British immigrants, what are some things about your home country you miss after moving to the UK?

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blueroses8000@reddit

Lots of my family are immigrants from India and nearly all of them hate it initially because you’re cooped up in your house and cut off from everyone.

Even in summer here it’s not the same because yes you can make specific plans to do specific things, even if it’s to “hang out” in a friend’s garden it’s something you have to find out if they’re home and arrange, and it’s not appropriate to do that all the time or turn up unannounced. Even if you have that kind of friendship with someone beyond being a student/young it’s not acceptable to just turn up all the time.

In India life is very “open”, you just naturally hang out with people any time, everyday, even work days. You see some people you know chilling when you drive past and you join them and it turns into an amazing hangout by the river or by the tea place, you see your friend sitting outside on their porch and you join them, then others walking past also join and it turns into a whole evening spent together with no planning or expectations. This can then become a known place to gather every night, but even if the house owner doesn’t want to they might not come out sometimes and some of you might still gather there. It’s all just good and chill.

Someone is driving past you walking and say they’re off to get ice cream and tell you to get in and you do and now you’re on an outing to get ice cream with a whole group and you were just walking home from someone else’s house. You can literally turn up to anyone’s house and walk in (within reason, you approach the entry way and call out) and that’s normal and fine to do and everyone is welcoming as their doors are wide open all day. If the doors shut you understand they’re out or asleep, but otherwise they’re all open houses.

It’s just such a psychologically different lifestyle. You see and meet and talk to and hang out with different people every single day, and the sun is shining and the nights are warm. People get use to life here eventually and appreciate the things they like about the UK but that openly social lifestyle is really missed and it really affects your mental health to go from that to being extremely restricted and inside the house and the weather being grey most of the time.

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Apprehensive-List794@reddit

This sounds amazing and yet horribly disagrees with my sense of privacy-loving self.

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blueroses8000@reddit

Yeah I live it and love it for whilst I’m there for a short period at our home there. I expect it and know to be in that mode and mindset, I get to just experience the good side of it, it’s exciting, fun, unpredictable and quite delightful. But no I wouldn’t want the walking into the house part as my permanent life. But then I wonder if it was my normal life and always had been maybe I wouldn’t have built this sense of “privacy” and finding it hard, certainly our friends and family there don’t feel like it’s something they want to reduce as they’ve never known any different way to live.

Also it changes the way you live, the downstairs of your house is treated like somewhere people can walk in so you live accordingly, if you’re downstairs you stay in “open” mode, more like how you would be if you were sitting in your front garden, you know people can see you and may come up and say hi. But you might close the doors of a room downstairs to have privacy and no one would open and let themselves into those. And upstairs you have your total privacy.

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Apprehensive-List794@reddit

That’s insane and amazing.

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blueroses8000@reddit

It is totally insane but so much fun whilst there for awhile. I’d come down from getting ready and a distant relative or the local tailor would be sat waiting for me, or someone has come round and said get in we’re going to dress shopping for the wedding happening in 2 days, or they’re going to the beach any second now to catch the sunset and do you want to come - yeah I do! It’s a totally different life.

It helps for us that we have maids (all from the same family who have been with us for like 50 years so they’re like family) so they’re often there to take care of this, they’ll invite them in, serve them drinks and sit with them.

If you don’t have maids then people do different things according to how close they are and personal circumstances. People who aren’t close to you would just stand by the open doorway and knock and call out to you, people who know you fairly well would come into the immediate front room or entrance area and sit on the sofas and wait, people who are close to you would walk right into the whole house and keep calling to let you know they’re looking for you.

Actually we have adopted this in the UK too as all us first generation immigrant children have always walked into all our grandparents, aunts and uncles houses here all our life and still do. It’s dying out though as they found it comfortable as it was always their culture from where the few up, but we wouldn’t find it appropriate to be done to us by our nieces and nephews now. It also worked as we all our parent’s generation lived close to each other and live life in a more communal way which was amazing for our childhood, but we’ve all moved to further out now and lives are busy. Plus doors stay locked more now for safety!

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Apprehensive-List794@reddit

That sounds like so much fun. I wish I knew people like that (though nowhere near where I live because I still need my peace and privacy)

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mynaneisjustguy@reddit

News to me you can't pop round a mates house. Sound like they haven't got any mates.

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blueroses8000@reddit

That’s not the same thing at all. Nothing to do with having friends, you can have as many friends as you want in the UK but you won’t be hanging out on each others porch under the stars every night without planning it and having other people in the community spot you and come join and it turns into a new social gathering every time, or stopping to hang out by the river in the sun as you spot friends/acquaintances on your way home from work, or be able to walk into any friend of family member’s open door house at any time or day and everyone is fine with that.

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gooner2611@reddit

Seems like you've got the wrong friends or you live in a city where no one is going to leave their home unlocked because of not friends just walking in.

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blueroses8000@reddit

Do you live in the UK yourself? Because I’d like to know where you’re living in the UK that’s exactly as I described. It’s nothing to do with “wrong friends” or “having friends” like you keep trying to claim. You live in the UK and telling me people are hanging out by the river after work in the sun because they drive past and see people they know there, and gathering outside their porch to sit every single night unplanned? And you walk into all your friends and families wide open door, not unlocked, it’s wide open, and they also don’t think you’re weird for continuously turning up unannounced at their house. And I’m not talking about student life here, I’m talking about all ages, especially older people including the elderly

I mean, you’re just lying if you’re claiming all that and the weather forecast alone is laughing at your lies as well.

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mynaneisjustguy@reddit

Wow, are you replying to the wrong comment?

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blueroses8000@reddit

Nope, are you?

