What does "normal" look like in London vs Chicago
March 13, 2024 8:56 PM Subscribe
For a story: I'm looking for examples of something a Chicagoan living in London for the first time might find surprising/strange -- but which is considered an unremarkable part of daily life in London. Challenge: needs to be a clear visual, not an intangible concept.
Cliché example: Marmite for breakfast.
Other challenge: it can't be something everyone already knows about London (like driving on the other side of the road.) The character hasn't traveled extensively abroad but is well-read and educated.
Bonus points if it's funny. Thanks!
Cliché example: Marmite for breakfast.
Other challenge: it can't be something everyone already knows about London (like driving on the other side of the road.) The character hasn't traveled extensively abroad but is well-read and educated.
Bonus points if it's funny. Thanks!
Best answer: In some countries in Europe (I think this was true in London) it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out how to turn on the bathroom lights in a hotel room. They don’t put the switch in the bathroom-it’s on the wall as you are walking into the bathroom.
posted by LiverOdor at 9:25 PM on March 13 [4 favorites]
posted by LiverOdor at 9:25 PM on March 13 [4 favorites]
Best answer: One weird detail I remember from studying there in college (coming from Chicago, actually!) was a couple days in, blowing my nose and seeing that my snot was black. Very unsettling, but I guess it's from the soot levels in the Tube tunnels and just a normal thing that happens when you visit.
posted by augustimagination at 10:01 PM on March 13 [9 favorites]
posted by augustimagination at 10:01 PM on March 13 [9 favorites]
Best answer: Can you give some additional context -- are they living somewhere that caters to foreigners or tourists to some degree or are they just randomly somewhere in London?
I spent the night at the flat of a friend of my mother's while she was away (I was visiting my grandad, but flying out of Heathrow, which meant spending a night in London on the way back). I got the key from the neighbors, went upstairs and then had to go back down and knock on their door because I couldn't get the door open! It was a mortise lock/skeleton key and I didn't have the knack for it at all. I assume they're gone from new builds, but my grandad's house has them and is on a post-war housing estate. (And, no, I have literally never unlocked the door at grandad's.)
Toilet bowls are shaped differently (but no poop shelves in Britain). I don't know that I've seen the toilets with the tank mounted high on the wall in the US, come to think of it.
I once confused the heck out of someone by ordering hot tea. They thought I wanted them to do something (they didn't know what) to the tea. After some back and forth, I realised this was clearly a defensive habit acquired living in Texas.
posted by hoyland at 10:13 PM on March 13 [2 favorites]
I spent the night at the flat of a friend of my mother's while she was away (I was visiting my grandad, but flying out of Heathrow, which meant spending a night in London on the way back). I got the key from the neighbors, went upstairs and then had to go back down and knock on their door because I couldn't get the door open! It was a mortise lock/skeleton key and I didn't have the knack for it at all. I assume they're gone from new builds, but my grandad's house has them and is on a post-war housing estate. (And, no, I have literally never unlocked the door at grandad's.)
Toilet bowls are shaped differently (but no poop shelves in Britain). I don't know that I've seen the toilets with the tank mounted high on the wall in the US, come to think of it.
I once confused the heck out of someone by ordering hot tea. They thought I wanted them to do something (they didn't know what) to the tea. After some back and forth, I realised this was clearly a defensive habit acquired living in Texas.
posted by hoyland at 10:13 PM on March 13 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I recall being really surprised at how many public toilets there were everywhere…until I realized that it was actually “TO LET” signs I was seeing🤣
posted by oxisos at 10:21 PM on March 13 [11 favorites]
posted by oxisos at 10:21 PM on March 13 [11 favorites]
Best answer: Bathroom sinks with separate hot and cold faucets.
Blackcurrant flavored juice and candy instead of grape.
Washing machines in the kitchen, and some houses not even having a dryer.
Windows without screens.
Electric outlets that you can switch off.
posted by fortitude25 at 10:32 PM on March 13 [6 favorites]
Blackcurrant flavored juice and candy instead of grape.
Washing machines in the kitchen, and some houses not even having a dryer.
Windows without screens.
Electric outlets that you can switch off.
posted by fortitude25 at 10:32 PM on March 13 [6 favorites]
Vinegar flavoured crisps. (And that chips/crisps/fries confusion in general.) It can be a nasty shock if you just grab the first packet from the shelf.
Visiting someone at home outside the centre and seeing how tiny the postwar rowhouses are. The low ceilings especially.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 10:58 PM on March 13
Visiting someone at home outside the centre and seeing how tiny the postwar rowhouses are. The low ceilings especially.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 10:58 PM on March 13
Best answer: Just because you know abstractly that people drive on the other side of the road in the UK does not mean that your mind automatically adjusts so that as a pedestrian crossing the street you focus on the other lane!
Unlike the CTA, most of the Tube doesn't have air-conditioned cars.
posted by praemunire at 11:07 PM on March 13 [4 favorites]
Unlike the CTA, most of the Tube doesn't have air-conditioned cars.
posted by praemunire at 11:07 PM on March 13 [4 favorites]
When I was in London, I noticed that rubbish was put out onto the street in rubbish bags (trash/garbage bags). In Australia residences have wheelie bins and businesses have wheelie bins or dumpsters, so it was unusual to me to see rubbish discarded in bags only.
Not sure how things are done in Canada, so maybe that's not different or surprising.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 11:08 PM on March 13
Not sure how things are done in Canada, so maybe that's not different or surprising.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 11:08 PM on March 13
Vinegar flavoured crisps.
Salt and vinegar is a fairly common flavor for U.S. chips, if not necessarily a top seller.
Putting malt vinegar on fries/UK "chips," though, is much less common. One popular medium-sized hamburger chain does offer it here, but it's not a standard option the way it is at your average "chip" van.
posted by praemunire at 11:09 PM on March 13 [3 favorites]
Salt and vinegar is a fairly common flavor for U.S. chips, if not necessarily a top seller.
Putting malt vinegar on fries/UK "chips," though, is much less common. One popular medium-sized hamburger chain does offer it here, but it's not a standard option the way it is at your average "chip" van.
posted by praemunire at 11:09 PM on March 13 [3 favorites]
Drinking alcohol in public places is (mostly) legal in London.
posted by homodachi at 11:15 PM on March 13 [3 favorites]
posted by homodachi at 11:15 PM on March 13 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Television tax! There are people (auditors) who literally go door to door checking to see if you have a color or black & white set, and requiring you to pay accordingly.
Going for drinks at the pub at lunchtime with your work mates.
When I worked there (mid 90s) there was someone who, around two-three o'clock, wheeled a cart to all the desks to serve us tea and biscuits. Most of the employees were younger than 30 but this was totally normal to them - not a sign of old fashioned fuddy-duddyness at all.
posted by cocoagirl at 11:43 PM on March 13 [3 favorites]
Going for drinks at the pub at lunchtime with your work mates.
When I worked there (mid 90s) there was someone who, around two-three o'clock, wheeled a cart to all the desks to serve us tea and biscuits. Most of the employees were younger than 30 but this was totally normal to them - not a sign of old fashioned fuddy-duddyness at all.
posted by cocoagirl at 11:43 PM on March 13 [3 favorites]
Electric outlets that you can switch off.
fortitude25, is that NOT the norm in the US?
*horrified face*
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 11:57 PM on March 13 [3 favorites]
fortitude25, is that NOT the norm in the US?
*horrified face*
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 11:57 PM on March 13 [3 favorites]
Electric outlets that you can switch off
!!! This !!!
I moved to the UK three years ago and it’s still a little exciting to me. Also a nice clear visual/object.
posted by cabbage raccoon at 12:18 AM on March 14
!!! This !!!
