What’s one everyday thing in the UK you didn’t realise was unique until someone pointed it out?

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

Other countries =/= America.

Americans don't tend to have kettles because they don't drink much tea + their electricity is weak ass, so they may as well microwave it. But many other countries have them.

But something that is pretty unique here: giant plugs with all the safety features!

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Grimdotdotdot@reddit

My German teacher told me that Kettles weren't that common in Germany.

She might have been lying though - bloody Frau Hoffman

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I've travelled a lot in Europe and I wouldn't say kettles are common essentials unless you are a rare tea drinker. Instant coffee is less common too, generally households would have filter machines, espresso machines, or moka pots. So the need for a dedicated water boiler is pretty low.

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Dando_Calrisian@reddit

My German friend buys UK tea from amazon

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

Instant coffee is less common too

This is one thing people here may not realise, some countries look at this with the same disgust we may give to instant tea. But for many, especially older people, it is the norm.

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thorpie88@reddit

How are they making their pot noodles then?

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Iwantedalbino@reddit

With the coffee from the mocha pot. I’d have thought that was clear

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Grimdotdotdot@reddit

Frau Hoffman is vindicated!

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CrimpsShootsandRuns@reddit

Yeah, France and Italy regularly don't have kettles either. And I can't remember seeing one in Greece either.

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Advanced-Royal8967@reddit

Yeah, the French don’t often have kettles, I’m an avid tea drinker (like 10-12 cups /day), and have bought at least 3-4 kettles for friends and family, just so I can have tea at their house when I’m over.

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klausness@reddit

I think it may well depend on whose houses you’ve been in. In Austria (mostly Vienna, where I spend a fair amount of time), everyone I know seems to have a kettle, but my sample may not be representative. In general, southern Germany tends to be somewhat culturally similar to Austria, while northern Germany is often fairly different, so perhaps Frau Hoffman was from northern Germany?

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Grimdotdotdot@reddit

If she told us, I don't remember.

Much like everything else she told us.

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sayleanenlarge@reddit

They're not common in France either. My parents buy their kettles in the UK and they live in France. It's because the electric kettles you can get in France are piss poor and take forever to heat up because there's just not a real demand or competition for them.

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brushstroka@reddit

I'm afraid Frau Hoffman lied. Or am I a special German, because I grew up around kettles?

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RagingMassif@reddit

I've lived in 7 countries and 5 of those were EEC and I would say kettles are plenty common. I would add they're common in all over the world in hotels, which kinda implies their universal utility.

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Leagueofcatassasins@reddit

I am Swiss. I would say in Switzerland a lot less households have kettles than in the UK but they are certainly not something unusual. also you usually have one in the break room in my experience. microwaving water though seems insane to me, but people who don’t usually drink tea will just use a pot to heat water when they need it.

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Ambry@reddit

I lived in Belgium for a bit and it wasn't that normal to have a kettle. However an item even rarer was a toaster - barely anyone had one!

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InsaneInTheCrane79@reddit

Just came back from Belgium and I can confirm that our apartment did have both a kettle and toaster. However, they were shite. Also, why does every house I’ve stayed at (I’ve been every year since 2019) have a microwave combi oven thingy?

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Ambry@reddit

Omg the microwave combi ovens are AWFUL! Why do they exist?

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InsaneInTheCrane79@reddit

I don’t know!! What’s wrong with an oven you can fit two things in?!

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mmoonbelly@reddit

They have kettles - but…the kettles don’t switch off, because why would you not time your boiling kettle so that you can be there just at the point that the water cooker cooks your water?

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phead@reddit

their electricity is weak

Of course it isn’t, thats seems to be a UK misunderstanding. They have 2 positives at -120 and +120, and can easily run a 240v circuit, but just dont normally do so apart from the dryer(or ev these days)

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Useful_Cheesecake117@reddit

+120 V? Isn't it alternating current?

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klausness@reddit

Yes, it’s AC. The US uses split-phase power, so you get 240 coming in on two leads at opposite phase. Take one of those together with a neutral and you get 120V. Take both of them together and you get 240V. Since the two hot leads are 180 degrees out of phase with each other and both provide 120V when combined with a neutral lead, they can be seen as +120V and -120V, even though that’s not technically correct.

I believe most of Europe (including the UK) uses three-phase power (400V on three leads that are 120 degrees out of phase with each other), but that’s not normally supplied to homes (which just get 230V from a single phase of the 400V three-phase supply).

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Useful_Cheesecake117@reddit

I didn't know that this was the method to get higher voltages.

This method requires that the phases are opposite. How do you acquire that? Just invert the voltage on one of the cables?

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klausness@reddit

It comes in with opposite phases, so you don’t need to do anything. The power supply is actually 240V with opposite phases on the two wires coming in. You use one of those two wires plus a neutral to get 120V. I think that’s typically done before it comes into your house (on a transformer like the one shown in that Wikipedia article, but the point is that the electricity supplier delivers 240V power with two 120V wires at opposite phases.

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klausness@reddit

Yeah, no one in the US has a 240V outlet for small kitchen appliances. Electric hobs and ovens will have dedicated 240 V circuits (which are relatively easy install with the split phase power that you mention), but there’s no place to plug in a 240V kettle in any US kitchen I’ve seen. Any small appliance that you plug in will be 120V.

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Delicious_Shop9037@reddit

They can run a 240v circuit but as you’ve pointed out it tends to be used only for dryers or high powered items. It’s very uncommon for that power to be available in that kitchen for an electric kettle to use.

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seanmonaghan1968@reddit

I would suggest most houses in Australia and nz have kettles, I just used one 5 minutes ago

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Mixhil2@reddit

Ah yes but do they have a whistle on the spout ??

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seanmonaghan1968@reddit

Ours doesn’t

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

I am from Australia. The only change I had to make was to call them kettles. I used electric kettle/jug interchangeably.

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Fianchioh@reddit

As in, "put the electric jug on, love"? That sounds so funny to me

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cgknight1@reddit

Many countries use UK plugs - a quick Google suggests:

Ireland, Malta, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates

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Alyssa9876@reddit

Maldives do as well

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The_Final_Barse@reddit

Half of Botswana too.

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MrBozzie@reddit

Former Botswana resident here. Pretty sure it was all of Botswana by regulation, but some products and sockets may have leaked over the border from Zim and Namibia.

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RoseGoldMagpie@reddit

Misread that as "Former Botswana president here." And had to do a double take 😂

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MrBozzie@reddit

Hahaha .. not quite made it to that level in society.

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paradeoxy1@reddit

But not all? Is there like a geographical divide or is it all mixed up? Would your house have multiple types of sockets? I looked it up and saw they use D and M which, to me, look interchangeable with each other and type G (UK style)

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Paulcaterham@reddit

Check out South African plugs as well, like British ones, but bigger with round pins

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Fruitpicker15@reddit

They're the British Type M (BS546) but South Africa retained them while the UK changed to Type G.

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Milam1996@reddit

Whoever decided that the new type should have a letter lower than the previous version needs a long talk with themselves.

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

Interesting. There were some traces of these in the aughts in a few pubs, but never seen them in homes.

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Capable-Divider@reddit

My grandparents still have some lamps that use them in their house. Turned out at the time it was cheaper to get one new wall socket than the two new plugs.

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illarionds@reddit

My hall of residence in the late 90s had weird plugs (or rather, sockets) - pretty sure they must have been these.

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Oldfart_karateka@reddit

My halls had smaller ones with round pins - those of us that couldn't be bothered putting new plugs on the appliances we weren't supposed to have just put one on a 4-way strip and used that. And regularly blew the electrics for the corridor when we all boiled a kettle at the same time.

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illarionds@reddit

You're right, now I look closer, they were smaller than these. Not on the list of plug types I found, but maybe just because they're obsolete?

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TheThiefMaster@reddit

They came in different sizes based on the available amperage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets:_British_and_related_types#/media/File:BS_546_Plugs_-_15A_5A_2A.png

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Oldfart_karateka@reddit

Ours were pretty small, and I think the power supply was pretty weak too, which is why we weren't supposed to have kettles and fridges in our rooms! Had to keep the cleaners onside!

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Ophiochos@reddit

My grandparents had them! They couldn’t be bothered to change them all so just reused old plugs that fitted.

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TheThiefMaster@reddit

My inlaws have them still. Their wiring may need completely redoing but it's unlikely to get done before they pass.

I have a ZX80 that belonged to them (I'm a retro computing enthusiast) that has a round pin plug on it because of this, along with a round-to-square-pin adapter lead they made.

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StayWoakes@reddit

They're standard for some types of stage lighting

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dan_tank@reddit

Because they don’t have a fuse, which is helpful for stage lighting.

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TheThiefMaster@reddit

And also to deliberately stop them being plugged into regular sockets.

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Alternative_Route@reddit

I was told they kept them so cleaners could still use vacuum cleaners etc but customers couldn't use them for anything.

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R2-Scotia@reddit

My geat aunt's 1930s council house had them into this century

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

When I said aughts, it was 2007 or possibly later. My local pub in SW London had some lamps with different plugs.

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Fruitpicker15@reddit

Those will be the 5 amp Type D, used for lamps. Looks identical but smaller.

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FoxedforLife@reddit

I saw some of those in a pub bedroom I'd booked for the night, last month. First time I'd seen them since being in university accommodation in the 1980s.

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SilverellaUK@reddit

They were 15amp rather than the 13amp we have now. I think it was the 60s that we started changing over.

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Flash__PuP@reddit

The ones in pubs (from past experience as a landlord) tended to be the 3A lighting ones.

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IAmLaureline@reddit

My mum still has a few of the old sockets. She's 90. Fortunately none of the plugs.

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SchoolForSedition@reddit

I remember those. I suspect the ones I remember were already out of date though. When was the change?

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SilverellaUK@reddit

13amp started to be used in the 60s.

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SchoolForSedition@reddit

Was that when round pin plugs went out?

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SilverellaUK@reddit

It took a while to change over I think. Some people probably didn't change until they had to replace broken appliances but appliances didn't have to come with plugs like they do now.

When I married in 77 I received a toaster, beautifully wrapped except for the 13amp plug sticking out at the corner because my godmother's husband had fitted one for me and it wouldn't fit in the box.

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LittleTatterdemalion@reddit

G

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RagingMassif@reddit

madness

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HugeElephantEars@reddit

I'm South African. Typically those are the main plugs in everyone's home and most appliances you buy have them. But a lot of electrical goods come with the two prong plugs like in Europe so it's all just an annoying amount of adaptors.

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

True, not unique. Just shows you how many countries I haven't been to. Also, how unobservant I was in Ireland.

But I wanted to quickly add something so I wouldn't look so bitchy. Will think further.

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ERTCF53@reddit

You can have, asong they are 3 metres away from zone 1 (edge of the bath or shower basin) and most British bathrooms are smaller than 3 metres altogether.