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mynaneisjustguy@reddit

Well you either ARE or you have limited understanding of English, you project four different assertions as untrue yet I mention none of them. Not sure how I can debate this topic when you are having both sides of the conversation

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blueroses8000@reddit

I didn’t even reply to you there so not sure why you’re replying to it?

And you’ve been downvoted down for saying I said no one can “pop round to a mates house” here so I think you’re struggling to understand anything I said if that’s what you took from it.

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Intelligent-Reply-97@reddit

Don’t worry about them, they are literally the reason for the difference you’re describing. I’m British but I get it! I’ve spent time in South America and it was clearly very similar, and I can imagine it being quite nice when you get used to it.

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blueroses8000@reddit

Yes I suspected as much, you get a feel for these things. And ignoring the very specific descriptions and repeatedly saying “they don’t have mates” shows a real lack of either basic intelligence or an ulterior motive.

The weather and “openness” of the lifestyle is just not something you can have in the UK no matter how many friends you have and how close you are. My extended family are probably way too close as it is the way we live here in the UK and spend so much time together, and we still can’t replicate it here, but take us back to India and we will be living like that in a second and so will anyone who might feel like they don’t even like the sound of it, it’s just different there.

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Gold_Motor_6985@reddit

I would bet life in places like Delhi is more like the UK though, no?

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blueroses8000@reddit

I’ve not lived in Delhi but of course like any country all areas and lifestyles are different. This is the experience from more rural areas but even modernisation in a lot of these areas this type of lifestyle prevails because of the weather, layout of communities, culture and mindset.

It’s funny because as British Indians we fully become Indian there and do things we’d never do in the UK, as it should be to immerse yourself and get the most out of the experience.

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Current_Mongoose_844@reddit

Megafauna, especially predators. Bears, wolves, elk (moose), big cats, etc.

I came from the States. I've always been an Anglophile so I love it here, but I do think there's something missing from the landscape in an almost spiritual sense.

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Trips-Over-Tail@reddit

We have Glaswegians.

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Successful-Apple-984@reddit

As a Glaswegian I laughed out loud at this. We aren't all feral wild animals though in case it puts off any immigrants from moving there!

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Neat_Impression2338@reddit

Bison and eagles have made a come back in the UK in recent years. There’s a rumour of wild cats on Dartmoor. 💪🏻

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Current_Mongoose_844@reddit

My MIL swears she's seen one

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ChickieLevit@reddit

I can understand missing the vast forests etc but bears and wolves? They are cool but it must be scary going on a camping trip if you know they're around?

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NotAnotherThing@reddit

I have woken up after camping to see a nearby bear trap had a grizzly in it.

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Current_Mongoose_844@reddit

Wolves don't like to get near people, and as long as you take the proper precautions when in bear country (bring bear mace, keep your food in bearproof conainers) and stay on the trail you'll be fine. At the end of the day, they have every right to be there as we do. More importantly it keeps the ecosystem in check

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Sirlacker@reddit

I mean it's incredibly fucking nice to be able to wander anywhere in the UKs countryside and never have really worry about anything.

We have Adders, yes. But the most dangerous animal in the UK is a cow. It's nice to keep it that way.

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NotAnotherThing@reddit

I don't miss grizzly bears, now that you mention it.

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thesaharadesert@reddit

Always nerve-wracking when taking a nice countryside stroll, in case a feral cow pops out of a hedge and mauls you to bits

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Puzzleheaded-Bar-830@reddit

Now that you mention it, the UK is quite lacking in "megafauna".

We have badgers, hedgehogs, deer, foxes and some ducks and geese etc. Apparently we used to have wolves but they've been hunted to extinction.

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Fragrant-Prize-966@reddit

There is an ongoing project to attempt to reintroduce bison. I think there are something like nine of them right now.

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JonS90_@reddit

"Things that could kill me" is quite an American answer tbf

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ItGetsEverywhere1990@reddit

They yearn for the threat of a mass shooting

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Theal12@reddit

or Australian

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Current_Mongoose_844@reddit

Very true lmao

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Outrageous-Level192@reddit

Reintroducing wolves in the UK would be ideal, especially to control the deer population, but farmers don't even want beavers let alone big predators!

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ScientistStandard100@reddit

I'll be amazed if the top answer isn't 'the sun'

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danmingothemandingo@reddit

I came from Ireland 🤣

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Theyletfly82@reddit

Tayto. It's Tayto we miss 😂

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TransBunsenBurner@reddit

Part of the reason I moved to the UK is that I’m allergic to sunlight. I joke that I came here for the glorious weather, but I’m only half-joking.

I can’t necessarily say that I miss the United States’ criminal health insurance system, but I’m currently on a ~20-year NHS waiting list so that a specialist clinic can diagnose me with something that multiple American physicians diagnosed me with over a decade ago. Until that happens, my ability to access medication that I’ve been taking for a decade is up to the goodness of my GP, the cooperativeness of her surgery, and ever-changing political winds. It’s a source of daily fear and stress, and I avoid any contact with my GP, even when I’m ill, for fear that she’ll be reminded that I exist and decide that I’m too much trouble.

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Forward-Swimmer-8451@reddit

Can I be nosey and ask ? Why are you waiting a diagnosis if you already have one?

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YchYFi@reddit

It's quite a common problem r/AmericanExpatsUK has posts of people having to get rediagnosed.

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TransBunsenBurner@reddit

Yeah: the NHS doesn’t credit foreign gender dysphoria diagnoses— or even UK diagnoses made privately.

In order to access hormones or surgery via the NHS, trans patients have to be assessed and diagnosed not just by NHS doctors, but by NHS doctors in one of these specialist gender clinics.

