As an outsider living in the UK for three years, I think I can make some pretty decent generalizations about British people, hopefully without offending them!
They value food freshness.
As a result, everything is sold in small quantities. The normal way of living here is to go to the supermarket once every few days to get the things you’ll need for the next few meal(s). Also, caged chicken eggs are frowned upon here – it’s much easier to find free-range eggs (and they taste better, too!).
They love picnics in parks.
To be compeletely honest I was never much of a picnic person, but in a place where sunshine is scarce and many people don’t have gardens, I totally get its appeal. Disposable barbecues are very commonly enjoyed in the park after work. It’s also noteworthy that if you’re not disturbing anyone by quietly enjoying a bottle of wine or a few ciders in a park with a friend, the cops usually won’t bust you for it.
They treat their pets like royalty.
Cats get fresh meat and wet food as well as dry. They also tend to live a lot longer. When I first moved here, both Chris and Max’s childhood cats were still alive and 20+ human years old!
Amy with Chris's beloved 22 year old cat, Blackie
They are still pretty apathetic about recycling.
I think it’s a combination of laziness and lack of government support that a good deal of recyclable material still goes to landfills. Councils should definitely put recycling bins in public places, especially parks for picnic waste!
Our garden full of rubbish during renovation. Don't worry, it got recycled!
They like name brand fashion.
In Bath, a lot of emphasis seems to be put on how smartly you dress. I am very casual most days (unless we have a client coming), but I do notice that both young and old here are very fashion forward. I’m not surprised, considering how trendy affordable shops like M&S, H&M, Primark, etc are in comparison to somewhere like Wal-Mart. T-shirts and hoodies make North American foreigners like me stick out like a sore thumb!
They value and appreciate history.
In a World Heritage city like Bath, it’s hard not to appreciate the history, the architecture and those who built it. The National Trust properties dotted around the country are proof that Britons still like to stop and think about how life used to be for their ancestors. Television programmes about royal/archaeological/natural history frequent our Sky Planner; there always seems to be some sort of new angle that hasn’t been discussed before. This emphasis on history is one of the big reasons I love England. I’m so looking forward to the royal wedding!
There really are a lot of regional accents.
When I was a kid, I used to think that all English people sounded like Liverpudlian Neil Buchanan from Art Attack. It wasn’t until I was immersed in the accent that I began to realize and start to actually recognize the different accents. Just take a 10 minute journey from Bath to Bristol and you’ll see what I mean.
They’re not afraid to complain.
If food or customer service is not up to the expectations of the customer, they’ll say something. As a Canadian, I used to just grin and bear it, rather than troubling someone to fix it. Here, though, if you’ve ordered a medium-rare steak and it comes well done, you send it back. I think this has affected how people view Brits as tourists, but I don’t see anything wrong with expecting quality when you’re paying for it. Please note that I did not complain about the below dish! Yuuuummmm…
There are other things I’ve noticed as well, but these are the things that stick out in my mind at the moment.
In other news, it’s nearly Easter weekend! I am playing softball tonight with my Bristolian friends and then I’m going to spend tomorrow making a traditional simnel cake. Unless the cake ends up a complete disaster, you’ll be reading about it tomorrow!
