What's an incredibly american thing americans don't realize is american? | Ask Reddit

[@joniharrison9492]

When my husband and I were first married I suggested we make some (American) pancakes. I am from the UK and he is from the US. He told me we couldn't make them because we didn't have any pancake mix. We had eggs, milk, sugar, butter and flour in the house. We both stared at each other for a few seconds looking confused. Since that day we have never used a pancake mix and he is always the person who makes the pancakes in our house. His whole world changed that day.

[@johnjames8707]

pancake mix just add water less work

[@BeerHuntor]

brit here, always used mixes for pancakes.. to much work to make it from scratch for one day.

[@justcomments]

@@BeerHuntor that may be, but they really are delicious from scratch! Lovely weekend treat and a great crash course in cooking with confidence. I did them every weekend at Uni.

[@bengaljam4550]

I've made them both ways. i prefer the mix.

[@joniharrison9492]

@@BeerHuntor at the time I didn't even know there was a mix. We only ate English pancakes once a year in our family growing up, and we always made them from scratch. This was why we both looked confused. It hadn't occurred to him to make them without a mix and I didn't know mixes existed. I guess we both lived sheltered lives.

[@snowohno4898]

I did not wait 6 years to go on a bench to be made fun of like this. Also benches weren't only good for sitting, there was benchball! The sheer joy of getting to stand on a bench as well.

[@baronvonsatan]

You can't just leave a comment about something called "benchball" and not elaborate. Some of us are Americans here, you know! 😂😂😭

[@DairyFreeAutism]

Bench ball is so good though. I miss it.

[@aim-to-misbehave5674]

Just went to refresh myself on benchball rules after not playing it for a decade or so, and it has its own wikipedia article 😂 a cultural artefact

[@nicelliott1175]

I'm Canadian, and the benches (and benchball!) were such a fundamental part of school that I honestly never considered that it might not be a thing in the States. Usually most "American things" also apply to Canada, although often in a less extreme form, but how can they not have benchball?

[@laurie7689]

@@nicelliott1175 I'm not even sure what it means to sit on a bench in relation to schools. The closest thing to a bench in any school I attended in the USA were the gym bleachers. I think that there may have been one or two benches outside the cafeteria and maybe one near the entrance of the school. I almost forgot to add that those benches are usually concrete and only fit two or three people seated. Those are the only benches in my schools that I attended. Benchball is not something that I've ever heard of before.

[@laulau194]

My dad did successfully pull a reverse of the military benefits situation and manage to wangle a few 'government employee discounts' on hotels on a trip to the US... he was working for the UK civil service and successfully argued that there was no specification of which government you had to work for.

[@CraigyDizzle]

That's both amazing and hilarious 🤣

[@Lea-im3wr]

That's like working at grocery store A and wanting a discount for that at grocery store B

[@YGwynBlaidd]

@@Lea-im3wr I mean, as long as the grocery store A's policy only said 'Must work at a grocery store', you could argue your way through there too.

[@Lea-im3wr]

@@YGwynBlaidd Lmao that must be a US thing too xD. There is no way somebody would get a discount for that here in Germany. You would only get that kind of discount if you or a close family member of yours really works there.

[@YGwynBlaidd]

@@Lea-im3wr I'd have no idea, I'm from Wales 🤣 but I can definitely see something like that working in America!

[@ninamarie177]

As a German™️ I lay out my groceries in the perfect stacking order at checkout. Heavier items, boxes and frozen stuff comes first, then refrigerated items and lastly delicate stuff. This way, items stay cold, nothing gets squished and I can basically play Tetris and optimise the space in my reusable tote bags.

[@rosemarielee7775]

Fore thought avoids so much panic!

[@leza4453]

Okay, I'm German and do the exact same thing. And get annoyed if people before me don't move their stuff fast enough. I mean, how many times in their life do people need to go to the supermarket to get that right?

[@portlyoldman]

It’s not just Germans mate, I do it too 😁

[@myrtlesocks2811]

As a Dutch person, I do the same and I honestly really love packing my groceries (may be a bit of a weirdo in that aspect); large bottles have to stand up, boxes, cartons and heavier packages in between,, lighter packages on top of those, flat things like cold cuts put on the side, veggies and fruits on top, then eggs, bread and - if I'm in the mood - things like crisps or prawn crackers. I have to be able to put my bags down and have them not fall over, that's perfect! And yes, this is all done on the side if I have a lot of things, because we have places especially for packing our groceries and I wouldn't want to bother anyone by taking too long. I don't like it when people I'm with pack my groceries the wrong way and would absolutely hate bag boys.

[@durabelle]

As a Finn (living in the UK) I follow the same logic. I also pack most of my shopping straight into my backpack, rest in totebags if needed, so I'd also hate baggers. I prefer stores with self checkouts so that there's no huge rush, although I don't take that long anyways, but in Aldi I just pack everything back into the basket and carry it to the side table to pack properly. Finnish supermarkets all have these long conveyor belts divided into two or three sections with a small packing table behind them for your bag, so you can let everything pile up, pay, and then go do your packing while the next customers shopping starts to pile up on the section next to yours. Very handy.

[@MareSerenitis]

Flags. Everywhere. At all times. Honestly one of the creepiest things. It's entirely normal and even expected for them, but I found it just really kinda low-key unsettling.

[@klimtkahlo]

I saw that a lot in young countries. They need to remind themselves of what their flag looks like!

[@alexisrobinson5652]

It’s not everyone or everywhere in America and it’s not really expected (coming from an actual born and raised American) I’m on the northeast coast and I’ve seen maybe 2 people with flags in my entire life

[@laulau194]

Yeah it was very weird to me that a bunch of my lecture halls just randomly had flags in them

[@riverstyx7251]

I live in Texas and as you’d expect from one of the most patriotic states, they’re everywhere. It’s at the point where the first sign I get that something really bad happened in the news that day is seeing an American flag at half mast. Then looking around the corner to confirm that, yep, they’re all at half mast, time to Google who died this time.

[@sagichdirdochnicht4653]

Tbh that's also what most unsavory states will do and did do. Everytime I consume American media, I feel heavily reminded to Nazi Germany. Because as a German, I did it course learn my share about our past. Yo, it doesn't matter if your flag used a Swastika or stars an stripes, the way America is indoctrinating it's citizens with nationalism is 100% comparable to Nazi Germany. People need to believe they are better then the rest, if you want them to fight for you against a common enemy.

[@diptoncowboy]

As someone from New Zealand that has travelled to the USA a number of times, the taking the credit card away was an issue, the only time my card has ever been compromised and used by someone else is in the USA and the only time it was out of my sight is at a restaurant. So I no longer trust the staff with it and now when I am there will go up and pay at the counter.

[@robertmurray8763]

I don't let anyone take my credit card. Totally stupid letting someone take your card but very American!

[@robertmurray8763]

Why take the card away when they from you. When the waiter can bring the card terminal to you and you can tap. No fraud.

[@diptoncowboy]

@@robertmurray8763 wasn't an option when I was last there but would use it if it was.

[@bengaljam4550]

I've done it hundreds of times in my life. Never an issue. It would be a crime to charge someone else's credit card and it would be easy to track.

[@robertmurray8763]

@@jwb52z9 i

[@apjtv2540]

In the UK, we generally don't approach veterans to thank them for their service. In the UK, thanking them for their service is letting them get on quietly with their day without being bothered.

[@elusivemayfly7534]

@@jwb52z9 lol, we are an emphatic people!

[@elusivemayfly7534]

I can understand that! I’m American and have found some of our vets are uncomfortable with the attention, others accept the thanks solemnly but seem to appreciate it.

[@8arcasticallyYours]

It must get really irritating for military veterans to have to deal with that all day, every day while out in public

[@TheWeepingDalek]

i also think it's because of the mess of Iraq. and while i don't think we blame the soldiers themselves we just don't like the fact they were there in the 1st place.