I moved to the UK three years ago and it’s still a little exciting to me. Also a nice clear visual/object.
posted by cabbage raccoon at 12:18 AM on March 14
Also: “male toilet” and “female toilet” signs. Maybe only funny to me? Always makes me imagine the toilets are being kept separate so they don’t breed or something.
posted by cabbage raccoon at 12:21 AM on March 14 [10 favorites]
posted by cabbage raccoon at 12:21 AM on March 14 [10 favorites]
Buttered bread in sandwiches.
The yellow light coming on momentarily to indicate that the red light is about to end.
The use of the word "toilet" in general to mean restroom or bathroom, rather than the commode itself.
"Are you all right?" as a general greeting rather than an expression of concern.
The crossing lights with a person on horseback near Buckingham Palace.
Door handles instead of doorknobs on interior doors in private homes.
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 1:37 AM on March 14 [3 favorites]
The yellow light coming on momentarily to indicate that the red light is about to end.
The use of the word "toilet" in general to mean restroom or bathroom, rather than the commode itself.
"Are you all right?" as a general greeting rather than an expression of concern.
The crossing lights with a person on horseback near Buckingham Palace.
Door handles instead of doorknobs on interior doors in private homes.
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 1:37 AM on March 14 [3 favorites]
Having to lock your front door with a key from the inside. I always thought I would be quite flustered if there was a fire alarm or something and I had to get the door unlocked quickly.
posted by My Kryptonite is Worry at 1:37 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
posted by My Kryptonite is Worry at 1:37 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
Oh yeah, and the use of the phrase "Alight here for..." to announce the stops on the Underground; prior to hearing it in this context, I had it in my head that "alight" meant to get into a vehicle, not to get out of one. Also very incongruous with the emphasis on using Simple English for other public signage.
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 1:46 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 1:46 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
The mastery of passively aggressive signage. There's one near my flat that I chuckle at every time I notice it: "People who let their dogs foul pavements are inconsiderate, bad-mannered, unhygienic, and under Byelaw 15 can be prosecuted."
The extension of this omnipresent passive aggression is what feels like a near total absence of enforcement, or conflict generally unless alcohol is involved. I don't only mean enforcement of dog poo rules, but rules in general. You'll probably never see anyone outwardly acknowledge a fare jumper, and illegal turn, someone dumping trash onto the street/bus/train floor, etc. mind you, they are having a very stern conversation about it inside their heads but there must be no outward reflection of it. It's odd to feel nostalgic for someone loudly calling out a litterbug.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 1:59 AM on March 14 [4 favorites]
The extension of this omnipresent passive aggression is what feels like a near total absence of enforcement, or conflict generally unless alcohol is involved. I don't only mean enforcement of dog poo rules, but rules in general. You'll probably never see anyone outwardly acknowledge a fare jumper, and illegal turn, someone dumping trash onto the street/bus/train floor, etc. mind you, they are having a very stern conversation about it inside their heads but there must be no outward reflection of it. It's odd to feel nostalgic for someone loudly calling out a litterbug.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 1:59 AM on March 14 [4 favorites]
Separate hot and cold water taps, mentioned above, are fairly well-known, but the reputation might disguise the reality of the funny-not-funny dance every time one washes ones hands, needing to switch rapidly between near-boiling water on one side and ice-water on the other side.
posted by tavegyl at 2:41 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
posted by tavegyl at 2:41 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
This is true of Europe too but if London is your first encounter then: Lack of shower curtains and lack of fully enclosed shower area in general. It means when I first moved to London I left the bathroom a wet mess.
Jumping a queue considered as serious as committing murder. Once waiting in line for a sandwich in the Financial District, a young man doesn't notice the queue and goes to the front. An older woman glares at him and says 'The Cheek!!' and he realizes what he has done and his face is flushed and he won't stop apologizing.
Regular businessmen standing outside a pub in the middle of the day inhaling pints of beer.
People actually *walking* on the left side on sidewalks (note: doesn't apply to the touristy parts of London full of Europeans where its a chaotic mess)
As said above: "You alright?" just means hello. Its not an actual question.
posted by vacapinta at 2:55 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
Jumping a queue considered as serious as committing murder. Once waiting in line for a sandwich in the Financial District, a young man doesn't notice the queue and goes to the front. An older woman glares at him and says 'The Cheek!!' and he realizes what he has done and his face is flushed and he won't stop apologizing.
Regular businessmen standing outside a pub in the middle of the day inhaling pints of beer.
People actually *walking* on the left side on sidewalks (note: doesn't apply to the touristy parts of London full of Europeans where its a chaotic mess)
As said above: "You alright?" just means hello. Its not an actual question.
posted by vacapinta at 2:55 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
fortitude25, is that NOT the norm in the US?
You can kill the circuit at the breaker panel but receptacles aren't switched at the outlet box.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 3:23 AM on March 14 [4 favorites]
You can kill the circuit at the breaker panel but receptacles aren't switched at the outlet box.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 3:23 AM on March 14 [4 favorites]
Best answer: There are so many foxes in London! You see them at night and they are so cute and it seems amazing to someone from the US but Londoners are decidedly unimpressed by them. They're like racoons them, I guess.
posted by stinker at 4:03 AM on March 14 [10 favorites]
posted by stinker at 4:03 AM on March 14 [10 favorites]
I was amused when I first noticed that EXIT signs there say WAY OUT.
posted by redfoxtail at 4:11 AM on March 14 [5 favorites]
posted by redfoxtail at 4:11 AM on March 14 [5 favorites]
Best answer: +1 for power outlets with switches. The first time I encountered one (in Australia, but it’s the same in the UK) I was trying to use a blow-dryer in my AirBnB. Plugged it in, tried to turn it on, no dice. I grumbled and complained to the host that the power in the bathroom was out. She walked me to the outlet, looked at me like I was a martian, and flicked the power outlet on. A very humbling cultural exchange moment!
posted by third word on a random page at 4:21 AM on March 14 [4 favorites]
posted by third word on a random page at 4:21 AM on March 14 [4 favorites]
I'm not sure if your story involves business meetings. But if so, I have always been amused that saying something like "I would like to table a motion" seems to signify to Americans "Let's write this down in a table (and not talk about it)" while for Brits it means "Lets talk about it round the table (right now)".
Londoners expect everybody - including tourists - to have a pretty good grasp of the tube map. To know, for example that a journey from somewhere called "Elephant and Castle" to somewhere called "Swiss Cottage" did not involve made up names and did not involve a visit to Cockfosters. However only native Londoners tend to know that apparently far away places on the map - are often right next to each other. For example a novice might try changing trains and lines to go from Leicester Square to Covent garden - but the two stations are only 250m away from each other above ground: always quicker to walk.
posted by rongorongo at 4:55 AM on March 14 [6 favorites]
Londoners expect everybody - including tourists - to have a pretty good grasp of the tube map. To know, for example that a journey from somewhere called "Elephant and Castle" to somewhere called "Swiss Cottage" did not involve made up names and did not involve a visit to Cockfosters. However only native Londoners tend to know that apparently far away places on the map - are often right next to each other. For example a novice might try changing trains and lines to go from Leicester Square to Covent garden - but the two stations are only 250m away from each other above ground: always quicker to walk.
posted by rongorongo at 4:55 AM on March 14 [6 favorites]
Best answer: I've lived in Chicago my whole adult life and I spent two months of my 20s living in London. Here are some things that surprised me:
- How sooty gray my snot was, every day.
- The unenclosed shower, and the absolutely blank looks I got from everyone when I enquired as to where tf to buy a shower curtain, as if it wasn't even a thing. Yall's floors just wet all the time over there???
- Museums are free. So many of them. FREE! This was incredible.
