Things that You Can’t Do in America but are OK in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸American Living in England

Things that You Can’t Do in America but are OK in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸American Living in England
Today we’re going to talk about the things you can’t do in the USA but can in the UK; and more specifically England! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
As an American expat only in the country for a year, I have had my share of challenges living in England. But these amazing things that I get to experience everyday make living in the uk so much easier for me.
Have I missed anything about American don’ts vs being ok while living in the UK? Let me know in the comments what your thoughts things about living in the UK! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
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Things that You Can’t Do in America but are OK in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸American Living in England
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US vs UK, Culture Shock, Living Abroad, American Expat, Expat Life, Reasons I Love Living In The UK, Things I Love About Living in the UK, Why You Should Move To The UK, Things I Like About The UK, best thing about living in the UK
Things that You Can’t Do in America but are OK in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸American Living in England

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

I'm fascinated by all the comments regarding drinking in England UNDER the age of 18. I'm gonna talk about this on my livestream tomorrow night @ 8pm UK time...please join me if you can. I wanna learn more....

[@Talkathon408]

@@davidpaylor5666 I wouldn't say it's often 10% ABV, it's rarely 10% ABV. It's normally 5% ABV. Some scrumpy may be 10% ABV but unless you live in say, rural parts of Devon, you're unlikely to ever encounter it.

[@Talkathon408]

@@davidpaylor5666 On kids drinking booze with a meal at 16, it may be legal but these days it's hard to find a pub that will allow this. Especially chain pubs who have a blanket policy against it despite as you say it being legal. It's a bit like non-alcoholic beer which pubs refuse to sell to under 18s for fear they won't be able to tell if the kid starts drinking alcoholic beer instead.

[@danielreed5199]

It may be legal in certain situations but if you go into a pub and say it is a legal right for your child to drink alcohol with their meal you will most likely get a response like "Well it is our legal right to refuse service for any reason, good bye"

[@capitalb5889]

​@@davidpaylor5666- the age is 16, not 13, and they can have wine, beer or cider legally, according to gov.uk. Wine is always over 10%, cider almost never is. I don't think I can remember going into a pub that sold a cider over 10%.

[@alexshapley8331]

@Talkathon408 and if it's that strong (which it can be) most people will mix it with something else (eg lemonade) to dilute the awful taste (I spent large parts of my childhood on a farm in S Devon that had orchards and a cider press). The local pubs would serve shandy (50/50 mix) to most teenagers but nothing stronger until you could be said to look over 18 (15 in my case).

[@lemming9984]

In the Uk it isn't Jaywalking, we call it 'crossing the road' !

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

I know, no one here knows what "jaywalking" is

[@Thurgosh_OG]

@@TheHicksonDiaries Most Brits know what it is, we just think it's a stupid US law.

[@BOBBOBBOBBOBBOBBOB69]

It's insane that the US thinks adults are to retarded to cross a road, but also is totally cool with them owning firearms.

[@cyberherbalist]

"Jaywalking" isn't simply crossing the road. It is crossing the road if that act contravenes traffic regulations. For instance, I once received a citation for crossing a road against the traffic light. It was in downtown Seattle, my bus was on the other side of the road about to leave, and so I ran across the intersection against the red light. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the police officer siting on his motorcycle in front of the bus.

[@andreasstavrinides6980]

@@cyberherbalistWe understand that. It's just that as adults we can navigate the traffic without laws governing it.

[@bosshog36]

Darth Vader taught us how to cross the road safely using the Green Cross Code

[@lomax343]

Shout-out for Tufty the Squirrel.

[@nammo9460]

I was taught by Nikolai Poliakovs, a friend of our family, most people knew him as "CoCo, the clown", although he was not really a clown, he was an "August".

[@tudormiller887]

What's the US equivalent of the UK 'Green Cross Code' ?

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

No idea what you guys are talking about….🤷‍♀️

[@tudormiller887]

@@TheHicksonDiaries The actor who played Darth Vader in the Original Star Wars Trilogy (David Prowse) was the 'Green Cross Code' man teaching young kids how to safely cross the road during the 'Stop, Look, Listen' campaign in the 70s.

[@fionacowan2426]

Lol you can be responsible for a gun at 18 but cant be trusted to cross a road 😂😂😂

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Pretty much…the US is f-d up

[@clivebrooks8207]

The price you see on an item in a shop is the price you pay. No tax added at the till.

[@edwardburroughs1489]

Isnt it better to add the tax so you are aware of the governmental theft that is being applied? For instance people here in the UK bitch about fuel prices all the time but I bet most people don't realize that half of what you are paying is tax.

[@G0LGS]

I'd hate to have to fathom out what I'm going to have to actually pay when I get to the Checkout (esp as so me items are Tax exempt and some are not) - the UK system of (in most cases) showing final price with Tax included (where due) is much better.

[@hypsyzygy506]

The shop has to calculate all the relevant taxes on each item in order to pay the different tax authorities. If they do that anyway, it makes sense to do that calculation when pricing the item on the shelf. In some US states I believe it is illegal to do that - hence the tax-at-till problem.

[@RubbishGimpy]

Fuq Costco, it keeps catching me out.

[@scottstevens4633]

What caught me out was being charged sales tax on magazines - I don't pay vat on books and mags in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@russelltofts3673]

Another few things to add to the list. 1) In Britain it is quite normal to linger in restaurants. One is not pressured to eat up and go to make way for the next customers, or presented with the bill until it is requested. 2) Tipping is not obligatory or even expected for most customer services, unlike in the USA where tipping is almost de rigueur, as the wages paid to many in customer services is very low and they depend on tips to make up their wages. 3) Maternity leave and paternity leave. In Britain it is not unusual for women to take a full year for maternity leave, 39 weeks of which are paid. Fathers can take two weeks off following the birth of their child.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Wow-I’m so envious of the family leave after a baby.

[@user-ey8qk2zh7h]

@@TheHicksonDiaries you don't even get charged for holding your baby just after giving birth.

[@rayaqueen9657]

​​@@TheHicksonDiaries Also what on earth is that with putting all the babies together in the hospital? That's got to be the weirdest thing imaginable. I always thought those babies were in ICU (when you see it on TV) but it's just the norm right. Terrifying! I think every American must have some kind of infant trauma consequently.

[@lawrencebrown3582]

British hens have a dot matrix printer in their bottoms which puts the Best Before date, and sometimes a picture of a lion, on the eggs as they come out!

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

😝

[@vikkiledgard8483]

🤣🤣🤣

[@SirReginaldBlomfield1234]

I thought it was there arsehole !

[@WildwoodTV]

Mine have tiny laser printers but I can't afford the colour toner, so I just pencil on the date 🤣🐔

[@4ebees]

🤣😂

[@dj_paultuk7052]

I was in Georgia many years ago, about 2008 and i crossed this road and it was safe to do so. Just like i would in the UK. Then i heard these sirens and this cop comes tearing across the road and actually skids to a stop and gets out and starts yelling at me. He was going on about "Jaywalking", and i was like what on earth is jaywalking. Once he heard my accent he said "Your not from around here are you?". Err no, im from the UK, just over here on work. He just said Have a nice day, got in his car and drove off !. lol. Guess he could not be bothered with a foreigner.

[@admiralbenbow5083]

I got done for jaywalking in Tashkent once. Beat that

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Yeah. I know people who got out of all kinds of stuff bc of their foreign accent in the US

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

@@admiralbenbow5083 where’s that?

[@admiralbenbow5083]

@@TheHicksonDiaries en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkent

[@chrisj7663]

I suspect he was aware of how ridiculous the Jay Walking law is or at least how it's perceived outside of the US.

[@neilthewheelio]

Finding another employee to cover your holiday days off? No chance, "hey, this is your company, you are responsible for your staffing, not me. I am just telling you when I won't be here so do one"

[@jmtiptonengland]

May I also say that a 16 year old, can have wine/cider/beer in a restaurant purchased by the parent/adult

[@JarlGrimmToys]

@@jmtiptonenglandyou can also drink from 5 years old by law. But only on private property and under and parents/ guardians are legally responsible.

[@jmtiptonengland]

@@JarlGrimmToys Yes: but lets not complicate things ~

[@bikeman123]

​@@jmtiptonenglandis your comment relevant to the original post?