[@lemming9984]

British ex-servicemen aren't called 'Vets' until they are very old and have actually been in a war. They are just' ex-servicemen'.

[@vonvard]

I must say. Any ex military would 100% NOT wear any kind of army clothing after their service in the UK. In fact any CURRENTLY serving military personnel would get ripped to shreds if they wore their "fatigues" in public. It's very "look at me"

[@c0ronariu5]

I’m not military but have family who are, and I just think it’s wanky

[@sarahmichie4382]

It’s also actively discouraged, as it draws attention to you, and can put you in danger. Military friends I know are not allowed to wear uniform unless on duty or travelling to / from work.

[@Serenity_yt]

Yeah. In Germany to. You only see uniformed military personel on duty, on the way to or from work picking sth up. Or travelling by train (they have to wear uniform for some kind of free ticket I think. Im to lazy to google that or ask friends that currently active military rn) I guess it also depends where you live, I live near a base and in general there are a few in the area, until the 2010s we also had huge US Army bases here, so no one would look twice at fatigues. Still no one would just randomly walk up to someone and thank them. If you're feeling very extroverted that day maybe a nod and a Servus/S'gott/hallo before moving on.

[@steveg4082]

A 300 lbs./660kg./21 stone American man in anything military-style is cringe squared.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

I can get wearing surplus stuff. The things are usually quite comfortable and practical.

[@Mobile_Dom]

funny thing about "pickups in the UK" is that this strangely applies to Teslas, all teslas are designed for American roads first, and even the ones that have china or mainland Europe in mind, most don't have as many narrow and unruly roads as the UK, so even the smallest tesla model 3 in the UK looks like a fucking canal boat a lot of the time

[@minikipp8549]

i'm loving the canal boat analogy 😂😂😂

[@Mobile_Dom]

@@minikipp8549 watching a model s try to take a turn in a little country village is the most stressful and speedy thing you'll see a Tesla do

[@xzonia1]

And here I was thinking Teslas look so small next to most cars made in the US. Lol

[@ninamarie177]

@@xzonia1 here in Germany, the Teslas sold here look like your average larger car. SUVs are considered unreasonably large in cities. I think my VW Golf is somewhere in the middle and many single people or people without children drive Fiat 500s, Mini Coopers or Smarts.

[@xorsyst1]

I actually decided not to get a Tesla model 3 because it was too large to park on our (uk) drive. Yeah, we have a small drive even for this country, but they genuinely are bigger than average.

[@kjmorley]

“Thank you for your service.“ I believe to be a rebound effect for the way service members were treated after Vietnam. As a non-American though, I find it somewhat cringy and superficial… a little like “thoughts and prayers” after a tragedy.

[@8arcasticallyYours]

Yes, "Thoughts and prayers" never helped anyone. Ever.

[@devilundercover]

Yea I don’t get this either So cringe worthy. As a non American I found this Weird

[@itsgonnabeanaurfromme]

It's weird. Most US soldiers basically are sent to just carry out the political whims of whoever is in power to help their benefactors. They're being paid, too. Nurses and doctors help people more.

[@opallise]

Probably true. My parents were both in the service during Vietnam. My mom said noone wore their uniforms off post because people might yell and throw things at you.

[@drufc]

One thing that I found to be uniquely American was the sheer number of car accidents. I spent about 3 months a year working in the US and saw more car accidents than in every other country I’ve been to combined. That and the fact that i ordered loaded sweet potato fries once and they came with marshmallows and syrup on them?! The menu stated that the loaded fries had bacon and cheese but didn’t say what was on the sweet potato fries.

[@ShawFujikawa]

I didn't think they would take the 'sweet' label in sweet potato that literally and actually put it into a sweet dessert dish lol.

[@cpMetis]

Car accident density is gonna vary a lot by area. Our area, there's maybe one accident every other month and most of them are non-fatal, spread across a dozen miles, and everyone hears about them when they happen. City about two hours away seems like they have to shut down the highway from a fatal accident every other week. And then.... some places are just scary. Driving past Nashville was absolutely anxiety-inducing and we were almost involved in three or four accidents over a couple days. People have no idea how to respect their cars or the road and won't even blink while nearly taking out half the interstate with no warning.

[@elusivemayfly7534]

Yikes! I’m from the Southeast US, and that’s crazy even by our standards! I fully believe you, though, and I bet you can get them with whipped cream by request. I personally believe in the sanctity of the sweet potato fry (and sweet potato). I’m from a small agricultural town that still hosts an annual Sweet Potato Festival, so we’re serious about our taters.

[@Phiyedough]

There are videos of actual US driving tests, in some states it only takes 5 minutes and they are not on real roads!

[@lorrainehinchliffe5371]

Gross! The potatoes I mean. The accidents no surprise.

[@alexandracrowdle6834]

The best two moments of schooling in the U.K., when you get your pen license so you can write in pen and not pencil and then year 6 and you get to sit on the bench. It’s the closest most of us will get to royalty sitting on a throne.

[@laurie7689]

There is no such thing in the USA. Using pencil or pen is at the discretion of the teacher.

[@dkecskes2199]

Ok I've heard of the pen license thing, but what is the bench thing? Edit: USA schools have almost nothing but benches in their lunchrooms, and by about age 9 I started wanting just a normal chair.

[@ceridwenaeradwr8105]

Ohhh, the pen licence thing! I remember that. When we were going through it, our school had a policy that if you made 5 mistakes with the pen in a single lesson, then you would lose your licence and have to earn it back again. I made those five mistakes, technically lost my licence, but they didn't actually take it off me and i've been illicitly using pens ever since

[@KatieM786]

UK person here - I never heard of the pen license thing. Maybe I'm too old? Please tell me more!

[@alexandracrowdle6834]

@@KatieM786 I think it’s probably relative to schools. My older sister who was three years older didn’t have to get one but I did. I think it’s supposed to teach children how to care about their work. It’s so weird yet everyone wanted one. 😂😂

[@Aayush_Shah]

One thing I found funny is Americas obsession with sugar, as an Indian I like spicy food but my cousins can’t bare anything that doesn’t have sugar in it and don’t want to adapt their taste buds to try something new

[@ffxiprincess411]

It's not that we're obsessed, it more that every food we've ever had is made with sugar. You can't buy any pre made food that isn't full of sugar and salt. It's really sad actually.

[@RNS_Aurelius]

@@ffxiprincess411 I believe this came about due to restrictions on trans fats so the next cheap way to make nice food was salt and sugar.

[@rajder656]

spicy food is great

[@QALibrary]

@@RNS_Aurelius unless the trans fat ban come into an effect in the 1980s then the links not possible - even now there bread so sugger up it classed as cake in a lot of places

[@cpMetis]

Then you have me. Hate sugar AND spice. Then I'm diabetic, so rule out hard carbs.

[@synthiandrakon]

The funny thing about the British national anthem is that no one knows the words. Sure some people know like the first verse but I've never been in a crowd singing the national anthem who didn't devolve into mumbling along by verse 2.

[@caitlin329]

They notably leave out later verses, too, like 'O Lord our God arise, Scatter our enemies, And make them fall! Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On Thee our hopes we fix, God save us all!' And 'From every latent foe, From the assassins blow, God save the Queen! O’er her thine arm extend, For Britain’s sake defend, Our mother, prince, and friend, God save the Queen!'

[@MareSerenitis]

Most people's only contact with our national anthem is sporting events, and a significantly non-zero amount of people don't give even half a fuck about those.

[@augustevarkalaite321]

When a country doesn’t have an Independence day there isn’t much of a reason to sing the anthem. Lithuania has 2 Independence days, one fight for Independence day, crowning of one king day and all of those days we sing the national anthem. So you learn the national anthem naturally.

[@jaydemorton9814]

I don't like sports but I know all the words to Flower of Scotland and theres a lot more of them so I think its more about the attitude. I also do not know the words past god save the queen.

