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.

We used to spend the summer on France when I was growing up and I found it greasy, meat raw and everything smattered in parsley. When I became veggie it was difficult to eat out. Outside of the cities it wasn’t easy to find ‘foreign’ food - so whereas we have so man Italian, Chinese, Thai, Indian... they didn’t seem to bother. It may be different now (this was to the early 1990s).

@lazyfecker We even have whole shows Devoted to poking fun at ourselves

As a foreigner i have noticed this, you seem to enjoy deprecating yourselves, but it is combined with an overenflated sense of self (shouldn't be possible combining) just look at the posts on this thread saying 'it's just because of jealousy WE won the WWs and because of our past empire' or 'if everybody could they would come here', not to mention thread after thread about how important Britain is to the EU, which will crumble without you.

You must admit that seen from the outside, it's quite baffling and you can depricate yourselves all you like, if this sense of superiority is an undercurrent at the same time. I guess it is two very separate 'views' in your country, but seen from outside the deprication doesn't seem honest.

I was just discussing this thread with my South African friend and she actually cried about our nhs and said she would fight tooth and nail for it so I guess it all depends on the Country and system you originally came from. She said people in her home country had two choices if they had cancer.
Death or massive debt
So there you go.

@giantangryrooster - I'm not sure many people on here have said "it's because we won WWs or because of the Empire " but those who have are either being sarcastic or are quite frankly deluded- can't think of any of my friends and family who think like this, although that's not to say they don't exist of course, and they don't exactly cover themselves or their country in glory. However plenty of countries have nationalistic groups so I don't think it's fair to place that solely at the door of Britain.

As for the many threads about how the EU will crumble without us - genuinely can't remember seeing them. Most of the EU threads are about fears and sadness about what will happen and how the UK will cope.
Why do you think so many Brits have applied for Irish passports?
I think much of this is stirred up by the press and I do think they are not a great reflection on our nation so you have me there.

Interestingly within my circle the only person who supported Brexit was a relative who has spent the last 35 yrs living in the Netherlands. I haven't really analysed this in great detail but he is neither poorly educated nor insular and I've not really wanted to have an in-depth discussion about his motives - maybe I should.

FWIW, I don't think the British have bad teeth at all, most people I met here have lovely teeth. It's the NHS silver fillings looking like from the 1970s that truly baffle me though 🤣 white surely should be standard by now, the NHS dentists really do the bare minimum, don't they!

Re personal hygiene. Not about the shower, but for example, walking around with sniffles and no tissues. Coughing or sneezing and not covering mouth. Not washing your hands when you come back home. Not taking your shoes off at home. I saw this every single day on public transport/in offices/with people visiting us for years and I find it very unhygienic. But then I come from a very clean home and my mum taught me all these rules when I was a child, maybe it's just me being an odd one out here.

And I forgot your food. I love Sunday roast, bread pudding, full breakfast, hash browns are bloody amazing! Your pies, what's not to like?? I think you have fab cuisine and you're bashed unfairly. And obviously pubs. I just love a country pub, there's nothing like it anywhere else, just fabulous!

That's funny as I think we do cover our faces and use tissues and it is other nationalities that do not.

If you wash your hand religiously when you come in, I assume you wash your phone after ever trip as most people have their noses in a phone while out.

@Tollergirl i was trying to highlight why foreigners might not buy into self-deprecation when there is just as much superiority. Re. Brexit i guess you didn't see the brexiteer threads (tory threads) a year or two ago?

This has turned into a negative thread as they do. I think you are a strange species . But we all think and especially are taught others are strange for good and bad. But that said, I atleast am a bit of an anglophile, wouldn't want to live in uk, but like you a lot despite not being like me and my country . And I guess that goes for most posters on this thread brits and foreigners, we just don't 'get' each other to the full, but like parts of other cultures - strange as they seem.

I think you are a strange species

Hehe

'walking around with sniffles and no tissues. Coughing or sneezing and not covering mouth. Not washing your hands when you come back home. Not taking your shoes off at home. I saw this every single day on public transport/in offices/with people visiting us for years and I find it very unhygienic. But then I come from a very clean home and my mum taught me all these rules when I was a child, maybe it's just me being an odd one out here.'

