7 Ways British and American Restaurants Are Very Different

Few things highlight the cultural differences between Britain and America more than food, with restaurants being the central hub for many of these differences. Here are seven of them.
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[@beeurd]

I remember a long time ago when I was working in McDonald's, an American visitor came up to the counter and asked for "silverware". I, being teenager unwise to the linguistic differences, had no idea what she was on about until she elaborated by asking for a knife and fork, to which I replied "oh, yeah, it's plastic though" as I handed them over.

[@johniii8147]

LOL

[@rebekahmontesdeoca565]

Sometimes we call that plasticware

[@cahinton.]

To American ears, "cutlery" sounds like crude eating utensils that would have been used in the Middle Ages, or even in ancient times.

[@michritch3493]

@@cahinton. I've heard it called cutlery in the U.S. in the midwest by my grandparents and their friends. And my family aren't recently arrived or purebred by any means. I wonder if it was regional.

[@cahinton.]

@@michritch3493 I'm a Midwesterner (Minnesotan), and I've never heard silverware referred to as "cutlery". Then again, the Midwest is huge and has a population of 70 million, so who knows.

[@maryalice578]

Down here in rural Arkansas, for a too short time we had a local pub run by a transplant from Manchester. He served authentic fish and chips with mushy peas. He also did a heck of a Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding. The restaurant usually ran out of that dish within an hour of opening on Sunday afternoon. What I truly have to thank him for though was introducing me to Coronation Chicken and a couple of awesome curries.

[@SuperiorHound]

Coronation Chicken was an eye-opener for me (tho I had it in Scotland). It’s one chicken salad-like dish I can tolerate (I hate mayo). Now I make it all the time at home.

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

@@SuperiorHound Sounds good I love chicken salad :)

[@riskvideos]

Sounds like a fine establishment

[@c1ph3rpunk]

I do miss a proper full English breakfast. They’re just not the same in the US, that’s the first thing I fell in love with in England. The English blokes I worked with came to say, every AM, “you know we don’t eat those every day, right?” I MUST!!!

[@markcoleman9892]

My maternal grandmother, 1st generation American from German immigrants, married a 1st generation American of English immigrants (shortly after WW I). She learned to "cook English" for her husband. The family favorite was always Yorkshire Pudding. During a business trip to the north of England, I found myself in the City of York, in a pub established in the 1700s. And their Yorkshire pudding tasted EXACTLY like my gandma's! Yum!

[@kokoken1]

All valid points, Lawrence. I'm an American who lived in China for 11 years. I used to deplore the Americanized versions of foods I order at Chinese restaurants in the US ... until I found out that at Domino's Pizza in China, they use toppings such as corn, pea pods and shrimp. Ah, well, you have to play to locals right? There was one pizza at Domino's the Chinese call "American" pizza -- it's pepperoni.

[@thesame4076]

I went to a Shakey's in Japan, "World's Greatest Pizza" TM. Toppings included corn, pea pods and squid. The first time I went to an Indian restaurant was in London. After 30 months I made it back to the states (1977, I was 20). I spent a week's pay at Taco Bell because I missed "Mexican Food". I was a very naive soldier then.

[@lindaroberts8384]

I'd like to have a go at a shrimp and pea pod pizza. Two of my favorite foods!

[@SMElder-iy6fl]

You have fish and chips. I wish we had proper fish and chips!

[@PaidInBoredom]

I Wouldn't mind shrimp as a topping for the right kind of pizza. Like if it was an alfredo sauce pizza that would be bitchin.

[@laurastanifer1293]

I once ordered a "burger and salad" at an Irish pub and was served coleslaw and a big meatball. I'm still not sure what happened. 😄

[@MerelyGifted]

I've heard horrifying tales of Irish pizza with potatoes and corn on! @_@

[@katrinawright2139]

As an American living in Russia we were surprised by pizza having mayonnaise and corn on it.

[@chawndel8279]

@@katrinawright2139 eww!!!

[@anndeecosita3586]

They put wieners on my pizza in Mexico.

[@AzraelThanatos]

@@MerelyGifted Be glad they aren't Japanese...they have the really weird topping choices. Some of which are decently tasting, but very strange to consider. There's a nearby place that has a saurkraut pizza though...it was originally a joke item that turned out to, actually, be rather good. Potato and corn aren't that unusual if you consider other groupings of food that are basically baked on a pizza crust.

[@DeflatorMouse]

I feel it's important to remember that many of the "foreign" foods we like here in the U.S. have been modified by the immigrant communities who introduced them here. So instead of thinking of it as "fake Chinese food," think of it as "Chinese-American cuisine." It is its own thing. Unless you are talking about Taco Bell, lol.

[@rogen8094]

Taco Bell is authentic Mexican food.

[@youtubename7819]

Taco Bell is authentic stoner cuisine.

[@urphakeandgey6308]

I've also noticed a lot of immigrant foods in the US end becoming "fast food," probably for competition reasons. Pizza... Chinese food... The end state is basically just McDonaldization for all cuisine in the US. Not denying that there aren't authentic restaurants, but the fast food version tends to dominate.

[@lurlenejones456]

Same thing with our Cuban food in Florida. It isn't different because non-Cubans changed it, but from the tweeking by the Cuban immigrants as they were influenced by the Sicilians and others generally.

[@guharup]

cuisine?

[@andrewtaylor940]

The portion sizes in America start to make sense once you realize that to the restaurant owner, the food itself is often the lowest cost of operations. So when business pressures forced them over the years to increase prices, increasing portion sizes left the customer still feeling like they were getting value. This slowly over time escalated to the seemingly insane levels you see today.

[@ToastyMozart]

It's also to some extent a matter of diversity. You don't know who's coming in the door, but be it a tiny Asian woman or a towering Samoan man it'd be pretty bad service to let a customer leave hungry. So set the portions for the largest probable appetite and let everyone else leave with leftovers.

[@MirthandirRose]

There's also reasonable evidence to suggest that the American food culture quirk of takeout boxes being rather expected came in some part from the Great Depression. It probably started with family homes and got adopted by actual restaurants; produce technically more than what is needed, because you don't know whether or not these people get to eat more than once a day. Make sure no one goes hungry.

[@aaron74]

I've heard portion sizes are largest in the Midwest (think Wisconsin supperclubs), and smallest on the West Coast (think Beverly Hills).

[@woodcider]

There’s a southern style restaurant in my NYC neighborhood that has enormous portions. I end up with two meals out of the leftovers. It’s ridiculous. But to be honest the fried chicken tastes better the next day.

[@aaron74]

@@woodcider I think of the old sitcom Cheers when Norm talks about going to the "Hungry Heifer".

[@greycats99]

I love Indian food, and speaking to Indian people I've found out that the "English version" of a dish named Phaal was actually invented in Britain as it doesn't exist in India. Same thing for the Chicken Tikka Masala, which is basically the English national dish...

[@mrkillman555]

Chicken Tikka Masala is a British dish, not English, as it was made in Scotland

[@MJBJ-cb2jd]

Ah, like chow mei.

[@JoeBleasdaleReal]

Asma Khan says basically all British ‘Indian’ food was invented by one generation of Bangladeshi immigrants in the 70s who opened restaurants bc they couldn’t get jobs from racist companies and didn’t want to claim benefits. They adapted classic flavours to the British taste, i.e. put loads of cream in it and made it milder, and the result was that, despite problems with people abusing them and leaving without paying etc. in the early years, they changed the palate of a nation and made the “curry house” a staple of British cuisine

[@jeannerogers7085]

Egad, our local has Chicken Tikka Masala - in San Diego, CA!

[@FredBTs]

@@mrkillman555 Unbelievable! Scottish food that tastes good.

[@snorky2k521]

When I visited Denmark, there were "Chicago style" pizza places all over. When they heard our accent they asked if we were from Chicago. We were sent by a Chicago company so we said yes. They were so happy to have "Chicagoans" that they asked if they could take our picture and hang it on the wall as an endorsement from real Chicagoans.

[@mescko]

Reminds me of having my picture taken in Edinburgh by a Japanese family (I was in the kilt). I didn't have the heart to tell them I live in Oregon...

[@davidbroadfoot1864]

@@mescko You fraud. LOL.

[@flygirl4983]

Southside girl here -- so, how was the pizza?

[@kevinbeck5419]

@@mescko Do you play bagpipes that shoot flames too?

[@mescko]

@@kevinbeck5419 Flames?? Where does that come from? My Father played the pipes, I don't really have any interest in playing, though I *love* the sound.

[@tommanseau6277]

Silverware had become a catch-all word in the past 20-30 years. Before there was a distinction. Silverware was just that: solid or much more likely plated silver trays and utensils. This was typically used only for special occasions such as Sunday dinner or Thanksgiving. The more common words used while I was growing up was "flatware" or utensils denoting something more likely to be stain-less steel.

[@roentgen571]

yeah, in the US, "silverware" is pretty much just a common phrase for utensils. If you were at an informal outdoor event where the forks and spoons were plastic, people might even still refer it to like that, like, "where would I find the silverware?" Most "silverware" you'll find at any but the very most expensive restaurants in the US will be stainless steel.

[@engletinaknickerbocker5380]

@@roentgen571 When I first left home, it seemed as if people didn't understand what my Pop referred to as the 'eating utensils'. Where is my knife? But, 'flatware' seemed to be the word on the box in the kitchen arts section of the big box store, and plastic ware or picnic ware might be more accurate when picking up utensils for a picnic or dining at McDonalds, however, pretty much at home, we refer to individual implement i.e. "Please set the table with the soup and dessert spoons, and skip the salad forks. But, don't forget the steak knives (or the lobster forks)."

[@sluggo206]

I (American) was born in the 60s and we called it silverware my entire life, and it was stainless steel. My mom had a set of real silver utensels that we rarely used, and I called it "real silver" to distinguish it. I've only seen "flatware" in books and I never knew exactly what it meant.

[@genewaddlerandomstuff2122]

Only the knife is cutlery. The fork is stablery and the spoon is scooplery. 🙄

[@genewaddlerandomstuff2122]

@@terrymurphy2032 😂

[@AndrewAMartin]

@@terrymurphy2032 Only if it's a filet knife...

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@claytonmarkin7863]

This might be the greatest comment in the history of KZbin

[@djquinn11]

They don’t have sporks one the UK. They’re an ingenious American invention.

[@mimichapman6210]

I learned about one of the differences between USA and Britain back in the eighties. I was eating at a small restaurant in Kensington and talking to someone at an a joining table. One of the staff passed me to go to the rear of the restaurant. When they returned as they passes my table 2 ice cubes were dropped into my previously tepid soda. Apparently the staffer heard my American accent and knew that all Americans like ice cold drinks.