[@wendyheatherwood]

The correct way to perform our national anthem is to sing the first two lines and then make incomprehensible vowel sounds until you get to the final line. Anyone doing anything else is doing it wrong.

[@selenamartinez2017]

As someone who grew up in NYC, I find it funny that so many of these are also just things I saw on TV. We didn’t have pep rallies, no one cared about a high school sport unless they played it, there was no football, no one I knew owned a pickup truck, we didn’t have cheerleaders, and we never said the pledge after elementary school. You’d NEVER smile at a stranger on the street or the subway. I didn’t even know that drive-thru ATM’s existed til this video. It’s wild how much your experience can differ even in the same state depending on how (sub)urban the environment.

[@llmeekos]

This^ I think a lot of what other countries think of is the Ugly American. It really is dependent on which region/state you’re from. I’m from Columbus, Ohio and we’re a huge sports state (to which I personally give less than a shit about), so they care deeply about sports. We only did the pledge once a week but nobody really did it except who we called the few hillbillies (kids from the South). Pickups are huge in Southern Ohio, not at all in North. My own state is divided along the South and the North because a lot of the South is apart of the Appalachia & moved in from Kentucky. We aren’t very fond of each other lol I think a LOT of what people view of these weird American things are Southern things

[@michellemaine2719]

This is definitely a NYC thing. New Jersey and upstate New York had all those things, much to my chagrin and disgust.

[@nanoflower1]

We had pep rallies in the South when I went to high school but it was never a big thing for most of the students. Just an excuse to get out of class every so often. Now I know the pep rallies are a big thing in some places. Maybe it's the bigger schools or places like the MidWest where football is big even in high school. (

[@MrJest2]

NYC is it's own world, and many Americans would posit that it's not even American.

[@coolstertothecore]

I visited the US about 15 years ago and on my return discovered that my bank account had been emptied (and taken into the overdraft). It was the hotel worker who asked to take my card, which I thought was odd at the time. So it definitely does happen. It took a few weeks to get the money back so thank goodness I was living with family. Very stressful!

[@petersdrue]

I've never had a hotel worker take my card...

[@coolstertothecore]

@@petersdrue I never have in the UK but when I questioned it she said she had to take it and acted like I was a stupid tourist! I'm guessing they must have traced it back to her as we used cash everywhere else.

[@nanoflower1]

@@petersdrue Really? My experience has been that they always want the card on file just in case there are extra charges when you check out. (Like items taken from the mini-fridge or movie rentals or room damage.)

[@aurora6920]

@@nanoflower1 in the UK we don't have mini fridge charges or movie rentals, i have been to a lot of hotels here as i travel a lot, it must be an American thing. Never heard of anyone getting charged for damage either. In a standard British hotel you get tea and kettle and generic TV channels. I guess that's why they don't take our card to have it on file, there is no need to here.

[@nanoflower1]

@@aurora6920 The only time I ever ended up being charged for a movie was in Spain. I must have ended up tuning the TV to a movie channel (think it was the Grinch) and left it there when I turned off the TV. That was enough to qualify as a purchase even though I didn't watch the movie. Could have argued with them when I checked out but I was in a hurry to get to the airport so I had to let it go. It's one reason why I prefer to add a code to prevent any accidental PPV purchases.

[@flopjul3022]

5:30 in the Netherlands we use the red solo cups for beer pong, so they are not hard to be found but not every store has them either. i used to work at a Jumbo supermarket and last time i checked they still sell those(atleast in my Jumbo since not every shop has the same products due to them being different sizes) but discount stores like Action does have them too

[@denisal2697]

Random fact: I had my citizenship ceremony recently (in Edinburgh) and there was no picture of the Queen involved. Also, we do sometimes have baggers (less common since COVID) but they're only there to fundraise for a charity so, we always tell them to leave the bags alone and then give them a couple of quid regardless

[@chrisy8989]

It's usually kids and they put your milk on top of your bread and tins on top of your eggs! Safer to do it yourself.

[@katashworth41]

The only time I’ve seen them here (and have been on the other end) is Scouts and Guides raising money for camp/charity.

[@xzonia1]

I don't really get this. Y'all expect the handicapped, moms wrangling their kids, and the elderly to bag their own groceries? That seems so inconsiderate to me, having lived in the US my whole life. Baggers are necessary.

[@avr7120]

@@xzonia1 if you can put it in your cart, you can transfer it into a bag, no? i think americans are simply lazy cause noone has a problem putting stuff in a bag here.

[@lucie4185]

@@xzonia1 we have scan and shop here too where you put your things straight from the shelves to your own carrier so many people don't even use the conveyer belt system. If someone needs extra help it is available for asking.

[@helvete983]

The drug commercials were the one thing that really stuck me on my visit to the US. Especially the massive warning list of symptoms, I was like "are you trying to sell this or scare people away from using it?" The military thing is weird too, at Atlanta airport my departure lounge had American soldiers returning home, I was so tired of hearing "thank you for your service"

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Here the commercials basically say at the end "in case of risk or side effects, ask your doctor or pharmacist" Basically telling people to see the corresponding specialist if they feel something is off.

[@MrStabby19812]

Ask your Dr about neuromex. Sideeffectsmayincludebaldnessinsomniaandtoothloss.

[@Nostripe361]

I’ve heard some us soldiers are also tired this. They just want to be left alone with their discount and benefits

[@itsgonnabeanaurfromme]

​@@HappyBeezerStudiosif the person if on that medication, it's pretty obvious to contact their health provider if something's off

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@itsgonnabeanaurfromme not just for prescription medication, but the normal ads for over the counter stuff.

[@savannah4439]

I think you’re describing the drive-thru of a bank rather than a drive-thru ATM lol…I’ve definitely seen normal ATMs (like you would see in a building) that are by themself next to a lane that exists solely to drive up to the ATM

[@evan]

oh oops

[@hitenmaster7841]

Drive thru banks are like the sorting office in Futurama lol

[@lorrainehinchliffe5371]

We have drive through ATMs in Canada too.

[@nanoflower1]

Yeah, it used to be that all they had were the drive thru lanes at the bank with the vacuum tubes but now most of the lanes are going to have an ATM instead of using the teller.

[@bdhesse]

Basically everything you just said about the US is the same in Canada. We're a weird mix of American and English culture. We're basically socially American and economically British. But we've built our identity around not being British or American. Also, we're apparently stronger than both because it gets colder here.

[@jenniferbrown913]

In a nutshell.

[@terryomalley1974]

How are we economically British?

[@lanzsibelius]

Yeah a fair amount of these also apply to Mexico, guess we are not that different

[@yooperskeptic]

Also, Canadians are just delightful people

[@bdhesse]

@@yooperskeptic I dunno. I've dealt with plenty who really are the absolute worst. But then, I also live in the Texas of Canada

[@billyhills9933]

Once upon a time they used to play the British national anthem on TV after all of the programmes had finished and the channel would then be closed down for the night. Yes, TV used not be on 24 hours a day. There were many jokes made about people who would stand and salute during this. Anyway, I'm off to listen to the shipping forecast.

[@sailiealquadacil1284]

Same here in Austria. At least, I think that the TV programme ended with the anthem. I've never actually seen this happen myself.

[@nanoflower1]

That was the same in the USA. I can remember seeing some of the networks going off air at midnight or so when I was a kid. It was normally with a clip of a US flag waving as the national anthem played.

[@frankpennycook7802]

They still do on Radio 4 - every night, right after the shipping forecast.

[@ellanaomi8656]

brit here! on the family photo christmas card front what people tend to do in my family is send a generic christmas card with a robin, tree, angel etc. and then people write christmas newsletters. usually a side of a4 with family photos from events throughout the year accompanied by updates on who has been up to what over the last 12 months. you fold it up and put it inside the card. less obnoxious then just plastering your family's faces under some cheesy happy holidays greeting and you actually get to keep up to date with whats happening in your relatives' lives who you dont see all the time.