So, even though I was diagnosed with gender dysphoria circa 2013, have been on testosterone for nearly a decade, have had multiple transition-related surgeries, and have legally changed my name and sex marker on every ID document that exists, the NHS requires that I be assessed at one of its gender clinics to ensure that I’m really trans.

I’m currently able to access testosterone because I have a caring GP who considers herself well informed enough about more general endocrine medicine to prescribe it to me, but should that change, I’m a bit screwed, because I no longer have the gonads that would produce endogenous hormones.

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Theyletfly82@reddit

Well, that's crappy.

I would hope that at least it's a tick box exercise and your re-diagnosis would be quick.

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One_Of_Noahs_Whales@reddit

You do realise you can pay for private health care in the uk too? You can use alternatives to the NHS.

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TransBunsenBurner@reddit

Of course I do. But I’m not going to pay for healthcare three times—one though the immigration health surcharge, once through taxes, and once through private health insurance or care—when politicians are making noise about curtailing both NHS and private prescriptions for the care I need as part of a politically-charged moral panic over ‘safeguarding’ adults.

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ChateauLaFeet@reddit

Does that say 20 year?

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TransBunsenBurner@reddit

Yes: 20-year.

This is for evaluation at one of the NHS’s specialist adult gender dysphoria clinics. It’s been a while since I ran the FOI data on waiting lists and number of first appointments scheduled per month, but when last I did (the late summer or early autumn of 2023, IIRC), back-of-the-envelope calculations suggested that, if the clinic in question continued to progress through its waiting list at its then-current rate, a person newly referred to the clinic would wait something like 25 years and 3 months for a first appointment.

Generally, the NHS’s adult gender dysphoria clinics publicly list waiting times of 3-7 years from referral to first appointment, which is bad enough; but those times reflect the waiting times of people currently being booked for first appointments— that is, people who were referred before the rates of referral really began to increase and the pandemic blew waiting lists all to hell across the NHS.

At most of these clinics, people being referred today should expect to wait decades for evaluation and treatment unless something substantial and structural changes, and soon. At some clinics, the number of people coming off the waiting list per year numbers in the single-digits, and people referred recently or in the future should not expect to ever be seen.

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ChateauLaFeet@reddit

Yikes, I am so sorry!

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cctwunk@reddit

Sounds like trans care so yeah thats correct, waiting lists can be longer than a human lifespan

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selfinflatedforeskin@reddit

I've emigrated. I'm somewhere that's currently 40degrees and 80pc humidity.

I don't want any more sun.

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Extension_Common_518@reddit

Yep, I’m in a place that has brutally hot and humid summers. I’m trying to savour the last few weeks of comfortable weather before the sticky, humid, suffocating oven of summer arrives. Three decades here and I have not gotten used to it. Never will.

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selfinflatedforeskin@reddit

I'm two decades in，I am used to it insofar as if I go anywhere temperate，I feel freezing. Yet，I'm still not acclimatised to where I live - wonderful.

Maybe I should find somewhere subtropical instead.

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Jakdublin@reddit

You’d be surprised at how much people from hot countries hate the sun and love a milder climate.

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Theal12@reddit

I left a country where it was 40C + for 4-5 months of the year. Edinburgh is pure bliss weatherwise

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intergalacticspy@reddit

I hate the drizzle, but I do like the cold. It is so nice to live somewhere where you can run in brisk cold air and not be turned into jelly by the heat.

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Jakdublin@reddit

I’m living in a hot country (Bulgaria) and as much as I dislike having to run early in the morning during summer here I always hated running in the damp, windy weather at home.

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Mental_Body_5496@reddit

I often encounter tourists from hot countries in uk in winter ! Californians in Wales in January ! Saudis in Oxford in Feb etc.

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Public-Magician535@reddit

As an Australian this always pisses me off, I’m from Melbourne where the weather is worse than here and we get serious rain

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Independent_Road_253@reddit

It rains more in Vancouver than it does in London☔️

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Pleasant-Put5305@reddit

If global warming continues apace then southern England is going to be pretty unbearable. They only need to wait a bit.

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Standard_Jello4168@reddit

Personally it's only a problem in winter, in fact I'd argue the UK has some of the best summers in the world (it's usually either too humid or hot, or not warm at all).

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VodkaMargarine@reddit

All the answers are "the sun" in one way or another.

The fruit is better in Spain because it is ripened by the sun. We don't have jungle animals because we don't have jungles because we don't have sun.

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PinkyOutYo@reddit

My dad came here in the 60s from Mauritius. When I graduated a decade ago, it was 30⁰C+ at 9am, and he went back to the car to get a jumper "just in case".

I was born and bred here but by God am I miserable nine months of the year. The cold hurts. Meanwhile, the only months I'm comfortable are the ones my best mate and husband loathe.

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AwkwardTie9427@reddit

Or the "food", lmao 🤣

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Real23Phil@reddit

I came to say this as an Englishman. Saw the question and had the answer sun in my head in a second upon reading.

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Theyletfly82@reddit

My Mam and Dad. Tayto, Club Rock Shandy, McDonnells Curry Sauce and Lyons Tea.

Like it helps that my home country can be gotten to in a couple of hours 😂

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Ii2ta11iii@reddit

Thers nothing, uk is better in every capacity thats why they are coming here

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coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)

you have to be a bit delusional to think that, no offense

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DataPaws@reddit

Before I moved I'd never imagine saying this but... I miss polish healthcare system. Don't get me wrong, it has many flaws, but in comparison with NHS I can see now it is not that bad. I miss being able to book appointment with dentist with "decent" prices. This is one of main reasons I consider moving back at some point in my life.