Nobody I know in real life has ever done any of that, if anything in Britain most people have carpets so take their shoes off! We also wash our hands before we eat etc. It is infact other cultures I've heard that keep shoes on due to hard floors and heat and don't wash often or shave under arms etc but I I wouldn't write ignorant stereotypes on here like it is gospel as I am fully aware these are just stereotypes and not real life. Oh and everyone I know was taught the same rules

Whenwillthemadnessend I too have a South African friend. Everyone should have one, so we can appreciate what a privilege it is to live here.

I usually find its 'Americans what won the war...'.

I'd love to know where all you are from as the amount of people that just say they are foreign but dont list their country is laughable. You obviously think you are superior so strange it isnt mentioned

@lazyfecker

https://www.soakology.co.uk/blog/bathing-habits-of-the-worldd_//_

Bathing Habits of the World

Brazil - whoah! FIVE showers a day? Offering showers to your guests? I know it's hot there, but wow

DD went to Nicaragua and there was very limited sanitation.

Differences I have noticed, through tv shows, that washing machines and dryer are usually in the kitchen? And do you have outside clothes lines?

@StickTheKettleOnAlice

I'd love to know where all you are from as the amount of people that just say they are foreign but dont list their country is laughable. You obviously think you are superior so strange it isnt mentioned

Yes indeed . Lots of posters are very shy when it comes to disclosing which country they are from.

I love UK crime shows. They do it so good.

I'm not convinced about the wide back, bras come up much narrower than in the USA, my back is narrow.

Love carpets especially in the lounge and bedroom, my house is clean

@janaus50s

Differences I have noticed, through tv shows, that washing machines and dryer are usually in the kitchen? And do you have outside clothes lines?

Depends on the house. We have a utility room for the washing machine but not all houses are big enough, and where that’s the case it’s fairly normal for the machine to be in the kitchen - I guess that’s where the pipe work is, so it’s the most convenient place.

It’s totally normal to have a washing line outside - I don’t have a tumble drier at all, and never have. Didn’t have one growing up, either. Washing goes outside or over a clothes horse indoors.

@Giantangryrooster - I agree that our opinions of different nationalities are often misjudged and I love the fact that each nation, or region sometimes, have their own quirks and habits- how dull if we were all the same!

I am really surprised that so many see us a superior- and it's not false modesty. I clearly remember when London was awarded the 2012 Olympics. Everyone I know (myself included) said "crikey that will be a shambles, we'll embarrass ourselves on a global stage as we're so crap at efficiency etc etc." We were all rather pleasantly surprised that it was on the whole, a great success.

I think what this thread demonstrates is how different perceptions are when you are an insider or an outsider. No doubt we hold as many prejudices as other nations but sometimes the way things are expressed is key and you can tell whether a posters opinion is just an excuse to be nasty.

As for the grey fillings- as a child of the 70s - I blame the parents who let us walk home from school past the sweet shop every day (that and the fact that you could get two sweets for a penny!). Thankfully my DC have not a single filling because of course I am a far superior parent

@janaus50s

Differences I have noticed, through tv shows, that washing machines and dryer are usually in the kitchen? And do you have outside clothes lines?

Depends - our house growing up had a washing room where the laundry was done and where the boiler was and it had a sink (for washing the dog and wellies, and an outside tap... and washing lines. When mum moved to her granny flat (a new build) there was a room, again with boiler, washing machine, tumble drier and sink.

Otherwise, generally, laundry is all in the kitchen.

Now I've spend way too much time searching for one particular post about WWS and empire, I think it was the one deleted so my references are off, sorry.

I have stated whereabouts I'm from, won't say it in every post though , but I'm scandi, we do some thing different from you some better and some not.

@Tollergirl, we are a judgemental specie aren't we, glad you are a superior parent .

You probably know that immigrants used to be called 10 pound Poms. Or Whinging Pom’s. And only taking a bath once a week. I haven’t heard that since about the 70’s though.
Australia here.

@Giantangryrooster - we've been to Sweden a couple of times and Denmark for lunch (on the ferry) - not sure if you reside in either but I remember saying to my other half "everyone here is so bloody tall and good looking " - had a great time but felt v physically inferior next to all you lovely healthy looking Scandinavians!! Oh, and the beer was v expensive couldn't take the Anglo Saxon way out by getting steaming drunk either!

@Tollergirl
I'm Danish, about 5f6 and very ordinary .
If you brits want to complain about rising food costs or taxes 'you ain't seen nothing yet', unless you've lived here .