- The apparent lack of interest/care in conserving historic sites. The Globe is a parking lot, for example. As I've learned more history I've come to embrace that London has literally been rebuilding on top of itself for over 1000 years, and that getting precious over architecture or old roads or foundations would halt progress and keep the city from thriving. So I get it. But my first taste of seeing that, from an American our country is a mere baby perspective, was pretty surprising!
- And finally the food. Restaurants and shops were CONSTANTLY out of food and no one seemed to care at ALL. There was a banh mi shop a block away from our apartment that I kid you not for the full two months I lived there was out of either filling or bread or both and was never once able to sell me a sandwich over my many visits. The whole establishment was only about 300sqft and they appeared to employ at least 4 staff at all time, never had food. At one point I straight up asked them is this shop a front for something else, have you ever sold a banh mi any day to any person, and one of the guys just rapped the menu behind him with his knuckles and said "no rolls." So okay, that place was weird, but this happened over and over at so many places we went to eat. No prawns today. No roast today. Etc etc etc. My boyfriend and I had a joke that we'd always just order whatever was being advertised on the sandwich board outside because invariably, no matter the time of day, it would be unavailable. From a protestant ethic/spirit of capitalism perspective, this was unreal to me. How are these businesses running??? What is your economy????? When we asked our local friends they'd just be like "haha yeah." For two months the only places I could reliably eat my first choice food were Pret and establishments run by immigrants. Without Persian food I may have just wasted away.
posted by phunniemee at 6:10 AM on March 14 [7 favorites]
- How sooty gray my snot was, every day.
- The unenclosed shower, and the absolutely blank looks I got from everyone when I enquired as to where tf to buy a shower curtain, as if it wasn't even a thing. Yall's floors just wet all the time over there???
- Museums are free. So many of them. FREE! This was incredible.
- The apparent lack of interest/care in conserving historic sites. The Globe is a parking lot, for example. As I've learned more history I've come to embrace that London has literally been rebuilding on top of itself for over 1000 years, and that getting precious over architecture or old roads or foundations would halt progress and keep the city from thriving. So I get it. But my first taste of seeing that, from an American our country is a mere baby perspective, was pretty surprising!
- And finally the food. Restaurants and shops were CONSTANTLY out of food and no one seemed to care at ALL. There was a banh mi shop a block away from our apartment that I kid you not for the full two months I lived there was out of either filling or bread or both and was never once able to sell me a sandwich over my many visits. The whole establishment was only about 300sqft and they appeared to employ at least 4 staff at all time, never had food. At one point I straight up asked them is this shop a front for something else, have you ever sold a banh mi any day to any person, and one of the guys just rapped the menu behind him with his knuckles and said "no rolls." So okay, that place was weird, but this happened over and over at so many places we went to eat. No prawns today. No roast today. Etc etc etc. My boyfriend and I had a joke that we'd always just order whatever was being advertised on the sandwich board outside because invariably, no matter the time of day, it would be unavailable. From a protestant ethic/spirit of capitalism perspective, this was unreal to me. How are these businesses running??? What is your economy????? When we asked our local friends they'd just be like "haha yeah." For two months the only places I could reliably eat my first choice food were Pret and establishments run by immigrants. Without Persian food I may have just wasted away.
posted by phunniemee at 6:10 AM on March 14 [7 favorites]
Oh and crime. I saw a lot of street crime. I saw more street crime in two months in London than I think I have my whole time in Chicago.
posted by phunniemee at 6:16 AM on March 14
posted by phunniemee at 6:16 AM on March 14
Best answer: The meeting room is all excited because you're visiting from the States and they're bringing in a catered lunch... which is a stack of mayonnaise and cucumber sandwiches on white bread.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:40 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:40 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
Electric outlets that you can switch off.
fortitude25, is that NOT the norm in the US?
You can kill the circuit at the breaker panel but receptacles aren't switched at the outlet box.
We have several switched outlets in our US house, but the difference is that the switch is never located in the box with the plug. Instead the outlet is wired to a switch in a separate box located at chest height on the wall. They also tend only to be installed when it's expected that the load requires switching, like outlets near the baseboard that might be used for a light. There's little reason to have a switch attached to counter-level outlets in the kitchen, for instance *ahem* because we don't have Dualit toasters with that faulty timer knob that fails "on" and burns your house down if you don't unplug it or switch it off
My understanding is that this is because US electrical code never allowed ring circuits. In the US, all circuits are radial, which makes it more straightforward--or even possible, I have to admit that 240V ring circuits seem like a sort of dangerous black magic to me as a US resident--to wire a switch in a different location than the outlet it controls, and makes it less likely that a faulty outlet/switch will affect the rest of the house's plugs as well (and having an integrated outlet and switch in a single unit makes ring circut-disrupting faults easier to diagnose and repair). More recently, many US outlets are in fact on "home runs" back to the panel, with a single load (and possibly a switch, if necessary) occupying its own circuit.
posted by pullayup at 7:12 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
fortitude25, is that NOT the norm in the US?
You can kill the circuit at the breaker panel but receptacles aren't switched at the outlet box.
We have several switched outlets in our US house, but the difference is that the switch is never located in the box with the plug. Instead the outlet is wired to a switch in a separate box located at chest height on the wall. They also tend only to be installed when it's expected that the load requires switching, like outlets near the baseboard that might be used for a light. There's little reason to have a switch attached to counter-level outlets in the kitchen, for instance *ahem* because we don't have Dualit toasters with that faulty timer knob that fails "on" and burns your house down if you don't unplug it or switch it off
My understanding is that this is because US electrical code never allowed ring circuits. In the US, all circuits are radial, which makes it more straightforward--or even possible, I have to admit that 240V ring circuits seem like a sort of dangerous black magic to me as a US resident--to wire a switch in a different location than the outlet it controls, and makes it less likely that a faulty outlet/switch will affect the rest of the house's plugs as well (and having an integrated outlet and switch in a single unit makes ring circut-disrupting faults easier to diagnose and repair). More recently, many US outlets are in fact on "home runs" back to the panel, with a single load (and possibly a switch, if necessary) occupying its own circuit.
posted by pullayup at 7:12 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
As someone who's actually lived in Chicago, some of the small differences that I've run into in the UK (and in many cases also in Europe) that might apply:
- switched outlets aren't unheard of in the US but the switch is on the wall like switches for overhead lights, and most outlets are not switched. GFCI outlets may be present esp. in bathrooms and kitchens, but those essentially have built-in mini circuit breakers and are not truly switched outlets.
- unenclosed showers/no shower curtains - only the norm in the US when you have just moved in, and most of the time there's a shower curtain rod there already
- electric showers. Showers in the US generally have hot water from the boiler.
- toilet tanks mounted high on the wall are not common in the US
- locking your door with a key from the inside is not the norm (there may be deadbolts or locks where you turn a knob, but generally not a key)
Things mentioned that would not necessarily surprise a Chicagoan:
- transit stops that turn out to be closer together than one might expect from the map / potentially superfluous transfers where walking would be easier. Definitely something one could run into on the CTA too, particularly around the loop and the closer-in neighborhoods.
- re: garbage - Chicago has alleys and in much of the city, that's where the dumpsters are (making Chicago rather clean in certain ways compared to cities where the trash goes directly on the street in trash bags.) But trash bags on the street are common in other major American cities (e.g. New York) so this wouldn't be a London/UK-specific surprise.
- vinegar-flavored potato chips are not the most common flavor, but they're definitely around, usually explicitly as salt and vinegar.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 7:56 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
- switched outlets aren't unheard of in the US but the switch is on the wall like switches for overhead lights, and most outlets are not switched. GFCI outlets may be present esp. in bathrooms and kitchens, but those essentially have built-in mini circuit breakers and are not truly switched outlets.
- unenclosed showers/no shower curtains - only the norm in the US when you have just moved in, and most of the time there's a shower curtain rod there already
- electric showers. Showers in the US generally have hot water from the boiler.