[@Anelisa8520]

Ha! But the lukewarm beverage is one of my favorite things about visiting England! Maybe not actual favorite things. But not an ice-cold beverage fan.

[@adde9506]

Nice what they were trying to do, but much better to ask. I don't want ice in my drink at British temperatures.

[@saundrajohnson1571]

😄👍🏼

[@QophSilrahq]

Ugh, I'd smack 'em. I hate having to remember to tell people, "No ice." Especially when I order liquor. Why would they automatically assume I want ice in my drink? You can't reverse that decision.

[@cherryjuice9946]

I'm American, but tell them "no ice". This doesn't seem to confuse anyone. They follow direction and when they give me a refill, they remember I'm the no-ice guy.

[@tammywilson985]

I've heard several Brits talk about the size of appetizers in the US. Unless the menu says 'small plate', appetizers are meant to be shared among several people at a table hence the portion size. Some people get appetizers as their main meal, but not in addition to an entree. Agreed that our overall portion sizes at restaurants is ridiculously large.

[@grace7701]

Agreed, I can't imagine eating an appetizer all by myself, we get 1 for a family of 4, they are big enough usually for 4 and definitely large enough for 2. Nobody gets one for themselves.

[@kaldogorath]

Yep. I'm living abroad and here appetizers are for 1 person. But they're priced higher than a shared app. in the US. It drives me crazy. 4 shrimp with sauce for $12? Why would I ever pay for that? I'm used to getting 20-30 shrimp for $10.

[@Great_Olaf5]

I tend to be the kind of person who eats two large meals a day, and if I know one of them is going to be a restaurant meal, I tend to spread them out as far as possible. Generally, if I eat a meal, I'll be functionally incapable of eating more than just a few nibbles of something for at least 4 hours, and my meals are usually spaced out to more like 6-8 hours. This particular habit has been pretty much stable since I left puberty, though on rare occasions I don't feel hungry enough to have more than one meal in the day, and usually not too many days later I'll have an unusually large appetite. I'll be the first to admit I'm no model of health, but I'm not that bad either.

[@minuteman4199]

I'd be curious to know how the main course became the entree, when entree means entrance, as in something at the beginning.

[@thejourney1369]

Yup. I get some strange looks from waitstaff when I tell them I only want half of what the portion is.

[@Phyde4ux]

While asking for the check may be more common in the US, asking for "the bill" would be considered normal as well, and would certainly not cause any confusion.

[@jonesnori]

I disagree. I learned "bill" somehow growing up, though I am not sure if I got it from British novels or if it was in use in the parts of the South where I lived. When I moved to the NYC area, I found that the combination of me saying "bill" and the ambient noise level in restaurants meant that the waiters didn't understand me. I had to learn to say "check", and eventually to learn the check hand motion (making a checkmark on your palm with the index finger of the other hand). The hand motion was understandable across a noisy room, as long as you could catch your waiter's eye.

[@XianHu]

I regularly ask for the "bill" when dining out, because to me, receiving a check would imply that they're paying me. I've never experienced any trouble with them understanding me. I would also add that most Americans use cutlery interchangeably with silverware, or sometimes it comes to cutlery = basic utensils & silverware = fancy utensils.

[@jonesnori]

@LOL CATZ Oh, yeah, it does look more like a scribble, you're right. Thanks.

[@CantaraChristopher]

I always ask, "Can we close out now?" a phrase I learned from my waiter son, and it's always understood.

[@stewedfishproductions7959]

@LOL CATZ- Of course, when in the UK you would spell it correctly... 'cheque' LOL ! Only joshing... 😎😃

[@petroglyph888mcgregor2]

About the popularity of "Chinese food" outside of China---in Perú, it's so popular and common, that they have a short word in Peruvian Spanish for "Chinese food". It's "chifa". Some Chinese restaurants in Perú don't even bother putting a name for their restaurant on their signs. Instead, they just have a sign that just says "CHIFA", and that's enough of a selling point to get plenty of customers. Oh, also, the Chinese word for "fried rice" (Chaofan), was adopted into Peruvian Spanish as "Chaufa".

[@maryherblet1133]

Clean plates for 2nd helpings are required by many health departments. The fear is that something that came in contact with your mouth might have fallen on to your plate and then fall onto the buffet.

[@XcaptainXobliviousX]

it doesnt even have to fall in, contact is as easy as touching your tongs to the plate when you're grabbing another slice of turkey.

[@ChalcedonXXX]

I think this is excellent from the hygiene perspective. I always get a clean plate if visiting a buffet for round two!

[@NeilTaylor1]

Clean plates are probably not required in the UK since any fast food restaurant buffet is likely to be a health hazard anyway.

[@HoldenNY22]

I didn't know that.

[@fromthefire4176]

Never heard of this, lol the buffets I’ve been to I always kept my same plate, wth not?

[@mrp4242]

Another food that the US help elevate is the BURRITO. Easily a top food item, it was originally developed in northern Mexico and SW United States, but really didn’t take off until it was popularized in Southern California. Basically, authentic Mexican restaurants are not likely to carry ‘Burritos’ but they can make then for you off menu. Like Cheeseburgers, I attribute Burritos as essentially being American.

[@visualonestudio]

You're very right. I think burritos, in their big form that we normally think of, were invented in San Francisco by a grocery store called El Foro.

[@Ibegood]

There are quite a few "Mexican" foods that I can think of that were invented in Northern Mexico/Texas/California and eventually eaten in all of those places. Flour tortillas, fajitas, "queso", chili con carne, and chile relleno come to mind

[@bcaye]

Fish tacos from Baja/Southern California.

[@StevenHughes-hr5hp]

Mexicans would know what a burrito is. Do not expect street Mexican food to look anything like the ones invented in Texas or California though.

[@WaybackRewind]

Never been to the UK, but I find the accent so soothing, I could listen to it all day.

[@heidifedor]

We visited Canada in 86, and my dad ordered a burger and fries at a diner. The waitress asked if he wanted gravy on his fries, and he asked, “who puts gravy on there fries?” To which the waitress answered, “Um, everybody.”

[@susanlangley4294]

I’m Canadian and I never saw anyone do this until I was in high school (early 1970’s) in a small city then suddenly it was ubiquitous, so maybe now almost everybody (not I or anyone I know) does this. Poutine would be the exception and its widespread popularity is relatively recent. Since one puts gravy on potatoes when boiled or mashed, it’s not that unusual but personally I’m not a fan and will stay with vinegar. However, that’s another difference you might notice, many Canadians prefer white distilled vinegar to malt or cider on their fries/chips. I work in the US and do find I’m often swapping terms like those in today’s episode as well as things like washroom/restroom/bathroom; napkins/serviettes etc. plus conversions F/C, imperial/metric, and spellings for messages to the UK, Canada or colleagues.

[@daffers2345]

Ha ha, around here we like salt and vinegar on our fries, especially fresh-cut fries. Ketchup is popular too, but vinegar is a must for many! I think it's a regional thing :D

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

Haha that would be putein :D

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

@@daffers2345 I've gotta have my ranch dressing with them lol.

[@heidifedor]

We were somewhere in between Wawa and Thunder Bay.

[@phydeux]

On the subject of buffets, in many states it's the actual law that you have to take a clean plate. And restaurateurs will enforce this in case a health department worker is secretly dining while you're taking your dirty plate back for seconds. I've even seen people argue and be thrown out over a matter of a plate.

[@wandasway6882]

I always thought dinner was the main meal of the day with breakfast and the other meal was either lunch at noon or supper in the evening.

[@kaldogorath]

I don't know why but I always go back with the same plate. My family doesn't, it's just me. No one in my family, other customers, or any staff members have ever told me to do otherwise. I kind of viewed it the way Laurence did - that I was generating fewer dishes to clean.

[@ajs11201]

@@wandasway6882 Yup. I was brought up on the same terminology. It's now rather old school, however, and younger generations would be baffled the word supper.

[@Deanstanley]

Requiring patrons to use a clean plate for each trip to the buffet is a food safety issue. In fact, it is a requirement under the Food and Drug Administration's Food Code. As you eat, the tableware you are using becomes contaminated with saliva, which is transferred to your plate. Clean plates prevent contamination of the buffet foods. The serving utensils only touch clean plates and no one brings bones or half eaten food near the fresh stuff.

[@geriroush8004]

@@kaldogorath now you know not to do that.

[@midnight2600]

So as a restaurant server in America. The standard at our restaurant and indeed a few others I have worked at is to greet your table within 30 seconds of them sitting down, if their drink is reaching the halfway point we bring you a fresh one, 2 mins after delivering the food to the table or 2 bites of the food we come check to make sure its tasting ok and nothing is burnt, or wrong with the food. Then about halfway through the meal we come ask again if everything is ok and if anything else is needed and suggest a few desserts to keep in mind before finishing the meal. Once we see napkins on the table or a lack of people eating we will approach the table again and ask if anything is needing to be boxed up to take home, and if so we box it up for them tableside. Then desserts, if they order any we bring it to the table and wait until about halfway through the dessert to check on the guests again before dropping off the bill.

[@CCoburn3]

Is there a rule in the UK (like there is in the US) that the waiter/waitress must wait until your mouth is full before asking you a question?

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

Ah yes, our most sacred of American laws, next to asking how it is when you're about to take your first bite.

[@jasonlescalleet5611]

That way, the only way you can reply is to say “Mmmmmm.”

[@bullettube9863]

In my experience this is very true !

[@PhilB88]

There is...and it's bloody annoying

[@stewedfishproductions7959]

@LOL CATZ - That made me laugh... 🤣

[@larkmacgregor3143]

My dad was working as a consultant for an engineering firm in Oslo, Norway, and, after he and my mother had been there a few months, we went to visit. It was just after the first phase of the large shopping mall called Akerbrigge had opened, and one of its 'crown jewels' was the first Mexican restaurant in Norway. Being a Colorado native, I just had to try it, and it was one of the weirdest experiences I've ever had. Imagine a plate of food in front of you that *looks* like Mexican food, but tastes like air. Seriously, it was as if they'd pointed some magic vacuum ray at the ingredients and removed all flavor. We had a similar encounter with Chinese food in Bergen. One of Dad's favorite stories from his time there was when he went into a "real Americansk pizza" parlor (run by Turks who'd never set foot in the US 🤣) near his apartment in Homenkollen. It was a Saturday afternoon and the only other patrons were a table of teenaged kids. When his pizza appeared, it didn't have any detectable sauce on it, so he asked the waiter if he could have some extra on the side. This was apparently an unusual request, because the teens at the next table were beginning to stare and whisper. The waiter brought him as small bowl with red sauce in it, and told him to use it sparingly as it was "very spicy". My father being a cautious fellow, took a small amount and dabbed it on his pizza. Nothing. Then he tried a little more. Still nothing. Then he just dumped the whole thing on, to the astonishment of the waiter and the horrified admiration of the teens who thought he was the craziest bad ass ever for slathering his pizza in the "very spicy" sauce. Which turned out to be straight tomato sauce from a can.

