I'm British. We always order dessert after we have had the main course. That way you can decide if you actually need a dessert or not. Just seems logical !
My grandmother always said life is short. Eat your dessert first. If you eat the meal first you might be too full for your dessert! I think she was only half kidding.
When I was at school in England, aged 8-13, if we asked for dessert we'd get an apple or a pear, or perhaps some cheese. So we learned to ask for pudding. 😋
Most people i know when out eating will order the starter & main meal. Then when eaten will decide if they need a pudding depending if their full up from the meal. I also know a few people that omit the starter & have the mains & a pudding as not everyone has a sweet tooth as they say.
My brother once had a conversation with a Ghanaian nurse, he worked with. When she told him she was going home as she couldn’t cope with the British summers, he was astounded, but she explained that British summers are much more humid than at home, where the heat is much dryer and so easier to deal with.
My step-father dislikes the heat, but he told me that it was much easier to deal with when he was working in Kenya and other hot countries because the heat was drier than in the UK.
Exactly this. It applies to the cold as well. I live on the westcoast of Sweden, humid air and also more wind, both extreme heat and cold is absolutely horrible. But I love spending time skiing in northern Sweden or Norway. The temperature might be twice below zero compared to back home but it doesn't feel as cold because the air is much dryer.
The reason that UK restaurant staff press "no" for "are you leaving a tip" on the POS terminal before handing it to you to pay the bill is that if you pay it electronically on the bill it's seldom paid directly back to the waitress/waiter. It's either kept by the restaurant or split evenly between all of the waitresses/waiters. The staff would much prefer you to tip in cash. By doing that the individuals who've been serving you can keep all of the money to themselves.
In general I agree with this. BUT kitchen staff are the ones who prepare your meal. The waiter/ waitress brings you the meal, deals with the small stuff (I'm not belittling front end staff). One way for the guest to deal with this is to tip electronically for the staff behind the scene and leave a couple of bucks on the table.
As someone who's managed multiple pubs/restaurants in the UK I can say with confidence that if you're at a chain ie a lounge, cozy club, peach pubs or green king etc all the card tips go to staff. It might be the case at independent pubs and restaurants but even then generally it goes to staff, and usually includes back of house staff and excludes management
I think that the saying hello to strangers is a personal thing. I always say hello to people I pass in the street (I livve in Kent, but I was born up North) and some people reply and some don't. I used to say to friends at work that Northern people are your best friend after a day and Southerners are your best friend after a few months.
I agree. Before I went to the UK, a French girl told me that British are really friendly. As an American I wasn't so sure of that, but maybe so, compared to the French. When I did go to the UK, I started in Ashford, Kent and everybody was very friendly. People smiled and said hello. A stranger gave me change to use a pay phone. A young woman offered to let me use her cell phone, when I was counting change at the pay phone. She came up to me and said, "I see you're struggling with the money. Would you like to use my mobile?" After the call she hopped into an Aston Martin convertible with another woman and rode away.
I'm English, and live in London, and I smile and acknowledge people I pass in the street all the time. Most folks will happily smile back, some seem genuinely cheered by it while a few look baffled. I think it's a great thing to do. Smile at someone, you may never meet again, just passing in life's journey, you want nothing more from them than wish them a happy moment.
@@individualmemberAs a runner , most of us acknowledge and smile at other runners , which is nice . I’m a Londoner however moved to the south coast now tbh I try and have a laugh with people in the pub , in the shop
Yep also Londoner, people do smile and nod to each other all the time. It's just not to everyone. If there's only you walking along and only one other person is passing you, then it's pretty normal to nod or say Hi.
I am from the Proper North and live in North North of the UK and a wee nod in passing to the people you see most days or journeys is acceptable and allowed - also acceptable is to natter away and have a good bleather with complete strangers about anything and everything including intimate personal things at the bus stop.
@@pixiemerlin6735 you mean more than just the weather?!! 😁I live in a very tall building, so we are often in the lift with neighbours for a while - you've got to make conversation, to avoid awkward silences 😊
@@lorrainevart8827it's just not practical. I can walk passed 1000 people on 10 min walk in London I will walk passed 8 people in the same time in small town noone is saying hi 1000 times on short walk
I live in Scotland and I remember years ago, an American tourist was hit by a car when she accidently looked left instead of right when crossing the road. When a local female told her she was calling for an ambulance, the American got really scared and tried to get us to call her a Taxi instead. When we asked her why she told us she could not afford the cost of the Ambulance. It was only when the ambulance arrived and the medic explained to her that the NHS do not charge anyone for calling an ambulance, she finally agreed to have her injuries treated and be taken to the hospital to be checked over. She told us that where she lived in the US (can’t remember the State but I do remember her accent sounded like Reese Witherspoon in the film Sweet Home Alabama), it would have cost her anything from $3.5k to $4k just for the ambulance medic to treat her injuries and to be taken to the hospital.
Many towns in the u.s. rely on private ambulance and medics contracted through the city or volunteer fire departments who have paramedic training and insurance does not cover the cost
Ill take things that never happened for 500 alex!!.....they could afford that trip tp scotland but was worried about the ambulance?? Nobody is impressed by your crappy NHS
@@TheSteve2305 A holiday in Scotland is going to be far cheaper than a visit to a hospital, unless you are flying first class and staying in the most expensive room in the most expensive hotel you can find.
Saying hello to strangers seems to be a geographical thing. The nearer you are to London, the less likely you are to do it in my experience. I usually glance atpeople approaching me, and if we make eye contact I smile and muttr'morning' or whatever. If we find we're playing that "I'm not looking at you!" game then I avert my eyes and carrry on.
I'm fifty miles east of London deep in the countryside and we do speak to strangers and always greet when walking through the village or on a country walk. We don't see people often, whereas in London, obviously you do. People are everywhere.
@@judithhope8970 I lived literally on the edge of Greater London for some years, and strangers were ignored generally. I moved about 10 miles further out, and on my first day at the shops people struck up genuine conversations with me. It was a bit of a culture shock, but lovely!
I was a student in the US quite a few years ago in Pennsylvania & Wisconsin then after getting married in Missouri. Friendliness did differ from one area to another. Pa. People were pretty friendly Wi. They wre a bit more reserved but Mo really over the top friendly. Absolute worst place apart from NYC was Chicago. NYC on the few occasions I made the misfortune to visit they wre ever ruder than Chicago! UK is similar. I grew up in the Isle of Wight and apart from some of the grockles that have landed up there the pace of life is slower and and people do smile and chat to strangers. Same here in Cornwall where we now live.
I think the way the British Health services think is "Prevention, is better than the Cure" in other words it is better to find out early whether you have Cancer in the early stages which can be cured if caught early enough, Rather than waiting until it is too far gone that they can't do anything for you.
@@capitalb5889you almost have to take the morning off work just to try and get a doctors appointment these days, but the Conservative party seem determined to gradually erode our NHS so we're forced to have an American style health service. They forget that when us brits get pissed off, it will be carnage, see the poll tax riots of 1990 down in London as an example of when a government forced an unpopular policy on us.
It’s almost 40 years ago… 20 years old and pregnant stationed in the UK. Asked to take my food home (pregnant issues) and they had no idea of the situation so they wrapped up my food plate and all for me. LOVED living there …..