[@jiggyprawn]

Stealing this

[@cordeliabryant8259]

Family friends in the Lake District do this. Didn’t realize it was a UK thing.

[@robertmurray8763]

Yes.

[@charlotteke98]

In Belgium, it's very common to send a Christmas card with a family photo (especially families with young children).

[@JBG-AjaxzeMedia]

literally have never done a family photo or a a4 letter to my family, just send a normal card, with a present, and it done.

[@Prince_S._Park]

something that i find simultaneously very american and also "other countries don't exist" is the teeth whitening. it exists in other countries but it's excessive in the us, and most of all they went around and changed it to "lol british people have yellow teeth" when it's actually every other country in the world have normal coloured teeth (teeth can be healthy and still look yellow-ish, it's not about the whiter it is the cleaner) and us people have them really white

[@Phalaenopsisify]

Yes, and if you actually do go in to get your teeth whitened you joke with the dentist "but not American white, lol" and both laugh.

[@Hirotoro4692]

Slightly yellow is the natural colour of teeth

[@Elyza404]

I always got told by americans how bad the socialized healthcare is with wait times and such. But they cant seem to grasp that while I mostly use the government healthcare we can also use the private one. So when corona was overflowing the public sector I went to get my treatment in the private sector. I paid 300 euros/year for insurance and a 100 euros of deductible and the insurance covered 1200 euros worth of treatment at my neurologist. The thing is the insurance companies and the private sector have to compete with the public with much lower prices compared to US and we still get many of the same benefits.

[@danh4698]

I too hate the anxiety of packing knowing someone is behind you and the cashier is watching - so I always use self-service where it's far more chill and there are ten other people also packing up their shopping so it's not just you someone is waiting for.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

That is why you put the stuff in the cart and pack it away from the checkout. No annoyed person behind you and you still got all the time in the world to pack your bags. Plus you can put the stuff in your own backpack or trolley. One visit to a german supermarket should make obvious why that system works so well. The cashiers move at the speed of light and the next in line is already annoyed when you move the cart around.

[@AlexaFaie]

@@HappyBeezerStudios Most supermarkets here don't have the space to do that. There is barely more than a trolley's length at the end of checkout lanes and there's no raised surface to make packing easy (you'd either have to have the bags in the trolley or be holding them in mid-air which doesn't make it easy to do. So its really inefficient because then you are just blocking the way for other customers. The only places here which have space to pack which is away from the checkout are ALDI and LIDL which is unsurprising giving where they originate. It would be great if they *did* all have areas to bag in, but they don't so you just get more in the way. We just shop online now and have everything delivered so just unpack straight from the crates into the house. When I was little Safeway used to do these scanners and you'd scan everything, load them into big plastic boxes which kinda looked like what you put wet laundry in and those sit in the trolley. Then you'd just put those in the car and take them home with you. You then brought them with you the next time you shopped. Was quite a good early attempt at reducing plastic bag waste before that was even on the radar (it was more about reducing paper usage back then so using plastic was being lauded as better as it meant fewer trees got cut down).

[@elzar5987]

The british national anthum i've found isn't too well known by younger generations nowadays. while the older folk find it perposterous we don't know it since they had to learn it in schools. i went out of my way to learn it once and by the time an event came round to sing it, i'd completely forgotten

[@J_Neptun3]

Do you not watch the England football games? I think only those who don't, don't know the national anthem. Pretty much every english football fan knows the english national anthem from the international matches.

[@ItsAsparageese]

The only file stored in my brain under the "English national anthem" category is Eddie Izzard singing "God attaaaack the Queen / send big dogs aaaafter her / that bite her bum" 😆 ... And I'm not even sure that's a spoof off the actual anthem lol

[@sarahspaceslippers]

I go out of my way to not hear it, I don't agree with the message and I think the national anthem should be something else.

[@jaydemorton9814]

I live in Scotland our national anthem is Flower of Scotland and when people say we're gonna sing the national anthem and put on God save the queen a large crowd gets confused this is why I don't know it not because it wasn't taught but because we don't even use it for football.

[@elzar5987]

@@J_Neptun3 oh really? I thought the national anthem was only reserved for BIG games. Nah I don't watch football, so had no idea it was a thing for every international game

[@lindseynager7266]

Hi Evan! I'm in London on Study abroad right and completely sick with COVID (first time. Didn't realize how hard it was going to mess me up). Im having a really hard time being away from all my comfort foods/items. You're videos always really brighten my day so I appreciate it during these harder times for me. Trying to experience as much as I can in London while still being COVID safe.

[@caitlin329]

Ooh yeah sorry you're over here at such a bad time! A lot of people have covid at the moment :( Hope you feel better soon

[@lindseynager7266]

@@caitlin329 Thank you! Hoping that the worst is over, but today I walked down the road to the nearest tube station and was like painfully exhausted so...maybe not 😅😂

[@elusivemayfly7534]

I hope you feel better soon and get ahold of some good comfort items!

[@hypsyzygy506]

@@lindseynager7266 There is such a thing as 'Long Covid' which persists for months after the initial infection. Exhaustion is common.

[@lindseynager7266]

@@hypsyzygy506 Love that for me, is that why my lungs hurt when I walk any real distance?

[@lemming9984]

As a Brit, I didn't understand 'The Bench' thing at all! I don't think I've ever been aware of benches - other than in peoples gardens and parks....

[@AlexaFaie]

I found in another comment that its about school assemblies in primary school. Apparently lots of schools have 2 rows of benches for the years 6s and everyone else sat on the floor. But if you went to a school where they could afford enough seats for everyone then its not going to make sense. I went to a school where there were only the 2 of us in year 6 when I got to that point lol So we had more than enough chairs and then some.

[@emmao6578]

@@AlexaFaie It was more a space issue than a chair issue, I think we probably had enough chairs for everyone but the hall used for assembleys was also used for PE, music and other lessons so instead of having to set out and put away a whole load of chairs every morning it made more sense for kids to just sit in the floor

[@breakfreak3181]

It took me a while to figure out the bench thing too. It did happen in my primary school 40 odd years ago, but it wasn't as big a 'thing' as made out in this video. It wasn't really something we thought about at all. It was something that just happened when you got to the juniors.

6:41 It does also feel quite scary. Rallys… there was a time when those were totally en vogue here in Germany… scary times. I'm glad I was born about 20 years after that ended.

[@victoriaposada6330]

I LOVED getting the free lolly pops as a kid at the drive thru bank. One time I didn’t get one so every time after that I too rolled my window down so the teller could see I was there 😂

[@elusivemayfly7534]

Lol! I loved it too and would have done the same!

[@elliottmcleandeboer]

This vid was so validating - now I know that everyone in the UK had the "older kids bench" experience

[@8arcasticallyYours]

Never experienced that. It must be a thing for the younger generations

[@emdivine]

2:39 "like, frequently" I just prefer a system where it's impossible, and also more comfortable for all involved. Doesn't need to be a real problem, it's archaic and weird and doesn't need to be continued and supported

[@corringhamdepot4434]

Back in "pre-history" there were small pick-up trucks sold in the UK. Like a Mini and VW Polo pickups. Which made economic sense when they also made estate versions of compact cars. As they had a lot of common parts.

[@caitlin329]

You can ask cashiers for help bagging your shopping, as someone who's worked in retail. Is it sometimes annoying? Yes. But not everyone can easily bag their stuff.

[@Liggliluff]

If it's an elderly or visible disabled person, it's perfectly understandable. Some disabilities are hidden, which can cause some confusion. But if it's just some lazy person then it's just annoying.

[@caitlin329]

Yep. But you usually can't tell.

[@Phiyedough]

I've always thought people who voluntarily join the armed forces are just doing a job like any other. There are dangers but there are dangers with lots of jobs. I do think recognition is due for people conscripted into the military during major wars. One American thing that I had never heard of until a few days ago is sewing "notions".