[@FredBTs]

Spicy food in the U.K. Is way spicier than in the U.S.

[@larkmacgregor3143]

@@FredBTs You've obviously never had ghost pepper salsa. Seriously, only the U.K. has blander food than Scandinavia, except for the Indian restaurants. There, at least, you can find some heat.😀

[@FredBTs]

@@larkmacgregor3143 true I’ve never had ghost pepper salsa (why would I want to?) but then neither have the vast majority of Americans. The further north in Europe you go the blander the food. Pickled herring is about as spicy as it gets in Sweden. Traditional British foods lack spice but the Brits I know eat Indian/Bangladeshi food as much as the average Californian eats Mexican. The “Indian” food is much much hotter than Mexican. Here, in Southern California, Indian restaurants will ask Brits if they want their food ‘American hot” (mild) or “British hot” (hot). That Chicken Tikka Masala is now the most popular meal in the UK shows how tastes have changed.

[@dshepherd107]

​@@FredBTsthat sounds delicious!

[@cassandraalls5633]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@AUTISTICLYCAN]

The one word that kept tripping me up in the UK was Spud's meaning potatoes. My autistic sentence processing times were much longer in answering and it was noticeable to my hosts. I remember eating at a place and the waitress kept calling me Love! She wasn't being fresh or forward. And she asked,... "So what will WE be having today Love?" Being autistic it took time for my slow autistic brain to translate her question into USA English so I ended up with Fish and Chips what I wanted and Shepherds Pie. I've never ever had a real UK Shepherds Pie and did not think I'd like it. I gave it a try and loved it. My big fat stupid brother wanted a taste. I brought him his own. They must have known we were Americans. The portion sizes were nice. At the ENd of the meal she asked. "So was everything satisfactory?" I said everything was "Lovely Thank You!" she beamed. The tea was great too. The UK has the best tea in my experience.

[@NicoleGarzino]

I recently found that in the UK, some of the more casual restaurants or tea shops won’t bring you the bill. I’m not referring to the common everywhere cafe style of ordering AND paying at the counter - I mean when you order at your table from a server but the bill never comes. You have to go to the counter and, somehow, they know exactly what you ordered or they will ask. In the US, you really only find “pay at the cashier” at old fashioned diners (or those trying to be “old fashioned” like Cracker Barrel). But even in those cases, the server will still bring the bill and tell you to pay at the counter.

[@operablogger]

Having recently returned to the U.S. from a two-week driving trip through the south of Britain -- Bath, Truro, Brighton and Isle of Wight were our anchor cities -- two things stood out from a payment perspective. First, pretty much no one in Britain pays cash for meals (fast food spots are perhaps the exception), whereas cash is still a fairly common payment method here in the States. Second, every restaurant in Britain uses wireless, hand-held credit card machines to allow you to pay your server directly at the table. While these devices are starting to make their way into some U.S. establishments, it's far more common for the server to take your credit card to a central cash register for processing, returning with your card and a slip for you to sign. There are also still plenty of diner-type places where the server hands you the bill (err, check), and you walk up to the register at the front of the restaurant to make your payment.

[@grog5564]

As an example of food differences that I found fascinating. I am from Calgary, Alberta. While Chinese laborers were in Calgary for the construction of the Eau Clair Chinese - Canadian friendship Centre, they tasted Canadian Chinese takeout. They loved the Ginger Beef. A year later a Chinese chef came to Calgary to try the Ginger Beef and took the recipe home for his Chinese Clientele. An example of a food dish of the Chinese tradition, created by a Chinese family living in Calgary that ran a restaurant that was taken back to China and introduced. I guess it is popular there too.

[@mbryson2899]

Years ago while vacationing in the Sierra Nebada Mountains northeast of Sacramento, CA we stumbled across a restaurant whose menu featured pasties. They were delicious but alien to anything I'd had before. In the 19th century the region had been aswarm with miners from Cornwall who had brought the dish with them and it was so popular that it was still around 100+ years later.

[@TheBachBabe]

In the western US (as far as my experience has been) meals are typically labled Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner/Supper (they're interchangeable). Occasionally one might have Brunch or sometimes if one is having a late lunch/ early dinner and it's likely they won't have another meal that day, it might jokingly be called "Linner". "Tea time" in America is "Tee time", referring to golf not an afternoon respite. Having tea or coffee as a social interaction is approximately the social equivalent of "having drinks" but in the afternoon. Lawrence, I love your videos. Sending love to you and your wife from Oregon.

[@UserName-ts3sp]

midwest is pretty much the same, except its usually happy hour instead of tee time

[@ShinKyuubi]

My grandma would sometimes call lunch, dinner and the last meal of the day was usually called supper, to be clear, I live in the southern US and pretty much all my family is from the south. It wasn't uncommon for my mom to say we were going to Sunday Supper at her parents' house..which was right next door and so we walked. My mom never moved very far from her parents at any point in time that I could remember..the furthest we lived from them at one point was...maybe 16ish minutes drive away.

[@baraxor]

The term "dinner" usually referred to the main meal of the day. If that meal was served at midday (as was the case in the hot and humid South) then the much lighter evening meal was called supper.

[@ShinKyuubi]

@@baraxor Can confirm..the southern summers where I live are hot, humid, and muggy as all get out..ESPECIALLY after a rain. Though my grandma's idea of a 'light supper' was steaks and baked potatoes or fried chicken if it wasn't steak.

[@ChalcedonXXX]

Having drinks is often pre-prandial drinks in the pub in my village in the UK.

[@billsimonis]

My wife and I have been to England twice. My favorite food has to be the Sunday Roast at a pub. We had gone to DOver to sightsee and visit the Dover Castle. I believe we ate Sunday Dinner at a pub in Dover (but we may have eaten it when we got back to London) but in any case it was fabulous. eating at the pub is such a wonderful experience.

[@SH-pm3dm]

Bill Simonis, We like the experience of eating at the pub too. Neither of us is a beer drinker but my husband loved shepherd's pie, I like the atmosphere inside the pub. We loved the full English breakfast every morning while staying in Manchester, Preston, and London for 2 weeks. English people are so polite and nice, but I am sorry to point out that the same can't say about the French, sorry.

[@billsimonis]

@@SH-pm3dm we visited Paris as well and had a different experience. for the most part, the average Parisian was nice. It was the shop owners who were the rude ones. Though that may have been due to the languague barrier.

[@yorkshirecoastadventures1657]

@@billsimonis Rude is the national characteristic of the French,especially to the English/English speakers.I live next door and have visited six times.

[@kevinobrien5450]

New Yorkers can also be somewhat brusque to strangers, similar to Parisians. I had an amazing experience in a small French village while staying in a converted barn (an investment property owned by a British couple still living in Blighty) many years back. Everyone we met was amazingly friendly and gracious, including local bar and restaurant owners. So don't take Paris as the basis for which all French people are measured.

[@jenniferpearce1052]

@@billsimonis Shopkeepers will be rude if you are rude first. And that starts if you don't say "Bonjour" when you come in the door! It is very awkward for Americans (like myself) who want to browse without talking to anyone in a language we're not quite comfortable with. But if you look on French language videos, you will see comments from many French people about how rude it is to omit this. It seems like such a small thing to us, but is clearly a big deal.

[@dmblum1]

I live in Zhengzhou, Henan province. It's central China. In L.A., my hometown, there are many types of Chinese styles of food represented (China has eight main types of cuisine). Henan style food is not common in the US - I never had it there. Noodles are very popular here. Also, the food is far spicier (though not usually curry based). If you get Kung Pao chicken, it will come with lots of sichuan peppercorns, which I never had in an American Chinese restaurant. Other differences: if you order a shrimp stir fry you will get the heads on here. They taste good. Hot pot is hugely popular and is not in America. I don't think of Chinese American food as fake, but it is definitely modified and mainly from Hong Kong and Guangdong province (Cantonese).

[@darps1]

Hot pot has started taking off here

[@pjschmid2251]

Ethnic foods like Chinese and Mexican vary greatly depending upon what part of the United States you’re in. I grew up and now again live in the Chicago area and I can’t even touch Chinese food here anymore after living five years in San Francisco. Likewise my grandparents retired to New Mexico and Mexican food there is vastly different than the Mexican food up here in the Chicago area.

[@margietucker1719]

I grew up in Chicago. And the Mexican food in Chicago :( ...well let's just say I didn't taste really good Mexican food until after moving to Texas. On the other hand--nobody can do an Italian Roast Beef sub/with au jus----like Chicago.

[@pjschmid2251]

@@margietucker1719 but one of the things with the differences between Mexican food down along the border and up here in Chicago is that the Mexican population in the two places is from different parts of Mexico. A lot of the Mexican restaurants up here are run by people that are from all over Mexico but not from border areas. That’s why you see far less prevalence of things like rice in a burrito I had never even seen that until I moved to California and thought it was so odd. I came to find out a lot of the Mexican food that you’re going to find in places like Texas is actually Tex-Mex not Mexican from Mexico. If you’re talking about the truly neighborhood Chicago Mexican restaurants those are gonna vary depending upon what part of Mexico the owner came from. Chicago has the second highest Mexican population of any city in the United States so I think you’re making your observation based on a false assumption. Don’t get me wrong I love Tex-Mex food but I don’t confuse it with Mexican food. By the way the food down in New Mexico is distinctly a New Mexican twist on Mexican food.

[@coltonmartinez1935]

@Margie Tusker nah, we get people from all over Mexico and the Latin world. It’s true that we love some Tex-mex but we have authentic Mexican in every single city. And we dont confuse the two either. Now no offense, I’m sure yall got some good Mexican food in parts of the city but out of all the city’s in this country, if it’s state doesn’t boarder Mexico then I already know its not gonna be as good. Don’t even get me started about having to pay for chips and salsa in parts of this country.

