To ask overseas folk what British quirks they think are weird/funny?

[Burntmybiscuits]

Us Brits are always on our high horse, making light humour over the habits of other countries (particularly the U.S!), so I thought it would be funny to see what people overseas find 'unique' about us!

Ooooerrrrr is this a good idea?

At my DS’s birthday party recently, the french parents of one of his friends said they find British birthday parties bizarre, in particular the way the cake is brought out, happy birthday sung etc, and then immediately whipped away to be cut up and wrapped in napkins for the party bags. Apparently in France the cake gets eaten at the party!

Yes birthday cake given when you leave is weird. Never get that as inevitably you end up with crumbs all over the car and a sticky mess.
I find English weddings strange. This thing of inviting different sets of people to different parts and having the whole thing last for hours and hours and hours. Plus including wedding list details with the invites! Yikes!
Many people in America think the English have a full blown afternoon tea every day, rather it being a special occasion (or for tourists).

Birthday cake ritual.

Lots of social chit chat in work situations. I often want to scream 'can we just do the work and go home?'

Pride in never taking a day off work and Attendance rewards at school. What's wrong with being ill?

But mostly I like social life here. Particularly the custom of rounds, which I think is very sociable, and splitting bills in restaurants equally.

My Spanish students used to tell me we eat strange sandwiches.

Also, we've always eaten cake at Birthdays parties, I didn't know it was wrong!

Oh, and childfree weddings are very strange to me.

As are bacon sandwiches, which most perfect seem to think are the greatest food ever, but to me, the smell makes me want to vomit.

Ooooerrrrr is this a good idea?

It's 13.25 on a Wednesday, I've eaten far too much and have ran out of useful contributions. I need a distraction. Release the Kraken!

I used to work in a language school and all the students arrived expecting everything to literally stop for tea at 4pm, which we found amusing.

But then I noticed that at about 4pm we did find ourselves making our way to the kettle for a tea break!

I've NEVER thought about the birthday cake thing. But when I think about it... Gosh, we are weird!

To not rinse the dishes after washing up! I have never got over that one, even after over twenty years in the UK. It’s just wrong!

When the children were little we used to have two cakes, one to eat at the party and a plainer, easy to cut up one, for the party bags.

Oh, and the birthday cake one. Definitely weird!

Walking around your house with shoes on. Slippers I get - they can be comfy. But shoes?? Not comfy at all.

I was shocked when I saw that some of my friends lounge on the sofa with their shoes on. I don't see how you can relax with them on....

My husband is always bemused by English sandwiches too - crisp baps, fishfinger sandwiches, and chip butties being the most confusing to him. Remember him once exclaiming "You English will put anything between two pieces of bread and call it a sandwich!"

Girls going out dressed up in super high heeled sandals and miniskirts (no coat) in the middle of February.
Utterly impractical.
The carbs on carbs habit: lasagne with garlic bread/ chip buttie etc...

@happydinosaur Which sandwiches do the Spanish find weird???

@forkfun I LOVE bacon sandwiches! 😍🥓

Wallpaper on ceilings !

@cariboucarafe I'm totally with you on the shoe thing. I can't stand it when people walk into my house and don't take their shoes off - I wouldn't dream of doing it in theirs! Not really due to cleanliness (although a bit), more to do with not being able to chill out and feel 'at home'?!

The old trend of carpeted toilets/bathrooms.

And carpeted pubs...

Pp already covered:
Shoes on!
Birthday cake.
The sandwiches.

Mint sauce🤢

Also. The windows opening out. I assume that has a practical reason like trying to prevent draught?

Yes I always hear the no rinsing washing up being described as a British trait, but in reality I've only ever met one person who does/did this. I shared a house with her at uni. Whenever she did the washing up, there'd be bits of food left on it and we all thought it was gross. Fortunately she was lazy (maybe why she didn't rinse it) and didn't do the washing up very often.

• I used to think the term 'poorly' meant someone was poor

• How names are pronounced very different to the way they are written. Harwich is pronounced Har-idge, whereas sandwich is, well, sandwich!

• How someone's accent can be completely different, despite living 2mins away in the next village

• Food names- spotted dick, toad-on-the-hole, pigs in blankets etc

• I'm still unsure what the different between brown sauce and BBQ sauce is?

• The whole day and night guest at a wedding is also weird. Its just like saying- you aren't that close or important to me, but I'll invite you for a little bit anyways as you'll bring a gift!

My American friends at uni said they found our tv adverts weird. Apparently in America they’re more “here’s a beautiful person using our product, here are the reasons why it’s great”, whereas we have loads of weird ones like Howard from Halifax

Paying for fuel after you have put it in your car. In the USA you pay first