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galacticturd@reddit

No bathroom power points in South Africa either. Soz mate 😄

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bealach_ealaithe@reddit

No power points in bathrooms in Ireland either.

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cgknight1@reddit

Do not worry about it - it is surprisingly hard to find something!

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v60qf@reddit

I wouldn’t describe that as ‘many’. And most of them are tiny.

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Ulkreghz@reddit

Yes, but they were once all under British rule or at least heavy influence as part of this much larger entity...

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v60qf@reddit

Irrelevant but ok

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Ulkreghz@reddit

The British Empire has entered the chat.

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Thlaynle@reddit

Kenya too. Though when I was there the TV in the hotel room had a two-pronged plug (not sure which type, it was quite a while ago) pushed in to the UK type G socket… Not sure on the safety there.

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officeja@reddit

A lot of homes in Iraq have UK sockets

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Glad_Revolution7295@reddit

Can't think why those countries would use them... /s

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ddbbaarrtt@reddit

Lots of other countries, but really very few people. Probably less than 150million outside of the UK, in the entire population of the world that’s really not many

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Constant_Toe_8604@reddit

Nigeria too

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Odd_Feedback_7636@reddit

That's kinda funny do you think people in Ireland and Malta etc consider them UK plugs? Surely you mean many countries have the same plugs as the UK.

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G30fff@reddit

I believe they are UK in origin

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Odd_Feedback_7636@reddit

So that makes the Malta plug British, how very colonial of you

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G30fff@reddit

Well, Malta was a colony, that’s why they have that plug type. Same with most/all of the others - they were all administered or protected in some from at some point by Britain.

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smoulderstoat@reddit

Yeah, introduced in 1947 to serve the ring main system, and subsequently taken up by others.

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NortonBurns@reddit

Pretty much the entirety of the current British 'safety plug' design was by MK, based in Edmonton, north London.

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Dangerous-Safe-4336@reddit

Yes, but when I made a reference to the animal called an ass, some British guy didn't know the word. What gives? I thought that would be the same between our countries.

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

You just met someone who never read the King James Bible. Or A Midsummer's Night Dream.

It's not a word people use day to day. They are donkeys, mostly.

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Dangerous-Safe-4336@reddit

Mostly they are here, too, and the unfortunate homonym (that you don't have) makes it a little awkward, but it's certainly still in use here. Doing stupid, reckless things will get you called a jackass pretty quickly.

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salbrown@reddit

Do you actually believe our electricity is too weak to boil water or am I misunderstanding

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

Not too weak to boil water, but just slower. Stems from. Ohm's Law.

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000ttafvgvah@reddit

(Reluctant) American here. I did a study abroad in undergrad and we had a plug in kettle in our dorm floor’s kitchen. I was blown away by how quickly the water boiled! Finally bought one a few years ago and was extremely disappointed to find that it didn’t really boil the water faster than putting a pot on the stove. Thought perhaps that one was made cheaply, so got another one when a store that usually has quality appliances had a sale. Same result. Was crushed to later learn that it wasn’t the kettle’s fault, but our oh so weak electrical outlets 😢

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Oozlum-Bird@reddit

I’d probably end up trying to DIY an electrical transformer in my kitchen, such is my need for proper tea. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

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klausness@reddit

A transformer won’t help, because you’d need higher-amperage circuits than you’d typically find. A transformer will turn 15 amps at 120V into 7.5 amps at 240V. Not enough for a kettle. As discussed elsewhere in this thread, most US homes do have 240V supplies that are used by high-power appliances (such as electric ovens). So you could, in theory, wire up a 20 amp 240V circuit to that supply and then use an imported kettle. I’m sure that would violate all kinds of electrical codes, of course.

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000ttafvgvah@reddit

As the tap water is gross where we live (not dangerous, but full of chlorine so it tastes terrible), we now have water delivered and the hot water spout produces the perfect temperature for tea.

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Pizzagoessplat@reddit

Where did this idea that none tea drinkers don't have kettles come from. You use kettles for other reasons than just tea. I'm not a tea drinker

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

I rarely make tea either, and I have a kettle.

It's not so much that they are only for tea drinkers, but that's what made them normal here.

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ODFoxtrotOscar@reddit

It’s not just the US.

I stayed self catering in Italy and the kitchen had every size of mocha pot ever produced, but no kettle

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

Espresso is the norm which explains that I guess.

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Beanslab@reddit

Random fun fact: if on android you can hold down the = button to get ≠

Not sure if same for apple, also interesting point it took years before I realised they microwaved water instead of a kettle lol

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Stuartlloyd2000@reddit

Upvote for correct arse spelling. I'll probs get a beating for that.

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SquigSnuggler@reddit

Sorry to be pedantic here but arse is a completely different word to ass, it’s not the same word with different spelling. Weak arse doesn’t work as a phrase.

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Oozlum-Bird@reddit

I can’t be arsed with US English

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SuperJay1899@reddit

Microwave ovens have been around for 50/60 years-ish. How did Americans boil water before then?

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

Like we all did.

Electric kettles weren't that popular 50 years ago. They had visible coils, cumbersome plugs and not auto-cutoff.

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Oozlum-Bird@reddit

I certainly make the majority of my tea in my underwear

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obiwanmoloney@reddit

≠

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fost1692@reddit

They drink a lot of tea, but it's iced

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AgileSurprise1966@reddit

Americans do mostly have tea kettles, whistling stove top ones. Electric ones were not as popular probably due to the electricity thing- it would take too long to boil. Currently they make ones that boil faster now so some people do prefer them, but most homes have a kettle on the stove.

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usexplant@reddit

The ones where I'm from drink a lot of tea! It just happens to be iced tea.

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EvenMathematician874@reddit

Yep! I am from bulgaria and everyone has a,kettle

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AdaronXic@reddit

Kettles weren't a thing in Spain until recently, and are still not as widespread as in the UK

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EntirelyRandom1590@reddit

What were all the British expats doing before?

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0oO1lI9LJk@reddit

Saucepan on a hob was my go to.

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AdaronXic@reddit

I mean, I guess you could buy them... I grew up heating water in a pot or the microwave in my Spanish household

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

Oh, yeah, not every country. But I came from Australia, and never been without one. Also, the one that came in our London furnished flat hadn't been descaled, and I didn't know what was wrong with it.

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27106_4life@reddit

Their electricity is exactly the same as ours

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

Seriously? Yes, it's all electrons, but the US voltage differential between positive and ground is about half of that in Europe/UK, so water boils slower.

this is not contreversial

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27106_4life@reddit

You didn't say voltage. You said electricity. The voltage is also not what is causing the reduced speed of water boiling.

Your spelling is controversial though

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

It's like if I said "their water is weak arse". I wouldn't mean they had a different H2O, just the pressure was weak.

But luckily Reddit allows me to block trolls.

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Draigdwi@reddit

And no plugs in the bathroom.

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Fruitpicker15@reddit

White/yellow number plates perhaps?

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hltlang@reddit

Tourists always ask me what the difference is between the white and yellow plates and then feel quite silly when I point out it's just front and back. They're also keen to find out more about the famous "Arnold Clark"

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clangingchimesofd00m@reddit

We had that revelation when we'd been driving around the UK for a few days and googled why some are white and some are yellow. It was a real slap to your forehead moment.

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

Travelling through Europe really made me realise how good our numberplates are. Different for front and back, clear lettering. Many countries were barely readable like Italy and France, letters too narrow. Germany has some weird symbols on theirs. Netherlands was quite good, both yellow but the font was clear.

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trysca@reddit

Crumpets. Why they don't dominate the globe i'll never grasp.

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clangingchimesofd00m@reddit

We eat a lot of crumpets in NZ but one thing I noticed when I was last in the UK is that yours are pre-browned so they only take one toaster cycle to be ready to eat. Ours are paler and need longer in the toaster to get proper toasty...https://www.goldencrumpets.co.nz/

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TenderfootGungi@reddit

We call them "English muffins" in the US. Our store bought versions are probably not as good. We buy them occasionally to toast with breakfast.

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trysca@reddit

No those are 'muffins', crumpets are quite different, pikelets are quite similar but thinner and freepoured sometimes known as dropscones

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aunzuk123@reddit

You definitely don't call them English muffins!

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Mendel247@reddit

But an English muffin (breakfast muffin) is a completely different thing.

By the way, the Warburton's crumpet recipe is online and fantastic. I often make half a recipe, then cook it in a larger pan as a single, large crumpet, then cut it into 6 slices. I've just left Spain after living there a decade, and I made those crumpets all the time

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NortonBurns@reddit

Toaster. Not toaster oven, just a plain old 2-slice toaster.

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Odd_Feedback_7636@reddit

Ireland has toasters.

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NortonBurns@reddit

For sure. Ireland, for the simple purposes of 'what do people in the UK do', is joined at the hip. We tend towards similar things.
I've been, many times. It doesn't feel like 'being abroad'.

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clangingchimesofd00m@reddit

Sounds like you haven't been abroad much at all if you think toasters are just a british thing.

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Odd_Feedback_7636@reddit

But it is abroad.

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Reesno33@reddit

Fucking hell mate your be trying to prove a point with the channel Islands next.

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PM_ME_BUTTERED_SOSIJ@reddit

Just like UK but a bit more shit tbh

Weather, food, public transport, cities etc all pretty much the same but a bit worse

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fartingbeagle@reddit

Ah but where do you store it? On the counter or in the press?

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Odd_Feedback_7636@reddit

Lol this is the question

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ernfio@reddit

Some are in cupboards. The Protestant ones.

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Ambry@reddit

I lived in Belgium and toasters were really rare. People didn't tend to toast bread, they'd just make sandwiches. Bread there is super fresh and it was normal to use nice spreads on non toasted bread!

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mcfedr@reddit

yea, 99% of English bread is not edible unless toasted

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Flat_News_2000@reddit

Toasters are everywhere

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missuseme@reddit

I don't own a toaster, I'm just not eating enough toast to have a dedicated appliance for it

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SailingWavess@reddit

I don’t think I’ve been to a house in America that doesn’t have a standard toaster? Everyone has one

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meat_on_a_hook@reddit

...are you really trying to claim that other countries dont have toasters?

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Brombeermarmelade@reddit

Fresse du Huso

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LittleRise1810@reddit

Plain 2 slice toaster is everywhere. The 4 piece ones and toast racks are special. Toast racks are actually useful.

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darybrain@reddit

My toaster is WiFi enabled so I can start/stop specific slots and set the temperature from anywhere in the world. I'm not there to put the bread but apparently that wasn't an essential requirement for the designers. It also has a window on the side so I can watch one side of a slice of bread get toasted, however, it get very hot so I'm expecting one day for the toast to have some special crunch to it. Also also the springs are so tight that each toast and crumbs will launch out quite high making a mess which is always an added fun cleaning bonus.

