Differences: US vs UK

[LucyintheSky]

noooooo lol not french fries!!! fish and chips is battered white fish (cod, haddock, pollock etc) with big fat chips, not mechanically reformed and not those thin nasty maccy d style things. and if you have any taste mushy peas too

crisps= american chips
chips= chunky fried potato chips
fries= french fries.

Hahaha, I always thought it was fries because of "fish and chips" here being served with fries! hahahaha. We have big fat chunky chips here too, but they aren't as common & they're still called chips.

 

[menageriemom]

It's not like you can go to any old place and get most of what's on that site. A lot of it is made for shock value and entertainment.

As for tea, gross gross gross! I'm sure I'd be more partial if I grew up on it, but I'd much rather have coffee or just water all day.

 

[LucyintheSky]

It may just be my own experience but I noticed that pretty much everything is supersized in the US compared to UK... anyone else find that?

Portion sizes are SEVERELY distorted here. Americans always want more for their money. And then we wonder why obesity is such a problem!! Basically, if you eat out at a restaurant here, get a box right away and put half of your dinner to take in it for later, because chances are half of the meal you get is actually a normal portion size. American health care association try to distribute pamphlets, make commercials, and do other things to try and properly educate on portion sizes, but most people don't listen, they just want more and more and more, which is the American way sadly. Many things in this country disgust me!

 

[Surprise]

It may just be my own experience but I noticed that pretty much everything is supersized in the US compared to UK... anyone else find that?

Portion sizes are SEVERELY distorted here. Americans always want more for their money. And then we wonder why obesity is such a problem!! Basically, if you eat out at a restaurant here, get a box right away and put half of your dinner to take in it for later, because chances are half of the meal you get is actually a normal portion size. American health care association try to distribute pamphlets, make commercials, and do other things to try and properly educate on portion sizes, but most people don't listen, they just want more and more and more, which is the American way sadly. Many things in this country disgust me!

Yeah, I hate the "bigger is better" mentality. It's embarrassing.

 

[LucyintheSky]

I have to drive everywhere because I'm in the middle of no where lol.
In US they have bacon with dessert, seems very strange to me
The UK doesn't have many variations of things like pop tarts we only have two flavours.
Flip flops are called thongs?? or something like that. That confused the hell out of me when I heard it on friends
What's the big deal with cookie dough? I bought some when I was in America because I had heard so much about it and it really isn't very nice.
I'm starving btw hence mentioning so much food

I live in the US and bacon with dessert is very weird to me! lol. It's a weird taste that some people have.

I think we have 30+ flavors of poptarts!

I think most people here call them flip flops. I hear thongs once in a while, but not too often. I think it's more of a personal thing than a US thing.

 

[Blah11]

My friend went to texas to visit family and was astounded at portion sizes there :\ Sounds good to me but I am greedy and im sure the novelty would wear off if i lived there.

 

[Surprise]

My friend went to texas to visit family and was astounded at portion sizes there :\ Sounds good to me but I am greedy.

Lol! I eat half and take the rest home. Then I get to look forward to eating it again

 

[LucyintheSky]

The US is so huge compared to the UK there are a million regional differences as well. Even just the pace of life and attitudes are different depending on where you live.

This is a really good point. There are things that we do in Michigan than people in California find crazy and vice versa. There are a lot of American things that are universal, but also a lot of differences that vary from region to region and also state to state!

 

[Surprise]

The US is so huge compared to the UK there are a million regional differences as well. Even just the pace of life and attitudes are different depending on where you live.

This is a really good point. There are things that we do in Michigan than people in California find crazy and vice versa. There are a lot of American things that are universal, but also a lot of differences that vary from region to region and also state to state!

Very true. It's vast here, and the differences are almost divisive. I'm from the Deep South and our way of life is much different than the rest of the country. We are more formal and traditional, for instance.

 

[MrsRabbit]

I'm Canadian living in the US

Fish and chips -- nah fish and fries.

I will say "Where is that?" and people here in IL will say "Where is that at?" and it grates on my nerves.

My nephew will say huh and I'll say pardon?

Canadians don't call it Canadian bacon Canadian bacon.

British people seem to use a lot more slang online. There was a learning curve when I joined this site.

 

[Surprise]

I'm Canadian living in the US

Fish and chips -- nah fish and fries.

I will say "Where is that?" and people here in IL will say "Where is that at?" and it grates on my nerves.

My nephew will say huh and I'll say pardon?

Canadians don't call it Canadian bacon Canadian bacon.

British people seem to use a lot more slang online. There was a learning curve when I joined this site.

It bothers me too. I was taught not to end a sentence with a preposition.

Which reminds me of a funny birthday card I once saw at the store. It had a photo of 2 young women on the front; one girl said, "Where's your birthday party at?" and the other girl said, "you're not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition". So the 1st girl said, "fine. Where's your birthday party at, bitch?"

 

[LucyintheSky]

Oh the other thing is Irony. Is this just something that people say or is it true that the Americans are not such fans of irony in entertainment as the UK? Does this make sense LOL.