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

I mean, it's not always a job like any other, but it is weird to see a guy who was basically a fry cook in North Carolina for 5 years call themselves a veteran.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Okay, someone actually going on deployment surely deserves some respect. But the person doing mandatory training sitting somewhere comfy didn't do anything big. And since conscription was suspended in 2011 our forces do advertise more. It isn't even a bad deal. Get a job with a decent wage, a place to live, depending on what exactly you do a finished work apprenticeship, and from an employer perspective they get someone who knows how to work in a hierarchy.

[@FerretKibble]

@@HappyBeezerStudios Exactly what respect is someone due for driving supplies to an invasion? Because the people actively invading another country certainly ain't earning any.

[@TrepeGB]

I’ve only ever once had someone walk away with my card (at a hotel) and that person cloned it and went on a shopping spree. Forgive me if I don’t want strangers taking my card. Also, as a northerner, I have to agree with the American about London. When I was 15 I visited London for the first time with family and I decided to go for a walk by myself. I got lost and kept trying to ask people for help and they either ignored me or told me to go away. I haven’t had much better interactions generally since. I’m used to being able to stop anyone on the street and they help me and have a chat.

[@BeerHuntor]

this is definitely a southern thing..

[@clsisman]

@@BeerHuntor I’d say particularly London. Some southern cities too but to a lesser extent

[@MrsUzumaki]

Yikes, what area did you end up in?? That's harsh, even for London!

[@TrepeGB]

@@MrsUzumaki I don’t remember exactly where it was now, but it wasn’t a touristy area.

[@MrsUzumaki]

@@TrepeGB Sorry you had to experience that. I hope you have a nicer visit next time 😊

[@elusivemayfly7534]

Box pancakes: this brought back a nice memory of my dad making them as a treat. It wasn’t every day or weekend, so it was a fun surprise. I think we always ended up sacrificing the first one to the burned food gods.

[@ThisWeekNetwork]

The bench was a sign of superiority over the younger students and I miss that power trip 15 years on

[@Dan-B]

What truly baffles me more than giving your bank card to a server, is that seemingly all Americans don’t see even a little bit of an issue with it 😆 Why would you even risk a complete stranger using your card, even if fraud is rare? Just do it yourself 😛

[@danielbliss1988]

People are just more trusting with that kind of thing here. I am binational US/UK. One of the weird moments for me coming over to the US for university was when my aunt had me run a grocery errand. Just gave me her card and asked me to just sign her name. I was like, "won't they fuss over the signature"? I got a confused look, and to cut a short story even shorter, they didn't.

[@MrJest2]

You can't. In such places, usually there is no publicly accessible POS where you can do the transaction yourself - the machine is hidden in the back, where customers aren't allowed.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@danielbliss1988 I did errant for my mother before. Usually not an issue. Not with a credit card, just the common bank debit card, so usually entering the pin code into the machine is enough. And wow? customers aren't allowed to do their own transactions but are expected to freely hand over something that sensitive? I know where I won't eat.

[@caitlin329]

I feel like I've seen the red solo cups in Tesco or something at some point. So not always so difficult to acquire.

[@jujutrini8412]

Yeah you definitely see them around.

[@wintrwunderland]

I mean, I even bought them from Poundland once before. That’s the polar opposite of “one of those expensive American shops”!

[@tams805]

They used to be. And he went to university a fair few years ago now. Of course, you could always have gotten normal non-red cups.

[@bobingabout]

2:35 Yes, because it happens all the time in Europe, that's why we have so many security features on the card, which did actually work to reduce these cases... which is worrying that you now have contactless which feels like a departure from security.

[@skyhookdom]

Just looked at the pancake recipe and saw another one. CUPS as a unit of measure in recipes. Whenever I come across a US recipe I always have to google how big a standard cup is. Why not give the weight!!

[@nuriafg6955]

because they don't know how to use grams and would give you the weight in weird measurements that don't make it any easy to divide the recipes lol

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

I have cups between 100 ml and 400 ml, so no idea what that even means. And they do have weight measurements in the USCS, so no reason to measure something by volume that expands depending on temperature and altitude.

[@pink_nicola]

The only time you’ll get people bagging your shopping at a supermarket in the UK is if it’s people raising money for charity or some other cause like guide/scout trips, and then it’s a nice thing people will normally happily donate for, it’s how I now know how to pack my own shopping well 😂 (I do wonder how that works these days though with how cashless things have gone)

[@Torsin2000]

Here's the main thing, and reason I think, for thanking military veterans in the past few decades. It all goes back to the Vietnam war, when those Veterans returned they did not get thanked, instead they either got ignored or called 'baby killers' and other things. From that time a lot of that generation has pushed, and you've seen, the thankfulness to Veterans for their service. A kind of over-reaction to the way the policies of how the Vietnam War was run, during a time when the draft was last active, and that the individual members (likely drafted) were denigrated and blamed.

[@Ivy-Tellers]

13:45 in Brasil the cashiers put your stuff in the bags while they are registering it.

[@MadnessQuotient]

Here is a thing that feeds into the whole massive high school sports thing and the pep rallies etc; Massive schools with multiple thousands of pupils. UK high schools are much smaller than American ones. Their events are much less culturally impactful because they aren't representative of a whole city or town.

[@Serenity_yt]

It's also a sports are done in school thing. In Germany if you dont go to a boarding school every Sport you do has 0 connection to your school and is organised indepently by a football Club e.g.. The after school stuff schools do offer is mostly things like orchestra, choir, theater, ... and some sports but you wont compete in those (the majority of time, one of my schools did actually do a gymnastic meet once a year for schools in the area that offered the elective which were 3 of a few dozen) for that you need a local club you parents mostly organise for you.

[@defeatstatistics7413]

yep, american pals are surprised that the town I grew up in has 7 secondary schools. School sports are basically irrelevant, if you're a decent footballer you're likely to be in the academy of the local football club. The only people who watch school sports here are parents.

[@brem7613]

We dont have to worry about which items can go to the bottom of the bag or not as we have many years of experience of bagging the items for our parents

[@jaydemorton9814]

I graduated to the bench and then when I got to high school everyone had chairs! Like 12 year olds had the right to sit at the same height as 18 year olds (this was maddness and the teachers had to stand so they were still higher) which messed so much with my primary school heirarcy.

[@laurie7689]

US American school children, even in elementary schools, typically use chairs. We use chairs all the way through school.

[@ceridwenaeradwr8105]

Aaargh, lucky. My secondary school had everyone except the oldest year sitting on the floor again.

[@Vonononie]

Same for me. Cross-legged on the floor until the last year of primary where we lorded it over the children from our benches. Then secondary everyone on chairs with the teaches standing to the side. Only thing that kept this madness in check was that as you got older you slowly worked your way to the back. The feeling of being in the back row at 16 was peak maturity

[@danh4698]

We did sit on the floor in secondary, slowly making our way back to the chairs sixth form sat on as we grew older. BUT during sixth form the school decided to get proper seating for the back of the hall, so we got properly comfy, tiered chairs in sixth form, and felt even more like we'd made it :P

[@danh4698]

Also our uniform was changed in yr 9 from these horrible narrow grey skirts to kilt-style skirts, which made sitting cross-legged on the floor SO much easier, my goodness.

[@spareumbrella8477]

The red solo cup thing is so true, coming from a British perspective. Yes, we all just kind of assume that all American frat parties and whatnot use those red cups. To us, it's as American as bald eagles and guns.

[@nanoflower1]

They do tend to get used at parties but only because they are cheap. Being American it was never something anyone gave a second thought to. Now there are other options like styrofoam cups but those tend to cost a bit more so the Solo cups still win.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

insert picture of stereotypical obese american in tank top, cargo pants and US flag cap yelling in his pickup truck with the roof full of screeching eagles while blasting his machine guns while transporting a full load of red solo cups filled with watery beer.

