I think one of the reasons for the 'heavier' more traditional foods is that they come from a time when the average person would be working hard all day (in the fields, mines, mills etc) and the weather was cold. You would need lots of calories and a filling meal would provide that.
Also a lot of those foods would be to use up and/or preserve an excess of something or the parts of an animal that you wouldn’t just eat as they are. Pork pie and scotch egg were both to use up the scraps of the pig.
It will also be partly due to availability of goods, I mean go back 100 years or whatever and obviously we didn't have air freight and the ability to import perishables from overseas. There was a lot of difference depending on season too, through the summer and into autumn obviously there would be a lot more fresh fruit and veg than in the middle of winter, which is when preserves would be used, and certain root vegetables etc. And not everything traditional is unhealthy, just might not be what fits the modern palate so much, other things or variants upon them aren't so bad I wouldn't have thought, I mean things like a ploughmans lunch, or a pasty back when the folded over thick pastry was basically a built in disposable handle. Also as mentioned, as times change so does taste, some foods and flavours go out of fashion and new things are discovered. On that note too, we have become accustomed to much more sweetness and there's probably a lot more sugars and things in modern versions of traditional foods especially in store bought/pre-made things. There's also the fact that rationing carried on for a long time after WW2, into the 50's, so I think a lot of the things that we think of as traditional were things that survived the war in the sense that people were able to make a dish, or a close equivalent with rations, OR were popular enough that as rationing ended people could once again make whatever dish again. idk, this has basically become just some random ramblings nobody asked for!
@@theinvisibleneonrainbowzeb2567 The Ploughman’s Lunch is not actually a traditional dish. It was invented in the 1960s as a marketing tool to take advantage of the rise in private car ownership and people driving out into the countryside for a day trip.
@@StephenBoothUK huh, well there you go, you learn something new every day I guess. Mind the original marketing must have been effective, because it has stuck around for the last 60 years!
I am French, but I have lived in the UK for almost 20 years, and you are so right about the food. Not only is the traditional beige food comforting, but there's also a great variety of easily available foreign food here. At least in the cities. And sticky toffee pudding was a revelation to me, I remember eating it for the first time at a party and I couldn't believe how good that was. Also, I mainly eat plant based food, but one of the few things I make an exception for is yorkshire pudding, it is so simple, and yet delicious.
Ooh! Yorkshire pudding. One of the best things about English food. It's so versatile. You can eat it as a filler with meat and vegetables. And you can also sweeten it, by adding a bit of sugar to the ingredients. And then you have a delicious dessert, that tastes great with custard. So versatile, so filling, so tasty. 😋 Apparently, there's actually a restaurant somewhere in Yorkshire (I don't know where. Just remember seeing it on TV) that serves nothing but Yorkshire pudding based meals. Starters, mains and desserts are all made with Yorkshire pudding as the main part of the dish.
It's not just the UK that has the smallest to largest date formula. The rest of Europe (in their own languages) and in fact the rest of the civilised world uses it too. Only the USA (and as Canada gets dragged down by the USA) and Canada use the month / day / year formula....all except, of course for the 4th of July.
Yes, Canadian here. All official government forms use the date in the same format as the UK. The problem is that in casual usage, the cultural impact of the US has affected the way people use dates. Many people in business/education even leave computer settings in US format, so it's commonly seen in that way.
In computing we are more and more often using YYYY-MM-DD - not only is this unambiguous, it sorts correctly. (I work for a company in America, remotely from the UK, so I see MM-DD-YYYY constantly)
@@john_critchley Indeed, I prefer that YYYY-MM-DD format for the same reason (sorting), but getting everyone to adopt it is going to be a monumental overhaul.
@@roberthindle5146 to be a stickler, I'd stick with YYYY-MM-DD(-hh-mm-ss) just to keep things properly in order for the next 8000 years. 😁 Plus, it allows for sorting dates over 22 years old.
All of this has happened because you are genuine, Honest,Lovable and sarcastic. I Adore your sarcastic side. We taught you well and you have improved upon it lol. Blessings from liverpool.
Hi Alanna, I'm a much older fellow Canadian, but I was taught and have all my life said the dates as day-month-year (along with the last letter being 'zed', spelling colour with a 'u' and other things :) ). I think it's quite a common thing throughout the Commonwealth, but being where we are we're inundated with so much US influence that I fear the younger generations are losing a lot of what made English in Canada distinct from the US. Hope you continue to enjoy your life across the pond!
The US influence is getting bad here in England, people are getting lazy with spelling words with the correct spelling, far too much US culture its a bad time for the future of British culture in general, there's even small children with US accents where parents just dump them down in front of US kids shows for way too many hours a day
@@ascotalexanderbruce Personally I would say maths is going to be replaced in the next ten years by math, anyway, I would give maybe five years till anyways becomes normal with the increasingly vast amount of US culture being force fed to the children. American English if you can call the abomination such, is more a dialect of True English and should be treated as such in order to protect one of the most historically important languages.
@@jamesfry8983 Nevermind the Great Firewall of China, I often think they need to build a firewall around the U.S. Americans make up 4% of the world's population, but they seem to be 90% of the cultural influence online, sadly. I work with children, teens, and young adults, and they are often so confused about what some things are and how they work, then they listen to Americans online, and then they're shocked to discover those things aren't the same here in the UK.
It’s not where you are, in Britain the Americanised way of doing things is seeping in, I used to work in admin and the number of forms our young new starters would fill out with American spelling was getting depressing - but not especially surprising as while British children’s stories have to reprinted and Americanised before they are let loose on the American market, American stuff is just published here as is. I was watching a software instruction video on here the other day where the British presenter said to press Zee.. and I kind of lost all respect for him... but when a British kid tells me he’s playing with Legos, I may need to kill him lol
The other thing that is disappearing is 'th/the' on dates. I always say 'the 25th of December' or 'December the 25th' not December 25th as our American and increasingly Canadian friends do.