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cjdstreet@reddit

Its £7 a month for private dental mate

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kiradotee@reddit

I bet it will not cover the crowns, inlays and root canals. And even if it will - they cost £600+. I doubt the £7/month will pay for that.

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cjdstreet@reddit

All that is not free on the nhs either

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kiradotee@reddit

Which makes it worse because it forces you to spend the money you don't have.

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cjdstreet@reddit

Like you do in every country. Have you forgotten your original point?

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kiradotee@reddit

Sign up to subscription of private

But the problem with that is it rarely covers the costs of crowns/inlays/root canal and when it does just barely.

That's the reason I never signed up for the subscriptions.

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cjdstreet@reddit

Depends on you subscription. But yes it will be cheaper in say turkey or Poland. But everything is

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ChateauLaFeet@reddit

Really!

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cjdstreet@reddit

Yes. Probably cheaper outside of glasgow

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gooner2611@reddit

Mines like 20 quid a month but thats probably because of all the crackheads getting their teeth fixed regularly on NHS

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Front_Scholar9757@reddit

My check up costs £95... I have no fillings or anything. Live in Wiltshire!

It was the only available dentist when I moved here.

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cjdstreet@reddit

Because you are not signed up you've just came off the street no doubt

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flinstoneguy55@reddit

The straightforwardness of people. In the uk they hug you and smile and they talk sh.t behind your back 2 minutes later.

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Stokesyyyy@reddit

You've got the wrong friends I'm afraid.

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Colonel_Disarray@reddit

Beheadings, stoning, religious intolerance and oppression. This is why we aim to introduce them in here.

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Historical_Project86@reddit

My Spanish wife misses high-quality fruit and vegetables. Actually just high-quality raw ingredients in general.

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Relevant-Bullfrog215@reddit

Very noticeable when going to Spain that their fruit and veg are far higher quality (Weirdly hard to buy fresh chillies though?).

However I was in the Netherlands last year and their veg looked even worse than ours. Iceland was also a bit crap for fresh food.

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McCretin@reddit

A lot of our fruit and veg is actually grown in Spain, it just doesn’t taste as good after the journey.

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dontChewTheCable@reddit

No. They send the almost ripe stuff because it needs to travel. In a market in Spain you will get fresh produce from the same day or the previous one. Here you get stuff that has to travel for some days and survive all the changes

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Historical_Project86@reddit

Well it has to get sent before it's ripe I guess. But also we are not getting the amazing huge tomatoes.

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Relevant-Bullfrog215@reddit

There a noticeable size difference with things like bell peppers, so it's not just travel. Can't knock them for keeping the best stuff for themselves tbh.

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UserCannotBeVerified@reddit

My (conservative/right leaning) Nana is convinced that this is the case PURELY "because we are forced by the EU to sell our lovely and delicious food harvests to euripean countries so that we can buy their poor quality left in cold storage for a year tasteless fruits and veg, and thats why everything tastes like rubbish nowadays, EUROPE. Thats why." 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

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Historical_Project86@reddit

Chillies don't really feature in their cooking, though I'm surprised that shops don't have them for the immigrant population. In the north I guess you'd find green guindillas, though I always used to buy those pickled.

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Relevant-Bullfrog215@reddit

Lots of dried chillies, but I never found fresh ones.

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EclipseHERO@reddit

If Iceland was so crap why do Mums go there?!

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Jinkii5@reddit

The UK gets its tomatoes from the Netherlands, grown indoors all year around.

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Purple_Moon516@reddit

As a Spaniard I agree with your wife and let me add not only quality but size! Everything is so much smaller here. You have to buy more and then it goes off in the blink of an eye.

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Historical_Project86@reddit

Or it never quite ripens properly! Spain is the only place where I've shared a tomato as a starter in a restaurant. :-)

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Apprehensive-List794@reddit

Honestly after travelling I completely agree. UK produce just isn’t as good. It’s the climate. Even growing your own just doesn’t compare to those grown abroad

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SneakyCroc@reddit

And yet we have some of the finest produce on the planet...

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Historical_Project86@reddit

Not a patch on Spain, unfortunately. Not at a reasonable price at least.

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SneakyCroc@reddit

In your opinion. I'm surrounded by beautiful farm shops selling incredible, fresh produce, at extremely reasonable prices.

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Historical_Project86@reddit

In my experience. I suppose I am comparing supermarkets mostly, as well as grocers' shops.

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cjdstreet@reddit

Spain has better tomatoes and oranges. Root veg and everything else is better in uk. Eat diffrent things. Imagine how shite veg in a roast is in spain

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Historical_Project86@reddit

Root veg is pig food in Spain, at least parsnip and swede. Potatoes and carrots are fine. That's like saying "Sushi is so bad in the UK". They have ingredients for Spanish food, not Lancashire hotpot. There is no "veg in a roast". Veg would come as the starter, maybe lentils or green beans. Main would be a lump of meat and a few potatoes, possibly chipped.

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cjdstreet@reddit

Tomatoes ate struggle meals stuff in uk. Green veg is god tier nutritionally which is our main veg. Pointing out some veg is better in each country. Your only picking Spanish favorites

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Historical_Project86@reddit

Well, more specifically I was saying that the general quality of what is commonly available in Spain is much higher than that which is commonly available in the UK. To some extent that's because the range of what is available in the UK is too wide, and we try to enjoy soft fruits and vegetables when the reality is that they're never that nice. We're too reliant on imports perhaps.

But this was also an opinion from the perspective of someone Spanish, so to that end it's correct that what she expects to be good quality is NOT good quality in the UK.