[@pjschmid2251]

@@treefeathers yeah I clarified that in my later post. New Mexican food is distinctly its own thing and I love it. Haven’t been there in quite a while and I do miss the food. My grandparents lived in Santa Fe right on the river and the food around there was amazing.

[@MerelyGifted]

Detroit has a very large Hispanic population, and many great Mexican and Latin restaurants. The best are in Southwest Detroit - Mexicantown - and the surburban ones are hit or miss...mostly miss. Of course I had great Mexican food when I lived in Suthun Coliforniyah, but my BF was V impressed when we took him to Armando's in Mexicantown. He told our waitress their food was better than anything he'd ever had in the LA area, and he'd lived there his whole life. My cousin and I visited our grandmother in the early 70s when she briefly had a winter place in Arizona. My cousin was 13 and I was in kindergarten. We spent an afternoon in Nogales, Mexico. We went to lunch at a cool-looking restaurant I found, and they both panicked because the menu was Spanish. I told them to just hand me their menus, relax, and not to worry because I'd do all the ordering, as I looked over my own menu with a tiny yet critical eye. Our waiter was tall and absolutely gorgeous, with longish wavy hair; my cousin blushed whenever he was around. I was just a wee thing, so I shamelessly flirted little girl-fashion. I easily ordered for all of us in Spanish as his smile grew ever wider. I'd honed an intimate knowledge of Mexican fare and related terminology by visiting Armando's since it had opened when I was 2 1/2! Our waiter was delighted, and doubtless told everyone to check out la gringa muchacha who'd ordered for her party, since our water glasses were constantly refilled by smiling folk, and anything we needed was immediately brought w/o our asking. Even the other customers smiled at us. I didn't bother to consult them at all, but much to their surprise, everything I ordered was perfect for them. I told them what was in each dish and how it was made, and they and our waiter were again amazed. Grandma was very picky, and my cousin was skittish then, but they were so happy. All the dishes looked beautiful, which also eased their trepidation. I told my cousin this story shortly after my mother died, but she only remembered visiting Nogales, not the restaurant. She thought it was hilarious, the day saved by that hyperactive kindergartner who frequently embarrassed and exasperated her. I can't remember our lovely waiter's face, but I can still conjure the taste of the tostadas I'd ordered whenever I wish, almost five decades later. They were that good.

[@patricksechowski2134]

I worked in an bar that was right next to an Indian restaurant. I got to know the staff pretty well over the years. One day I asked if they would make me a dish they would've made before they move to America. There was a good heat level but what blew me away was the depth in flavors that the American version just didn't have.

[@VMSelvaggio]

Hello Lost in the Pond! I miss a restaurant (Oddly enough here in Kentucky where I live) called "The Pub" that served Fish and Chips precisely in the description that you have stated. The Chips were wide and a bit oily, and yes, the Haddock was one large slab. Good, although I look forward to the real thing one day. Thanks for the clip!

[@jkelley14701]

Regarding the attention that the wait staff pays to the customer. It's NOT all about the tips. The restaurant trains the staff to pay this type of attention. In other words, it's required by the employer in order for them to keep their job. This is the same in many types of stores as well. If you walk into Dollar General and are greeted by the cashier as entering, this is not because they are friendly, it is because the employer made it a requirement of the job.

[@michellemaine2719]

One thing I love about the UK, the lack of in your face, irritating customer service. If I want help, I'll ask for it.

[@brianabc83]

It is also about high turnover rates. The more thorough you are with each patron the faster they will finish and your next patron will be sitting down. Fast/friendly service is good word of mouth advertising. More money for the restaurant.

[@oahuhawaii2141]

You're right that it's usually a job requirement for the staff to be attentive to their customers. A friend briefly had a side job rating certain chain restaurants or stores that paid for a rating service to ensure the quality of its franchisees. The corporate offices would prepare a long list of things to note down during the meal service, such as being greeted by the host, how long he waited to be seated at a table, if the waiter described the specials of the day, accuracy of the order, how they handled order mistakes, attentiveness of the wait staff, portion sizes, cleanliness of the dining area and restroom, etc. Those lists were quite long, and it required a bit of work to collect and remember all that data (pre-smartphone days) without messing up or being caught taking notes, as either meant the gig was up. I accompanied him on a couple of meals when his wife was unavailable, or was tired eating at a particular restaurant chain. To me, it was too much work to get a free meal, and even more paperwork for him to submit for the refund. The worse visit I had was to a Navy Exchange store that sold grill equipment; we spent over an hour there, and I didn't even get a free meal for all that effort!

[@maxineallen5673]

yes, that is why we hate it in the UK. It is fake and we would rather the server/assistant be grumpy than fake nice. Anyway, we are used to grumpy unhelpful service. If a waiter comes over more than a strict number of times they will absolutely piss off everyone at the table. We don't want to be interrupted every few seconds thanks. It is annoying when you want to leave and they won't bring the bill but normally standing up and putting your jacket on works a treat!

[@johniii8147]

Just depends on the restaurant and and particular server in a restaurant. It can go to both extremes of too much attention to more commonly these days too little.

[@Yvonne-Bella]

As an American, we also say To Go because the food is either "For here or To go"

[@ChimeraActual]

Yorkshire pudding. My maternal grandfather was English, my American grandmother was a wonderful cook who learned to cook British. Her roast lamb was tender, delicious, and crispy. Her roast beef was the best, but her Yorkshire pudding was a revelation. Crispy on the edge tender in the middle with beefy flavors from the fond, and drizzled with "candy juice", AKA blood from the roast. Never had its equal here of course, but even in Britain, where there must have been many excellent examples, I couldn't find them.

[@jacob2808]

Delicious. Cant beat a home made sunday roast

[@mescko]

Haven't been to the UK in ten years, boy do I miss the food (tho' I still never miss a meal 😁). But a mate of mine just sent me some Ribena and Twiglets, so that's perked me up a little.

[@cynthiamckenzie1034]

Juice NOT blood!...lol!

[@ChimeraActual]

@@cynthiamckenzie1034 my mom called it juice, my aunt, the problematic one, called it blood. I bow to your knowledge.

[@NewGoldStandard]

Several years ago, I dated a girl who did a semester in London. I visited and when we went out to a semi-nice place to eat, she told me in hushed tones, "don't ask for a to-go box. They don't do that here." I'll never forget that last quarter of margherita pizza, just sitting there.

[@redbirddeerjazz]

Nah, most places will pack up stuff to go if you ask. Sorry about your pizza 😢

[@jonathanbowen3640]

It's normal (but not super common as most people would finish the food) to take leftovers home in the UK particularly Pizzas has been for years.

[@alycinannette8388]

Savages

[@NewGoldStandard]

@@alycinannette8388 Innit?

[@dokidelta1175]

Screw national customs, that pizza won't eat itself

[@mbrennan459]

My wife almost lost her mind when in the UK, people left infants in their strollers outside while they were dining inside.

[@Fatmanstan606]

Only had *one* full English here, and that was an obscure pub in NYC, never once seen it again, or a Sunday roast (which I thought was mostly done at home)

[@lkb3190]

As someone born in England but raised in the US, I fondly remember one time visiting my dad's parents near Brighton when we went into a little restaurant with pizzas themed to American baseball teams... we all laughed over the Pittsburgh Pirates pizza, not only had they misspelled Pittsburgh on the menu, the toppings were very much not things you would get around the 'burgh at the time. Returning to the 'burgh after, we shared a laugh with the waiter where we stopped on the way home from the airport. I'm always amused in these videos to see which words I use at random belong to which side of the pond... having been raised by a Londoner and a Wisconsinite.

[@affalaffaa]

Yeah... American sports are not well known over here. They were probably just latching onto something that had been in the news in the past month or two. "Cincinnati shithawks hitting a 12 to 2 on the back front" was a staple for a while.

[@jamesslick4790]

Greetings from Manchester! (The Pittsburgh one, LOL!)

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

There are a number of hilarious "authentic" American diners in Britain, and one of them is on the A303, called "Route 303." The food is excellent and comes in Ameican style portions, but they have ridiculous forced American names attached to dishes very few Americans have ever heard of. "Boston Bread & Butter Pudding" and "Washington Sticky Toffee Pudding" are the two that spring most readily to mind. Highly recommended place, for both the food and the laughs.

[@GS-fd4go]

@@affalaffaa Likewise, your sports aren’t well know in America, but since America is the 4th largest country in the world, and they play American sports the Olympics, I would say more people watch American sports. There was an article just l2 weeks ago with a pic of Harry and his cousin, Eugenia Brooksbank at the World Series football game.

[@King_Cova]

@@GS-fd4go Basketball, volleyball and windsurfing the three American sports included in the Olympics. So yeah I mean try again

[@TheMedCentre]

I wanted ice cream one afternoon in the UK, but the place I was at only offered milk shakes, so I settled for that. The drink had no ice cream at all, and was otherwise cloyingly sweet. I had never heard of a milkshake without ice cream as the main ingredient, let alone absent altogether.

[@scod3908]

In Australia a milk shake is milk + flavouring, vs a thick shake which has ice cream. Assume it's similar in the UK

[@treehousekohtao]

Who could've guessed that a milkshake would be made with milk?

[@nathangamble125]

Most milkshakes in the UK are made with icecream, but some cheap milkshakes (instant milkshakes) are just a flavouring syrup or powder mixed with milk.

[@morrigankasa570]

@@treehousekohtao A proper Milkshake is mix Ice Cream with Milk in a blender with occasional other add-ins depending on flavor. A Vanilla Milkshake is just Vanilla Ice Cream and Milk, but a Strawberry Milkshake is Strawberry Ice Cream, Milk, and Fresh/Frozen Strawberries.

[@mnpipi3329]

@@treehousekohtao In America it is made from ice-cream and some milk. It has a very thick texture. Only difference between Milk Shake and Malted Milk in USA is that one has Malt in it. Both are made of ice-cream.

[@SidheBain]

Had proper fish and chips when I was in the UK for research in 2018. Mushy peas were a revelation and I wish we had them here!

[@carydavid9947]

If you get down to southern Illinois try Lotawata Creek in Fairview Heights, IL. One meal is more food than 2 normal people can eat. First time we went we ordered an appetizer and our meals. We couldn’t finish the appetizer and had them pack our meals to go. We ate them over the course of 2 days.

[@carydavid9947]

@LOL CATZ this is so much more than cheese cake factory.

[@jonc4403]

In my experience, Indian food in the US is typically served with varying heat levels, as in I'm typically asked "how spicy" I want it. I'll either say "extra hot" if I just want it mild that day, or "extra super nuclear hot" if I actually want it hot. After a few times eating at that restaurant, and saying "it's really good, but very mild today" they'll take me seriously and light it up, then I get the entire staff coming out to watch me take the first few bites. I've had Indian waiters say "I don't know how you're eating that and smiling, I can't eat it that hot" before.