I tried for years to get my US company to add YYYYMMDD to the beginning of all file and folder names on their servers to keep the files and folders sorted chronologically. They refused to adopt this idea, because they were so accustomed to naming files and folders in freeform text, like "Joe's trip to job site March 2019 when 3rd floor plans changed". Good luck finding anything quickly while sifting through those garbage names! I gave up trying to convince them.
Good luck with "Joe's trip to job site March 2019 when 3rd floor plans changed" versus "Joe's on site March 2019 when 3rd floor plans changed" vs "Site March 2019 when 3rd floor plans changed - Joe Schmow" ... that's why "natural" filenames are a very bad idea.
We get sweaty in the UK when it gets hot because as an Island the air is very moist. Higher temperatures are worse than on larger areas because moisture is higher and your lungs work harder.
I think you are right about the main motive behind British reservedness. Once you realise that being as considerate as possible and as cautious about not even risking to offend anyone as possible are the primary commands in everyone's mind, you will understand the background of British social behaviour. This is not surface level politeness, nor some kind of an over-emotional care for others, but an emphatic, risk-avoiding approach to social life ingrained into everyone's mind from childhood.
This is where talking about the weather is so useful. You can say “Phew, it’s so hot” and they can start chatting, or just give a sympathetic smile and a nod, and go back to whatever they’re doing, no offence taken by either side.
Similar to elements of "Janteloven", as we have in Denmark, though with a polite British twist. A genuine "we're in this together" solidarity that only really comes from having struggled/suffered together.
Great video! I think the "bad British food" thing is one of the biggest myths about the U.K. I've always had really good food when I visit, I wish I could find Cornish pasties in California!
The law says you can only get Cornish Pasties when they are made in Cornwall. The origin of the Cornish pasty is back in the days of tin mining. Miners carried their meal with them down the mine, tin is poisonous. The pasty was eaten by holding the crust which was thrown away.
You are such a sweet and positive person, and you are so young to have such an open view of life, it is a pleasure to watch your videos! Thank you so much for all your insights. Best regards from Israel.
Oh, my , God. A cup of tea cures everything. "You had a bad day, have a cup of tea", "Your grandma died, have a cup of tea", "You just learned that your neighbours were bombed (WW2 era), have a cup of tea". "You have terminal cancer, have a cup of tea". How does the world not know this?
a story from WW2 just got back from the evac at Dunkirk they thought was going to be court marshalled for dereliction of duty but was given a cuppa oh british food chip butty say no more
I had a British friend tell me he was asked by an American (not me) if they had the July 4th in the UK. The friend said, "We do. But for us it's the same as the 5th of November for you lot." The American asked what was special about the 5th of November?" He responded, "Exactly." This friend told me this because he knew that I could "Remember remember the 5th of November."
@@bigdaddigaming That's not the weirdest thing though. In Canada they *DO* have Thanksgiving, but it happens *BEFORE* Halloween in October! And it's on a Monday (the Second Monday in October) *AND* it's French,.
@@erictaylor5462 oh yes I know, I have friends up in Quebec so I've heard all about it, Canada's an odd county, they have our queen as a figure head, and they all sound either an unusual form of American or french, talk about a mish mash
@@sirtarquin7288 Mine is 5 days after Christmas. Wish it was the 5th of November. There is a cool poem about the 5th of November. I wonder if old John Milton would be surprised, or pleased that here we are, nearly 400 years later and still, we Remember, Remember the 5th of November. Even in a country that didn't even exist at the time.
The date format is not specific to Great Britain, it's pretty much the standard format across the globe although some countries are beginning to confuse the issue by adopting the UTC date, i.e. year/month/day!
@@gordonlawrence1448 I was thinking that too - though the important thing is to start at one end and go to the other (large to small, small to large) and not go medium, small, large!
Ray you have raised an Interesting point. The ISO preferred format of yyyymmddhhmiss is how all dates are saved in computers worldwide. Programmers then have to convert this to local country format or just to add punctuation e.g. yyyy-mm-dd (as I understand is used in Japan?). Even though I am a Brit who has only ever lived in the UK I can see the advantage of this e.g. when sorting a list in date format, so have begin to use it myself in recent years, much to my wife's chargrin!
Here in Scotland it rains or hails for the school runs morning and afternoon in spring and autumn but you can also get gloriously crazy days where (this is true, happened to me the other day) you can be in a t-shirt enjoyibg warm sunshine but looking at black lowering cloud raining just a half mile away and then get caught in hailstones. In May. No wonder we talk about it its so dramatic
Canada's charm is that it is in the same area as America, has similar gun controls as America but is a superb example of how a country can have guns without daily mass murders simply by being populated by nicer people.
Great fun video, very pleased you consider England "home" and that you've come to realise things weren't just thrown together here! There's a reason for everything!
You weren't wrong about any of those things. All that's happened is, after being in England for several years now, you've become accustomed to these things. Same with when you grew up in Canada. The North American customs you cite aren't "wrong" per se, but they were what you were familiar with. You can tell you've become "Britishized" to some extent, since you said "air con", in contrast to "A/C", which is the common term used in the US and Canada.
Alanna, another brilliant video, good presentation. As you spend more time here in England you are slowly adapting to English life. The sign of that is that you are consuming more tea. A lot of British food was created when it was normal to earn a living by doing a lot of Physical work, such as Coal mine, Tin mine, Steel foundry for example when people did not have central heating etc, and if the house was cold they needed plenty of hot filling and cheap food, such as Beef Hotpot, Stews, Toad in the hole for example.