I'm in the UK and don't keep eggs in the fridge. I usually buy mine from a local free range egg farm, My gran taught me it's easy enough to test an egg if you're not sure how old it is, ( fill a jug with cold tap water and gently 'float' the egg, if it sinks towards the bottom it's good, if it floats to the top get rid).
I'm English. we always wait until after main course before seeing the dessert menu. Simply because we don't know if we have room for dessert til after the main meal
My friend visited me in the UK from Chicago a couple of years ago, and we headed to London. She was amazed at how friendly people were, and was shocked at how often strangers asked each other for help (directions, time etc); saying she would never feel comfortable enough to do that back home.
For me - as a Londoner - homemade soup is a staple and so simple to do (rarely takes more than 15 mins) - and is a really good way of emptying the fridge of older, wilting vegetables and other ingredients. All you need is a pan, a blitz stick and optionally some stock (or stock-cube) and/or cream & spices. Always tastes so much better than any canned soup. Definitely do not need to be a chef to do! I rarely make the same soup twice
Okay, the “occasion” thing re eating out. This bugs me. Since living in the US for the past 6 years I’ve noticed a big difference. Whether it is going out for dinner or having family over for Sunday lunch, the Americans will eat and then go. That’s it. Same for Christmas - come, quick chat, eat the meal, then go. In the U.K. the meal is merely the centrepiece around which the rest of the day is based. It is expected that guests coming for Sunday lunch would stay all afternoon. It is about the company and not the food. Americans do everything at pace. There doesn’t feel like the same culture of hanging around after. Going to a restaurant is to eat food and then leave. For Brits, it’s about spending time together over/around good food and drink.
Oh my goodness, I can’t imagine having spent hours preparing a meal for guests for them to leave almost immediately after eating! 😳 I’d be taking that very personally as rejection of the food or me!! 🤣🤣🤣
You definitely still say "the hospital" instead of just hospital. 😊 Its the same as going to school, or to church, the word "the " isnt necessary here. ❤
If eggs have been washed(which occurs virtually everywhere in the U.S., they absolutely have to go in the fridge. Unwashed eggs can be left in a cool place on the counter.
Please keep smiling and saying hello. It started happening more during covid and I’ve kept it going. It’s infectious and I think it makes us better individuals. It used to happen when I was a child. Go to it girl.
I'm always amazed by the cake mixes for even the simplest cake. All you need is butter, sugar, eggs and flour (plus raising agent if you only have plain flour) for a very basic sponge. I was making that in primary school.
Anywhere in Europe (and elsewhere) eating out is an event and spending 2-3 hours in a restaurant is typical. I was surprised by the way I felt rushed in the US, and found the whole eating out experience quite unpleasant.
Went to an American restaurant with extended family at lunchtime and didn't want a meal, although everyone else was eating. I ordered coffee only for myself and all of us were then asked to leave even despite the rest of the party having ordered a full meal! (This was a fast food type place). To be fair I had even worse treatment in Strasbourg at lunchtime when ordering a coffee for two; they absolutely hate people taking up space if not ordering a full meal at lunchtime.
I live in the north and when I walk along the street I usually say hello to the people I meet and sometimes if I’m walking with the dog I’ll stop for a short chat. If the street is quite busy I probably wouldn’t walk along talking to everyone.
I live in the "south east" (North Essex around Colchester kinda area to be precise(ish)) and I'll say hello to people on the street too, but I'm more rural village type place (about 5-6000 residents) and same, if I'm in a busy street I wouldn't be saying hello to a person every 5 seconds! I'd say it's not really a north/south thing in the UK, more a population density thing and as a very huge generalisation the south east is more population dense than a lot of other places in the UK
I have a morning walk when I work from home. I nod to the regulars. After a few weeks you exchange hellos, but with some I've ended up having some lovely conversations. I live near Manchester City centre, even here you don't expect it.
I've been to a few places in my life and my personal observation / guess is that smiling and saying hello to strangers is to do with population density. The less dense the population in an area, the more people smile at each other; the higher the density, the more people retreat into their own personal space - otherwise you get exhausted from the sheer number of personal interactions.
It's pretty normal in Britain that if you're walking in the countryside absolutely anywhere in Britain (including around London) people will say hello to each other.
Since paying by card etc in UK has become very common, most people do not give tips any more.... we prefer to give any tips to people who actually served you, not to the restaurant owner.
Since I realised that staff don’t automatically get the tip when paying by card, I try to have enough tip cash on me when going out for a meal. It’s shocking how many restaurants don’t give the whole amount to their staff.. 😢
I'm Scottish. We always say 'hello' to strangers as we pass! When I go to the South East of England and say 'hello' to strangers they look at me as if I am mad. I Come to Scotland - you will be warmly welcomed.
Not sure but I believe that because Americans prefer their eggs white and clean the bleaching process increases the porosity of the shell so they are not protected from pathogens in the same way and therefore must be kept in the fridge.
@@jimporter Their eggs are white because they mostly use chickens that lay white eggs. The egg colour is not bleached. They're washed to clean them, and that means that the protective layer that prevents bacteria from entering the egg is removed - but that barrier is invisible. They also don't vaccinate chickens for salmonella, which is why most young Americans have never seen an egg cup. Dippy egg is just not safe there.
Australian here who grew up in England with a British parent. As per desserts I think that pudding after is common and taught in school from school lunches. I make all my soups from scratch as they taste better due to the availability of cheap and nutritious ingredients
When I was researching my family history, which involved the slums of London around what is now New Oxford Street, I came across a book on the area, dated around 1830 and it mentioned garbage several times. Clearly this is one of those words which existed here, but has faded away, but not in the States, a point worth remembering.
Thank you for recognising the regional difference on speaking to strangers. I’m a Yorkshireman & we will say morning, afternoon or ayup when passing a stranger. This got me strange looks when I moved South (30 yrs ago). I still do it, desperately trying to get Southerners to react. It makes me happy.
Some comments: I am a Canadian, who has lived in Norway since 1980. That said, my daughter has lived in California since 2013. I always thought Americans preferred the word trash to garbage. We have separate søppelbøtter for paper, organic, general, cans & glass, not to mention bags for plastic. At the municipal recycling centre there is even greater opportunities to recycle specific products. In my childhood, I was able to cope with dry heat. Humid heat was - and still is - more problematic. For the past 35 years I have lived in a rural area, so when I come into the village, with its huge population of about 2 000 people, I always acknowledge everyone with a nod, wave, hello or something. Restaurants? Yes, I usually visit one about once a year, for a traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner. We drink tempered = warmish water, out of preference. We do not tip in Norway. Never. Here, one pays the specified price.In Norway we have health care, not billionaire care. We buy eggs (and milk) from two local farmers. We keep both product categories in the fridge. Best by date. If I know something edible has an expired date, I avoid looking at that date, but instead concentrate on eating it. We eat dessert at home at our dinner meal (14:00) every day. We eat three meals a day. No snacks in between. Restaurants? See above. Instant. Yes, we have instant coffee, for emergencies. Can't think of anything else. Our food is made from scratch.
I would say smiling and saying hello to strangers depends on if you live in a bigger town or city vs a village or small town. I live in a small village just outside of a medium sized town. In my village I always smile and acknowledge older people as I pass them but I would never do it in the town or anywhere else I travel to. It just depends on whether it is the expected behaviour in the area. If it's not expected, people may judge you or be intimidated by it
The idea of ordering dessert after the main is the fact that, going out for meal with family and friends is more about appreciating the evening out rather then the food. Just having 1 course and having a good time is completely acceptable. The pudding at the end is like a little treat knowing you dont have to indulge yourself.