[@eclectichoosier5474]

I'd like to know where that is. No restaurants around here make food spicy enough. There are a couple of mexican restaurants that have habanero sauces that can bring up the heat level, but it's not the same.

[@MerelyGifted]

When I wanted my food to be spicy at a great Chinese place we loved, I'd ask that it be "almost painful." They always laughed - sometimes we'd even hear the chef laughing when he got the order. One day he came out to look and laugh at the "almost painful" girl as we were paying the bill. I hugged him. :)

[@rdwright6708]

I have problems with food being too hot and too salty in a lot of US restaurants. It's actually worse in some non-ethnic restaurants when a hot-food fad comes in. They'll spring it on you without warning. I have better luck with ethnic restaurants - they're perfectly happy to make it very mild if they can and if that particular dish can't be made that way, they'll tell you.

[@jonc4403]

@@rdwright6708 Too salty can definitely be an issue sometimes. But I can't say that I've ever had an issue at any restaurant with something being too spicy. It's always the opposite, something will be advertised as spicy and be disappointingly mild.

[@Tom_Losh]

Sometimes a restaurant will surprise with a truly, authentically hot, Indian meal, but usually it is very tuned down for the typical American diner. Best surprise of that sort was a tiny restaurant in Eugene, Oregon that offered Indian and Greek. When I saw Vindaloo on the menu I had to order it, and it was genuinely nuclear. Kitchen staff kept peeking out at me as I sat with sweat pouring down by reddened face and this massive smile. That was some truly wonderful vindaloo.

[@nemo227]

We're glad that you're here, Lawrence.

[@tigdepp4484]

As an American that visited your beautiful home country, you did really well covering the obvious differences. Although I wish I had found your channel before my visit, instead of after. One of the other big differences I noticed. In England there are hardly any public trash bins. In the states, they are literally on every block/street. ( & still we have people throwing their rubbish on the ground).

[@Ted_1]

They moved a lot of the public bins following a couple of IRA bombs being put in bins in Warrington in '93. They killed two young boys and injured a lot of people, Since then there aren't many, if any, public bins in lots of places although you are starting to see a few more.

[@tigdepp4484]

@@Ted_1 thank you, that explains it very well.

[@johnrudy9404]

Why, as an American, are you saying BINS and RUBBISH? Its cans and garbage.

[@xkot6431]

I worked a summer in England on a student work-exchange program back in 1985. An American friend and I went to a pizza chain there and ordered a pizza, naming the toppings we wanted. When we said "hamburger," the waitress got a horrified look on her face and said, "You want hamburgers on your pizza?" We'd been living there long enough to know that what we Yanks call "hamburger," the Brits call "minced beef." We laughed and clarified what we meant. And that is why, 37 years later, I cannot donate blood. I may be carrying mad cow disease. True story.

[@loveistheonlyword]

You can donate now! The American Red Cross removed your donation restriction in October 2022.

[@xkot6431]

@@loveistheonlyword Thanks for letting me know! But now, at age 60, I feel like I need all my blood. 🙂

[@sluggo206]

We say "hamburger meat" for minced beef. "Hamburger" is usually a whole patty.

[@deborahhoward5471]

Love your videos and your sense of humor!

[@matt475]

7:45 Laurence, you really need to head north on a Friday afternoon into Wisconsin. Find a church, or catholic school, or fire department, or VFW (whatever!) serving up a Friday fish fry. You won't have trouble finding one... they all advertise them on their outdoor signage! You'll get the large deep-fried pieces of cod, as well as the chips / steak fries (big french fries with skin on) on the side. Many are all-you-can-eat. You won't be disappointed! Edit: You'll also get tartar sauce, lemon wedges, potato salad, coleslaw, rye bread...

[@gemoftheocean]

Especially now during lent. McDonalds fish sandwich deal is on now too on Fridays.

[@gerryhemmer1573]

In Arkansas, the preferred fish is catfish with fries, maybe another veggie, slice of onion and pickled green tomatoes

[@michaelanderson8186]

Ah... fried Wisconsin walleye...the king of freshwater fish. My wife, who never had walleye in her life because she lived in California most of her life, fell in love with it the first time she tried it, and brags it up to all of her friends and family back in the CA.

[@matt475]

@LOL CATZ I understand that. But a Friday Fish Fry in Wisconsin is something different. Extremely popular, and every Friday of the week. Even my local gas station does a fish fry. Just somethin you have to experience.

[@matt475]

@LOL CATZ Rivals some of the "better" restaurants that have a fish fry on their Friday menus. No lie... gas station in a town of 610, and what they serve up for Friday takeout is better (and cheaper!) than what I've gotten in a lot of restaurants.

[@janus3555]

Interesting thing too about Tipping. My Sister was a Waitress in Germany (married to a guy who was stationed in Spang) and when back in the states was a Waitress here as well. She made about twice as much in the US (for a same price menu and similar table quantity per hour in shift ) due to tips and the lowered salary than she did in Germany from the more beneficial salary but worse tips. The Waiters work harder but make a good deal more, the people eating get a much better service and experience and the owner saves money which gets passed down to the food prices increasing occupancy and interest. The cost savings in the bill are then nullified by the tip. Full circle in an adjustment alteration of the whole experience that makes it generally better for everyone. She averaged about $32-35 an hour in the US on tips + her salary.

[@shoppingsnchicken9061]

US servers are like commission based retailers. The customer gets great service, the restaurant benefits from generous product sales and the servers directly benefit from their talents and efforts. Living in Switzerland now, it’s really difficult to get attentive or friendly service. It’s no fun trying to flag down a server for a glass of wine to finish your meal with.

[@mbvoelker8448]

Back in the mid-80's I bussed tables in a small restaurant and waited tables on the slowest night because the regular waitresses wouldn't come in for a night when they couldn't make at least $100 in tips. It's probably more than double that now because tipping was 10-15% then not 15-20%.

[@Badgerpapa]

Surprised that you have lived in the Midwest and not seen the Friday night fish fry or Sunday fried chicken dinner. Since the 1980s taco Tuesday has become popular. Thursday steak or chicken fried steak and Saturday Prime Rib is also awespme. These may be more local and not nationwide but I hope you get a chance to checkout the great Greek food in Chicago and the other great food like try a Wisconsin Supper Club.

[@cyberherbalist]

Sometime in the mid-60s my family went on a trip and we were somewhere in Arizona or New Mexico (home was in California), when we stopped at diner in a remote town. I ordered "fish and chips". The waiter looked at me peculiarly, but accepted this. What I got was a serving of breaded fish and some potato chips! I looked at this in amazement, while my father smiled at me and said 'That's what you ordered, right?' It seems that the term "fish and chips", meaning deep-fried fish and french fries, hadn't yet become commonplace. And some places just didn't know what it was.

[@nco_gets_it]

the real fun is the word "dinner". Growing up in IL, we at "dinner" at noon and supper in the evening. We even had supper clubs open on weekends. Of course, much of America and Britain have lunch at noon and dinner as the evening meal. When I was working in London I never heard anyone use the word supper at all.

[@SherriLyle80s]

Same for me growing up in Virginia but those rules applied only on Sundays at Grandma's. Otherwise, it was same old same old.

[@rhiahlMT]

I've lived all over the country. The dinner/supper thing, was more so in the south than anywhere else. Sometimes I'd hear it in country areas up the east coast.

[@jasonlescalleet5611]

For me, the noon meal was “lunch” and the evening meal either “dinner” or “supper” with the latter probably slightly more common. The exception was Sunday Dinner at Grandma’s house, which was at noon or early afternoon. This was convenient as it gave the adults plenty of time to play cards afterward, while the kids went downstairs for video games instead.

[@ItIsJustJudy]

I grew up in IL, too. The middle of the day meal was always called lunch. The evening meal was called dinner. I guess it depends where in Illinois, and what your parents were taught.

[@brightfeatherdesigns]

I recently learned where this comes from: etymologically, lunch is the mid day meal, supper is the evening meal, and "dinner" refers to the main meal of the day. Depending on where you are, when it is (ie sunday), and to some extent, what you do, the main meal of the day may be either one. I grew up with lunch and dinner 6 days a week, but Sunday dinner is generally around 2 pm and takes the place of both meals.

[@williamjones7163]

I've eaten American, German, French, Southern, Arizona Mexican and Canadian. The best food is where I say "Now that was good." After I finished my last bite.

[@staceyn2541]

Saw a great episode of Rate My Takeaway on KZbin last month where he went for American pizza and it was very authentic! I think the biggest misconception about the portion size is that Europeans think a meal should be app, meal, dessert whereas we usually share an app or a dessert and only choose 2 of the 3. Honestly, I just eat the salad and take the meal home most of the time.

[@protorhinocerator142]

This is the trick if you go somewhere that has an endless salad bar with your meal. Fill up to the tip top on salad and take the entire meal home in a doggy bag. Or a "to go box". Same thing really, even though some food literally belongs in a bag and some belongs in that styrofoam box-like container.

[@simhedgesrex7097]

It's very common in the UK for people to just have two courses, and skip the appetiser or dessert.

[@ajwalkz]

Rate my takeaway is a great channel

[@evelynhillier2877]

It's not standard procedure to have three courses in the UK.

[@schrodingerscat1863]

Yeh I learned pretty quickly when I went to work in NY for a few months that you don't order a starter and then a main. Most of the time I couldn't even finish just a main on it's own. Oh and breakfasts, I could never finish, but place across from my hotel did strawberry pancakes with cream that were just to die for, which is apt because I think I would have died by now if I had been able to get them back home, soooo addictive. 😋

[@tomsdotter3228]

We fell in love with the English Breakfast on our visit. We try to replicate it at home but it's not the same. Oh, and the ploughman's for lunch. Our hosts thought we were nuts, "Have something better!" followed by a head shake. When they visited us, they were kind of disgusted at the amount of food on the plate. One of my friends told the waitress that she just could not eat all of it and wanted to send her plate back. The teenaged waitress looked at me for help, then ran away.

[@marcgillin772]

Try a lincolnshire sausage 😊

[@mescko]

They had NO concept of taking it home? Leftovers are one of the great joys of life!

[@AzraelThanatos]

My father had the same kind of issue about the "Have something better" when he ended up in Israel for a business trip and they didn't understand why he wanted to order the lamb...

