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!

Don't know where the B in bread went

Re the rudeness thing and customer service - I think what it is, is that to some of us, the unfriendliness is rude, whereas here in the uk it’s not rude. It’s just neutral. I’d if you don’t know someone, you are under no obligation/ expectation to speak to them necessarily. Whereas where I come from, it would be considered very rude if for eg you say down at a bus stop and there was someone else there, and you didn’t make conversation.

In the UK we are definitely not as polite as our reputation suggests! I lived in the US and people were way more genuinely polite (friendly without being overbearing - although obv there were some v enthusiastically friendly people!). It probably varies by location (town/rural etc) in both countries though.

The value of wedding gifts. Im always shocked at how little people intend to spend / give when on Mumsnet compared to Irish people.

We also introduced our venue to the idea of alternate drop and it blew their minds. We got there in the end, but they were SO worried that people would refuse their meals. Fortunately over half of our guests were Australian & Kiwi so they knew the drill

I tried SO HARD to convince my venue this was a reasonable thing. They were adamant it was mental, up there with the suggestion that the bridesmaids etc should walk down the aisle before the bride. I won the latter, though it was referred to as ‘the Australian way.’

I miss the icebreaker if swapping plates with strangers so everyone can get what they fancy.

Wallpaper on ceilings

That's not a British thing.

Oh my! You should see standard of service where I am from. Last time in Lidl, there were 2 cashiers. One on till 1 and second on till 4. They were having a conversation. A shouty loud conversation with a total disregard for customers and their ears. My mum laughed for weeks about my face after my left ear started ringing after the cashier did "Jaaaane and have you heaaardddd about the time off this weeeeekend? How horrible eeeey? I wanted off, you knooooow" right next to me😑

I was told off by waitress for being too difficult when I asked about there being lard in one dish🤷🏻

Walked out of pub after they realised we are not tourists and pretended not to have the booking book... Which they used to check someone else's booking when they thought we weren't looking...😑

I have many more😑 Never had these issues in UK

And this might be super outing.
Once i was returning shoes under warranty because they broke. I got them back later with refusal of return and....
Manual on how to wear shoes

I've been here for 30 years so very accustomed to everything British. Things that very different here include:

1. Everything seems to happen early. People get up early, children go to bed early, the news come on early on TV. It's like we live our lives two hours ahead 🙂

Driving here is a very polite affair compared with Spain. There's hardly any beeping, shouting and what's best, zebra crossings are respected. I love that.

You can live 10 years in a house and not know the neighbour's names. I find this particularly strange. A lot of people here don't tell you their name when you first start talking. After a few months, it can become really awkward to ask

Has anyone mentioned the lavatory in a separate room next to the main bathroom, without a sink for handwashing?

Im Irish and the kids going to bed early is normal here as well.It usually gets darker here earlier and we are not guarenteed nice weather all the time.Plus we wouldnt have a siesta.

So i think that would impact a lot on your routine,.

• Carpeted bathrooms
• Sodding thank you cards
• Calling dinner tea
• High tea. Why? Do you eat/drink it up on the third floor?
• Mint sauce. Bleurrgh..
• Sending children to bed too early, then wondering why they are up at the crack of dawn.
• Not dressing up properly in winter
• Heating fruit juice up in the microwave.
• Vinegar on chips. Yuck.
• Roasting a chicken then using the sucked-off bones to make chicken stock. Yuck yuck yuck.

Milk in tea

Not saying thank you properly when given a gift (I don't mean that Brits are rude)

Not making eye contact for 'cheers'

Ignoring children

These all sound like I find Brits rude and I really don't. Just different.

My DD lives abroad, and smiling at strangers is considered very odd, even if you need to interact with them and you work in the same company. They think you probably have mental problems. They only smile if they are genuinely happy, not as some sort of societal easing.

Heating fruit juice up in the microwave.

Wait. What👀

I remember having warm blackcurrant squash as a kid.

Also love mint sauce-it's one of the few things I miss!

Along with crumpets and marmite!

I’ve googled ‘alternate drop’. It sounds like an absolute minefield!

In the U.K., one can buy fresh milk absolutely anywhere and it's considered an everyday staple in any situation, e.g. home, the workplace, public institutions, as well as cafés, bars and restaurants.

However, most bread isn't fresh.

Whereas in many other countries, bread is bought once or twice a day and used immediately, but fresh milk is a rare luxury. So that's something pretty unique about the U.K. that makes quite a significant impact on many people's day to day lives.

There’s been a lot of comments about weddings on this thread. Back in the late 80s/early 90s it was commonplace to have two receptions.

Everyone could go to the wedding which was held either in a church or registry office (no other option). As these are public places, no invite was needed and anyone could turn up.

The ‘Wedding Breakfast’, usually a sit down meal, was for family and close friends. This was where the speeches etc were made.

The evening reception, usually disco and buffet, was for wider friends, ie.work colleagues, friends from the gym, neighbours, etc

No one got offended if they only invited to the evening reception. I’m not sure when that became a thing.

The ‘Wedding Breakfast’, usually a sit down meal, was for family and close friends. This was where the speeches etc were made.

Yes, and traditionally the bride and groom would leave for their honeymoon late afternoon, after the speeches, leaving their guests to the party. You can see this structure in the first wedding in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

COLD sausage rolls and pork pies!!! Never understood why you'd want that cold, greasy fat sensation in your mouth?

I am British but I’ve lived with people from various other countries.

What they pointed out:

-the division between cafes and pubs rather than a venue that is a cafe that serves alcohol

• the phrase ‘I was sick in my mouth’

• getting very drunk

• uncircumcised men and women preferring this

• salad cream

• ketchup on every thing

• the love of chip shop chips

• lots of us not liking the royal family

• that we don’t think of ourselves as European (long before the ‘B’ issue)

• the cost of train journeys

• our love of animals/ pets eg not seeing them as vermin/a nuisance

• that we don’t sit to watch bands play

• that young women wear much skimpier clothing on nights out than they are used to

-clothes being so cheap

• every one having a tv and this being the focus of everyone’s living room (bit out of date now this)

-kids having earlier dinners and baby food different from parents

• kids dropping naps sooner and having very early bedtimes

-kids never seeing their parents drink alcohol

• not having fully tiled bathrooms

• having baths rather than showers

• uni students always having their own rooms in halls

• U.K. students having fewer class time and less coursework than US students

Yes to things in the U.K. always seeming to be early, like the times of T.V. shows, or concerts, etc. as well as mealtimes and bedtimes.

And to not dressing properly for the season. It rains often in London, but rarely do you see people with properly waterproofed shows, for example.

@Standrewsschool

Yes perfectly normal. We did this at my dds weddings too more recently but they seemed to want so many guests.

school uniforms