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D34dhead@reddit

Less common in countries where sourdough bread is the default as opposed to sliced square loaf.

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Express-Way-1017@reddit

Exactly this... standard British bread needs to be toasted to make it vaguely palatable. All those beautiful germanic breads are perfect as they are

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elom44@reddit

Jamaica has the best toasters

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illarionds@reddit

Ubiquitous in Australia/NZ, and I would guess a fair chunk of the Commonwealth (as is so often true with things people offer up as "uniquely British").

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MTFUandPedal@reddit

Right but they are former colonies. They are more British than not.

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NortonBurns@reddit

Agree. Same as the earlier 'Ireland too' comment.

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QuirkyFrenchLassie@reddit

French people have toasters...

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27106_4life@reddit

America has toasters

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boo23boo@reddit

Prawn crackers with your Chinese takeaway. I was shocked to find this is not universal.

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Wrong_Adhesiveness87@reddit

If it helps they are universal in Aus and NZ

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clangingchimesofd00m@reddit

No, they're not in New Zealand.

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eben1996@reddit

Same in France

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InThewest@reddit

We always got them in Canada too!

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Concerned_nobody@reddit

We get them in BC Canada BUT they charge $6-8 for a bag/box! I get a bag of shrimps from Costco or T&T instead. Much cheaper for much more. Plus I can snack on them after.

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lucylucylane@reddit

Never get them in bc

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itsthequeenofdeath@reddit

They absolutely are not standard in NZ

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Safe-Camel-2863@reddit

Chinese food in the uk blew my mind. The prawn crackers were the least of my worries.

When my young relatives come here from the uk to visit they won’t eat our Chinese food. “Where are the chips?”.

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dpwtr@reddit

It’s not uncommon, though. Lots of countries have them. Even with different Asian cuisines.

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beesarecool@reddit

I’m Indonesia dishes often come with fish crackers which are basically prawn crackers

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taknyos@reddit

Prawn cocktail flavour crisps too. Don't think I've ever seen them abroad.

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MapOfIllHealth@reddit

I stock up on them once a year when Aldi Australia does their British specials. It’s around the Kings Birthday, which is near my birthday, so I feel no guilt about blowing all my money on Prawn Cocktail crisps. Just wish they did Smokey bacon flavour too!

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hebejebez@reddit

I buy them online from one of three euro food sort of websites, I’ve found no matter what flavour I try Australian crisps have too much salt or some sort of acidic quality that makes my tongue hurt - usually a random reaction to certain fruit and veg.

I’d been here 15 years before I decided to bring some of my English snacks here and omg the nostalgia of a prawn cocktail crisp or cheese and onion McCoys. Have loved every second of retrying some of the old favourites, has not absolutely nothing for my waistline and has made me miss marks and Spencer’s food halls with such force I’m tempted to spend the exorbitant shipping costs for some of their other items. I think if I got hold of some Colin caterpillar I might have a bit of a weep.

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nearly_enough_wine@reddit

I've definitely seen Smoky Bacon sold at Aldi in the past, so keep an eye out :)

[-]

klop422@reddit

Salt and Vinegar, while I've seen it in many other countries, does also tend to be rarer and often is advertised as a British thing

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cest_jarvoir@reddit

They are actually available in Australia but aren't called prawn cocktail - they're marketed as "light and tangy". Same flavour though!

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nearly_enough_wine@reddit

Could you recommend a decent brand of UK prawn cocktail crisps, please? I'm Australian, enjoy light and tangy chips, and this intrigues me.

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NoNoNotTheLeg@reddit

https://www.coles.com.au/product/lays-prawn-cocktail-150g-9054927

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nearly_enough_wine@reddit

Cheers, but Made in Australia isn't quite what I'm after :)

[-]

Cluedude@reddit

McCoy's ridge cut prawn cocktail were my favourite! I fear they may have been discontinued for some reason though, I haven't seen any in the shops for months!

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andonebelow@reddit

Walkers.

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NoNoNotTheLeg@reddit

Respectfully, I disagree. I think Prawn Cocktail are sort of tomato sauce with a bit of chilli ie Marie Rose sauce, whereas the Light and Tangys have I think a big hit of celery salt or something similar. Anyway, see my earlier post, get to your local Coles, and try both side by side.

[-]

NoNoNotTheLeg@reddit

In Australia Coles (half of the supermarket duopoly) have just started stocking Lay's Prawn Cocktail chips. Oddly, although they are made in Australia, they are stocked in the Asian food section, away from all the other snacks. https://www.coles.com.au/product/lays-prawn-cocktail-150g-9054927

Aldi had PC chips a few months ago as well, can't remember the brand but it was a centre aisle thing.

Sorry to call them chips but when in Rome ... I am a Prawn Cocktail crisp fan from my early youth and a six pack of Walker's when I visit the UK is one of the first things I buy. Also these https://www.marksandspencer.com/food/prawn-cocktail-shells/p/fdp60697143#intid=pid_pg1pip96g6r9c5

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Grotbagsthewonderful@reddit

They're just rebranded tomato/ketchup flavour crisps, same ingredients but in the UK during the 80s they weren't very popular because there was the perception the ingredients were "cheap" or "common" hence the rebrand.

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Quirky-Reception7087@reddit

Prawn cocktail crisps are flavoured after Marie Rose sauce, not ketchup. It’s made by mixing ketchup, mayo, and Worcestershire sauce

[-]

Trebus@reddit

hence the rebrand.

Lolwut?

They might taste similar (I despise both so couldn't say), but in the 80s both flavours readily were available.

[-]

0oO1lI9LJk@reddit

In general our strong flavoured crisps are quite unusual, most countries seem to have the taste for gentler savoury flavours.

[-]

blueskyjamie@reddit

Yeah elsewhere they taste of potato, not here

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Stained_concrete@reddit

Tyrell Naked crisps have entered the chat

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AhhGingerKids2@reddit

Japan has entered the chat

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UmaUmaNeigh@reddit

Wasabeef my beloved!

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The_Final_Barse@reddit

Thrush biscuits 🤢

[-]

GabberZZ@reddit

No need to be rude.

[-]

The_Final_Barse@reddit

What's rude?

[-]

GabberZZ@reddit

It was a joke. Thrush Biscuits sounds like some sort of rude phrase that Finbarr Saunders would use.

[-]

Trebus@reddit

Thrush Biscuits

Or a 90s punk band.

[-]

bonjourmiamotaxi@reddit

The fuck you talking about.

[-]

The_Final_Barse@reddit

The disgusting, warm, rotten fishy stench of the prawn cracker. Reminiscent of the stench from the common yeast infection.

Don't shoot the messenger.

[-]

bonjourmiamotaxi@reddit

Oh shit I thought you meant birds. My bad. Yeah, they do taste like delicious thrushy dollops.

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dirty_papercut@reddit

This is offensive. They're not biscuity at all.

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The_Final_Barse@reddit

I'll give you that.

They downvotes reflect the visceral realisation from most people.

[-]

bird-gerhl@reddit

We get them in Belgium too

[-]

Noremac999@reddit

I once had a meal with some Canadians and they called them ‘shrimp chips’.

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Tank-o-grad@reddit

The Germans do too, I discovered when I ordered them as a starter.

[-]

PeriPeriAddict@reddit

My canadian friend is visiting me and asked me what poppadoms were when they came with our indian takeaway!

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rikkiprince@reddit

We have poppadoms in Canada.

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PeriPeriAddict@reddit

Rural northern Ontario

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tetlee@reddit

lol the first time my wife saw them she said "oo they've put insulation in the bag"

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EvenMathematician874@reddit

We have it in bulgaria

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Useful_Cheesecake117@reddit

In the Netherlands Krupuk Oedang (Malasian / Indonesian for prawn crackers) is almost mandatory when eating Chinese Indian food

[-]

Educational-Bus4634@reddit

My dad used to bring out this massive like torso-sized bag of them every time he had takeaway, and would let me devour as many as I wanted in the time it took him to finish his food. If you've seen that trend of letting dogs eat straight out of their food bag/tub for ten seconds, that was basically what it was. I loved it, 10/10, although in hindsight I think he just didn't want me asking for any of his food

[-]

tobotic@reddit

Not universal, but also not uniquely British.

[-]

sunshinedeadhead@reddit

Girl from Poland came over for university. She was so excited the first time she got a letter through her letterbox. "Just like in Harry Potter!", she screamed lol. Apparently they don't have letterboxes in Poland, or her part of Poland at least

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ThePeninsula@reddit

How tf do they get post?

Is the Polish slot not in the door?

[-]

mcfedr@reddit

i got a lot more post living in the uk, i think everything like that just came as an email in Ukraine

[-]

OldSky7061@reddit

In a lot of other European countries people live in apartments rather than houses and the post boxes are on the ground floor in the lobby.

[-]

Sattaman6@reddit

No, the slot in the door is a UK thing. They would have a wall-mounted letterbox (to be fair we have these in the UK as well).

[-]

ThePeninsula@reddit

Ok thanks

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Practical_Savings933@reddit

Countries with winter like Poland and Canada can't just a have a hole in the door for all the cold to come in. In Canada we have mail boxes on the outside of the house, or in apartment buildings, separate lock boxes in the lobby.

[-]

thepuckster22@reddit

American here, but my grandparents emigrated from Scotland. My dad had a cup of tea every morning with breakfast, so I’ve had a kettle all my life. I now have a lovely electric kettle, because my husband ruined my copper stovetop kettle by letting it boil dry.

[-]

Clayton9523@reddit

American too and similar situation but I never gave him the chance to ruin it. Went straight to an electric multi-setting kettle and damn I love that thing, oddly miss the whistle noise though.

[-]

bakewelltart20@reddit

I prefer a stovetop kettle (UK) I had a copper one, in a smaller open plan apartment.

In bigger places I can't get to it fast enough to stop the screaming unless I wait in the kitchen with it, so I use an electric kettle.

[-]

SmurfMan90@reddit

That's grounds for divorce

[-]

ghoultooth@reddit

Elbow should write a song about that

[-]

Furicist@reddit

I've been burning copper teapots, it's grounds for divorce OOoooOoOoOoooo Polishing my teapot that I hold while it steeps OOoooOoOoOoooo Doubt my Mrs noticed, but then she kicked like a horse OOoooOoOoOoooo There's a bone China tea set love, and the rest you can keep And the rest you can keep And the rest you can keep

[-]

wildflower12345678@reddit

Two separate taps for hot and cold.

[-]

Certain-Entrance5247@reddit

Really ugly, damp, Victorian terrace houses with no front gardens. In some cities this is most of the housing, absolutely vile things made by mean old men who hated the working class.