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cjdstreet@reddit

Lol sorry what. Your rating Spanish fruit and veg over uk? Thats just wild

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joebmc@reddit

As a Englishman, our fruit (not so much veg) has got way worse over the decades. We import most of it, so it's picked early so it can last the trip here and therefore doesn't get all the flavour/nutrients.

We should go back to seasonal fruits.

Also what happened to satsumas??? Like have they gone extinct?

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Historical_Project86@reddit

Yes, from direct experience.

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Primary-Angle4008@reddit

I moved from south Germany and don't miss the german climate, I actually like the british one as its milder in winter and less hot in summer.

But I do miss some foods, outside pools where you just go for the day and can swim how much you want, way to regulated here.

I also miss german housing as its better quality and space is better used, german tenant laws which are well above the ones in the uk even after the tenant reform is going to come in.

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Lazy_Helicopter_2659@reddit

Good bread and good strawberries

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Impossible_Chef_6934@reddit

Distinctive weather seasons, sun during summer, snow during winter and I miss public transportation, it’s so bad in the UK 😂 other than that I feel the land adopted me and there are no returns 😂

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vagabond_goat@reddit

I miss Mexicans.

Mexican music, food, tequila all done properly. No more feta on tacos or sour mix in a margarita. Proper margarita glasses. More than 8 chips in an order of salsa and chips. I want the big red plastic basket of chips!

I wish we could do a food cultural exchange like some countries did with Thailand. Bring them here specifically as food ambassadors. I’ve seen some wild substitutions and odd interpretations of very basic staple foods here.

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skewiffcorn@reddit

We’re really lacking authentic Mexican food in liverpool. It’s crazy how it doesn’t seem to be that popular yet everyone I know loves fajitas and tacos?

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Haunted_Stormbird@reddit

Sadly most people here think authentic is old el paso sour cream and guac, doritos salsa and barbecue sauce on an enchilada.

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Remarkable_Clue_9084@reddit

And guacamole that is pureed avocado mixed with something limp. Just gross beyond gross.

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NotAnotherThing@reddit

I like a good taco where doritos or el paso aren't my only choices for salsa

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Theal12@reddit

This! I want to go to a restaurant that is advertised as Mexican and NOT see the first 5 items on the menu are Spanish

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Le-mal-aim3@reddit

Good/clean tap water, high quality yet affordable fruit and veg, clean streets, safety, reliable public transport, affordable heating, fair wages, a civilised society.

There's a lot of things I like about the UK, the above is what makes it sometimes difficult. UK was different in 2012 when people were still hopeful and proud.

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ValidGarry@reddit

Weird take. Just because you miss something doesn't make it better or where you are is lacking. Most of the time it's just different.

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Theal12@reddit

but sometimes you miss a thing because it’s legit better. And the UK doesn’t have decent Tex-Mex

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ValidGarry@reddit

Newcastle has 2 half decent Tex Mex restaurants 30+ years ago, as good as most I've experienced in the US

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Theal12@reddit

I should have said Edinburgh 😁

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coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)

Redditors can really find anything to argue about lmao

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SnooStrawberries2342@reddit

Mediterranean tomatoes are objectively better than tomatoes grown in Dutch polytunnels though.

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MKEThink@reddit

To be completely honest, not a damn thing. I moved to the UK for a reason (love it) and I never looked back. Taking the not-so-good with the good is part of life, and I can't think of a thing I miss.

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colin_staples@reddit

I have an Italian colleague and they have previously said "good tomatoes"

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kiradotee@reddit

I never buy the cheapest/basic tomatoes in the supermarket because they taste like nothing. :( Which is sad.

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NotAnotherThing@reddit

Lockdown made only the expensive tomatoes available.... I have never gone back to the ones I ate before.

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cjdstreet@reddit

Go to a green grocer instead of aldi

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No-Extension-2378@reddit

Aldi fancy tomatoes are far superior to the other supermarkets!

Though none compare to the snacking cherry toms the local market sells for 50p a tub.

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ZestyMonstera@reddit

It still doesn't come close to those picked when ripe being sold in their country of origin..

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jaytee158@reddit

Lots say that you can get Italian tomatoes in England. Most of the tomatoes in supermarkets are from outside the UK

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Two_Flower_Nix@reddit

But they don’t taste as nice

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jaytee158@reddit

Italian tomatoes don't taste as nice in the UK as they do in Italy?

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colin_staples@reddit

Tomatoes that are picked before they are ripe so that they can be transported across Europe and get sold before they go rotten, do not taste as nice as tomatoes that are picked at perfect ripeness and sold with no delay

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ImaginaryParrot@reddit

Different standards for export tomatoes in Italy

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julialoveslush@reddit

No, because they are picked early and sent over here and a lot are artificially ripened. It’s different to picking it off the plant ripened from the sun in Italy and buying it at the local market.

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jaytee158@reddit

Ok so just to be clear we're not comparing like-for-like. Local market tomatoes vs those in supermarkets abroad

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Serious_Badger_4145@reddit

You know that most places in the UK don't have Italian green grocers right? It's lovely that you do but it's not that common

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skipperseven@reddit

You can get good domestic tomatoes in the UK, but you have to plant your own - commercially grown are for optimised yield, bruise resistance and such (which is why mass imported ones also taste bland).
Home grown tomatoes are delicious and easy to grow!

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NaivePermit1439@reddit

Depends where you live. I am north of the central belt in Scotland and you need a cloche/greenhouse or grow tent to get decent tasting tomatoes. They will grow outside in the summer but they are nowhere near as tasty as the supermarket ones that cost a few pence more than the cheap ones.

