You talked about the difference between McDonalds, and how it made you feel. You may find this interesting, "Why McDonald's is green in Europe (but still red in the US)" ruclips.net/video/4tFiI6_gKek/видео.html
@@GirlGoneLondonofficialdon’t think anyone minds if you do it with a smile and a touch of humour! You’ll be hard pressed to whinge more than us Brits. 😂
The insane deference given to the armed forces. I'm a navy vet in the UK but I would think it highly odd if anyone ever came up to me and fawned over me with the 'thank you for your service' nonsense. It's a job. It's not even the riskiest job. Why are you thanking me? Go thank someone who deserves it, like nurses or carers.
To be fair, when I served and was in the US on several occasions my MoD ID opened up doors. Around 15 years ago I was collecting for a military charity in uniform in my home town in the UK and was spat at and received verbal abuse etc. I think you're average squaddie in the UK wouldn't be sensible to walk around in public in uniform (that's if local orders don't already forbid it like in the early 90's). I left in 2015. I don't want any thanks, after the first 10 years, I was only in it for the pension.
Because in the US we respect our military. They're doing a job most of us will not or cannot do. We believe they deserve our thanks. If you don't want it, that's up to you.
@@cookielady7662 I think various factors explain this difference in sentiment and it's not that we generally don't respect those in service (see e.g Memorial Sunday). 1. British people tend to be less prone to complement strangers in any sense (there is probably a bit of a tall poppy thing that happens over here and we are generally less openly optimistic and more cynical/self-deprecating); 2. It's also more socially acceptable in the UK to be anti-military. I am not saying everyone thinks like this, it's probably a minority, but if you said something like 'I don't like the military - we should just fund the NHS instead' or 'I don't like militarism' people would be less likely to challenge you in the UK than in the US. 3. It's also true that people don't usually wear their uniform in public unless it's a formal occasion - probably for reasons 1 and 2 (and re terrorism) - so they are less likely to be identified.
It probably makes sense that Italian food in the UK is better than in the US. In the UK there is a much bigger chance that people have actually been to Italy, and the people in the UK that claim to be Italian are likely at least second-generation Italian, not like the Italian Americans whom nobody in their family has even held a passport in 100 yearsl
Many things in America that claim to be authentic to the country of origin are Americanised fantasies. And when Americans do travel internationally ,they denigrate the originals because the ones in the USA are `better`.
Girl if you're a fan of Motorway Service Stations, I HAVE to reccommend the M5 Southbound Gloucester services. Like Tebay, it has ducks and a farm shop. (A quick google tells me they are run by the same company) The interior is all made of wood and it's beautiful. I went before Christmas once, and they legit had a full brass band playing in there!
Channel 4 has done a series on both Tebay services and the one on the M5. And yes, you're right, they are both owned and run by the same people. In fact, the purchasing manager and the head butcher from Tebay both travel down regularly to the M5 service station to check that they are maintaining the Tebay standard.
Cairn Lodge on the M74 in Scotland is the same company. The services on the M6 toll always amuse me. There always seems to be more cars there than you see on the actual road!
@robocop3961 The treat is the trip to the service station. The breadsticks, breadrolls, and mash potato are taken as a picnic. No need for unnecessary expense.
You obviously haven't been to Tebay, the one she quotes. You also haven't been to Allendale on the M84 north of Gretna. Never mind, you may have missed out, but they haven't missed you.
This is McDonalds fault. Before McD's there were only chips. Fat or thin they were all chips. The Big Yellow M however retained French Fries on their menu, and this caused some confusion as they slowly spread out from London. Eventually we assimilated the term, but only for the skinny ones.
@@MeFreeBeeWas just about to comment much the same. Except I see fries as referencing chips by an organisation determined to use US culture in place of UK culture; and I tolerate it as much as possible, but with a sad heart. But everyone knows that regardless of thickness, they're all chips really.
@@WideCuriosity When McDonalds opened their first UK store they literally shipped over everything. It was an exact replica of a US store. The only thing that was different was that you couldn't ask for extra ketchup! We queried this with the manager and he told us the little sachets of McDonalds Fancy Ketchup had got squished in transit. I honestly doubt it would have even occurred to them to translate the menu.
It's funny how that happens. I mean we'll take an American word but use it for something specific so we end up with both words. For example, cookie. We use the word 'cookie' too but it's for a specific kind of biscuit.
@@CraigT9864 Quite possibly. Back in the 70s "French Fried Potatoes" was a somewhat pretentious term for chips in low-end restaurants such as Bernie Inn. I still maintain it was McDonalds that made "fries" an everyday term, however. In early 80s when they were still mostly confined to the London area, I witnessed a heated exchange between an out-of-towner, confused because the chips she could see in the pictures weren't on the menu, and a server with English as a second language, who probably only knew their name through her job. I gallantly intervened, mainly because I wanted my quarter pounder with cheese.
When I go to an Italian restaurant (in Italy) it's great knowing that I can have an entire evening, at one table, with friends for a memorable occasion. I absolutely hate it if I were to be told to 'scoff up' as the table is booked by someone else in half an hour! That sounds like the proprietor is running his place as a conveyor-belt business. Things like that will drive the customers away. Ciao!
Just stumbled across your channel. Dad was in USAF stationed near Manchester where he met and married mum. Grew up mainly in the US but lived in UK when he was sent to places we couldn't go with. Many more differences between the countries in the 60s. Always missed sweet shops, newsagents and Doctor Who when we left UK. Love your channel.
I have an uncontroversial opinion it's that I am so happy Girl gone London is uploading again with so many creators in this space it's actually really impressive how different & interesting her videos are. If you read this Thank you from Kent.
@aoeden Funnily enough, as a Brit, I often find the US service over the top and insincere. I go to a restaurant to enjoy the food and the people I'm with. I want the service to be something that disappears into the background.
@@notsolm agree to disagree as an American living in London. Besides this right now all London Restaurants are adding a 10-15% supposedly descritionary service charge to their bills. If you want to remove it because of a bad service they are giving you a headache and shame you :/
Chip butties - you need unsweetened, proper bread and that bread needs to be buttered (hence the name). From what I'm learning, thanks to social media, these two things are not common in the US. 🙁
Nah, you don't what 'proper' bread, you want Sunblest sliced pan that's whiter than a Scot in January. None of this pommes frites in a brioche bun nonsense!
From visiting England in the '80s and '90s, these are things that I miss. Challenging accents , pubs that serve real beer and real food, BBC radio, beautiful English countryside, Stone circles and barrows, Christmas in London, purchasing chestnuts roasted over open coals, high tea, London theater, the tower, BM, and even the January sale at a well-known London department store (where personal space was non existent). I do regret not being able to secure a ticket for a panto. I also wish I was old enough to have visited during pre-decimalization, that will be three and six please!
Loved your 'that will be three and six please!".😄 But imagine being a child in a maths class in pre-decimal UK 🙃 We had pounds, shillings (20 to a pound) pence (12 to a shilling, 240 to a pound) half-pennies (self-explanatory), farthings (four to a penny) and half-crowns (two shillings and sixpence). Our coins included a sixpence and 'thre'-penny bit' (3 pennies) and the aforementioned half-crown, plus the ha'pennies and farthings. There were also 'crowns' (five shillings) and florins (two shillings), but that was before my time. Oh, and for some bizarre reason we also had 'guineas', one being worth 1 pound, 1 shilling (21 shillings). The coins went out of circulation around 1813, but we kept the principle - heaven knows why. Suffice to say that prior to decimalisation, every time you went into a shop you got a mental arithmetic workout! 😄
I was lucky enough to be born in the 1950’s and grew up with Pounds Shillings and Sense …. Your three a six please to me would have been three and a tanner please … shillings were Bobs and sixpence’s were Tanners ….. our money had a character all of its own … now it’s soulless.
Until I went the the US, I thought Olive Garden was made up in The Simpsons. In California we had several people rave about an Italian restaurant that was so amazing and the owners were "Real Italians". It was certainly pretty good, but I then realised that I have 3 Italian restaurants within a 10 minute walk of where I live in London that are as good or better (and much cheaper).
Travelling by train last weekend (in England) I was totally wound up by a young woman facetiming on speaker, loudly, right by me. I'm not sure why it was more annoying than if she had been chatting to a real live person next to her, but it REALLY was! Other people were chatting amongst themselves and I was barely aware of them- but her call drove me NUTS!
@@baronmeduse No. I was too British! Haha. But also I couldn't work out why a phone call was more annoying than an in person conversation- so wondered if I was just being Mrs Annoyed of Tunbridge Wells!
Caitlyn are you sure your not British. Your sarcasm is brilliant I love watching your vids you bring a smile to my face every time I watch you ..I also watch Amanda rae and Alanna love your accent and please don't stop what you are doing. God bless and I wish you well x
One reason chip butties or bacon butties aren't popular in the US is that Americans slather mayo on every slice of bread they see. Butter is infinitely more common on British sandwiches and is a more satisfying complement to bacon, chips, ( or crisp, or sugar sannies for kids).
Also, most Americans don't butter their bread, when making a sandwich, (peanut butter & jelly)? Perhaps because they can't spread American butter, it's always brick hard.
@@philipashley9723 Put it in the microwave for 12 seconds. It's soft, and easy to spread! I'm an American, and I've done this since the 80s. Happy to share!
You can sit down in a USA restaurant for as long as you want if there are not other customers waiting to be seated. Just because someone hands you the bill doesn’t mean you have to leave.
In Wales you'll get 'Chicken curry, half and half.' This is a chicken curry with half a portion of rice and half a portion of chips. We also have lasagne and chips, possibly just to annoy Italy. This is considered typical pub grub.
@@lynnejamieson2063 You have to remember that in the USA there is a constant medical campaign AGAINST fried foods like your chips. Something like what you are suggesting would be attacked in the media as a restaurant serving unhealthy "grease bomb" foods and the medical profession in the area would be issuing warnings to their patients.
Glad you raised Banks ! When I moved to US (2001) I fought a huge battle to open a bank account. Once done I received a shoe box sized parcel in the mail which contained, cheque books, paying in books, statement folders etc. I wrote my first check (sic) for rent and was horrified a few days later to receive it back in the post! I thought it had been rejected, but no - they sent it back to prove it had been cashed. To be fair a few months later this stopped - but only to be replaced by photos of the cancelled check on the back of a statement. 3years later I moved to Amsterdam - popped into the local branch of a bank where they immediately opened me an account and issued me with a Chip & Pin card which is all I ever used.
Which reminds me... they really do still use "checks". Only a few months ago, someone asked me to pay for something with a "check". I was pretty horrified.
Any financial institution making transactions easy is missing out on numerous profit opportunities to over charge their customers for every tiny thing they can. There are fees and charges for everything and when they are not doing it to their customers they are doing it to the businesses. One reason tap & pay was slow to catch on in the USA is that every bank charged the business TWICE the normal rate if they switched from the old method.
@@bobtheskutterbot Part of the reason for the continued use of checks is that without a physical or photocopy of a canceled check, a person in the USA has no legal proof that a payment has been made. Thus a rental agent can evict a person for no-payment even if they have been paying electronically because financial institutions are under no legal obligation to produce and general refuse to provide ANY electronic payment records. So many businesses continue to use checks as legal proof of payment for many activities.
