What’s something about living in the UK that people don’t realise until they actually move here?
Posted by Vegetable-Spite-1778@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 390 comments
I’ve always been curious about the “small surprises” people experience when they first move to the UK — things that don’t really show up in movies, social media, or even travel guides.
Could be anything: culture shocks, weird habits, confusing systems, food expectations vs reality, or even just day-to-day life things that caught you off guard.
For those of you who moved here (or even just stayed for a long time as visitors), what’s one thing that genuinely surprised you about living in the UK?
And for people who grew up here — what’s something you think outsiders usually misunderstand?
I’m interested in both perspectives.
BoiledChicken653@reddit
That the so-called bleach was diluted, so not as strong as American bleach. Also that all the food and such in the grocery store is sold in much smaller portions. And nothing lasts as long in your fridge or cupboard. And that you can't get chicken livers in a tub in the UK. And the vodka and rum is of a lower proof alcohol. These are just a few of the changes I noticed when we came over eight years ago. Minor stuff, really, and there are valid reasons for all of it so I've become used to it.
Plannet_Depressed@reddit
It's fuckin warm and it's hard to sweat
sichuan_pepper@reddit
Have you lived in the top floor of any Dutch apartment blocks? They are toasty in the summer!
Plannet_Depressed@reddit
Fortunately not
sichuan_pepper@reddit
Ah so just a sweeping generalisation then?
Plannet_Depressed@reddit
I've done a lot of living near Utrecht and Delft And I've always found the weather lot more manageable compared to Manchester
So in my experience the wether is easier for you to cool down and stuff BUT I haven't been everywhere Mainly been in ground floor bungalow or houses with ground and floor 1
bakeyyy18@reddit
The Netherlands has the same climate as us, what do you mean?
Plannet_Depressed@reddit
It's way easier to sweat over there coz you don't overheat from humidity as much
Dangerous_Bed2566@reddit
British houses are built for the weather, the cold weather in winter
YoIronFistBro@reddit
British (and Irish) homes aren't built for anything actually.
Dangerous_Bed2566@reddit
They are. The way they are designed is to hold the heat in.
YoIronFistBro@reddit
They don't hold the heat in at all though.
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
Bet this person lives in London. I don't know what the microclimate is there but you only have to get to about Bromley and it stops being quite so humid and unpleasant.
InspiringGecko@reddit
I was surprised by all the alcohol consumption and puke on the pavement after people had had a rough night out.
Fattydog@reddit
Please note, non-UK residents, this is not the case all over the country. Just mainly in big cities or university towns.
flippydude@reddit
Never played for a local football club have you? When I left uni I thought I was good on the beets, but Christ the drinking I experienced after playing in North Glos Division 3 was unreal.
Fattydog@reddit
Did you leave your town covered in puke?
Haunting_Side_3102@reddit
Only because people in smaller towns and villages go to the nearest big town to drink and vomit.
vipros42@reddit
Or into the park, or the fields or to the beach, depending on location.
InspiringGecko@reddit
Good point. I moved straight to London. The Saturday and Sunday morning pavement puke was surprising.
jtr99@reddit
I'm with you on this one.
I arrived in the UK in the mid-90s and, having come from Australia, I thought I was familiar with excessive alcohol consumption. I was not ready.
Might be a little calmer these days though. People tell me the Gen-Z kids are not drinkers.
InspiringGecko@reddit
I don't think Gen Z can afford alcohol. Maybe a good thing?
franki-pinks@reddit
When I went to Australia it was pissing me off how little drink they keep giving me. A glass of wine was like a shot of wine and the shots of tequila could have been served in a thimble.
jtr99@reddit
I hear you. I believe with beer, at least, our excuse was traditionally that large beers would get warm in our hot climate. But for fuck's sake, who takes that long to drink a beer?
Sirlacker@reddit
Tactical vomit. Means you can carry on drinking.
NarrowOwl4151@reddit
We invented that, are you kidding?
Nice_Conversations@reddit
Two separate taps. For ice cold and scolding hot. The rest of the world has had mixer taps for what feels like millennia. Also carpets in bathrooms. Eew.
SilyLavage@reddit
Do you live in 1980? This seems like a very dated view of the UK
vishbar@reddit
Chips with everything is definitely a thing, and I’ve lived in multiple flats with separate taps. I hate them.
Carpeted bathrooms are extremely dated though.
meadowender@reddit
Been working for a flooring company for 5 years, in all that time we've carpeted exactly 1 downstairs toilet and no bathrooms
pdpi@reddit
Moved here over ten years ago. I was well aware there would be plenty of squirrels, but nobody told me about all the foxes, or that I’d find fawns in the middle of the road in London.
Also, ads on TV are absolutely wild. Nothing could have prepared me for the go compare man, or the money supermarket dance videos.
vishbar@reddit
Deer are massively overpopulated in this country. Fortunately, venison is delicious!
Nice_Conversations@reddit
Parts of the UK are still very dated today.
lifetypo10@reddit
Tbf a lot of old pubs still have separate hot and cold taps.
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
In person I've only seen one bathroom with a carpet in the past 40 years, although I hear about them a lot on Reddit.
noddyneddy@reddit
The first house I bought back in 1990, I put Carpet tiles in my bathroom!
Bernice1979@reddit
Just bought a house with one
Sirlacker@reddit
I fit bathrooms and we come across some every now and again, but it's mostly when elderly people have died and their family want to renovate before selling the house.
Formal-Apartment7715@reddit
Bought a house with carpet loo in the 2015... it wasn't from an elderly person either. Nope!!! It was a couple with university age kids who has lived there since their girls were 2years old
januarynights@reddit
Had bathroom carpet in the late 80s built house I grew up in, whole development had it. So I thought it was normal for years 😭
Good-Gur-7742@reddit
I’m British and have never seen anyone eat pasta with chips. That’s heinous.
Nice_Conversations@reddit
Lasagne is often offered with chips. No idea why. Just doesn't make sense to me.
Marmite50@reddit
Wait till you find out that Pizza wurstel e patatine is a traditional thing in Naples. Blew my mind when I went there and it was on EVERY menu lol
flippydude@reddit
Yeah, they aren't really snobs like everyone thinks they'd be. Pizza menus are often pages long with all the options
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
Pasta e patate is a Napolitan dish too. They must like piling on the carbs. Its just being working class, it's what you need if you do manual labour.
cursy@reddit
I don't think Lasagne and chips is so bad - yeah it has pasta in it but it is mostly meat and cheese, which work fine with chips.
Good-Gur-7742@reddit
I’m so glad I’ve never seen this. I think it would make me cry. How rank.
WayneCl@reddit
A German friend came to study at an English uni and had meals in the student canteen. She was amazed and appalled that every main meal was served with pasta and chips and most people had both. I assured this was because they were students, not because they were British.
Zealousideal_Pop3121@reddit
To be fair a lot of that is personal choice. I don’t know anyone with carpet in their bathroom because they did the sensible thing and got tiles or Lino. Mixer taps are amazing and becoming more popular. Every tap in my house is a mixer
Algrim2001@reddit
Bathroom carpet was a 70s thing. My late parents had a carpeted bathroom. And a brown bath and toilet lol.
Greggybread@reddit
It was either brown, turquoise, or pink. Bonus points if the toilet was in a separate room to the bath and sink!
DukeyPig@reddit
Do you mean the carpet, or the bath/sink/toilet? Because everyone knows the only acceptable colour for a bathroom suite is avocado green.
UglyFilthyDog@reddit
Grew up in the seperate bathroom/lavatory household. Absolutely nightmare if you're taking a shit then someone goes for a bath.
AdEmbarrassed3066@reddit
Avocado was peak bathroom suite colour.
DameKumquat@reddit
Mint green was also popular, and yellow.
WeeRower@reddit
I moved into a flat with that bonus. White bath/sink/toilet though.
lacksfocusattimes@reddit
I had friends back in the 80’s that had a washable bathroom carpet, the bathroom was small enough the carpet just went in the washing machine.
conduit_for_nonsense@reddit
I'm still not a huge fan of mixer taps - but I do like the ones with two taps and one spout. Easy to control the temp and pressure, can make sure you're drinking only cold water, and aoids those twist and tilt taps that always seem to get crap in the joint.