Something I notice a lot, I'm not sure if it is an American thing, but people will say "Oh how ironic" all the time....but it's never something that actually constitutes as ironic. I wish I could think of a good example, but they just use the word incorrectly. I know I'm a fan of irony in entertainment, but I also like to watch British tv shows and those aren't common here.

It cracks me up that people in the US call their bum(butt) Their fanny.. Where im from that was a very rude word when I was growing up..
The first time I heard it i was watching that programme "The Nanny" and she told one of the kids to grab their fanny bag (bumbag).. I nearly spit my drink out at that, i was in so much shock! ..

I NEVER hear anyone call their butt a fanny. lol. I think it's an old word like something my great grandma probably said, but it hardly ever gets used now. We used to have these little purse like things, but they didn't have straps, they just snapped around the waist & the pouch was in the front under your belly- and they were called fanny packs. No idea why though!

One of the differences that strikes me on here is the difference in attitudes to pregnancy and birth. In the UK a lot of women will still drink tea/coffee, have the occasional glass of wine etc. Whereas in the US they seem to give it all up. With birth, it is so medicalised that it's (in my eyes) awful. I believe there are still some states where it is illegal to be a midwife. Here, most births are midwife led and there is support (usually) for home births etc.

Another thing that I think a lot of British people struggle to understand, is the power of God and religion in the US. We thought it was strange when Tony Blair was open about his belief in God and went to church. In the UK religion and belief is seen as a private thing, whereas in the US every politician and his aunt wears his religion on his sleeve and often speaks about his belief.

Oh, and what's the deal with American's hugging? I have relatives from the US that come over from time to time, (and I've met other Americans that do the same) and they just seem to hug everyone. I barely hug my OH, I never hug my mum or brothers and sisters, yet these people that I have never met just come up and hug me without care lol.

Here we have it pounded into our heads that caffeine and alcohol of any amounts are bad for the fetus/baby. Now they say that caffeine is fine if it's under 300mg a day.

Home births and midwives are becoming a lot more common here. Circumcision is also happening less and less, where as years ago EVERY boy here was circumcised unless you had a religion that didn't allow it.

I REALLY wish religion was more of a private thing here. Instead people like to be invasive about it. There are big debates here about our pledge of allegiance because it says "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." and not everyone here believes in the same god, or in god at all...so why do we all have to pledge allegiance under god? The same thing is that on our money it says "in god we trust". Politicians, especially presidential candidates are expected to be religious and I highly doubt an atheist president will ever be elected.

I hug my OH & son a lot. I hug my family when I see them because I don't see them often. Other than that....I don't hug people, especially random strangers. I think it's a personality thing. I've met some really huggy people and I've met people who never hug anyone.

 

[becstar]

our sweets and chocolate is waaaaaaay nicer! hersheys it honestly tastes like vomit to me! actual vomit!

bassinet! took me ages to get that one- we call it a moses basket!

OMG I thought I was the only one... I like the cookies n cream type ones but plain Hersheys taste like puke! Sorry...

 

[LucyintheSky]

Oh! It seems everyone on this site calls them scans...when you get to see the baby on the monitor....we call them ultrasounds!

And I've seen a couple threads call it a "potty shot" when you find out if it's a boy or girl? I guess we don't have a name for it...it's just the ultrasound where you find out the sex!

 

[LucyintheSky]

I'm loving this thread!

Some more random word differences:
US vs UK
counterclockwise vs anti-clockwise
butt (or ass) vs arse
bartender vs barmaid/barman
guy vs bloke
cop (police officer) vs bobby
drunk driving vs drink driving
cigarette vs fag
panties vs knickers
ladybug vs ladybird
nutcase vs nutter
mailbox vs pillar box
kiss vs snog
get lost vs sod off
joint vs spliff
right on vs spot on


Words we don't have in the US & I don't know what would even translate if anything:
bollocks
blimey
bugger
wanker

 

[tallybee]

^ yeah

We have loads of words for cops/bobbys/rozzers/fuzz//pigs/old bill/blue meanies/ etc etc lol

 

[Blah11]

Oh! It seems everyone on this site calls them scans...when you get to see the baby on the monitor....we call them ultrasounds!

And I've seen a couple threads call it a "potty shot" when you find out if it's a boy or girl? I guess we don't have a name for it...it's just the ultrasound where you find out the sex!

we call them ultrasounds too. The potty shot thing sounds very american to me, are you sure it was a UKer?

actually a lot of those words we use too! Guess we are just more into synonyms.

 

[LucyintheSky]

We use fuzz & pigs too! Haven't heard the rest though!

 

[Surprise]

We use fuzz & pigs too! Haven't heard the rest though!

and "po-po" lol

 

[LucyintheSky]

we call them ultrasounds too. The potty shot thing sounds very american to me, are you sure it was a UKer?

I was wondering about it. I don't think I've seen one person on this site- UK or American- use the world ultrasound, it's all been scan, which is very weird to me for some reason.

I don't remember where I saw it or who said it! I've never heard it said here before though, maybe it was just someones personal term or something.