Banks used to do that in the UK but the public got so mad they stopped. Now and then banks try to impose charges on bank accounts and cash machines, but found quickly the public were not amused. One such tactic was if you had a standing order and a basic account, that account would not allow you go over into debt if you had no money but the damn banks did not do that for standing orders and direct debits, so if you went over by £1 they would charge you £30 for it (a sneaky tactic and that is why they did the banks did it). I had that happen to me for £5 and the bank try to charge me £150 i went nuts. That has stopped now thank god, some literately had their bank accounts emptied by the bank because of that tactic, esp. old people.
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial Tebay Services are part of a very small family owned group. Opened 1972 it was the UK’s first family-run motorway service area.
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial There is now another Tebay services on the M5 in the west country. Gloucester Services. It is fantastic. Exactly the same as the other Tebay up north. Same owners. Chip butties are from the North of England. I am in the south and have never seen a chip butty.
I have lived in America and Canada, all-be-it as part of my job, so I have a small understanding of the USA. Nowadays I spend my time doing history. So my thoughts where the USA is concerned is that despite technological advances, population increase, a lot of migration, your education systems are backwards looking, in terms of societal thinking and working practises you are still in the 18th century but with over-tones of Medieval Europe - the Robber Barons at the top and the serfs at the bottom and everyone else somewhere in the middle. There is an obsession with rules, rights and safety in the US culture and the American Constitution gives rights and Controls to the People, whereas the British Constitution controls what those in power can or cannot do. Then there is the dollar, it is prominent in US culture and in practically every activity and it is one of the first things that an American will mention, here in the UK it is bad manners to mention money. There is a more fundamental difference as well, in societies whose culture and people are money orientated there appears to be less care towards people but in societies that place people first then the levels of care for each other are much higher.
It seems so much time and effort is spent on talking about transgender issues and race that divide America but nobody seems to talk about low pay, zero benefits, sick pay and holidays. Employers seem untouchable.
Great reaction, thanks 😊 I remember quite a few years ago while I was in the US I went to a Denny’s for dinner (because I’m classy 😂) I ordered a steak and they asked what I wanted with it and suggested mash potatoes or baked potato. I did know not to say chips because that’s a different thing in the States, so I asked for fries. By the look on the guys face you would have thought I said “cigarette butts please”. He said “fries, with steak?” as if it was the strangest think he’d ever heard. They don’t know what they’re missing. See you next time 😊
Haha!! That's weird - I don't eat a ton of meat so wasn't really aware of steak and fries or not, but steak and mashed potato is definitely more common. See, Americans need more opportunities for chips/fries!
Sorry, but we have! Most restaurants that have steak on the menu will have a variety of potatoes side-dishes. You usually choose what you want.@@AnneDowson-vp8lg
Nice call out for Tebay. I used to travel to & from Scotland to visit my parents & made a point of stopping at Tebay. The food was OK and the scenery was good. But always pick a seat where I could watch the Ducks while eating, so relaxing during a long drive.
On the journey back, leaving from Scotland going to England, stop at Killinton Lake it is just a few miles past Tebay it is glorious and has a large lake and ducks and boats x
The same company runs two other motorway service stops. One is in Gloucestershire - pronounced "glostersheer" - but I don't know where the third one is. Another company runs one near Penrith in the north west of England. It is a mile off to the west of the main exit for the town. All excellent places to take a date.
The phone thing is pretty funny. As a uk citizen I would never want anyone to listen to my conversation. If I'm on a train or bus I will text the person calling me I will ring you back when I get off. Most people I see on the facetime or speaker are people who probably aren't born in this country.
Brit here. I loved Tampa International Airport when we had a house in Florida. It had its own smell (nice smell - probably the aircon) and the nasally announcer "Will Mr Smith please pick up the nearest page telef-own". Both used to make me smile when I landed. Our tap water tasted good but we were near Crystal Springs and they literally used to bottle the local water! The No. 1 thing the US still needs is proper garden centres though.
When I had school dinners (70s) they were quite happy to give you a cheese salad with chips, if we didn’t like what was on the menu 2 of us would go to the local bakery buy a fresh loaf cut it in half, scoop out and eat the middle then walk into the chippy next door and fill it with chips.
Good video GGL!! 😂😂😂 The "rest stops" vs "Service stations " is interesting...There are some very sad Service stations whose architecture is like something from behind the Iron Curtain !! ( Think Bulgaria circa 1972!!)....Also they are notoriously expensive!! BUT GGL if you like a British Service Station you must love British Garden Centres!!???
If you are truly a fan of service stations/rest-stops.....I can tell you (having lived all over the world), south Korea has some of the absolute best. The first one I ever went to there, I walked in to the ladies and thought I had taken the wrong door! It was full of palm trees, flowers, beautiful displays, the toilets had fabulous bidets (you could even select music! ) soitlessly clean, mini bathrooms for the kids too. Huge selection of food ranging from healthy full meals to fast food. There was even a seating area surrounded by grapevines done artistically (and you're allowed to puck the grapes). So fabulous!
45 minutes for a restaurant meal? There's another UK Vs USA difference. I'd always assume I'd be at a restaurant for an hour and a half bare minimum... Sometimes 2 and a half!
Really? Whenever we go out (U.S), either just my spouse and myself, or with friends, we spend at least an hour and a half to 2 hours, sometimes more. I can't imagine ordering, then waiting for the food, and then eating it all in just 45 minutes. That can't be right. I can see that happening more at lunch than dinner, where people might have an hour for lunch and are more pressed for time.
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial yes please do cover that in a video because that also took me by surprise. I always plan for at least 2 hours eating out with a friend, sometimes more
@@CherylVogler Actually it is quite common for dinners that are NOT at fancy high-priced restaurants. Most people only get 30 minutes for lunch unless they are very well placed executives or have VERY understanding supervisors. Everything in the USA is to move people along to get turn-over. if a establishment is letting someone linger, they are most likely losing money, which is why restaurants that allow people to stay & not buy more stuff regularly go out of business.
This is an amazing Scottish morsel that left me (as a Californian!) stunned. Deep fried Mars bars. Honest. You get them at fish and chip shops. Recipe: Take yer actual mars bar. Freeze profoundly. Retrieve and dip in same type of batter fish is dipped in. Drop n boiling oil for about five minutes. Retrieve. Wrap (it's VERY hot!) Go out into biting wind; driving rain optional. This - sanck? - will keep you warm even in a blizzard. I speak from experience. Bite thru crispy batter, into a hot, quasi-liquid mars bar. You won't be surprised that Scotland has the worst cardiac health, obesity, etc., in Europe. But a deep fried Mars Bar? To die for. And you will.
I am a Welsh expat living in Australia it’s just great to watch your videos and listen to your opinions and experiences in the UK.Some of the things you mention I miss most.
The banking differences is what gets me. As America is such a capitalist society and obsessed with consumerism, why don’t they make transactions super easy? It’s bizarre to me.
Any financial institution making transactions easy is missing out on numerous profit opportunities to over charge their customers for every tiny thing they can. There are fees and charges for everything and when they are not doing it to their customers they are doing it to the businesses. One reason tap & pay was slow to catch on in the USA is that every bank charged the business TWICE the normal rate if they switched from the old method.
For the past six years, I have paid for everything by waving my phone at a box on a counter except for a few things costing thousands where I transfer the money through a bank app on my phone. I have had no reason to use cash for many years. Okay, I'm middle aged and live in Melbourne, but my experience sounds much closer to the UK than the US.
Whilst there are some notable motorway services locations the majority are only just adequate. However, if you want to experience the very best Motorway/Autoroute/Autobahn service stops then visit Switzerland, they are stunning and squeaky clean. UK mains water is more pure and contains less contaminants than bottled spring water and is therefore utterly safe to drink. In German MacD's you can even order a beer - now that is civilised! I think it is fair to say that the UK palette has improved in leaps and bounds over the last few decades mostly as a result of being such a diverse country where each ethnic group (including the British) has to prove that it can provide the best culinary experience. Even traditional foods in UK have leap in quality, our local chippy produces the very best fish and chips for example.
It seems to be common in Euro McD's to be able to order beer. I know from experience that Kronenburg is often on the menu in French McDonalds as well, so it's not just unique to Germany.
‘Where’s Buckminster Castle?’ is what the young, male American tourist said to me as I made my way up Whitehall to Horseguards; his question preceded with a shouted, ‘Hey, Bobby’. I asked him to repeat the question as I thought my hearing was off. He obliged by saying, Where’s Buckminster Castle. I explained that there was no such place, but there was Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. He seemed confused, a condition many foreign tourists suffered from. I tried a different approach and the conversation, as best as I can recall, went along the following lines: Me: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are three separate buildings. The Abbey is down there in Parliament Square, The Palace is up this way and Windsor Castle is actually in Windsor, which is an hour and a half by train. Him: What time will that be? Me: You mean Buckingham Palace? That will start around 11.30. Him: Is that where the guards change? Me: (taking a deep breath) Yes. At this he simply walked off without so much as a please or thank you. I may as well have been the speaking clock. No wonder my more experienced colleagues developed a rather frosty and often sarcastic attitude to people like him. I didn’t think I’d get like that but then this was my first day solo and I was keen to set a good example. I arrived at Horseguards at 10.50 after having covered ‘Number 10’ followed by my own forty five minute meal break. I’d been on duty five hours and still hadn’t enforced the law. This was too easy. The Horse Guards are collectively known as ‘The Household Cavalry’ which consists of two regiments, ‘The Life Guards’ and ‘The Blues and Royals’. The former is the senior regiment of the British Army with a long history. Referred to by non-cavalry regiments as the ‘Donkey Wallopers”, they can trace their heritage back to 1658. The Blues and Royals were formed in 1969 from a merger of the ‘Oxford Blues’ and the ‘Royal Dragoon Guards’. They are the Army’s second most senior regiment. For the typical tourist who might ask, we would skip the history and just say that the ones in red were ‘The Life Guards’ and the ones in blue were ‘The Blues and Royals’, but even that wasn’t simple enough for some to grasp. Today it was ‘The Life Guards’ who were treating the tourists to an up close and personal view of their magnificent black steeds and their immaculate red ceremonial uniforms which contrasted with their metal breastplates and plumed helmets that were gleaming in the sunshine. The area immediately inside the gates in Whitehall is quite a small space once a few horses and dismounted troops appear, so there is a painted white line around the edge, behind which the tourists had to remain during the short ceremony. We were there to keep order and support to the troopers by keeping kamikaze tourists behind those lines. This responsibility is now that of The Ministry of Defence Police, but in my day, it was just us from Cannon Row. Some days there were very few visitors but on others it could be packed with several hundred and today was one of the latter. As soon as I walked into the courtyard, I spotted that American chap in the front of the crowd. He’d managed to find his way to Horseguards which hadn’t even featured in our previous conversation. I briefly considered telling him that this wasn’t Buckingham Palace but thought better of it. The clock on the Horseguards building chimed eleven and the ceremony commenced. On this particular day the inspecting officer was a senior Life Guards officer who remained dismounted throughout the ceremony. The two sets of horses were formed up facing each other and the corporal* major was running the show brilliantly. *There is no rank of ‘sergeant’ in the Horse Guards, just varying degrees of corporal. I was positioned near the entrance to the arch that led to the stables and had previously made sure that all tourists on my side knew about remaining behind the white lines. As the various commands were bellowed out by the Cpl.Major I noticed one of the horses didn’t look so happy. Its head was bowed and slowly swinging from side to side, and it seemed to be drooling somewhat. The inspecting officer was immaculate and stood out from the others by his magnificent red riding cloak that almost reached the ground. As he passed by the dribbling horse, with his Cpl. Major close behind, the poor beast let out a massive snort that propelled a gelatinous green tennis-ball-sized gobbet through the air, striking the officer’s glorious cloak squarely between his shoulder blades where it clung for a few seconds before slowly sliding down the garment. The Cpl. Major, having seen the whole thing, probably in slow motion, made a move to scrape it off but then thought better of it. The officer performed a smart about turn, returned the Cpl’s salute and marched off to find a dry-cleaning token. Of all the countless Horse Guards changes I’ve attended, that is the one I remember most vividly. The crowds dispersed with the majority going my way as I headed towards St. James’s Park for my next appointment. As I crossed Horseguards Parade that same American tourist crossed in front of me and in dire need of a compass; he was heading the wrong way for the Changing of the Guards, presumably heading for Buckinghamshire Abbey Palace. I noticed a small flag embroidered on his backpack. I think it said ‘Oklahoma’. Isn’t that where the wind comes whistling down the plain? Earlier that week I’d been on Trafalgar Square with my other tutor, when another rather obnoxious tourist came up to us and simply demanded, ‘What bus to the Natural History Museum”? My experienced colleague seemed slightly miffed and asked him if he’d ever tried to say, ‘excuse me’ or ‘please’. The guy replied, “you’re a public servant, I don’t have to say please or thank you to you”. A lesser officer might have directed him to a less salubrious part of the city.