I am an American expat . Ive been living in the UK for over 20 years. 1. I did notice that some people don't put eggs in the fridge but having asked around , people still say they do. 2. When i first moved here, i was amazed and thought it was the British thing that everyone says hello and good morning when you are out walking the dog. I grew up in NYC and nobody did this. 3. I'm always served drinks with ice in them here in the UK. I've not noticed anything different.
I recently found some popcorn kernels in the back of the cupboard and made some popcorn.... imagine my surprise that they were 8 years out of date lol tasted fine.
I'm English and live in north east England. I always smile and speak to passing folk. Especially when out walking my dogs. As for dessert I'll order starter and main course. Then decide if i want dessert after I've finished eating. Also can't cope with the heat.
I think there are a few reasons we Americans don't often do desserts in restaurants: 1. They're expensive. In some cases, they can cost almost as much as main courses. 2. In America, dessert in a restaurant has become more of a special reward or bought for a special occasion (such as a birthday or anniversary, etc...) 3. Due to our faster-paced lifestyles, we tend to eat, maybe chit-chat for a few while waiting on the bill, and then we get out of there. 4. I've never been abroad but I've heard American portion sizes are significantly larger than other countries. So, it could be we're more "full" at the end of a meal compared to a UK person eating a smaller portion in their restaurants.
Definitely portion sizes. In the UK, but even more so France and Italy, it is expected that you will have a minimum of 2 courses in a restaurant, often 3 and sometimes a cheeseboard as well, and drinks before and after. If the portions of any are too large you miss out on trying more food.
The UK has two options regarding food, sell by date, and use by date. Sell by date only applies to the seller and the food is still safe to eat after the date on the packaging, the other is use by date' meaning the food is likely to be unfit for consumption beyond the date given. Just a heads up. 👍
The whole original point of tipping was to reward good service and the UK retains that idea. If you feel your server did an excellent job, worthy of tipping, then you slip them an extra fiver or whatever. But, in America, this has been exploited by businesses to underpay workers and then have the customer make up the difference with a mandatory tip. So that's not rewarding good service at all, it's just subsidising the business to underpay their workers. It really should be illegal, as it is in most European countries including the UK, to ever pay someone less than minimum wage. The bill should be the bill, and all workers are properly paid from that, and then tips are an additional optional reward on top, when you want to give an extra "thank you" for excellent service. By the way, you are expected to tip taxi drivers in the UK. But this is because these people typically work for themselves - no wage, in the original "gig economy" - so tips are expected there (though still technically optional, as the taxi's meter ought to be correctly covering costs with a little profit margin already) because taxis have never been a salaried job, so you're giving them a little extra security. Indeed, now that the "gig economy" has become more of a thing over salaried work, perhaps we all should consider tipping more often to make up the difference like that, to make people have some more security in their work. When Brits don't tip in America, this is partly because we simply forget. But also I resent helping employers underpay - like if it didn't harm the worker, I'd want to not tip as a protest against this greedy dehumanising bullshit. But they have you over the barrel and you do have to tip, as you know that the employer won't make up the difference and the workers would suffer. Essentially, it's a form of blackmail that rewards them for being arseholes. America needs to change its laws that, like most countries, minimum wage really is the minimum wage. That it's not legal to ever pay less than it, for any reason whatsoever. And tips remain an optional extra payment, if you want to say "thank you" for a bang up job on top (and, really, workers should be able to just pocket the tip immediately, as it's for them and nothing whatsoever to do with the business at all).
No, no. Always say good morning, I love it when that happens to end I always do it. Maybe not in Oxford Street but in your own locale, walking the dog. Or "lovely day" (always popular in the UK along with "ooh this rain"!).
I don't use Eggs regularly just for scrambled or omelettes. So I make bricks up in the small aluminium trays you get from the take away and freeze them to use as required.
I’m a Brit living in America I feel you 😂. Things i miss is drinking tap water. Not having to file taxes. Definitely miss the NHS 100%. I also miss walking around the supermarket looking for stuff that’s about to reach its shelf life so it gets reduced in price.
So funny. I completed your sentence 'if you are making your own soup' with the phrase 'people will think you are poor, whereas your actually end was 'people will think you are Gordon Ramsey'! Shows my expectations as a Brit.
I'm British Scottish and me and my family always tip either taxi driver or a server yes they get paid atleast minimum wage but the way we see it they still work hard, I worked with my city council and staying on my feet for 12 hours isn't an easy thing to do. We tip atleast a 5er even getting food delivery. It just depends on the person but I'd say people tip more often.
When you start referring to dessert as “pudding” you’ll be getting close to being Anglicised. In dining etiquette the proper term is pudding but this would also be lost on a lot of Brits
In more isolated country areas - especially if hill walking in Scotland - you would almost certainly acknowledge someone you passed on the road or track. 'Fine day!', 'Driech day!', 'Aye, great weather!', etc. It's a function of population density. Acclimatisation: we tend not to have air conditioning in homes. I can remember not having it in the office. Temperatures are exacerbated by our high humidity.
I live in Cornwall, we smile/greet everyone when we're out and about. Whenever I go to London I find it disconcerting they way everybody avoids eye contact in the street, as if it's a hostile act to do so.
Keep smiling and saying hello. Just because people in the SE are too uptight to do it doesn't mean you shouldn't. And outside the SE of England we say hello all the time.
I do keep my eggs in the fridge. 1. It's a more convenient place to put them, and 2. I don't know how long it's going to take to use them, so I put them there, just in case.
I live in South West and I say Hello to the people all the time. We have random lady that walks out her dog or another mum running to school with her kiddos. Older people that you see early in the morning will say Good morning to me, not sure if it's Bristol thing but it's nice. My son laughs that i have so many random people I say Hello to😂
The ice is why refills are free, the drinks are diluted. I have definitely switched to ''bin'', it feels so much more natural. I still tend to refrigerate my eggs though 🙂
I’m an American who’s been living abroad since the late 1990s and rarely go back to visit the States it’s been 5 years since the last time and tipping is one of those reasons why. Because if I do go back it’s probably going to be for one or two months, probably going to eat out every meal, will be staying in hotels etc and I don’t need the extra expenses My habits around cooking have not really changed at all. My parents owned a bakery so I am used to cooking and baking from scratch for everything and I don’t think I’ve made instant mashed potatoes ever. Desserts are not a habit and only a special occasion thing as I don’t really need the extra sugar. Great video 👍🏼
Smiling or saying hello to a stranger, perhaps outside of London it's still very much a thing. Up here in Scotland, many a time we'll pass and acknowledge the other person. Whilst cycling, or on a walk/hike, that's a definite.
You see, we are insidious - we creep into your head while you are asleep until, after a mere decade, you are almost totally absorbed! It's like the night of the Pod People! Any minute now you'll start listening to The Archers and that will be it - you will be completely in our thrall!