We all have preconceived ideas about places, no matter where we are from or where we go. No country has a monopoly on what's best in every circumstance. However, learning to embrace the differences, accepting the positives, is the grown up thing to do, but also recognizing that some things just aren't better.
as someone that's (permanently) moving to the UK from the US in a few months, I found this video so helpful! especially the last part about "never fitting in". i think that's my biggest fear, so I'm relieved to know it won't always be that way 🥰
Please don't worry, when you arrive here people will welcome you and want you to feel at home - and if unfortunately you encounter someone who is less than pleasant, then I'm very sorry. But they're probably unpleasant to everyone, regardless of their nationality, even British. Just be aware that you might experience a 'culture shock' when you arrive. We're not blessed with acres of space and so sizes of things are noticeably smaller here, and that extends to houses etc. But it also extends to most things such as food portions in restaurants etc. I hope you have no regrets and slot right in and wonder what you were worried about.
Things will be fine you will have nothing to worry about. There will be the odd jerk but there everywhere , people will be more interested where in the US you came from. Just go with the flow and have fun.
If you are unsure about something, just be friendly and say " sorry but it's all strange to me, could you help please as I'm new to the area". You will usually find middle aged and older folk will be glad you asked, and go out of their way to help you understand our ways. The younger generation may not seem so helpful, but above all else, don't complain and say the dreaded " things are bigger / better in the USA" or you will find people are more defensive and unhelpful. You will soon find out which are the most friendly, and being from South Yorkshire, I have to say we are very straight talking, but very friendly people once you've met them.
Loved this video. I can get everything you said. There's plenty wrong with the UK (especially in recent years) but there's so much that I'm grateful for living here.
Having worked in many many countries around the world, for many years, when I come home I think the UK is very good, there may be better climets, larger countries, but unless you have lived anywhere else you will never know how good the UK is. Folk that winge about need to go live elsewhere.
Talking weather is a social lubricant with strangers without getting personal or controversial. Probably one of the healthiest traditional British dishes would be roast chicken dinner, boiled potatoes and veg including greens, lots of different options cabbage, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, leaks, peas, carrots, parsnips, turnip in multiple varieties.
RE: The Air Con issue. Insulation in walls & roofs helps to maintain a moderate temperature in summer as well as in winter. Also there are fewer bugs in built up areas in the UK so sneck/lock the double glazed windows open a crack & draw down the blinds during daylight hours. Honestly it does make life much more tolerable, saves on utility bills & even helps to minimise harm to the planet. n.b. Very few stone cottages have hollow walls & some are not allowed to have double glazed windows. Most stone cottages are located in rural areas. Thoughts on those from any one who knows would be gratefully received - we all have our dreams.
Really great idea for a video. After 44 years of moving to UK I had to revise my opinion on a LOT of things, so I know what you mean. It's great though realizing how we change !! 😄😄
i'm a Brit. my preferred date order is Year/ Month/ Day. it helps put photos in correct chronological order on computer. does any nation use that format? i don't know
I'm from London originally and therefore supposed to love jellied eels but... na, you're definitely right there Alanna. I now live in rural north Devon and you are also right to be sceptical about the public transport services 'out in the sticks'. For the most part they are non-existent.
I could only bring myself to move 11 miles, Ray, from the heart of South East London in 1983 and the transport is still good but does not compare with the 33 Bus Routes that were within 2/3 miles of my home in town😀
It's not just out in the sticks. They are not fit for purpose in many cities. EG the city I'm in if you want to do shift work but don't have a car you are stuffed. The hospital had a desperate need for porters but the first bus arrives at 06:27 and that's if it is on time and if you do not have to get a bus into the city center to get that one. It's so bad if you live in many places you cannot even get to the jobs that start at 8AM. It's not just people out in the sticks that are screwed it's everybody.
Canada actually uses the same date format as the UK to comply with the international standard. Some people may use the US standard in writing the date but it's not the case when you type in dates in online forms or official documents.
I'm a tea 🍵 girl , US born and raised. I drink tea all year long, in fact. my stove top kettle is going off. My mom used to say that I'm very British at times due to my tea drinking. I live going to afternoon teas and have some over the years with friends.In my defense though, I'm from Southern California, so even in the winter, it doesn't get cold , the "coldest" it gets in the L.A. area is 65°F . Of course the further east ( Low desert, Mojave Desert/High desert 🏜️) and north ( antelope valley, Northern LA county) you go , it does get very cold. During the summer, I don't run my air conditioner very much, 1), it's not central ac as the unit is a window unit in the living room, 2), I'm home most of the time, 3), I get an ocean breeze since I live about 10-15 min from a Marina and 4), I keep most of my windows open through out the house.
i have a water bed in the summer i turn the heating off and sleep on a cool surface, then when its cold i turn it up and its nice and warm, cheep to run too 1p/day
Great video. Brave to admit you've changed your mind. And about some big things too :) Like the new chapter feature too, will be great when rewatching later. Love that England feels like home, its a great place to live.
Another great video! 'Meat and two veg' used to be a staple part of the UK diet and, if cooked properly and in the right proportions, isn't all that unhealthy. Formed the basis of most of the cooked meals I had growing up. Not a great deal of meat (expensive!) and usually green vegetables in abundance with root veg like carrots and swede, for example. I remember having liver on a regular basis and liver in onion gravy with boiled potatoes and spring greens is still a particular favourite of mine. You should try it . . . 🙂
I grew up in England during the 1970s and had a similar experience. Boiled or mashed potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots were the staple base of most dinners, plus some sort of meat.
Cooking with a scale was something I had a tough time with too. A friend of mine put it this way: a cup of flour can vary because it might be packed too full, but the weight measurement is always consistent. that's when the lightbulb went off 😊 I struggle with calendars starting on Monday when I book tickets to the UK! Thanks for another fun video!
Sunday is and has been since Biblical times the first day of the week, I hate it when calendars use the Monday as the first. Hence the Sabbath being the Saturday and finding a London Taxi on a Saturday almost impossible a few years ago or a Tailors open.