[-]

LordGeni@reddit

The were built to improve the conditions for the working classes. Which in most cases they did. Blaming the fact they aren't ideal for the advancements both does a disservice to the people that built them and also credits them with incredible powers of foresight.

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Certain-Entrance5247@reddit

They were slums, but to house factory workers. Should have been replaced a long time ago.

[-]

LordGeni@reddit

They were free housing to get their workers out of slums. While incredibly patronising and morally overbearing to modern eyes, the victorian philanthropic ideals were both real and genuinely well meaning. Even if they weren't, ensuring healthy living conditions for your workers, when unhealthy conditions and multiple people (or even families) occupying single rooms wasn't uncommon, was beneficial to both the workers and their employer.

The design of the houses was actually properly thought out. Providing a back entrance with washing facilities, to allow workers to wash and change without making the rest of the house dirty, and separate rooms for eating, recreation/social activities and non-communal sleeping arrangements.

Some may have become slums later, as can any property when you cram in too many people, but they started as a way to improve conditions, not make them worse.

How suitable they are for the modern world is a different matter.

[-]

Retrogamer2245@reddit

Having our washing machines in the kitchen seems to baffle people from some other countries. I can't say it is a specifically UK thing but it doesn't seem very common.

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Reesno33@reddit

Only if you dont have a utility room.

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caspararemi@reddit

I see them on floor plans of some houses I view online but I don’t think a single person I know has a utility room.

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Redgrapefruitrage@reddit

I do, but they have a lot of money and are probably upper-middle class.

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ukrepman@reddit

I'm an average person and have a utility room. Must be cos I'm in the north (debatable... Sheffield)

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Still_Wrap4910@reddit

My ex council house that was built in the 60s has a utility room, they're not some unobtainable luxury 😂

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Meowskiiii@reddit

More to do with limited space, which, of course, has some correlation with wealth. I've known council houses with them.

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DecentAssistant3926@reddit

Mine doesn't, the washing machine is in (what is theoretically) the dining room

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Mother-Cantaloupe-57@reddit

Ex council houses and flats have so much space and build it storage. It just depends on the size of the storage. I had 2 large single and 1 large double storage cupboard (the singles had boiler and electricity meters respectively) but the large one is where someone before hand plumbed their washing machine for more space in the kitchen 🤷🏻‍♀️

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v60qf@reddit

The only ‘classes’ I ever see mentioned on Reddit are working and upper middle. None of it means anything these days.

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tobotic@reddit

Nobody admits to being lower middle class.

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TheThiefMaster@reddit

or "upper lower class" which is what most people who think they're middle class actually are according to the income brackets.

[-]

snarfalicious420@reddit

Keep that aspidistra flying!

[-]

Comprehensive-Elk597@reddit

One of the saddest books I’ve ever read

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thebrowncanary@reddit

I don't think this is accurate. I'm not sure about they're prevalence in new builds but I'd say they're fairly common and not reserved to upper middle class households.

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ihatethis2022@reddit

We had a utility room but it was more than it used to be a pub decades before that. So it was more the barrel storage and coal room that wasn't really useful for anything else when dad gutted the place. We still used the coal storage.

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UniquePotato@reddit

We live in a 3 storey town house, our neighbour’s house is the same footprint as ours, but has their kitchen on the first floor and a utility room on the ground floor. Asa trade off our kitchen and sitting room are a bit larger. I wish we had their layout, I’d love a utility room

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Spare_Night_2695@reddit

Eh , I’ve seen a utility room twice

One was in a masoinette that my family owned from the council when they sold it , tbf it was a huge masoinette like bigger than most houses I’ve seen

Second was in a house where the room was more of a corridor , which lead to a toilet downstairs, also fairly big house but this one I would consider upper middle class

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SoggyWotsits@reddit

I wouldn’t say upper middle class, just not new build style houses or houses build on limited space.

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Mother-Cantaloupe-57@reddit

I have a new build flat which has a utility cupboard where I have my washing machine and dryer

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KinManana@reddit

We do and it's a cheap af ex council house. Washing machine is in the kitchen though

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v60qf@reddit

The only ‘classes’ I ever see mentioned on Reddit are working and upper middle. None of it means anything these days.

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ukrepman@reddit

I'm an average person and have a utility room. Must be cos I'm in the north (debatable... Sheffield)

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Sgt_major_dodgy@reddit

We didn't have a utility room but we had what we called "the washing cupboard" in my ma's house (semi detached from the 1960d)

It was essentially a tiny room next to the tiny downstairs bathroom, just big enough to fit a washing machine into.

Was handy until you needed to replace the washing machine or knocked anything behind it.

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dottymouse@reddit

That's what we've got in our 1940s semi. It works well with a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer.

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EmFan1999@reddit

Yes, my parents have a room called ‘out by the washing machine’

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VolcanicBear@reddit

Utility room is on our "almost a necessity" list for moving house.

Don't have one atm though.

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

They are a nice idea but unless the house is very big, they feel like a bit of waste of space. A dingy, windowless area with a couple of appliances in it. Probably rather have the kitchen bigger and hide the washer in a cupboard. Useful if the family is big with a constant mountain of washing though, partly as a place to dump it all.

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jatmecs@reddit

As it happens my house has one and is for sale

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MarvTheBandit@reddit

I’m a recent First time buyer. Our house a utility room.

Every other current homeowner who came to see our new house blew a load seeing the utility room.

It’s madness I didn’t realise how sort after they are.

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tobotic@reddit

I have a utility room. The washing machine is in the kitchen though.

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Reesno33@reddit

What's in the utility? Air fryer and a George Forman grill?

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tobotic@reddit

Toolbox, cupboards containing spare lightbulbs, spare hooks, etc, the cat litter tray, coat rack and shoe rack (because there's a side door that comes off the utility room), sink, an extra kettle, all kinds of things.

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audigex@reddit

They’re common in new builds and it’s one of my favourite things about ours

Fundamentally it’s not that different in terms of space (it’s basically just a section of the kitchen cut off with a stud wall and with the washer, dryer, a sink etc in there)

But being able to close the door and reduce the noise in the kitchen makes a surprising difference. Less heat and humidity too

Plus we can keep all the cleaning products etc in there and the kitchen becomes a more focused “food” place rather than doing several jobs

On and a lock on the door means it’s much easier to keep kids away from chemicals

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man_onion_@reddit

It is my working-class mother's only life dream to have a utility room and a kitchen island. Honestly, same.

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flippertyflip@reddit

I do.

Not rich.

House was about the average price when we bought it.

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Good-Animal-6430@reddit

They tend to put them in the bathroom in a lot of European countries

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Mr_Emile_heskey@reddit

I recently moved house and it's the first house where I don't have the washing machine in the kitchen, because thankfully I have a basement it fits perfectly into!

[-]

GL510EX@reddit

We have a utility room of sorts, but the washing machine is still in the kitchen, the utility is on the front of the house and all the water and drains enter at the back, so plumbing in a washing machine just would be a massive faff.

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Mandie_mayniac@reddit

Our last house had a utility room... Decent sized at that. But only the dryer was in there. The washing machine was in the kitchen still 😂

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SWEn0thing@reddit

Yeah, what’s up with that. I see it often in southern Europe as well. Surely the bathroom would be a more logical place than the kitchen if you don’t have a separate laundry room. You know, the waterproof room where you already do your other hygiene/sanitary related tasks.

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InternationalTop7648@reddit

UK has pretty strict regulations about electrical devices, such as washing machines, in bathrooms. Besides, I don't know any bathroom big enough to also house a washer or dryer, especially in homes that aren't big enough to already have a utility room.

On the other hand, the kitchen is usually one of the larger rooms in the house and already has all the water and electrical lines needed for that stuff.

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SWEn0thing@reddit

Oh yeah, I can see the size of the bathrooms being an issue. Where I'm from the bathrooms tend to be practically cavernous, especially in newly constructed housing. It can get a bit absurd -- my sister lives in a tiny student accommodation and I'm pretty sure the bathroom is larger than the rest of her apartment. Some sort of pretty stringent accessibility requirement apparently.

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InternationalTop7648@reddit

Yeah here it's pretty much the opposite. It's not uncommon to see bathrooms laid out something like this, where the room is only just long enough to fit a bathtub in.

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kjus13@reddit

Well, the UK is also obsessed with bathtubs. In many other countries, if space is at a premium, you'd only have a shower and a washing machine next to it. Possibly with a dryer on top.

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SilverellaUK@reddit

Can confirm that (except the loo and bath are the other sides if the wash basin) this could be my bathroom. Pedestal washbasin too, no room for a cabinet.

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Tank-o-grad@reddit

This is one of those, law is different in Scotland things, they have the must have an accessible loo downstairs and the infrastructure to be able to install a downstairs shower in their building regs, also solar panels.

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SilverellaUK@reddit

We do have a loo downstairs and a shower room upstairs. The downstairs rule is a good one. We also have solar panels, but that's down to us. New houses built in England often have solar panels but it's usually around 4 or 6, not the full roof.

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Tank-o-grad@reddit

Similar on the solar up here, there's a certain wattage they have to hit, it's not a particularly challenging number, but better than nothing.

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BrokenBucatini@reddit

I'm really curious to know where you are from now

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SWEn0thing@reddit

Haha yeah, didn't mean to be so cagey. Sweden. I looked up the relevant sections of the building code. Apparently every apartment built since the late eighties needs at least one accessible bathroom, where they define that as being large enough to be comfortably maneuverable by a person in a wheelchair either by themselves or with an assistant present.

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BrokenBucatini@reddit

Well, TIL, (now that im looking at your username i should have gotten a clue)

Dumb question, but if every bathroom is wheelchair accessible I assume that every apartment is accessible too?

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SWEn0thing@reddit

Yep, apparently so! Doorways inside and outside the apartment need to be wide enough, thresholds low enough, elevators are required, kitchen counters and light switches must be reachable from a wheelchair, rooms large enough turn around in a wheelchair -- that kind of stuff.

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IcedWarlock@reddit

My bathroom is huge and could easily fit my washer dryer in with room to spare, which would be handy for extra cupboard space in my kitchen

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DarkNinjaPenguin@reddit

The kitchen has a ring main equipped for large appliances like fridge, freezer, oven etc. If the dishwasher is going to be in the kitchen, why not the washing machine?

Electronics are best kept away from the bathroom wherever possible. The UK has very few electrocution-related deaths or injuries compared to pretty much anywhere else in the world.

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SWEn0thing@reddit

I suppose the dishwasher is sort of similar to a washing machine in size and function. Dunno, maybe it's just the "vibe" of having a washing machine right there in the apartment that feels kinda weird to me. Sort of an unsightly appliance that you'd wanted hidden away. They can be pretty loud too, so it's nice to be able to shut the door on it.

I buy the argument about the electrical side of it. Are there no outlets whatsoever in British bathrooms? Do people not charge their toothbrushes and shavers in the bathroom then?