[@HolyKhaaaaan]

Some Americans also have a great deal of dismay at the idea of wasting food, which is also part of the reason why will take food back home with us.

[@craigk1328]

@@HolyKhaaaaan Putting to much on the plate is wasting food

[@vplexico]

There was a moment sometime in the mid-1980s, as I recall, that people suddenly got very concerned about contamination at buffets. All the restaurants at once seemed to agree you should use a clean plate each time you visit the buffet. Before that, nobody did it. After that, everyone required it.

[@claressalucas8922]

Leftovers are wonderful! There's nothing wrong with having Indian food for breakfast or pizza, or ravioli, or burritos, or any of the other foods that actually taste better the next day. It's certainly healthier than most breakfast cereals!

[@geofjones9]

Look up Linda Lavin singing "Cold Pizza For Breakfast!"

[@aprilvoecks5877]

Since 1 order of rice is just right for 2 orders of curry, I will get 2 types of curry, 1 order of rice, and 1 order of naan when I get Indian takeout. (Sometimes I add an order of samosas to that.) Yes, it will cost close to $40 after tax, but I get 4 meals out of it or more. Lunch, dinner, breakfast, and lunch. There might be a little left to be a side dish at dinner.

[@conniethingstad1070]

love hearing midwest comments in your videos! 62 yrs between Indiana and Iowa. I feel like we are like another country from the rest of the US sometimes.

[@LindaC616]

True

[@earinsound]

you are :)

[@katis7673]

Mmm sometimes...lol

[@rooooooby]

I would say there's Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, Boston, New York, DC, and Miami, and then there's everyone else.

[@JWHEdwards]

Hi Lawrence! There is one thing omitted in the descriptions of the standard meals from Britain. What is the animal that provided the roast and the specific cut of meat. I have an inquiring mind, and I need to know, please!😂

[@robine916]

Living in New England, although we don't usually serve the mushy peas, (maybe in Boston) we have thick sliced fries/chips and a large piece of fish. (It helps to be near the ocean) We are lucky to have restaurants/pubs run by ex-pats from the UK and Ireland. 💕

[@woodcider]

Same in NYC. Sunnyside, Queens has a large Irish population and you can find an authentic fish & chips and a full English breakfast.

[@robine916]

@@woodcider 💕

[@notmyworld44]

The first day I met my future wife, she had prepared dinner for me, consisting of roast beast and home-baked bread. However, the bread had failed to rise in the bread-maker machine, and just went flat and rather gummy. I saved the day by telling her that was absolutely the best Yorkshire Pudding I had ever eaten (with the roast beef gravy on it). And it was! Three weeks later we were married and she threw away the Yorkshire Pudding machine.

[@namelessone3339]

What a wonderful story!

[@notmyworld44]

@@namelessone3339 That wasn't really the best part. That same day I prayed for her, and God restored use of her left side, and hearing in her right ear.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

Wow, three weeks from meeting to married ! Well done. Perfectly possible here in New Zealand, to marry as swiftly, but you couldn't count on it at the moment. You need to apply for a marriage certificate, and they SAY it takes 3 working days to process, but everything is out of joint since covid.

[@ab5olut3zero95]

@@notmyworld44 amen!

[@999madgamer]

LOL

[@WomanRoaring]

I remember as a kid a doggie bag wasn’t the usual. It started to be a thing as I got older. Portion sizes are way too big so you either make 2 meals out of it or you over eat and feel sick because you’re too full lol

[@raymondforbes4295]

I always here about portion sizes being so much larger in the US vs England. I have to say, my experience isn't quite so cut and dry. Ordering fish and chips in the Uk, for instance, always brought a massive piece of fish and a huge mound of chips. I was never able to finish all they brought me.

[@kindGSL]

I noticed that watching their TV shows.

[@golden.lights.twinkle2329]

When you order 'fish and chips' in the UK, it's assumed to be for more than one person!

[@roentgen571]

I went on a trip to the UK a couple years back (right before Covid was a big thing), and I never really noticed a difference in portion sizes...really, the restaurant experience in both places seemed pretty much the same to me. I was ready for the pizza to be weird, but really it was basically how I'd expect it from a place around here (California). Of course, since I'm not from NY, Chicago, or Detroit, I probably wouldn't have a very strong opinion on that... lol. I HAVE noticed the fish and chips thing, with the fries and the smaller chunks of fish. My favorite place to get it is an English-style pub in Monterey, CA, however, which sounds like it must be more authentic since it serves huge slabs of fish and big fries/chips. And of course the fish is about as fresh as it can be, given the location. It was probably still swimming out in the bay about the time you thought, "I'm kinda hungry...let's go to that pub we went to last time we were here..." lol I've never had an English breakfast here in the US, but after having them daily on my trip, I would gladly eat them every day here, too. The strangest things I ate in the UK that aren't really a thing in the US are blood pudding (really not a big thing for me either way...just had an unusual metallic flavor, but it was mild and not objectionable) and haggis up in Scotland. I know, I know, everyone instantly recoils at the word, even including Brits (except for Scots who will apparently fight you about it--and be careful, they keep knives in their socks). But I can describe it in terms that Americans can understand: meatloaf. I swear to God, the flavor is pretty much like meatloaf. The texture is a little finer (the meat is ground finer, more like a paste or pate than the ground beef in a meatloaf), but the flavor itself is straight up meatloaf. I don't think I'd order it again if I was at a restaurant and had a choice, but if I was at a dinner party or something and that's what was being served, I wouldn't bat an eye and would be just fine having it again.

[@neilbowen6930]

@@golden.lights.twinkle2329 No it isn't.

[@michritch3493]

Indeed! Huge! Greasy.

[@nickinportland]

One time in Italy I very briefly overheard this woman speaking in what I thought was a British accent and I asked her confidently what part of the UK she was from and she said “I’m from Australia darling” and the accent came through perfectly clear at that point. I was like just kill me now 💀

[@AverageAlien]

Americans just randomly strike up conversations with strangers? What?

[@crosion5]

@@AverageAlien yes, they do. But it can be a regional thing. I moved to the south recently and strangers talk to me constantly. People are pretty warm and inviting down here. I've lived other places where it isn't as much that way. But Lawrence talks often about how Americans are a warm and polite people, and I think that's true. I lived in Eastern Europe and people were quite cold and short with each other. Just different.

[@cupcake8867]

@@AverageAlienYes, all the time.

[@redrick8900]

@@AverageAlien Americans are more friendly than Europeans.

[@guyfromcanada88]

As a canadian let me say every term at the end of the video made sense to me. gosh i love being a middle ground between britain and the usa lol

[@lbh002]

I have been to England a couple of times and fell in love with pubs! Also, I fell in love with bitter which are not as bitter as an IPA. Nice. In Newfoundland I was introduced to a proper English pub there in St. Johns. Finally, I live now near Dunedin, Florida and they have a couple of pubs that are close enough to be considered authentic, Cricketer's and Flannigan's. Like I said I love pubs.

[@Phiyedough]

I'm British but have lived in Hungary and Croatia since 2011. The thing I miss most is bitter and to a less extent, mild. People here go on about Belgium beer but they don't brew bitter!

[@MeadowDay]

I’m a Brit and have lived in US for over 30 years…I so agree with everything you said..hilarious and so well done! I do miss British foods, no decent fish and chips, curries and great puddings!, but that’s just my opinion. Love your humor, you make me homesick 🤣🤣🤣

[@LJBSullivan]

But great burgers, fries, pizza, Mexican food (some places) and Asian food (some places)

[@rainn5571]

I am from Utah and live in Colorado, and I would say that the British terminology you gave in most instances, is used as at least an alternate option. Interesting video, as they all are. Thank you!

[@FurrBeard]

Here in the Los Angeles metro sprawl, you can pretty much find a Mexican restaurant from ones for the authentic cuisines from specific states and regions to the highly Americanized chain restaurants. (And then add in the restaurants for other Central and South American and Caribbean countries, etc....) I figure anywhere there's a sizeable ethnic group, there's going to be a market for restaurants that serve "home cooking" not the version dumbed down for Americans. You just have to find them and perhaps convince them that's what YOU want too. :)

[@strider_hiryu850]

"trust me, i want it how you would make it home." "but it might not be to your palate" "that's the point!"

[@guaposneeze]

Los Angeles has also spawned a ton of vaguely Mexican inspired fusion, like Korean tacos, and al Pastor Bao. And of course the tragicomically under-rated ham-cheese-jalapeno croissant, which is a fascinating crossroads of the LA Cambodian donut mafia, French techniques from the colonial period in Cambodia, and Mexican jalapenos. It would be well worth a whole documentary, just to explain the Cambodian donut mafia.

[@alanzimmerman1674]

Way harder than it should be to find a Central or South American restaurant most places--which is a shame, as Peruvian cuisine is among the world's best, and there's nothing like a good Central American Pupusa when you want a hot snack!

[@darleneh608]

I have always been reassured if the restaurant's customers are heavily from that ethnic group.

[@DeltaDemon1]

I was confused in Canada when I started going to restaurants as I speak French as well as English and Entree means enter, which means the food you get when you enter the restaurant, or the starter. So when I saw on the menu the Entrees and they were full meals, I would wonder how big the main course would be if the entrees were that huge.

[@cyberherbalist]

I don't speak French, to speak of, anyway, but I still know that entree is a starter, and as American as I am, the use of the word for the main course still sounds bizarre. Always has, because even when the only French I knew was "oui" it was clear that 'entree' meant 'enter'.

[@andreabarrios5249]

I live in Canada, in the province of Quebec. Here an “entrée” is the first dish, indeed it means entry, also called starter or appetizer in English. Then you get the main course/main dish, called “plat principal” in French, with a side dish “plat d'accompagnement” and “dessert” is obviously dessert (pudding is just a type of dessert for us too.) I cannot believe anyone would think that an entrée or appetizer is the main dish! 😮 I guess it's because here all menus must be mainly written in French, though they are often bilingual, and English menus are available. So, there is no way in Quebec anyone would ask for an entrée and get a main dish 😅 It's really interesting to find out that in other Canadian provinces and in the USA this happens… lost in translation!

[@steveedwards8490]

@@andreabarrios5249 The culinary meaning of entrée has changed over time. In the late 17th century the first course was a soup, then came the entrée. This was a meat dish with a sauce. After that came the roast. I reckon that Canadians and North Americans have developed the idea that the entrée is the second course and kept into modern times. Just a theory.