[@ChrisM541]

Lol, you absolutely can NOT demand a specified annual leave timeslot in the UK (or anywhere), obviously(!!!). If no one is off over that week/two weeks/whatever then it's likely you'll get that time slot. But, ffs lol, you can not demand it. It's normally 'first in, first served'. Eminently reasonable? No?

[@jaywalk4446]

Jaywalking is the dumbest law ever. Basically like saying a grown person hasn't learnt to cross the road. Bonkers

[@PedroConejo1939]

You should look up the origin of the law; there are videos on it. It's a disgrace.

[@timonsolus]

Jaywalking law makes sense in big cities like New York with wide multi-lane streets. Jaywalking would really slow down traffic flow. Jaywalking law applied to 2-lane streets, however - totally unnecessary.

[@stephenlee5929]

@@timonsolus Agreed Jaywalking would slow down traffic flow. I'm not sure that would be such a bad thing, given how many people are killed on US streets.

[@aarongray3463]

​@@PedroConejo1939Wasn't it lobbied by car manufacturers who wanted to blame pedestrians for getting run over?

[@rootchiller]

@@timonsolus Don't even think its necessary in big cities. As previous posters have said you are an adult and should take responsibility to cross the road. I wouldn't try crossing a 6 lane road but I have seen people do it many times. I think they are bloody mad but each to their own it's a free country.

[@AHoundOnAHonda]

Might be worth mentioning that these things are the same across all of the UK, not just in England.

[@batcollins3714]

Americans don't know the difference!

[@robertsandiford6223]

I don't suppose she has the experience to know. So I wouldn't ask her to.

[@tigerland4328]

She might have only been to England not Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland so she is speaking about her experiences in England rather than the UK.

[@john_smith1471]

@ANoundOnAHonda: With devolved governments and assemblies health and education are not the same across the uk.

[@timphillips9954]

@@john_smith1471 Wales and Scotland has had their own governments for donkies years does Northern Ireland still have an assembly?

[@kentishmale1969]

And yet so often you see Americans bragging how proud they are that they live in the "land of the free" and acting as though they're the only country on the planet that has "freedom".... It drives me up the bloody wall !!! 🤷🤷

[@terryhayward7905]

America is the only country that has laws that tell you what you are allowed to do, anything else is illegal. The UK has laws that tell you what you CAN'T do, anything else is perfectly legal.

[@dianeleitch]

Lived in the States for 26 years and, yes, they know very little about any other country and are speechless to hear there are many countries that have more freedom than they do. But then that is what they are taught at school. Allegiance to the flag ever morning. Brainwashed. I have 2 grandchildren, who are now adults and they know better. Saw us most weekend and learned a lot from us.

[@timonsolus]

In America, the rich are free, the poor are slaves.

[@seanoconnor8843]

America has the most barbaric history of any country yet has only existed for 250 years. It's the elephant in the American room. It's never mentioned

[@cookielady7662]

You know what drives me up a bloody wall? People from England thinking they know all about OUR freedoms. You don't. Read our constitution.

[@cupid_stunt7414]

You can also step foot on someone's property and not run the risk of being shot for trespassing

[@bmc9504]

Nobody should be trespassing.

[@chocolate_squiggle]

@@bmc9504 Nobody should be fucking SHOT for simple trespassing.

[@freethrall]

In Scotland there's "the right to roam" which means (except in very special cases) you can go anywhere outdoors.

[@cliveherbert9476]

No, in England, if the owner is or isn't at home, you are still trespassing, which is illegal 👮🏼‍♂️

[@trajancanada]

@@kyj565 That happen a lot in England? Just go into someone else's backyard and stand around? Do you do that at night, too? On someone else's property? Kind of weird.

[@petergalloway7978]

Might also be worth mentioning that we don’t all live in London

[@leestockton9367]

We do, listen to the Tories!

[@stephenmatura1086]

@@leestockton9367 Or watch the BBC.

[@DerekLangdon]

And that the Cornish are not English!!!

[@simonruszczak5563]

@@DerekLangdon Build a Cornwall

[@JohnDoe-tx8lq]

@@simonruszczak5563 good one! 😆

[@urseliusurgel4365]

The construct 'Blahblah County' does not exist in British English. Most counties end in -shire and those that do not are just known to be counties, like Kent or Somerset. If you want to emphasise that you are talking about Kent as an administrative unit, then, "The County of Kent" would be used. In Ireland it is the exact opposite usage to the US, County Cork, rather than Cork County.

[@Volcano-Man]

Did you know there is only one County in England - County Durham!

[@urseliusurgel4365]

@@Volcano-Man The exception, that proves the rule. It's just because the city and county have the same name. It used to be the County Palatine of Durham, ruled by the Prince-Bishop of Durham.

[@davidevans3227]

most?

[@Volcano-Man]

@@urseliusurgel4365 I know! Now why is Lancashire 'The County Palatine of Lancashire?' Yes I know, but do you?

[@urseliusurgel4365]

@@Volcano-Man "Of the palace". I live in the County Palatine of Lancaster. Palatine counties were created in border regions or regions of uncertain loyalty and their earls (or bishop in the case of Durham) were given close to vice-regal powers. Chester was an early palatine county, situated on the Welsh border. Lancaster was given to Edmund Crouchback, the brother of Edward I. On the death of Henry, Duke of Lancaster, his heiress married John of Gaunt, son of Edward III. When Gaunt's son, Henry of Bollingbroke, became king the Duchy and County Palatine of Lancaster returned to royal possession, where it has remained ever since.

[@triggerfish999]

Generally the NHS is pretty good, especially if you have a critical or serious condition. And it is free at the point of access. You don't get charged for an ambulance, you don't pay for childbirth etc. NHS dentists can be tricky to find, but private dental treatments are much much cheaper than the US.

[@littlewoodimp]

It does work better when it's not deliberately starved of funding and the staff are worked to the bone. But, still proud of it, it's saved my life more than once.

[@VulcanDriver1]

I'm being treated for CKD in the NHS. Regular Doctor check ups with no time limit and lots of drugs for blood pressure and kidney functions. I've paid for it out of my taxes. No rip-off insurance companies.

[@olivertaylor4779]

It might be free at point of access but people are forgetting that we pay around 10% national insurance on top of income tax, we pay for the NHS through taxes.

[@TheHaighus]

​@@olivertaylor4779 We do pay through taxation but we get much better value for money than typical private insurance-based systems. Plus, the risk is fully pooled through the population which distributes costs fairly.

[@kiskaloo6843]

We don't have to sell our homes to pay for our child's cancer care.

[@ChrisJ144]

I tried to explain to American friends that in the UK ‘Public’ schools are what we call private schools. It didn’t compute 🙄

[@DontPanicDear]

Haha true! Uk public schools are funded by the public not the government, like state schools, is how explain that one. They are still in effect ‘private schools’ though, and some people in the UK do call them that.

[@jimdaw65]

Public schools and private schools are the same thing here in the UK. That's not at all confusing, is it? 🙂Rule-of-thumb is that Public Schools are the famous ones, like Eton or Roedean, and you don't have to live in the area (hence "public") ; Private Schools are the same sort of "No riff-raff" thing, but they're local, you do have to live nearby. Everything else is a State School. Something like that.

[@DontPanicDear]

@@jimdaw65 Haha It’s simple. Uk Public schools are funded exclusively by the public, rather than state funded. Some ppl call them private schools.

[@paulworgan6599]

I think it goes back to the days when the gentry would have their children homeschooled by Tutors/ governesses then at a certain age send them away to school which then would public rather than at home.

[@chrisj7663]

@@jimdaw65 Actually, they're not or at least they were not in the past. That's why 'Public Schools' were so called i.e. they were open to students from the public even if there was a fee to be paid whereas a 'Private' School was as the name denotes 'Private' i.e. It was not open to students from the public suggesting perhaps it could only be attended by those who were invited. Public schools were so called for very good reason. Today as you point out, the two have become confused. If I go back say 50 years I can say with 100% certainty that 99% of British people would have referred to fee paying schools in the UK as 'Public Schools' (of which incidentally there are thousands). It's also important to note that a 'Private' School by virtue of the name suggests that it cannot be joined. Language is interesting. I certainly know many British people (mostly older generation) who would not be clear on what type of school you went to if you said you attended a private school whereas if you said you had attended a public school they would have a clear understanding of what you meant. 'English' English is increasingly being influenced by 'American' English due to the overwhelming influence of American TV entertainment (movies, TV series etc). Hence...... we British can understand American English very well but the reverse isn't necessarily true. The British are quite forgiving in conversation and take terms within context and don't typically challenge them i.e. If an American referred to a private school then there's a good chance British person would assume they meant a Public School.