Most British food is healthy, so long as you don't each too much. The traditional dish I cook most often is a hotpot, but most countries have something similar. I was given a voucher for a cookery course at a 1 Michelin star restaurant (Northcote), did the pub grub course and that included a delicious sticky toffee pudding. I live in a village with a quarry so most houses are made of stone, including mine. When it got to 33C outside it was only 27C inside (and when it dropped to 18C the following day it was 24C) With there having been only 2 nights where it was uncomfortably warm this year I can't justify air conditioning. I live in the north so that helps too.
Thanks for the great video Alanna - it's lovely to hear that you feel like you belong here now. I've subscribed to A&N long enough to get a sense of how much of a challenge it probably was early on, even if only in the collection of little things that you talked about back then. It's a great attitude that you have to embrace a different culture and probably a good lesson for other potential ex-pats wherever they are.
Hi Alanna, I found this quite moving. Completely relate as we moved away from our home town last year and I did wonder if I would ever feel at home in the new place, but given time it is true that home is where the heart is.xx
Despite reading North American content daily their date format still catches me out occasionally. This summer has definitely made me think about my a/c situation 🥵 I’m happy that you think England feels like home ☺️ Great vid, Alanna!
Hi, so pleased you have become comfortable here. I think the air con is one of the most difficult and yes air con is nice, but its about being acclimatised to not having it. A cooled bedroom is so good..
That was an interesting video, I don't think I have seen one like that before. It was good to see the cracker drop too, one of my all time favourite moments! Talking of tea, a bar in Leeds has created a cocktail using Yorkshire tea, rhubarb liquer and vodka.
Hi Alanna, another great video of your "take" on British life. Gotta say it- you're getting more British everyday! (Not that you'll be less Canadian of course). The date format can be confusing. A friend of mine had a whole lot of trouble at US Customs and Immigration a few years ago, due to the US officials (mis)reading the dates on his entry & exit documentation. They took a *lot* of persuading (3 hours!) that he wasn't staying as an illegal immigrant. Aircon would've been useful in the recent heatwave. I haven't got a/c so I dragged a mattress downstairs & slept in the cooler part of the house. Might get a portable air con unit ... we'll see. Take care of yourself (and Mr Naps if course!) Enjoy your week. Bye!
Your last item in the list is such a big deal, I don't recall how many years I have been subscribed to Adventurous and Naps, but I have never been subscribed to any channel for this amount of time, you keep the content fresh, new, funny, interesting, relevant, lively, useful, informative even serious and a billion more things that no one else can do like you can and for it to be interesting after 6 years, but getting back to the last on your list, that took courage, I know that you miss your home in Canada, but I have seen you get more and more into what your little corner of England has to offer. The times you have gone out with the camera to show us what is close to your home, a short train ride away, you are proud of what there is and how old it is and the history, no you don't go into the history really, but you love where you live and I think that is wonderful for different reasons, I as a Brit see the beauty in someone from another country enjoying what is here is to be celebrated, you really are a wonderful person, for so many reasons, but the best reason is because you don't hold back with what you say, you tell it how you see it, today's video is proof of that, please don't ever feel that you might upset anyone, continue to be as you are please, I just want to say thank you for this video, you didn't have to admit and apologise, but I'm guessing that the inner you wouldn't let you not apologise, bless your heart :)
So glad you feel you've 'fitted in' here more. Even planing on at stone cottage some day. Wow. But are there some days where you still feel like you're on vacation here? Enjoyed it gurl! 😉 👍
Healthiest food is probably fruit (strawberries, apples, raspberries, pears, blackberries, damsons, gooseberries, snozzberries, bananas (if you buy a banana plant and your greenhouse is heated & lit)) and vegetables (carrots, potatoes, parsnips, avocados, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, leeks, cauliflower, basil)
This “I was wrong” thing is going to get you in serious trouble with the sisterhood. But it would sure make you a serious marriage prospect for any man. Not many wives will concede they are wrong. I once had a mate send a message on Facebook saying “Guys I need your advice. I’m in the middle of an argument with my wife and she just said I was right! What the f**k do I do now?” He got lots of helpful advice like “careful! It must be a trap!”
The food is because people would spend all day working the land and you need a lot of calories to do that kind of work. Families used to live on farmsteads, youd have the farmer and the farm workers families and its the farmers job to make sure everything runs smoothly so his produce is taken to market to be sold so he can then in turn pay his rents to the landowner, usually some Earl or Baron. There was the land owners and the farmers houses used to house multiple families in out buildings and they barely had any money but what they did have was good food to keep them going, thats why a lot of the dishes are all the stuff people used to grow on farms that was readily available...
Enjoyed the video. I grew up in Canada and then moved to America. Maybe not as much of a cultural difference as moving to the UK, but it was still quite a change. I’m lucky too to have roots in two really great countries. I think I would really like the UK too. My parents are European, so I would feel “at home” with the more European aspect of the UK. Also I’m a huge fan of the Queen and the Royal family. The history and architecture there must be awesome!
I'm actually from the US, and you sound way more American than I thought you would as a Canadian. I assumed Canadians used British date format, drank a lot of tea, and were more polite/reserved like British people, etc. I knew Canada had issues with mass transit because everything is so spread out there, but I thought culturally they were closer to Britain than to the US. You just sound SUPER American in this video... like, even compared to people I know that are literally from the US.