Nice_Conversations@reddit
Well of course and a lot of people are changing things and modernising now. They just seem a few decades behind. In other countries its rare to impossible to still see two taps, while in the UK it's still quite common.
franki-pinks@reddit
I’m 42 and never seen a carpet in a bathroom! That’s disgusting!
UglyFilthyDog@reddit
Brits love starch. And the vast, vast majority of us agree that carpeting in bathrooms is vile, it's just that that's how you rented the place and can't change it.
Nice_Conversations@reddit
True, renters rights are a joke in the UK. Even with the new laws starting today. In other European countries renters are both allowed to change things and owners are expected and often required to modernise things.
Dismal-Ladder9388@reddit
The separate taps thing seems to constantly be brought up in online discussions about 'shocks' in the UK. I am honestly baffled where all these foreign visitors are seeing them. Are they spending lots of time in houses that haven't had any sort of renovation for decades? It was standard when I was a kid in the 80s, by the 90s they were gradually getting replaced by mixers. Anything built or renovated in the last 25-30 years will 99% have mixer taps. I can't remember the last time I was anywhere that still had separate taps. I'd assume most foreign visitors are staying in hotels, which will definitely have mixers, as will almost every other public building where they might have caused to use a sink.
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
I've seen them in lots of places.
Until quite recently a lot of houses still had hot water storage tanks running at lower pressure to mains, which makes it difficult to mix the two, and the water isn't drinkable so you don't want it going through a drinking water tap. A lot of people haven't replaced the old sinks, quite reasonably.
Sirlacker@reddit
Mixer taps are far more common now. It's very rare we install separate taps. They're a relic from the past unless you're going for a specific style.
melanie110@reddit
To be fair, I’ve been to some resorts abroad and they serve dinner with rice, chips and mash
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
Yes, various parts of Latin America I've been to: rice, beans, potatoes, plantain and bread, a piece of usually leathery steak, a fried egg on top and fried onions is a fairly normal meal at any time of day, including breakfast.
AdEmbarrassed3066@reddit
I haven't seen carpets in a bathroom since the 1980s and it was thought of as weird even then.
davidht1@reddit
Wow UK born and bred and I've never seen a bathroom with carpet.
MrsTrellis_N_Wales@reddit
* scalding
GooseyDuckDuck@reddit
This two separate taps thing blows my mind every time I read it, I’m 5 decades old and haven’t seen this since the early 80’s.
Bernice1979@reddit
Yea lasagna with chips, such a British thing.
Uhura-hoop@reddit
A recent visitor from Taiwan was amazed at how lush and green the UK is. We are rubbish in lots of ways 😆 but we do know how to tree like a boss.
Flaky-Delivery-8460@reddit
That whole thing Americans have where they think the UK doesn't have any trees 😂
hdhxuxufxufufiffif@reddit
They're correct.
Big_Virge@reddit
Yeah the UK is very good for urban greenery, but very bad for genuinely "wild" land
Gnomio1@reddit
The price of our colonial and industrial history.
Building ships for the golden age of sailing took out huge amounts of tree coverage.
Industrialisation and mechanisation at a time where nature was valued very differently to now further guaranteed habitat loss.
Then, over the last century or two, our weird relationship and conception of our own natural landscape that hold back re-wilding. The Moores aren’t natural, they are a result of centuries-old industries and customs. We could bring back more forests, but some folks would have to lose their land for hunting and some other folks would probably have to eat a bit less meat.
ddven15@reddit
I don't know about urban greenery. Large northern cities are not exactly lush.
Marmite50@reddit
Is that a common thought among Americans?! I've genuinely never come across it but I'm self aware enough that that doesn't mean it's not common lol
MrBlackledge@reddit
Fun fact the UK has more Giant Sequoias than the US
ExcitementKooky418@reddit
Check out r/shitAmericanssay thcome out with the most insane dumb takes based on I have no idea what.
I think geography education in the US is restricted to US geography, learning state capitals and shit
pjwlondon@reddit
Of course, we don't have wilderness forests any more (or not of any great size), and whether it's climate or soil chemistry, we don't get the sort of autumn colour "leaf-peeping" thing parts of the US do.
But we do have bluebells.
Horfield@reddit
We absolutely do get colourful transitions in Autumn here...
ReallyIntriguing@reddit
Americans are thick as they get, they live in a bubble
Substantial_Yogurt41@reddit
When we actually have more giant redwoods than the USA, in fact the most in the whole world!
vishbar@reddit
I’m from the US originally. I have never heard this stereotype in my life; who told you this?
xxxxxxxxxooxxxxxxxxx@reddit
Likewise I’m a Brit in the US.
Sometimes people like to ask me about the UK and I’ve never heard this.
I have come to learn that takes about Americans or the US on this subreddit are usually wrong.
MerryTexMish@reddit
Am American, in UK right now. I have literally never heard an American express this idea.
More common are Americans who think everyone speaks like Eliza Doolittle.
Maleficent_Owl_7001@reddit
It depends where you go I think. In Northern New England it is not uncommon for a small plane to go missing for decades if not forever. Only to be found because some hunter decided to trek through a bit of land that hasn't had a human visitor in centuries. Not much of the true 'woods' of the northeast is actually managed land.
hdhxuxufxufufiffif@reddit
What? The UK is one of the most forest-depleted countries in the world, and Taiwan has much, much more forest cover. (60% vs 13% here according to google).
The difference in greenery might be that we actually have green grass everywhere because of the year-round wet climate. Taiwan has a rainy season in the summer and when I was there in the winter a few years back, all the grass was brown.
tiankai@reddit
It’s how green the grass is, I’m from Portugal and my wife is from Taiwan and it never ceases to amaze us the endless fields of green in British country.
Both of our countries have yellow dry arse grass for the most part
Uhura-hoop@reddit
Oh right, oh maybe that’s what she meant rather than trees then. I might have misunderstood. We do have a lot of grass. It’s an ecosystem desert though- acres of lawn. Nothing to really value. I’d much rather have natural woodland.
Over-Cold-8757@reddit
Until everything is covered in shitty new build estates that all look the same.
Educational_Cow111@reddit
Our country is so green love it
Ok-Pianist9407@reddit
Ironic you say that given the UK has the lowest tree coverage in Europe https://protect.earth/articles/in-the-shadow-of-europes-trees-looking-at-the-uks-struggling-forests/
Marmite50@reddit
Thanks for sharing that link, very interesting!
hdhxuxufxufufiffif@reddit
It's incredible that the UK has less tree cover than somewhere like Hungary which is on a vast, naturally treeless plain (hence why it was settled by nomadic horse riders from central Asia).
SilyLavage@reddit
The satellite images from the 2022 heatwave show how green we usually are, in a funny way, because of the stark contrast between the dry east and relatively wetter west. I was working in the Lancashire countryside at the time and remember visitors from the south being amazed we still had green grass.
Logical_fallacy10@reddit
How fake people actually are. They call it politeness - but it’s not polity to lie. They invented a language within the language to avoid having to be direct. So they all understand this. But when you as a foreigner arrive - they think you understand it - and they will also try to guess what you mean when you say certain things - instead of listening to what you actually said. It’s exhausting and ridiculous.
stevedavies12@reddit
Basically, what you are saying is that you do not understand British culture or British English as well as you thought you did, and it's all the fault of the British.
Logical_fallacy10@reddit
Yeah I didn’t know it was this bad. And yes of course it’s the fault of the English - as they are the ones behaving this way. But I do try to show them that being direct is the winning formula - and some get it.
franki-pinks@reddit
Why do you even live here? The world is massive why be somewhere where you can’t even communicate?
Logical_fallacy10@reddit
Oh I am having a great time. It feels good to be somewhere where I am superior to people. And I can have some fun watching them be uncomfortable when I am direct.
SafiyaO@reddit
That's not how you will be viewed by others.
franki-pinks@reddit
I’m going to guess you’re from New Zealand?
Logical_fallacy10@reddit
Really ? No I am European.
Accurate_Prune5743@reddit
I think they mean more the subtle things like 'interesting meaning it's horrible, and 'not bad' meaning fantastic. Also 'we should get dinner' often meaning 'I never want to interact with you outside of work'.