- toilet tanks mounted high on the wall are not common in the US
- locking your door with a key from the inside is not the norm (there may be deadbolts or locks where you turn a knob, but generally not a key)
Things mentioned that would not necessarily surprise a Chicagoan:
- transit stops that turn out to be closer together than one might expect from the map / potentially superfluous transfers where walking would be easier. Definitely something one could run into on the CTA too, particularly around the loop and the closer-in neighborhoods.
- re: garbage - Chicago has alleys and in much of the city, that's where the dumpsters are (making Chicago rather clean in certain ways compared to cities where the trash goes directly on the street in trash bags.) But trash bags on the street are common in other major American cities (e.g. New York) so this wouldn't be a London/UK-specific surprise.
- vinegar-flavored potato chips are not the most common flavor, but they're definitely around, usually explicitly as salt and vinegar.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 7:56 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
Are waxed sheets of toilet paper still around because that was definitely a surprise.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:14 AM on March 14
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:14 AM on March 14
These are almost unheard of these days, but as recently as 2018, I was in a public toilet in at a London college that still had Towel belts which are hand dryers made of cloth that you have to unroll.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 8:21 AM on March 14
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 8:21 AM on March 14
The "towel belts" exist in the US, I'm pretty sure. (I grew up in/near Chicago but spent significant time in Britain, so am not really a reliable reporter of such things.)
Pay toilets. I'm pretty sure I've encountered one in the US, but only the freestanding ones, not a public bathroom with turnstiles.
Salt and vinegar chips only really became available in the US in the last 15-20 years, once the various kettle chip brands came on the scene. You didn't get them in Chicago in the 90s.
Public telephones used to be an adventure because half of them would require a phone card, but they're no longer really relevant.
posted by hoyland at 8:34 AM on March 14
Pay toilets. I'm pretty sure I've encountered one in the US, but only the freestanding ones, not a public bathroom with turnstiles.
Salt and vinegar chips only really became available in the US in the last 15-20 years, once the various kettle chip brands came on the scene. You didn't get them in Chicago in the 90s.
Public telephones used to be an adventure because half of them would require a phone card, but they're no longer really relevant.
posted by hoyland at 8:34 AM on March 14
I've lived in both these places for multiple years.
Beyond the shapes, toilets in Britain have WAY less water in the bowl. Frequent cleaning is necessary, and Americans usually find it kind of gross.
The men's room at the pub often just has a single long trough urinal that ends at the floor. Consequently, there's sticky piss everywhere.
You hear "Sorry" often moving through public space. It's not an apology. In fact, quite the opposite.
I know you said no opposite-side driving, but it is in fact difficult to fully adjust to. Your brain is apt to throw an error once in a while that says "THAT DOG IS NOT ALLOWED TO DRIVE" before realizing that's the passenger seat.
posted by voiceofreason at 8:37 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
Beyond the shapes, toilets in Britain have WAY less water in the bowl. Frequent cleaning is necessary, and Americans usually find it kind of gross.
The men's room at the pub often just has a single long trough urinal that ends at the floor. Consequently, there's sticky piss everywhere.
You hear "Sorry" often moving through public space. It's not an apology. In fact, quite the opposite.
I know you said no opposite-side driving, but it is in fact difficult to fully adjust to. Your brain is apt to throw an error once in a while that says "THAT DOG IS NOT ALLOWED TO DRIVE" before realizing that's the passenger seat.
posted by voiceofreason at 8:37 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
The UK has very strict laws on carrying knives.
"Why is knife crime in the UK so widespread?posted by sebastienbailard at 8:52 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
The definition of knife crime is very broad in the UK.
It’s illegal to carry a knife in public without good reason, unless it has a folding blade with a cutting edge 3 inches long or less.
Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason. Lock knives:
have blades that can be locked and refolded only by pressing a button
can include multi-tool knives - tools that also contain other devices such as a screwdriver or can opener"
quora discussion
---
As a tourist to the UK, what was actually noticeable were the slot machines and bookies.
Buttered bread in sandwiches.
Reminding this Yank of toast racks, those little carriers with which toasted bread is brought to table, separating each slice so they're all cold by the time the toast is served; along with the requisite rock-hard just-from-the-freezer butter. Ian Fleming gave James Bond a great line about these, in the "007 in New York" short story where he thankfully muses "that shipment of toast racks to the Colonies must have foundered!"
posted by Rash at 8:57 AM on March 14
Reminding this Yank of toast racks, those little carriers with which toasted bread is brought to table, separating each slice so they're all cold by the time the toast is served; along with the requisite rock-hard just-from-the-freezer butter. Ian Fleming gave James Bond a great line about these, in the "007 in New York" short story where he thankfully muses "that shipment of toast racks to the Colonies must have foundered!"
posted by Rash at 8:57 AM on March 14
I'm not from Chicago (I'm an Angeleno who has lived all over, and my husband is a New Englander born in the midwest who also has lived all over) but I'm sure that the signs in shops appealing to people to not even ASK about a restroom or credit is a great one. We lived in London for 2 years, and these signs never failed to crack us up.
As a US example sign:
NO PUBLIC RESTROOM
London sign:
"Please, with all due respect given henceforth, do not ask to use our restroom if you are not intending to make a purchase forthwith, as it is as much our displeasure to inform you that you mustn't access our toilet as it must be for you to be denied."
Or US Sign:
NO CREDIT
UK Sign:
"To our beloved and cherished return customers, please do not ask for credit as it is not possible for us to grant it and the rejection so often offends."
posted by pazazygeek at 9:12 AM on March 14
As a US example sign:
NO PUBLIC RESTROOM
London sign:
"Please, with all due respect given henceforth, do not ask to use our restroom if you are not intending to make a purchase forthwith, as it is as much our displeasure to inform you that you mustn't access our toilet as it must be for you to be denied."
Or US Sign:
NO CREDIT
UK Sign:
"To our beloved and cherished return customers, please do not ask for credit as it is not possible for us to grant it and the rejection so often offends."
posted by pazazygeek at 9:12 AM on March 14
Time period will, I think, be important, as people mentioned. Malt vinegar is common at any pub type place I go here around Chicago, and isn't unusual at more generic bar and grill places: got fish and chips last Friday at a BBQ place and malt vinegar came with the standard condiments. So if I went over there today and got malt vinegar, not surprising. But I've only lived here since mid-2000s (with a few breaks), so that may be relevant.
When I went there as a teen from Michigan I went to England on summer for a few weeks. The different standard sodas were noticable. I really remember the yellow bottle (lemon Fanta, I think ) in the cooler popping out to me. The adult equivalent may be what kind of beers you see on tap, but that's not quite as visual.
Seeing a chip sandwich was also eye catching. Fries in bread, what!?
I remember a friend commenting that our low to mid-priced whiskies were treated like top shelf, so maybe sticker shock when they get look at their bill for something they think is cheap? But that was also a decade ago, and exchange rates* could add a wrinkle.
*Not so much visual, but one of my travel companions got very confused about the exchange rate, thinking it was like Canada (US dollar was pretty strong against it at the time), instead of the opposite. So they had spent way more money on clothes than they realized. Thinking of benefitting from the exchange rate may be more of a thing if you live closer to the Canadian border though. Plus I'm assuming an adult wouldn't be quite as cavalier about it compared to a teen using their parents credit card.
posted by ghost phoneme at 9:18 AM on March 14
When I went there as a teen from Michigan I went to England on summer for a few weeks. The different standard sodas were noticable. I really remember the yellow bottle (lemon Fanta, I think ) in the cooler popping out to me. The adult equivalent may be what kind of beers you see on tap, but that's not quite as visual.
Seeing a chip sandwich was also eye catching. Fries in bread, what!?