What I would change in the USA... - Get rid of traffic lights and replace them with roundabouts ("rotaries"). That would prevent thousands of serious accidents each year. - Call toilets toilets (or lavatories). They are not 'bathrooms' and they are not 'rest rooms" - Abolish jay-walking laws - you should be able to cross the road anywhere. ("Land of the Free"...really?) - Abolish trespassing on someone's land as a crime. - Grossly simplify making a tax return. Filling in a 1040 tax return is a total nightmare and even the IRS reckons it will take you 22 hours of work on average - it's more in reality. (It should be no more than ½ hour of work or, at most, one hour.). AND in many states you have to file a state tax return as well as a federal tax return. - Stop allowing bicycles to ride on the wrong side of the road - it results in more accidents and the accidents are more serious. - Allow people over the age of 18 to drink alcohol. And allow people to drink wine or beer with their picnic in a public park or on the beach. - Stop requiring US citizens who reside (and pay taxes) in another country to submit a tax return in the US.
My mother-in-law in California liked Olive Garden, so she wanted me to experience it when I first started going over there. It was OK, but very much cooking by numbers. We found a small non-chain Italian less than 2 miles away and the food was so much better - more imagination & cooked fresh. But we never really persuaded her - she kept going back.
I’m in the States looking forward to an extended stay in Scotland this summer and fall. Everything you said has resonated with me. I’m very much looking forward to not being in America for a few months. Any American who takes issue with you is living with their head in the sand. Bravo, indeed!
Scotland is absolutely beautiful, I hope you have a lovely time! Beware though, if you're going in 'midge season', then you absolutely will need a bottle of *_Avon Skin So Soft Dry Oil Spray._* I'm deadly serious - it's the only thing that seems to repel them, due to the limonene, afaik. So much so, that lots of the little shops even sell it. 🦟
I lived in the U.S. for 5 years, and it was what prompted me to buy a "brita"-style water filter jug for the first time ever. The water out of the taps (faucets) in my apartment was brown......!
My high school chemistry taught me that water was an odourless, colourless, tasteless liquid, and what was coming out of my tap didn't conform to any of those descriptions.
Another reason for video-calling someone is if one party is hard of hearing. My dad much prefers video calls to phone calls because being able to lip-read helps him to follow. But no way would I be having that kind of conversation while walking through an airport!
If you think UK service stations are good you should try french - if we had those I'd visit whether or not I was on a journey. The motorway ones - not the open air ones just to clarify.
Lol. I'm in a rural area. My neighbor sits and talks on her phone on her front porch. I can hear both sides of the conversation while on my own front porch. She's 1/4 mile up the road.
UK few bank accounts have a monthly fee. They may have overdraft fees, foreign currency fees etc. The bank account that do have a monthly fee are usually premium accounts that have extra services included, such as travell insurance, and or very preferencial interest rates.
You may have quite a point about McDonald’s the former CEO of McDonald’s worldwide was British, he had worked for McDonald’s in Britain in various management positions until being scouted and moved to America. He was responsible for many of the changes made to British McDonald’s restaurants and this clearly impressed the company at the highest level. He has since lost his position due to a relationship with another employee, but it would seem he was good at what he done.
Love the honesty, one thing that bugged me about American restaurants I found initially realise was "family Restaurants". My wife and I walked in sat down and ordered when the waitress said " you do realise this is a family Restaurants? " We thought we had to leave as it was just the two of us.......but no it meant each individual dish is served with enough food for four (4) yes 4 people. !!!!!!! So we ended up with one started and one main meal, luckily we could both agree on dishes! The rest we asked the waitress if she would like a doggy bag?????
Some years ago I was holidaying in Las Vagus and decides to visit a McDonald's for a snack and a drink. There were about six or seven server's behind the counter running around bumping into each other trying to complete orders. The young girl that asked me what I wanted was about 16 to 18 years old, I replied with a cheese burger and a small coke without ice. She froze and looked at me as if I was from another planet, did you say "no ice sir". "Yes no ice" I replied, after all it was December. I am an Englishman and in my old idea's ice is for Summer drinks not Winter. As it proved when asking for a cold drink WITHOUT ice one gets more liquid in a full cup instead of half the cup taken up with ice.
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial I have a question on that subject that I've always meant to ask ; If you have to pay taxes to the US on what you earn in the UK then surely you are paying 2 lots of Tax and How much do you pay to US ..
So you only have to pay in the US if you make over 100,000 USD equivalent in the UK ( so I don't). Beneath that, there is a double taxation treaty between the 2 countries. But I still have to "file"/report my income to the US every year no matter if I'm not a resident.
@GirlGoneLondonofficial I've heard this a few times now that expats of the US still need to file and pay US taxes and I've been wondering, what can they do to penalise you if you just stop paying, especially if you never intend to live in the US again? Can they stop you returning to visit family etc or can they, somehow, penalise the family you still have in America? I just don't get how they can keep you tied that way if you're living, permanently, in a different country. I don't know, maybe the UK does the same to expats abroad but I've never heard anyone say that was the case. Seems really unfair to me.
As a Brit who spent 14 years working for US companies, I agree with everything you said except “ I like ( look in the air) whatever” what a mind blank that is. Lets face it, if a Brit offers you a cup of coffee they mean instant coffee granule coffee 👎 If anAmerican offers you a cup of tea they mean a teabag in lukewarm water with a string with a label on the end 👎
Thanks for making me laugh. Enjoyed the 'slightly unhinged' thing - a very British way of describing yourself, if I may say so! At one point I did think you could try doing this kind of thing as a rap, perhaps next time? Looking forward to your next endeavour, thanks again.
🇨🇦 I live near the border with Washington state and have friends just across the border in the USA. We get together in both Canada and the U.S. Last time my American friend came north and we went out for lunch here in Canada. We went to pay and my friend went to put in her PIN number from her card to pay. I pointed out that she had the little tap contactless square on the card, and all she needed to do was just tap the card to pay. So she hesitantly did it. We’ve also had tap cards for several years in Canada, while they are just beginning to catch on now the States. We have Olive Garden in this part of Canada.
We don’t call them “rest stops” we call them service stations. Many of them now have small branches of national shops like M&S,Tesco,Costa,Starbucks etc along with clothes shops,pharmacies,very clean toilets and play areas for kids.
I love how 3 years after your original video your still as enthusiastic and excited about chip butties. You have great energy i really enjoy your videos on the uk. Would love to hear your opinions on Liverpool the city and the accent.
re; Olive Garden. 'Pretend you're in Italy for like 45 minutes' In the UK (and probably most of Europe) tou would be able to relax and enjoy the experience for at least a couple of hours; nobody is trying to get you out in order to get the next punter in!
I've been to multiple States in the US and have had a very good experience every time. It was the people there, so friendly, generous and polite. However, from my experience, Americans have forgotten how to walk any distance farther than house to driveway or the car park too McDonalds. So sorry they've forgotten the basics. Thank you for the video too. 🌻
you're lucky with the "friendly, generous and polite" experience with Americans. I find them racist, loud and crude. So much swearing in public even with kids as young as 3.
The bank entry is spot on but in addition I would like to point out that when I pay "contactless" in the US, I am more often than not asked for my PIN regardless of the transaction amount. So it's not really contactless then. I have lived in the US for 13 years now and I really wish they would embrace a more social workplace culture. Nearly every European workplace has something surrounding tea and coffee where colleagues will take a break and socialise. Not in the states where the coffee pot is only there to keep people working longer.
Why should the USA business embrace a social workplace culture? That might give the peons the wrong ideas like maybe a better health care system or actual worker rights that might cost the business a tiny amount of its enormous profits.
When our friend from Texas came to stay with us in Hastings she drank gallons of tap water because she really loved it! Don’t agree about bottled water being unusual though. Everyone I know seems to use bottled water. McDonald’s are poisonous in any country.
The main reason why butter on sandwiches is not used in the USA is that nutritionists & doctors in the late 1980s began telling everybody that ALL butter was BAD for a person's health! They bombarded the public with ads, info campaigns and medical advice at EVERY doctor's visit to eliminate ALL use of butter. They stated that all butter is full of saturated fats and cholesterol, so any use of butter in any food was a recipe to killing yourself. This lasted for nearly 25 years until about 2010 when they changed to talking about "bad" cholesterol and "good" cholesterol.
@@andrewvalentine6977 The main reason why butter on sandwiches is not used in the USA is that nutritionists & doctors in the late 1980s began telling everybody that ALL butter was BAD for a person's health! They bombarded the public with ads, info campaigns and medical advice at EVERY doctor's visit to eliminate ALL use of butter. They stated that all butter is full of saturated fats and cholesterol, so any use of butter in any food was a recipe to killing yourself. This lasted for nearly 25 years until about 2010 when they changed to talking about "bad" cholesterol and "good" cholesterol.
My brother in law from Canada came here and tried to use his card, it didn't work, he then went into the bank and asked, they yold him the technology the card uses is so old it hadn't been used in the uk for a very long time. The card worked fine in the USA though. Also even to this day, the only people who have to sign when using a bank/ credit card are Americans. No other countries have had this for a long time.