EpochRaine@reddit
How slow everything is. Like creepingly slow.
You email a company - it could be hours, days, weeks or months before they get back you. Then it tends to be a "Sorry, what?" response, then you explain you want to buy something. Then they act like you are bothering them. Sometimes it is actually quicker to write a real letter with paper.
Supermarkets - slow, everyone acting like they have no where else to be and so might as well spend 2/3 hours walking round Tescos. Pikachu face when they get out to the carpark and realise they only have 2 hours .. but they spent that just browsing the giftware...
Everything is just so damn slow.
Relative-Tea3944@reddit
I'm curious why you're emailing companies to buy something tbh
EpochRaine@reddit
Not every business operates an ecommerce store. I also buy things in bulk and consume services that are not subscription based.
Relative-Tea3944@reddit
Ok fair enough. What's an example?
franki-pinks@reddit
Because they weren’t responding to his letters quick enough derrr!
MillyMcMophead@reddit
Why we have our washing machines in the kitchen.
Danielharris1260@reddit
There’s no space in lot of bathrooms from my experience I’ve noticed in houses that relatively big the bathrooms can be somewhat cramped.
Ivy_Sinclaire@reddit
It's where the plumbing was, in old houses.
And in newer houses, where else would you put it, practically? The bathrooms are too small. Many don't have utility rooms.
FWIW I completely agree with you. I think it's unsanitary to have dirty laundry in the shared kitchen space.
Future_You_2800@reddit
its a miracle you survived all these years
malin7@reddit
Does anyone keep their laundry basket in the kitchen? I’ve only ever had and seen the in the bathrooms and bedrooms
Negative-Day-8061@reddit
Not to mention cooking smells in freshly washed clothes.
sihasihasi@reddit
Well, duh. You obviously take the clothes out of the kitchen after they're washed. If they're washing while you're cooking, they're sealed inside the machine - ain't no smells getting in there.
katspike@reddit
The streetscape is dominated by cars parked everywhere.
SaltyName8341@reddit
That's the same all across Europe though
IamTory@reddit
Yeah, cars just pulling up on pavements was a shock to me as an American. Especially when you're a pedestrian and someone rolls up right by you--I still always have a "wtf are you doing??" reaction.
andrew0256@reddit
That's because you think you're going to get shot.
Danielharris1260@reddit
The shooting jokes really aren’t funny I get it’s an issue in that country but to bring it up every time we’re having a normal conversation is very tacky.
IamTory@reddit
Jesus, that's out of left field. I grew up in suburban Northern Virginia. Getting shot was never my first thought. I've never seen a gun in person.
What I think when a car pulls up on the pavement is that it's going to hit me because it's crowding into pedestrian space.
SnooOnions6964@reddit
Whoosh!
IamTory@reddit
No. Not whoosh. Just annoyed that people can't see the word "American" without inserting guns into the conversation.
SnooOnions6964@reddit
Apologies, I just thought you didn't realise he was taking the mick. Totally understandable that these stereotypes can be annoying and I imagine it might be a little awkward at times aswell being an American in the uk with all the upheaval in the world right now
IamTory@reddit
It is that, yeah.
I work in secondary schools. Teenagers have no filter. I hear these kinds of comments a lot and it gets very old.
andrew0256@reddit
I am stereotyping because you said you were American. I've been to the States several times to various parts and like anywhere you wouldn't go to obviously dodgy areas and never felt threatened.
IamTory@reddit
Just so you know, it's very annoying as an American living abroad when people go "hurr hurr guns" as an opener to every conversation.
theocrats@reddit
As a UK national it annoys the shit out of me too.
Motorists are extremely entitled in the UK. Everyone must pander to them.
katspike@reddit
Yes I had the same reaction
Active_Definition_57@reddit
A lot of residential areas predate the advent of the car, so often the only place to park is in the road itself.
Danielharris1260@reddit
To be honest I’ve even seen this in new build estates too many of them have driveways but the streets are still quite narrow and winding and I’ve definitely had some right encounters due to parked cars
DescriptionSignal458@reddit
Everybody in my street has a drive and a garage but they still parked on the pavement.
jsm97@reddit
For a continental perspective it's more that ratio of houses to apartments is far far higher and apartments usually have their own (in many cases underground) car parks which keeps them from cluttering the streets.Terraced housing is uncommon these days and is associated with run down former industrial areas like Hauts-de-France and parts of Wallonia. Most people in urban areas live in apartments and most people in rural areas live in a detached house.
The only place with anything like the number of houses to apartments is the Netherlands and people cycle there a lot more than in the UK.
Negative-Day-8061@reddit
Likewise the multiplicity of rubbish/recycling/green waste bins. On many blocks there’s no place for them except the front garden. No cars on my block though - no parking allowed.
Mondays-fundays@reddit
From my partner who moved here from Hong Kong
WayneCl@reddit
Sunday trading laws? Do you mean how restrictive they are, or how liberal they are? Not so long ago all shops were closed on Sundays. These days most of them are allowed to open, but the big ones have restricted hours.
Active_Definition_57@reddit
I know in some parts of Europe it is/was the norm for shops to close at lunchtime on Saturday until Monday morning.
franki-pinks@reddit
Wild ducks sounds so cute lol
monstera-attack@reddit
Ducks? That is so funny, and adorable
Mondays-fundays@reddit
It's very equivalent to how we would feel about seeing wild chickens all over the place I think
Negative-Day-8061@reddit
You can see that in Hawaii!
catjellycat@reddit
In my team, half of us were born abroad. I know the Bulgarian lady likes living in the UK but gets super frustrated with our ‘politeness’ and not saying what we mean. You sometimes see people online chuckling about our roundabout, understated way of saying things. But if you’re not used to it and it’s not how you naturally communicate, it must be really fucking annoying after a while.
ruth_e_newman@reddit
This differs a lot based on geography and class though
MerryTexMish@reddit
That’s similar to how it is in the US. Geography, class, and generation.
ruth_e_newman@reddit
I'm not talking about the US, not everything is about the US.
MerryTexMish@reddit
I wasn’t implying that it is. I was simply saying that the tendency to not be blunt or straightforward seems to be based as much on other factors as on being from the UK.
Itsmeladyt79@reddit
I have a Dutch friend who thinks the same. They are very direct and just says exactly whatever they are thinking whilst us Brits will skirt around it because we don’t want to be rude.
QuantitySt@reddit
I have a relation from the UK who moved to the Netherlands. She fits in brilliantly because she was very blunt for a British person, but bang on for a Dutch person.
Exotic_Progress_3973@reddit
There's also different levels of it. I'm British but from a different part of the UK than my partner. My partner and their family are ridiculously polite and it's soooo frustrating when trying to get them to decide on something (restaurants, movies, you name it).
UglyFilthyDog@reddit
My partner is so damn polite and as much as I love and respect him for it it's almost ott sometimes. He's from a different generation, a different county and went to a private school so would get the slipper for being rude in any way. I'm a polite and well spoken guy but for some reason him saying "Thank you ever so much sir/madam, have a wonderful day, toodlepip" (alright maybe not the toodlepip) but he sounds like that cliché Englishman.
DukeyPig@reddit
Can confirm. My dad and his side of the family are all from the southeast. Every time they see us it takes them a while to adjust to our “Manc energy”. When I was little they got me a sweatshirt that said THE BOSS on it, for Christmas one year, because my direct way of talking came across as bossy.
Phoenix-95@reddit
Time to show her some clips of Humphrey Appleby from Yes, Minister
Marmite50@reddit
I imagine it's like having to learn a second sub-language after learning the main language! Very frustrating to reach the top of a mountain and find out there's a higher peak now in view!
Maleficent_Owl_7001@reddit
I cannot speak with certainty but I think if you are British you come to expect that context amd tone is everything.
merryman1@reddit
I'm autistic and apparently just saying what I mean is rude but I'm not really aware of it most of the time.
Pink_Moone-stone@reddit
I can confirm it was really fucking annoying for the first few years living in the UK. People often assumed I was rude or angry because I was used to communicate in a direct way. Anyway, once you get used to it and understand this “politeness” it’s easy to adapt
Formal-Apartment7715@reddit
Same
Miserable-Ad7835@reddit
As a native Brit, the politeness and not saying what you mean is frustrating.