If you go to a UK pub for a meal they usually have a fixed price deal for 2 courses (starter and main, or main and dessert) or 3 courses. I think this often tempts people into ordering a dessert when they might not otherwise, because they feel it's better value
I grew up in South Africa and came to the UK 23 years ago and now I too can no longer cope with the heat anymore either, but for me it is more about the humidity. I still smile at people when I walk past and will also say hello too. That is something I will always do because people are surprised when you do it, and I like that because it always seems to cheer them up a bit of they smile and greet me back too. Don't forget that waiters and waitresses get paid a regular wage, unlike America, so tipping here is an option and not a necessity.
The dates on packaged good are usually an indication of best before rather than unsafe after the date. I know many Americans who are paranoid about getting rid of canned food the day after the best by date. I use a lot more ice in my drinks during the hotter months of the year. It helps to deal with the 40 c temps. In the us, the word bin already has a separate meaning not usually related to refuse, although I have heard someAmericans use the term trash bin?
I know this may sound counter intuitive, but it is good to drink hot drinks when the weather is hot, mainly because it helps your body regulate its temperature better. Next time it's not very it. That said I wouldn't say this means you can't drink cold drinks with or without ice in them. I love a nice cold beer on a warm summer's day as well, but I only found out about drinking warm drinks and amazingly enough it works.
I don’t say hello in the city but do in a small village or to people I pass on a country walk. During the pandemic we passed by on the other side of the road but waved and smiled or shouted hello!! The frosty responders are usually those wearing ear buds or headphones, the ones missing the birds singing and other countryside delightful background noises.
Moving back to the UK I miss people smiling and wishing me well, I am in The North East and people here used to be very warm and friendly sadly now not so much. I would rather pay the price because I found the health care in the USA far superior to the NHS. not just the caring attitude and attention I found better.
It's a shame to stop smiling, to stop saying hello and to stop being friendly, because somebody somehow feels weird about it where they live. I'd think most friendly people would keep their friendly habits, even in unfriendly places. It's not as if somebody is going to take friendliness badly.
I remember a banner headline in one of the London papers from when I was a kid long ago and visiting London in a pre-Beatles-era summertime: "80 Degrees And No Relief In Sight". Coming originally from SoCal, we laughed ourselves silly.
1:32 yeah, but in Florida you have a whole infrastructure dedicated to helping with the heat. Ready access to a pool. Housing design to keep heat out. Air conditioning everywhere. Going from house to car to destination and actually being outside for ten minutes if that for all of it. None of that here!
Yes, I saw the aftermath of a car crash on yt in Florida, the police and people involved were standing outside swapping details etc, and they were all dripping with sweat! It's rare to have those conditions here in the UK.
I’ve been over to the US many, many times, East Coast, West Coast, the South….. the ice thing, tipping and visiting the hospital/doctor thing are just so weird in the US. They really are weird.
On the 'don't smile to strangers much' - as a British person - I find this to be more of a city (particularly London) thing. Also smiled and said hello when I lived in villages (which is most of my life) but the two cities I've lived in (now London) this would be exhausting! Do people living New York smile and say to hello to every passing stranger?
Brit on the 'bin' thing: yeah "bin2 is just a wholeheap easier to say than 'garbage' or 'garbage can' or 'trash' or 'trash can'. It has the advantage that it can be used as a verb too, "I'll bin that". Americans do seem to like to use a hundred words when half a dozen would do.
Regarding the heat. I'm originally from Eastern Europe and for the past 9 years I'm also living in the south east of the US and often we're having pretty much same weather in summer as in Florida. At some point I visited my family in Europe during summer time. I thought that I was accustomed to the heat but it appeared that in Europe it was way more difficult to withstand it. The houses and the entire infrastructure aren't designed for the hot climate, therefore, we felt miserable there because of the heat. Coming back home to US was a huge relief despite the fact that the temperatures were actually higher in the south of the US.
Your No. 3 - no longer smiling at people - is interesting. I live in a rural village in Sussex, and whilst nobody would greet a stranger in the surrounding towns, it is still fairly common in the village. And if out walking in the surrounding countryside it is virtually universal, and it would be thought of as quite rude to ignore somebody you pass in a field or on a path. But it does happen, and these are either people from towns who don’t have the habit, or young people, for ‘whatever’ reason...
Limited experience but: UK: can't remember ever going anywhere separate for dessert but sometimes we go out for ice cream. Rhode Island: Family there often go out for a dessert somewhere Colorado: Never seen it with family there New York: Went out for frozen custard with a cousin once Las Vegas: do dessert cocktails count?
I'm British. We always order dessert after we have had the main course. That way you can decide if you actually need a dessert or not. Just seems logical !
My grandmother always said life is short. Eat your dessert first. If you eat the meal first you might be too full for your dessert! I think she was only half kidding.
not always..... some order all 3 courses sometimes, just depends
When I was at school in England, aged 8-13, if we asked for dessert we'd get an apple or a pear, or perhaps some cheese. So we learned to ask for pudding. 😋
Most people i know when out eating will order the starter & main meal. Then when eaten will decide if they need a pudding depending if their full up from the meal. I also know a few people that omit the starter & have the mains & a pudding as not everyone has a sweet tooth as they say.
@@carollewis3912
My aunt also mentioned the same idea of ordering dessert as the first course, just in case she was too full at the end of the meal.
In Yorkshire we talk to all strangers, all the time. We always greet strangers and have conversations when queuing.
Even a simple smile or nod is enough. Us northerners acknowledge each other.
well yes how else would you tell them that youre from yorkshire every five minutes. It is gods own country after all. 🤣
which god?@@scottythedawg
@@barriehull7076the perfection that is Yorkshire is proof that there is only one God, because it is clearly not designed by a committee
@@barriehull7076 jahovis
One American habit you _haven't_ lost is referring to the main meal as the entrée - in Europe, the 'entrance' is the starter. 🙂
The 'Enterence' is where you come in 😂 Sorry couldn't resist, God dawn autocorrect.
It is entrée, or hors d'oeuvre in France 💁🏻♀.
@@katrinabryce What?
Or using "gotten".
Same in Australia as in Europe
My brother once had a conversation with a Ghanaian nurse, he worked with. When she told him she was going home as she couldn’t cope with the British summers, he was astounded, but she explained that British summers are much more humid than at home, where the heat is much dryer and so easier to deal with.
My step-father dislikes the heat, but he told me that it was much easier to deal with when he was working in Kenya and other hot countries because the heat was drier than in the UK.
Exactly this. It applies to the cold as well. I live on the westcoast of Sweden, humid air and also more wind, both extreme heat and cold is absolutely horrible. But I love spending time skiing in northern Sweden or Norway. The temperature might be twice below zero compared to back home but it doesn't feel as cold because the air is much dryer.
@@antioch4019 interesting. Hadn’t considered that aspect but it makes sense.
The reason that UK restaurant staff press "no" for "are you leaving a tip" on the POS terminal before handing it to you to pay the bill is that if you pay it electronically on the bill it's seldom paid directly back to the waitress/waiter. It's either kept by the restaurant or split evenly between all of the waitresses/waiters.
The staff would much prefer you to tip in cash. By doing that the individuals who've been serving you can keep all of the money to themselves.
In general I agree with this. BUT kitchen staff are the ones who prepare your meal. The waiter/ waitress brings you the meal, deals with the small stuff (I'm not belittling front end staff). One way for the guest to deal with this is to tip electronically for the staff behind the scene and leave a couple of bucks on the table.