@GirlGoneLondonofficial I totally agree regarding rest stops (US) Service stations (UK), I've stopped at a few in the US and they're dire, yet the one you mentioned Tebay M6 northbound is lovely. My favourite and I go a regular basis is Killington Lake Services (close by to Tebay) M6 southbound, the best for their views. 🙂
Olive garden....2012 when I first went to America to meet my (soon to be) second wife, we went to the local olive garden as guest's of her father. It was pleasant enough, me being an Englishman not very well travelled. I was thankful it all worked out fine. We married. Now divorced a few years ago I travelled to Italy 🇮🇹 and experienced real Italian food..my god! what are they serving at the olive garden??!
Regarding motorway services, the village where I live is next to a motorway and has a service station, but one that is off motorway and accessible without needing to be on the motorway. It has a mini launderette which does a 45 minute wash for a large load. I take my towels there! (My home washing machine sounds like it's drilling through the floor if I try and wash towels) There is a cafe, a mcDonalds, a big branch of WHSmith with lots of magazines that aren't that easy to find elsewhere. It also has a marks and Spencer simply food where I can take items I want to return if I ordered online. I use it as a mini shopping centre!
Having off-spring and nephews in their 20s, "like" has crept in here much more in the last few years. To begin with I would ask "is it XXX or isn't it?" and be met with a blank expression, given up on that.
Tebay is the best, and on one of the most scenic and beautiful stretches of motorway anywhere in the UK. The original farm shop it has grown from over the years has food to die for!
Hahaha Florida tap water is something else! As a naive Brit, travelling to the US for the first time when I was a kid, I thought "I need some water, I'll just go to the tap" - THAT WAS A MISTAKE!!! I was genuinely worried that I might have poisoned myself because it tasted so bad 🤣
I spent some time in the USA in 2018 and needed to sign a slip for credit card payments and purchases - restaurants , hotels gas stations , park entrances etc. Shocked and surprised me . Returned to Ireland and told people who laughed and thought it was hilarious.
Drive Thru MacDonalds are a more recent thing in the UK as they only used to be in town centres, so they're gonna be more modern and newer. I was in Hackensack NJ and saw a Macdonalds in the town but directly opposite there was an independant burger joint so I went there instead and was glad I did. You could see them making the cheese burgers from fresh there and then.
You can have whatever opinion you want wether others agree or not. I’m British and surprised that we had chip and pin and bank things before the US. I lived in the US many years ago and what I would change is the chocolate, the US NEEDS Cadburys dairy milk. Also the cider there is not what I call cider. X
I worked on the original faster payments system for Barclays and it's still faster payments not bacs. Bacs is for bulk transfers e.g. direct debit processing for millions of transactions.
British banks have been working together since the late fifties to make joined up electronic banking. American banks were always too competitive to work together, plus there are literally thousands more banks, many of which are quite local. My wife lived in California for example, and banked with one of the bigger banks in the state, but they had barely any branches outside the west coast.
The last time I set up a new payee, it was to pay into an account I had set up in my own name with another bank. They wouldn't let me do it, I had to phone up the bank and explain that yes, I did know who I was sending money to (me) and no, I wasn't being coerced or bullied into sending it. Finally, they let me set up the transfer after I agreed to all the disclaimers and acknowledged all their warnings and confirmed I wanted to do it anyway.
Stood in line for 2 hours at Newark airport after a flight from Heathrow. Then the freeway to Manhattan was all bumps and potholes. Welcome to New York!
If you think rest stops in the UK are good, just go to rest stops in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Italy. Prices are reasonable and the staff will apologise if your freshly prepared takes more than 10 minutes to appear at your table.
I so agree with you regarding American airports, l flew to Newyork but when I got to the guy at the cubicle and presented my passport he took many minutes checking me against the picture, then he put it face down into the machine and then spent many more minutes staring at me and】 the photo before finally letting me pass. I felt like a criminal. Welcome to America!!
Ha, we just go back from the USA and i said the same thing, it honestly felt like going back in time, like you say "the banking" I had to give the waitress my bank card to pay and she actually took it away, she also thought it was strange that I paid with a debit card and not a credit card, also the houses were all wooden which I suppose is a step up.from caves, then we saw someone spraying (painting) there lawn green, out elevator somehow wanted a tip???? Honestly the USA is hilarious to me
I'm a Brit living in USA for 30 some years. You can Zelle money from your checking account to theirs in a matter of seconds just with their cell number or email address. Doesn't matter if you have different banks. You can also Zelle to different countries.
Absolutely agree about (many) service stations on motorways, but you pay through the nose. Petrol is usually 10-15% higher than at 'ordinary' petrol stations in the local towns.
I remember 10 years ago, we rented a property in Las Vegas. We couldn't pay the rent online and had to take a cheque or pay cash each month. They said we can't set up a direct debit or standing orders to do an electronic transfer in America. Surely that must have changed now?
In the nineties, we went on driving holidays all over Europe. You really want to try motorway rest stops in Germany. For variety, tastiness, ambience, they put UK rest stops to shame. Having said that, I can only wonder what American rest stop restaurants are like if they are worse than those in the UK
UK tap water is okay and safe to drink, but we still like to filter it to get rid of the Chlorine and in certain areas, Lime which can collect in your kettle.
Brace yourself this summer as Heathrow unveils brand new X ray scanners. Your laptop wont need to be taken out and liquids can stay inside your bags with a new limit of 2 litres in size. City Airport (LCY) has completed the roll out of the new X ray scanners and Gatwick is due later this year.
As a fellow US-UK citizen who lives on the UK side of the pond I found myself nodding at everything you said. Great video. I do miss proper Mexican food though!
I’ve been travelling to the States regularly for about 35 years. In the beginning we used to go to an Olive Garden restaurant as a treat - it was about as good as you could get. Yes it was a chain but it served reasonable food and didn’t feel like a fast food joint. Not anymore! Now there are good restaurants in most parts of America and Olive Garden just doesn’t cut it now! As for Tebay service station on the M6 - I used to travel that way a lot and would always stop at Tebay. As you say the view out over the lake is lovely. However, back in the 70’s most motorway restaurants stops were terrible - they are a great deal better now!
![[4K] Watch SpaceX Catch A Starship Rocket From Space!!! #IFT5](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pIKI7y3DTXk/mqdefault.jpg)
Okay this one is slightly unfiltered. 😂😂What are the weird things you've noticed about the USA?
Taking your credit card away to processs payment?? WTF??😮😮😮😮
people constantly complaining about the price of gas, but insisting that they need a 2 tonne car with the aerodynamics of a brick.
There are so many 😂 but on the subject of Thanksgiving: sweet potato and marshmallow pie
@@jamesbeeching6138pppppp
You talked about the difference between McDonalds, and how it made you feel. You may find this interesting, "Why McDonald's is green in Europe (but still red in the US)" ruclips.net/video/4tFiI6_gKek/видео.html
That was an absolutely first class textbook gold standard moan. You're definitely 'one of us' now. Bravo!
I'm scared to release the UK version of a similar topic...😂
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial go for it
@@GirlGoneLondonofficialdon’t think anyone minds if you do it with a smile and a touch of humour! You’ll be hard pressed to whinge more than us Brits. 😂
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial You're one of us now, therefore play it for laughs and it'll be fine 😁
Hell no. Let it rip!@@GirlGoneLondonofficial
In England, food places are inspected by the local council and given a rating. The council has the authority to close a place if it is unhygenic.
They do that in America too, it varies by State. California give a grade letter you can see from the outside, usually in the window or glass door.
UK service stations being complimented . Who would have thought ?
I’m pretty sure it’s the same here in Australia
Yea I am genuinely scared about how bad the American ones are.@@anthonynewey3821
UK. It's the UK!
The insane deference given to the armed forces. I'm a navy vet in the UK but I would think it highly odd if anyone ever came up to me and fawned over me with the 'thank you for your service' nonsense. It's a job. It's not even the riskiest job. Why are you thanking me? Go thank someone who deserves it, like nurses or carers.
Thank you for your service 😉
To be fair, when I served and was in the US on several occasions my MoD ID opened up doors. Around 15 years ago I was collecting for a military charity in uniform in my home town in the UK and was spat at and received verbal abuse etc. I think you're average squaddie in the UK wouldn't be sensible to walk around in public in uniform (that's if local orders don't already forbid it like in the early 90's). I left in 2015. I don't want any thanks, after the first 10 years, I was only in it for the pension.
I'd rather thank a military person than the person who sticks needles in me.
Because in the US we respect our military. They're doing a job most of us will not or cannot do. We believe they deserve our thanks. If you don't want it, that's up to you.
@@cookielady7662 I think various factors explain this difference in sentiment and it's not that we generally don't respect those in service (see e.g Memorial Sunday). 1. British people tend to be less prone to complement strangers in any sense (there is probably a bit of a tall poppy thing that happens over here and we are generally less openly optimistic and more cynical/self-deprecating); 2. It's also more socially acceptable in the UK to be anti-military. I am not saying everyone thinks like this, it's probably a minority, but if you said something like 'I don't like the military - we should just fund the NHS instead' or 'I don't like militarism' people would be less likely to challenge you in the UK than in the US. 3. It's also true that people don't usually wear their uniform in public unless it's a formal occasion - probably for reasons 1 and 2 (and re terrorism) - so they are less likely to be identified.
It probably makes sense that Italian food in the UK is better than in the US. In the UK there is a much bigger chance that people have actually been to Italy, and the people in the UK that claim to be Italian are likely at least second-generation Italian, not like the Italian Americans whom nobody in their family has even held a passport in 100 yearsl
Many things in America that claim to be authentic to the country of origin are Americanised fantasies.
And when Americans do travel internationally ,they denigrate the originals because the ones in the USA are `better`.
Also while we were in the EU, Italians could come and open a restaurant here almost as easily as they could in Italy
Girl if you're a fan of Motorway Service Stations, I HAVE to reccommend the M5 Southbound Gloucester services. Like Tebay, it has ducks and a farm shop. (A quick google tells me they are run by the same company) The interior is all made of wood and it's beautiful. I went before Christmas once, and they legit had a full brass band playing in there!
Well, that's Christmas '24 sorted!
Channel 4 has done a series on both Tebay services and the one on the M5. And yes, you're right, they are both owned and run by the same people. In fact, the purchasing manager and the head butcher from Tebay both travel down regularly to the M5 service station to check that they are maintaining the Tebay standard.
Cairn Lodge on the M74 in Scotland is the same company.
The services on the M6 toll always amuse me. There always seems to be more cars there than you see on the actual road!
I can concur, it’s top tier.
It’s the Cotswolds - they don’t do welcome break 😅
This lady is the ideal cheap date. Bread sticks, bread rolls, mash potato. With a trip to a service station as a treat.
Hey now services stations are a rip off!! 😮😂😂😂
@robocop3961 The treat is the trip to the service station. The breadsticks, breadrolls, and mash potato are taken as a picnic. No need for unnecessary expense.
And McDonalds is posh!
@@camera2painting You smoothie! I love it when you talk carbs to me... 🫨
You obviously haven't been to Tebay, the one she quotes. You also haven't been to Allendale on the M84 north of Gretna. Never mind, you may have missed out, but they haven't missed you.
When a British person refers to "fries" they mean French fries the thin potato type. Everything else are "chips" ranging from standard to chunky
This is McDonalds fault. Before McD's there were only chips. Fat or thin they were all chips. The Big Yellow M however retained French Fries on their menu, and this caused some confusion as they slowly spread out from London. Eventually we assimilated the term, but only for the skinny ones.