Formal-Apartment7715@reddit
It's even harder to decipher when the 'politeness' is used in a passive aggressive manner. Just say what you mean so I can either fix it or apologise, whichever is appropriate.
LauraPa1mer@reddit
The toilet paper is very poor. You can't buy rubbing alcohol. You can't buy benzoyl peroxide without a prescription (!!?). You have to ask the pharmacist for basic drugs which are just freely on the shelves in mass quantities in Canada. Bring your own big ass bottle of ibuprofen, because you can only buy like 16 at a time.
Can't buy muscle relaxants. Don't even know if they are available with a prescription.
Know before you go.
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
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MostFortune1093@reddit
The biggest one is poor housing conditions I think. In TV shows/movies everyone either lives in a charming cottage or a London town house (or a stately home ) You don't see the run down high rises, rows of depressing terraced houses, anything like that. But those kind of living conditions are basically the norm for a large percentage of the population. The "lucky" ones get a semi detached house. A detached house is luxury.
There are also a lot of extremely rude people.
The other is the amount of different regional accents that exist here. You can come here thinking you can understand English well...then have a rude awakening
When I first lived in the UK I lived in rural Wales....certainly no English lessons could have ever prepared me for that.
But as for really small things:
Pillows are shaped differently than in my country
When people ask if you're alright, it's a form of greeting not an expression of concern
Some people hold their forks differently than what I consider normal
Every teenage boy looks the same
People don't always shake hands when introducing themselves
There are many others too
sunofdork@reddit
I got called posh at work because I live in a semi. Like they were actually offended that I mentioned it casually because they see it as very privileged
SaltyName8341@reddit
I live in a social housing shared ownership semi, does that make me middle class. Not posh but not poor? I'm truly baffled
MostFortune1093@reddit
That's crazy. I mean there are big differences between different semi detached properties. Some are luxury homes while others are the opposite.
sunofdork@reddit
yeah we’re definitely not on the luxury end either, it’s ex-council, it was just the entire concept of having semi-detached they were mad about.
MostFortune1093@reddit
Your coworkers don't sound like very nice people:/
Missus_Nicola@reddit
Can you elaborate on the pillow shapes and the forks?
MostFortune1093@reddit
Well in Hungary our pillows are closer to a square shape. We also have small pillows and big pillows and the standard "pillow arrangement" is two pillows: a small pillow on top of a big one. As for the forks: I've seen many people holding their forks in a way that the tines face downwards which essentially stops the person from utilizing the curve of the fork that's specifically designed to hold food. So from my point of view they hold the fork upside down.
So they essentially try to balance their food on the back of the fork which is very confusing to me. It basically goes against the design of the fork completely. Now of course when you use the fork to keep something in place as you are slicing it, the tines have to be facing downwards. But when you eat, let's say mashed potatoes, it makes no damn sense to try to balance it on the back of the fork. The curve of the forks was designed to hold food.. I have seen my partner and her family trying to balance a bite of meat, mash and gravy all at once on the back of the fork and I was basically just looking at them like this😧
I really don't know how to explain it any better.
I have posted about this once here on Reddit and people were shockingly rude about it. It was very weird.
Missus_Nicola@reddit
Interesting, I've never seen anyone try to scoop with the back of a fork. Everyone i know just turns it over. Stab with tines down, scoop with tines up.
Maya_Rose@reddit
I’m sure I remember being taught that that was the polite way to eat. You’ve stabbed something firm with the end of your times, and then plastered a little bit of softer mash, or veg or whatever on top. Turning your fork over to eat was using it ‘like a shovel’. The fact that Americans on TV ate with their fork like that, in their right hands as well, another faux pas, just compounded that it was the impolite way to eat. My family wasn’t even that posh.
polodabear2001@reddit
It’s how you’re supposed to do it if you follow the posh rules of olden times. That posh gay guy on TikTok that does etiquette videos explained it years ago. Spearing things with the fork is frowned upon. Personally I don’t care and find it ridiculous
MostFortune1093@reddit
Maybe it's a working class thing or just an individual thing. I'm not really sure.
Missus_Nicola@reddit
Well I'm from a very working class area in Yorkshire and I've never seen it. So maybe its area specific or something
aenyeweddienn@reddit
How small the rooms and hallways in most houses are.
Crisps in a sandwich
The same music that plays on the radio paying in nightclubs/bars
Nightclubs/bars closing 1-3am
How many people are lovely to your face and then gossip behind your back
ButtweyBiscuitBass@reddit
What do you mean by the music on the radio being the music in night clubs?
DAN_Gri@reddit
A lot of nightclubs particularly in North America play more obscure EDM music. In the UK it’s common to go into a club and hear something that’s much more mainstream and currently popular through Radio play at a club.
AlCozzy@reddit
Theres an awesome electronic music scene in the UK with decent clubs in a lot of cities.
Theres "drinking nightclubs" that play terrible music and have lots of handsy men and then theres "music nightclubs" that book DJs that play some of the best electronic music in the world that you usually have to buy a ticket for like a gig. Worlds apart and havent ventured into a shit pop playing club since i was 18
aenyeweddienn@reddit
I was absolutely shocked on my first night out in the UK, hearing the same mainstream, commercial pop "chart hits" i heard on the radio at work earlier in the day. Where I'm from it's all about electronic music in an average place, a lot of techno, trance, etc (unless it's a genre specific event/place). If the DJ just played a cute pop song that also played on the radio at 2pm, people would think he's gone mad.
Getting kicked out at 2-3am instead of partying till 6-7am was even more of a shock 🤣
Glittering_Echo_7963@reddit
The separate taps for hot and cold water is the stupidest design I've ever seen in my 30 years on earth. It frustrates me every time...
longtermbrit@reddit
It made sense when the hot water supply was a huge tank in the loft that was susceptible to contamination. Now it's just inertia that means separate taps can still be found in a lot of places.
flippydude@reddit
I mean, the UK has old housing stock and I've never lived in a house that didn't have a hot water tank in the bathroom or loft.
pintsizedblonde2@reddit
I've lived in multiple places in the last 20 years that have an empty tank in the loft (pain in the arse to remove) but they had all been disconnected and a combi boiler added. That includes my current house.
Only the downstairs loo has separate taps though. No idea why since it was new when we bought the place. Even the much older ensuite has mixer taps.
Fattydog@reddit
There’s a very good reason for this.
In older houses the cold water came direct from the mains and hot water was stored in tanks in the attic, which can be contaminated by insects, droppings and dead animals.
Having two taps keeps the potable water completely separate from the non-potable.
Immediate-Platform59@reddit
Crisp sandwhiches were a revelation to me when I moved here.
noddyneddy@reddit
In a good way or a bad way?
RoyofBungay@reddit
The washing machine in the kitchen really gets me. Having to traipse up and down stairs with your dirty clothes. Makes more sense taking your dirty clothes off, throwing them in the washing machine, then having a shower.
ljdug1@reddit
But then you have to carry heavy wet washing down to hang outside. Far easier to carry it down dry.
RoyofBungay@reddit
Sounds like the spin cycle is on the blink. Most of my washing is near bone dry and just requires a morning in the sun.
pablohacker2@reddit
When lived in Germany I did have to explain what a crisp sandwich was and the correct way it should be made. The Italians in particular were not impressed
Haunting_Side_3102@reddit
Yeah, well Italians think their local tomatoes and specific shape of pasta are far superior to the same tomatoes and slightly differently shaped pasta of a neighbouring area, so I take their judgement with a huge pinch of salt tbh.
silly_capybara@reddit
My foreign friends are always shocked that it doesn't snow in London for Christmas. Movies/shows lied to them
CourageOther224@reddit
A former colleague from Australia chose to come and work in London because she loved snow. A big disappointment for her!
EvilInky@reddit
Was she disappointed about the lack of snow as well?
Gildor12@reddit
Not quite, when A Christmas Carol was written there was a mini-ice age and it did snow regularly in London. Things have got warmer since but it does still happen.
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
Used to happen every year up to 90s. The last big snows in London were 1989 and I think 1991, when people skied down the hills in London parks and we were off school for days. Then it started being every few years and would only be a few days of slush instead of a week or two of proper snow. Now we get one flurry of snow that doesn't settle and the rest of the winter is rain.