[@stevej513]

In the UK you can have shops in the suburbs, so you can shop locally without a car. Not allowing this is worse than anything on this list.

[@TheRealRedAce]

I once worked in a shop in York, England. Looking at some of our stock an American tourist said "Hey we don't see stuff like this back home in the US." I said "Well, that particular item is made in Amarillo, Texas." He replied "Amarillo? Really? Hey, we do our weekly grocery shop there, its just 80 miles away." I thought "WHAAAAAT?!"

[@dedistaulapanodki6293]

@@TheRealRedAce But can you 🎵 Show Me The Way To Amarillo 🎵

[@TheRealRedAce]

@@dedistaulapanodki6293 Lol, turn left at Oklahoma.

[@the_real_littlepinkhousefly]

@@TheRealRedAce Texan here. Amarillo is in the panhandle, and while the city is large, there are a LOT of farms and ranches in that general area, and likely that's why the guy was doing the grocery shopping so far away. Much of Texas is sparsely populated (particularly West Texas). Most small towns have grocery stores, but it might be that this guy's family preferred one of the larger supermarkets "in town" (aka Amarillo). The worst thing here is that we have pretty crappy public transportation outside of Dallas (I'm not sure of the situation in Houston). I live near Austin, and voters keep voting down public transport measures because they don't want to have to pay the taxes to fund them. It's ridiculous. People are so wedded to their cars here.

[@TheRealRedAce]

@@the_real_littlepinkhousefly Yes, I was aware of all that.

[@s.rmurray8161]

in UK f you’re under 18, it’s against the law: for someone to sell you alcohol to buy or try to buy alcohol for an adult to buy or try to buy alcohol for you to drink alcohol in licensed premises (such as a pub or restaurant) However, if you’re 16 or 17 and accompanied by an adult, you can drink (but not buy) beer, wine or cider with a meal.It’s illegal to give alcohol to children under 5.

[@brumplum]

I came here to make that distinction :D (further distinction: the obligation is on the person selling the alcohol, not buying - i.e. no 16/17 year old would be prosecuted for buying booze, it's the shop selling it to them who would be charged - ditto an adult procuring it for them; there are a few further subtleties when it comes to parents of teenagers allowing them to drink small quantities of low-alcohol products)

[@edwardburroughs1489]

@@brumplum Stupid isnt it?!

[@seanoconnor8843]

Kids these days have no interest in drinking. They will grow up not being able to take their drink. I blame the schools

[@edwardburroughs1489]

@@seanoconnor8843 The should bring back the rum ration, but for primary schools!

[@jillosler9353]

But I have never known or heard of anyone giving a 5 year old alcohol - or even a 10 year old.

[@mpwheatley]

The bank that I used to work for in the UK insisted that all employees take a two week leave of absence at least once a year, as a fraud prevention measure. The thinking being was that if you were defrauding the bank you would not be able to cover your tracks for that length of time. And it worked, a longstanding colleague I knew was sacked upon his return from holiday as it was found out during those two weeks that he had been stealing from customers. It was a great policy as everyone was 'forced' to take a leisurely vacation plus we had another three weeks off and public holidays on top of that.

[@rbnhd1144]

Brilliant.

[@giociampa]

I can vouch for the two-week forced holiday as I worked in The City for a dozen years or so... whilst I understood the reason behind it, I'd be going stir crazy by the second week.

[@leonardocoded]

When you say leave of absence do you mean using two of the four (paid minimum holiday entitlement by law) or calling in sick?

[@dedistaulapanodki6293]

Still happens (depending on your job in the bank).

[@Chris-dm1je]

The civil service used to insist that employees had two weeks leave together once a year to rest properly and be less likely to fall ill and have time off sick.

[@harrisonandrew]

Nice Video - great job. Obviously I am Brit and have worked for my company for 30+ years. I have 28 days vacation per year, only have to go into the office 2 days per week (WFH for the rest), finish work on Friday’s at 1pm. Work-life balance is so important for continued good performance. Only having 2 weeks p.a. Vacation seems like exploitation of workers to me. I couldnt work like that - it’s almost Victorian.

[@richardwani2803]

Finding someone to cover for while your on holiday that's not my job that's the managers job to find cover

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

My sentiments exactly!

[@spencerdavies4666]

Jaywalking, a law introduced by the American motor car lobbyists as they thought pedestrian accidents reflected badly on their brands. Annual leave, I'm in the UK and still check with the rest of the team that I'm ok to take dates off and it won't clash with themselves. I don't have children so generally avoid taking leave off during school holidays as my colleagues with children have more right during those dates (this is my choice rather than company mandated).

[@Rapscallion2009]

Very decent and considerate of you. Although. Places are quieter outside of school hols, so it has a practical benefit...

[@David-wp2iw]

nonsense, jaywalking law exists in the majority of the countries with no car industries.

[@faithlesshound5621]

You may notice that prices go UP during school holidays, so if you can travel at other times it may be cheaper. Plus fewer pesky kids getting underfoot!

[@Thurgosh_OG]

@@David-wp2iw Actually, Jaywalking laws only exist in about 20 countries/States. That's hardly "the majority" of the worlds 197 countries/states.

[@kevinallen6955]

@@Rapscallion2009 And offer better value 😉

[@jeffknight904]

Refrigerating British eggs doesn't damage them but once refrigerated they have to stay refrigerated until you eat them because when you take them out of the fridge water gas in the air will condensate on them causing damage to the protective cuticle.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

That makes sense

[@verenamaharajah6082]

Never heard of that. All my life here in England, I’ve kept 6 eggs out in a pot on the counter and another 6 in the fridge. Sure there is a little condensation on the shells when I take them out of the fridge to refill my pot, but I’ve never had a bad egg from either practice.

[@jeffknight904]

@@verenamaharajah6082 You're right, it's unlikely that the eggs will go bad if you work in a clean environment and, besides that, all EU chickens have to be immunised against salmonella so the risks are reduced further.

[@101steel4]

I'm so pleased you know what an English flag is. It's amazing the amount of Americans who don't.

[@TheRealRedAce]

Yeah we do. Its the flag of Maine. Thats in England, right? :D

[@jonsmith20766]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Good call.👍🏻

[@G6JPG]

Probably similar to the _number_ of people who say _amount_ of Americans 🙂

[@notreallydavid]

number of! (Please kick me. All best.)

[@sweetlikechocolate437]

​@TheRealRedAce No, Maine is in New England(in the U.S) but we don't have that place name in the U.K.

[@johnavery3941]

Coming towards the end of the year my HR Department e-mailed me to say "John, you have 8 (out of 33) days to take for holidays left before the the end of the month you must take them" I said "can I carry them forward?".. they said "No, if you do not use them the you lose them".... needless to say I took the 8 days holiday off a week later

[@_Mentat]

If you're in the UK you should check the employment law. Carry over rules are legally prescribed.

[@davidpaylor5666]

In the UK they are obliged to either carry them forward or pay you in lieu. It is the employers choice (it'll be in your contract) but they cannot just wipe them out like that.

[@johnavery3941]

Hi David I concur, if you are not going to able to take all your holidays your employer will give you the cash difference. It would be carnage for a company if everyone tried to carry over unused holidays.

[@SW-qr8qe]

@@_Mentat I’m allowed to carry 7 days, I think. Big company, follows law.

[@NigelRCharman]

Holiday is for your health. We encourage healthy lifestyles as far as possible.

[@Colin-kh8qj]

The age limit for consuming alcohol in the UK is 5 years old. However you can't purchase alcohol until you are 18 years old. There are restrictions on spirits and the wine or beer has to be served in a designated restaurant area with a food order. Cheers😊😊

[@rogergill1969]

It’s not that you can jaywalk here in uk. It’s just the we are allowed to cross our roads if we think it’s safe to do so. Ridiculous law. ‘Mericans are so free free.

[@DontPanicDear]

Also, once we have stepped off the curb (on a traffic free / clear road) pedestrians have priority over vehicles. You can complete your crossing.

[@amydixon2377]

It gets more complicated here in Australia. We have rules against something we call jaywalking, but what we mean by it is not taking the shortest route to cross the road - crossing diagonally, basically. As long as you walk straight across a single road (not diagonally across the road, and not diagonally across an intersection i.e. two roads at once) it's fine.