Otherwise, I completely agree with you.

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No_Election_1123@reddit

Our homegrown tomatoes always taste better than the supermarket. Though our local farmers market have very tasty ones. So domestic tomatoes can definitely be good

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Southernbeekeeper@reddit

I think the issue is though like years ago people would grow things like tomatoes and cucumbers at home but we just don't bother anymore.

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Serious_Badger_4145@reddit

They're not as fresh as buying them where they're grown though

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TheeHappyDude@reddit

I'm guessing. A decent bakery instead of fucking Greggs.

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NotAnotherThing@reddit

Last year our neighboring area finally opened a real normal bakery where its not all baking filled with lard (like Greggs... am I the only one that thinks their sausage rolls taste like lard???)

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Apprehensive-List794@reddit

Don’t get me started. The bakeries in France 🥰🥰🥰 you can find the everywhere and all the more local ones are just so much better than anything UK based

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Demostravius4@reddit

Go to a bakery instead of a fast food place?

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Ok_Veterinarian2715@reddit

Decently sized white goods. I never thought I'd even think about Maytag, but I do miss it.

That and unwinding by going on a drive on empty country roads.

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NotAnotherThing@reddit

Oh yes. And a top loading washing machine.

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Purple_Moon516@reddit

I miss talking directly instead of going around in circles or "suggesting" things.

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NotAnotherThing@reddit

I talk directly still after 22 years whether people like me for or or not. Lol

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NotAnotherThing@reddit

Space between houses! Not having to hear neighbors.

More cultural diversity and an attitude that embraces that.

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Nezwin@reddit

I grew up in the uk, left for a long time and then came back with an overseas born wife and children, so I totally feel like an immigrant.

I miss things being done because they have the best outcome, not because they're cheapest. An example is housing - British properties are tiny, trying to wring maximum profit from as little land. That bit of space gives you options for life - grow trees, build a shed to take up a hobby, raise some chickens, etc.

In the UK everything is done as cheaply as humanly possible. It sucks.

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pacman9989@reddit

Authentic Mediterranean food! The versions you get in the UK taste like plastic in comparison.

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Purple_Moon516@reddit

Don't get me started in the tendons mixed with paprika that passes for fresh chorizo in the UK. My Spanish heart hurts.

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wildengjay@reddit

Night life, clubbing is not the only option for those want to hang out with friends after midnight

And street food

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Longjumping_Ant4453@reddit

I had a mate who went back to Bulgaria to work in bars as he had a better quality of life there than in the uk

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BabyBourbon1111@reddit

The biggest shock to me and still struggling to adjust is there’s no shops or fun activities after 5pm in most cities (other than pub). So we have restaurants and clothing shops and malls open till late late. It gets super quiet, super dark very quick in the UK. Which is great for like a peaceful overall atmosphere. But still since there’s no hangout spots after work, it feels boring.

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irish_horse_thief@reddit

Not being called Paddy.

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Raven586@reddit

As someone who moved the opposite way to Canada. I could murder a pork pie!

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No-Structure-1980@reddit

Warm rain and excellent food

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Relative_Sea3386@reddit

I don't miss the tropical sun (SE Asia). I do miss fresh cheap cooked food, great bakeries at any neighbourhood, thriving independent shops, even food from convenience stores and just availability food everywhere. UK high streets look the same across the country, full of chain stores, compared to Europe and Asia.

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Kiwistu2009@reddit

NZ'er here. I really miss a good pie from a bakery. Greggs bakes just don''t cut it. And you can forget about Pukka pies too. God I'd even settle for a Jimmie's pie. A nice steak & cheese or beef chili pie is the 1st thing I look for whenever i get back.

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Wgh555@reddit

Local family bakeries are where it’s at, but they’re getting rarer these days as small businesses struggle. Most likely found still in upmarket areas.

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MattDubh@reddit

And a Chokito.

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janky_koala@reddit

The weather, and the high availability of SE Asian food and ingredients.

Also BBQ Shapes.

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Dodgy-Yeti@reddit

I get Shapes from sanza.co.uk

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ClimoCustomGuitars@reddit

Pizza shapes you mean, surely

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Ilsluggo@reddit

Monterey Jack cheese and fresh Poblano Peppers.

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Halfdanr_H@reddit

My partner doesn’t use Reddit, so on her behalf I can say she only misses two things: her mother and starchy potatoes. Her country’s (Lithuania 🇱🇹) food is heavily potato based and requires starchy potatoes for better results. Other than that she actually hates her home country with a passion.

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RealHeat2393@reddit

I don’t really miss the Sun or the heat. What I miss is an incredibly efficient government system. A system that works. When you need it, in the way you need it.

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JacketCreative2626@reddit

Which country did you have that in? Genuinely curious as that sounds like the stuff of dreams!!

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RealHeat2393@reddit

It’s a “sunny island set in the sea”. 😊

Don’t get me wrong; there’s plenty that needs to change in Singapore. But the question was what do I miss! 🤷‍♀️

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Tall_Stick5608@reddit

I’ve spent most of my life in the UK - moved here when I was 4 but travelled back to where my family are from and regional countries where they live and I would say 2 things especially as a Londoner.

Hospitality - hospitality seems non existent or very minimal in the UK and around Northern Europe in general. Where I am from it’s common to have a distant relative stay, a stranger to pay for your food, businesses give out free food / drinks during Ramadan / other celebrations and so forth.

Affordable socialising - All over Asia whatever your budget you can sit down and socialise somewhere. In Northern Europe / London / UK there are so many rules / relegations / taxes that make meeting someone for a coffee or drink or even a casual meal seem like a considered thought out expense and it creates limitations to socialise.