[@paulamiles9559]

Lawrence, you're swaying back and forth because of your enthusiasm. Thass okay. Im retired but when I worked( hospital pharmacist) , I was very enthusiastic also about my job. Its endearing. As usual, I enjoyed your show.. The full English breakfast sounds good. Love beans and mushy peas!

[@Becky_Theroux_Gockel]

We were in East Anglia and stopped at a little restaurant for lunch. I asked for Iced Tea. The kid who was the waiter looked at me like my head turned green. My husband told me to make it like I would at home. So I asked for hot tea and a glass of ice. I don't do sweetened Iced tea. There were no seconds for the tea or the drinks for the kids either. My oldest son was stationed at Lakenheath, so unfortunately the family wanted to eat on base for all meals. For the 17 days we were there I only got to eat at 5 English places to eat. (mostly fish and chips) I would have dearly loved to have had an "English Tea" with the little sandwiches, delicate pastries, and condiments.

[@donofthedonmtb]

If you come to Canada and order Iced Tea, it will be sweetened. All Iced Tea here is "sweet".

[@Becky_Theroux_Gockel]

@@donofthedonmtb I will remember that. I loved going to Canada. We went twice. My mom loved going to Butchart Gardens. We also had dear friends that lived in Edmonton. This was all before I was allowed to drink tea.

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

@@donofthedonmtb Yummy! Raspberry iced tea is my favorite ♥

[@rpm1796]

Poor you. Reminds me of Stratford-on-Avon...where after a break, we searched out and found the greatest oldest pub in town for lunch...passing on the way the line-up to Burger King.

[@Becky_Theroux_Gockel]

@@rpm1796 to my disappointment my boys decided they wanted McDonald's before we got on the London Eye. There were plenty of British food places around that I would have loved to have eaten at.

[@bowenarrows7819]

One thing that can be confusing in UK/Europe is not knowing if the restaurant or pub is one the wait staff seat you at, or if you find a table yourself and they find you. Sometimes you're standing awkwardly in a doorway looking for a sign posted somewhere, or seeing if a staff member is going to help. In the US, there's usually a sign indicating if you need to wait to be seated, or where to order, and then you seat yourself.

[@morphingninja]

Obviously those restaurants are places for people "in the know". /s

[@pdatnc]

Very true.

[@oni7488]

I'm living in the Netherlands and the pattern seems to be: if there's no sign go ahead and seat yourself. They'll put out a sign if they want you to wait to be seated by staff. Fancier restaurants will usually want to seat you themselves.

[@talitherose]

I love how Britain expects you to be telepathic 😂

[@sluggo206]

Restaurants/pubs where you order at the counter often have a large menu on the wall behind the counter that you can see when you walk in.

[@martinh2616]

When asking for water at a restaurant in the UK, the waiter asked if I wanted it "still". Of course I still wanted it, I just asked for it. But really, he was asking if I wanted carbonated water or just plain water.

[@poetryplace]

I'm a Brit and my wife a Czech and we've been living in Canada for 22 years and we still get confused by the different terminology and portion size. However, much to our surprise we discovered that, in Canada at least, it was quite acceptable to order one meal and ask for an additional plate so we could share. I'm sure that some people think we are just cheap but we genuinely struggle with the huge meals and despair at the cold glutinous and unappetizing mess we have to eventually throw out when we accept the offer of a box. Back in the UK or the Czech Republic we would never dream of sharing a single serving but here in Canada it's quite acceptable and we retain our waist lines (somewhat).

[@dylandalrymple]

The plate sharing thing is pretty common in the US too but a few restaurants will say its "against their policy" just to try to get you to spend more money. Pretty rare though

[@Blondie42]

Here in the Pacific northwest of the US my mother insists on doing that with my dad at several restaurants. They each get half and mom still demands a box at the end. And ordering an appetizer/starter is optional. Some people even order them as their main course. Me included. Like an order of calamari, for example. ( I personally prefer to use main course over entree)

[@frederf3227]

@@dylandalrymple I have encountered a small fee for splitting one item onto two places, $5-10. But 90% of the time they offer it for free. We do it all the time and only rarely is it an issue.

[@crosion5]

@@dylandalrymple wow, I have never once encountered a problem with requesting another plate and sharing a meal. It is very common and well accepted anywhere I have lived in the US (California, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and Louisiana) or visited.

[@bluelagoon1980]

I'm from the PNW and have only ever gotten the occasional blink at asking for a 2nd plate. I can't remember the last time I was able to even come close to finishing a dinner portion of chicken teriyaki. It's perfect for two.

[@zeno2712]

In Scotland, a carry out [cairry-oot] mostly refers to alcoholic beverages, usually bought in a pub for home consumption after closing time!

[@FaultyFrontalLobe]

Its that in the US as well. And older liquor stores have carry-out on their signs outside

[@privatelyprivate3285]

For real? Had no clue! Boozy drinks to go from a bar…talk about illegal in the USA!

[@FaultyFrontalLobe]

@@privatelyprivate3285 no, it's not. You can get carry out bottled alcoholic beverages in the US from bars I've done it many times. You can also get carry out margaritas from Mexican restaurants they just have to send you home with the mixer and the tequila in separate containers. Also, some states have drive thru liquor stores. It's all in the packaging when leaving the bar

[@privatelyprivate3285]

@@FaultyFrontalLobe oh my - my apparently alcohol-knowledge-impaired self stands corrected (but open carry / open container in vehicle are still prohibited, right?)

[@AndrewAMartin]

@@privatelyprivate3285 Open container is prohibited yes... PA has some of the worst laws around alcohol -- until recently, all liquor and wine were sold exclusively in state-owned stores. Beer was sold at the beer distributor, but only by the case (or keg). If all you wanted was a six pack of beer, you could get one from a bar, but only 2 six packs per trip (and you'll pay through the nose for it). We're finally able to get beer & wine in some grocery & convenience stores, beer distributors can sell less than a case, and you can even get a mixed six pack of beers if you want. I'm like, welcome to the 20th century, Pennsylvania!

[@leeannorozco1041]

Thanks!

[@tobascoheat6582]

Love your videos! Been watching you about a year now. I greatly admire how you have plowed into American life and love for the country. Your knowledge of America and her states is admirable. You have even taught me things I didn't know. Thanks!! 😘

[@morrowdoug]

When I moved to London at age 20 for a summer, I was profoundly confused when the server at a burger joint asked me if I wanted "salad" with that, and I was like, "uh, no thank you," after which I was extremely confused as to why there was no lettuce on my burger!

[@lil-g4879]

Your answer was still correct though 😂

[@hydrolito]

Did they still include tomato, onion and pickle?

[@wa4kdc]

During the years my wife & I lived in the UK the biggest difference we noticed between US & UK restaurants was: In the US when you sit at a table a glass of ice water will appear in front of you while in the UK they will never bring your drink until you have finished eating. PO'd my wife no end!

[@tidelovinyankee1368]

You mentioned fish and chips which I love dearly. I grew up in Rhode Island in the 1950s. We had a small restaurant which served fish and chips and wrapped them in newspaper. I cannot get such good fish and chips anywhere in the US today, which can compare with what I grew up with, and certainly not wrapped in newspaper. Watching your channel brings back memories of my early life in New England, an area which, I think, bore a closer relationship with Britain than it does today. I thank you for such wonderful videos.

[@joedeware955]

Was it Stadium fish and chips in Cranston?

[@tidelovinyankee1368]

@@joedeware955 it was Hazel's in West Warwick, a hole in the wall. A mom and pop takeout restaurant.

[@davidnicholas7516]

Back about 50 years ago I travelled to the UK with my mom. We had several odd experiences with restaurants there. One of the first was ordering coffee...the waitress asked if we wanted it white or black. When she explained that the difference was whether you wanted cream or not, of course we both took cream with our coffee...I had just started drinking it. When the coffee came it was apparent that rather than asking if we took cream with our coffee, she should have asked if we took coffee with our cream. We wound up asking for cream to be brought separately. There were several other odd customs that we ran into...notably a la carte menus, which you only rarely saw in the US back then. The one that stuck with me though was going to a seafood place in Dover to get Dover Sole. There was a cat sitting in the window of the restaurant, which of course would have had the patrons running for the exits in the States, due to the health code concerns. Later, in Edinburgh, we ate in a restaurant. Across the dining room from us there was an elderly lady who was obviously a regular patron, and she had an enormous fat bulldog with her. It sat at her feet, but occasionally it lumbered to its feet, and (not restrained by a leash) it made the rounds of the dining room, gobbling snacks that people handed to it or food folks had dropped. I still remember that.

[@niagaramike528]

If I saw a cat in a restaurant that would greatly increase my odds of eating there. Not only do I like cats but to me the odds of rats or mice living there would be drastically reduced. (I hope) We've had cats for decades in our house and other than the odd case of rabies there has been no detrimental effects. (grin)

[@shinnam]

Yeah, in other countries they don't have as extreme health department rules. Kids won't get in trouble for selling lemonade.

[@crosion5]

Hmm, I don't think people would have a problem with the owner of a restaurant having a cat. I wouldn't think anything of it.

[@spyderlover2054]

I love your videos and agree with your analysis. That being said (not restaurant related) I make an English style roast and Yorkshire and have for 40 years. The recipes came from my husbands grandmother. She lived in Kettering. I recently started using Mary Berry’s recipe for Yorkshire.

[@jameshunter5485]

Last time I was in London I had the Dover Sole at Wiltons. I asked the waiter to fillet it at the table which he was happy to oblige. Oh the lemony buttery goodness. A lifelong desire fulfilled. One thing I noticed, at least among Londoners is they tend to dine later than Americans.

[@MerelyGifted]

It seems to be common across Europe.

[@johniii8147]

That's true in most of Europe. Want to talk late dinning go to Spain. It really doesn't even start until 9pm

[@monkeytennis8861]

Wiltons is poncey nonsense and a true experience of this country

[@roberthutchins4297]

@@MerelyGifted Really? I´ve found Bulgaria to be different. There, they dine at about 3pm.. (Sorry - you may be American. That´s three in the afternoon.) In Bulgaria, and also in parts of Serbia, you start dinner about 25 minutes after finishing lunch.