[@AnnieFaulkner918]

My high school pep rallies in the states were one of my biggest anxiety triggers at the time, they were so loud and terrible and overstimulating. I had a panic attack my first year and then for the rest of high school I would either hide in a closet or have my mom call me out for a fake doctor’s appointment lmao

[@crose7412]

4:56 "Lift" - bravo! 😁

[@joshmilton]

Americans: British food is terrible Also Americans: The food we cooked at home was a series of mixing different things from boxes

[@jnak974]

British: Everything American is terrible. Americans: Everything British is amazing. Wakandans: ……colonizers.

[@jnak974]

I’m joking, please don’t hate me.

[@RondaGuptonPruett]

As an American this is is pretty true. Our culture is a slave to convenience.

[@Serrifin]

Legit though, the state I grew up in, Iowa, is in a cultural crisis because the extent of which we are taught about our state is that someone died there in the Lewis and Clark expedition. It’s was rated by Iowans as one of the states with the least history. The culture in a lot of states is being pretty quickly dominated by national culture due to it being convenient to just follow national teaching standards. I was shocked to learn other states (and cities even) specifically taught about their own history, like how kids in Illinois will learn about the nazis and Skokie.

[@SnailTries]

13:49 Im from Ireland and no there are no bag boys here. From my experience

[@pigeoncubes]

being an immigrant to the US who didn't go to high school here and then ending up as at a job that does "spirit week" with themed dress-ups, it took me about a million years before I realised that's an American high school thing that the adults think makes the workplace have a fun, casual atmosphere. I would get so skeeved out by it, like why are you telling me what to wear??????? but now that I get it, it actually is a fun thing. so when we have a sports themed day, I'll be the only one with a rugby or real football hat while everyone else has local teams lmao

[@klimtkahlo]

Same! How about when Americans give adults a gold star. There are things I will never get used to. The more time I spend in America the more European I realize I become!!! Must be a somewhat subconscious attempt to preserve one’s own identity. Who knows…

[@tylerj7298]

God, you just brought back so many memories about drive-thru banks. I remember the tube and the lollipop

[@davidroddini1512]

You go Evan! We need more people like you promoting Ranch in other countries!

[@RubyMadigan]

And the stress of packing at the till is why I now do the smart shop option. Scan and pack leisurely as I go

[@JoeBleasdaleReal]

Either my primary school was the only one in the UK that didn’t do the “Year 6s on benches in assembly” thing or it’s just not as much of a nationwide thing as UK Twitter has you believe. In fact, we didn’t know it even existed. It genuinely baffled me when I went to parties as an adult and people said “yeah, it’s like at school, when you finally got to sit on the benches in Year 6”. I had no clue what they were on about. We sat on the floor with everyone else, and we had no problem with it. Being the oldest was nice enough. Plus assembly was in the hall, why would you bring the benches in from the gym? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@OllieWales]

At my primary school, the hall was also the gym so it was actually easier to just rearrange the benches that it was to pack them all away and bring them out again for lunch or PE or whatever

[@Molikai]

Yeh, Im' wondering if it's an English thing - I'm scottish, and have no fricking clue what they are on about.

[@mich-ul4sk]

@@Molikai I'm English and I haven't got a clue what they are on about either!

[@AnimeManiac1987]

My primary only had one hall so it had to be multi-purpose. We had three gym frames hung on the wall that swung into place when needed and the benches attached to them like ramps or bridges. I also remember the older you were the farther back you were in assembly, 6th on the benches and teachers on chairs

[@8arcasticallyYours]

Never known about it either

[@Ornithoptera]

I’m a Swede. And the first time we went with my mom’s American friend to a drive through bank I was amazed. At least back then in the 90’s it made so much sense! I grew up in a rural part of Sweden, so everyone were driving cars anyways. This was in your home state, in Northfield, NJ

[@MissesLykaa]

As a Dutch person we have lots of boxes for pancakes, even one for American pancakes specifically. For me it just depends what I have in the house, if I have the ingredients I'll make it from scratch but the box mix is easy too

[@AlexaFaie]

Its funny to me because the box mixes invariably consist of flour and dried eggs. Then you add your own milk. So if you have flour, eggs, and milk at home, you've already got all the ingredients needed. And you can even make some very soul destroying ones with just flour and water if you really have nothing else in. (I may or may not have grown up with some level of food scarcity).

[@arthurspils2565]

1:50 Speaking as someone with quite a few family and friends in the military, I'd say we talk about it but saying thank you for it is usually in a joking sense if not part of a formal presentation 4:23 I live in a countryside village but have also lived in London, that's definitely just more of a thing in areas where you're just trying to get somewhere - smiling, saying "hi" or "alright?" or just nodding to people more normal in less crowded, more casual spaces (eg when I'm out walking the dog), in cities it's as Evan says, do it with people you know.

[@AddiRockART]

The “look at this guy with dirt cheap insurance” made me laugh so hard- people don’t believe me when I say you will pay 450-1400 a month for insurance lol 😂 but dude if you go to hospital once you’re absobloodilutely fucked. Just laugh at the medical bills like “45,750??? For pneumonia??? Just let me die and bury me raw” since caskets cost like 6 grand and funerals are like 3400… just no. 😂🤣

[@MrsUzumaki]

"bury me raw" LMAOOO

[@xzonia1]

Same! 😂 My monthly cost on health insurance is only about $100 a month, but my out of pocket max is $4000 per year for in network only (another 4k for out of network), so it ends up costing about the same because I hit my max most years. Yeah, people can't even afford to die in the US! 😂

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Had 3 wisdom teeth removed at two doctors officeswith a perscription for paracetamol/codein painkillers for afterwards. Cost me 5€ co-payment for the pills. On another appointment I needed to get two fillings and an x-ray (to check if root canal treatment was neccesary) and a month later another appointment because there were still some issues. Price? nothing! Completely free. All covered by mandatory (tax-funded) insurrance.

[@AlexaFaie]

My monthly cost is zero because you don't need health insurance here because its paid for from the taxes you already pay. Prescriptions are like £9 something per med or if you're on several long term you just get a prepayment thingy which costs £32.05 for 3 months or £114.50 for a year. Or if you're taking HRT for anything its £19.80 for a year. Oh and if you earn below a certain amount or are on certain benefits then you get all the prescriptions for free. As well as being free for kids. Oh and the contraceptive pill is free to everyone who needs it.

[@LiqdPT]

3:41 what you're describing is a drive thru teller, not an ATM. Drive thru atm is just a atm at your car window rather than having to get out of the car. Also, drive thru pharmacy.

[@laurie7689]

Yeah, I use the drive-thru pharmacy to pick up my Mom's meds all the time. She has dementia and can't drive anymore and can barely walk. I get a text from the pharmacy when the meds are ready and I just swing by there to get them for her. I'd rather not go inside the pharmacy if I can avoid it because of the sick people inside waiting on their prescriptions. I don't want to get whatever they've got.

[@ronhan9]

the credit card thing - we are signing a contract to not hand our cards away or share pin numbers. It could be considered negilgant by the banks if someone did buy a house on your card (or more likley swiped some extra cash and pocked like 100 USD)

[@BionicMilkaholic]

4:12 I always wonder what people with mobility issues do in areas built around walking. Elderly, disabled, injured. I had severe knee problems and had replacements in my 30's. My mom is currently recovering from knee replacement. If we had to walk and/or use public transit over the past year, we wouldn't have been able to get groceries.

[@cern1999sb]

With the credit card thing, it's not the sort of thing where someone would put a down payment on a house, but they might make a mistake in billing you, e.g. accidentally add an extra item, and you have no way if checking that it is the exact amount you expect

[@AJ-uo5zl]

they have to give you a receipt though, with everything on it that you purchased

[@cern1999sb]

@@AJ-uo5zl I've not been to the US, so didn't really think about that, but it makes sense. So long as you're dilligent, you should be able to catch if a mistake is made, but to me it does still appear to add an extra hoop to jump through in those instances.