As someone who's managed multiple pubs/restaurants in the UK I can say with confidence that if you're at a chain ie a lounge, cozy club, peach pubs or green king etc all the card tips go to staff. It might be the case at independent pubs and restaurants but even then generally it goes to staff, and usually includes back of house staff and excludes management
Not a great plan, IMO - I don't think I'm alone in just not carrying cash any more, so no card option, no tip I'm afraid.
If you pay by cash they can avoid paying tax on it
@@donaldboyer8182 Tips constitute earnings, so are taxable.
I think that the saying hello to strangers is a personal thing. I always say hello to people I pass in the street (I livve in Kent, but I was born up North) and some people reply and some don't. I used to say to friends at work that Northern people are your best friend after a day and Southerners are your best friend after a few months.
I agree. Before I went to the UK, a French girl told me that British are really friendly. As an American I wasn't so sure of that, but maybe so, compared to the French. When I did go to the UK, I started in Ashford, Kent and everybody was very friendly. People smiled and said hello. A stranger gave me change to use a pay phone. A young woman offered to let me use her cell phone, when I was counting change at the pay phone. She came up to me and said, "I see you're struggling with the money. Would you like to use my mobile?" After the call she hopped into an Aston Martin convertible with another woman and rode away.
We Northerners say hello to everyone...terrifies londoners....
in town i wont say hello to people, on a country walk I would.
😅@@ddguitars1969
🤥@@scottythedawg
I'm English, and live in London, and I smile and acknowledge people I pass in the street all the time. Most folks will happily smile back, some seem genuinely cheered by it while a few look baffled. I think it's a great thing to do. Smile at someone, you may never meet again, just passing in life's journey, you want nothing more from them than wish them a happy moment.
I do this most of the time, the time I don’t is during the morning commute until I’m out of the tube. It’s just too overwhelming in the crowds.
@@individualmemberAs a runner , most of us acknowledge and smile at other runners , which is nice . I’m a Londoner however moved to the south coast now tbh I try and have a laugh with people in the pub , in the shop
Yep also Londoner, people do smile and nod to each other all the time. It's just not to everyone. If there's only you walking along and only one other person is passing you, then it's pretty normal to nod or say Hi.
I am from the Proper North and live in North North of the UK and a wee nod in passing to the people you see most days or journeys is acceptable and allowed - also acceptable is to natter away and have a good bleather with complete strangers about anything and everything including intimate personal things at the bus stop.
@@pixiemerlin6735 you mean more than just the weather?!! 😁I live in a very tall building, so we are often in the lift with neighbours for a while - you've got to make conversation, to avoid awkward silences 😊
I think as you live in London saying Hi to a stranger is a no. In many places in the UK, it's accepted. Keep smiling 😊
Same of all big cities in the world.small towns everywhere more friendly
@@lorrainevart8827it's just not practical. I can walk passed 1000 people on 10 min walk in London I will walk passed 8 people in the same time in small town noone is saying hi 1000 times on short walk
I live in Scotland and I remember years ago, an American tourist was hit by a car when she accidently looked left instead of right when crossing the road. When a local female told her she was calling for an ambulance, the American got really scared and tried to get us to call her a Taxi instead. When we asked her why she told us she could not afford the cost of the Ambulance. It was only when the ambulance arrived and the medic explained to her that the NHS do not charge anyone for calling an ambulance, she finally agreed to have her injuries treated and be taken to the hospital to be checked over. She told us that where she lived in the US (can’t remember the State but I do remember her accent sounded like Reese Witherspoon in the film Sweet Home Alabama), it would have cost her anything from $3.5k to $4k just for the ambulance medic to treat her injuries and to be taken to the hospital.
Many towns in the u.s. rely on private ambulance and medics contracted through the city or volunteer fire departments who have paramedic training and insurance does not cover the cost
Ill take things that never happened for 500 alex!!.....they could afford that trip tp scotland but was worried about the ambulance?? Nobody is impressed by your crappy NHS
@@TheSteve2305 A holiday in Scotland is going to be far cheaper than a visit to a hospital, unless you are flying first class and staying in the most expensive room in the most expensive hotel you can find.
@@katrinabryce whatever.....i bet left nut this clowns story didnt happen
@@TheSteve2305tell me you've never been here without telling me. Typical seppo energy, 🙄
Saying hello to strangers seems to be a geographical thing. The nearer you are to London, the less likely you are to do it in my experience. I usually glance atpeople approaching me, and if we make eye contact I smile and muttr'morning' or whatever. If we find we're playing that "I'm not looking at you!" game then I avert my eyes and carrry on.
Wasn't a thing in London, was in Bristol, definitely is in the countryside
This is an issue with any large city. London, paris, Chicago. new york, etc. eg. A keep your eyes down and carry on.
I'm fifty miles east of London deep in the countryside and we do speak to strangers and always greet when walking through the village or on a country walk. We don't see people often, whereas in London, obviously you do. People are everywhere.
@@judithhope8970 I lived literally on the edge of Greater London for some years, and strangers were ignored generally. I moved about 10 miles further out, and on my first day at the shops people struck up genuine conversations with me. It was a bit of a culture shock, but lovely!
I was a student in the US quite a few years ago in Pennsylvania & Wisconsin then after getting married in Missouri. Friendliness did differ from one area to another. Pa. People were pretty friendly Wi. They wre a bit more reserved but Mo really over the top friendly. Absolute worst place apart from NYC was Chicago. NYC on the few occasions I made the misfortune to visit they wre ever ruder than Chicago! UK is similar. I grew up in the Isle of Wight and apart from some of the grockles that have landed up there the pace of life is slower and and people do smile and chat to strangers. Same here in Cornwall where we now live.
Smiling at strangers doesn't seem to me to be unusual; grinning and saying "Hi!" like they're a long lost friend certainly is.
I think the way the British Health services think is "Prevention, is better than the Cure" in other words it is better to find out early whether you have Cancer in the early stages which can be cured if caught early enough, Rather than waiting until it is too far gone that they can't do anything for you.
That's why they do the colonoscopy in the U.S. and the mammogram among other tests.
The UK is actually relatively poor at doing health checks than other developed countries.
@@capitalb5889you almost have to take the morning off work just to try and get a doctors appointment these days, but the Conservative party seem determined to gradually erode our NHS so we're forced to have an American style health service. They forget that when us brits get pissed off, it will be carnage, see the poll tax riots of 1990 down in London as an example of when a government forced an unpopular policy on us.
I'm British and I always smile and say hi to strangers, I will say more people will smile when the sun is shining.
It’s almost 40 years ago…
20 years old and pregnant stationed in the UK. Asked to take my food home (pregnant issues) and they had no idea of the situation so they wrapped up my food plate and all for me. LOVED living there …..
I have to say though that the UK has changed enormously since then. Whether for the better or not is a pretty big subject.
I'm in the UK and don't keep eggs in the fridge. I usually buy mine from a local free range egg farm, My gran taught me it's easy enough to test an egg if you're not sure how old it is, ( fill a jug with cold tap water and gently 'float' the egg, if it sinks towards the bottom it's good, if it floats to the top get rid).
I'm English. we always wait until after main course before seeing the dessert menu. Simply because we don't know if we have room for dessert til after the main meal
My friend visited me in the UK from Chicago a couple of years ago, and we headed to London. She was amazed at how friendly people were, and was shocked at how often strangers asked each other for help (directions, time etc); saying she would never feel comfortable enough to do that back home.
