UK vs North American Cultural Differences

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  • Witchmoo
    Witchmoo Posts: 261 Member
    Tipping, I was amazed that I was not to tip my waitress when visiting England

    Seriously?? Having waitressed for over 17 years in the UK I am just as miffed when someone doesn't tip!! If the service was good you tip and the benchmark in the UK is 10%......if some other Brit tells you we don't tip they're wrong and are simply tight!
  • Sqeekyjojo
    Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
    decameter hectometer kilometer decimeter centimeter millimeter milligram gram kilogram milliliter

    How on Earth do you keep track of all these words and i'm sure there are more :explode:

    It's not so bad, meter means distance, litre means volume, gram means mass. Centi means 100th of whatever it is, dec- means 10ths (but nobody bothers, outside noticing its what wine bottles say on the label), milli means 1000th (so 10 times as much as a centi something).

    So; you have 1metre (3 foot 3 inches). That metre can be divided into 100 cm. 10 dm (but won't be). Multiplied by 1000 for a km.

    One of those cm can be divided into 100 mm. And if you divide further, you get micro- which use the Greek letter.

    The same with kg.

    Pretty much the same with anything. It's easy to convert because it is using multiples of ten. 30m is 30 x 100cm = 3000 cm. (used for building plans, etc). 30 yards. That's 30x3 foot = 90 foot plus 30 x 3 inches = 90 inches 90 inches/12 = 7 foot 6 inches so is 97 foot 6 inches and my brain is exploding.

    Not to forget that Australian cups are different to American cups are different to Greek glasses...and don't forget, in addition to lbs and oz, there are tsp, tbsp, dsp, fl oz, cups, quarts, gallons, links, chains, furlongs (only useful for horse racing as far as I know now), pecks, grains, carats, bushels.......

    So the French actually had a pretty good idea with introducing SI Systeme Internationale units.

    The law says nutritional values must be on the box per 100g, which means you can see at a glance the percentage of sugar/fat is in something and again, it's easy to enter it on here for your particular portion size without too much thought.

    Oh, and a kilogram is 2.2 lb and a litre of water a pint and three quarters. There may be other such things to remember. I just have an old set of scales from a sweet shop with imperial weights for large baking and a digital scale set on grams for small scale things.
  • Sqeekyjojo
    Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
    However, although I am in the US, as a chemist, I declare the metric system to make infinitely more sense and believe that we are stupid for not adopting it.

    What you mean NASA design space rockets using inches??

    I believe that the initial problems with focusing Hubble were due to the crossover from changing between the two. Which is why, once they worked out that was what caused it, they could solve it through maths.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    Teeth and fanny.
  • taliasometimes
    taliasometimes Posts: 301 Member
    it's not "expected" particuarly to tip here, its just nice i suppose.
  • charismanoodles
    charismanoodles Posts: 343 Member
    Here's some Australian ones; we don't tip but might leave the change from a meal, but it's optional.

    Bags of crips and hot fries all called chips here. (Fries are a McDonalds thing)

    Use cups and grams to measure food.

    Don't have coffee creamer here.

    Fanny doesn't mean bum :blushing:
  • taliasometimes
    taliasometimes Posts: 301 Member
    Here's some Australian ones; we don't tip but might leave the change from a meal, but it's optional.

    Bags of crips and hot fries all called chips here. (Fries are a McDonalds thing)

    Use cups and grams to measure food.

    Don't have coffee creamer here.

    Fanny doesn't mean bum :blushing:

    same in uk :)

    what else...
    we dont have BAND AIDS, they are called plasters.
    we have Terms not semesters, primary school and highschool instead of elementary and middle then high or whatever.
    we dont really have pancakes for breakfast. or french toast often. we dont do meatloaf. or sloppy joes.
    we dont call chocolate "candy".
    we call "cookies" biscuits. (to us a cookie is a chocolate chip Maryland type of biscuit)
    Diapers are Nappy's.
    oh and we dont really know what Taco Bell is. or Twinkies

    omg theres so many!
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
    Teeth and fanny.