I remember a friend commenting that our low to mid-priced whiskies were treated like top shelf, so maybe sticker shock when they get look at their bill for something they think is cheap? But that was also a decade ago, and exchange rates* could add a wrinkle.
*Not so much visual, but one of my travel companions got very confused about the exchange rate, thinking it was like Canada (US dollar was pretty strong against it at the time), instead of the opposite. So they had spent way more money on clothes than they realized. Thinking of benefitting from the exchange rate may be more of a thing if you live closer to the Canadian border though. Plus I'm assuming an adult wouldn't be quite as cavalier about it compared to a teen using their parents credit card.
posted by ghost phoneme at 9:18 AM on March 14
1. Piggybacking on praemunire's comment, the lettering on the ground in front of crosswalks definitely saved me from getting creamed by a bus.
2. Nthing the outlet switches.
3. The tuna salad has sweet corn in it.
posted by D.Billy at 9:26 AM on March 14
2. Nthing the outlet switches.
3. The tuna salad has sweet corn in it.
posted by D.Billy at 9:26 AM on March 14
I noticed that rubbish was put out onto the street in rubbish bags (trash/garbage bags)
This is generally considered fly-tipping in England? I've either had a wheelie bin for individual flats or a collective dumpster for tower blocks and warehouse conversions for residential waste in London. Unless there's a garbage strike on (which def happens), bin bags go in their specific bins.
As for the question, I would scour TikTok for more great and mostly heartfelt responses, as it seems like a popular genre. One I saw recently had an American marvelling over such things pubs being "everywhere" (not as true as it once was) and barrels placed outside of pubs (it's what you might put your drink on?).
The prevalence of kebab and chicken shops over fish and chips might knock a stereotype. Fish and chips is a seaside thing (which isn't to say you can't get it obvs).
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 9:55 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
This is generally considered fly-tipping in England? I've either had a wheelie bin for individual flats or a collective dumpster for tower blocks and warehouse conversions for residential waste in London. Unless there's a garbage strike on (which def happens), bin bags go in their specific bins.
As for the question, I would scour TikTok for more great and mostly heartfelt responses, as it seems like a popular genre. One I saw recently had an American marvelling over such things pubs being "everywhere" (not as true as it once was) and barrels placed outside of pubs (it's what you might put your drink on?).
The prevalence of kebab and chicken shops over fish and chips might knock a stereotype. Fish and chips is a seaside thing (which isn't to say you can't get it obvs).
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 9:55 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
Just re some of the earlier points, because some of them are a little out of date:
- it’s far less acceptable now to drink during the working day
- there may still be some deeply old-fashioned companies with tea trolleys, but most people will make their own hot drinks (or make a round for themselves and colleagues) and take them back to their desks
- waxed toilet paper has pretty much disappeared, except maybe in the occasional park toilet
- we definitely do have enclosed shower cubicles and curtains! What we don’t tend to have is the US thing of a fabric shower curtain on the outside with a separate waterproof liner. It’s just single (often printed) waterproof curtains on their own.
posted by cardinalandcrow at 11:31 AM on March 14 [10 favorites]
- it’s far less acceptable now to drink during the working day
- there may still be some deeply old-fashioned companies with tea trolleys, but most people will make their own hot drinks (or make a round for themselves and colleagues) and take them back to their desks
- waxed toilet paper has pretty much disappeared, except maybe in the occasional park toilet
- we definitely do have enclosed shower cubicles and curtains! What we don’t tend to have is the US thing of a fabric shower curtain on the outside with a separate waterproof liner. It’s just single (often printed) waterproof curtains on their own.
posted by cardinalandcrow at 11:31 AM on March 14 [10 favorites]
I’ve just thought of something that is different: people don’t “bus” their tables in coffee shops; it’s expected that the waitstaff will clear that up.
posted by cardinalandcrow at 11:33 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
posted by cardinalandcrow at 11:33 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Chicagoan here, last visited London quite some years back. A thing that stood out to me at the time that no one here has mentioned yet is separate prices in counter service restaurants for eating in vs takeout/takeaway due to VAT - that's not a thing here.
(And there are fewer towel belts here than there used to be; I still see them sometimes in various places, like little restaurants in other parts of the midwest.)
posted by sencha at 11:34 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
(And there are fewer towel belts here than there used to be; I still see them sometimes in various places, like little restaurants in other parts of the midwest.)
posted by sencha at 11:34 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]
Best answer: There are people (auditors) who literally go door to door checking to see if you have a color or black & white set, and requiring you to pay accordingly.
I don't think this happens any more - they just send you threatening letters.
Second checking Tiktok - "British things that would blow an American's mind" is a very popular genre.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 11:34 AM on March 14
I don't think this happens any more - they just send you threatening letters.
Second checking Tiktok - "British things that would blow an American's mind" is a very popular genre.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 11:34 AM on March 14
Best answer: One thing that may stand out to an American visitor is the outbreak of seedy-looking American candy stores on London high streets. They're absolutely everywhere. If the visitor had the time to investigate further, they would discover that many of them are fronts for money laundering and the sale of counterfeit goods.
The meeting room is all excited because you're visiting from the States and they're bringing in a catered lunch... which is a stack of mayonnaise and cucumber sandwiches on white bread
As you've marked this as a best answer, I would advise that if someone ordered in some cucumber sandwiches at work I would look at them like they had gone mad. Cucumber sandwiches are for, like, some weird tourist high tea thing. British people like pizza as much as anyone else.
posted by dudekiller at 11:49 AM on March 14 [9 favorites]
The meeting room is all excited because you're visiting from the States and they're bringing in a catered lunch... which is a stack of mayonnaise and cucumber sandwiches on white bread
As you've marked this as a best answer, I would advise that if someone ordered in some cucumber sandwiches at work I would look at them like they had gone mad. Cucumber sandwiches are for, like, some weird tourist high tea thing. British people like pizza as much as anyone else.
posted by dudekiller at 11:49 AM on March 14 [9 favorites]
To expand on the alcohol in public thing someone already mentioned: I'm a USian and my first time in London I went to Borough Market and got oysters and a Pimm's Cup, and found a place to sit inside because I assumed I couldn't take my alcoholic drink outside. And then I got fussed at and shooed outside, because for some reason I wasn't allowed to drink it inside, but was outside!
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:43 PM on March 14
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:43 PM on March 14
a) it happened to me and b) as a Chicagoan (both in the original question and in real life) don't offer me pizza because it's gonna be a long conversation. I'll settle for a good curry.
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:45 PM on March 14
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:45 PM on March 14
When I first visited London from the States, I was surprised that nearly all public restrooms did not have paper towels for drying your hands, but instead the blowing air machines (mostly Dyson, I think). It definitely makes sense that paper towels were (are?) rare, but it was still notable compared to them being the norm in the States.
posted by not.so.hip at 3:05 PM on March 14
posted by not.so.hip at 3:05 PM on March 14
I noticed that rubbish was put out onto the street in rubbish bags (trash/garbage bags)
This is generally considered fly-tipping in England?
This has changed over the last few years. Our London borough got wheelie bins about 10 years ago but prior to that it was black bags on the footpath - great fun for the foxes. Wheelie bins are pretty much universal now for residential waste.
One that hasn't been mentioned is having to pack your groceries yourself at the supermarket; the cashier scans them then it's up to you. The first time you stand there like a wally watching the groceries pile up wondering what's going on!
posted by goo at 4:59 PM on March 14 [3 favorites]
This is generally considered fly-tipping in England?
This has changed over the last few years. Our London borough got wheelie bins about 10 years ago but prior to that it was black bags on the footpath - great fun for the foxes. Wheelie bins are pretty much universal now for residential waste.