[@Varizen87]

The strangest thing for me when I was in London and Cambridge was that at several sitdown places I had to pay up front. I think Nando's was the only place I didn't? I think the single most mind blowing thing though was how little cash the restaurants had on hand. I need to explain something first because it will raise some strange questions otherwise. I was in London for a conference, and I paid up front for the hotel, and my friend I was saying with paid me in cash when we got there. It was a Hilton, so... it was expensive. Thus, my friend paid me several £100 and £50 notes. Now... According to Simon Whistler on either his Business (now Brain) Blaze channel or the Into the Shadows channel, the £50 is largely used by criminal organizations and rarely by the public. I had like... 4 £100 notes and 1 £50, as well as a few other more standard bills. But when I tried to pay with these bills to break them down into smaller ones, there was always a look of panic on a server's eyes as they had to go check to see if they had enough money in the store to make change. And these places were often practically full of other customers clearly bringing in money. SURELY they had 5 £20 notes or something. In the US, you can pay for a $1 hamburger with a $100 and a cashier won't even blink. They'll be pissed about it, but they've got the ability to cover it. Asking to break down $100 is an everyday thing. But those £100... I often got turned away or asked to use another form of payment. It was a bit weird to see people freak out over large currency notes.

[@marianbarber7279]

As the last UK £100 notes ceased to be legal tender in 1945 it's no wonder you had problems trying to pay with them.............

[@marianbarber7279]

As the last UK £100 note ceased to be legal tender in 1945 it's no wonder you had problems trying to pay with them.

[@Varizen87]

@@marianbarber7279 maybe it was all £50 notes then… I distinctly remember them being red.

[@patablanche5075]

I’ve never enjoyed comments so much as I did with these responses to this talk. You are always interesting

[@qwincyq6412]

It’s interesting how in Canada we have an amalgam of Brit and Yank restaurant terminology. Entree vs starter, supper vs dinner, jam vs spread, bill vs check etc etc

[@andyweaver2646]

And for Americans, fair warning that black pudding is neither pudding by our definition nor pudding by the standard English definition.

[@annab6948]

New subscriber here, an EFL teacher in Sweden. Love your humour and knowledge - no particular order :)

[@Liz-sz2ee]

I worked in an upscale housewares store based in the Chicago area for 22 years. Silverware is made out of silver (or is silver plated). Flatware is what most people have in their homes and most restaurants have as eating utensils. If someone referred to cutlery, I’d automatically think knives. Interesting. I’ve never had an issue with any of these terms in the UK, but I never had to ask for these items at restaurants there either.

[@davidbroadfoot1864]

People in other English-speaking countries tend to be aware of the various foreign terminology. However, in America, you generally get a blank look (or worse) if you use the "wrong" word.

[@pourattitude4206]

@@davidbroadfoot1864 ya ... I'm American and I can tell you that blank looks are a problem here. I'll get blank looks at a high percentage of drive-throughs just ordering the food that they make. A simple request for "no pickles" or "grilled onions" can completely destroy the delicate little minds of these poor souls and leave them standing there speechless while staring at you with vacant eyes and an open mouth. I'm not really sure of the problem but I suspect that their mothers had an iodine deficiency and so I have sent a petition to congress to make a law requiring iodized salt be used in all restaurants and on all margaritas.

[@dacash8195]

In my upbringing, we used the terms as you've described (silverware had to be made with silver). however my wife's family used silverware as a generic term which could even be disposable plastic flatware. After 35 years of marriage I still give her a hard time about it, sometimes going and getting our formal silverware when she asks for silverware and the flatware is much more accessible.

[@King_Cova]

I dare you to ask for flatware in the UK.

[@Liz-sz2ee]

@@dacash8195 😆😆 Love it!

[@DianaDodson]

What surprised me most about eating in Britain (usually in smaller towns), that dinner wasn't expected to be served until 8 in the evening. They wanted to serve us beer when we came in at 5 or 6.

[@womanonabicycle]

@DianaDodson ...errr yes!

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

Yeah, dinner starts gearing up at 8:00 p.m., and they stop letting people in at 8:35 p.m. At least, that's how it was in my neck of the woods. Like they're allergic to businessing, or something.

[@Mehwhatevr]

I enjoy your videos and commentary. You’re one of the only two British persons I have seen comparing our two countries respectfully. And your funny. I loved your bit about the waitress asking which part of Australia you were from. Caught me off guard and I laughed out loud

[@HarplandProductions]

Just returned from London and one of the big differences was that you have to explicitly ask for the bill, I don't know how many times the waiter came by and ask if i needed anything and i would say, "No Thank you, all done here" and in the US that implies, "Please bring the bill" but no so much in London. Lot's of awkward sitting around and smiling :)

[@lilymarinovic1644]

They may assume you re there to soend time with your companions/enjoy the atmosphere,after your meal, not just eat, pay and get out.

[@lucybrown8902]

As a Brit I’d consider it really rude if a waiter/waitress brought me the bill without me explicitly asking for it

[@AverageAlien]

Bringing you the bill without you asking would be like them telling you to piss off out of their restaurant

[@mbvoelker8448]

In the US, unless the place is dead empty it would be rude to expect to occupy a table after you'd finished eating. You bought a meal, not rented a room. 😁

[@marigeobrien]

LOL! Thank you for addressing this... it may go further to improve relations than you imagine. Sorry about the "required" tips. They are not really required. It's only that, for reasons beyond my reckoning, restaurants have been allowed to pay waitstaff FAR below minimum wage. For years. I once worked in an accounting firm that had many restaurants for their clients-- I couldn't believe the salaries then! Furthermore, this is a fact of which even many Americans are unaware. Later on, I also worked in the restaurant business and knew most waitstaff only made enough to cover their taxes-- and we all received something called, a "zeroed-out paycheck." It was zeroed-out because what little we did make went to taxes, leaving us with a check with "$0.00" for the amount. So we, literally, lived on tips. In fact, our income was determined by two things: our "salary" and (because they did not trust us to report our tips) a percentage of our sales, which is why it comes to nothing. Yes, we are taxed on tips, which are presumed, based on our sales. So, in fact, it actually costs the server to wait on someone who does not tip. This is the reason, if you don't tip, you will find yourself hard pressed to eat in a restaurant a second time. Don't be surprised if the manager serves you or a server on their first day working. Yes, they remember who "stiffed" them-- and they tell each other about it. Invariably, someone will recognize the bad tippers. But worse yet, it's so common that foreigners do not tip, that they often receive poor service altogether. Also teachers, because they rarely tip well. Lawyers, police and fellow restaurant workers usually tip ridiculously well. Sorry for the long explanation. But it's difficult to shorten that and include all the factors involved. Oh, and... (sorry), tips are NOT the reason servers check on you so much. In American restaurants waitstaff are taught to be as attentive as possible. We train our servers to check on people regularly, to ALWAYS check that it's acceptable soon after the main course is served and to make sure their drinks are always filled. The rationale is, if something is wrong with the meal, it's better to fix it right away rather than leave someone to eat something they don't like and be dissatisfied. But, when I eat out I often find they ask before I've even had a chance to taste it. So... Ah, well.

[@ChalcedonXXX]

Do tell British customers the etiquette re tipping. First timers will not know.

[@williamsmith4899]

You did an excellent job explaining how wait staff is paid in America. In SC the hourly wage for a waiter is just a little over $2 in most restaurants - (fast food restaurants are different). So, yes, if a customer doesn't tip the wait person is actually paying to wait on them because a percentage of the bill or check will be reported as income received even if the employee didn't receive it and will have to pay taxes on income not received.

[@marigeobrien]

@@williamsmith4899 Thank you. I worked in the restaurant business 9 years. When I started, it was still a good paying job, once you got going. By the time I left so many restaurants gone corporate that servers hardly made enough to count. At least not in my area, in NJ.

[@billhannaford4488]

yep this is why I love it in Japan. No tipping and the service is far better than any restaurant you will get in US or UK...even McDonalds service is like a 5 star rest. haha. I don't think they get any more money than equivalent to minimum wage...just pride in their job.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

In many states, law requires customers must get a new clean plate for seconds at a buffet. In the rest, it's been adopted as customary by almost all buffet restaurants.

[@julieharden2433]

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and growing up - we always had Sunday Roast. Sometimes it was roast beef, sometimes chicken, and sometimes pork roast. It was always served with mashed potatoes and 2 veggies. I don't think this was uncommon.

[@KnightMage]

I remember being in the UK and trying a local Pizza place. The place was full and when the pizza was brought out we used our hands to eat it. A family at a nearby table turned and introduced themselves, saying they were American too. We said, our accents do give us away. One of the other people said, no, you're eating the pizza with your hands. After a quick look around we noticed that only our two tables were eating the pizza by hand, everyone else used a knife and fork. So yes, using a knife in fork in the UK to eat a pizza, by hand in the USA. That was about 30 years ago, but I wonder if it is still true.

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

It’s still true!

[@King_Cova]

You went to a restaurant. Not the local pizza place. Oh Americans.

[@AverageAlien]

WTF are you on about? Fuckin nobody uses a knife and fork to eat pizza 😂. Don't know what group of weirdos you stumbled across

[@johnpepple3456]

My first trip abroad was to Brazil, and they used toothpicks there. That was forty years ago.

[@yuantheblue]

Another fun thing living here in the states here is learning how various regions handle words like lunch, dinner, and supper. Growing up on the west coast, it was a bit of a culture shock to visit my midwest family and learn that while they use the same terminology, they are used a little differently! What 'dinner' meant to me meant something else to them.

[@helRAEzzzer]

Massachusetts has propper fish and chips. The fish is typically haddock rather cod but, from what I've heard about British fish and chips, that's the biggest difference. It's a very common summer time dish in New England in general, not just Massachusetts. It's best from small food stands closer to the coast line. If you ever come out here, I'd love to see a video of you comparing New England to England; that'd be really fun!

[@britking]

No... cod is the only real fish in fish and chips. Period. And I'd be surprised if the chips are close to being authentic--and they'll probably offer you tartare sauce over malt vinegar. Any curry sauce offered in New England? Didn't think so!

[@Iyanjebu]

@@britking To be fair curry sauce (and mushy peas) are regional things. You won't get them in all chippys. And most offer options for fish not just cod.

[@Joanna-il2ur]

Haddock is available in most british chip shops. When I was a girl, we had a flat connected with my dads job, above a parade of shops. One was a chippy, and on Friday nights we could resist the scent no longer and partook. Bedsides cod and haddock, we could get huss, which is shark, roast chicken quarter, saveloy sausages, battered pork sausages and lots of other stuff.

[@deementia6796]

@@britking In RI and Southern Massachusetts (along the coast) restaurants that sell fries, malt vinegar is often considered a condiment, to the point where there's a bottle on every table, next to the salt and pepper. And many of the restaurants do use cod. When I was a kid, Fish and Chips were very much a take out meal each Friday during Lent.

[@awesome220]

@@britking I lived in England for three years. Most cchippies I went to had options for cod or haddock