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DarkNinjaPenguin@reddit

The outlet thing is interesting; yes there are shaver sockets, but they're under very stringent regulations and you basically can't put a regular 3-pin outlet in a bathroom. You also can't have a regular light switch, it's either outside the bathroom or it's a pull cord so the switch itself is on the ceiling. Lastly, most British electrics can be done by anyone as long as they're up to code, but you legally need to have a qualified electrician to do any electrical work in a bathroom.

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SWEn0thing@reddit

Makes sense! Out of interest I pulled up the relevant code for my neck of the woods -- apparently the bathroom is divided into zones: (0) inside the bath/shower, (1) just outside/above, (2) within 0.6m, and (3) further away. Outlets can only be in zone 3 and must be equipped with residual-current devices. Other electrical devices (towel dryers, fans) and low voltage outlets can be in zones 1-2 it seems.

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TheThiefMaster@reddit

We do have similar zone requirements, but are stricter - the only allowed sockets are "shaver sockets" with isolation transformers and RCDs, not general purpose sockets. Heated towel rails are often integrated with the central heating rather than having independent power, though both do exist. Fan placement is pretty strict and electric showers are allowed but have to be very waterproof and hard wired with an isolation switch somewhere (often a ceiling pull cord or in a bathroom cupboard)

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SilverellaUK@reddit

You see, you explained it perfectly with your zones. Our bathrooms aren't big enough to have zones.

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a1edjohn@reddit

Normally you get shaver specific outlets in bathrooms, which look more like the European 2 prong plugs rather than the standard UK ones. Something to do with different voltage I think. I'm sure someone with way more understanding and knowledge will be able to add more context.

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Alexander-Wright@reddit

Shaver sockets have a flux limited isolation transformer.

You can touch either conductor without getting a shock. But not both!

Output power is limited.

[-]

TheThiefMaster@reddit

More modern ones often have an independent RCD too.

[-]

bowak@reddit

Your saying that it seems unsightly to you to have a washing machine in the kitchen makes me wonder if it's an example of just how ingrained our disgust reactions can be?

For me it seems almost a bit silly to think you'd want to hide it away - but then again I've grown up with the kitchen being the 'proper' place for a washing machine to go.

Whereas I get an involuntary reverse reaction to you too the idea of it going in the bathroom, as my first thought was "but that's the room I do my shits in"!

[-]

Fred776@reddit

We often have shaver sockets in the bathroom. They contain an isolating transformer and are designed to be used only for low power items. They are often wired off the 5A lighting circuit.

[-]

terryjuicelawson@reddit

That describes a kitchen which is also closer to where you'd be drying it all, and downstairs too.

[-]

flippertyflip@reddit

It's common in Australia to have this.

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Pocket_Aces1@reddit

To have it upstairs in the bathroom, no means I need to lug all the wet washing down the stairs, through the living room, and through the kitchen, to hang it outside. So I suppose it's which way you think is more convenient, where it is when you put them in, or where it is when you take them out.

And as other comments have said, strict electricals in a bathroom, along with the fact large washing machines need higher amps and more power draw, something a kitchen has due to the cooker, fridge, etc. As well as being able to actually fit it somewhere, no bathrooms I've been in at a residential home has been big enough to fit one in either.

[-]

First-Mistake9144@reddit

And, usually, by where all the clothes go!

Bring dirty clothes downstairs, wash them, take clean clothes back up stairs.

[-]

JavaRuby2000@reddit

I've seen this all the time from Americans about why do Brits keep their washing machines in the kitchen. However recently there has been a thing on Threads about "Why do all condos have the washing machine in the kitchen". So it seems this isn't as unusual in America as they make out.

[-]

vbanksy@reddit

And I am equally baffled to find them in the bathroom in Europe!

[-]

borokish@reddit

My washing machine weighs 95kg. How in the name of diddly fuck am I supposed to get that bastard up the stairs?

[-]

TheThiefMaster@reddit

Three-wheel stair climber trolleys.

e.g. https://www.toolstation.com/stair-climbing-sack-truck/p87414

[-]

Baggyboy36@reddit

Ask a removal person who regularly had to humf those things up to 2/3/4 flight flats

[-]

Sycamore481@reddit

That made me giggle. Take my upvote.

[-]

NoNoNotTheLeg@reddit

As a Brit who migrated to Australia I find an entire room called the Laundry with a washing machine, an oversized sink and fuck all except the cat litter tray equally bizarre.

[-]

munta20@reddit

I actually wouldn't mind having it in the bathroom like Germany, (if I had space)

[-]

RagingMassif@reddit

That is a bit weird, but small flats everywhere either have that, or have communal utility rooms. That's the advantage of flats Vs shit houses.

[-]

magpie-pie@reddit

The Sports Direct cup being everywhere

[-]

keratinisednumb@reddit

Apparently two taps, even if they then go into one mixer outlet

[-]

Dazza477@reddit

Robinson's squash/cordial/juice etc.

Literally doesn't exist anywhere else. Other countries drink water, soda, tea, fresh fruit juice or packets of powder that mix into water.

The idea of a liquid concentrate that you add to water is unique to the UK.

[-]

Konorad@reddit

It's literally not, other countries in Europe have it

[-]

Dazza477@reddit

In the last 12 months, I've failed to find it in France, Germany, Italy (albeit the south) and Greece.

An Italian colleague had no idea what it was and drunk it raw without water. A memorable moment in his first week here.

[-]

InternationalDish500@reddit

Can be found in any hospital in Greece.

[-]

aunzuk123@reddit

I have no idea how you haven't found it in France given they have huge displays of the stuff!

It's more syrup than cordial, but you said "liquid concentrate that you add water too". I love the grenadine.

[-]

Mendel247@reddit

You also can't get it in Spain, except in English food shops

[-]

leanyka@reddit

I have no idea why this post popped up in my feed, I am not from UK, and I have never tasted robinson’s squash. However, from what I’ve googled this is some syrup that you add to the water, and this is VERY common household item in Norway where I live. Also it has been served to us at least twice in France this summer - as a drink included in the kids menu. Don’t remember the French term for it tho.

[-]

terryjuicelawson@reddit

I made sure I took some abroad as knew we would struggle, my partner thought I was joking. Looked in the juices section of local supermarkets and there are some cordials but they were pricey and very sugary, not the same thing as our plain old squash at all.

[-]

el-destroya@reddit

I miss it so much, we smuggle litres of the quadruple strength ones back to Europe every time we visit.

[-]

mashed666@reddit

Buying milk at the shop.... Couldn't find anything apart from oat/soy milk when in the EU

[-]

Puppy_in_bin@reddit

Immigrants! Didn’t realise until Nigel F pointed out

[-]

cgknight1@reddit

Kettles are common in many countries.

How about dogging?

[-]

sillyquestionsdude@reddit

I haven't got dogging in my house here in England.

Should I?

[-]

HiddenStoat@reddit

I'm not sure you can have dogging in your house, by definition?

[-]

Upset-Elderberry3723@reddit

Does a conservatory or shed count?

What about an outhouse?

[-]

SparkeyRed@reddit

I think in the UK it's generally in the kitchen, while elsewhere in the world it's often in the bathroom. Something to do with plugs and holes.

[-]

hupwhat@reddit

a kennel.

[-]

HiddenStoat@reddit

It was Miss Scarlet, in the conservatory, with a dildo.

[-]

Upset-Elderberry3723@reddit

A messy scene, to be sure.

[-]

PippyHooligan@reddit

Her murder generated a lot of buzz.

[-]

Ok-Till2619@reddit

Are those euphemisms?

[-]

FlockBoySlim@reddit

But you could in someone else's house right?

[-]

365BlobbyGirl@reddit

Park up the volvo in the living room and jobs a goodun

[-]

SaltyName8341@reddit

In the garage?

[-]

YetAnotherInterneter@reddit

Yes I say that counts, but only if you have the garage door open so you can flash the neighbours!

[-]

bakewelltart20@reddit

You'd have to do it in your garden.

[-]

sillyquestionsdude@reddit

Do i need planning permission? Or just crack on with it?

[-]

wotsit_sandwich@reddit

Make sure you hire a reputable builder when you get dogging installed in your house. They should be RUDTF rated and make sure the follow up training stamps are on their certificate. The regulations change a lot and they need to be up to date.

[-]

Sir_Edna_Bucket@reddit

Do you live in a cottage? There is a related activity you could partake in

[-]

sillyquestionsdude@reddit

Barn conversion, so i guess i am stuck with plain old dancing or something.

[-]

Alert-Performance199@reddit

Missing out

[-]

Pearl_String@reddit

Might be a selling point. All the new build housing should have private and communal dogging areas. Subject to planning permission of course.

[-]

hungry110@reddit

I'm busy tonight, but could do tomorrow 👍

[-]

hdhxuxufxufufiffif@reddit

Are you suggesting dogging as an answer, or just changing the subject and inviting us to join you?

[-]

King_Six_of_Things@reddit

Why not both? 😏

[-]

Upset-Elderberry3723@reddit

Layby on the B road that runs behind the old Little Chef?

[-]

MarcelRED147@reddit

It's been 3 hours are you guys showing up or not? I'm starting to get friction burns on my cock from keeping it erect so long.

[-]

YetAnotherInterneter@reddit

Sh*t I think I’m at the wrong Little Chef. I can see some blue lights pulling up behind me

[-]

Lynex_Lineker_Smith@reddit

Nah, the French do dogging. I unfortunately know, as me and the wife accidentally parked in a dogging car park whilst looking for WW2 gun emplacements..

[-]

lalagromedontknow@reddit

I mean, the Aires are prime dogging

[-]

Dramyre92@reddit

Something was emplaced that evening. Merci.

[-]

Tennis_Proper@reddit

Many loads were shot.

[-]

0oO1lI9LJk@reddit

Did you get a good look at the cannons?

[-]

Maude_VonDayo@reddit

Did you end up seeing something of a rather smaller calibre?

[-]

Mesa_Dad@reddit

A size queen? What calibre...?

[-]

cgknight1@reddit

while there you go!

[-]

xxxJoolsxxx@reddit

Hot and cold taps I have heard Americans say they thought they both ran and we moved out hands around getting scalded and frozen it never occured to them we put the plug in make the temp we want and save water not letting a tap run.

[-]

Maisy20207@reddit

Salt and vinegar crisps

[-]

hltlang@reddit

Saluting magpies

[-]

pmissingham@reddit

Maybe we should try that in Australia rather than waving them away frantically.

[-]

glitterwitch18@reddit

To be fair, Aussie magpies are something else. The British ones never try to gouge my eyes out

[-]

bakewelltart20@reddit

It's a swap with Gulls.

Antipodean gulls are smaller and harmless, while British Gulls slap'n'grab food straight out of people's mouths and even make off with tiny dogs in gardens.