[@philipmason9537]

The only roads you’re not allowed to walk across are the Motorways, for obvious reasons, or if there’s a sign on a road saying otherwise( which I’ve never seen yet). Regarding time off work, Europeans say that ‘we work to live’ whereas Americans’live to work’ which seems to be true unfortunately.

[@timonsolus]

Americans = corporate slaves.

[@theturtlemoves3014]

They tend to be on high speed dual carriageways - ie they are almost motorways

[@phillwainewright4221]

There are a lot of "No Pedestrians" signs round here. Mostly on dual-carriageways and a couple on long bridges.

[@admiralbenbow5083]

Here`s another. You are not, nor ever have been, obliged to carry any form of ID on your person or in your car. (We do not have ID cards in the UK). Nor are you obliged to have any documents such as car insurance etc in your car when driving.

[@Please_allow_me]

Actually that's not strictly true. In the UK a police officer can request to see your licence, your insurance certificate and MOT certificate at any time, and if you can't you could be issued a producer to present yourself at a police station with whichever item(s) you did not have on you at the time. Failing to do that could then result in a fine and points on your licence.

[@olderwiser8347]

@@Please_allow_me Sorry, you're wrong - you are not obliged to carry these documents in the vehicle. Yes, producing them at a later stage is perfectly acceptable but you don't have to have them with you when you drive..

[@Please_allow_me]

@@olderwiser8347 Did you even read my reply to the original comment? I never said you *have* to. The OP stated you're not obliged to carry them, when the truth is you are to an extent, because failure to do so means you may have to produce them at a station, whereby failure to do that may result in legal action taken against you. Obliged in this case doesn't mean by law, just that simply you're strongly advised to do so and that it is your personal responsibility to ensure you have them on you, as failure to do so can ultimately lead to legal action *eventually*. The Gov.uk website specifically states you must provide be able to show any of the mentioned documents if requested by a police officer if you have been seen driving a vehicle, but just because you don't have them at that time doesn't necessarily mean a penalty will be issued there and then (refer to section 164 and 165 of the road traffic act if you must) . But there are definitely cases where failing to provide any of those documents may result in the vehicle being seized off a driver if the police officer really does suspect that the driver is driving without license, isn't insured to drive that vehicle, or that the vehicle does not have a valid MOT and the driver cannot prove otherwise. If the police officer has other means to negate this, then they may send the person on their way, or give the driver a producer. In short, drivers are obliged (though not legally) to have the right documentation with them when the drive otherwise any consequences would be there own doing.

[@admiralbenbow5083]

@@Please_allow_me You are either required to carry them or you are not. Being required to produce them later is something else entirely. There is no `some extent`. Muddle headed nit picking does not get you out of it.

[@dad2coconut]

⁠@@Please_allow_meMOT-Paperfree, available online, Insurance-Paperfree, available online, Road duty-online only. The only thing that can’t be checked automatically from a camera is that the driver is licensed (and named for insurance)

[@bestbehave]

“Kent county “ Adorable 😂

[@titteryenot4524]

It was charming. It’s partly because she’s addressing a largely US audience and they use ‘county’ all the time when they name places.

[@johnfisk811]

It is ‘ the county of Kent’. Kent county is an Irish word order which passed to the USA. The King’s formal representative in the county is the ‘Lord Lieutenant of the County of Kent’.

[@Yogoniogi]

kent is a county??

[@Volcano-Man]

Kent does not officially have the prefix or suffix 'County!' Only Durham has the title COUNTY Durham

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

You guys! 😜

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

More Egg Tips - If you look at UK egg shells, they'll have pink text printed directly on the egg. 1. The Lion: there will usually be a diagram of a lion, this indicates that the chicken that laid the egg has been vaccinated against salmonella. This also means that for the most part, your egg can be eaten raw, much like they do in Japan etc. 2. The origin: there will be a country code, almost always "UK" 3. The type: next to the origin code (UK) there will be a single digit; 0, 1, 2, or 3. 0 = organic, 1 = free range, 2 = barn reared, 3 = caged chickens.

[@BlazeShorts820]

it sounds a very American turn of phrase when you call it 'Kent County' rather than just Kent!

[@Brookspirit]

It sounds weird and wrong.

[@wessexdruid7598]

We would say the county of Kent.

[@clairegrant4505]

@@wessexdruid7598 I live in Kent, we just say Kent. 😊

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@clairegrant4505 Of course - but if you were going to refer to the county, specifically...

[@dedistaulapanodki6293]

Yes, because the" Kent County" I know is south of King County in WA.

[@user-ue8nw6ln1u]

Back in the mid-1980s, I was a student visiting Washington D.C. and I got stopped by a Police Officer for Jaywalking. I think that I was crossing the road in Georgetown and I suddenly heard a man shouting "Yo!" very loudly. I turned around and realised that it was a Police Officer and he was calling for me. As I recall, he was a huge African-American man who seemed to be clinical ly obsese. I went over to him, and he got quite irate and mentioned that I had committed an offence called "Jaywalking". I was exceptionally polite to him and turned up the English accent, and he let me go. As I was speaking to him, he said "Oh, you're foreign...". Without thinking, I replied "No, no, I'm British." For years after, I found that instinctive and entirely spontaneous comment funny. Anyway, he figured that as I was "foreign" I couldn't be blamed for knowing the local laws. So, that was that.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

In and around Orlando (the one in Florida, in case there's another one) they are so used to having visitors from across Europe that they don't really bother about Jaywalking. They actually have pavements/footpaths along both sides of most of the roads in the area (International Drive is a good example of this) and I've crossed a 4+ lane road, just by a police car and the police barely looked in my direction.

[@TheBrowncoatcat]

@@Thurgosh_OGIn 1992 I was in Orlando for the World SF Convention. One morning I walked along International Drive, to the Orange County Convention Center from the hotel where I was staying. I was told I was nuts by all the Americans I met.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Yes. I know people who got out of traffic tickets doing the same thing

[@paulmidsussex3409]

@@Thurgosh_OG I believe there is an Orlando in Hollywood.

[@richardsimms251]

Great discussion. Thank you.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Thanks for watching!

[@kathrynabbott5032]

If you are coming to the UK on holiday - please take out travel insurance- the NHS is residence based - if you do not live in the UK you will be charged for hospital treatment outside of Accident & Emergency. If you do not have travel insurance you will need to pay and arrange repatriation yourself. If you are planning to stay in the UK over six months you can pay the immigration health surcharge which will exempt you from hospital charges.

[@benh715]

I wish that were true.

[@Colin-ml7fq]

That’s true but if you’re sick you will get treatment whether you have insurance or not, people are not left ill or without medication, you may get a bill but it will be no where near what you would pay in the us.

[@faithlesshound5621]

The immigrants' health tax is £1035 per person per year now, payable in advance (£776 for students) when you apply for a visa for more than six months, unless you are a refugee (etc). You must pay even if you have private health insurance as well. People coming to work in the NHS have to pay too, whether or not they use the service themselves.

[@lomax343]

@@benh715 It is true. In theory, anyway. The problem is that almost no-one in the NHS will ask a sick or injured patient if they're a UK citizen. And even if they did, absolutely no-one in the NHS knows the procedure for filling out an invoice (except for three guys in an office somewhere, who've never even seen a patient). As a result, almost nothing that ought to be paid or ever is paid for.

[@dpandcrspandvn]

Hello, are you my vicar? She is a Kath Abbot.

[@MysticalYogini]

When I was a kid, I thought "jaywalking" meant crossing the street naked! I knew it was something about crossing the street, and I had always heard "naked as a jaybird". So, naturally, crossing the street naked would be illegal.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

I laughed so hard at this. 😜

[@admiralbenbow5083]

Well it probably is...

[@TheRealWindlePoons]

I live in the UK and used to work in Germany. It was common there to take three weeks at once for your annual vacation. If you tried to take less than two weeks then management became suspicious that you may have something to hide. Smaller UK companies are often very flexible about time off. I would take long weekends (Friday and the following Monday) then "use up" my entitlement at the end of the year, often quitting halfway through December and returning in January.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

What were they suspicious of?

[@claymor8241]

Worth mentioning that ‘public’ school in England will generally be taken to be a reference to the posher private schools, historic quirk.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

That’s a good point and one I didn’t know until after I made the video

[@davidbroadfoot1864]

In Australia, public schools are the free state-government-operated schools, and the private schools are the independent non-government schools that you have to pay to attend.