As someone who has lived and travelled right across the UK, the whole "Northerners are more approachable" thing is a total myth. Of course Northerners think that as they will feel more comfortable amongst fellow northerners, but I have found people down in the south just as friendly often. Sometimes it is just personal experience - I have had some very friendly experiences up North, I've had plenty less so, and vice versa down South. I just basically think that the more rural you go British people tend to be friendlier in general because there is more of a community feeling, some communities have co-existed for decades and so they all know each other, and so long as you are also friendly, any newcomers are welcomed warmly. However, the more urban areas are less friendly and that is the same all over the UK. When I got mugged up in Manchester it wasn't as if they were particularly friendly and chatty, in fact they were all really horrible, however I have also been mugged down in London and he put his arm around me and asked me how I was doing ... before he head-butted me and stop £3.50 out my wallet 🤣. Maybe it is simply that urban areas are generally smaller in the North, and the South (mainly the South-East) is more densely populated, I don't know. However, in my opinion generally being friendly, smiling at others and small talk happens whether you are in the North or the South and, in terms of striking up full length conversations with total strangers - I feel like that is kind of a bit weird wherever you are in the UK. Also, the example people always seem to bring up is "being on the Tube in London" ... I mean, its so ridiculous. First off, the Tube is so noisy you struggle to talk to your friend next to you, rather than a total stranger. If you have to go through so much effort just to be heard by someone you don't even know, that comes across as odd behaviour. Also, you don't even know if your fellow passengers speak English in London as so many are either tourists or immigrants, not that that matters by why would you even bother starting a conversation with a stranger if you not only will struggle to be heard but you don't even know if they'll understand you anyway, lol. Lastly the dullest times on the Tube tend to be either the early morning or early evening commutes, when people are usually still waking up and (not) looking forward to a full day's work ahead of them, or they're knackered after a full day's work. Starting conversations with strangers who can't hear you and may not understand you is the furthest thing from anyone's mind, best to just keep yourself to yourself. However, I've been on the Tube plenty of times, travelling with fellow footy fans, or on a good night out, and people are happy to joke around with each other and other people they don't know. It's weird - I grew up in London and its never bothered me, but I moved up to the West Midlands in my Teens and all my friends were from around there, Wales or up North. They ALL said they HATED London because nobody was friendly and nobody talked to each other down there. I had no clue why they thought that as, growing up in London, that was not my experience at all. Funnily enough though, when I moved back to London they ALL wanted to come and stay with me and, for the last 20 years, every single one of them has moved down South to the London environs. And that brings me to my final point - London is such a melting pot that whilst half the people you meet are genuine southerners, the other half ARE Northerners, Scots, Irish, Europeans or people from many other corners of the world, so unless you know where the stranger you are not speaking to is actually from, how can you know it is because they're a Southerner that they're not being friendly?
Completely agree. Sick of North/south Division - I've had northerners flat out dislike me from just the accent I have. Like that's the friendly north I know 😂
More rural = more friendly? Really? Ever walked into a pub in a village or small country town? Yes, they have a sense of community, but if you're a stranger, you aren't part of that community!
Talking about the weather (specifically when it's really bad) is just a way of giving a brief verbal hug. When you're having a terrible day, struggling through driving wind and rain in the middle of winter, just to share your 'fed-up-ness' with someone else helps. Agree about public transport - I haven't owned a car for over 25 years; most of my adult life.
It's amazing how time changes perspective. I've found that myself. You're almost never the same person at the end, as the one you were in the beginning. Enjoyed the introspection.
I've been trying to follow american recipes with cups etc but those and other american measurements are not the same as British versions so it all gets very complicated. Kgs and gms are standard throughout the world and make the process so much easier. I wonder if the youtube cooks realise they are limiting their audience to the Americas.
@@iriscollins7583 Doesn't really work the same - cups are a _volume_ measure, so you'll get a different weight for every different thing you measaure. AND a different weight depending on how you fit that thing into the cup. Weight measures are 100% unambiguous. Doesn't matter if you use metric or imperial either. Even works for liquids, since 1ml of water = 1g of weight. And most liquids you find in a kitchen are close enough to that for the difference to not make any meanigful difference. Scales > Cups. Always.
I do not know how long ago you got it Alanna and I have been watching from near the start and I am sure that you must be on your third home by now since I have been watching, but I have only just noticed your TH-cam award in the background.
15:43 Not all the UK fried - the North-West Highlands of Scotland were a very pleasant 18-20C. It was also possible to get there without going through an airport or getting involved in the railway anarchy.
While looking for you at the earlier slot I was fed your yorkie pudds video which I had seen before but watched again while waiting. Still the best yorkies on you tube without doubt! Pudd hole still makes me cry!
the 'heavy' very filling food goes with the cold/wet/dank/dark climate - and we've survived several thousand years of the climate by eating the food! And I've just heard you ask what is the 'healthiest' food: answer to me is 'milk' . Good luck.
i cant imagine what made you think you wouldn't enjoy a warm toffee cake with toffee sauce?! LOL This video made me laugh. glad you've changed your mind on the date 🙂
Haven't seen the full video yet but just wanted to say I love the 5pm posting time, I work from home so I get to finish work and immediately watch your newest video. Very happy!
Food: much of the reasons for local foods in Britain is that it's the trad way to keep or preserve food. Jellied eels are eels (which used to be farmed in ponds all over the country), gutted, cut into short sections, then boiled in a mix that sets when cold as a seal that won't let the eels 'go off'. So: good, nourishing, hard-to-preserve fish available any time. Pies, pasties, pastries, all so that cooked meat and veg can be preserved for a time.
Lol you're right about the brown/beige food thing. There's something satisfying and wholesome (if not always heakthy!) about it too tho, and sometimes that's just what you want. I remember being confronted by an unspecified vegetarian version of the available menu in the Czech Republic once which was a bright purple mush with lumpy bits, it was very alarming! ;)
Hi! If you know the "standard" Canadian date format, that's more than this Canadian does. Overwhelmed as we are by US culture, I've long understood (or been told) that we use different formats, but never know which is which. Which is why, unless a form specifies it, I write out Aug, Sept, whatever. Enjoyed your little side remark "I'm sweating right now". Yes: yes, you were glistening!