@@MeFreeBeeWas just about to comment much the same. Except I see fries as referencing chips by an organisation determined to use US culture in place of UK culture; and I tolerate it as much as possible, but with a sad heart. But everyone knows that regardless of thickness, they're all chips really.
@@WideCuriosity When McDonalds opened their first UK store they literally shipped over everything. It was an exact replica of a US store. The only thing that was different was that you couldn't ask for extra ketchup! We queried this with the manager and he told us the little sachets of McDonalds Fancy Ketchup had got squished in transit. I honestly doubt it would have even occurred to them to translate the menu.
It's funny how that happens. I mean we'll take an American word but use it for something specific so we end up with both words. For example, cookie. We use the word 'cookie' too but it's for a specific kind of biscuit.
@@CraigT9864 Quite possibly. Back in the 70s "French Fried Potatoes" was a somewhat pretentious term for chips in low-end restaurants such as Bernie Inn. I still maintain it was McDonalds that made "fries" an everyday term, however. In early 80s when they were still mostly confined to the London area, I witnessed a heated exchange between an out-of-towner, confused because the chips she could see in the pictures weren't on the menu, and a server with English as a second language, who probably only knew their name through her job. I gallantly intervened, mainly because I wanted my quarter pounder with cheese.
A 45 minute meal in an Italian restaurant in Italy is called "Fast Food"
When I go to an Italian restaurant (in Italy) it's great knowing that I can have an entire evening, at one table, with friends for a memorable occasion. I absolutely hate it if I were to be told to 'scoff up' as the table is booked by someone else in half an hour! That sounds like the proprietor is running his place as a conveyor-belt business. Things like that will drive the customers away. Ciao!
Italy has fast food.
@@paulwallace4332 Completely agree. Its definitely more of an experience.
Just stumbled across your channel. Dad was in USAF stationed near Manchester where he met and married mum. Grew up mainly in the US but lived in UK when he was sent to places we couldn't go with. Many more differences between the countries in the 60s. Always missed sweet shops, newsagents and Doctor Who when we left UK. Love your channel.
Would be Jean and Nora , her surname Cuthbert. You never know.
Fellow Manc here 👍
Thanks Wallie
I have an uncontroversial opinion it's that I am so happy Girl gone London is uploading again with so many creators in this space it's actually really impressive how different & interesting her videos are. If you read this Thank you from Kent.
Thank you for the kind words!
Tipping for everyone and everything in the US annoys me. Employers should pay for their staff not the customer
Rude to tip in some countries like Japan
that's why UK restaurant service sucks compared to US
@aoeden Funnily enough, as a Brit, I often find the US service over the top and insincere. I go to a restaurant to enjoy the food and the people I'm with. I want the service to be something that disappears into the background.
@@notsolm agree to disagree as an American living in London. Besides this right now all London Restaurants are adding a 10-15% supposedly descritionary service charge to their bills. If you want to remove it because of a bad service they are giving you a headache and shame you :/
@@notsolm as a Brit i much prefer the service you get in the US
Chip butties - you need unsweetened, proper bread and that bread needs to be buttered (hence the name). From what I'm learning, thanks to social media, these two things are not common in the US. 🙁
Makes sense!
You need proper chunky chip shop chips, not fries, as well.
Definitely not the strands of rubber that pass for french fries in the US
The chip and cheese butty is the way to go for me and the chips need vinegar or ketchup. Now I'm hungry.
Nah, you don't what 'proper' bread, you want Sunblest sliced pan that's whiter than a Scot in January. None of this pommes frites in a brioche bun nonsense!
From visiting England in the '80s and '90s, these are things that I miss.
Challenging accents , pubs that serve real beer and real food, BBC radio, beautiful English countryside, Stone circles and barrows, Christmas in London, purchasing chestnuts roasted over open coals, high tea, London theater, the tower, BM, and even the January sale at a well-known London department store (where personal space was non existent).
I do regret not being able to secure a ticket for a panto. I also wish I was old enough to have visited during pre-decimalization, that will be three and six please!
Loved your 'that will be three and six please!".😄 But imagine being a child in a maths class in pre-decimal UK 🙃 We had pounds, shillings (20 to a pound) pence (12 to a shilling, 240 to a pound) half-pennies (self-explanatory), farthings (four to a penny) and half-crowns (two shillings and sixpence). Our coins included a sixpence and 'thre'-penny bit' (3 pennies) and the aforementioned half-crown, plus the ha'pennies and farthings. There were also 'crowns' (five shillings) and florins (two shillings), but that was before my time. Oh, and for some bizarre reason we also had 'guineas', one being worth 1 pound, 1 shilling (21 shillings). The coins went out of circulation around 1813, but we kept the principle - heaven knows why.
Suffice to say that prior to decimalisation, every time you went into a shop you got a mental arithmetic workout! 😄
@@pennylando3145 I was and it wasn’t difficult. Taught you to use different bases in mathematics. By the time you were 3 or 4 it was automatic.
money with names from our history ... so silly to have changed / dumbed down ...@@pennylando3145
I was lucky enough to be born in the 1950’s and grew up with Pounds Shillings and Sense ….
Your three a six please to me would have been three and a tanner please … shillings were Bobs and sixpence’s were Tanners ….. our money had a character all of its own … now it’s soulless.
@@pennylando3145that's a tanner love.
Until I went the the US, I thought Olive Garden was made up in The Simpsons. In California we had several people rave about an Italian restaurant that was so amazing and the owners were "Real Italians". It was certainly pretty good, but I then realised that I have 3 Italian restaurants within a 10 minute walk of where I live in London that are as good or better (and much cheaper).
Nothing at Olive Garden tastes like anything.
I thought "cheesecake factory" was made up for "the big bang theory"
Travelling by train last weekend (in England) I was totally wound up by a young woman facetiming on speaker, loudly, right by me. I'm not sure why it was more annoying than if she had been chatting to a real live person next to her, but it REALLY was! Other people were chatting amongst themselves and I was barely aware of them- but her call drove me NUTS!
Did you say owt?
Did you say owt?
@@baronmeduse No. I was too British! Haha. But also I couldn't work out why a phone call was more annoying than an in person conversation- so wondered if I was just being Mrs Annoyed of Tunbridge Wells!
Same in Australia
'Mrs Annoyed of Tumbridge Wells' 😂 Now there is a phrase non won't UK will get.
Caitlyn are you sure your not British. Your sarcasm is brilliant I love watching your vids you bring a smile to my face every time I watch you ..I also watch Amanda rae and Alanna love your accent and please don't stop what you are doing. God bless and I wish you well x
Thank you so much for watching! Hope you have a great day!
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial thankyou for what you do dear lady hope you're day is well for you thankyou and God bless x
Someone else who admires Caitlyn, Amanda and Allana for their often thought provoking subjects matter.....
One reason chip butties or bacon butties aren't popular in the US is that Americans slather mayo on every slice of bread they see. Butter is infinitely more common on British sandwiches and is a more satisfying complement to bacon, chips, ( or crisp, or sugar sannies for kids).
Very true!
Not all of us like mayo! I hate it.
Also, the bread in the USA is incredibly sweet
Also, most Americans don't butter their bread, when making a sandwich, (peanut butter & jelly)? Perhaps because they can't spread American butter, it's always brick hard.
@@philipashley9723
Put it in the microwave for 12 seconds. It's soft, and easy to spread! I'm an American, and I've done this since the 80s. Happy to share!
Rest stops,
"where dreams go to die & maybe you"😂😂.
Brilliant 👍👍👍👍
It’s true. My former boss literally bumped into the DC sniper at a rest stop and didn’t find out it was him until he was arrested a few months later.
@@j.robertson9025Well that's grim😮
@@j.robertson9025he didn't sell him the rifle did he?
I laughed out loud when she said this. 😂😂😂
Dear Americans, NO RESPECTING BRITISH PERSON PUTS FRENCH FRIES IN A SANDWICH! We put chips in a sandwich. The difference is massive and important.
Chips? Fish fingers for the win!
I look forward to making one of those Chip Buddy. It sounds amazing.
In South Africa 🇿🇦, it is called chips as well.
@noyota it's not just the name that's different. Fries are long, thin, and crispy. British chips are short, thick, and soft; much more filling.
Chip butty is an article in the Wikipedia!
I feel that in the USA we were rushed out of restuarants where here in the UK you can sit for however long you like and enjoy a relaxing meal
You can sit down in a USA restaurant for as long as you want if there are not other customers waiting to be seated. Just because someone hands you the bill doesn’t mean you have to leave.
UK servers don't have to scramble for tips like in the US so a fast turnaround there is not so important.
Yes, the tipping culture sucks.
In Wales you'll get 'Chicken curry, half and half.' This is a chicken curry with half a portion of rice and half a portion of chips.
We also have lasagne and chips, possibly just to annoy Italy. This is considered typical pub grub.
My Italian wife is quite fond of lasagne and chips, but she has lived in England for forty years :)
You get half and half in Scottish Chinese takeaways…and some in the North East of England too.
you can't beat lasagne, chips & peas
We get half and half in Indians and Chinese too here in England. Or is it a northern thing?
@@lynnejamieson2063 You have to remember that in the USA there is a constant medical campaign AGAINST fried foods like your chips. Something like what you are suggesting would be attacked in the media as a restaurant serving unhealthy "grease bomb" foods and the medical profession in the area would be issuing warnings to their patients.
Glad you raised Banks ! When I moved to US (2001) I fought a huge battle to open a bank account. Once done I received a shoe box sized parcel in the mail which contained, cheque books, paying in books, statement folders etc. I wrote my first check (sic) for rent and was horrified a few days later to receive it back in the post! I thought it had been rejected, but no - they sent it back to prove it had been cashed. To be fair a few months later this stopped - but only to be replaced by photos of the cancelled check on the back of a statement. 3years later I moved to Amsterdam - popped into the local branch of a bank where they immediately opened me an account and issued me with a Chip & Pin card which is all I ever used.
Which reminds me... they really do still use "checks". Only a few months ago, someone asked me to pay for something with a "check". I was pretty horrified.
Any financial institution making transactions easy is missing out on numerous profit opportunities to over charge their customers for every tiny thing they can. There are fees and charges for everything and when they are not doing it to their customers they are doing it to the businesses. One reason tap & pay was slow to catch on in the USA is that every bank charged the business TWICE the normal rate if they switched from the old method.
@@bobtheskutterbot Part of the reason for the continued use of checks is that without a physical or photocopy of a canceled check, a person in the USA has no legal proof that a payment has been made. Thus a rental agent can evict a person for no-payment even if they have been paying electronically because financial institutions are under no legal obligation to produce and general refuse to provide ANY electronic payment records. So many businesses continue to use checks as legal proof of payment for many activities.
