oooof uh not getting involved in that one

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ImpressNice299@reddit

Everybody in the world talks about the weather. It's the safest subject for smalltalk.

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Aggressive_Milk3@reddit

I really do unnecessarily apologise quite a lot

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OwnSolved@reddit

Oh please no you don't! You're fiiiiine!!

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Twiggy_15@reddit

Sorry to disagree, but I still think I should apologise more. Sorry.

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Icy-Explorer-269@reddit

Sorry, not that i’ve got adequate spacial awareness but I just want to seem like a waste of space because its traditionally polite.

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Twiggy_15@reddit

Sorry to disagree, but I still think I should apologise more. Sorry.

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Top-Initiative7668@reddit

Sorry

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bobbydazzler1000@reddit

Weather chat! Without a doubt

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tetlee@reddit

I moved to Arizona a years ago and they talk about the weather as much but it's all just "It's fucking hot huh?". Still makes me think of the fast show.

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Ruthiereacts@reddit

So true! Funnily enough I had that conversation earlier.

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CuriousNowDead@reddit

Our language is strange and confusing. Fast evolving with huge numbers of regional dialects and all kinds of slang. I can see why Americans think we’re talking gibberish!

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ohmygodadameget@reddit

Most stereotypes you hear about any peoples or nationality are usually true, or at least have some truth to them, that's why they became stereotypes in the first place.

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AudioViolence666@reddit

We really are a nation of binge drinkers.

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JustLetItAllBurn@reddit

Though the younger generations are starting to let us down.

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AudioViolence666@reddit

Clearly universities need to provide better education for adult life!

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tptpp@reddit

that the food is shit

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Icy-Explorer-269@reddit

Digestives?

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Recent_Schedule_6819@reddit

Pub

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niallw1997@reddit

The penchant for self-depreciating humour. Say something taking the piss out of yourself in front of Americans and they think you genuinely hate yourself (I mean I do but that’s besides the point)

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DarthFlowers@reddit

Echoes of gentry still believe in eugenics and think they’re there by merit

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wombatbridgehunt@reddit

I mean, they’re all true aren’t they?

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5ubredhit@reddit

Love moaning about the weather more like.

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shredditorburnit@reddit

Pushing into a queue at the shop, making bad tea and getting onto a train before people have gotten off are all liable to get you a good scolding.

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thomasthe10@reddit

and using 'gotten'

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NobDeRiro@reddit

We drink a lot of tea while talking about the current weather we don’t like

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idontlikemondays321@reddit

The sarcasm. It’s so normalised that you don’t even realise you’re doing it. I have a colleague from abroad and I’ve had to learn to tone it down

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navs2002@reddit

Bacon sandwiches and roast dinners. I’ve lived in multiple countries and “proper bacon” in fresh doorstep or roll bakery bread cannot be underestimated, and a roast with yorkies and gravy just hits different when you need one.

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Ruthiereacts@reddit

How we que and/or wait for things.

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lobsided-flaps@reddit

Queue

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Ruthiereacts@reddit

Do you have nothing better to do?

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Pockysocks@reddit

Tea drinking. Despite the stereotype, I've seen folk still surprised by just how much tea and how frequently Brits will drink tea.

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navs2002@reddit

We talk about the weather because we just have so very much of it. In one day on any given day throughout the year you might need sunglasses, a scarf, shorts, a cardigan, a winter coat, sunscreen, flip flops, Ugg boots… it’s literally the only true “current affairs” topic that is completely timely!

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nsnyder@reddit

A Brit is someone who thinks that 100 miles is a long distance (and an American is someone who thinks 100 years is a long time).

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