This is the frog being boiled in action. We are the frog.
ExcitementKooky418@reddit
There was a fairly significant snow storm in,ninthink, 2009. I was working nights in London at the time and by the time we finished at 6am there were no trains, buses or taxis running.
Exact-Put-6961@reddit
Its not climate though, its weather.
WastedYouth39@reddit
Ermmm no!
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
What do you mean ermm no? You can look at the weather records.
WastedYouth39@reddit
It has never snowed year on year in London, even in Dickens times, it was one freak year as a child it snowed heavily at xmas. So you can take your political scaremongering and do one.
AcesAgainstKings@reddit
Whilst there may have been snow most years, that doesn't mean there was snow on Christmas day which is relatively early for snow.
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
Oh ok, I missed the Christmas bit. Yeah, we had a couple in the 90s I think but snow used to fall January mostly. I think it used to be more common because even the 60s and 70 s were warmer than previous decades.
silly_capybara@reddit
I am not sure Brits realise how little people from abroad care/have read a Christmas carol.
Gildor12@reddit
You’ve not seen any of the many film versions then?
silly_capybara@reddit
After I moved to the UK, yes. Not before that, it was never on the telly for Christmas. People will know the book (it's not very popular, but some people will know it), but not the movies. We have different traditional movies and so have many many other countries. For reference I am from the Baltics
Gildor12@reddit
There were several American film versions, it was not just the UK. I don’t think you know how little the Baltics feature in mainstream entertainment.
bahumat42@reddit
Yeah but it remains a cultural icon in Xmas movies.
The muppet one especially is widely loved.
Neither_Process_7847@reddit
Still can't work out how the muppet version even managed to work direct quotes from the book into the song lyrics...
Moppo_@reddit
The Muppet version is somehow simultaneously one of the most ridiculous but also the most faithful adaptations of the story.
CharlotteElsie@reddit
It also has some of the most accurate period costumes.
jamesdownwell@reddit
In Britain it is. It’s honestly not that popular in other countries, it’s more of a cult film in North America where in the UK it’s a proper classic. This is my experience of living abroad for twenty Christmases and meeting a very muted reaction every time I bring it up to my friends and colleagues who come from all over the world. Some younger folks have never even heard of it.
silly_capybara@reddit
Yeah, I am a migrant and concur. People on this thread got so feisty after mentioning it's not as popular - I didn't say it was bad, it's just that other countries have their own Christmas traditions and Christmas themed media.
Jackomo@reddit
Whether people have read it or not, cultural osmosis accounts for a lot of the assumptions and prejudices we have about people and places.
Dickens is one of Britain’s most successful cultural exports and his writings inspired a sort of post-Victorian postcard romanticism. The impression most people have of London is almost certainly influenced in some part by him, even if it doesn’t really hold up today.
As for A Christmas Carol, I’d go as far as to argue that the DNA of Christmas, and the festive season itself, was forever altered by the novel. It’s where we get “Merry Christmas” from and the notion that the season is a time for goodwill and charity.
jamesdownwell@reddit
The story is very well known abroad - Hollywood has made countless adaptations through the years. It’s as deeply ingrained into American and Canadian culture as it is in the UK.
Winston_Carbuncle@reddit
According to ChatGPT, which is obviously always right:
Head-Instruction-801@reddit
muppets have a movie, so
Terrible-Bad-9002@reddit
Natural climate change huh? Who'd have thunk it?
Gildor12@reddit
I doubt you think anything logically.
MzHmmz@reddit
Everyone agrees there is natural climate change, this isn't some kind of "gotcha" that disproves anthropogenic climate change. All the people whose literal job it is to understand how the climate works agree that human activity has made the climate change in ways that go beyond what would be expected from natural variation alone.
OddOnion_@reddit
I’ve lived in the UK for my whole life and this is a consistent disappointment to me too.
Fun-Opportunity9656@reddit
I can promise you, when you live in a country where it shows every day for 6 months of the year, you get very bored of Snow. Its a pain in the arse.
slade364@reddit
I agree. I love snowfall, but the lingering effects are leso lovable.
ilovebernese@reddit
Yeap.
This. Shovelling snow September to May gets old. Quickly. Very quickly.
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
Come to the Highlands. I've still got snow within walking distance.
Fun-Opportunity9656@reddit
Go to Norway, the snow probably still hasn't melted since October.
Crivens999@reddit
Yeah. Move to Chester. Was like something out of a dickens novel when as a kid we would visit for Xmas shopping
garsterpee@reddit
In most parts of UK there is higher likelihood of snow at Easter than Christmas.
mrb2409@reddit
It’s not even that common in the US and Canada. It does snow and it’s not super unusual for it to snow at Christmas but it mainly snows January to March in Canada at least.
mookx@reddit
How far north this country is, and consequently how dark it gets in winter. The UK is farther north than most of the US.
I love the UK for 10 months of the year. Even December is magical with the lights decorating these old buildings and churches.
But January and February can fuck right off. I've come to really dread these months.
No-Biscotti3696@reddit
For me it was the separate taps for hot and cold water - so you can choose between boiling hot and freezing cold to wash your hands with 😂
jaBroniest@reddit
The kids are feral
ImThatBitchNoodles@reddit
The fake politeness and roundabout way of saying what's on your mind. Just say what you're thinking for fuck's sake. It's frustrating and confusing, especially when it's used in a passive aggressive manner.
I come from a culture where we say everything directly so there is no risk of misinterpretation. If we upset someone or there is something to be clarified we just have a blunt conversation about it. It's not about being rude, it's about being honest and direct.
When you have this fake politeness or use passive aggressive politeness, how am I supposed to guess that I pissed you off and I should apologise or that you can't stand my guts and should steer clear of you?
Also, the fact that your cakes are dry is very disheartening. You are missing out on wet cakes. There are many nice things that make up for it, though.
CicadaLanky3181@reddit
Radio and TV is good - really good. People complaining about the BBC have no idea how good they have it. BBC's radio and news service to me are top notch
Substantial_Yogurt41@reddit
We have a LOT of mini roundabouts! These dont exist at all in some countries, they just have regular junctions. I had to teach my husband how to navigate them, especially when you get the situation where everyone is stopped waiting for the other to go. GO GO GO!
Odins_eye_4@reddit
hopfl27@reddit
I think point 1 is a causal factor for some of point 2 and 3 here. Lots of people whose kids are now becoming adults drank A LOT in early pregnancy.
RoyofBungay@reddit
Not forgetting the rampant exceptionalism here both with individuals and society. See Covid, the rules don't apply to me I want to go outside unimpeded.
yubnubster@reddit
Rudeness can be a reaction to something, rather than the norm. At a guess, you might have a tendency to trigger people by not respecting something about British culture. Some people are definitely rude, regardless ofc.
Only_Quote_Simpsons@reddit
"If everywhere you walk smells like shit, check your shoe" probably applies here.
I meet more dittery people who just get in the way as opposed to people who are outright rude.
ApeWrinkles95@reddit
For number 3, how do you know they have autism or do they tell you? What country are you from?
Relative-Tea3944@reddit
You know cause they tell you
ApeWrinkles95@reddit
I do know more and more young adults who think they've got autism or adhd, and I reckon lots manage to get a diagnosis when they go to private assessment because it benefits both client and doctor
Relative-Tea3944@reddit
Yes. And then they tell you. Or did the doctor tell you?
ApeWrinkles95@reddit
Both, what's with the cryptic statements?
5Poops1Toilet@reddit
Been around the world and i've come to appreciate that we just have neurodivergent people as part of society here.
Maybe in other countries they are just a bit more hidden away but I feel as if its not something thay has ever flied here
Paperopiero@reddit
People littering in public spaces like trains, buses, parks, cinemas, or theatres
Negative-Day-8061@reddit
And nobody busses their table at coffee shops
Hanker08-15@reddit
Not only in coffee shops. I live in a well-off suburb of Birmingham. All the pubs here try to be upscale. But their tables are stickier than in the worst dive bars of Milwaukee.
jonathing@reddit
My newly arrived Nigerian colleagues seem surprised that life is quite regulated by local government. One was shocked that she couldn't just send her son to the school at the end of the road because it was there. She has needed coaching through the concept of school applications, preferences and waiting lists.
hopfl27@reddit
In fairness, she’s right, it is kind of mad.