Banks used to do that in the UK but the public got so mad they stopped. Now and then banks try to impose charges on bank accounts and cash machines, but found quickly the public were not amused. One such tactic was if you had a standing order and a basic account, that account would not allow you go over into debt if you had no money but the damn banks did not do that for standing orders and direct debits, so if you went over by £1 they would charge you £30 for it (a sneaky tactic and that is why they did the banks did it). I had that happen to me for £5 and the bank try to charge me £150 i went nuts. That has stopped now thank god, some literately had their bank accounts emptied by the bank because of that tactic, esp. old people.
jeez, cant rememeber the last time i wrote a check out here in the UK, must be nearly 10 years ago i reckon! Old tech indeed
Tebay is in such a lovely spot too, overlooking the water. I believe they've won many awards for the food in the café and the local goods in the shop.
Now I want to do a video where I just go to Tebay services to spend the night. :D
People actually go there for a day out@@GirlGoneLondonofficial
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial Tebay Services are part of a very small family owned group. Opened 1972 it was the UK’s first family-run motorway service area.
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial There is now another Tebay services on the M5 in the west country. Gloucester Services. It is fantastic. Exactly the same as the other Tebay up north. Same owners.
Chip butties are from the North of England. I am in the south and have never seen a chip butty.
There has been a tv series on either Channel 4 or 5 about the Tebay service that is worth taking a look at
I have lived in America and Canada, all-be-it as part of my job, so I have a small understanding of the USA. Nowadays I spend my time doing history. So my thoughts where the USA is concerned is that despite technological advances, population increase, a lot of migration, your education systems are backwards looking, in terms of societal thinking and working practises you are still in the 18th century but with over-tones of Medieval Europe - the Robber Barons at the top and the serfs at the bottom and everyone else somewhere in the middle. There is an obsession with rules, rights and safety in the US culture and the American Constitution gives rights and Controls to the People, whereas the British Constitution controls what those in power can or cannot do.
Then there is the dollar, it is prominent in US culture and in practically every activity and it is one of the first things that an American will mention, here in the UK it is bad manners to mention money. There is a more fundamental difference as well, in societies whose culture and people are money orientated there appears to be less care towards people but in societies that place people first then the levels of care for each other are much higher.
It seems so much time and effort is spent on talking about transgender issues and race that divide America but nobody seems to talk about low pay, zero benefits, sick pay and holidays. Employers
seem untouchable.
Hear, hear!
Well said the US is a beautiful place except for the Americans.
The UK doesn't have a written Constitution.
They only have the Act of Union.
Great reaction, thanks 😊 I remember quite a few years ago while I was in the US I went to a Denny’s for dinner (because I’m classy 😂) I ordered a steak and they asked what I wanted with it and suggested mash potatoes or baked potato. I did know not to say chips because that’s a different thing in the States, so I asked for fries. By the look on the guys face you would have thought I said “cigarette butts please”. He said “fries, with steak?” as if it was the strangest think he’d ever heard. They don’t know what they’re missing. See you next time 😊
Haha!! That's weird - I don't eat a ton of meat so wasn't really aware of steak and fries or not, but steak and mashed potato is definitely more common. See, Americans need more opportunities for chips/fries!
My Dad bless him used to order double egg and chips regardless of what type of restaurant we were in.
@@gar6446😂 My favourite lunch in a cafe - with bread and butter too of course so I can dunk the egg and also make a chip butty! 😋
Obviously they've not heard of steak and chips!
Sorry, but we have! Most restaurants that have steak on the menu will have a variety of potatoes side-dishes. You usually choose what you want.@@AnneDowson-vp8lg
Nice call out for Tebay. I used to travel to & from Scotland to visit my parents & made a point of stopping at Tebay. The food was OK and the scenery was good. But always pick a seat where I could watch the Ducks while eating, so relaxing during a long drive.
Been there, done that 😊
On the journey back, leaving from Scotland going to England, stop at Killinton Lake it is just a few miles past Tebay it is glorious and has a large lake and ducks and boats x
The same company runs two other motorway service stops. One is in Gloucestershire - pronounced "glostersheer" - but I don't know where the third one is. Another company runs one near Penrith in the north west of England. It is a mile off to the west of the main exit for the town. All excellent places to take a date.
The phone thing is pretty funny. As a uk citizen I would never want anyone to listen to my conversation. If I'm on a train or bus I will text the person calling me I will ring you back when I get off. Most people I see on the facetime or speaker are people who probably aren't born in this country.
Brit here. I loved Tampa International Airport when we had a house in Florida. It had its own smell (nice smell - probably the aircon) and the nasally announcer "Will Mr Smith please pick up the nearest page telef-own". Both used to make me smile when I landed. Our tap water tasted good but we were near Crystal Springs and they literally used to bottle the local water! The No. 1 thing the US still needs is proper garden centres though.
When I had school dinners (70s) they were quite happy to give you a cheese salad with chips, if we didn’t like what was on the menu 2 of us would go to the local bakery buy a fresh loaf cut it in half, scoop out and eat the middle then walk into the chippy next door and fill it with chips.
I used to trade my free school meal tokens and use the money at the chip shop. Happy days :)
Was called a chip loaf.
American from FL living in the UK for 7+ years, completely agree with literally every single opinion here :)
Good video GGL!! 😂😂😂 The "rest stops" vs "Service stations " is interesting...There are some very sad Service stations whose architecture is like something from behind the Iron Curtain !! ( Think Bulgaria circa 1972!!)....Also they are notoriously expensive!!
BUT GGL if you like a British Service Station you must love British Garden Centres!!???
Presume you (GGL) have not been to Knutsford Services on the M6
It's heartwarming to see so many people so passionate in the comments about the culinary distinctions of bits of a fried root vegetable.
If you are truly a fan of service stations/rest-stops.....I can tell you (having lived all over the world), south Korea has some of the absolute best. The first one I ever went to there, I walked in to the ladies and thought I had taken the wrong door! It was full of palm trees, flowers, beautiful displays, the toilets had fabulous bidets (you could even select music! ) soitlessly clean, mini bathrooms for the kids too. Huge selection of food ranging from healthy full meals to fast food. There was even a seating area surrounded by grapevines done artistically (and you're allowed to puck the grapes). So fabulous!
45 minutes for a restaurant meal? There's another UK Vs USA difference. I'd always assume I'd be at a restaurant for an hour and a half bare minimum... Sometimes 2 and a half!
Absolutely! I said 45 minutes specifically to point out that difference...should do a whole video on that! Thanks for watching!
I spotted that too! I'm not paying out all that dosh to be scooted out after 45 minutes😂
Really? Whenever we go out (U.S), either just my spouse and myself, or with friends, we spend at least an hour and a half to 2 hours, sometimes more. I can't imagine ordering, then waiting for the food, and then eating it all in just 45 minutes. That can't be right. I can see that happening more at lunch than dinner, where people might have an hour for lunch and are more pressed for time.
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial yes please do cover that in a video because that also took me by surprise. I always plan for at least 2 hours eating out with a friend, sometimes more
@@CherylVogler Actually it is quite common for dinners that are NOT at fancy high-priced restaurants. Most people only get 30 minutes for lunch unless they are very well placed executives or have VERY understanding supervisors. Everything in the USA is to move people along to get turn-over. if a establishment is letting someone linger, they are most likely losing money, which is why restaurants that allow people to stay & not buy more stuff regularly go out of business.
This is an amazing Scottish morsel that left me (as a Californian!) stunned. Deep fried Mars bars. Honest. You get them at fish and chip shops. Recipe: Take yer actual mars bar. Freeze profoundly. Retrieve and dip in same type of batter fish is dipped in. Drop n boiling oil for about five minutes. Retrieve. Wrap (it's VERY hot!) Go out into biting wind; driving rain optional. This - sanck? - will keep you warm even in a blizzard. I speak from experience. Bite thru crispy batter, into a hot, quasi-liquid mars bar. You won't be surprised that Scotland has the worst cardiac health, obesity, etc., in Europe. But a deep fried Mars Bar? To die for. And you will.
Nigella Lawson, celebrity cook etc, has praised deep fried Bounty bars as as a guilty pleasure in the past. Much lighter than a Mars bar.
The fried Mars Bar thing was originally created as self-deprecating joke. A style of joke that the average American would simply not understand.
I am a Welsh expat living in Australia it’s just great to watch your videos and listen to your opinions and experiences in the UK.Some of the things you mention I miss most.
The banking differences is what gets me. As America is such a capitalist society and obsessed with consumerism, why don’t they make transactions super easy? It’s bizarre to me.
Because then they couldn’t charge you the extra fee. US society is structured on a pay to play basis.
Any financial institution making transactions easy is missing out on numerous profit opportunities to over charge their customers for every tiny thing they can. There are fees and charges for everything and when they are not doing it to their customers they are doing it to the businesses. One reason tap & pay was slow to catch on in the USA is that every bank charged the business TWICE the normal rate if they switched from the old method.
For the past six years, I have paid for everything by waving my phone at a box on a counter except for a few things costing thousands where I transfer the money through a bank app on my phone. I have had no reason to use cash for many years. Okay, I'm middle aged and live in Melbourne, but my experience sounds much closer to the UK than the US.
Mate, you answered your own question haha. It’s because they’re a capitalist society obsessed with consumerism.
because they want to make money out of everything including charging for having a bank account.
Whilst there are some notable motorway services locations the majority are only just adequate. However, if you want to experience the very best Motorway/Autoroute/Autobahn service stops then visit Switzerland, they are stunning and squeaky clean.
UK mains water is more pure and contains less contaminants than bottled spring water and is therefore utterly safe to drink.
In German MacD's you can even order a beer - now that is civilised!
I think it is fair to say that the UK palette has improved in leaps and bounds over the last few decades mostly as a result of being such a diverse country where each ethnic group (including the British) has to prove that it can provide the best culinary experience. Even traditional foods in UK have leap in quality, our local chippy produces the very best fish and chips for example.
It seems to be common in Euro McD's to be able to order beer. I know from experience that Kronenburg is often on the menu in French McDonalds as well, so it's not just unique to Germany.
‘Where’s Buckminster Castle?’ is what the young, male American tourist said to me as I made my way up Whitehall to Horseguards; his question preceded with a shouted, ‘Hey, Bobby’. I asked him to repeat the question as I thought my hearing was off. He obliged by saying, Where’s Buckminster Castle. I explained that there was no such place, but there was Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. He seemed confused, a condition many foreign tourists suffered from. I tried a different approach and the conversation, as best as I can recall, went along the following lines:
Me: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are three separate buildings. The Abbey is down there in Parliament Square, The Palace is up this way and Windsor Castle is actually in Windsor, which is an hour and a half by train.
Him: What time will that be?
Me: You mean Buckingham Palace? That will start around 11.30.
Him: Is that where the guards change?
Me: (taking a deep breath) Yes.
At this he simply walked off without so much as a please or thank you. I may as well have been the speaking clock. No wonder my more experienced colleagues developed a rather frosty and often sarcastic attitude to people like him. I didn’t think I’d get like that but then this was my first day solo and I was keen to set a good example. I arrived at Horseguards at 10.50 after having covered ‘Number 10’ followed by my own forty five minute meal break. I’d been on duty five hours and still hadn’t enforced the law. This was too easy.