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FracturedMoonlights@reddit

Why would a stranger pay for your food, and most importantly why would you want a stranger to pay for your food if you’re not homeless?

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Tall_Stick5608@reddit

In various scenarios - but I meant more so when eating out / travelling / meeting people who I barely know

I’ve had the owner of a restaurant / cafe say - it’s on the house I’ve met up with locals who I don’t really know and they would insist on paying. I’ve been invited into someone’s home without knowing them to eat with their family I’ve met people through couchsurfing and they’ve taken me out. It’s even common to sit on the same tables in affordable restaurants and the person you are sitting with to say - don’t worry it’s on me. I insist.

Even if you don’t want to accept the offer - it’s deep routed in our culture in many parts of the sub continent / Middle East / Central Asia / South east Asia to offer / make someone’s day / be hospitable.

Even myself - I was fortunate enough to be living in the middle of London for 5 years and I hosted people from all over the world using the couchsurfing app and I made sure to be as hospitable as possible.

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skewiffcorn@reddit

Is this maybe a London centric thing? There’s lots of affordable socialising places up north for all budgets but I’d say we’re severely lacking places that are alcohol free and open late, which is something other countries do have. I know it’s cause it’s shitty weather here a lot of the time but I do wish we had more of an alfresco dining culture

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Tall_Stick5608@reddit

The people up north are wonderful and actually far more hospitable. However I think prices are quite similar across the country these days. Weatherspoons is fantastic though keeping lots of people’s social lives active

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borokish@reddit

.....and their alcoholism

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mortstheonlyboyineed@reddit

I really miss the bakeries and also we have these hot food shops that are like the hot deli counters in supermarkets but on a much larger scale. You can go in and pick up all sorts of wonderful home cooked food or stay and eat in. Just good basic healthy food with no gimics. Oh also we have service taxis. You can go from town to town by buying a seat in a limo taxi. You can also use them to send things to people. My aunt used to send food to me a few times a year after they had a big event! Packed in the morning and would get to me a few hours later. Another thing I miss is the dramatic weather! English weather can be so relentless but in my other country it changes so fast and goes from one extreme to the other and I love that!

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Theal12@reddit

I never thought I’d miss tornado season

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Mammoth-Passion-413@reddit

If they missed it - then they were not genuine immigrants

Of course the UK offering £££££ does not help

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RevealAlarming3611@reddit

Good quality food 😩

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alanaisalive@reddit

I moved here from the US over 20 years ago, and as time goes by, there's less and less that I miss. There are substitutes for most things that are good enough in my opinion. Truly, the weather here doesn't bother me that much, and I live in Scotland.

I do miss the sheet and blanket layering in the US rather than the duvets here. I hate duvets. They're just lumpy bags of irritation and you can't peel or add layers to adjust the temperature throughout the night. It's often hard finding full bed size blankets and flat sheets. Personal pet peeve.

Totino's Pizza Rolls. They were invented in my hometown (Duluth, MN) by a distant relative of mine and they're absolute trash junk food, but I miss them and try to get some every time I go back to the states.

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream. It should be chocolate ice cream with a swirl of peanut butter. There are getting to be more peanut butter options here, but that exact configuration still doesn't exist here. And it needs to be smooth peanut butter. I'm not looking for frozen nubs of peanuts that get stuck in my teeth.

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RevolutionaryLaw4140@reddit

Yes i like the UK weather too. I don't mind grey sky's as i know a decent amount of UV still comes through for mood enhancement (if you're out for at least 1 hrs per day. I also hate the glare from a bright sunny day. Probably have a touch of vampire genes...

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raben-herz@reddit

Affordable public transport that doesn't suck.

But honestly, more than anything: people saying what they actually mean.

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screwthedamnname@reddit

Lived in Austria for a year, and the cost of a KlimaTicket, which gave me unlimited public transport (buses, trams, trains etc) across the whole of the country for a year, cost me less that a year pass for ONE bus company across PART of Nottingham. UK Public transport is a joke.

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kiradotee@reddit

Went to Germany and bought Deutschland-Ticket for ~£55/month. That allowed me to take any public transport in the city (including boats!) and any slow trains in the whole country. I travelled on slow trains from Berlin to Luxembourg for what it felt like for free.

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BaddyWrongLegs@reddit

The further north you go the worse the first gets, the further south you go the worse the second gets. You can either get a bus or a straight answer but rarely both.

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Standard_Jello4168@reddit

It's expensive but I'd say that at least for London it's decent in quality, tubes and buses are fairly dense and frequent.

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Standard_Jello4168@reddit

For me I think my home country is generally cleaner and more modern in terms of facilities.

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Any_Weird_8686@reddit

Which home country?

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cctwunk@reddit

Supermarkets having cheese, meat, and fish counters, as well as variety and quality of fresh produce. Though it's nothing specific to my country of birth, I just wish UK food selection was more in line with mainland europe and centered on cooking rather than eating premade slop

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odjobz@reddit

Almost every decent-sized supermarket near me has cheese, meat and fish counters.

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Any_Weird_8686@reddit

The big ones I'd say the same about. Unfortunately, I don't live near any big ones.

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Another_Random_Chap@reddit

All supermarkets used to have these counters, but staff cost money and I guess there's likely more wasted food because it isn't all pre-packed. And in the UK supermarket industry, reducing costs is everything.

My local Sainsbury has the shop built above the car park, and they just stopped taking the trollies up to the shop floor, and now you have to find one downstairs and take it up the slow-moving travelator yourself. But apparently they did it for customer convenience according to the small notice they put up. Nothing to do with saving them money at all by needing less staff and being able to use the upstair trolley area for other things. Absolutely not, perish the thought.