[@janinejohnstone468]

Thanks for letting us know! 😊

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

I’m not sure if you’re trolling me but I’m gonna take it as a positive

[@janinejohnstone468]

@@TheHicksonDiaries I really wasn't. ☺

[@galinor7]

In the UK if you want to go to the toilet, you can say "I want to go to the toilet". In the US everyone gets embarrassed and avoids that by talking about rest rooms etc. Considering that per the same population the US has 5 times the UKs homicide rate. I think Americans are offended by the wrong thing.

[@DavidHamm-fb7nx]

It makes me laugh when an American will say “Aw Shit! I’ve stepped in some doggy do”

[@TheRealRedAce]

In the UK you just say nothing and just go! "Toilet" , meaning "washing" is as just much of a Euphemism as "Rest room".

[@darkmatter6714]

Yet when you go to the “rest room” their cubicles gave massive gaps in the door so people can see your underwear round your ankles or peep through the massive gaps between the door and frame. Isn’t that more embarrassing than calling it a toilet? 🤷

[@WreckItRolfe]

British people are also offended by talking about the African American homicide rate.

[@langerdonner]

Toilet is a euphemism from French toilette. It means ‘ little towel’ Lavatory means ‘washing place’ so bathroom and restroom are just as much euphemisms.

[@johnrainford9708]

Hey. Hope you guys are well. Enjoy the holiday weekend. J 👍

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Thanks! You too!

[@BillCameronWC]

I keep eggs both on the counter & in the fridge - usually I have a dozen (12) eggs in a ceramic egg tray on the counter, any additional eggs are on egg racks in the fridge (at present I have 13), but as I usually use 2 to 4 a day, I replace room-temperature eggs from the counter tray with eggs from the fridge. I always buy free range eggs, either from the supermarket or occasionally a local farm shop (I live in a small British town with adjacent farms & a couple of convenient farm shops).

[@CollectiveWest1]

Good video. About medical care, my understanding is that even private medical care in the UK is much less expensive than in the US. And of course medicines are usually cheaper, even basic over the counter products. Prescription medicines have a standard charge, which many people are exempt from paying (due to age or means), but anyone can make an annual prepayment which will cover all prescriptions for a year, for about £110. This makes sense because it encourages people to take those prescribed medicines, which helps to prevent some conditions getting worse. It can be hard to get a face to face doctor's appointment but I have found that my local doctors' surgery will do a phone appointment the same day (they don't make advance appointments usually now).

[@abarratt8869]

I once looked up what an appendectomy costs here in the UK, done privately. About £4k. I gather that’s about one tenth of the medical insurance excess charge that you’d anyway have to pay in the US. Private medical care has to be good and cost effective here because if it wasn’t no one would use it at all.

[@elizabethchew505]

Re : Jaywalking. It's very simple. In the UK the pedestrian comes first and - even ON A ROAD - it's the driver's job NOT to kkll them (unless they just jump out in front of a moving vehicle and the driver stands no chance!) In the US the almighty car comes first! That says a lot about the two countries !!

[@MalevEvans-dw3do]

What is interesting is that if you watch street scenes from the UK in the early 20th century there are people in the roadway and the vehicles move around them. Nowadays there is a presumption that a car can just drive at a pedestrian and they need to get out of the way. This even happens on pavements when a motorist decides they want to park on the pavement. Despite this it is still better for pedestrians to be in control of when to cross a road as we do in the UK. It is about empowering people to look after their own safety.

[@blotski]

Also in the UK they don't call them 'crosswalks'. They call them 'crossings' or 'pedestrian crossings'.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Yeah. Understood. I’m just used to calling them that! lol 😜

[@afpwebworks]

There’s a very funny piece on KZbin of Michael McIntyre on the Johnathan Woss show (I can’t bring myself to call him Ross) talking about how Americans need help understanding English words e.g. for years Americans had no idea what to do with spectacles. They called them ‘glasses’ and had no idea where to put them they found them useless on their thighs or shoulders until they started calling them ‘eyeglasses’. Similarly with the piece of a roadway set aside for people to walk along. When the Americans used the British term “pavement” there were so many of them injured in horrible accidents because the Americans didn’t know what those areas were set aside for. So they’d walk all over the place until they gave them a name that the Americans could understand “sidewalk” There are lots more of these. Michael McIntyre is very funny and has a great time with Mr Woss at the Americans expense

[@nigelriley5538]

"There's a 'zebra crossing' down the road", "Well I hope he's having more luck than I am"

[@the_real_littlepinkhousefly]

But let's be fair about someone being from another English-speaking country that has different names for things and has grown up calling them that. I'm an American, and we have friends here from the UK who use the Scottish/English terms for things still, after 15 years here, and we don't correct them or point out that they said the wrong thing. It's okay, we know what they mean (and if we don't, we ask, and the next time we know what they mean).

[@JohnWilson-hc5wq]

As to public schools in the US, it's not always true that you have to go to your assigned neighborhood school. The State of Minnesota has what we call "open enrollment", which means you can send your kids to any public school in the state as long as they have room and you can get them there. (Out-of-district schools aren't responsible for transportation.) Your child's share of school finding goes half to the district they are attending and half to their home district, so as not to unduly burden either one.

[@gillleach4082]

My husband took 4 weeks annual leave last year for his holiday. His responsibility was to apply for leave well in advance to help the MANAGER arrange cover for him. His contact of employment doesn't give automatic right to such a lengthy leave but as he applied well in advance his manager sorted out cover. No issues! He gets 25 days leave a year, plus bank holidays and Flexi leave. His company offered him the option of buying more leave days but he could manage without having to that, especially as he got 12 days Flexi leave last year on top of his 25 days annual leave and the statutory bank holidays.

[@joanneburford6364]

The US is ridiculous, freedom my a... In Australia we have long service leave in addition to annual leave after 10 years of service, where you can take 13 weeks (accumulating) off at any time. Also if you have more than 8 weeks (2 years entitlement) of leave up your sleeve you are required to take time off, by law. Your 'benefits' are our entitlements, complete failure of a country.

[@stuartgmk]

👍👍

[@parrais]

3:01 While the admissions process makes it a bit more complicated, you CAN send your kids to school in a different county in the UK. Some of the kids at my kids' school (in England) even come from Wales each day.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Oh. Good to know. Thx

[@Incognito-turnip]

Lovely video. All the best

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Thank you so much 🙂

[@0Pinger]

Eggs breathe as they are coveredin open pores, washing a dirty egg is just going to force that dirt in through the pores of the egg, contaminating then. So rule of thumb if them come from a normal shelf don't put in your fridge but if they came chilled, same thing happens as they warm up anything on surface is sucked in, so in the fridge if already chilled

[@wessexdruid7598]

Worth pointing out that, you can go for private healthcare - but, when there's an unexpected issue or emergency, they'll pass it on to the NHS to sort out. It's the same doctors who work in both, but not the same facilities - generally the NHS can do anything, but particularly emergency care.

[@jeremygreenwood1021]

And intensive care. On the whole private hospitals do not have intensive care units, so they are nicer, but more dangerous than NHS hospitals.

[@beng7845]

Thankfully we are taught how to cross the road at a young age in Britain. Stop - Look -Listen (not behind the bus spotty).

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

“Behind the bus spotty?”