[-]

glitterwitch18@reddit

I had one fly directly into my head a few weeks ago. For no reason. Not sure if I prefer British gulls or Aussie magpies

[-]

bakewelltart20@reddit

I have a healthy fear of both 😆

[-]

gibgerbabymummy@reddit

My friend just recently told me off for not saluting the magpies but I've literally never seen that done before? I greet every magpie I see, my crazy Irish great nanna taught me "hello Mr magpie, how are your wife and children" and I've done it every time I've seen one, since I was 4..

[-]

bakewelltart20@reddit

I only learned about it as an adult (do Scots not do it? My parents both had Scots Mams, it appears that they weren't taught it, neither was I.)

I'm quite superstitious so I was kind of upset that I'd unknowingly been bringing bad luck upon myself for years!

I started doing it when I see a solitary Magpie.

"Good day Mr Magpie, where's your wife?" Was what I was told by an English cousin who was taught to do it.

[-]

Sycamore481@reddit

I never knew this was a thing until I met my other half. I noticed him doing it and politely asked what the merry fuck.

I then proceeded to assume it was an English thing (I’m Welsh) but then a friend, who is most decidedly Welsh, did the same thing. Baffles me.

[-]

hltlang@reddit

Baffled the magpies too

[-]

Virtuous-Patience@reddit

Much more common since Corvid

[-]

dxg999@reddit

It's also a nice iridescent green...

[-]

Sycamore481@reddit

Or they think we accept them as our feathery overlords… 🤷🏼‍♀️

[-]

logoduehell@reddit

I'm English and i've never heard of it.

[-]

inspectorgadget9999@reddit

What the what now?

[-]

TalProgrammer@reddit

It is to ward off bad luck and supposedly comes from the “One for Sorrow, Two for Joy” nursery rhyme. If you see a single Magpie then sorrow is coming so you ward it off by saluting and wishing the bird good morning.

[-]

Trebus@reddit

One for Sorrow

Obligatory Unthanks link.

[-]

Valuable-Incident151@reddit

You've got to salute the magpies mate

[-]

musef1@reddit

I've only been saying good morning to them.

[-]

cantsleepclownswillg@reddit

You also need to ask how their wife is today…

[-]

musef1@reddit

Well, this explains all the bird shit on my car.

[-]

hltlang@reddit

That’s why the magpies don’t respect you

[-]

cantsleepclownswillg@reddit

Well, you’re halfway there..

You need to salute and say “Good morning Mr Magpie, and how is your wife today?”

Or you’re not doing it right! Trust me!

[-]

dxg999@reddit

Saying good morning to the lone magpie.

If he's with another magpie, he won't curse you.

[-]

danjimian@reddit

Only solitary magpies

[-]

logoduehell@reddit

What do you mean?

[-]

Confudled_Contractor@reddit

Done this since childhood and have not idea why.

At 20 went to my mates place up North and when his mum drove us to a Rugby match she both saluted and spat at it (like a little tut really rather than phlegm 😀). I have now been doing the same these last 29 years, again I have no idea why.

[-]

ScaredyCatUK@reddit

Panto

[-]

mordac_the_preventer@reddit

Oh no it isn’t!

[-]

ScaredyCatUK@reddit

I had to wait 19 hours for that...

[-]

Weekly-Fisherman2069@reddit

I had family visit from America and they noticed how everyone says cheers and I haven’t stopped noticing ever since

[-]

ClassroomDowntown664@reddit

sheds as I was watching a YouTube video about the differences between UK and us homees . in the video they pointed out that in the states no one has a shed as they use there garage to store lawnmowers and outher garden bits

[-]

dicisbshk@reddit

Lots of people in the U.S. have sheds! Garages are more common, but sheds are by no means rare

[-]

ClassroomDowntown664@reddit

thanks for the info as from the vid I watched it made out that no one from the us has a shed

[-]

dicisbshk@reddit

No worries! There’s probably loads I have wrong about the UK ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[-]

ClassroomDowntown664@reddit

what like

[-]

Admirable-Ear-4@reddit

I

[-]

ThreeLionsOnMyShirt@reddit

Double decker buses.

Not just red ones, any double decker ones as seen in cities across the UK.

Very few other places in the world have these at all (apart from for sightseeing) - Dhaka, Singapore and Hong Kong I think are pretty much the only other cities in the world where they're common.

[-]

TraditionalAppeal23@reddit

Double deckers are the standard buses in every city in Ireland. I'm surprised they're not more common around the world.

[-]

Dapper-Lab-9285@reddit

Panto

[-]

zwifter11@reddit

Kettles … other countries use lower voltage electrical plugs. For example, USA uses 110 to 120 Volts which is half of what we use. So it would take ages to use a lower powered kettle to boil water. Countries like Italy use a moka pot on a gas stove.

[-]

slashcleverusername@reddit

Canada also uses underwhelming electricity like the yanks (except for clothes dryers and stoves. Every home has the ability to deliver 240V but there is typically only one outlet for the kitchen stove and another in the laundry room for the dryer, both of which take comically big plugs, the “1987 mobile phone” of plugs.

Anyway we all have electric kettles, they just take too long to finish.

[-]

lostinamuddle@reddit

Carrying an umbrella around in your bag 'just in case'.

[-]

hltlang@reddit

Most brits opt for a waterproof hood than a brolly because it's too windy

[-]

lostinamuddle@reddit

"some" Brits. :)

[-]

hltlang@reddit

Most. Go out and count.

[-]

lostinamuddle@reddit

This is a weird hill to die on

[-]

hltlang@reddit

I would hardly think that replying to a Reddit comment is comparable to dying on a hill

[-]

False_Mulberry8601@reddit

This is quite a generalisation. Maybe teenagers, but not “most brits”.

[-]

UniquePotato@reddit

Don’t think that is so much a uk thing anymore

[-]

MagentaPyskie@reddit

Common in Japan

[-]

darybrain@reddit

I really liked how many shops and business had clear separate plastic bags to put your wet umbrella in so you didn't have to take it inside and the umbrella was still there when you left.

[-]

SilverellaUK@reddit

You've never been to Singapore then. Hotels etc have big microfiber filled dryers outside. Like this but about 4x the size.

[-]

Odd_Championship7286@reddit

Took me a full year of living in California before I finally took my emergency ‘mac in a pack’ out of my backpack

[-]

Doctordelayus@reddit

You mean a brolly

[-]

tinabelcher182@reddit

Cupboard under the stairs.

[-]

qgwheurbwb1i@reddit

The kettle thing is something I've never even thought about. I drink on average...maybe 5 cups of tea a year. I'm just not a hot drinks person at all...but one of the first things I bought when I moved into my house was a kettle.

[-]

Vixrotre@reddit

Everyone I know in my home country had a kettle. What surprised me when I moved here: - all plugs having off switches - no plugs in the bathroom - bathroom having a string for the light - washing machine in the kitchen - two taps (i still miss warm water, our taps do freezing or boiling) - limited edition coins (I'm sure my country has them but they're super uncommon ig, I've never seen them) - and nowadays having to verify my age when I just want to check someone's Reddit profile :v

[-]

bsc8180@reddit

String for light and 2 taps are possibly a symptom of the age of the property or the age of the plumbing and electrics in it.

There have been alternatives for decades.

[-]

Vixrotre@reddit

Oh yeah for sure. I know it's possible to have a single tap in UK but our flat, my work and my partner's family members houses I've been to all have two taps everywhere. The light string isn't as common but I've never ever seen it in my native country.

[-]

Mother-Cantaloupe-57@reddit

It's really quite cheap to change those into a mixer tap. Please do so you don't burn your hands

[-]

Vixrotre@reddit

I wouuuuld but I don't think we can - renting :(

[-]

Mother-Cantaloupe-57@reddit

I understand your dilemma. I'm only speaking from experience. I'm a single petite woman living in London, I can change my own taps. Get the cheapest just tap from Screwfix and avoid wrench and you're good to go. £30 max £40. Keep the old taps if you just and replace them when you go if needs be

[-]

Vixrotre@reddit

That's a good idea. I'll talk to my partner about this!

[-]

Pristine-Anteater-96@reddit

The string for the light always confuses me - sometimes it’s for the lights, other times it’s the fire alarm. And yes, I have turned on a fire alarm once cause there wasn’t a switch and the sensor wasn’t working

[-]

aunzuk123@reddit

Fire alarm? Do you mean in public bathrooms? That's not a fire alarm, it's for people to call for help if something happens.

[-]

TheThiefMaster@reddit

And it's generally red and has triangular handles on it, and hangs all the way to the floor (in case a person of limited mobility has fallen). Very recognisable when you know.

[-]

aunzuk123@reddit

Yeah - though I've seen enough that aren't that I always have to stop to double check before pulling it!

[-]

sjw_7@reddit

New builds don't have string lights anymore and all have a light switch outside the door. Unfortunately we all live with people who are assholes who will turn it off from time to time knowing full well you are in there.

Also two taps are a thing of the past now we don't have a water tank in the loft. This is much better and I too am glad we can have warm water rather than freezing or boiling hot.

[-]

rikkiprince@reddit

🤯 I've been Canada so long I'd forgotten about plugs with on-off switches!

[-]

BeCoolLikeIroh@reddit

Our postage stamps do not have the name of our country on them. I learned recently that everybody else’s do.

[-]

terryjuicelawson@reddit

We got there first. Same with England football kits, just got the three lions.

[-]

logoduehell@reddit

Americans don't butter their sandwiches. They'll spread something like mayo on the bread without buttering it first. Very odd.

[-]

terryjuicelawson@reddit

They find the use of butter odd, I think it is viewed a bit differently. Theirs is less flavoursome, comes in sticks, a lot more like a baking ingredient. Imagine if we saw someone using Stork margarine on a sandwich I guess.

[-]

Lizbelizi@reddit

Gravy as a concept, you can even buy it in granules.

The milk here, even full fat, is still quite low in fat. Instead of having a 3 tier system, in Europe you tend to have the percentage of fat written clearly on the carton, and can get much fattier milk than here. Also milk comes in cartons (or plastic bags in some places) not plastic bottles.

In the UK I swear even unsalted butter is still salted, i can't prove it but I can taste it everytime. Normal pure unsalted butter tastes different, and I can feel that difference everytime I travel to mainland Europe.

[-]

VisKopen@reddit

The first two are the same in the Netherlands though the milk usually comes in cartons.

Unsalted butter is a thing though. In the Netherlands you can buy halvarine, which has less salt then UK spreadables and it's also completely plant based whereas the UK spreadable is, I believe, half dairy and half plant based. In the UK you can get the Lurpak salt free spreadable which is incredibly expensive though.

The best thing about halvarine though is that you can store it in the fridge, take it out and immediately use it as it's already soft. The UK spreadables are not really spreadable though and you first need to let them warm up before you can spread them.