One that hasn't been mentioned is having to pack your groceries yourself at the supermarket; the cashier scans them then it's up to you. The first time you stand there like a wally watching the groceries pile up wondering what's going on!
posted by goo at 4:59 PM on March 14 [3 favorites]
>Salt and vinegar chips only really became available in the US in the last 15-20 years, once the various kettle chip brands came on the scene. You didn't get them in Chicago in the 90s.
I was eating Picadilly brand salt-and-vinegar potato chips when I was a kid in the 1970s, in the Seattle-Tacoma area. I have read somewhere they were manufactured by Nalley, a local company, which may have been the first to manufacture salt and vinegar chips in the US.
posted by lhauser at 5:33 PM on March 14 [1 favorite]
I was eating Picadilly brand salt-and-vinegar potato chips when I was a kid in the 1970s, in the Seattle-Tacoma area. I have read somewhere they were manufactured by Nalley, a local company, which may have been the first to manufacture salt and vinegar chips in the US.
posted by lhauser at 5:33 PM on March 14 [1 favorite]
The sooty snot thing is something I remember from 30 years ago but not at any time in say the last 5 years. So decade may be relevant here.
Also, same timeframe, it used to be impossible to find a rubbish bin in places like train stations in central London. When I remarked on that I was told it was because bins were neat places for the IRA to deposit bombs and on balance, the powers that be preferred people littering to being blown up. Since then they have introduced rubbish bins which are basically metal rings with lids that you attach clear plastic bags to
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:39 AM on March 15 [4 favorites]
Also, same timeframe, it used to be impossible to find a rubbish bin in places like train stations in central London. When I remarked on that I was told it was because bins were neat places for the IRA to deposit bombs and on balance, the powers that be preferred people littering to being blown up. Since then they have introduced rubbish bins which are basically metal rings with lids that you attach clear plastic bags to
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:39 AM on March 15 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I moved from Oakland CA to London almost 20 years ago, and I've occasionally had to deal with family coming over, so here's what comes to my mind from this thread.
First, the person who said his snot was sooty grey, that was probably from brake dust on the underground. The deep tube lines have that strange phenomenon, but outside the air quality has recently taken an amazing improvement since the ULEZ (Ultra-Low Emission Zone: basically a toll for the more polluting vehicles to enter Greater London) came into effect.
Second, regarding the "getting used to cars driving on the left" thing. You will need to remember two basic things: always LOOK RIGHT before stepping off a kerb. That is, unless the roadway has something like "LOOK LEFT" painted on it, because it's a one-way section of some sort in the other direction. And the second thing is that when you look for the side of the road to catch a bus, you need to keep in mind that the buses also drive on the left. My mother kept crossing to the wrong side of the street to catch a bus, even though she looked right every time.
Buses ask you to tap your card (credit cards work within Greater London on nearly all transport), but trains will ask you to tap in and also out at the station where you exit. You get charged on a zone-based fare system, depending on how far you travelled, radially.
Don't drive. Just don't. Nobody does. It looks like there's loads of cars, but there's a few orders of magnitude more people riding buses, taking trains, cycling, and walking. A minority of Londoners even have access to a car. It's just not a thing, here, despite the danger and pollution the damn things spread all over.
"Subway" means a pedestrian tunnel. Most of them are rubbish, but some lead to the London Underground (which nobody calls 'the subway' because that's an Americanism).
Pubs are not like American bars. They're family spaces, boutique restaurants, or even boozers, but they all behave very differently with different rules. You don't tip at pubs, unless you're sitting for "gastropub" table service like a restaurant, and even then it's probably already added to your bill.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:54 AM on March 15 [1 favorite]
First, the person who said his snot was sooty grey, that was probably from brake dust on the underground. The deep tube lines have that strange phenomenon, but outside the air quality has recently taken an amazing improvement since the ULEZ (Ultra-Low Emission Zone: basically a toll for the more polluting vehicles to enter Greater London) came into effect.
Second, regarding the "getting used to cars driving on the left" thing. You will need to remember two basic things: always LOOK RIGHT before stepping off a kerb. That is, unless the roadway has something like "LOOK LEFT" painted on it, because it's a one-way section of some sort in the other direction. And the second thing is that when you look for the side of the road to catch a bus, you need to keep in mind that the buses also drive on the left. My mother kept crossing to the wrong side of the street to catch a bus, even though she looked right every time.
Buses ask you to tap your card (credit cards work within Greater London on nearly all transport), but trains will ask you to tap in and also out at the station where you exit. You get charged on a zone-based fare system, depending on how far you travelled, radially.
Don't drive. Just don't. Nobody does. It looks like there's loads of cars, but there's a few orders of magnitude more people riding buses, taking trains, cycling, and walking. A minority of Londoners even have access to a car. It's just not a thing, here, despite the danger and pollution the damn things spread all over.
"Subway" means a pedestrian tunnel. Most of them are rubbish, but some lead to the London Underground (which nobody calls 'the subway' because that's an Americanism).
Pubs are not like American bars. They're family spaces, boutique restaurants, or even boozers, but they all behave very differently with different rules. You don't tip at pubs, unless you're sitting for "gastropub" table service like a restaurant, and even then it's probably already added to your bill.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:54 AM on March 15 [1 favorite]
Oh yes, regarding toilets: the pipes leading out from toilets in most of the world is wider than North American models. The US toilet uses a siphon effect through a narrow tube, which is why US toilets often have plungers next to them for unclogging. Toilets here don't clog, but they're less self-cleaning, because you don't have the strong current created by the aforementioned siphon. Instead, toilets here have brushes next to them, and you're expected to use them even in office facilities.
I always try to help out a bit by running the brush under the water of an extra flush to clean it off a bit, as most folks just swish it up with toilet paper and other mess and put it back in the holder. Ew.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:58 AM on March 15 [1 favorite]
I always try to help out a bit by running the brush under the water of an extra flush to clean it off a bit, as most folks just swish it up with toilet paper and other mess and put it back in the holder. Ew.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:58 AM on March 15 [1 favorite]
Best answer: UK flapjacks are oatmeal bar cookies, not a synonym for pancake.
When one is sick they are about to vomit, with any other malaise they are ill.
In the UK fanny means vulva, not buttocks.
posted by brujita at 2:32 PM on March 15
When one is sick they are about to vomit, with any other malaise they are ill.
In the UK fanny means vulva, not buttocks.
posted by brujita at 2:32 PM on March 15
While we're doing this, "pissed" means drunk, not angry.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 3:36 PM on March 15
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 3:36 PM on March 15
In 2008, Tony Bennett gave an interview to The Guardian. They pulled little snippets of the conversation out into a sort of listicle, but the most prominent one was this:
I've been coming to Britain for 50 years. The food is good now.posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 5:47 AM on March 16
From Chicago and lived in northern England in the late 90s so not sure if this is still relevant today. Things I haven’t seen mentioned:
Buying credit for your flat’s heat/electric in a shop then sticking a card to make it work rather than getting a bill at the end of the month. We unexpectedly lost service all the time because we didn’t check it. Buying a day or two worth of groceries at a time. I was used to grocery shopping once a week or two in big trips in Chicago. How early pubs close in the UK. Most bars that are not restaurants close at 2am, and some have special 4am licenses. I thought there were 6am bars but maybe not anymore? Today I often go to a bar to watch English soccer matches which start at 6am in Chicago and can get a pint if I want.
When I first landed in London I was amazed by the folding boards outside shops with the front page of the newspaper on display. So many trashy newspapers with crazy headlines in the UK! The commonplace of betting and betting parlors. Gambling has only been opening up in the past 5ish years here due to law changes. Many casinos around here are owned by Native Americans because they can make their own gambling laws. Squash as a drink is not a thing in the US neither is currant as a flavor. Nobody orders half pints of beer in Chicago. Even today in the UK I get a look from the bartender when I order a full pint.
posted by Bunglegirl at 11:32 AM on March 16
Buying credit for your flat’s heat/electric in a shop then sticking a card to make it work rather than getting a bill at the end of the month. We unexpectedly lost service all the time because we didn’t check it. Buying a day or two worth of groceries at a time. I was used to grocery shopping once a week or two in big trips in Chicago. How early pubs close in the UK. Most bars that are not restaurants close at 2am, and some have special 4am licenses. I thought there were 6am bars but maybe not anymore? Today I often go to a bar to watch English soccer matches which start at 6am in Chicago and can get a pint if I want.