[@simonchilli2088]

A very nice little comparison. One thing tho about choosing your child's school tho. I live in a town with over 20 schools when you count infants, juniors. secondar, colleges and a large private school. Consequently the town is gridlocked twice a day with people driving their saucepans to school and later back.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Yeah. It’s an unfortunate byproduct of

[@kristinajendesen7111]

I 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 do put my eggs in the fridge to keep them fresher and it does recommend it on most of the boxes. If you are going to use some the next day you can always put a few out the night before to let them come up to room temperature. I still used mine straight from the fridge though most of the time. Living here, have you noticed that despite Webster altering the spelling of words and making them shorter, in general most of our daily words in English English, are much shorter? Refrigerator - fridge, elavator - lift, airplane - plane, sidewalk - path, restroom - bog 😁

[@mietekpadowicz2118]

You just wanted to say Bog 😂 Spoons Bog.. Google that Americans 😏

[@kristinajendesen7111]

@@mietekpadowicz2118 Webster altered the way many words were spelt (but US uses spelling 😄) and made them shorter but in general we don't arse about and just use short words for the same thing, so...restroom/bathroom 'bog/WC' 😁 Elevator ‘lift’, dumpster ‘skip’, trash can ‘bin’, waste paper basket ‘bin’, vehicle ‘car’, sidewalk ‘path’, airplane ‘plane’, parking lot ‘car park’, Trump ‘fart’, bicycling ‘cycling’, horseback riding ‘horseriding/riding’, faucet ‘tap’, restroom ‘toilet’, sweater ‘jumper’, French fries ‘chips’, pitcher ‘jug’, intersection ‘crossroads’, underwear ‘pants’ diaper ‘nappy’, suspenders, ‘braces’, vacation ‘holiday’, learned ‘learnt’, spelled ‘spelt’, dreamed ‘dreamt’, check ‘bill’, couch ‘sofa’, cell phone ‘mobile’, flashlight ‘torch’, apartment ‘flat’, cotton candy ‘candyfloss’, pacifier ‘dummy’, trunk ‘boot’, crib ‘cot’, drugstore ‘chemist’, washcloth ‘flannel’, broiler ‘grill’, counterclockwise ‘anticlockwise’, bookstore ‘bookshop’, movie theater ‘cinema’, movie ‘film’, package ‘parcel’, rutabega ‘swede’, fanny pack ‘bumbag’, scotch tape ‘sellotape’, zipper ‘zip’, Obviously there are exceptions such as soccer ‘football’, fall ‘autumn’, pants ‘trousers’, hood ‘bonnet’, meridian ‘central reservation’ closet ‘wardrobe’, line ‘queue’ but not many at all in English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 compared to American English.

[@timg1246]

'Fridge' is actually just a contraction of 'refrigerator'.

[@kristinajendesen7111]

@@timg1246 Yep, as I said above we tend to use shorter words, I even put 'refrigerator' there right next to 'fridge'.

[@bernardbecker9864]

Jaywalking in Canada is crossing against a red light.. Crossing the street is called "crossing the street"

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

😝

[@theexorcist666]

Every year I always took 5 weeks leave in 2 tranches - 1 x 3 weeks (to go abroad) and 1 x 2 weeks for UK local holiday destination! Also had the days off between Xmas and NY, so effectively another 10 day break (for cost of 3 days leave because of the 3 Bank Holidays and weekend days). I can't imagine only going away for 1 week at a time! It takes me a few days just to stop thinking about work! I also never "touch base" with work while on leave. No work phone or laptop. They're dead to me during that time! ☠

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Sounds like a dream-nvr happens in the US

[@paulwood5803]

At one company I worked for (in the UK) I bought additional leave at the start of the leave year so that I could take a 4 week holiday in the summer. I checked with the other guys in my team early and they were cool with it, so my manager signed off on it. Simples.

[@sameebah]

As someone who used to take 5 weeks at a time for my holidays (I have family on the other side of the world), I find the US attitude to be ridiculous. I also had the HR department (same company) contact me when I had worked for 3 weeks doing an extra 10 hours - I was running some high priority tests - to ask if I was being put under pressure to do the additional hours, and did I need support to challenge my senior managers . . . Not something I expected.

[@sonarand]

The egg thing, you can leave them out but I always keep them in the fridge. I've heard you can add 4 weeks to the best before date. I've certainly used eggs beyond the best before from the fridge and they were fine.

[@philiprice7875]

eggs dont NEED to be stored in fridge but as fridge makers put an egg tray in the door it makes a convenient place to store them

[@grahvis]

@@philiprice7875 . I haven't seen an egg tray is a fridge for many years. I keep mine out for however long I need to, the only thing that happens is the airspace gets bigger.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

Storing eggs in lime water can keep them in a useable state for as much as 2 years.

[@philiprice7875]

@@Thurgosh_OG question is "why do you want to store eggs for 2 years?" it is not if the chickens are going to stop laying them

[@sonarand]

@@Thurgosh_OG My Mum used to tell me they stored them in isinglass years ago. Seems if you keep air out they last.

[@EdmondMurphy-nt4dk]

Here is something else you can’t do in the USA but you can do in the uk you can enjoy decent chocolate in the uk

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Very true….dairy milk is the best! ☺️

[@geoffadams5537]

Same as new Zealand. We have state funded health care but you can also have private health care. I had a job where they provided insurance where you could reclaim all costs of f doctors visits and charges for medication,

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

So you’d get a bill then the insurance reimburses u?

[@seldom_bucket]

Just went to see family for two weeks and when i got back i realised i had 15 eggs left next to the window, it's been hot af too. Did the old float test and they were fine, amazing what that protective layer does to preserve them. (Bc i know you're all gonna ask, yes i did eat 15 eggs in two days to make sure they weren't wasted)

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

lol. 😜 champion!

[@jrb3006jb]

5:54 legally if your family are having a meal in a public house, children can drink alcohol at 16 but not purchase it from the bar an over 18 has to go to the bar to order them

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

This would never happen in the US

[@thenortherner3890]

My wife has had cancer twice - cost for treatment. Zero -that's the power of the fantastic NHS in the UK

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

I hope she’s doing well now! Imagine having to go through all that and trying to figure out how to pay for it as well.

[@tracyhoward8228]

yeah I broke my wrist. went to urgent care. it was expensive im a brit living in the US. they told me to find a dr for a specialist. this would have cost thousands I fought through the pain I h ave recovered but I now have a deformed wrist. US SUCKS for healthcare. raised 3 kids here. medical bills have killed me

[@jorvikaengelskvinna7157]

⁠@@derekhough-jm9gc I’m sorry for you, but this is not the general experience. Serious illnesses in my family (some with cancer) have mostly been successfully treated on the NHS.

[@KathGookey-lx1nb]

Anyone working pays n h insurance, so technically not free. There are many exemptions however, which is another discussion of fairness and funding.

[@admiralbenbow5083]

The NHS is NOT free.

[@rbnhd1144]

Brits have no idea how good they have got it, So true about holidays in the states, the national average here for holidays is 2 weeks. I used to work for a major corporation, I was always made to feel guilty when having a week off. In the past 47 years I've only had three weeks holiday in one calendar year Once, Id earned that after being with the company 8 years, the very next year the company was sold and the rules changed, that's how you keep people down.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

Brits have every idea of how good we have it, we just feel sorry that the US is so far behind and not developing properly.

[@TrevM0nkey]

towards the end of the calendar year, my boss will remind people to get the rest of their holidays booked in so we all don't end up having to take all of March off, to use them up. I get 8 bank holidays, 25 days paid leave and they give us a free 'rest and recouperation' day off as well. think we can also buy additional days off / unpaid leave... and we can also carry over a maximum of five days to the following year if we don't use them all.

[@pollyparrot8759]

Actually, we do know how lucky we are and feel great sympathy for our American cousins who are treated so abysmally by their government and big business.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Love the sentiment guys. Make sure you protect it. From the power hungry people running for leadership

[@the_real_littlepinkhousefly]

My husband is a senior product executive with a software company here in the US. He's been working there for over 10 years. I'm not sure what his allowed vacation time is these days (3 weeks?), but he rarely takes all of it, never more than a week at a time, and is constantly checking back in even while "relaxing" on vacation, keeping up with projects, what's said in meetings, even sometimes joining an important meeting while on vacation. This week his elderly parents in another state needed help with something, so he flew out there on Thursday night, and said, "I really hate to miss a whole workday on Friday". He's not a workaholic. This is just the culture. It makes me really sad because he's always under work stress. I so wish we could move to the UK.

[@ggee7391]

I learned to drive a car, started to go to the pub and had a job at aged twelve as did most of my school mates - just the way it was in England in the 1960s /1970s. I also joined the Royal Navy at aged 15 and was allowed to dive a heavy goods vehicle at 16. Some of my friends married at 16 and had kids at aged 17.

[@lomax343]

I'll cross the road anywhere in London. I can manage 4 mph whilst walking. In central London the traffic rarely reaches that speed.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

🤣 so true

[@janetroberts2262]

If you live in Kent, which is a big area as many counties are, you don’t get to pick any school for your kids, there are catchment areas within the counties which your child can go to a school in. You are sometimes able to send them out of the catchment area but not miles away, Kent from top to bottom would take at least 2+ hours to travel which would be ridiculous and, unless you moved, your child wouldn’t get in a school that far away. Our eggs aren’t washed and have display and use by dates on the boxes but keeping them for months on the side or in the fridge would not be a good idea 🤢, I also would not keep them right by the cooker. ❤

[@dedistaulapanodki6293]

It is possible to attend a state school outside the county/local authority you live in. This is particularly so when you live near a county boundary, where the nearest school may well be across the border.

