Differences between Brits and Americans

[Opull]

Dh and I moved to the US for his work post brexit.
I knew there would be differences but I would say that I have come to learn that those differences are far more pronounced than I had anticipated. And in ways I had never imagined or predicted. We moved to Connecticut. Its only as I have come back to the UK has it really got me thinking.

Im curious if you have experience of both cultures. And what less obvious things did you pick up on.

One that stands out for me is that in general discussions and debates are often shut down very quickly. Even over low stake issues. I remember pointing out something very obvious once and the people around me just started playing dumb. In the UK I would have no problem talking about middle aged women and how our sex lives become more comfortable and less exciting. The Americans kept trying to make out that this wasn’t necessarily the case for everyone. I guess it stems from Americans being quite optimistic and Brits being more on the cynical side. I just found it meant conversations and connections could never really go beyond a superficial level. I missed group bonding by sharing the less perfect aspects of our lives.

Has anyone else had similar less obvious observations?

On the language issue, American English is actually more like the English of Shakespeare's time than British English, which explains the 'herb' pronunciation and the harder 'r' sounds in American English.

George Bernard Shaw once said that the US and UK are “two countries divided by a common language” and Oscar Wilde said, “We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, the language”.

To be fair, the inability of baristas to spell names is a well-known joke.

One of my DDs uses the name "Kim" for the purposes of ordering coffee and has been keeping a running tally of misspellings.

Yes but it's interesting that Shakespearean names aren't common in the US, like Imogen or Hermione

also once complimented someone on her homely house, which turns out not to be very much synonymous with homey

😂

I would love to have seen the expression on her face!

I lived in America for a year in my 20s and remember being quite surprised by how much of a culture difference there was.
I forget a lot of things but one thing that always stuck with me (and probably a really obvious one) is how much friendlier Americans are, and willing to talk to strangers. I remember being in a queue in a sandwich shop and the guy in front just turning round and asking me which filling I was going for. I was really thrown at first thinking he was confused and thought he recognised me or knew me, then just realised he was friendly!!

I think if I was breaking the law in a way that didn't hurt anyone I wouldn't expect to have a gun pointed at me. In fact I would never expect to have a gun pointed at me in any circumstances unless I was about to kill someone.

Really not as ridiculous with your assertions with, as far as I can tell, nothing to back them up.

My point, your words:

I mean you could say that about the UK too, people from pit villages in Co Durham are worlds away from people in inner city London or the commuter villages in Surrey.

I have never seen this program, but it's quite common in the US, especially the South, to use surnames for first names, even for girls. The likelihood increases substantially if the surname in question is of Scottish origin and substantially more if the family is of Scottish origin, which is a high percentage in the South. I know women and girls with these first names: Cameron, Campbell, Kinley, Logan, Aiken, and of course the more common Lindsay and MacKenzie. This is in addition to other surnames girls in the South might have as first names: Peyton, Harper, Avery, Hunter, etc.

Other cousin is still in Minneapolis and married a marine. He’s all about his American right to bare arms.

He loves his short sleeved shirts, does he? 😂

@mathanxiety I love to give a different name each time I order in Starbucks, most spell mine wrong, don’t have a clue for dd middle name we once got X.

Macaroni and cheese as a side dish is a Southern tradition and is a particularly important part of African American cuisine. But it differs from how British people (and lots of non-Southerners in the US) make it. It's traditionally a savory custard loaded with cheese and macaroni or some other type of pasta. Here :
https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/southern-style-macaroni-and-cheese/

For some reason it won't let me click the link, but does it have eggs in it? I love my mother-in-law, but we have a major disagreement about this. I like east coast macaroni and cheese and she's from Alabama and puts eggs in it, which completely changes the texture.

Edinburgh is like a mini England though. Strange city.

There are problems surely, but there are huge positives as well. Believe me, when the University of Georgia played for and won the national championship in college football (beating our ancient nemesis the University of Alabama) for the first time in 40 years, the celebrations cut across every political and cultural divide in the state and beyond. It was a sweet moment of unity, and we are still feeling the effects several years on.

The link didn't work for me either. I have a creamy mac & cheese recipe that's been in the family for decades. No eggs.

This is fairly similar.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/102393/baked-homemade-macaroni-and-cheese/

I swear by this one

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/macaroni-and-cheese-14930

It is sad. I remember everyone clearing in front of their houses when I was a kid. There was no slipperiness because every road had a bin of grit at the end of it and you could just go and get some and put it in front of your house on the pavements.

Yes, it has eggs. It's basically a custard.

I was blocked by the paywall, unfortunately.

Sorry about my earlier link. Here's another site with essentially the same recipe.

https://www.food.com/recipe/southern-style-macaroni-and-cheese-506984

Tinieke, the tiktok chef, has the best mac n cheese recipe I’ve ever tried :)

They voted Trump in.

We (sort of) voted Johnson in.

Maybe not that much difference between us then. 😁

I have some lovely American friends. They're enthusiastic, generous, loud and very flamboyant. They love the Royal family and love our traditions and get excited at the thought of seeing something over 150 years old.
I think the main difference is they get very defensive at any criticism of America (even if they agree with it). Whereas the Brits tend to join in with any criticism of the UK.

Very straitlaced work events in the US compared to the UK!

Source: spent time in the New York office of the law firm where I trained.

@mathanxiety That is the ideal situation, not what happens though. Insurance companies declining anti nausea medication for a child receiving chemo as they do not think it is necessary. Medics spend a lot of time arguing with insurance companies for their patients.