Interesting/ annoying things about the UK

[Devil]

Queuing is a weird one because no one can fucking do it properly for a country that prides themselves on it (possibly just London to be fair).

Aside from ‘alright’ my major one was just how much low rent, cheap, let’s be honest - shit - entertainment is SO popular. Now don’t get me wrong, I adore it myself. But something like a Panto, or Ant and Decs Takeaway as Saturday night entertainment or a Butlins resort or even Cheryl Cole being a bonafide popstar are such weird (but fabulous) concepts.

 

[Diddy]

Are we the queens of double carbing?

omg Japanese often ask me what I think is weird in Japan, and I say that Osaka is a hotbed of double-carbing... I never really thought about it but Brits totally do that too. I’ll have to tell them about crisp sandwiches next time and CRISP CULTURE of course

 

[Diddy]

London public transport is incredible, the rest of the UK is pretty dire though.

i was going to SAY, this is not my experience in MK

 

[Diddy]

Are we the only country where you can buy small packets of crisps? Lays are always in massive bags.

Also, I’ve noticed that we have a fantastic selection of pre-packed sandwiches compared to other countries, in fact I wonder if the meal deal is only a British phenomenon?

these exact things are what I miss in Japan. Crisps and bread are sort of popular but crisps are not really a snack you have by yourself unless you want a big bag. That being said I’ve only seen Pringles in mini cans (they’re tiny too).

convenience store sandwiches are alright but 95% of the time it’s a very homogenous crust-less white bread. The roll-type bread is always quite oily too. So I really miss a nice M&S All Day Breakfast sandwich

 

[Peekaboo]

these exact things are what I miss in Japan. Crisps and bread are sort of popular but crisps are not really a snack you have by yourself unless you want a big bag. That being said I’ve only seen Pringles in mini cans (they’re tiny too).

convenience store sandwiches are alright but 95% of the time it’s a very homogenous crust-less white bread. The roll-type bread is always quite oily too. So I really miss a nice M&S All Day Breakfast sandwich

Yes but you can buy ENDLESS VARIATIONS OF RICE BALLS and MELON PAN in Combinis so you're the real winner here.

 

[Diddy]

Yes but you can buy ENDLESS VARIATIONS OF RICE BALLS and MELON PAN in Combinis so you're the real winner here.

I never really got into rice balls or at least convenience store ones. I mean the fillings are interesting but I don’t see the obsession with plain white rice! I need a thread about japan to full go off but I doubt it would be popular

Melon pan, I think I need a better example of it than conbini-bought, I’m not really seeing the appeal yet. It’s just sugar-crusted bread!

And don’t get my started on the dessert sandwiches side-by-side with the lettuce & ham, you’ll see strawberries & whipped cream sandwiches (in the same weird white bread)!

 

[RS]

If anything, when you flush your toilet poo particles fly everywhere, so better keep that away from your toothbrush and towels

This is why toothbrushes etc are kept in a drawer or cupboard.

 

[Mats]

Which is more hygienic really.

I would like to be presented with peer-reviewed articles to back up this preposterous claim!

 

[Lee]

Also, I’ve noticed that we have a fantastic selection of pre-packed sandwiches compared to other countries, in fact I wonder if the meal deal is only a British phenomenon?

My god I miss packed sandwiches and meal deals. You can get them here but a fucking cheese sandwich is $10. Fuck off.

 

[Mats]

we don't meal deals here but I think the UK formula is quite cute. pre-packed sandwiches are much more normal now in supermarkets here though, so it might be a thing yet, we just need the little crisp bags

 

[Kevin]

This weird believe that mainland Europe hates you. If anything I was told to hate Germany because of some lost football matches.

 

[Penelope]

I see RACISM, CARPETS, TAPS (and the OVERALL BATHROOM EXPERIENCE) and TERRIBLE FOOD has been covered already

To PLAY AGAINST TYPE, I'm going to list NICE things only!

- A MUCH HIGHER level of LITERACY overall, even amongst the least educated groups of society and even if that literacy translates into reading a rag. Overall, there's a level of INTELLECTUAL DISCOURSE that I haven't found in other countries
- A very healthy dose of PRAGMATISM and a DISLIKE FOR DRAMA (a very WELCOME habit for the more HIGHLY-STRUNG MED TYPES)
- So many beautiful accents and regional differences for such a small island
- An actually SURPRISINGLY GOOD SELECTION of traditional cakes and tarts, including some contenders for TOP 10 CAKES ever like CARROT CAKE.
- Satire and irony are UNDERSTOOD and TRADED in EVERYDAY LANGUAGE without having to caveat them
- (This may shock some Brits and it certainly isn't JAPAN-LEVELS but) a ROBUST public transport system with regular and reliable connections. The first time I was told to "get a bus" to go somewhere in London I LAUGHED until I realised that buses actually TURN UP at the times that are written on the bus stop!
- Eccentricity isn't frowned upon and is somewhat ENCOURAGED
- WITTY PARLOUR GAMES where IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO WINS are broadcast on television with the regularity of football matches

This post is the closest I've come to feeling any sense of patriotism in years

 

[Penelope]

Devastated we don't have tags so I could've done 'crisp as arseholes culture'.

Anyway, here's a Guardian longread for anyone baffled at our sandwich culture https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/24/how-the-sandwich-consumed-britain

 

[Indie]

Are we the only country where you can buy small packets of crisps? Lays are always in massive bags.