Dismal-Ladder9388@reddit
I feel like this is more of an 'English' thing than a British thing. You always here stuff about people fighting for school places in England. I've lived in Scotland my whole life and I've never heard of anyone not being able to send their kids to their local school. It just doesn't seem to be an issue here as far as I'm aware
jonathing@reddit
He got in to the school (I think) but it was more that she couldn't just send him in on the day after he arrived in the country.
PristineAnt9@reddit
One of the most surprising one I’ve heard from several people is that we have excellent cheese. I never really thought about our cheese but people are pleasantly surprised by the quality and range here.
Cantona-Eric-7@reddit
You should try the cheese in America and then you’ll understand. Like chewing plastic.
tonnerrrrr@reddit
my friend from spain came to visit and she was confused where the cheese was and why it's all cheddar
Dic_Penderyn@reddit
Most foreigners have no idea that many British children eat monster caterpillars on their birthdays!
Annual-Sea-5887@reddit
Different accents between English, Scottish, Irish. It is assumed that they all speak in the accent seen in movies like the bond movies or Agatha Christie type of shows/movies 😂.
Homelessness- because they send a lot of aid abroad people don’t realise that people are suffering here too.
Washing dishes with soap and not rinsing the soap off dishes.
Eating sweets, crisps and chocolates as snacks instead of actual food like fruits, boiled etc.
franki-pinks@reddit
The soap thing really pisses me off as I’ve never met anyone who actually does that.
Icetraxs@reddit
Something seems to be missing here. Unless you’re suggesting us Welsh sound like the English?
Master_Wonder_1990@reddit
Towns and city's generally feel "run down" alot of shop fronts could do with cleaning and a lock of paint
jsm97@reddit
British towns centres are virtually uninhabited. Even in large cities the centre is usually significantly poorer than the suburbs which is very uncommon elsewhere in Europe. First car culture and the de-industrialisation gutted towns to the point where by the 1970s most towns centres were a place people drove two at the weekend to do shopping and little else. The concept of a town centre is so closely tied to shopping that even now I've seen British people act like the entire concept of a town centre is redundant in the age of online shopping.
There are exceptions (The transformation of Manchester city centre is incredible) but for the most part the entire concept of a town centre as a place people live, work and socialise is not really a thing here anymore.
Hanker08-15@reddit
This. I was really surprised about how run-down many towns and cities in this country look and feel. Don't get me wrong, I like it here. I lived in other countries before. I was just surprised about the amount of neglect of shopping centres, high streets and housing estates.
Icy_Farmer_8217@reddit
Bad: How bad the housing stock is even if you can spend a decent amount of money on a property.
Good: how lovely and long summer days are.
Sepa-Kingdom@reddit
That you can buy sandwiches in a chemist.
yolkfolklore@reddit
Feels like rudeness stereotypes are being commented here a lot. In my experience that is usually condensed to city life, and specifically city life when the city / tube are busier than normal.
For what I didn’t expect: sausage rolls becoming central to my diet, picky bits picnics are new to me, meal deals in general as a concept (though the price increases make it less fun), getting used to the difference of being asked “you alright?” (equal to just saying whats up) vs a longer version like “are you doing okay” asking if you’re legitimately ok (they can see you’re spiraling), tube doors ready to snap my arm off if i put it in the door (nyc doesn’t do this!), etc.
Lovely general hope I had coming in was hoping there would be lots of cottages to enjoy in the country side. There are. I love them.
IamTory@reddit
Meal deals were a revelation to me. As a first year uni student with no cooking skills, the fact that I could just go buy a sandwich for like 2 quid was incredible.
"All right?" took me a while to pick up too.
SilverellaUK@reddit
Yeah, you?
Cantona-Eric-7@reddit
Can’t complain/mustn’t grumble
Only_Quote_Simpsons@reddit
Living the dream.
DukeyPig@reddit
To add to this, it depends a lot on which city, too.
As a country lad I try to avoid cities where I can, however, I’ve visited plenty that had a generally friendly vibe. Manchester and Liverpool are good examples. I was genuinely amazed at how much I enjoyed Hull, of all places! Fucking… Hull, rhymes with dull, reputation for being a dreary pile of crap place. We were on holiday on the east coast and my wife wanted to visit the cathedral. We spent the day in the city and it was lovely. We enjoyed it so much we went back a couple of days later. A lot of that was because everyone we met was so friendly.
franki-pinks@reddit
Yeah I live and own a business in Nottingham and anyone who comes to work for me will always comment how polite everyone is “I only walked form the bus stop and three different people said hello to me when they walked past”
lanupijeko@reddit
carrots are orange rather than red
guava is expensive
3 types of Milk
Bananas and cucumbers are huge
shops close at 5/6
controvertial one, no ID card
Mobile sims can be bought without associating with ID
Lavidius@reddit
Where has red carrots?
cardiffman100@reddit
Abroad
Lavidius@reddit
Ah yes 'abroad '
franki-pinks@reddit
Bloody abroadians and their red carrots.
waspfactory2@reddit
Sounds bloody awful.
sichuan_pepper@reddit
Orange carrots were more a Dutch invention..
davus_maximus@reddit
Is 3 a large variety of milk options, or tiny variety?
knight--star@reddit
Large variety I think. Live in Brazil, there's whole and skim milk and they come in 1litre cartoons. Its very rare (and expensive!) to find fresh milk, it's all uht cartoons.
Formal-Apartment7715@reddit
Too much
SilverellaUK@reddit
I wonder what the three are. Skimmed, Semi-Skimmed, and Whole? What about Jersey/Gold Top? Or Coconut, Soy, Almond, Oat?
CaveJohnson82@reddit
Jersey and gold top are still varieties of skimmed etc. Non-dairy milks are their own thing entirely.
thewearisomeMachine@reddit
Wat
beauxartes@reddit
The doors... I cannot get over the doors opening in
xxxxxxxxxooxxxxxxxxx@reddit
Th Nigerians I know in the UK were NOT prepared for how cold it gets from October onwards.
Ok-Onion-5012@reddit
My husband found painted on roundabouts hella weird 😅 he doesn’t believe in them.
Fine-Night-243@reddit
Another AI post.
malin7@reddit
Literacy is dying, people can’t even write short and simple posts without asking AI to do it for them
Swimming-Lie5369@reddit
I don't think people understand how north we are.
In the summer we only get "true" night for a couple of hours a day iirc because the sun doesn't fully set due to our longitude.
andrewscool101@reddit
There's only just over 3hrs of true night where I live in NW England tonight. There being no true night has already began in Northern Scotland and yup by June it'll encase the whole country.
Mindless-Thanks7114@reddit
And full of terrors?
j1mb0b@reddit
Lots of darkness and normalised alcoholism. What could go wrong?!
GlobalNomadLife@reddit
Family bathroom. Ridiculous that they still exist.
What, so if you’re a family it’s normal to have someone showering when another member is taking a shit??
CrunchyNerd@reddit
I moved here fifteen years from another western European country. For me it was quite surprising how much people still talk about and think in class systems (working class, middle class etc).
Additionally, there are some strong opinions about the NHS, how grateful we should be for it, how amazing it is, as if the only alternative to the status quo would immediately be a US-style healthcare system that squeeze every penny out of you.
aReasonableStick@reddit
People think the alternative to the NHS would be a US-style healthcare system, because every time a political party talk about an alternative they want the US style where they'll be making a boat load of money from it.
Fabulous-Holiday148@reddit
Greece has a free healthcare system and let me tell you, it's horrific. NHS is miles away better than what they have over there.
I'm on the "NHS isn't getting the recognition it deserves!" club
Able_Fault_2481@reddit
The NHS doesnt get the recognition it deserves. However, it is also massively currupt (just the like the rest of the UK). If the NHS actually got all the money allocated to it rather than being wasted here there and everywhere it would be so so so so much better
andtheangel@reddit
Could the NHS be more efficient? Yes.
Is it structurally broken, stuck between political promises and the hard reality of running a very large public sector organisation? Yes.
Does it have a money problem, with increasing demand and a need for long term investment ? Yep.