Another thing that's hard to find is cheese for sandwiches. UK cheeses in general pack more punch and they are not as nice as Dutch cheeses for that purpose. Then you go to Tesco and buy a smoked ham and mature cheddar sandwich and the cheese is perfect. Why can't I buy that cheese in UK stores?

[-]

aunzuk123@reddit

There isn't "a UK spreadable". There are hundreds of different types ranging from half butter to completely plant based (standard seems to be mostly plant with a little dairy). The majority are completely spreadable straight from the fridge.

There's also tonnes of cheese available that doesn't "pack a punch" - I'm not sure why you struggle to find it. Every supermarket will have a mild cheddar with very little flavour? Any major supermarket will also sell Dutch cheeses like Gouda.

[-]

VisKopen@reddit

Fair enough, there's not a single spreadable in the UK. I haven't found any that ate spreadable straight from the fridge, but maybe it's because I buy the low salt and no salt options. Right now I have the Butterpak slightly salted spreadable and it's not spreadable straight from the fridge.

And the bit on the cheese is subjective. There are some mild cheddars I think are quite good, but for me it's not the same.

Sometimes I do buy the Dutch cheeses but they are pre sliced and quite expensive. I can't just buy a kilo piece somewhere.

I'm not really ranting, but these are some minor issues for me I sometimes deal with.

[-]

aunzuk123@reddit

I know you're not ranting. I'm not moaning at you, I just don't comprehend how you're having these issues!

I'm British and have been eating spreads my entire life. I can't remember the last time I had one that wasn't immediately spreadable from the fridge.

The taste of cheese is subjective so I get that you may not like the taste, but my point was that there are plenty that don't "pack a punch".

[-]

VisKopen@reddit

Interesting. What spreadable do you usually use?

[-]

aunzuk123@reddit

I don't have a usual one, whichever one is on offer - which is why I was so perplexed you couldn't find spreads that spread from the fridge!

If there's no offer, I tend to get the supermarket own brand olive spread.

[-]

warm_sweater@reddit

I’m an American, if I could find a place here with steak and ale pie, and whatever that dark brown gravy was that you pour over it and the mash… so fucking good.

[-]

SailingWavess@reddit

A lot of American stores sell Bisto in the British area of the “world foods” section! It’s the gravy granules!

[-]

catsaregreat78@reddit

The pie is made with gravy in it so it shouldn’t need to be poured over. In the UK, gravy is a brown thing and isn’t served with pseudo-scones :)

[-]

Lizbelizi@reddit

Erm yeah you do put gravy on a steak and ale pie if that's how you like it. I would.

[-]

catsaregreat78@reddit

Of course you can. But if you need to add more then your pie is probably very dry!

Enjoying the downvotes from people who can’t make pies 🤣

[-]

Helenarth@reddit

Enjoying the downvotes from people who can’t make pies 🤣

Nah it's just from people who fucking love gravy. I like my pies with more gravy than could physically fit into them (unless you have a recipe for a black hole pie, in which case please do share 🤣)

[-]

catsaregreat78@reddit

Please bear in mind that my mother is/was an appalling cook. You generally didn’t want to be asking for more of anything!

[-]

Briggykins@reddit

If someone doesn't say "Want some pie with your gravy?" then they're doing it wrong

[-]

Useful_Cheesecake117@reddit

Shouldn't the salt in unsslted butter be on the list of ingredients?

[-]

Lizbelizi@reddit

It's not on the list, but I swear I taste salt.

[-]

EmmaInFrance@reddit

I just buy proper Breton buerre demi-sel.

But then, Brittany is famous throughout France for its butter and for using it in large quantities.

[-]

Orangutan_Latte@reddit

The almighty crumpet.

[-]

Hotlikehalleyscomet@reddit

I genuinely didn’t find out till I was 40 that there aren’t sheep in the US

[-]

Practical_Savings933@reddit

i watch old Escapes to the Country in Canada with a friend. We call the show Sheep and bad curtains. Always sheep grazing and the houses all have ugly ill fitting curtains.

[-]

StirlingS@reddit

We have sheep. Probably not as many per square meter or whatever, but we have them.

[-]

smartief1@reddit

There aren't?? I'm 42 and I have just learned this! They really don't have sheep?

[-]

zwifter11@reddit

The UK is one of the only countries that has separate hot and cold water taps on sinks. Most other countries have a mixer.

[-]

Snap_Ride_Strum@reddit

The massive wealth and education inequality?

Second to the US, but uniquely bad in Europe.

[-]

Mesa_Dad@reddit

Errmmm... Ask Ireland, France, Hemant, Greece to name a few

[-]

docju@reddit

Trying to work out where “Hemant” is…

[-]

Mesa_Dad@reddit

It's the autocorrect version of Germany. Like Germany but Android keyboard has taken over

[-]

Mendel247@reddit

And Spain!

[-]

LaundryMan2008@reddit

Now I’m wondering why the kettles at Airbnbs, schools and hotels are so slow to boil while every other kettle boils in one minute

[-]

Furicist@reddit

Just wait until you're in a premier inn during a heatwave and it doesn't have aircon, so they give you a fan that can barely turn it's blades.

[-]

LaundryMan2008@reddit

Highly unlikely to use their services on my own, we did use one for a day preemptively so I can get surgery as quickly as possible for an infection a long time ago.

The rest were regular hotels and Airbnbs

[-]

Furicist@reddit

Appliances in hotels in general are poor was more my point, they just give the cheap ones out don't they haha.

[-]

LaundryMan2008@reddit

It might also be something to do with health and safety that they can’t use a higher wattage kettle for some reason which is the only reason they would do that as our kettle being just £15 boils in one minute so they are probably choosing these kettles on purpose

[-]

el-destroya@reddit

Usually because they give you a cheap travel kettle with a tiny element, I once bought one by accident for use in my first flat and oh god it took the best part of 5 minutes to boil a litre of water.

[-]

CheeseWedgeDragon@reddit

Meal deals lol

[-]

Both_Manufacturer311@reddit

I had a relative from the Netherlands stay with me for a week. I took him to a supermarket for a meal deal when we were on a pretty long drive. Mind blown.

[-]

romeo__golf@reddit

One of these to turn the bathroom light on.

[-]

ItsGoodToChalk@reddit

Queueing - my Dutch family came to visit me and found out we do indeed politely queue here, and don't rush the doors to get in first.

I hate it when I'm in the Netherlands travelling on public transport, and I can barely get off because people wanting to get on block the door so they can get on 5 seconds quicker.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit

Nah queues in Taiwan are more orderly. People will even join a long restaurant/tea shop queue without knowing what it’s for because they assume it must be great as it’s so popular.

[-]

Cold_Introduction_48@reddit

They'd be quite shocked if they joined a queue 1000 men long only to discover Bonnie Blue at the very end.

[-]

Debased_Pixie@reddit

Queuing just makes sense, free for alls have no decorum.

[-]

Sad-Pangolin-9704@reddit

It’s the queueing in the pub at the bar that gets to me. Always giggle a bit when I see it. It’s something you don’t see in Ireland, everyone just shoves their way in at the bar and hope the bartender has seen them. I see that here too but I see an awful lot of single file queueing at the bar.

[-]

zpeepeeunicorn@reddit

Idk man i was waiting for the 188 at north Greenwich this morning and everyone jumped on the bus like it was the last one to ever come.

[-]

Icy-Initial2107@reddit

Queueing

"Invisible queue" in a pub or at a bus stop in partcular. It doesn't look like a queue, but everyone knows exactly when its their turn, ~~like a singly-linked list~~.

[-]

SaltyName8341@reddit

If you shout stop it confuses them and you get off

[-]

avemango@reddit

Don't you mean "schtoppp!"

[-]

AngelsAnonymous@reddit

You've violated the law!

[-]

rikkiprince@reddit

"eets not ready yet!"

[-]

slimdrum@reddit

Imagining this is hilarious to me

[-]

Short-Win-7051@reddit

Japan makes our queuing culture look amateur! I can remember the first time I was waiting for a Shinkansen, being amazed to see everyone (except the obvious groups of tourists) form into perfect lines, 2 abreast, within the lines painted on the platform, and when the train arrived, they parted as one, forming what looked like an honour guard for the people getting off the train, before they then boarded themselves. I know we like to pride ourselves on our orderly queueing, but that was queueing as ballet!

[-]

jordanhhh4@reddit

The next chapter in the George Russell vs Max Verstappen beef will be when Max cuts in front of George in a queue

[-]

SilverellaUK@reddit

Those stroopwafels need eating while they're hot!.

[-]

wildOldcheesecake@reddit

I’m from London so lots of tourists are about. It’s funny watching them being pushed out of the way when the train arrives and people need to get off. They have the audacity to be offended too

[-]

rox-and-soxs@reddit

Christmas crackers. I know Australia has them but trying to explain the toy, bad joke and paper crown to some is bewildering.

[-]

ashakespearething@reddit

It never occurred to me until recently that other countries simply don't eat their Christmas Dinner while wearing a paper crown

[-]

Apsurdizam@reddit

I didn't know what they were called when I first moved to the UK and told everyone at work I was bringing poppers to the office do.

[-]

Pope_Khajiit@reddit

While working with young children (5-6 year olds) I announced to the class, "It's a lovely day outside. Let's have our fruit and poppers in the playground for break."

The teachers were not amused by my cultural faux pas. Poppers refer to juice boxes where I'm from. It also refers to amyl, but you can generally figure it out through context.

[-]

LordGeni@reddit

You could probably tell a lot from which of your colleagues were relived and which were disappointed.

[-]

Hopelassie@reddit

I was staggered when I mentioned crackers to my American fella and he’d not heard of them. And if you can find crackers in America they mostly don’t have snaps. I mean what’s the point in a cracker with no bang?! 🤷‍♀️

[-]

Lishmi@reddit

There was outrage at my work Xmas do last year- the venue had "eco crackers". Basically, no plastic toy (good) but crucially, a note that explained they also had no snap. After a few disappointing and confusing pulls, the rest were left unbroken. Not even the allure of a paper crown enticed people to open them.

[-]

TalProgrammer@reddit

Proably to stop you getting shot.

[-]

UpstairsPractical870@reddit

My friend got married to an American girl and at the wedding he decided to christmas crackers as a strange British thing. They come with instructions and an explanation about them. The yanks loved them

[-]

EmmaInFrance@reddit

They're starting to show up a little here as a fun thing to do, but they're not really the same as proper British crackers.

[-]

my_cat_is_high@reddit

Here? Where is here?

[-]

EmmaInFrance@reddit

Points upwards at username.

[-]

draxenato@reddit

They're very common here in Canada.

[-]

Practical_Savings933@reddit

I get mine at Cdn Costco. Ten years supply in one go.

[-]

Helenarth@reddit

trying to explain the toy, bad joke and paper crown to some is bewildering.