When I first landed in London I was amazed by the folding boards outside shops with the front page of the newspaper on display. So many trashy newspapers with crazy headlines in the UK! The commonplace of betting and betting parlors. Gambling has only been opening up in the past 5ish years here due to law changes. Many casinos around here are owned by Native Americans because they can make their own gambling laws. Squash as a drink is not a thing in the US neither is currant as a flavor. Nobody orders half pints of beer in Chicago. Even today in the UK I get a look from the bartender when I order a full pint.
posted by Bunglegirl at 11:32 AM on March 16
→
That's not their specific purpose. They are to stop one side of the toast going soggy against the plate. I grew up in a Scottish household where only toast racks where the only things holding back the barbarians. I've got over this now, but we still have the toast rack my Mum brought the first and last time she visited us more than 20 years ago. It lurks dustily in the back of a cupboard, its spacing too narrow for Canadian slices.
The Chicagoan would be surprised at the selection of curries, and if given to complaining about the blandness of British food would die if served a madras, or especially a phal.
posted by scruss at 1:46 PM on March 16
toast racks, those little carriers with which toasted bread is brought to table, separating each slice so they're all cold
That's not their specific purpose. They are to stop one side of the toast going soggy against the plate. I grew up in a Scottish household where only toast racks where the only things holding back the barbarians. I've got over this now, but we still have the toast rack my Mum brought the first and last time she visited us more than 20 years ago. It lurks dustily in the back of a cupboard, its spacing too narrow for Canadian slices.
The Chicagoan would be surprised at the selection of curries, and if given to complaining about the blandness of British food would die if served a madras, or especially a phal.
posted by scruss at 1:46 PM on March 16
Best answer: Ordering beer in halves is seen as a more virtuous thing, like ordering a salad for a meal. I don't get any sort of side-eye for ordering pints, and no one in my local does either. I remember Ben Aaronovich derisively described an uptight character as "someone who probably orders halves" in his Rivers of London book set in Kent.
Pubs used to be closed by law around 10 or 11pm (I forget which) as part of lingering First World War legislation that tried to ensure that soldiers and people working in munitions factories showed up sober. There used to be strange exceptions (like the pub by Smithfield Market, which catered to meat workers who did graveyard shifts), and weird traditions like the "shut-in", where everyone in a pub solemnly swore that they gathered together to form a "private party" and the landlord should lock the doors until they finish.
The problem was that this led to a culture of binge drinking. I moved here in 2006, before the smoking ban. Back then, people would knock off work at 6pm, race to their Work Local and pound back drinks as fast as they could until Last Orders. After the smoking ban, pubs became places where food was served, and the clientele diversified even at night. You'll regularly see staff now sweeping around 8pm to say "Sorry, your child can't stay in the main pub area after 8:30, but we can move you to the restaurant area...".
Gambling is kind of a weird dollar-store sort of affair, here. You'll see sport betting shops and "fruit machine" (US: "slot machine") spaces in unused high street (US: "main street") shopfronts. It's one of those indicators of decline when too many of them show up, the way cheque-cashing places used to be in the US. Honestly I don't know who wouldn't just do it online these days, as there are loads of regulated online gambling sites around.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 3:33 PM on March 16
Pubs used to be closed by law around 10 or 11pm (I forget which) as part of lingering First World War legislation that tried to ensure that soldiers and people working in munitions factories showed up sober. There used to be strange exceptions (like the pub by Smithfield Market, which catered to meat workers who did graveyard shifts), and weird traditions like the "shut-in", where everyone in a pub solemnly swore that they gathered together to form a "private party" and the landlord should lock the doors until they finish.
The problem was that this led to a culture of binge drinking. I moved here in 2006, before the smoking ban. Back then, people would knock off work at 6pm, race to their Work Local and pound back drinks as fast as they could until Last Orders. After the smoking ban, pubs became places where food was served, and the clientele diversified even at night. You'll regularly see staff now sweeping around 8pm to say "Sorry, your child can't stay in the main pub area after 8:30, but we can move you to the restaurant area...".
Gambling is kind of a weird dollar-store sort of affair, here. You'll see sport betting shops and "fruit machine" (US: "slot machine") spaces in unused high street (US: "main street") shopfronts. It's one of those indicators of decline when too many of them show up, the way cheque-cashing places used to be in the US. Honestly I don't know who wouldn't just do it online these days, as there are loads of regulated online gambling sites around.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 3:33 PM on March 16
By the way, I only worked out why the toilet difference was the way it was when I posted this Ask MeFi back in 2020. Loads of interesting context in there!
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 3:35 PM on March 16
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 3:35 PM on March 16
After years of mediocre cakes that meant I could safely nope out of cake at any (Chicago) office birthday party, I found out in London that cake can be AMAZING.
Seriously, go to Konditor and Cook and order anything with a “lemon ice” frosting. Mind blown.
posted by ec2y at 4:26 AM on March 17 [1 favorite]
Seriously, go to Konditor and Cook and order anything with a “lemon ice” frosting. Mind blown.
posted by ec2y at 4:26 AM on March 17 [1 favorite]
Oh yeah, here's also some general "America does things strangely compared to the rest of the world" notes. The big one is that you do not need to stock up on a month's worth of groceries per shopping trip. Get the whole Costco model out of your head. The supermarkets here tend to have three sizes: the smallest tends to be about the size of an off-licence (US: "liquor store", the name means "licensed to sell liquor off-premises"), the medium one is like a space in a shopping mall, and the large ones are closer to US sizes.
You will likely take a train home from work, and you will stop by the medium or small market that is either built into the train station by your work, or between your local station and your home. You will pick up the ingredients or ready-meals that you don't already have in your kitchen, and carry it all home on foot. You will probably have space in a backpack or a collapsible bag in your pocket to avoid the 5p plastic bag charge.
Contactless payments don't need a PIN for purchases up to £100, and merchants will be startled by the instruction on their screen to "CHECK SIGNATURE" when you use your US credit card in the beginning. Signatures are 19th century tech, here.
Your kitchen will absolutely have an electric kettle, and you will use it to boil water. It will take like 20s to get 1L up to a rolling boil. You may have a microwave, but I haven't had one for over a decade now. People will act like boiling water in a microwave is some dangerous nonsense that will lead to flash overboiling, because they have never tried it.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 7:49 AM on March 17
You will likely take a train home from work, and you will stop by the medium or small market that is either built into the train station by your work, or between your local station and your home. You will pick up the ingredients or ready-meals that you don't already have in your kitchen, and carry it all home on foot. You will probably have space in a backpack or a collapsible bag in your pocket to avoid the 5p plastic bag charge.
Contactless payments don't need a PIN for purchases up to £100, and merchants will be startled by the instruction on their screen to "CHECK SIGNATURE" when you use your US credit card in the beginning. Signatures are 19th century tech, here.
Your kitchen will absolutely have an electric kettle, and you will use it to boil water. It will take like 20s to get 1L up to a rolling boil. You may have a microwave, but I haven't had one for over a decade now. People will act like boiling water in a microwave is some dangerous nonsense that will lead to flash overboiling, because they have never tried it.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 7:49 AM on March 17
The UK went metric in the 1960s, but with two strange and enduring exceptions: one is that motorists still use miles for everything, so road signs and speeds are all still in MPH. The other is that people weigh themselves in "stone", which is a unit measuring 14 pounds that's historically associated with livestock.