But actually corrupt? Contracts siphoned off in return for backhanders? I don't think so. Anything like that it would be dealt with hard, and people fired, and there are court cases to show that.
Able_Fault_2481@reddit
Go and research you will find that there is corruption. Just like in the police, the local councils, HMRC, pretty much anything to do with authority lol
Have a great day :)
andtheangel@reddit
Oh, I'm not for a minute saying that there's no corruption at all, but I can't agree with the suggestion that it's "massively" corrupt: there are far bigger problems with waste, underfunding, and inefficient decision making.
I disagree that the problems of the NHS can be blamed on corruption.
Able_Fault_2481@reddit
Im not claiming its a massively corrupt organisation as a whole just the fuckers at top, like everything else
Extra-Sound-1714@reddit
It has been independently judged to be one of the least wasteful health systems in the world.
Able_Fault_2481@reddit
I dont remember comparing it to any health system tbh
Extra-Sound-1714@reddit
You talked about waste. It is impossible to avoid waste. But this is something NHS is better at than most other health systems
Able_Fault_2481@reddit
Yeah it is impossible to avoid waste. What i meant by wasted was the contracts that are used to make a politicians friend very rich. For example many during covid was prime examples of this how much PPE they bought and then chucked away. Bought from a company started a month prior to the scamdemic and closed afterwards lol and no I' sorry I cant provide the source without digging as I cba to find it but it happened and is continuing to happen.
Basically what I'm saying is that just like everything else in the UK infrastructure a lot is now subbed out via contracts to make someone's friend rich
RebeccaCheeseburger@reddit
I have been let down before but I had a massive accident and had to have reconstructive surgery after a failed operation and the nhs got a shoulder specialist and he changed my life, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to move my arm again above 20% and he has vastly improved my range. Forever grateful.
Able_Fault_2481@reddit
The NHS is great!! My point is that a lot of money is funneled off or "outsourced" via contracts and its normally a politicians friend who owns the contracted company
Neither_Process_7847@reddit
Sadly it just doesn't get the funding it deserves...per head we spend less on healthcare than almost anywhere comparable, then complain about delays and low quality facilities.
EldritchCleavage@reddit
Because the aggressive lobbying of right-wing parties by US insurance companies means the US system likely would be the replacement.
TrashbatLondon@reddit
>as if the only alternative to the status quo would immediately be a US-style healthcare system that squeeze every penny out of you.
If you think there is any reality where the NHS is replaced by a progressive system, I have a bridge to sell you.
bunchofenoki@reddit
The weather! I thought it was an odd how English people always spoke about the weather in movies and irl, but since moving here I get it. You can experience all four seasons in a weekend in the UK.
I’m from Hawaii and it’s also my first time experiencing all four seasons and I love it. Every season here is so beautiful and to see the changes in nature is amazing. Beautiful blooms in spring, clear skies in summer, amazing orange, yellow and red leaves everywhere in autumn, picturesque landscapes in winter. It’s a very beautiful country, and I love living in the countryside.
Oh! Apology culture is big here too. Mainly apologizing for nothing at all. I feel like I truly assimilated when I went to the shop and stood with two strangers on either side of me, and we all apologized to each other at the same time for looking at the same freezer.
pirface78@reddit
Idioms in every conversation.
No_Direction_4566@reddit
The wind.
I had a few friends come over from Spain and they said the wind was brutal. Openly said it was the worst part of visiting the UK coast.
He thought we were all mental walking around in coats on what looked like a nice day until he went out into it and I explained wind chill is real and it doesn’t mess about.
Pure_Skin9774@reddit
They'll forever get asked "what the hell possessed you to move to the damp side of hell?" lol
IamTory@reddit
I work in a school and the kids routinely ask me "Why the hell do you live in Birmingham???"
I don't know either, guys. Life just happened.
Hanker08-15@reddit
Living in a Birmingham suburb. There are worse places to live.
Wen_Tinto@reddit
Double cream only has one ingredient
MobiusNaked@reddit
Two technically: Cream and cream
franki-pinks@reddit
I’ve got a few foreign workers who work for me and they all say we really weren’t lying about British summers. One of them is from California and another from Singapore and they have both said how unbearable it is and it’s not just the lack of aircon. The one from California said he used to bike 15 miles to work everyday and even in the mid 40 degrees it was fine but he said here anything over 25 and he’s struggling walking half a mile from the bus stop.
Also have comments about how everyone is so polite and also no one judges you or gives a shit what you do as long as you are polite and not bothering anyone else. Once they’ve worked out British sarcasm obviously lol.
ChopChopCollage@reddit
It’s windy
herne_hunted@reddit
Depends where you're coming from. Americans notice how we just casually live and work in buildings that are older than their country. Italians think these old buildings are relatively new.
CrappyTan69@reddit
I pointed out to my American brother in law that my window frames are older than his country 😁 .
WotanMjolnir@reddit
My old school was founded 150 years before we knew about the continent, let alone the country!
WhyAllNamesTaken_Noo@reddit
Chav culture
RoyofBungay@reddit
Also the acceptance of leisurewear and generally not giving a toss about dress sense. Result being shopping streets full of people wearing grey prisonwear and hoodies,
altm2@reddit
In London particularly: .rudeness seems oddly widespread, people will happily push you in-front of oncoming traffic rather than move over an inch when they’re the ones in groups
. You can rarely go outside your house without seeing either human blood, piss, or shit
JonJo42@reddit
That must just be a London thing. Non of this happens in my leafy English village.
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
Or any of the parts of London I've lived in for the past 50 years.
altm2@reddit
I dunno if it’s a denial thing either, I mean I guess if you were born here it’s quite a depressing thing to admit (not that I’m saying you are lying, everyone’s experience is individual). But when I left to go to work yesterday morning, a Deliveroo driver spat on me “by accident” and by the time I made it to the tube I’d witnessed a phone theft. Maybe a particularly bad morning but it’s not unique after being here five years
Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit
I've only seen noticeable quantities of human blood on the pavement once or twice in 50 years because there has been a fight. I've seen a human shit quite often when I lived in Shoreditch in the 90s and homeless people and heroin addicts shat in the secluded alley that led to our house, but that was a specific problem with some specific people. You get piss on the pavement in areas where there is a lot of nightlife, as you do in most parts of the world.
There's a problem in London, probably elsewhere, with chewing gum on high streets and a problem with cooking oil or sticky juice from bins on the pavement outside restaurants or the bin enclosures of an estate. But blood and shit is really very uncommon. You must be living in a particularly bad part of a city if this is your experience and I suggest you move to somewhere more dull, suburban and less full of shit, piss and blood, like I have.
CountTruffula@reddit
The groups that refuse to condense is one of my biggest pet peeve. I'll make a point of standing firm so one of them has to drop back for a second to pass behind their mate, so annoying
A very large amount of those groups are tourists in central London I've noticed too
niki723@reddit
Washing machines in the kitchen. I hate it. I'm most countries I've lived in, the washing machine is either in the bathroom, utility room, or a hallway cupboard.
Front doors that require you to turn the key and the handle at the same time. Every other country I've lived in has Yale type locks so you just turn the key and push the door open, so you can do it one-handed. And also lifting the handle to close the door properly- very unusual.
ADamnGoodShot@reddit
Seconding the normalized alcoholism, especially people you work with. I have seen coworkers get blackout drunk, have affairs, vomit all of the street, etc.
The planning ahead. I'm from LA originally, where people notoriously don't plan far in advance and, even if they do, routinely flake out from plans at the last second. Every brit I know has their social calendar set out 6 weeks in advance and takes that schedule SERIOUSLY. Hell, y'all buy concert tickets six months in advance! It's hard to get used to.
The lack of shame. This was also a big shock, but walking down the street in any neighborhood, the amount of people just living their lives with absolutely no window covering is crazy to an average American. There's just much less of an expectation of privacy than there is in the U.S., and I mostly connect it with our puritanical shame complex. This lack of shame is a good thing! But again, weird at first.
Formal-Apartment7715@reddit
The planning gets to me so much... like people let's live a little, let's do something spontaneous.... arghhh
Ivy_Sinclaire@reddit
Commenting about #2 above. As a Brit who has spent time in the US, I am envious of how spur-of-the-moment plans can be, as there always seems to be availability for whatever you want to do.