Here in the UK we also write the date as "July 4th, 2022" if you're writing the month out in words. You can do either if it's words: so also "4th July 2022". But if it's just numbers it has to be "04/08/2022"
Hi Alanna, I’ve always been told that the reason we (North Americans) write out the date the way we do is because it is numerically the smallest number set to the largest. The month (01-12), the day (01-31) and the year (00-99). It makes sense to me, but that’s because it’s what I’m used to. I imagine that if I lived in the UK, I would eventually adjust to their way of doing things as well. The one thing I couldn’t adapt to would be the lack of air conditioning. I like to keep the thermostat at a constant 65*F (18.33*C) or I get too warm.
I don't think we talk about the weather because we're obsessed by weather or find it fascinating. It's just that the weather is a 'safe' subject if you want to strike up a conversation with a stranger or slight acquaintance. Talking about other things might be too personal or too controversial and you just want a light conversation in order to be friendly and pass the time pleasantly.
@@Sue474 maybe it's because I'm terrible with small talk. If some were to say to me "terrible weather today, isn't it?" my reply is just "yep" and that's the end of that conversation 😂
There are a lot of things that North America does that seems strange to me but I can understand why they do it that way but the backwards date is just stupid so I’m glad you’ve come round to that! 😄
When you suddenly realised that 08/08 was not a good example in explaining date differences between here and North America, I had to pause for a few minutes while I stopped laughing!! Made my day though.🤣😂
If you want to add dates to files on a computer actually yyyymmdd is the best order as if you start the name that way you can easily sort your files into date order :)
I actually don't think there is a problem with writing the date Month/Day/Year, the problem is that it's so often expressed numerically, e.g., 8/2/22 which, depending on your location, could be interpreted as August 2nd or 8th February. It would be less confusing if everyone always used alpha characters to represent the month, i.e., AUG 2 or 2 AUG, then there's no confusion.
Very true about using the buses when you use them for the first time, made me think of when I was in Ottawa many years ago, myself and some Australians I'd met in the youth hostel decided to go somewhere, we went to the bus stop, but didn't think of which side of the road the bus would arrive on, very amusing when it went past on the opposite side of the road !!
On the subject of "British" foods, have you ever thought about having a Curry Taste Test? Chicken Tikka Masala is apparently the most popular dish in this country. So why not try out a wide variety of "curries" - e.g. Rogan Josh, Biriani, Madras, Butter Chicken, BALTI, Dupiazza, Chinese Curry, Thai Red/Green Curry, etc etc... You'd love it.
@@AdventuresAndNaps ///Sounds like a great night!!/// Yeah, but eat enough of it and eventually you'll need to butter your hips to get through the door. :D
That's Hindu food and it smells horrible. I have eaten Currys in England and the Rice is the best I have tasted, but the curry, the after smell in my body and breath is horrible!! :))
34 is not old ! TEA he😊 You are loved here. we do have air conditioning we call it opening a window - not too many beasties that will fly in and eat you!All the best.Rab
Alanna love the video, you don't look a day over 21. Some experiences may be different each time. ref public transport, what about 'leaves on the line' or 'the wrong kind of snow'?
A lot of British food is heavy is because of the cold weather, and most people did hard manual work. A salad is no good if you are working down a mine or in heavy industry all day.
As an oldy englishman living in Shetland and having previously lived in several different parts of England, I can assure you that it takes just a few years to settle in any new place when you have neither friends or family living locally. I think it takes 4-5 years for you to be trully accepted and settled in a new area, but you certainly seem to have the right attitude to do so.
im so glad you feel that England as your home. i watch alot of people who come here on you tube and none has embraced the culture like you have. id say from year two you could see you get it, so in my opinion you've being english since year two. from the perspective of someone watching you feels like you've come full circle
I thought the last few summers were more intense, in my area, because there was no breeze. This summer has made a difference, but yeah give me air-con 😌
@@stephen129 There is far more to it if you look it all up Stephen, around 1/3 of all countries with roads drive on the left. There are also ancient laws dictating horses and coaches kept left on tracks. All to do with how weapons, reins and whips were held. (A side note is also why most staircases in castles etc, spiral clockwise going up. It gives the defenders above the advantage to use weapons right handed) Other motoring reasons are founded in medical and scientific tests, it has proved safer. Most people are right side dominant, with both hand and vision. Steering is more important than gear change, so the right hand dominant keeps better steering control. You can theoretically see oncoming vehicles better, for passing parked vehicles and overtaking. It's also why the accelerator and brake pedals are positioned as standard for right foot use, and the less important clutch for left foot use. Working in the motor industry many years, I remember scientific research showed drivers subconsciously steered to the left when facing an impact situation. That theoretically is avoiding a head on collision, and reducing the combined impact speed of both vehicles. Even at 30 mph, a head on into another vehicle approaching at 30mph would equal the same as a 60 mph impact into a solid object. Those are part of the reason your insurer will ask questions about transmission, and which hand drive your vehicle is, to determine the extra risk factors.
Alanna... You'll know by now that... Resistance is futile... You will be assimilated... We are the Brits... Your taste buds will be enhanced to appreciate then love... Yorkshire Tea... Yorkshire Pudding... Cornish Pasties... Fish & Chips... A Full English Breakfast... A Sunday Roast Dinner... Beans on Toast... Toad in the Hole... Steak & Kidney Pies... Haggis... Black Pudding... Scotch Eggs... Pork Pies... Shepherds Pie... Buttered Smoked Kippers... Chicken Tikka Masala Curry... Banger's & Mash... Bubble & Squeak... Cheese on Toast... Spotted Dick... Treacle Sponge & Custard... Jam Roly-Poly & Custard... Rhubarb Crumble & Custard... Sticky Toffee Pudding... And most importantly... Cider. 😂🍺
I think you would fit in anywhere. I am from London and most people I know don't eat Jellied eels (neither do I) . Now I live in Spain, tea is great to drink when its hot. I love your reports on your life in the UK and its always fun to read the comments. I don't think its important or possible to like everything but it is definitely necessary to have a sense of humour!