For me - as a Londoner - homemade soup is a staple and so simple to do (rarely takes more than 15 mins) - and is a really good way of emptying the fridge of older, wilting vegetables and other ingredients. All you need is a pan, a blitz stick and optionally some stock (or stock-cube) and/or cream & spices. Always tastes so much better than any canned soup. Definitely do not need to be a chef to do! I rarely make the same soup twice
Okay, the “occasion” thing re eating out. This bugs me. Since living in the US for the past 6 years I’ve noticed a big difference.
Whether it is going out for dinner or having family over for Sunday lunch, the Americans will eat and then go. That’s it. Same for Christmas - come, quick chat, eat the meal, then go.
In the U.K. the meal is merely the centrepiece around which the rest of the day is based. It is expected that guests coming for Sunday lunch would stay all afternoon. It is about the company and not the food.
Americans do everything at pace. There doesn’t feel like the same culture of hanging around after. Going to a restaurant is to eat food and then leave. For Brits, it’s about spending time together over/around good food and drink.
Oh my goodness, I can’t imagine having spent hours preparing a meal for guests for them to leave almost immediately after eating! 😳
I’d be taking that very personally as rejection of the food or me!! 🤣🤣🤣
You definitely still say "the hospital" instead of just hospital. 😊 Its the same as going to school, or to church, the word "the " isnt necessary here. ❤
You only use 'the' if you are being specific. "He's in hospital" (he's a patient). "He's at the hospital" (to visit, work or for an appointment).
As a Brit myself and everyone I knows says "the hospital"
It just sounds wrong to say "Nan's in hospital"
UK resident here and I have and still used "the hospital" all the time@@Barfield-cg7iq
"The" hospital implies that there's just one. I'm American and this still is a sticking point for me! 😂
If eggs have been washed(which occurs virtually everywhere in the U.S., they absolutely have to go in the fridge. Unwashed eggs can be left in a cool place on the counter.
Please keep smiling and saying hello. It started happening more during covid and I’ve kept it going. It’s infectious and I think it makes us better individuals. It used to happen when I was a child. Go to it girl.
I'm always amazed by the cake mixes for even the simplest cake. All you need is butter, sugar, eggs and flour (plus raising agent if you only have plain flour) for a very basic sponge. I was making that in primary school.
Anywhere in Europe (and elsewhere) eating out is an event and spending 2-3 hours in a restaurant is typical. I was surprised by the way I felt rushed in the US, and found the whole eating out experience quite unpleasant.
Went to an American restaurant with extended family at lunchtime and didn't want a meal, although everyone else was eating. I ordered coffee only for myself and all of us were then asked to leave even despite the rest of the party having ordered a full meal! (This was a fast food type place). To be fair I had even worse treatment in Strasbourg at lunchtime when ordering a coffee for two; they absolutely hate people taking up space if not ordering a full meal at lunchtime.
I live in the north and when I walk along the street I usually say hello to the people I meet and sometimes if I’m walking with the dog I’ll stop for a short chat. If the street is quite busy I probably wouldn’t walk along talking to everyone.
I live in the "south east" (North Essex around Colchester kinda area to be precise(ish)) and I'll say hello to people on the street too, but I'm more rural village type place (about 5-6000 residents) and same, if I'm in a busy street I wouldn't be saying hello to a person every 5 seconds!
I'd say it's not really a north/south thing in the UK, more a population density thing and as a very huge generalisation the south east is more population dense than a lot of other places in the UK
@@ChuckFickens1972 You’re probably right. A walk in a busy city would be different.
Please smile & say hello again, from a UK person
I have a morning walk when I work from home. I nod to the regulars. After a few weeks you exchange hellos, but with some I've ended up having some lovely conversations. I live near Manchester City centre, even here you don't expect it.
Smiling and saying hello to strangers is far more common outside of London and the local neighbouring areas. Sad but true.
I always have to ask for my drink WITHOUT ice, I hate ice as it melts and dilutes your drink.
I've been to a few places in my life and my personal observation / guess is that smiling and saying hello to strangers is to do with population density. The less dense the population in an area, the more people smile at each other; the higher the density, the more people retreat into their own personal space - otherwise you get exhausted from the sheer number of personal interactions.
It's pretty normal in Britain that if you're walking in the countryside absolutely anywhere in Britain (including around London) people will say hello to each other.
Since paying by card etc in UK has become very common, most people do not give tips any more.... we prefer to give any tips to people who actually served you, not to the restaurant owner.
Since I realised that staff don’t automatically get the tip when paying by card, I try to have enough tip cash on me when going out for a meal. It’s shocking how many restaurants don’t give the whole amount to their staff.. 😢
I'm Scottish. We always say 'hello' to strangers as we pass! When I go to the South East of England and say 'hello' to strangers they look at me as if I am mad. I Come to Scotland - you will be warmly welcomed.
I assume you know that outside of North America the "entrée" is the starter - the hors d'oeuvre or appetizer - not the main course of the meal.
The egg thing is because in supermarkets the eggs aren't allowed to be washed which means the farm has to be in a good clean condition
Not sure but I believe that because Americans prefer their eggs white and clean the bleaching process increases the porosity of the shell so they are not protected from pathogens in the same way and therefore must be kept in the fridge.
@@jimporter Their eggs are white because they mostly use chickens that lay white eggs. The egg colour is not bleached. They're washed to clean them, and that means that the protective layer that prevents bacteria from entering the egg is removed - but that barrier is invisible. They also don't vaccinate chickens for salmonella, which is why most young Americans have never seen an egg cup. Dippy egg is just not safe there.
Australian here who grew up in England with a British parent. As per desserts I think that pudding after is common and taught in school from school lunches. I make all my soups from scratch as they taste better due to the availability of cheap and nutritious ingredients
When I was researching my family history, which involved the slums of London around what is now New Oxford Street, I came across a book on the area, dated around 1830 and it mentioned garbage several times. Clearly this is one of those words which existed here, but has faded away, but not in the States, a point worth remembering.
Interesting to note that in the States garbage normally refers to food waste, whereas trash refers to all other rubbish.
Thank you for recognising the regional difference on speaking to strangers. I’m a Yorkshireman & we will say morning, afternoon or ayup when passing a stranger. This got me strange looks when I moved South (30 yrs ago). I still do it, desperately trying to get Southerners to react. It makes me happy.
Some comments: I am a Canadian, who has lived in Norway since 1980. That said, my daughter has lived in California since 2013. I always thought Americans preferred the word trash to garbage. We have separate søppelbøtter for paper, organic, general, cans & glass, not to mention bags for plastic. At the municipal recycling centre there is even greater opportunities to recycle specific products. In my childhood, I was able to cope with dry heat. Humid heat was - and still is - more problematic. For the past 35 years I have lived in a rural area, so when I come into the village, with its huge population of about 2 000 people, I always acknowledge everyone with a nod, wave, hello or something. Restaurants? Yes, I usually visit one about once a year, for a traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner. We drink tempered = warmish water, out of preference. We do not tip in Norway. Never. Here, one pays the specified price.In Norway we have health care, not billionaire care. We buy eggs (and milk) from two local farmers. We keep both product categories in the fridge. Best by date. If I know something edible has an expired date, I avoid looking at that date, but instead concentrate on eating it. We eat dessert at home at our dinner meal (14:00) every day. We eat three meals a day. No snacks in between. Restaurants? See above. Instant. Yes, we have instant coffee, for emergencies. Can't think of anything else. Our food is made from scratch.