    I thought you liked sex with a bit of bite?
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
    Having spent a lot of time in both countries, and having family in both countries, I would actually say that we're very different cultures, that just happen to have a (slightly) common language.

    I find it very strange that people think the cultures will be similar, just because the language is the same, as it's an odd assumption really.

    I kinda agree with this. Lots of ceremonial/rites of passage stuff in America doesn't exist here. The wedding/baby showers for instance are farely rare. Also prom is not a big thing and neither is alma mater stuff.
  • MrsBobaFett
    MrsBobaFett Posts: 802 Member
    UK > We have Chavs
    US > You have Hicks
  • Hayter2013
    Hayter2013 Posts: 77
    My brother is from the UK originally and moved to Vancouver in 2008 and in a short space of time, he's already spelling words with the usual "U" like we'd have (colour, flavour, etc etc)

    He'll say frequently about calling me on my cell phone and about when he used to live in his apartment (the word apartment is making its way over here and basically means "tiny flat")

    I remind him that he's British!! I suppose he's fallen into the way of life over there, and unlikely that he'll return to the UK :sad:
  • funhouse77
    funhouse77 Posts: 179 Member
    As a Scottish person brought up in small Scottish Village inhabited by a USA Naval Base where around a 1/4 of the population was American, I can safely say I am fluent on both UK and American Speak/Culture. So I find it quite weird when other UK people don't get the USA versions, it's second nature to me.

    We were introduced to American foods long before they become mainstream in the UK, my mother always used American Measuring Cups (because most of our recipes had been passed on from American friends!) and adopted a lot food cultures, like pancakes for breakfast, Mexican food like tacos, french toast, peanut butter and jelly (jam!) Cool aid, etc etc. I grew up with all that stuff!!!
  • smaugish
    smaugish Posts: 244 Member
    the beer is generally not cold, which was weird to me.

    If anyone tried to chill my best bitter, I would go ape****. What y'all call beer ain't beer ;) Real beer's meant to be served at room temperature.
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
    I always wondered what "crisps" were LOL I figured it out, but when I first started looking at people's diaries, I had NO idea!! And yes, my tea has to be cold and sweetened with only sugar...but that's the good thing about mfp, I have learned so much!!
  • deadbeatsummer
    deadbeatsummer Posts: 537 Member
    I also learned the hard way that the word "antisocial" is a huge insult. I had to explain to my housemates that in the US it just means you are not social. Then it became the running joke in the house. Good times.

    In the UK, 'antisocial behaviour' is considered a crime and is a word used a lot today in law enforcement and the media. Someone who is considered 'antisocial', is similar to a yob or a delinquent. Hence the Anti Social Behaviour Orders - criminal orders that were used against people who were considered a public nuisance in the eyes of the law.
    Other than that, it sums up images of someone who is a loner and hates company :)
  • LondonEliza
    LondonEliza Posts: 456 Member

    Oh and being pissed in England is drunk and being pissed in the US means mad. Whenever one of us would say we were pissed, we'd ask "are you pissed in the English sense or the American sense."

    Unless you add the word off. Pissed off = mad in England :bigsmile:

    Just to clarify: not mad as in derranged, mad as in furious
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    I love this thread! I teach English as a second language to French, German and Spanish speakers and have had many conversations with my students about the differences between US and UK English.

    I think it's easy for Brits to understand US English as most people I know watch American films and tv series (or serials!) so we know the meaning of most 'Americanisms'. It's probably more difficult for people from North American though and as my mum is originally from Canada I have teased her my whole life about some of the words and expressions she uses, although after living in England for nearly 50 years she's pretty much adapted now!

    Since joining MFP I hae got used to using abbreviations of many words I'd never usually abbreviate and talking about my weight in pounds instead of stone and pounds.

    As for American foods, my father was Jamaican and being so close to the US you could find a lot of American food in the supermarkets over there so when I used to go for summer holidays from the age of 8 I often ate American products we couldn't buy in the UK. I think cheese strings have been around for many years though and so has coffee creamer (is it always in the liquid form or sometimes powdered like coffee mate?)