Nothing ever seemed fully booked (yes there's always exceptions, I'm talking generally enough that's it's not a thing), you can just rock up to mini golf, guided tours, exhibitions etc. and find parking too!!
Thing is in the UK, land is so expensive, rents are high. Most businesses can't thrive unless they're near or at capacity. Consequently, most things need pre-booking to secure entry.
ADamnGoodShot@reddit
I miss it too. L.A. felt more spontaneous, so while it's nice to make plans in advance and actually keep them, the Brits are a little intense about it sometimes. And often by the time I hear about something fun to do that's coming up, it's already been sold out for weeks.
DistributionTop1479@reddit
More of an observation than criticism; it's interesting that you don't connect your opinion of the UK drinking culture with the the puritanical shame culture, yet you do with pulling curtains!
ADamnGoodShot@reddit
Good observation, and likely correct in that it's intrinsically related as well. Similar to how little shame there is regarding hard drugs as well. Again, from LA, work in the entertainment industry, and I've never seen as much of a cavalier attitude towards doing cocaine (and other hard drugs) like I see here in the UK. All part of the refreshing lack of shame. Similar attitudes towards sex as well!
ADamnGoodShot@reddit
Oh also the complaining about the weather! My god, I've never met a group of people more dour about the weather they've lived with their entire lives. And it's not even that bad! Yes, the winters are a bit cold and damp but it's an island to the far north, what do you expect? And the summers are gorgeous! But brits will take an opportunity they get to complain about the weather and act miserable. It's weird!
melanie110@reddit
The weather is what we all have in common lol
PaulaDeen21@reddit
The weather genuinely isn’t that bad let’s be real.
Immediate-Platform59@reddit
I came to the UK as a child. I was confused for many years how to ask to use the toilet. I had been taught in my school abroad that it was "may I use the bathroom?". I then got here and heard toilet, loo, WC etc. I am still not entirely sure what the polite term is, is it regional or a class thing? I mostly say toilet or loo now.
LgPotatoSmPotato@reddit
As an American who moved to the UK 18 years ago (so things might have changed) - it took me forever to register British sarcasm properly. Sometimes, sure, it’s obvious, but the majority of the time UK sarcasm is far more subtle and used in different contexts than the US. Day-to-day humour was a huge shift and actually getting it felt more validating of belonging here than my British passport
Diana-Bill2@reddit
I lived here as a child but then moved to Australia so from aged 8-25 I grew up over there. This meant that any social cues etc, I hadn’t really picked up on as a child in the UK. When I moved here at 25 and started my job, every morning, everyone would ask me if I was alright. And every morning I’d be like umm yeah I’m fine, are YOU ok? 😂 Took me a good 3 months to realise it was a greeting and no one was asking me if I was ok.
Honestly, after 10 years, it still confuses me and my brain doesn’t quite know how to respond. In Australia, the equivalent of “you alright?” Is “how’s it going?” which makes more sense in my brain as a greeting
Xp4t_uk@reddit
Lukewarm summer and lukewarm winter. Ubiquitous grey and beigy brick houses. Mould.
brum_newbie@reddit
The self deprecating 'alright for some' attitude.
Not many are genuinely happy for you when you are successful financially or in your career
Gossiping at work of other colleagues
Putting themselves out to help someone in need is seen as a weakness by some 'you been taken for a ride mate'
Small talk and actually having a real conversation
Class system snobbery Easily swayed by extroverts .
BubblySoil7965@reddit
I grew up in the UK. I find it funny when people assume Brits are kind just because we have a so called 'stiff upper lip'. I find as a nation, we can be pretty passive aggressive and rude but just because we "sound" polite, doesn't mean we are.
SilverellaUK@reddit
We are as the Canadians would say (about themselves) Polite, not Nice.
Word_Upper@reddit
That people will put a load of kisses (xx) in texts and it doesn't actually mean they want to kiss you or that they love you. Still find it bizarre.
KoalaKeys_@reddit
I thought people were more civil and polite but it’s just as corrupt, rude and dirty as Italy.
Formal-Apartment7715@reddit
-The huge selection of ready meals (TV dinners). I was curious so tried a few and they ranged from revolting to gastropub... - How regimented and conformist people are, and how quickly you can get marginalised if you're not especially in the workplace. - The excessive number of gifts people buy their children at Christmas. - Neighbours that don't greet you and go out of their way to avoid eye contact when they see you???? - How complicated and not user friendly the house buying process is... - Being offered to buy Insurance on everything... i mean you've just sold me a brand new product with a warranty why do I need insurance 🤔
ComprehensiveFix9228@reddit
Well. A closet is a small bedroom in Uk. Narrow kitchens. The garage in a residential property ain’t for keeping cars. Anything but. And then there is the tax system. True shocker
OwnLunch2133@reddit
Opel cars are called Vauxhall here.
SilverellaUK@reddit
We had an Opel Ascona in 1982. We went on the ferry to Belgium, stayed there 4 days and came home with a new car while saving about 20% on the price that an equivalent Vauxhall Cavalier would have cost us from the garage at the end of the road.
wooyoo@reddit
How bad the roads are. Like a third world country.
ReallyIntriguing@reddit
Theres a lot of busy bodies, red tape and most people are for themselves along with a crabs in a barrel mentality.
batch1972@reddit
The food is not terrible
Ectorial@reddit
explodingdice@reddit
Working public transport was a very nice change. I've lived here long enough to have a long list of complaints about the trains, but I came here from suburban america where the only alternative to cars was a once an hour bus to the nearest town.
Relative-Tea3944@reddit
People really do incessantly talk about the weather, and it barely ever rains (London)
Appropriate_Tie897@reddit
Moved here from Canada. Very surprised with everything to do with renting. Where I’m from there’s I think a 2.5% increase on how much they can raise the rent? So my landlord telling us they were raising ours £150 after a year and a half of living there was a fucking shock. Thank god for the end of no fault evictions because that was always a stress. Council tax. Estate agents.
blueroses8000@reddit
Some visitors asked us why the country is full of dead trees. Never actually thought about the fact that some countries don’t have their trees shed and regrow with the seasons and that people who haven’t experienced this would find it surprising.
PinkMonkeyBurd@reddit
how passive aggressive everything is
yorkspirate@reddit
I'm 42 and born here and find the amount of passive aggressiveness and how it's acceptable both pathetic and infuriating
Haunting-Track9268@reddit
My wife was stunned by the variety of accents, even between relatively short distances eg Liverpool and Manchester.
Mean-Common-3320@reddit
I think it comes as a surprise to other Europeans, Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, people from the USA etc etc what a hierarchical society the UK has
Mysterious_County154@reddit
How rude people are here
No, you are just being a dick on purpose. It's not "banter" and we all know it
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
- How great some of the beaches are!
HipKittens@reddit
Separate water taps, the sorry obsession, alcoholism disguised as culture, crisps every lunchtime, a very indirect way of communicating. Oh and queues - but I love them!
SummertimeSandler@reddit
That we never really got over the Reformation
NarrowOwl4151@reddit
Brits don't understand how rubbish bins work.
popshares@reddit
[ Removed by Reddit ]
MercatorLondon@reddit
Many. As a designer I focused mostly on objects and services
MermaidPigeon@reddit
You can get away with (anything) here
PlasticCupz@reddit
Whas did you do
Marmite50@reddit
He might not get away with it if he told you!
Sea_Branch5923@reddit
The politeness is so fake, I’d rather you avoided me if you hated me instead of being too chummy
zeusdadog@reddit
The Damp. Not the rain, the damp. It's a constant, low-level battle against mould and condensation that you will lose. You don't realise until you live here that you can be cold inside your house even when it's not cold outside.
postcardsfromdan@reddit
Why they can’t go into shops and buy anything after 5 pm…
Whole_Necessary2040@reddit
London has few English people, and lots of communities from other countries speaking their own language. Lots of poor people, living in extremely pricey council houses.
Main_Protection8161@reddit
The thing that most of my friends from overseas mention is the pub as our "third space". Which probably says about me and my circle of friends than some of the UK 🫣
KobiDnB@reddit
Dearth of sun
LadyInAllPower@reddit
From what I’ve heard, it’s small houses that really sticks out to a lot of them! Especially in London
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