Just discovered your chanel and subscribed immediately. Love your free-flowing, direct but insightful dialogues. 👌
Keep that smiling habit be positive always look at people’s eyes when you do nothing wrong with that god bless you and your family
I would say smiling and saying hello to strangers depends on if you live in a bigger town or city vs a village or small town. I live in a small village just outside of a medium sized town. In my village I always smile and acknowledge older people as I pass them but I would never do it in the town or anywhere else I travel to. It just depends on whether it is the expected behaviour in the area. If it's not expected, people may judge you or be intimidated by it
When I was in my teens, in the 60s, whenever I passed an oncoming person, we would always greet each other, with Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening.
The idea of ordering dessert after the main is the fact that, going out for meal with family and friends is more about appreciating the evening out rather then the food. Just having 1 course and having a good time is completely acceptable. The pudding at the end is like a little treat knowing you dont have to indulge yourself.
I am an American expat . Ive been living in the UK for over 20 years. 1. I did notice that some people don't put eggs in the fridge but having asked around , people still say they do. 2. When i first moved here, i was amazed and thought it was the British thing that everyone says hello and good morning when you are out walking the dog. I grew up in NYC and nobody did this. 3. I'm always served drinks with ice in them here in the UK. I've not noticed anything different.
I recently found some popcorn kernels in the back of the cupboard and made some popcorn.... imagine my surprise that they were 8 years out of date lol tasted fine.
I'm English and live in north east England. I always smile and speak to passing folk. Especially when out walking my dogs. As for dessert I'll order starter and main course. Then decide if i want dessert after I've finished eating. Also can't cope with the heat.
There's a difference between use by and best by dates. Use by is relating to food safety, best before is relating to food quality.
I think there are a few reasons we Americans don't often do desserts in restaurants:
1. They're expensive. In some cases, they can cost almost as much as main courses.
2. In America, dessert in a restaurant has become more of a special reward or bought for a special occasion (such as a birthday or anniversary, etc...)
3. Due to our faster-paced lifestyles, we tend to eat, maybe chit-chat for a few while waiting on the bill, and then we get out of there.
4. I've never been abroad but I've heard American portion sizes are significantly larger than other countries. So, it could be we're more "full" at the end of a meal compared to a UK person eating a smaller portion in their restaurants.
All great points!!
Definitely portion sizes. In the UK, but even more so France and Italy, it is expected that you will have a minimum of 2 courses in a restaurant, often 3 and sometimes a cheeseboard as well, and drinks before and after. If the portions of any are too large you miss out on trying more food.
I'm a man of Kent and I love saying hello to everyone! 99% of folks love it really. :)
The UK has two options regarding food, sell by date, and use by date. Sell by date only applies to the seller and the food is still safe to eat after the date on the packaging, the other is use by date' meaning the food is likely to be unfit for consumption beyond the date given. Just a heads up. 👍
The whole original point of tipping was to reward good service and the UK retains that idea.
If you feel your server did an excellent job, worthy of tipping, then you slip them an extra fiver or whatever.
But, in America, this has been exploited by businesses to underpay workers and then have the customer make up the difference with a mandatory tip.
So that's not rewarding good service at all, it's just subsidising the business to underpay their workers. It really should be illegal, as it is in most European countries including the UK, to ever pay someone less than minimum wage. The bill should be the bill, and all workers are properly paid from that, and then tips are an additional optional reward on top, when you want to give an extra "thank you" for excellent service.
By the way, you are expected to tip taxi drivers in the UK. But this is because these people typically work for themselves - no wage, in the original "gig economy" - so tips are expected there (though still technically optional, as the taxi's meter ought to be correctly covering costs with a little profit margin already) because taxis have never been a salaried job, so you're giving them a little extra security. Indeed, now that the "gig economy" has become more of a thing over salaried work, perhaps we all should consider tipping more often to make up the difference like that, to make people have some more security in their work.
When Brits don't tip in America, this is partly because we simply forget. But also I resent helping employers underpay - like if it didn't harm the worker, I'd want to not tip as a protest against this greedy dehumanising bullshit. But they have you over the barrel and you do have to tip, as you know that the employer won't make up the difference and the workers would suffer. Essentially, it's a form of blackmail that rewards them for being arseholes.
America needs to change its laws that, like most countries, minimum wage really is the minimum wage. That it's not legal to ever pay less than it, for any reason whatsoever. And tips remain an optional extra payment, if you want to say "thank you" for a bang up job on top (and, really, workers should be able to just pocket the tip immediately, as it's for them and nothing whatsoever to do with the business at all).
Feeling weird and awkward in social situations is very British.
Now you are truly one of us! ❤😊
No, no. Always say good morning, I love it when that happens to end I always do it. Maybe not in Oxford Street but in your own locale, walking the dog. Or "lovely day" (always popular in the UK along with "ooh this rain"!).
I don't use Eggs regularly just for scrambled or omelettes. So I make bricks up in the small aluminium trays you get from the take away and freeze them to use as required.
I’m a Brit living in America I feel you 😂. Things i miss is drinking tap water. Not having to file taxes. Definitely miss the NHS 100%. I also miss walking around the supermarket looking for stuff that’s about to reach its shelf life so it gets reduced in price.
So funny. I completed your sentence 'if you are making your own soup' with the phrase 'people will think you are poor, whereas your actually end was 'people will think you are Gordon Ramsey'! Shows my expectations as a Brit.
The thing about use by/ sell by dates is that you can trust your senses. Does it look and smell ok? If the answer is yes then it's fine.
I'm British Scottish and me and my family always tip either taxi driver or a server yes they get paid atleast minimum wage but the way we see it they still work hard, I worked with my city council and staying on my feet for 12 hours isn't an easy thing to do. We tip atleast a 5er even getting food delivery. It just depends on the person but I'd say people tip more often.
When you start referring to dessert as “pudding” you’ll be getting close to being Anglicised. In dining etiquette the proper term is pudding but this would also be lost on a lot of Brits
In more isolated country areas - especially if hill walking in Scotland - you would almost certainly acknowledge someone you passed on the road or track. 'Fine day!', 'Driech day!', 'Aye, great weather!', etc. It's a function of population density.
Acclimatisation: we tend not to have air conditioning in homes. I can remember not having it in the office. Temperatures are exacerbated by our high humidity.
Here in Australia if the food says Best Before and the date it’s still edible after the date for example peanut butter
I live in Cornwall, we smile/greet everyone when we're out and about. Whenever I go to London I find it disconcerting they way everybody avoids eye contact in the street, as if it's a hostile act to do so.
Keep smiling and saying hello. Just because people in the SE are too uptight to do it doesn't mean you shouldn't. And outside the SE of England we say hello all the time.
If you are the first to instigate a “ hello” or “ good morning “
People will be friendly.
Just do it .
I do keep my eggs in the fridge. 1. It's a more convenient place to put them, and 2. I don't know how long it's going to take to use them, so I put them there, just in case.