The Horse Guards are collectively known as ‘The Household Cavalry’ which consists of two regiments, ‘The Life Guards’ and ‘The Blues and Royals’. The former is the senior regiment of the British Army with a long history. Referred to by non-cavalry regiments as the ‘Donkey Wallopers”, they can trace their heritage back to 1658. The Blues and Royals were formed in 1969 from a merger of the ‘Oxford Blues’ and the ‘Royal Dragoon Guards’. They are the Army’s second most senior regiment. For the typical tourist who might ask, we would skip the history and just say that the ones in red were ‘The Life Guards’ and the ones in blue were ‘The Blues and Royals’, but even that wasn’t simple enough for some to grasp. Today it was ‘The Life Guards’ who were treating the tourists to an up close and personal view of their magnificent black steeds and their immaculate red ceremonial uniforms which contrasted with their metal breastplates and plumed helmets that were gleaming in the sunshine. The area immediately inside the gates in Whitehall is quite a small space once a few horses and dismounted troops appear, so there is a painted white line around the edge, behind which the tourists had to remain during the short ceremony. We were there to keep order and support to the troopers by keeping kamikaze tourists behind those lines. This responsibility is now that of The Ministry of Defence Police, but in my day, it was just us from Cannon Row. Some days there were very few visitors but on others it could be packed with several hundred and today was one of the latter.
As soon as I walked into the courtyard, I spotted that American chap in the front of the crowd. He’d managed to find his way to Horseguards which hadn’t even featured in our previous conversation. I briefly considered telling him that this wasn’t Buckingham Palace but thought better of it. The clock on the Horseguards building chimed eleven and the ceremony commenced. On this particular day the inspecting officer was a senior Life Guards officer who remained dismounted throughout the ceremony. The two sets of horses were formed up facing each other and the corporal* major was running the show brilliantly. *There is no rank of ‘sergeant’ in the Horse Guards, just varying degrees of corporal. I was positioned near the entrance to the arch that led to the stables and had previously made sure that all tourists on my side knew about remaining behind the white lines. As the various commands were bellowed out by the Cpl.Major I noticed one of the horses didn’t look so happy. Its head was bowed and slowly swinging from side to side, and it seemed to be drooling somewhat. The inspecting officer was immaculate and stood out from the others by his magnificent red riding cloak that almost reached the ground. As he passed by the dribbling horse, with his Cpl. Major close behind, the poor beast let out a massive snort that propelled a gelatinous green tennis-ball-sized gobbet through the air, striking the officer’s glorious cloak squarely between his shoulder blades where it clung for a few seconds before slowly sliding down the garment. The Cpl. Major, having seen the whole thing, probably in slow motion, made a move to scrape it off but then thought better of it. The officer performed a smart about turn, returned the Cpl’s salute and marched off to find a dry-cleaning token. Of all the countless Horse Guards changes I’ve attended, that is the one I remember most vividly.
The crowds dispersed with the majority going my way as I headed towards St. James’s Park for my next appointment. As I crossed Horseguards Parade that same American tourist crossed in front of me and in dire need of a compass; he was heading the wrong way for the Changing of the Guards, presumably heading for Buckinghamshire Abbey Palace. I noticed a small flag embroidered on his backpack. I think it said ‘Oklahoma’. Isn’t that where the wind comes whistling down the plain? Earlier that week I’d been on Trafalgar Square with my other tutor, when another rather obnoxious tourist came up to us and simply demanded, ‘What bus to the Natural History Museum”? My experienced colleague seemed slightly miffed and asked him if he’d ever tried to say, ‘excuse me’ or ‘please’. The guy replied, “you’re a public servant, I don’t have to say please or thank you to you”. A lesser officer might have directed him to a less salubrious part of the city.
What I would change in the USA...
- Get rid of traffic lights and replace them with roundabouts ("rotaries"). That would prevent thousands of serious accidents each year.
- Call toilets toilets (or lavatories). They are not 'bathrooms' and they are not 'rest rooms"
- Abolish jay-walking laws - you should be able to cross the road anywhere. ("Land of the Free"...really?)
- Abolish trespassing on someone's land as a crime.
- Grossly simplify making a tax return. Filling in a 1040 tax return is a total nightmare and even the IRS reckons it will take you 22 hours of work on average - it's more in reality. (It should be no more than ½ hour of work or, at most, one hour.). AND in many states you have to file a state tax return as well as a federal tax return.
- Stop allowing bicycles to ride on the wrong side of the road - it results in more accidents and the accidents are more serious.
- Allow people over the age of 18 to drink alcohol. And allow people to drink wine or beer with their picnic in a public park or on the beach.
- Stop requiring US citizens who reside (and pay taxes) in another country to submit a tax return in the US.
Rotaries have traffic lights.
Roundabouts don't.
I 100% agree with your last message.
My mother-in-law in California liked Olive Garden, so she wanted me to experience it when I first started going over there. It was OK, but very much cooking by numbers. We found a small non-chain Italian less than 2 miles away and the food was so much better - more imagination & cooked fresh. But we never really persuaded her - she kept going back.
Old habits and tastes die hard, I guess!
I’m in the States looking forward to an extended stay in Scotland this summer and fall. Everything you said has resonated with me. I’m very much looking forward to not being in America for a few months. Any American who takes issue with you is living with their head in the sand. Bravo, indeed!
Hope you have a great trip. Scotland is fantastic.
@@Jimbo_LB thank you! I’ve never heard the word “magical” used so many times to describe a country. I’m so looking forward to this trip!
@@jillgood601 please make use of your time and explore every corner. It is great and I’m a proud Englishman.
Scotland is absolutely beautiful, I hope you have a lovely time! Beware though, if you're going in 'midge season', then you absolutely will need a bottle of *_Avon Skin So Soft Dry Oil Spray._*
I'm deadly serious - it's the only thing that seems to repel them, due to the limonene, afaik. So much so, that lots of the little shops even sell it. 🦟
@@221b-Maker-Street thank you, I have been warned!
that olive garden, sounds like the food in a wetherspoons... boil in a bag, microwaved or fried..
Or defrosted in the dishwasher - with cleaning chemicals...
Not 1 dish in Olive Garden is authentic Italian😂😂😂
Weatherspoons is gourmet eating compared to Olive Garden. 😊
My local McDonald's is lovely (London, UK). They play classical music and bring your order to your table for you.
I lived in the U.S. for 5 years, and it was what prompted me to buy a "brita"-style water filter jug for the first time ever. The water out of the taps (faucets) in my apartment was brown......!
My high school chemistry taught me that water was an odourless, colourless, tasteless liquid, and what was coming out of my tap didn't conform to any of those descriptions.
Another reason for video-calling someone is if one party is hard of hearing. My dad much prefers video calls to phone calls because being able to lip-read helps him to follow. But no way would I be having that kind of conversation while walking through an airport!
If you think UK service stations are good you should try french - if we had those I'd visit whether or not I was on a journey. The motorway ones - not the open air ones just to clarify.
To make Olive Garden really like Italy you should have a weeping Italian at a corner table.
Lol. I'm in a rural area. My neighbor sits and talks on her phone on her front porch. I can hear both sides of the conversation while on my own front porch. She's 1/4 mile up the road.
And you don't join in ? Miraculous restraint.
UK few bank accounts have a monthly fee. They may have overdraft fees, foreign currency fees etc. The bank account that do have a monthly fee are usually premium accounts that have extra services included, such as travell insurance, and or very preferencial interest rates.
This has been the most original view of differences, and i feel like ive learnt stuff. Thank you
You may have quite a point about McDonald’s the former CEO of McDonald’s worldwide was British, he had worked for McDonald’s in Britain in various management positions until being scouted and moved to America. He was responsible for many of the changes made to British McDonald’s restaurants and this clearly impressed the company at the highest level. He has since lost his position due to a relationship with another employee, but it would seem he was good at what he done.
Love the honesty, one thing that bugged me about American restaurants I found initially realise was "family Restaurants". My wife and I walked in sat down and ordered when the waitress said " you do realise this is a family Restaurants? " We thought we had to leave as it was just the two of us.......but no it meant each individual dish is served with enough food for four (4) yes 4 people. !!!!!!!
So we ended up with one started and one main meal, luckily we could both agree on dishes! The rest we asked the waitress if she would like a doggy bag?????
Some years ago I was holidaying in Las Vagus and decides to visit a McDonald's for a snack and a drink. There were about six or seven server's behind the counter running around bumping into each other trying to complete orders. The young girl that asked me what I wanted was about 16 to 18 years old, I replied with a cheese burger and a small coke without ice. She froze and looked at me as if I was from another planet, did you say "no ice sir". "Yes no ice" I replied, after all it was December. I am an Englishman and in my old idea's ice is for Summer drinks not Winter. As it proved when asking for a cold drink WITHOUT ice one gets more liquid in a full cup instead of half the cup taken up with ice.
Gloucester Services is my favourite British motorway "rest stop".
Owned & operated by the same company that owns Tebay services.
Don't ever go to Bridgewater services further down the M5. They must be the worst ones!
The Pits!@@Lily_The_Pink972
I concur. Always stop there traveling north from Somerset.
That you still have to pay taxes to America when you haven't lived there for years! So unfair.
Yes, always tied to the US financially whether I want to be or not!
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial I have a question on that subject that I've always meant to ask ; If you have to pay taxes to the US on what you earn in the UK then surely you are paying 2 lots of Tax and How much do you pay to US ..
So you only have to pay in the US if you make over 100,000 USD equivalent in the UK ( so I don't). Beneath that, there is a double taxation treaty between the 2 countries. But I still have to "file"/report my income to the US every year no matter if I'm not a resident.
But isn't that the exact same thing that the US left the British Empire for? Not to be taxed remotely? 🤔
@GirlGoneLondonofficial I've heard this a few times now that expats of the US still need to file and pay US taxes and I've been wondering, what can they do to penalise you if you just stop paying, especially if you never intend to live in the US again? Can they stop you returning to visit family etc or can they, somehow, penalise the family you still have in America? I just don't get how they can keep you tied that way if you're living, permanently, in a different country. I don't know, maybe the UK does the same to expats abroad but I've never heard anyone say that was the case. Seems really unfair to me.
As a Brit who spent 14 years working for US companies, I agree with everything you said except “ I like ( look in the air) whatever” what a mind blank that is.
Lets face it, if a Brit offers you a cup of coffee they mean instant coffee granule coffee 👎
If anAmerican offers you a cup of tea they mean a teabag in lukewarm water with a string with a label on the end 👎
The coffee in the US is disgusting, that's why star bucks never made it here in Aus we have taste unlike the Americans.
Thanks for making me laugh. Enjoyed the 'slightly unhinged' thing - a very British way of describing yourself, if I may say so! At one point I did think you could try doing this kind of thing as a rap, perhaps next time?
Looking forward to your next endeavour, thanks again.
Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching! Definitely keep an eye out for my rapping career. ;)
🇨🇦 I live near the border with Washington state and have friends just across the border in the USA. We get together in both Canada and the U.S. Last time my American friend came north and we went out for lunch here in Canada. We went to pay and my friend went to put in her PIN number from her card to pay. I pointed out that she had the little tap contactless square on the card, and all she needed to do was just tap the card to pay. So she hesitantly did it. We’ve also had tap cards for several years in Canada, while they are just beginning to catch on now the States.
We have Olive Garden in this part of Canada.
We don’t call them “rest stops” we call them service stations.
