What do other nationalities think of the British

[Baggingarea]

For non UK MNers, what are your general impressions of the British?

I was watching a documentary recently and a Spanish man said our houses are all dirty. I'd never heard that before but can see why someone might think that with muddy weather etc etc.

What do you think about us? Promise I won't be offended (no racism/sexism/general bigotry though please). Can't vouch for others though.

@zatarontoast

Oh yes and part of the lack of hygiene comes down to not washing are meat/chicken prior to cooking it. We use salt, flour and lemon juice.

Do you mean it’s favourable to wash meat where you come from?

You do realise it’s advised not to wash raw meat particularly poultry, because the splash back can hit places you wouldn’t realise and that can cause salmonella etc?.....

And your politicians seem only interested in themselves, not in what's best for the country as a whole.

I had always assumed that was the main qualification for being a politician

*Also I forgot to add there is an open door type culture where MIL is from so your house is always 'guest ready' whilst you can get away with having no guests inside your home at all here if you really wanted to!

that's fascinating. The whole table cloth thing - i used to do it but found it impossible to clean the bloody things properly. That's what I stopped.

Tablecloths need washing, drying and ironing - a lot of effort and resources being used. I just spray and wipe table down prior to eating.

Table yes it's considered very unhygenic not to wash your meat/chicken. The guidelines about it were only released several years ago in the UK, I've never heard of anyone getting salmonella anyway. Kitchens are much bigger than typical British ones and often have a food and hand sink. People are very meticulous anyway when cleaning the kitchen so little chance of salmonella-y splash back.

I'm guessing it's women who didn't their lives cleaning the homes in all these other countries

If the title of this thread had been “what do you think about Americans/Nigerians/Turks/Greeks/“ it would have been taken down.

If someone on here were e.g to post “I am Italian/Spanish/Canadian/ and this is what I think of the British,” and someone had replied “well, this is what I think of your nationality,” that post would have been deleted.

I am Brazilian and have lived in Norway for many years before coming to England in 2011. My mother-in-law is British and her house is very clean. You can't find any mess or dust anywhere.

What I find strange is the way British people like mums from school can be friendly and say hello one day and then the next day it's like you are a complete stranger and they walk right past you. It makes me question how to behave in this country because people because people in Norway and Brazil are not like that.

To add more to my explanation above, yes, there is way less awareness of the impact to the environment of cleaning so aggressively. And it's a society where still women do the biggest share of housework and think it's their role to keep the house spotless.

I personally prefer potatoes with the skin on as they are more tasty and nutritious. And I have been wondering for many years why there are different habits related to such a simple thing as cooking potatoes! Still no one of my family and friends would eat potato salad if I presented it with skin on (I learned it the hard way, I have been doing it since I moved here and don't even think it's up for debate!).

Table cloths are a must in Italy and I must admit it's one of the things I never gave up on when moving over here. I just find easier to put one on and then shake the crumbles off in one go when finished than wipe down the table, they also absorb any water/wine spill and don't require coasters. Also, I like the feeling of putting my wrists/hands on the fabric than on the cold surface of the table.
Not really for hygienic reasons, just habit and convenience for me.
If they are very stained (like tomato sauce, berries, wine) I soak them before a wash or I use a stain remover.

@zatarontoast

Table yes it's considered very unhygenic not to wash your meat/chicken. The guidelines about it were only released several years ago in the UK, I've never heard of anyone getting salmonella anyway. Kitchens are much bigger than typical British ones and often have a food and hand sink. People are very meticulous anyway when cleaning the kitchen so little chance of salmonella-y splash back.

But you’re cooking it, so once it’s been in the oven for an hour on 180° then any germs will be killed anyway.

It’s just creating unnecessary risk of infections. You can’t see the splash back so you’d have to wash the entire area to make sure it’s all cleaned up.

What do you think rinsing it in water will do? Better than an hour in an 180° oven won’t?......

there is no eating potatoes with skin on in Italy. You peel the potatoes. Always. Skin is dirty.

That just shows an ignorance of nutrition. See below. The skin also provides much needed fibre. I would certainly never peel new potatoes (they are small and you don't need to). You just give them a good scrub and cook them. No germs!

Using the Italian logic - how do they eat apples since they likely won't be getting cooked? Surely they don't peel them too?! I know they do not grow in the ground but they have still been handled before purchase.

"The predominant mineral in potatoes, potassium is concentrated in the skin and may benefit heart health (16, 17 ). Vitamin C. The main vitamin found in potatoes, vitamin C is significantly reduced with cooking — but leaving the skin on appears to reduce this loss"

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/potatoes#:~:text=The%20predominant%20mineral%20in%20potatoes,reduce%20this%20loss%20(16))_.

What do you think rinsing it in water will do? Better than an hour in an 180° oven won’t?......

😂😂😂😂😂

@AlternativePerspective

If the title of this thread had been “what do you think about Americans/Nigerians/Turks/Greeks/“ it would have been taken down.