I did come across a fantastic selection of curry-flavoured small bags of Lay's crisps in India. Mind you, that could be the British influence.

Also TAYTO in Ireland.

 

[ButterTart]

Do other countries have the same problem that we do with ending phone calls?
We have to say every possible version of ‘bye’ and then, as we’re ending the call, do that sort of goodbye quack where you chant ‘byebyebyebyebye’ until you disconnect. I’ve actually felt quite abrupt in the past for hanging up after only saying bye four or five times.

 

[RS]

we don't meal deals here but I think the UK formula is quite cute. pre-packed sandwiches are much more normal now in supermarkets here though, so it might be a thing yet, we just need the little crisp bags

We have little crisp baga here. I didn’t know it was a UK specialty.

 

[Mats]

the only thing that comes close here is one big bag of 6 little bags of Lays

 

[ButterTart]

Do other countries have the same problem that we do with ending phone calls?
We have to say every possible version of ‘bye’ and then, as we’re ending the call, do that sort of goodbye quack where you chant ‘byebyebyebyebye’ until you disconnect. I’ve actually felt quite abrupt in the past for hanging up after only saying bye four or five times.

For context, I mean this:

 

[Peekaboo]

For context, I mean this:

I think that's also indicative of two very British things, a general sense of politeness in pretty much every interaction (like THANKING YOUR BUS DRIVER! ) and trying to avoid confrontation and directness, admittedly taken to an extreme level on a phone call where you repeatedly and gently let the other person know you are about to do something 'rude' (hang up on them).

 

[ButterTart]

I think that's also indicative of two very British things, a general sense of politeness in pretty much every interaction (like THANKING YOUR BUS DRIVER! ) and trying to avoid confrontation and directness, admittedly taken to an extreme level on a phone call where you repeatedly and gently let the other person know you are about to do something 'rude' (hang up on them).

This is true, even though you both want the call to end, neither of you want the other person to know that.
Thanking the bus driver is just common sense, you got there without dying and they should be commended.
Apologising when someone walks into you, or when you walk into a lamppost, are a step too far down the politeness road but I do it anyway.

 

[Tisch]

For context, I mean this:

Well, I feel very seen.

The Zoom equivalent is trying to keep up the frantic waving with one hand while trying to disconnect with the other, being sure to not drop your smile into neutral face as you do it.

 

[RS]

For context, I mean this:

It’s not too different from my phone calls with our business partners or really the ending of any Skype/Teams meeting nowadays. It takes forever to end.

 

[Peekaboo]

Thanking the bus driver is just common sense, you got there without dying and they should be commended.

Oh I'm not dissing it and I guess if you're a regular it kind of makes sense, but I had never seen it done until I came to Britain.

I actually do it now - but only if I go past the driver to exit. Some people shout it from the back of the bus!

 

[Logic?]

For context, I mean this:

Which accent is this? I like it.

Bri’ish people be like BEE BEE CEE RAYDEEOHONE1XTRA

 

[ButterTart]

Oh I'm not dissing it and I guess if you're a regular it kind of makes sense, but I had never seen it done until I came to Britain.

I actually do it now - but only if I go past the driver to exit. Some people shout it from the back of the bus!

shouting it is a step too far, I only do it if I’m walking straight past them.

 

[Lucille]

Not many people thank the driver in London but in my town up north EVERYONE DOES IT! It’s kind of cute.

 

[ButterTart]

Which accent is this? I like it.

Bri’ish people be like BEE BEE CEE RAYDEEOHONE1XTRA

It’s sort of a mishmash of West Midlands and North West. I suppose Staffordshire is the closest approximation.

 

[RS]

Thanking the bus driver is something I heard of for the first time here in Moopy a while back.

Unless you know the bus driver, I think people (and most probably the driver himself) would think you’re insane if you’d do it here.

 

[RJN]

Wouldn't it feel rude to walk by someone who just drove you somewhere without saying thank you?

 

[RS]

Or maybe it’s just something you do in small towns/countryside?

 

[RS]

Wouldn't it feel rude to walk by someone who just drove you somewhere without saying thank you?

You get off the bus from one of the back doors.

 

[RJN]

But of course I thank everyone for everything so hard to gauge

 

[ButterTart]

Thanking the bus driver is something I heard of for the first time here in Moopy a while back.

Unless you know the bus driver, I think people (and most probably the driver himself) would think you’re insane if you’d do it here.

From what I’ve encountered, Swedish people are very polite without going overboard. There’s still a bit of that stand-offishness that we should all aspire to.

 

[RJN]

You get off the bus from one of the back doors.

Hmm in that case I guess I wouldn't then

 

[Tisch]

Not many people thank the driver in London but in my town up north EVERYONE DOES IT! It’s kind of cute.

Doesn't happen in my home town either, but when I lived in Brighton it was a bit of a culture shock that people did it. I think it was the variation of bus where you exited in front of the driver versus the middle of the bus away from the driver's view.

 

[ZenGiraffe]

Thanking the bus driver is just common sense, you got there without dying and they should be commended.

I've always had a minor problem with this since poor train, tube etc. drivers don't get the same level of respect.

 

[Penelope]

 

[Penelope]

 

[Penelope]

 

[jivafox]

I always thank the bus drivers.

I’d thank the train drivers too but LAST TIME I forced myself into the cabin I got in trouble.