Many of them now have small branches of national shops like M&S,Tesco,Costa,Starbucks etc along with clothes shops,pharmacies,very clean toilets and play areas for kids.
We also sometimes put crisps/chips on or in our sandwiches 🥪 🥪
Yes ! Especially cheese and onion
I love how 3 years after your original video your still as enthusiastic and excited about chip butties. You have great energy i really enjoy your videos on the uk. Would love to hear your opinions on Liverpool the city and the accent.
re; Olive Garden. 'Pretend you're in Italy for like 45 minutes' In the UK (and probably most of Europe) tou would be able to relax and enjoy the experience for at least a couple of hours; nobody is trying to get you out in order to get the next punter in!
Sadly in Central London now if you book a swishy restaurant you are quite often told max two hours.
We were travelling through Switzerland and stopped at a beautiful Services in or near Basle, it was late at night but we got food straight away
I've been to multiple States in the US and have had a very good experience every time. It was the people there, so friendly, generous and polite. However, from my experience, Americans have forgotten how to walk any distance farther than house to driveway or the car park too McDonalds. So sorry they've forgotten the basics. Thank you for the video too. 🌻
Walk to where? Everything is driving distance. We have obey Big Oil.
@@garryferrington811
My mistake Garry. Seems evolution only allowed the development of human legs to operate car pedals. 😀
you're lucky with the "friendly, generous and polite" experience with Americans. I find them racist, loud and crude. So much swearing in public even with kids as young as 3.
No one swears more than the British (except possibly the Australians)
If you think UK rest stops are wonderful, try France or Italy. Tebay is far and away the best because it's run by a local independent company.
Ours have to provide free toilets & refreshments by law. The Fre
The bank entry is spot on but in addition I would like to point out that when I pay "contactless" in the US, I am more often than not asked for my PIN regardless of the transaction amount. So it's not really contactless then.
I have lived in the US for 13 years now and I really wish they would embrace a more social workplace culture. Nearly every European workplace has something surrounding tea and coffee where colleagues will take a break and socialise. Not in the states where the coffee pot is only there to keep people working longer.
Why should the USA business embrace a social workplace culture? That might give the peons the wrong ideas like maybe a better health care system or actual worker rights that might cost the business a tiny amount of its enormous profits.
When our friend from Texas came to stay with us in Hastings she drank gallons of tap water because she really loved it! Don’t agree about bottled water being unusual though. Everyone I know seems to use bottled water. McDonald’s are poisonous in any country.
My question to you... Why don't Americans use butter on sandwiches? It's essential, particularly on chip or bacon butties.
The main reason why butter on sandwiches is not used in the USA is that nutritionists & doctors in the late 1980s began telling everybody that ALL butter was BAD for a person's health! They bombarded the public with ads, info campaigns and medical advice at EVERY doctor's visit to eliminate ALL use of butter. They stated that all butter is full of saturated fats and cholesterol, so any use of butter in any food was a recipe to killing yourself. This lasted for nearly 25 years until about 2010 when they changed to talking about "bad" cholesterol and "good" cholesterol.
May be wrong but I don't think they have soft spread (olive etc), only butter, which is hard.
@@andrewvalentine6977 The main reason why butter on sandwiches is not used in the USA is that nutritionists & doctors in the late 1980s began telling everybody that ALL butter was BAD for a person's health! They bombarded the public with ads, info campaigns and medical advice at EVERY doctor's visit to eliminate ALL use of butter. They stated that all butter is full of saturated fats and cholesterol, so any use of butter in any food was a recipe to killing yourself. This lasted for nearly 25 years until about 2010 when they changed to talking about "bad" cholesterol and "good" cholesterol.
@@andrewvalentine6977 most people use butter in the UK tho. You just leave it out.
yes, the butter has to be melting from the hot chips. Its a must.
My brother in law from Canada came here and tried to use his card, it didn't work, he then went into the bank and asked, they yold him the technology the card uses is so old it hadn't been used in the uk for a very long time. The card worked fine in the USA though. Also even to this day, the only people who have to sign when using a bank/ credit card are Americans. No other countries have had this for a long time.
The idea of signing anything to approve a payment is soooooh 1970s and soooooh insecure.
im a brit living in Los Angeles. im glad you like my country
@GirlGoneLondonofficial I totally agree regarding rest stops (US) Service stations (UK), I've stopped at a few in the US and they're dire, yet the one you mentioned Tebay M6 northbound is lovely. My favourite and I go a regular basis is Killington Lake Services (close by to Tebay) M6 southbound, the best for their views. 🙂
Olive garden....2012 when I first went to America to meet my (soon to be) second wife, we went to the local olive garden as guest's of her father. It was pleasant enough, me being an Englishman not very well travelled. I was thankful it all worked out fine.
We married.
Now divorced a few years ago I travelled to Italy 🇮🇹 and experienced real Italian food..my god! what are they serving at the olive garden??!
Regarding motorway services, the village where I live is next to a motorway and has a service station, but one that is off motorway and accessible without needing to be on the motorway. It has a mini launderette which does a 45 minute wash for a large load. I take my towels there! (My home washing machine sounds like it's drilling through the floor if I try and wash towels) There is a cafe, a mcDonalds, a big branch of WHSmith with lots of magazines that aren't that easy to find elsewhere. It also has a marks and Spencer simply food where I can take items I want to return if I ordered online. I use it as a mini shopping centre!
You need to use a spirit level on your washing machine, Andrea. They really only do that if the machine isn’t level, or you overfill it.
Tebay services are amazing! The farm shop & restaurant is fantastic! And you're right, I'd absolutely just drive there for a visit! 😍
People here don't say , ,"Like" so often.....I hope !
Having off-spring and nephews in their 20s, "like" has crept in here much more in the last few years. To begin with I would ask "is it XXX or isn't it?" and be met with a blank expression, given up on that.
Tebay is the best, and on one of the most scenic and beautiful stretches of motorway anywhere in the UK. The original farm shop it has grown from over the years has food to die for!
Hahaha Florida tap water is something else! As a naive Brit, travelling to the US for the first time when I was a kid, I thought "I need some water, I'll just go to the tap" - THAT WAS A MISTAKE!!! I was genuinely worried that I might have poisoned myself because it tasted so bad 🤣
I spent some time in the USA in 2018 and needed to sign a slip for credit card payments and purchases - restaurants , hotels gas stations , park entrances etc. Shocked and surprised me . Returned to Ireland and told people who laughed and thought it was hilarious.
Drive Thru MacDonalds are a more recent thing in the UK as they only used to be in town centres, so they're gonna be more modern and newer. I was in Hackensack NJ and saw a Macdonalds in the town but directly opposite there was an independant burger joint so I went there instead and was glad I did. You could see them making the cheese burgers from fresh there and then.
You can have whatever opinion you want wether others agree or not. I’m British and surprised that we had chip and pin and bank things before the US. I lived in the US many years ago and what I would change is the chocolate, the US NEEDS Cadburys dairy milk. Also the cider there is not what I call cider. X
To transfer money by BACS, we now need the account name, it just an extra security check
I worked on the original faster payments system for Barclays and it's still faster payments not bacs. Bacs is for bulk transfers e.g. direct debit processing for millions of transactions.
British banks have been working together since the late fifties to make joined up electronic banking. American banks were always too competitive to work together, plus there are literally thousands more banks, many of which are quite local. My wife lived in California for example, and banked with one of the bigger banks in the state, but they had barely any branches outside the west coast.
The last time I set up a new payee, it was to pay into an account I had set up in my own name with another bank. They wouldn't let me do it, I had to phone up the bank and explain that yes, I did know who I was sending money to (me) and no, I wasn't being coerced or bullied into sending it. Finally, they let me set up the transfer after I agreed to all the disclaimers and acknowledged all their warnings and confirmed I wanted to do it anyway.
Stood in line for 2 hours at Newark airport after a flight from Heathrow. Then the freeway to Manhattan was all bumps and potholes. Welcome to New York!
Please keep it real and honest as your always done, that's why I keep coming back :D
If you think rest stops in the UK are good, just go to rest stops in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Italy. Prices are reasonable and the staff will apologise if your freshly prepared takes more than 10 minutes to appear at your table.
I like my food to take more than ten minutes to come out of the kitchen. I’m suspicious if it’s too quick !
When motorways first opened people did go for a drive/service station tour.
I so agree with you regarding American airports, l flew to Newyork but when I got to the guy at the cubicle and presented my passport he took many minutes checking me against the picture, then he put it face down into the machine and then spent many more minutes staring at me and】 the photo before finally letting me pass. I felt like a criminal. Welcome to America!!
Ha, we just go back from the USA and i said the same thing, it honestly felt like going back in time, like you say "the banking" I had to give the waitress my bank card to pay and she actually took it away, she also thought it was strange that I paid with a debit card and not a credit card, also the houses were all wooden which I suppose is a step up.from caves, then we saw someone spraying (painting) there lawn green, out elevator somehow wanted a tip???? Honestly the USA is hilarious to me
I'm a Brit living in USA for 30 some years. You can Zelle money from your checking account to theirs in a matter of seconds just with their cell number or email address. Doesn't matter if you have different banks. You can also Zelle to different countries.
Just imagine if that tea wasnt thrown into Boston Harbour, you would have had all these things in America today :)
Absolutely agree about (many) service stations on motorways, but you pay through the nose. Petrol is usually 10-15% higher than at 'ordinary' petrol stations in the local towns.
I remember 10 years ago, we rented a property in Las Vegas. We couldn't pay the rent online and had to take a cheque or pay cash each month. They said we can't set up a direct debit or standing orders to do an electronic transfer in America.
Surely that must have changed now?
Ten years ago I was paying my rent online in Atlanta. I believe around that time the concept of paying rent online was new to me.
In the nineties, we went on driving holidays all over Europe. You really want to try motorway rest stops in Germany. For variety, tastiness, ambience, they put UK rest stops to shame. Having said that, I can only wonder what American rest stop restaurants are like if they are worse than those in the UK
UK tap water is okay and safe to drink, but we still like to filter it to get rid of the Chlorine and in certain areas, Lime which can collect in your kettle.
Brace yourself this summer as Heathrow unveils brand new X ray scanners. Your laptop wont need to be taken out and liquids can stay inside your bags with a new limit of 2 litres in size. City Airport (LCY) has completed the roll out of the new X ray scanners and Gatwick is due later this year.
Tebay Services is absolutely lovely, so glad you brought it up.
I am English in Liverpool, I think we should learn from each-other as we both have positive's and negative's
As a fellow US-UK citizen who lives on the UK side of the pond I found myself nodding at everything you said. Great video. I do miss proper Mexican food though!
I agree I went to Tennessee once I am from the UK and the Mexican food was on a different level
I’ve been travelling to the States regularly for about 35 years. In the beginning we used to go to an Olive Garden restaurant as a treat - it was about as good as you could get. Yes it was a chain but it served reasonable food and didn’t feel like a fast food joint. Not anymore! Now there are good restaurants in most parts of America and Olive Garden just doesn’t cut it now! As for Tebay service station on the M6 - I used to travel that way a lot and would always stop at Tebay. As you say the view out over the lake is lovely. However, back in the 70’s most motorway restaurants stops were terrible - they are a great deal better now!