[@DavidBeddard]

Oh, just hearing you say "wooden bench" gets me so hyped! 😉🇬🇧 Seriously, though, I think the back seat of the bus is the bigger deal.

[@sophieirwin3497]

I mean for veterans, we have Remembrance Day on 11/11 or the closest Sunday for parades or what not. And there’s a 2 min silence at 11am on 11/11, and there’s always a poppy sales to raise funds for veterans and remember the people lost due to war. Maybe the UK are a bit more subtle about it all.

[@Jim-Scott]

The term 'Veteran' applied to ex-military seems to be a very recent adoption by some people in the UK from America. The film Lethal Weapon had a lot of people scratching their heads wondering why 'Vets' were such a tight knit group. I know people love animals and those who care for them, but it all seemed a bit much. These days, while most of us wouldn't use the term, we do at least know what you're talking about.

[@sophieirwin3497]

@@Jim-Scott I’m from the UK as well, and I had the same thought process….who are these vets going to war? Then it finally clicked

[@JustMozzi]

Honestly, i’d forgotten about ‘the bench’, but now realising it, I don’t think life has been better than that moment

[@SketchingPandaRen]

As someone who has to have thing in the correct place, I always put things on the belt the way I want them bagged. Honestly I like bagging my own stuff more the having someone else to it. I've left milk out because it wasn't with the cold stuff like I wanted. (Also Apples either get their own bag or go with non-cold boxed or bagged food)

[@user-xi1gm6de7c]

omg your so right about that bench, I never got to sit on that bench, I think about that every day

[@tome_1701]

I really wish the UK did have AC it's literally going to be nearly 40 degrees tomorrow and I wish a little plug in fan wasn't the only thing stopping me from instantly vaporising because of the unrelenting heat

[@klimtkahlo]

Yup and people still doubt global warming exists!!! 🤯

[@BBROPHOTO]

It's not about the cash being stolen when someone takes your card to do a payment, it's about stolen ID and identity theft. You've probably noticed Evan, that contactless no matter where you are, is available - so most people (especially in urban areas) are used to paying with Apple Pay or contactless cards being the norm. So if someone were to take your card, it would be really unsettling it's so uncommon to do so. To add, it's definitely also the abruptness of it that we aren't used to in social etiquette.

[@mytube001]

I want to fill my grocery bags myself, thank you. I am extremely good a packing stuff efficiently and I'm faster than almost everyone else. Why the hell would I want someone else to do it? I lived in Ireland for a while, and they sometimes did have "bag boys", but that was just insane. I ended up with half a dozen small bags with 2-3 items in each, when one slightly larger bag could fit everything. But that system probably has to do with their flawed checkout design, with only one collecting lane, without a movable divider.

[@Salix631]

You evidently haven't been in Ireland in 20 years, that's when plastic bags were banned. I haven't seen a bag packer in years (thank goodness) and I cannot remember a time when there were no lane dividers.

[@mytube001]

@@Salix631 I lived there when the ban was introduced, and the bag packers probably went away with that change. Still have a few green multi-use Tesco bags from back then. But there were no dividers back then, at least not where I used to shop. Tesco and Dunnes Stores mainly. But you're right, I haven't been back since I left, 19 years ago.

[@mytube001]

@@toastedtcake2947 In places where this is common, can you refuse? Tell them that you will bag your stuff yourself? Will that break a store policy? Will they call the rent-a-cops on you? It doesn't exist at all where I live now, and it was infrequent enough in Ireland that I just accepted it those few times.

[@elcaballeronyc]

Boiling water for tea in a mug in the microwave. Also chip and pin only protects in person transactions there are many ways to purchase things with a CC that don’t require the Pin or physical card

[@quinnwilson6201]

Singing the national anthem with no other countries is like singing happy birthday to yourself

[@outfitmadeofawesome]

We drive pickups in Canada too! It's all the forest and harsh weather here... you gotta have a big car! I have seen so many sweet little city cars straight up abandoned on country roads here because they got so stuck.

[@lane6866]

Your face at your citizenship ceremony made my day. That was hilarious. Also, what happens if you accidentally slip into My Country Tis of Thee? Do they send you back? lol.

[@houghi3826]

The issue with walking away with the card is NOT chip/pin related. It is the fact that they walk away with the card. There exist machines that you can use to swipe the card AT THE TABLE. I have worked in a restaurant where a waiter abused the card he took out of sight. My card had been compromised once. When I was in the US. Luckily I had an other one, otherwise that would have been a VERY bad experience.

[@DaveBartlett]

Surely, if there's a human at the other end of the pipe talking to you and sending your cash etc. It's a drive through bank teller, NOT a drive through ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) - not much automatic there!

[@caitlin329]

It's a T lol

[@kukui1679]

yah we have drive thru atms too tho not just the person on the other side version

[@bengaljam4550]

The ATM I use has a teller show up on a screen from some other location that you talk to. You aren't talking to someone who physically works at that bank.

[@laurie7689]

@@bengaljam4550 The drive-thru ATM I used doesn't have any video or audio. It is simply a computer-like system that asks what you want to do via screen text. You pull your vehicle up to the machine, roll down your window, and mash the appropriate buttons, get your money and drive off.

[@bengaljam4550]

@@laurie7689 Yes. They have that too but with the interactive teller you can do a lot more than those ATM's.

[@CaptainLettuce]

Wow that some good background music cuz I didn't even realise there is background music till you said it xD blends so well

[@harriet.z]

Idk if it’s America specific - so growing up in Asia, most of our AC units can blow cold air OR hot air depending on what temp we set it to. Older homes far up north also have heaters just for heating. But in the US when I mention turning on the AC, ppl get confused because in their lives an AC only cools down a place. The only thing that usually does both usually requires a centralized system in the building, and they call it “the thermostat”. I think to this day I still refer it as “the AC” cuz just now I grew up and that’s literally what air conditioning means. But English speakers, or maybe just Americans just do not seem to agree my “confusion” makes any sense to them. I fear I sound like a lunatic!

[@ShirinRose]

We have those heating and cooling air conditioners in Australia too

[@laurie7689]

I'm a US American and my house has a thermostat that operates two separate central systems. One is for a/c and the other is for heat. The thermostat automatically turns on and off the units, but we have to physically switch it between the cool air and the hot air ourselves. Our a/c units don't blow hot air, nor do our heating units blow cold air.

[@vincentlevarrick6557]

Yeah Australians get what you mean. We have 'reverse cycle' air-cons, which do exactly what you've described, can swap between heating and cooling.

[@Archivus23]

From descriptions I've seen online about how ranch tastes, I imagine its very similar to salad cream.

[@caitlin329]

I'm working graduations at a British university and they play the national anthem. It is weird and uncomfortable. Tbf the university has heavier ties to the royal family than a lot of others. Still weird though.

[@sophieirwin3497]

Would it be Oxbridge? As I didn’t have the national anthem at either my undergrad or PhD graduation at Liverpool university.

[@aim-to-misbehave5674]

Nottingham (uni of) graduate here - no national anthem for me either

[@lucie4185]

No national anthem in Bath or Exeter Uni.

[@caitlin329]

Definitely not Oxbridge lol Leicester. And looking online, DMU do it, too.

[@johnd6487]

Think that’s a new thing for DMU, I was in the second ever year to graduate from DMU after it ceased to be Leicester Polytechnic (the change happened at the end of my first year of my studies) and I don’t remember the National Anthem being played. Is it maybe part of the new nationalism, or because they now have overseas campuses and feel a need to ram their Britishness down people’s throats? Oddly when I think back to my childhood, it was more commonly played at events, including at the beginning of the Nottingham Theatre Royal Panto every year back in the late 70’s/ early 80’s

[@TheMissileHappy]

I actually have a German friend who sends us Christmas cards with her and her kids on them :) I love it. I feel so appreciated to get one, because I know she puts all her heart into choosing the sweetest pictures.