    My sister now lives in Florida and whever I speak to her I always find it amusing that she has picked up a lot of Americanisms too like using the word 'Diaper' instead of 'Nappy' or talking about 'Daycare' instaed of 'Nursery' when talking about her kids.
  • kuntry_navy
    kuntry_navy Posts: 677 Member
    I worked with a bunch of Scots overseas on off-shore oil rigs. The biggest difference on the rigs I noticed was their bacon compared to ours, theirs was brined or something. While we were on land, we usually had a strong difference in opinion between how much better we thought bourbon and Tennessee whiskey was, compared to their one sided opinion of scotch.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Another way to describe being drunk in the UK 'Off your face' or 'Paralytic'.
  • foxro
    foxro Posts: 793 Member
    I'm a Canadian from a country called Canada which is part of the North American continent. We don't all speak French, live in igloos,
    and we do have telephone and TV's. American's blame Canada for winter weather, even though winter storms usually begin in the USA midwest and move towards Canada. We do use the metric system but sometimes switch between imperial and metric just to be good neighbours with everybody. So have a great day eh ?!!!!
  • Elegra2006
    Elegra2006 Posts: 144 Member
    Yeh, the whole metric/imperial thing, I'm from the UK, 34 and could pretty easily cut off a 1oz lump of cheese but ask me to measure 100g of cheese and I have no idea.

    Being looked at weirdly in the hotel in Houston when I asked for some milk to go with my tea, I didn't even attempt to ask for skimmed. I hate creamy milk!

    I've also noticed that when Americans talk about food on here that there seems to be lots more substitutes ie. sugar subsitutes and various other things like that - don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing. Our food here seems more straight-forward - don't know if anyone else agrees?

    Also, as someone else mentioned lots more Americans do the Insanity type workouts - not really suitable for living in a top floor flat (apartment) and jumping around like an elephant on the ceiling below!

    American 'chocolate' - nuff said!!

    But... I love typical American houses, you get so much more for your money, really spacious, outdoor space, simple designs etc.
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    I just picture all of you walking around in robes talking like Harry Potter.
  • martymum
    martymum Posts: 413 Member
    I just picture all of you walking around in robes talking like Harry Potter.

    only our son...he will be 11 on monday as is waiting for his hogwarts letter lol

    martyx
  • charismanoodles
    charismanoodles Posts: 343 Member
    UK > We have Chavs
    US > You have Hicks

    Aus...we have bogans
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    It's interesting here too (I'm currently in Spain) because it's not possible to get a lot of what's considered to be a 'health' food or 'diet' food and the food here is even more straightforward that it is in the UK compared to the US. Most people in Spain don't use artificial anything except maybe a little artificial sweetner in their coffee sometimes.

    If I buy some of the foods I like from home like Marmite or Baked Beans, even Peanut Butter the cashiers look at me like I'm strange and ask me what I'm buying and what to do with it!
  • Mimoki
    Mimoki Posts: 115 Member
    UK > We have Chavs
    US > You have Hicks

    Aus...we have bogans

    In Ireland they call em knackers, in Boston hoodratz lol.
  • traceytwink
    traceytwink Posts: 538 Member
    I've noticed there seems to be so much more sodium in food in the US unless that's because I don't eat processed food maybe it's the same here too
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    Oh and I forgot, I also learned the hard way that "pants" in the UK were underwear. In the US, pants are jeans and trousers.

    I'm in the UK, I call jeans and trousers "pants" too, underwear is underwear. I don't know if it's a regional thing?
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    I'm a Yorkshire lass so we have many many bizarre sayings and phrases that people from 60 miles outside of here don't understand (seriously, my hubby is from Manchester and sometimes even after 6yrs he doesn't understand some things I say lol).

    The funniest difference has to be FANNY :)
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    I've noticed there seems to be so much more sodium in food in the US unless that's because I don't eat processed food maybe it's the same here too

    I think that's more to do with people entering things wrong in the database. I'm constantly correcting the sodium content of things because people seem to think it should be entered in grams and not mg :flowerforyou:

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