I just force the issue and try to switch to metric units as much as possible. Nobody under the age of 50 here knows what a pound actually feels like any more, but bags of sugar (among other things) are sold in 1kg units, so that's more familiar.
I also cycle, and measure all distances in kilometres for my own purposes. Whenever anyone asks me to convert to miles I always just laugh and say "Nine shillings sixpence!"
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 7:54 AM on March 17 [3 favorites]
I just force the issue and try to switch to metric units as much as possible. Nobody under the age of 50 here knows what a pound actually feels like any more, but bags of sugar (among other things) are sold in 1kg units, so that's more familiar.
I also cycle, and measure all distances in kilometres for my own purposes. Whenever anyone asks me to convert to miles I always just laugh and say "Nine shillings sixpence!"
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 7:54 AM on March 17 [3 favorites]
People you know will come up to you and ask "Y'alright?" in what might seem like a concerned tone. This is effectively the equal and opposite of "What's up?" The formal answer is "Alright, and yourself?" said as quickly as possible, but just a quick "Yeah, y'alright?" works as well. It's not an investigation into your problems, so don't worry.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 7:56 AM on March 17 [1 favorite]
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 7:56 AM on March 17 [1 favorite]
Would kids in school uniforms qualify?
posted by demi-octopus at 8:57 AM on March 17
posted by demi-octopus at 8:57 AM on March 17
Oh yeah: even pretty low-end apartments will have a clothes washing machine right there in the unit. It may or may not do condensation-based drying (so you may need to hang everything on radiators), but you'll find it in the kitchen.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:09 PM on March 17 [1 favorite]
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:09 PM on March 17 [1 favorite]
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This is a slight exaggeration: a 3 kW kettle will take a little over two minutes to bring a litre of cold water to the boil. That's pretty much at the limit of a 13 A socket.
posted by scruss at 3:31 PM on March 17 [2 favorites]
It will take like 20s to get 1L up to a rolling boil
This is a slight exaggeration: a 3 kW kettle will take a little over two minutes to bring a litre of cold water to the boil. That's pretty much at the limit of a 13 A socket.
posted by scruss at 3:31 PM on March 17 [2 favorites]
A side note about pubs with odd opening times: go into any reasonable sized British airport at 5am, make your way through security, and there will be a packed Wetherspoons or similar, full of people getting their pre holiday flight drinks in. I’m not sure other countries do this.
posted by rongorongo at 3:43 PM on March 17
posted by rongorongo at 3:43 PM on March 17
also lemonade is lemon soda, UK lemon squash is pretty much like US lemonade
UK coffee cake is made with it, not the US cinnamon kind with the streusel top.
posted by brujita at 3:58 PM on March 17
UK coffee cake is made with it, not the US cinnamon kind with the streusel top.
posted by brujita at 3:58 PM on March 17
I lived in London for a bit and the Midwest for longer. You will notice that the front doors have a large centre knob.
The tube does not have too many elevators to handle large prams, but this is mitigated by the unfailing kindness of people who help lift your pram up/down the stairs without the need for words.
The amount of soot coming inside from the single-glaze windows was surprising, in addition to the black snot when sneezing. I was also surprised at how much house cleaning had to be done daily.
The washer and dryer are located in the kitchen. The dryer I used was an evaporative and required the accumulated moisture to be dumped in the sink to work.
Oh yeah, just how HARD the water in London is. Hard water deposits in toilet bowls require muscle to remove, and in other appliances like dishwashers, water fixtures, and boilers.
London's winters are very mild compared to Chicago's. So, if your Chicagoan has images of cruel 19th-century winters with endangered matchgirls, yeah, no. I got hella funny looks walking into a sporting goods store and asking a clerk how many meters of snow they experienced as I stood next to a rack of pretty intense parkas.
But one of the best things about London and the UK was the cheap availability of kettles, especially the variable-temperature variety. I learned to really appreciate a pot of tea at any time of day.
posted by jadepearl at 1:06 AM on March 18 [1 favorite]
The tube does not have too many elevators to handle large prams, but this is mitigated by the unfailing kindness of people who help lift your pram up/down the stairs without the need for words.
The amount of soot coming inside from the single-glaze windows was surprising, in addition to the black snot when sneezing. I was also surprised at how much house cleaning had to be done daily.
The washer and dryer are located in the kitchen. The dryer I used was an evaporative and required the accumulated moisture to be dumped in the sink to work.
Oh yeah, just how HARD the water in London is. Hard water deposits in toilet bowls require muscle to remove, and in other appliances like dishwashers, water fixtures, and boilers.
London's winters are very mild compared to Chicago's. So, if your Chicagoan has images of cruel 19th-century winters with endangered matchgirls, yeah, no. I got hella funny looks walking into a sporting goods store and asking a clerk how many meters of snow they experienced as I stood next to a rack of pretty intense parkas.
But one of the best things about London and the UK was the cheap availability of kettles, especially the variable-temperature variety. I learned to really appreciate a pot of tea at any time of day.
posted by jadepearl at 1:06 AM on March 18 [1 favorite]
Doors in the UK open inward, for fire safety reasons. I know this sounds backwards, as doors open outward in the US, for fire safety reasons. The logic States-side is that a rescue worker carrying someone needs to be able to exit with their hands full.
The logic in the UK is that Tudor buildings used to be built wider the higher you got (It's free real estate!), and they were made of wood frames with dung (wattle and daub) exterior panelling. So the thing that made the Great Fire Of London in 1666 so impossible to stop was that flames would lick up the outside of buildings.
One of the things that contributed to this was that even if you had a stone foundation and stone or brick ground floor, the front door tended to be mounted on the outside of the frame, and it would catch light and kindle the level above. So the king mandated that doors had to be mounted on the inside of the frame from then on, and the standard endured.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:47 AM on March 18
The logic in the UK is that Tudor buildings used to be built wider the higher you got (It's free real estate!), and they were made of wood frames with dung (wattle and daub) exterior panelling. So the thing that made the Great Fire Of London in 1666 so impossible to stop was that flames would lick up the outside of buildings.
One of the things that contributed to this was that even if you had a stone foundation and stone or brick ground floor, the front door tended to be mounted on the outside of the frame, and it would catch light and kindle the level above. So the king mandated that doors had to be mounted on the inside of the frame from then on, and the standard endured.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:47 AM on March 18
Yeah, if someone orders "lemonade" in the UK, they're going to get fizzy lemon soda. If you order "fresh lemonade" you're likely to get what you'd expect in the US.
There's a common summer drink called shandy, which I've never been brave enough to try. It's basically lager and fizzy lemonade mixed. It sounds dreadful, and it's one of the class/culture signifiers between North and South here: hard-nosed post-industrial impoverished working-class Northerners will deride us "Shandy-drinking Southerners" for being effete urbanites who can't hold our liquor.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:50 AM on March 18
There's a common summer drink called shandy, which I've never been brave enough to try. It's basically lager and fizzy lemonade mixed. It sounds dreadful, and it's one of the class/culture signifiers between North and South here: hard-nosed post-industrial impoverished working-class Northerners will deride us "Shandy-drinking Southerners" for being effete urbanites who can't hold our liquor.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:50 AM on March 18
scruss: ah yeah, I have a kettle with a max capacity of 1L, but it's glass so I can see how much I've put in really easily. It heats up very quickly, partly because I fill it to exactly what I need each time. I may have rounded up and down a bit too much for both. It's probably 30s for half a litre.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:52 AM on March 18
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:52 AM on March 18
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Of course, now in Illinois we have signed and marked pedestrian crossings where cars are supposed to stop, but nobody actually expects them to--except possibly British tourists.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:08 PM on March 13 [10 favorites]