I was raised with the DDMMYY format, but actually YYYYMMDD is a fantastic format because it auto sorts into both calendar and date order even between years. If you name a document something like "20220803 Meeting Notes" it will naturally sort itself with all your other meeting notes (or whatever other regular doc system you have to maintain)
NATO standard is ddmmmyyyy or ddmmmyy where mmm is the first three letters of the month. This is to avoid any errors when you have USA forces interacting with European forces.
In Canada all government communication uses YYYYMMDD and I love it. It seems to be slowly creeping into the private sector but I wish it would hurry up.
We're obsessed with the weather because it changes so often in the UK. We've had days where it's gone from bright and sunny, to hail, to raining, then back to sunny in the space of an hour. And I guess technically the healthiest British food (although not common) is probably something like nettle soup. Stews can be healthy too, depending what you add to them. The reason a lot of traditional British food often lacks colour is because being an island, we had quite late access to spices, meaning much of the food was instead flavored with herbs, fruit and reductions, which despite common misconceptions don't lack in flavour, but also don't add as much colour as spices. Obviously Britain then got involved big time in the spice trade, but we don't often get credit for that food since despite Britain putting its own spin on it, most of it was based on food and techniques from other nations (eg India, China). Glad you've managed to settle in and think of Britain as home. It can be a great place to visit and live, but we tend to be pretty bad with promoting the good stuff (we could really learn something from America there) and I think people get a bad preconception due to stereotypes and negative media.
The most traditional yet healthiest food that springs to mind is a vintage classic: cucumber sandwiches. Only brown if you use brown/wholemeal bread. Baked beans pack a lot of nutrients, so you can't really go wrong with those and they're not brown either.
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I think one of the reasons for the 'heavier' more traditional foods is that they come from a time when the average person would be working hard all day (in the fields, mines, mills etc) and the weather was cold. You would need lots of calories and a filling meal would provide that.
Yes, you needed your carbs in those days....now not so much.
Also a lot of those foods would be to use up and/or preserve an excess of something or the parts of an animal that you wouldn’t just eat as they are. Pork pie and scotch egg were both to use up the scraps of the pig.
It will also be partly due to availability of goods, I mean go back 100 years or whatever and obviously we didn't have air freight and the ability to import perishables from overseas.
There was a lot of difference depending on season too, through the summer and into autumn obviously there would be a lot more fresh fruit and veg than in the middle of winter, which is when preserves would be used, and certain root vegetables etc.
And not everything traditional is unhealthy, just might not be what fits the modern palate so much, other things or variants upon them aren't so bad I wouldn't have thought, I mean things like a ploughmans lunch, or a pasty back when the folded over thick pastry was basically a built in disposable handle.
Also as mentioned, as times change so does taste, some foods and flavours go out of fashion and new things are discovered. On that note too, we have become accustomed to much more sweetness and there's probably a lot more sugars and things in modern versions of traditional foods especially in store bought/pre-made things.
There's also the fact that rationing carried on for a long time after WW2, into the 50's, so I think a lot of the things that we think of as traditional were things that survived the war in the sense that people were able to make a dish, or a close equivalent with rations, OR were popular enough that as rationing ended people could once again make whatever dish again.
idk, this has basically become just some random ramblings nobody asked for!
@@theinvisibleneonrainbowzeb2567 The Ploughman’s Lunch is not actually a traditional dish. It was invented in the 1960s as a marketing tool to take advantage of the rise in private car ownership and people driving out into the countryside for a day trip.
@@StephenBoothUK huh, well there you go, you learn something new every day I guess. Mind the original marketing must have been effective, because it has stuck around for the last 60 years!
I am French, but I have lived in the UK for almost 20 years, and you are so right about the food. Not only is the traditional beige food comforting, but there's also a great variety of easily available foreign food here. At least in the cities. And sticky toffee pudding was a revelation to me, I remember eating it for the first time at a party and I couldn't believe how good that was. Also, I mainly eat plant based food, but one of the few things I make an exception for is yorkshire pudding, it is so simple, and yet delicious.
Ooh! Yorkshire pudding. One of the best things about English food. It's so versatile. You can eat it as a filler with meat and vegetables. And you can also sweeten it, by adding a bit of sugar to the ingredients. And then you have a delicious dessert, that tastes great with custard. So versatile, so filling, so tasty. 😋
Apparently, there's actually a restaurant somewhere in Yorkshire (I don't know where. Just remember seeing it on TV) that serves nothing but Yorkshire pudding based meals. Starters, mains and desserts are all made with Yorkshire pudding as the main part of the dish.
Sticky toffee pudding tastes better with cold cream on it. The pouring variety is best.
@@caroletraynor8763 I'd prefer vanilla ice cream. There's something about the contrast of hot versus cold that just lifts it for me.
@@caroletraynor8763. Custard gets my vote!
It's not just the UK that has the smallest to largest date formula. The rest of Europe (in their own languages) and in fact the rest of the civilised world uses it too. Only the USA (and as Canada gets dragged down by the USA) and Canada use the month / day / year formula....all except, of course for the 4th of July.
Yes, Canadian here. All official government forms use the date in the same format as the UK. The problem is that in casual usage, the cultural impact of the US has affected the way people use dates. Many people in business/education even leave computer settings in US format, so it's commonly seen in that way.
In computing we are more and more often using YYYY-MM-DD - not only is this unambiguous, it sorts correctly. (I work for a company in America, remotely from the UK, so I see MM-DD-YYYY constantly)
@@john_critchley Indeed, I prefer that YYYY-MM-DD format for the same reason (sorting), but getting everyone to adopt it is going to be a monumental overhaul.