Difficult to do, I imagine, when the point is "it's shit, it's supposed to be shit"

[-]

Just-urgh-name@reddit

Someone told me once fruit stalls on the side of a busy A road aren’t customary elsewhere

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logoduehell@reddit

The UK doesn't have fruit stalls by the side of the road.

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Comfortable_Ad4205@reddit

I’ve seen plenty on travels through Norfolk, I’m sure other rural areas probably have them also.

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Born_Current6133@reddit

Can confirm, Norfolk here, bought apples, plums, potatoes, eggs and a bunch of glads from a stall last weekend and popped a fiver in the honesty box.

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Mendel247@reddit

I've never seen one in the UK, but I saw loads in Spain

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PJ_Bandit101@reddit

I live in the UK and I've never seen a fruit stall on the side of any major road, that must be a local thing for you

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Icy_Mixture1482@reddit

Fruit stalls on the roadside are common in Taiwan too. You can get mangoes, wax apples, guava, wax gourd, longan, pomelo etc. As well as the ubiquitous betel nut.

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Alternative_Route@reddit

Lager shandy?

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Born_Current6133@reddit

I read this as Larger shandy, and was wondering briefly what measures they come in elsewhere

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AnToibin@reddit

As usual when there's one of these threads nearly all the things ye think are unique to the UK are not unique because we also have them in Ireland. Think the only thing I've spotted that is unique is curry sauce with fish and chips.

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banwe11@reddit

Gov.uk is the best government website in the world blah blah... something about how insanely well designed it is blah blah etc...

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apsims12@reddit

That's until you actually need a bit of info that isn't highly sought after, then when you find what you think you're looking for, you find you need another page, which is helpfully linked for you, but that page doesn't give you the answer either but there's another link, and it just sends you back to the previous page again...

My local govt websites are worse.

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sim-o@reddit

The login pages, rather than just info pages, are quite well hidden too

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newbris@reddit

Exactly this. I used it as an Australian and this was my experience. Loads of text and sub-pages to eventually get back where you started. I'm sure it's fine for the happy path, but for exceptions it was rough.

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bowak@reddit

Though it would be nice if they had a toggle to let you answer more than one question at a time.

I get that spoonfeeding one line at a time helps in many ways and that the benefits outweigh the cons. But it can be a bit tiresome at times and does often feel like you're being talked down to by the design.

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flippertyflip@reddit

I know someone who worked on it originally.

He's an Aussie

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Furicist@reddit

Well he did a good job in my book and I owe him a pint.

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kangaroos_go_boing@reddit

The reading age of the writing is so accessible that newborn babies have often been seen completing their parents passport applications and tax returns in their spare time. Show me another country on earth where that happens.

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BrainThat4047@reddit

Washing machine in the kitchen

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bananabastard@reddit

How can you be friends with someone who doesn't have a kettle? What are they going to give you when you call over, an orange cordial? No, because they won't have cordial either.

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gotanygrapes88@reddit

No outlets in the bathroom, fire doors & fizzy lemonade

Lemonade in the US is disgusting. We also dont have Moama, warburtons, or cadbury, which is devastating

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Technical_Zucchini_1@reddit

considering how much it rains here, the roof on houses have very little to no overhang whatsoever. people then wonder why there are so many damp problems in Britain. we need to reform building standards .

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mesmaeker_@reddit

Sending cards/wishes, such a wholesome pillar of UK culture. Very much lost in mainland Europe

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Mendel247@reddit

It's still really common in Germany

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dilithium-dreamer@reddit

Washing up bowls.

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Mendel247@reddit

They're common across Europe. For my part, my family has never used one though

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Sycamore481@reddit

I will go one further and say big sinks to accommodate said bowl, and still have room to rinse things as well.

Source: me. When I had my kitchen done, I insisted I have a big and deep sink, room for the washing up bowl, and space beside it.

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TomfromLondon@reddit

Kettles are not a UK thing, not having a kettle is a US thing

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YourLocalMosquito@reddit

Pantomime. Had to explain to my NZ colleagues all about it. Audience participation, standard call-and-answer phrases. When you break it down it’s fucking weird.

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newbris@reddit

They do have theatre companies that do them, but not as common.

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mesmaeker_@reddit

Such a good answer! Went to my first panto last December and was amazed

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ChipCob1@reddit

I've had friends from a few different countries say that we have a crazy amount of internal doors.

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Ethelredthebold@reddit

To keep the heat in, of course .

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FScrotFitzgerald@reddit

The number of hard quiz and game shows there are on telly. Challenging and numerous.

The USA has Jeopardy! and unless you're watching Jeopardy! Masters, it's easy by comparison.

(The UK has tried Jeopardy! recently but, in keeping with the UK being full of quiz hardnuts, it's twice as long as the US version).

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Rab_Legend@reddit

Maybe not the UK, but Scotland specifically. The word Outwith.

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FScrotFitzgerald@reddit

I saw this in a comment the other day and thought "that person's Scottish". Then they mentioned in the comment that they were from Scotland.

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princessdaddysmurf@reddit

Putting a plastic tub/bowl in the sink for doing your dishes. I mean I always had a dishwasher growing up but even when I washed stuff by hand I’d just get a sponge with soap and clean it individually. Now I’ve evolved to have a tub for soaking the dirty dishes, a bowl where I mix warm water with fairy liquid to use on my scrub daddy and another tub where i put the sudsy cleaned dishes in. Then I rinse it in the sink, clean the sink and put in on a rack to dry! My flatmate just washes things under the tap with a soapy sponge and I’ve realised how wasteful it is for both soap (I’ve had to get a refill bag after a couple of months when my last one lasted over half a year) and water, especially since he uses up my fucking hot water I needed for my bath. Rant over.

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TalProgrammer@reddit

Cats-eyes in the road as used in the UK. They are used the same way in Hong Kong but are not common in Europe or the USA. Some other countries use them such as NZ & Ireland but not with different colours signifying different things in the same way (red - do not cross, green - ok to cross e.g an exit off a motorway, yellow - right hand side of the right lane on a dual carriageway, white - centre line of the road).

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amanset@reddit

I’m beginning to think half the people commenting have never left the UK.

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GL510EX@reddit

or entered it.

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KukiBreeze@reddit

When I was living in Canada around Christmas and asking my gf where the mince pies were and asked if I meant beef

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AdaronXic@reddit

I don't know how common it is, but milk surprised me coming from Spain. There we always buy UHT cartons

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GoGoRoloPolo@reddit

Can't stand UHT. I make the effort to find fresh when in Spain/France/wherever.

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wotsit_sandwich@reddit

I moved from the UK to Japan and there is one singular brand of milk in my supermarket that is not uht. Japanese milk is, unfortunately, mostly crap.

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catsaregreat78@reddit

There’s no demand for it as it’s shite.

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Mesa_Dad@reddit

Agreed

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Mother-Cantaloupe-57@reddit

Oh you poor thing 🤦🏻‍♀️

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Furicist@reddit

Vimto

Ribena

IrnBru

Tunnocks Teacakes and caramel

Black pudding

Proper, thick cut back bacon, it's all streaky and thin

Marrowfat mushy peas

I've not seen these in other cultures unless it's a place specifically referring to British culture like a greasy spoon cafe in Benidorm or whatever.

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Particular-Ad-3909@reddit

Not having to start a gofundme or sell a kidney for medical treatment.

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Terrible_Spot_3454@reddit

seeing a lone magpie and desperately searching for more.

Funny how certain nursery rhymes stick

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SingleSpeedEast@reddit

Cider

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smelly_jam@reddit

Two taps for hot and cold

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EvenMathematician874@reddit

As a,foreigner: your sockets are unique. The milk in warm tea is unique. I will,say that university societies are pretty unique.

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Sattaman6@reddit

No plugs in the bathroom.

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Baggyboy36@reddit

A basin in your sink for doing dishes. I realise that a lot of modern homes have a double sink which provides a dedicated side for rinsing, but many British homes only have 1 kitchen sink hence the basin to allow for basic dish rinsing. Not to mention the savings on heating less water.

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Dbonnza@reddit

Putting crisps in sarnies

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Weebs_2020@reddit

Marmite. Not yeast extract. Not Vegemite. Marmite. But cripes it’s now 3 quid a jar in Iceland!

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Artistic_Train9725@reddit

Well buy it over here then.

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Frequent-Lock7949@reddit

Saying please for something. I listen to American food podcasts and want to scream at the way they order things without saying please!

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UmpireDowntown1533@reddit

Ancient Footpaths, not sure how common they internationally are but we've got a lot.

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darybrain@reddit

Pantos and like that have audience participation and sexual innuendos.

Can't think of another place that regularly do them. Staple panto phrases are also in common use throughout the year.

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el-destroya@reddit

Lemsip. I lament the lack of lemsip every time I have a cold, so much so that I bought 4 boxes last time I visited the UK.

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couragethecurious@reddit

You greet people asking if they're alright but expecting no real answer, and you say goodbye by telling someone you'll see them later when you likely won't encounter them ever again.

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No_Pea-1@reddit

European milk is usually UHT and it tastes bad.

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adrifing@reddit

Bored of castles

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glytxh@reddit

Great for checking your eyesight though

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SilverellaUK@reddit

That's only Barnard Castle, and you have to be within 50 miles just in case it turns out you can't actually see.

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Upset-Elderberry3723@reddit

Ye Old Specsavers.

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Britkraut@reddit

Yeah this New one near me is ancient, false advertising

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Willsagain2@reddit

Our wonderful 3 pin plugs

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tobotic@reddit

Kettles are not uniquely British. Super common in Ireland, Australia, much of Europe, etc.

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patentedheadhook@reddit

Oh it's this again

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princessbuttermug@reddit

Curry sauce with fish and chips. Had never come across it before living here.

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V0lkhari@reddit

Why do people keep asking different forms of this question? Feel like I see it weekly.

"Ooh isn't it so crazy how we have kettles and when we ask someone if they're alright we're actually just saying hello"

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owlracoon@reddit

I'm swedish originally. We all have kettles.

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phead@reddit

their electricity is weak

Of course it isn’t, thats seems to be a UK misunderstanding. They have 2 positives at -120 and +120, and can easily run a 240v circuit, but just dont normally do so apart from the dryer(or ev these days)

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GhoolsFold@reddit

Crackers! The Christmas kind, apparently not as ubiquitous as I assumed.

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Depress-Mode@reddit

Kettles are equally as common in Ireland and the Netherlands.

I’d say: Brits are actually way more optimistic than they’re given credit for, they’re usually ribbed by other countries for being negative and depressed, but we are the biggest buyers of Convertible cars in Europe, and look at back gardens, luxury patio sets, pools, hot tubs, barbecues galore, Brits would have to be optimistic to spend all the money they do on fair weather toys.

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