If someone on here were e.g to post “I am Italian/Spanish/Canadian/ and this is what I think of the British,” and someone had replied “well, this is what I think of your nationality,” that post would have been deleted.

Other countries never failed to let Americans know how they feel about Americans

Hi lazy, yes I agree with you 100%. And...yes, the peel the apples, and the pears and most of the fruit:)

@CopenhagenMummy

I’m married to one and you guys love your tea and brown sauce!

Some girls are a bit extreme with tan, hair, nails, lashes and so on compared to Scandinavia.

It’s also a very divided country who always disagree on something football, brexit or now Covid restrictions.

But I love England and I have always felt very welcome there

You could be my girlfriend - we live in Copenhagen and when I moved in a few years ago the only real changes to her cupboards were the addition of (lots of) tea and brown sauce!

I do feel Danes are generally quite positive about Brits though. They seem to be viewing our current period of self-destruction like you'd a view a cherished friend who'd picked up a nasty drug habit.

I had a friend who thinks eating dirt help keep allergies away. That is what potato skin mostly have... dirt. Just give it a little scrub with vinegar and water mixture and cook it with the skin on

yes it's considered very unhygenic not to wash your meat/chicken. The guidelines about it were only released several years ago in the UK, I've never heard of anyone getting salmonella anyway. Kitchens are much bigger than typical British ones and often have a food and hand sink. People are very meticulous anyway when cleaning the kitchen so little chance of salmonella-y splash back. Well, I’ve never heard of anyone catching listeria from ripe cheese but we still tell women not to eat it during pregnancy.

Just because you don’t know anyone it’s happened to doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, in fact I do know someone who caught salmonella from what was believed to be chicken which had been washed, and was incredibly ill because of it...

Some of these seem true to me (English, to distinguish me from the far nicer Welsh and Scottish)

Binge drinking at weekends that makes town centres unpleasant and unsafe feeling

The carpet thing I think is due to our climate and the fact that until relatively recently not many people had central heating. I can see how it would seem a bit grim to people not used to them! Far more people have wooden floors these days tho. And I haven't seen a carpet in a bathroom since the 1980s!

Some are hilariously random though- wide backed women is a something that has passed me by in my 50 years of life

Some posts are just nasty though. And I've noticed that a lot of the posters say they're Irish and live in England, which just makes me wonder- why choose to live in a country you hate, surrounded by people you hate? It seems weirdly masochistic. It's not like you have no choice-you could choose to live in Ireland or any of the 26 other countries in the EU, presumably you don't find all of those so repugnant?

One thing I don't get about the UK is why school kids can't shower after PE?

We could in our 1980s comprehensive in Scotland.

@user1471523870

Hi lazy, yes I agree with you 100%. And...yes, the peel the apples, and the pears and most of the fruit:)

All that nourishment going in the bin! Sob! 😭😭😭

To add more to my explanation above, yes, there is way less awareness of the impact to the environment of cleaning so aggressively. And it's a society where still women do the biggest share of housework and think it's their role to keep the house spotless.

I think even Britain itself was more like this pre-feminism. All those busybodies whispering about how clean the neighbour's nets were and how it was 7am and she hadn't scrubbed her doorstep yet.

I suppose housework was the way some women defined themselves and it got pretty competitive at times.

@Goldenbear

Rorosemary, I just gave quite a lengthy explanation as to why a spotless home is not necessarily a priority, in fact it's almost a bit embarrassing as it demonstrates a shallowness for appearances over substance!

I don't believe in a spotless home myself. I spend my days walking barefoot in and out of the garden so tracking everything in myself 😁. That doesn't mean that I can't understand why others might find some habits dirty though. The question was about stereotypes, that doesn't mean that all are true or that everyone views life the same way.

@JMG1234

One thing to add. When we were on safari in South Africa a couple of years ago, all the other families at the lodge were Swiss. And yes, they all spoke excellent English and were very engaging.

When Brexit came up, one of the men said that were had a different view as we were an island, rather than his country being bordered by different countries and languages. I hadn't really thought of the geography in that way. (Doubly poor as I have a geography degree...).

Switzerland isn't even in the EU. What a strange thing for them to say.

*Wide back, wonky teeth, low standards on house cleaning, drink a lot of tea & have learned to be more reserved because of living in London, also often keep my shoes on indoors if they are not actively muddy.

I'm not a hooligan though and am also very much not posh.*

I'd be happy to be your friend!

@phoenixA7

I am Brazilian and have lived in Norway for many years before coming to England in 2011. My mother-in-law is British and her house is very clean. You can't find any mess or dust anywhere.

What I find strange is the way British people like mums from school can be friendly and say hello one day and then the next day it's like you are a complete stranger and they walk right past you. It makes me question how to behave in this country because people because people in Norway and Brazil are not like that.

I am British born and bred and completely agree with you phoenixA7 find it odd how some Playground mums are like this as well, quite happy to chat to you one day and completely blank you the next, very odd. Promise you that we are not all like that, I love a good chat !