I live in South West and I say Hello to the people all the time. We have random lady that walks out her dog or another mum running to school with her kiddos. Older people that you see early in the morning will say Good morning to me, not sure if it's Bristol thing but it's nice. My son laughs that i have so many random people I say Hello to😂
The ice is why refills are free, the drinks are diluted. I have definitely switched to ''bin'', it feels so much more natural. I still tend to refrigerate my eggs though 🙂
I’m an American who’s been living abroad since the late 1990s and rarely go back to visit the States it’s been 5 years since the last time and tipping is one of those reasons why. Because if I do go back it’s probably going to be for one or two months, probably going to eat out every meal, will be staying in hotels etc and I don’t need the extra expenses My habits around cooking have not really changed at all. My parents owned a bakery so I am used to cooking and baking from scratch for everything and I don’t think I’ve made instant mashed potatoes ever. Desserts are not a habit and only a special occasion thing as I don’t really need the extra sugar. Great video 👍🏼
Up north we smile to strangers especially if you’re walking a dog.
Smiling or saying hello to a stranger, perhaps outside of London it's still very much a thing. Up here in Scotland, many a time we'll pass and acknowledge the other person. Whilst cycling, or on a walk/hike, that's a definite.
You see, we are insidious - we creep into your head while you are asleep until, after a mere decade, you are almost totally absorbed! It's like the night of the Pod People! Any minute now you'll start listening to The Archers and that will be it - you will be completely in our thrall!
If you go to a UK pub for a meal they usually have a fixed price deal for 2 courses (starter and main, or main and dessert) or 3 courses. I think this often tempts people into ordering a dessert when they might not otherwise, because they feel it's better value
I'm British and i ate a curry sauce from a jar that had a best before date of 2015, this was in 2023, gotta say it was lovely. 😂
There's a big difference between 'use by' and 'best before'...
I grew up in South Africa and came to the UK 23 years ago and now I too can no longer cope with the heat anymore either, but for me it is more about the humidity. I still smile at people when I walk past and will also say hello too. That is something I will always do because people are surprised when you do it, and I like that because it always seems to cheer them up a bit of they smile and greet me back too. Don't forget that waiters and waitresses get paid a regular wage, unlike America, so tipping here is an option and not a necessity.
The dates on packaged good are usually an indication of best before rather than unsafe after the date. I know many Americans who are paranoid about getting rid of canned food the day after the best by date.
I use a lot more ice in my drinks during the hotter months of the year. It helps to deal with the 40 c temps.
In the us, the word bin already has a separate meaning not usually related to refuse, although I have heard someAmericans use the term trash bin?
Yes, it's "Best Before" not a "deadly poisonous after" date
A trash bin in the USA is generally the larger trash receptacle that that trash bags from households are deposited into for pickup by garbage trucks
I know this may sound counter intuitive, but it is good to drink hot drinks when the weather is hot, mainly because it helps your body regulate its temperature better. Next time it's not very it. That said I wouldn't say this means you can't drink cold drinks with or without ice in them. I love a nice cold beer on a warm summer's day as well, but I only found out about drinking warm drinks and amazingly enough it works.
I don’t say hello in the city but do in a small village or to people I pass on a country walk. During the pandemic we passed by on the other side of the road but waved and smiled or shouted hello!! The frosty responders are usually those wearing ear buds or headphones, the ones missing the birds singing and other countryside delightful background noises.
Moving back to the UK I miss people smiling and wishing me well, I am in The North East and people here used to be very warm and friendly sadly now not so much. I would rather pay the price because I found the health care in the USA far superior to the NHS. not just the caring attitude and attention I found better.
It's a shame to stop smiling, to stop saying hello and to stop being friendly, because somebody somehow feels weird about it where they live. I'd think most friendly people would keep their friendly habits, even in unfriendly places. It's not as if somebody is going to take friendliness badly.
I remember a banner headline in one of the London papers from when I was a kid long ago and visiting London in a pre-Beatles-era summertime: "80 Degrees And No Relief In Sight". Coming originally from SoCal, we laughed ourselves silly.
Having spent summer from 23/7 to 30/8 in palm desert I'd rather that 40⁰ heat than UK 35⁰ heat anyday. It's just different.
1:32 yeah, but in Florida you have a whole infrastructure dedicated to helping with the heat. Ready access to a pool. Housing design to keep heat out. Air conditioning everywhere. Going from house to car to destination and actually being outside for ten minutes if that for all of it. None of that here!
Yes, I saw the aftermath of a car crash on yt in Florida, the police and people involved were standing outside swapping details etc, and they were all dripping with sweat! It's rare to have those conditions here in the UK.
Interesting stuff. I would enjoy hearing your take on behaviour of politicians in the states compared to the UK.
Just carry on smiling and greeting strangers. If they don't respond, sod them. Just do it if it comes naturally to you.
I’ve been over to the US many, many times, East Coast, West Coast, the South….. the ice thing, tipping and visiting the hospital/doctor thing are just so weird in the US. They really are weird.
Use by date shouldn’t be eaten after the date but best before or sell by dates are fine
Also never refrigerate tomatoes, the cold actually destroys the intensity of flavour and the smell of the toms. once refrigerated they never recover.
Please don't stop being American, lassie xx
On the 'don't smile to strangers much' - as a British person - I find this to be more of a city (particularly London) thing. Also smiled and said hello when I lived in villages (which is most of my life) but the two cities I've lived in (now London) this would be exhausting! Do people living New York smile and say to hello to every passing stranger?
Brit on the 'bin' thing: yeah "bin2 is just a wholeheap easier to say than 'garbage' or 'garbage can' or 'trash' or 'trash can'. It has the advantage that it can be used as a verb too, "I'll bin that". Americans do seem to like to use a hundred words when half a dozen would do.
Regarding the heat. I'm originally from Eastern Europe and for the past 9 years I'm also living in the south east of the US and often we're having pretty much same weather in summer as in Florida. At some point I visited my family in Europe during summer time. I thought that I was accustomed to the heat but it appeared that in Europe it was way more difficult to withstand it. The houses and the entire infrastructure aren't designed for the hot climate, therefore, we felt miserable there because of the heat. Coming back home to US was a huge relief despite the fact that the temperatures were actually higher in the south of the US.
Your No. 3 - no longer smiling at people - is interesting.
I live in a rural village in Sussex, and whilst nobody would greet a stranger in the surrounding towns, it is still fairly common in the village.
And if out walking in the surrounding countryside it is virtually universal, and it would be thought of as quite rude to ignore somebody you pass in a field or on a path. But it does happen, and these are either people from towns who don’t have the habit, or young people, for ‘whatever’ reason...
I always smile at people and say hello ,i was brought up in a village .
not smiling and saying hello is more of a London thing
Limited experience but:
UK: can't remember ever going anywhere separate for dessert but sometimes we go out for ice cream.
Rhode Island: Family there often go out for a dessert somewhere
Colorado: Never seen it with family there
New York: Went out for frozen custard with a cousin once
Las Vegas: do dessert cocktails count?
You need to visit the north, especially Liverpool. We’re much more friendlier up here.😀
British summers tend to be sticky humid and unbearable versus the dry heat. Its like the far east or sub continent
Our frugality with food is possibly from the war years of rationing - two ounces of Margarine to last a week instead of lasting two slices of bread.
The war ended 80 years ago. I think it's time we stopped blaming it for our frugality and just admit we are cheap.
i thought that was the scots.@@ruk2023--
@@ruk2023--not a bad approach though considering if everyone consumed like Americans we’d need 5 earths to provide the resources required!