[@doughunt9621]

You do not have to send children to a school within the catchment area, you can express a preference for other local schools. You don't really have a choice. If you live in a school catchment area and the school is full, you will probably be given a place in a nearby school.

[@alexshapley8331]

In UK financial services you will most likely be FORCED to take a 2 week break from work (it's an anti-fraud thing)

[@jimdaw65]

That's so true. An accountant who doesn't want the holiday relief to be looking through their books for more than two days is a bit of a red-flag 🙂

[@markmyers5881]

A lot of US employers have the same requirement for people who work with money.

[@juliebrooke6099]

You do have choices over which school your child attends but schools have admission policies ( which vary slightly in different areas) which may give priority to certain students for example those who live closer, those with older siblings already in the school, those with special educational needs , those who are in foster care.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

That makes sense

[@IrishSchaller]

About the eggs thing. Eggs in the US have to be washed by law. Eggs in Europe cannot be washed (the main reason why they arent exported/imported). The reason for this is the higher standard of husbandry in Europe, thanks mainly to EU regulations. Hens, when they lay, leave a protective coating on their eggs that forms a barrier to nasties that might make you ill.

[@user-gt2ud2gw9e]

I use both NHS and private, but the key point here is - From what I hear, US private health care is way more expensive than British private health care, and there seems to be a lot of wheeling and dealing with your insurance.!!

[@garyfreeman896]

It's more expensive but you get more for your money and depending on state you can pay alot less tax.

[@DontPanicDear]

You can also accidentally be seen by a specialist, or at a hospital not covered by your plan, ending in a life changing bill you need to negotiate over. If an ambulance is involved, you might have no control over where you’re taken. You might also find your condition isn’t covered. US health cover is often paid by employers for some reason, which causes a whole other set of issues. There is really no such thing as medical bankruptcy in England. Use the health system as you need, there is never a bill.

[@garyfreeman896]

@@DontPanicDear Medical bankruptcy in the UK is living with untreated illness or death.

[@DontPanicDear]

@@garyfreeman896 That’s not really a thing here. Everyone is equally entitled to healthcare and nobody is denied treatment, or sent home to die. That’s exactly what happens to tens of thousands of US citizens every year. Uninsured, incorrect coverage etc. Medical bankruptcy in the the US runs at over 1/2 million PER YEAR! That is 66% of all bankruptcy 😢 Those are official US stats, not something I’ve made up. It’s a world wide embarrassment that such a wealthy country lets this happen.

[@garyfreeman896]

@@DontPanicDear I am from 'here' and there is no shortage of failures by the NHS. People die and suffer all the time due to our over stretched and badly managed NHS. And when it comes to embarrassing consider being forced to pay high taxes with the threat of prison if you don't pay just to get entered into the health care lottery. Both are heavily flawed.

[@tomsheppard378]

In the USA what is leave entitlement for those in Army reserves? In the UK i get 15 days full pay for army reserves training

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

I'm not sure the number of days but i know it's mandatory to offer it to reserve military members

[@colddiesel]

In UK and Europe it is compulsory for all chickens to be injected against Salmonella. Not compulsory in the USA though 70% are ( to avoid litigation). Refrigeration reduces but does not eliminate Salmonella which the US still has at about 15 times the rate of Europe. The US also has a stack of processed food additives which are banned in Europe.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Yes. You’re correct.

[@ElvenSpellmaker]

UK legal drinking age off-licence is 5 (as long as they don't get drunk etc of course!) In a pub (on-licence) it's 18 (and to buy it), a lot of pub gardens are counted as off licence and so _technically_ you can drink there at 5, but most pubs don't let you to not get the ambiguous laws come into effect.

[@Tuffydipstick]

I’ve never left eggs out of a fridge. I’ve always kept them in a fridge. Been doing it for over 50 years.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Seems like it is more of a preference here. R u in the USA

[@Tuffydipstick]

@@TheHicksonDiaries No. I’m in UK.

[@birdmanfree1651]

The UK laws regarding drinking of alcohol are more complicated, and yet simple enough. It isillegal for under 5's to drink alcohol (altjough, that said, traditional gripe water was very alcoholic). Between ages 5 and 18 you can drink alcohol on private premises. Between 16 and 18 you can drink beer, cider or wine in a licensed premises if accompanied by an adult and you are eating. Between 5 and 16 you can enter a licensed premises, but not drink alcohol, if accompanied by an adult.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

What is gripe water?

[@birdmanfree1651]

@@TheHicksonDiaries LLLOL I have not searched online to see if it still exists or what it contains today, if it does exist....... Gripe water was something given to young babies that would not settle, babies that sort of grizzled (that is sort of soft crying, being upset for no obvious reason). It was very nice - I remember having a spoonful when I was just a few years old when my youngest brother was just months old. It was actually quite high in alcohol (the exact % will be online somewhere), and slightly sweet. There were always tales of how some young mothers with awkward babies became alcoholics via gripe water - some tales may even have been true 😯 My mother was born around a hundred years ago, and the other thing she used to passify an unsettled baby was cinder water - take a hot coal from a fire and drop into water, and then sweeten slightly.

[@TheHaighus]

​@@birdmanfree1651 I don't think it is a thing anymore, I'm pretty sure it massively raises the risk of cot death.

[@birdie1585]

@@TheHaighus It is a thing in the UK, but not alcoholic. Hunting around online, I can find no reference to cot death, indeed, cot death is so rare that anyone would struggle to link it to anything.

[@nlwilson4892]

I'll just clarify that the "eating" exception is actually a meal, a pint and a packet of crisps is only for grown-ups.

[@polyvg]

In some US states there are problems sending things like personal blood samples to be analysed. This keeps cropping up as US testers cannot sell their products in all states but have various restrictions - most seem to be based on postal issues. In the UK, we need to use the packaging supplied by the testing companies. But no other restrictions.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Everything is so over-complicated now n the US…

[@katierscott8771]

I remember my friends face when I was in Chicago and I did a 'uk style' cross to get across (I think) E Jackson Dr - from Butler Field directly to North Rose Garden. I have always refrigerated Eggs, not sure where the habit came from, but yeah it's something I've always done. (rightly or wrongly)

[@kgbgb3663]

There's a path in each park pointing straight at the one in the other park, with a dropped kerb where each reaches the edge of the road. Do you think that that is done just to fool tourists into crossing the road along that line, so as to increase income from fines? I can certainly see why you would assume it was allowed.

[@qbarnes1893]

Jfi, we don’t say ‘ Kent County’ it’s just Kent, for example, all brits will know exactly where that is,. The NHS here is actually privatised, just like doctors surgeries, most UK citizens don’t know but it’s true...if you use it’s services as a visitor, your get billed if you don’t have insurance

[@timphillips9954]

No this only applies in England. Not in Wales you won't. Different countries different system.

[@TrevM0nkey]

the NHS isn't privatised at all. It's still funded by the government. Private companies do have contracts but the service hasn't been privatised.

[@mapryan]

In the UK we wouldn't say "Kent County". We would just normally say "Kent"

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Thx. Appreciate the knowledge.

[@gkbrogden9964]

Or “the county of Kent”.

[@GenialHarryGrout]

But we do say County Durham

[@gkbrogden9964]

@@GenialHarryGrout but you don’t say “Durham County”, which is where this thread started. The OP said we don’t put “county” after the name.

[@clairegrant4505]

@@gkbrogden9964 nope. I live in Kent, we say Kent. 😊

[@markmyers5881]

It's common in the US for doctors to charge a co-pay, usually about $25 to $40, for some kinds of office visits. It doesn't have to be paid in cash, though. (There's usually also a co-pay for prescription medicines.) While I understand you might see some advantages in nobody paying anything, requiring a small payment does cut down on the number of people scheduling in-person doctor visits when a phone call would do as well, and makes appointments easier to get when you need them.

[@davidbroadfoot1864]

In Australia, on normal roads, you are only required to use a pedestrian crossing if there is one less than 20 metres away.

[@alexmac513]

The Jay walking thing is down to the US deciding that their cities and towns aren’t walkable.