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mortstheonlyboyineed@reddit

I miss the 90s/00s for this. Every supermarket used to have fresh counters and all of the little grocers/butchers/bakery were wonderful. Not to mention market days.

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intergalacticspy@reddit

You just need to shop at posher supermarkets.

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cctwunk@reddit

That's my whole point, it shouldn't be posh 😅 I can get what I want, I've got enough time and money. But it saddens me when I go abroad and compare the cheap supermarkets in other parts of europe to england. Everyone deserves access to good fresh food

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julialoveslush@reddit

Big Morrisons has cheese meat and fish counters.

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cctwunk@reddit

I'm aware, but I haven't got morrisons near me. I can get pretty much anything I want in the UK which is great, the ease of it is the issue. When I do a food shop I go to a butchers, independent shop for fresh produce, and pick the rest from a supermarket, whereas in Italy, Germany, France, Poland and I imagine other european countries I can shop in a single location, and stores lacking those facilities are outliers, rather than standard like here

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skewiffcorn@reddit

Do you have a booths nearby? They have fresh counters too :)

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TheeHappyDude@reddit

Manned by a little bloke in a hat that knows fuck all about fish and can't do any extra meat apart from what you can see.

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SilentPayment69@reddit

They closed ours

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musicandlights-@reddit

As an English person, I too also wish UK food selection was more in line with mainland Europe...

When I go to any European country the differences in food quality is unreal.

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virusdancer@reddit

How about a non-immigrant that's live abroad and misses things from that country?

I miss the US healthcare system (Pittsburgh) - integrated system so all your doctors and specialists are on the same system and can access all of your information - ability to message any of your doctors or their staff easily - easy access to test results and clinician notes from previous appointments, prescriptions with refills so you're not asking for repeat scripts every month - the pharmacy contacting the doctor for a refill without you having to do it, being able to see specialists within a month perhaps two instead of hidden referral waiting lists, appointments that last as long as they need to last instead of 5-10 minute barely sat down before heading back out the door appointments,

I miss the US grocery stores with their vast options for items as well as the vast options of items - I'm a picky eater and I'd forgotten how difficult it was for me here while I was over there - it definitely spoiled me. Even the superstores pale by comparison to something like a Walmart Supercentre, and just the variety of grocery stores which expands upon that variety even more.

I miss the US options for stick antiperspirants, as with most things, they simply have so many options for sticks compared to the few options on Amazon. Roll-ons and sprays don't work for me for 4-8 hours much less their advertised 48 hours. In the US, a good 48-72 hour stick could handle some Fri-Sun fun without smelling like it.

Don't get me wrong, you couldn't get me to go back - for those three things I listed, there's probably three-hundred things about the US that I don't miss.

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CosiDuci@reddit

Organic lemons at every supermarket, even aldi and Lidl. Organic food in general, it’s much more common and cheaper than in the uk. I’m from Austria

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Separate_Avocado5964@reddit

Real bread. Rye sourdough sort of scratches the itch, but the choice of bread specifically in UK supermarkets is woeful.

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1294DS@reddit

Asian Australian here. The Indian and South Asian food here rocks but the East/Southeast Asian food sucks balls compared to home.

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Outrageous-Level192@reddit

Cafes being open very early in the morning and late afternoon/evening.

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AccountForDoingWORK@reddit

Higher quality medical care. Cultural diversity. More reliable/predictable weather. Variety and quality of dining options.

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Motor_Hand1358@reddit

Apart from the sun, it’s the community aspect of people looking out for each other (examples include childcare, support during pregnancy or illness etc) but also the taste of meat in this country compared to my own is just atrocious. No matter how you dress it, the flavour just isn’t there.

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Motor_Hand1358@reddit

Came to add the following:

• space! I miss having a big garden and a spacious house • takeaways here are just so bland and tasteless. In my country, even the cheapest of food like hot chicken and chips are flavourful and fresh.

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Barbora1519@reddit

Our bread and medical care . Although that might have changed , since I’ve been here for almost 30 years . But from what I’ve heard , it is still better .

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coffeewalnut08@reddit

I grew up here but am from an immigrant family, my parents say their home countries feel cleaner. And that people make more of an effort to keep their homes, streets and countryside clean compared to here. E.g.: much less litter and fly-tipping.

They also say that kids here are allowed to misbehave here too much. They believe there should be stronger consequences from parents and authorities for unruly behaviour, like back in their home countries.

Lastly, their home countries have better public transport. Here it can be expensive (like trains) and fragmented.

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intergalacticspy@reddit

The cleanliness thing is definitely a wealth/class thing - in the old days working class housewives would keep the pavement around their homes spotless, but nowadays it is very noticeable in London when you go from a posh neighbourhood to a poor neighbourhood and there is litter everywhere. I wish people would take charge of their own neighbourhoods and set up volunteer groups to keep their streets clean. If everyone took ownership of the area around their home, the whole country would be spotless.

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PalaraKing@reddit

Public toilets that aren't a biohazard

Bidets in toilets.

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MirabellaJean962@reddit

Tasty produce is the main one

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poorly-worded@reddit

I'm not an immigrant but did return back after many years abroad - i miss being able to walk about in nice warm torrential rainstorms and not worry about catching a cold

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DullInflation6@reddit

How about "expats living in Britain" to sound a little less hostile? 🥹

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Current_Mongoose_844@reddit

That's on you. I love being an immigrant

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waisonline99@reddit

I'm not an immigrant, but I've been told that the selection of fresh produce in the UK is pathetic.