[@daiseighelliott]

The saddest thing about the bench thing is that every year before me the year 6s got to sit on the bench but for some reason we just didn’t and I never got that privileged and still had peas and sweetcorn stuck to me hands

[@eli-he9nz]

in england, it's incredibly common to hear that if you hand someone your card to pay for something and they walk away to somewhere you can't see them, if you then get a fraudulent charge on your card, the bank can refuse to pay you back as you weren't watching your card. i'm unsure whether or not it's true, but it's something i've heard a lot and probably contributes to the whole "why would you let someone walk away with your card, they could steal your details" thing, at least in england, i can't speak for other countries

[@1ich_mag_zuege]

knowing the names of their supreme court judges

[@Bob_just_Bob]

I lived in London for a couple of years and there's plenty of talkative natives there too. Oh and there are some new build flats in London that have air conditioning or a close approximation. We have one, it's a Ballymore property, same area where you filmed one of your videoas starting in front of a Sainsburys.

[@Relyx]

Even sociable people in the UK don't just randomly greet people on the street. The closest thing to that might be saying hi or morning etc. as you pass another hiker or dog walker in the countryside. But in the city? I think we just have a natural distrust of that sort of behaviour, that it must be fake, and the person either wants to rob us, or get us to donate or sign up to something.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

Meantime around here, I can start walking my dogs and end up chatting with people and end up suddenly walking two more dogs than I started with, then get confused which is which and have to then do the whole is this your dog, no, that's my dog routine. Dog walkers are some of the most talkative people I know. Bonus points if the dog walker has the exact same sort of dog that looks nearly identical too

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Pick up trucks are popular in the UK but popular in the way a pick up should be with farmers who have a reason for an open or part enclosed flatbed of a ford ranger or Hilux etc

[@tessgonzalez285]

another american thing is the big yellow school bus. apparently this is not really a thing outside of the US

[@aim-to-misbehave5674]

Yeah, most kids go to school on a normal public bus here in the UK - even when it's a "school bus", what that usually means is that it does a specific route in the morning to pick kids up (usually through surrounding villages to drop them off in the bigger town) and then goes off on its normal bus route all day until it's time to pick them up and drop them home again Some schools might have specific buses that they own and that only do runs for the school, but it's definitely not common (and they're not yellow)

[@leonardo.diCATio]

Honestly I'm kind of glad it's such an eyesore. I imagine they'd get hit a lot more often if they weren't bright yellow and covered in lights.

[@HaohmaruHL]

Because unlike normal countries public transportation doesn't exist in the us and you can't walk anywhere. If that's the case in other countries they'd just drive their kids to school themselves

[@laurie7689]

@@aim-to-misbehave5674 In the USA, in many places, the only bus that you'll ever see is the yellow school bus. Bussing is not really a thing outside of the large cities, however small cities and towns will have dedicated school buses.

[@MadnessQuotient]

@@leonardo.diCATio Like who is driving into a BUS? It's huge. How hard can they be to avoid, yellow or not?

[@TherconJair]

To be fair, 10 years ago ACs were unnecessary in homes in northern Europe. Why add an appliance you maybe use one or two days a year while still needing to service them? Nowadays, with the longer and hotter heat periods it has changed. Considering most new houses or renovations add a heatpump (which is also an AC, depending in which direction it's switched to), this is taken care now.

[@EzioHanitore]

This is the first video ive seen of yours in a while and i must say you are sounding remarkably more English these days lmao

[@ItsAsparageese]

Right? There was a "so" early in the video that sounds distinctly British before he goes back to his usual accent lol

[@EzioHanitore]

@@ItsAsparageese there was a "walk" close to the beginning where you can hear it too

[@coasttocoast2011]

In regards to the national anthem one here in Australia we used to sing the anthem every Monday at school at parade while the flag was raised in primary, at least at my school. We also sing the anthem at our Australia Day events

[@laurie7689]

In the USA, they used to play the National Anthem daily (I don't know if they still do) as it was the rule to play it while the Flag is being raised. The Flag is raised every morning at school and lowered at the end of the school day. The National Anthem would also be played at sporting events and other events as those were considered special. Schools don't have to allow events at all or even have sports. It would be a dull community whose schools didn't have those things though.

[@coasttocoast2011]

@@laurie7689 The flag is put up every day, we just only sing the anthem as it’s raised one day a week It’s not played at sporting events because the whole school only has 200 students. Generally sports are played outside school or for some sports (such as softball) they go to bigger places

[@laurie7689]

@@coasttocoast2011 The National Anthem music is usually only played when the Flag is risen or at special events. The song lyrics are not usually sung except at special events, such as a sports game. That is when everyone sings it, students, teacher, parents, etc. After the music is played it may be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. In school, the Pledge used to be a daily routine after the Anthem music ended letting us know that the Flag had been hoisted. At the end of the day, when the Flag was lowered, the song Taps would be played. I don't know if the schools still do this though. I'm in my 50's. The average school in the USA has 500+ students. School sports in the USA are also normally played outside school hours, too, unless the team has to be bussed a long distance for a championship game. You can tell when a team is playing by seeing the stadium lights on in the evening.

[@coasttocoast2011]

@@laurie7689 Yeah but it’s still associated with the school right? We don’t have school teams, at least not like you have in America, where I live.

[@laurie7689]

@@coasttocoast2011 Yes, the teams are associated with the schools. I'm not even sure if we have sports (that aren't pro) that are not associated with schools in the USA. Just about every sport that I'm familiar with here is connected to a school and thus the community. I think that I've seen gymnastics clubs and karate clubs around that weren't school associated, and maybe the YMCA's have some non-school-associated sports, but I've never really seen or heard of any others. With school associated sports, the communities get behind and support them. That wouldn't be true of non-school-supported athletics. They would be on their own.

[@WhatWouldYouHaveYourArbiterDo]

I live in the UK and every year without fail I receive a Christmas card from an American family with like 6 children addressed to the previous occupants of my house. Tbh, I find it a bit creepy to be receiving these unsolicited family photos, I even tried writing them a letter once to let them know the person they were sending cards to had moved out but it didn't stop them.

[@duncancallum]

Send the card back to the PO writing on it not known at this address . unopened ..Duncan once upon a time a Postie .

[@klimtkahlo]

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@WhatWouldYouHaveYourArbiterDo]

@@duncancallum it never comes in an envelope, it's basically a Christmas themed postcard 😂

[@john_smith1471]

@@WhatWouldYouHaveYourArbiterDo I would put it in an envelope or place a label on it write 'gone away return to sender' dont spend time writing to them.

[@xander1052]

On pick up trucks, there are Pick ups designed specifically for the European Market. My Scout Group's GSL has a Nissan Navara for his work. We're based in London not too far from your old place in Chiswick lol

[@baronvonsatan]

Here's an EXTREMELY American pancake-making tip: instead of water, use Sprite or 7-Up for super-fluffy pancakes. Plus adult-onset diabetes.

[@dozergames2395]

Me and the bois are trying this the next time we have The chance

[@dkecskes2199]

Sparkling water does the same floofing without the extra sugar, for those interested.

[@baronvonsatan]

@@dkecskes2199 Why didn't I think of that?? You're right, of course.

[@KatieM786]

Also if you're doing proper deep fried fish and chips you can put beer in the batter for flavour and fluffiness. Just realised this is probably the most English thing I've ever written on KZbin 😂🤣😎

[@jus4795]

You can use carbonated water instead of sprite -> no sugar ;)

[@tamsel814]

I keep all cards I receive, Christmas, bday, random cards. Whenever I feel sad I look at them to feel the love of those near to me. And I expecially treasure the cards I got from those that since passed away