[@DerekLangdon]

Stop with the rubbish comments! pedestrian road deaths in the UK were up 7% in 2023! It is not any safer to cross over streets and roads in the UK, You are just as likely to get killed as anywhere else! You English seem to be fond of denigrating other Countries, Instead you should be more critical of your own Country’s failings!

[@wessexdruid7598]

No, it's down to car manufacturers wanting to sell cars. That then evolved into unwalkable places.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

@@wessexdruid7598 This is the correct version.

[@JohnWilson-hc5wq]

Americans can thank the organization MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) for the drinking age being 21 here. In most states, it was 21 from the end of Prohibition (1933) to the Vietnam War era (late 1960s/early 1970s), though in New York State it was 18, and some states had lower drinking ages for beer and/or wine. The age at which you were considered an adult was also 21. Most states changed the age of adulthood to 18 due to arguments that it was unfair that 18 year olds could literally be sent to their death (war) but not have full legal rights. Many (but not all) states lowered the drinking age at the same time, but it was a hodgepodge. Some states were 18, some 19, some 20, some 21. IIRC, in some counties in Wisconsin, it was 17 for beer. This encouraged young people to drive to other states with lower drinking ages, get drunk, and drive home. MADD lobbied for a consistent drinking age throughout the US. It was easier to pressure the states to raise it to 21 than to lower it. Technically, it is a state matter, but any state which lowers their drinking age will lose precious federal highway funds. (BTW, you are not considered an adult at 18 in every state. In Alabama and Nebraska, you have to be 19, and in Mississippi you have to be 21.)

[@archstanton5603]

As young children our parents usually gave us a small glass of wine with the evening meal. It was no big deal and when we were old enough to drink in Pubs (etc) there wasn't any sudden desire to rush and consume copious amounts of alcohol.

[@chrysalis4126]

The yolk is less likely to break on eggs that are stored on the worktop.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

That works for me

[@abbofun9022]

Essentially all these things are valid anywhere across Europe

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Thx for the info

[@dedistaulapanodki6293]

Not the jaywalking. Crossing against the light is frowned upon (even if not unlawful) in some countries, e.g. Germany, Switzerland.

[@markmyers5881]

Some European countries use the co-pay system for medical visits, that was mentioned in the video as something the US has that the UK doesn't.

[@MrNeilypops]

You need to empasize more the UK. The UK is made up of England, Wales,Scotland and Northern Ireland. Refer to the United Kingdom for people viewing from abroad. Also, drinking under the age of 18 is common but nothing to do with family...if you look the correct age plus or minus you will probably get served at the bar. Good luck.

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

I appreciate your comment and don’t mean to offensive or to drive anyone crazy. But I live in England and am aware that not every law, cultural norm etc is the same even within England’s borders. So I don’t want to presume that what I’m experiencing is the same in the other 3 countries of the UK that I’ve never lived in and with which I have limited experience. My experience is unique and personal, and I try my best to make this channel reflective of that. although I may unintentionally slip up now and again using “UK” when I mean “England” and vice versa; I am going to continue to refer to my experiences as England only until I become more confident that the topic of discussion is applicable outside England. Thank you for your comment though. It is appreciated as this is how I learn and grow-through conversation with those who have more experience and knowledge of the subjects at hand. I hope I get to speak to you again in the future .

[@admiralbenbow5083]

Not any more. You will be asked for ID now, same as in the off license and supermarket. there are draconian penalties for selling to underage.

[@archstanton5603]

Regularly used to take month off to go on holiday - wonderful! A US firm once couldn't believe they were being (bluntly) turned down during an interview due to their stingy leave entitlement....

[@jmtiptonengland]

It’s still debatable in the UK about the egg situation, fridges used to have (I’m not too sure if they have now) a rack to keep your eggs chilled, I go to the farm for my eggs and they are kept in a (fork lift) drive in refrigerator, but at the supermarkets, they are on the ordinary shelves, not chilled ~

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

Yeah , some people are saying now it’s ok to refrigerate them? I’m confused

[@wessexdruid7598]

Refrigerating, then allowing to warm, can pull condensation through the shell into the egg - which will carry bacteria. It's safer to keep them at room temperature. Eggs are designed to be bacteria-proof, or they'd be useless for what they are. (It's only in the US, where they have legally to be washed, because of their poor farming practices, that they need also to be refrigerated.)

[@paulgoffin8054]

Jaywalking was invented by the US auto industry to sell cars.

[@philiprice7875]

and encouraged by undertaker to generate trade

[@Brookspirit]

The same reason for their dumb zoning laws and the poor public transport, car makers forced people to buy cars by lobbying politicians.

[@chocolate_squiggle]

Wow, the eggs thing. I'm skeptical about that. Here in New Zealand (very similar to UK, where I've also lived), when we get eggs from friends who have chickens they usually still have some dirt on the outside. From the supermarket they look washed, though not always. We don't necessarily refrigerate either of them and they will last for weeks. There's an inner membrane as well as an outer shell, I really doubt any exterior coating is going to make any sort of difference. Personally I keep eggs in the fridge but only because I live alone and it takes me a while to get through a dozen eggs, and I assume they last a little longer in the fridge. But I'll happily leave them out if I need the fridge space or take them camping or whatever and not worry about getting sick. I just assume they'll go off a little bit faster. Straight from the unrefrigerated supermarket section ours normally have a best-before date of about 3-4 weeks. Biggest tip if you've had them more than 2-3 weeks is to simply check them before use; put one in a small jug of water and make sure it sinks. If if floats it's bad. You really want to know if they're bad before you crack one open. I found 2 out of 6 eggs were bad last week, so it really is worth checking (they weren't my eggs, somewhere I was house-sitting).

[@TheHicksonDiaries]

I love this trick. Never learned until I got here but love it to death! Thanks for the comment

[@alexontheedge]

It is possible, in the States, if you're a prepper or a homesteader, to take advantage of peak laying season and put away your unwashed eggs in big jars or tubs (stacked on layers of straw) with tight lids, and store them in the cellar with potatoes, carrots, canning and so on. They will keep for months.

[@Badgersj]

We used to keep hens, and there is nothing like an egg hot off the hen's bottom. If there was a bit of poo on it then yes, it got rinsed. But you don't eat the shell, so why worry?

[@nelotharen8599]

you should never rinse it just wipe it

[@Badgersj]

@@nelotharen8599 Depends on the poo...

[@grahvis]

@@nelotharen8599 . Depends on when you are going to eat it.

[@Essemm52]

Clean the shell! It takes no time and could prevent serious illness! No, you don’t eat the shell, but if there is shit at the point where you crack the egg it could contaminate the contents. Chickens and their waste can be a source of several pathogens like E. coli, salmonella Campylobacter, Listeria etc. I can tell you from personal experience that food poisoning is extremely unpleasant and can kill you! So *do* worry, and be safe!

[@Essemm52]

@@nelotharen8599 You can wet clean eggs if you plan to use them reasonably quickly. Washing destroys the natural protective layer of oil in the shell, known as the bloom. Without this bacteria could enter the egg causing it to go bad. Also never put washed eggs in with unwashed, and never store dirty eggs with other foodstuff in the fridge. Eggs don’t need refrigeration anyway.

[@billmilligan1705]

The fun thing is that you will find pigeons using the pedestrian crossings. Some even know how to push the button.

[@kevdenn]

Some pigeons actually use the London Underground trains to get around.

[@grahvis]

@@kevdenn . I have actually seen that.

[@kevdenn]

@grahvis Yes, I've seen a pigeon get on a train at Ealing Broadway. They don't seem scared at all.

[@RichWoods23]

Pelicans and zebras have also been known to cross the road.

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@RichWoods23 Also Toucans and Tigers. And Pegasuses..

[@phillwainewright4221]

When I was a bus driver, we would be allocated holidays with one two week block and one three week block. This was so that all the duty rosters were covered. You can legally drink in a pub under the age of 18 if you're having a meal with an over 18 yr old. Also, it's just called "Kent", not "Kent County", and it's not the county who run schools, it's the local education authority, which may or may not be run by the county. Often it's run by the town or city.

[@user-gt2ud2gw9e]

We DO have a sell by date on our eggs. But the number one point to remember is this - who doesn't like farm fresh eggs.? Why do people especially pass by a farm to get farm fresh eggs ? Do you think they'll be refrigerated? And there's your answer to everything.