I think everyone should use YY-MM-DD-hh-mm-ss. It's just logical. MSB always on the left.
@@roberthindle5146 to be a stickler, I'd stick with YYYY-MM-DD(-hh-mm-ss) just to keep things properly in order for the next 8000 years. 😁
Plus, it allows for sorting dates over 22 years old.
All of this has happened because you are genuine, Honest,Lovable and sarcastic. I Adore your sarcastic side. We taught you well and you have improved upon it lol. Blessings from liverpool.
Thanks for watching!!
Hi Alanna, I'm a much older fellow Canadian, but I was taught and have all my life said the dates as day-month-year (along with the last letter being 'zed', spelling colour with a 'u' and other things :) ). I think it's quite a common thing throughout the Commonwealth, but being where we are we're inundated with so much US influence that I fear the younger generations are losing a lot of what made English in Canada distinct from the US. Hope you continue to enjoy your life across the pond!
The US influence is getting bad here in England, people are getting lazy with spelling words with the correct spelling, far too much US culture its a bad time for the future of British culture in general, there's even small children with US accents where parents just dump them down in front of US kids shows for way too many hours a day
@@ascotalexanderbruce Personally I would say maths is going to be replaced in the next ten years by math, anyway, I would give maybe five years till anyways becomes normal with the increasingly vast amount of US culture being force fed to the children. American English if you can call the abomination such, is more a dialect of True English and should be treated as such in order to protect one of the most historically important languages.
@@jamesfry8983 Nevermind the Great Firewall of China, I often think they need to build a firewall around the U.S. Americans make up 4% of the world's population, but they seem to be 90% of the cultural influence online, sadly. I work with children, teens, and young adults, and they are often so confused about what some things are and how they work, then they listen to Americans online, and then they're shocked to discover those things aren't the same here in the UK.
It’s not where you are, in Britain the Americanised way of doing things is seeping in, I used to work in admin and the number of forms our young new starters would fill out with American spelling was getting depressing - but not especially surprising as while British children’s stories have to reprinted and Americanised before they are let loose on the American market, American stuff is just published here as is. I was watching a software instruction video on here the other day where the British presenter said to press Zee.. and I kind of lost all respect for him... but when a British kid tells me he’s playing with Legos, I may need to kill him lol
The other thing that is disappearing is 'th/the' on dates. I always say 'the 25th of December' or 'December the 25th' not December 25th as our American and increasingly Canadian friends do.
I tried for years to get my US company to add YYYYMMDD to the beginning of all file and folder names on their servers to keep the files and folders sorted chronologically. They refused to adopt this idea, because they were so accustomed to naming files and folders in freeform text, like "Joe's trip to job site March 2019 when 3rd floor plans changed". Good luck finding anything quickly while sifting through those garbage names! I gave up trying to convince them.
You can just click and sort chronologically though regardless of the name
Good luck with "Joe's trip to job site March 2019 when 3rd floor plans changed" versus "Joe's on site March 2019 when 3rd floor plans changed" vs "Site March 2019 when 3rd floor plans changed - Joe Schmow" ... that's why "natural" filenames are a very bad idea.
We get sweaty in the UK when it gets hot because as an Island the air is very moist. Higher temperatures are worse than on larger areas because moisture is higher and your lungs work harder.
NO -- you have np air conditioning
I think you are right about the main motive behind British reservedness. Once you realise that being as considerate as possible and as cautious about not even risking to offend anyone as possible are the primary commands in everyone's mind, you will understand the background of British social behaviour. This is not surface level politeness, nor some kind of an over-emotional care for others, but an emphatic, risk-avoiding approach to social life ingrained into everyone's mind from childhood.
I think it’s common in small populated island countries like japan
This is where talking about the weather is so useful. You can say “Phew, it’s so hot” and they can start chatting, or just give a sympathetic smile and a nod, and go back to whatever they’re doing, no offence taken by either side.
What a load of bollocks. Come on a British building site and see how reserved we are😂
Similar to elements of "Janteloven", as we have in Denmark, though with a polite British twist. A genuine "we're in this together" solidarity that only really comes from having struggled/suffered together.
I loved the way you used 8th August for the date example.... pure genius! You'll be moving to Essex next.
😂
@@AdventuresAndNaps. We would love to have her here 😊
Great video! I think the "bad British food" thing is one of the biggest myths about the U.K. I've always had really good food when I visit, I wish I could find Cornish pasties in California!
So true!
I'm told by an American friend that you have to go to Butte, Montana to find Cornish pasties in the USA.
Cue...Time for another Alanna has a go at making traditional British food video, Cornish Pasties 👍
Pengenna pasties in St Ives, best I ever had
The law says you can only get Cornish Pasties when they are made in Cornwall.
The origin of the Cornish pasty is back in the days of tin mining. Miners carried their meal with them down the mine, tin is poisonous. The pasty was eaten by holding the crust which was thrown away.
You are such a sweet and positive person, and you are so young to have such an open view of life, it is a pleasure to watch your videos! Thank you so much for all your insights. Best regards from Israel.
Oh, my , God. A cup of tea cures everything. "You had a bad day, have a cup of tea", "Your grandma died, have a cup of tea", "You just learned that your neighbours were bombed (WW2 era), have a cup of tea". "You have terminal cancer, have a cup of tea". How does the world not know this?
Thing is…. It actually works…. Odd that.
a story from WW2
just got back from the evac at Dunkirk they thought was going to be court marshalled for dereliction of duty but was given a cuppa
oh british food chip butty say no more
The American 911. To us is the 9th of November. We have to translate back to 119.😮
But it is also a satisfying marker. If I've done a chunk of hard physical work, cuppa
Tea saves lives and sanity!..Simple as that.
I had a British friend tell me he was asked by an American (not me) if they had the July 4th in the UK. The friend said, "We do. But for us it's the same as the 5th of November for you lot."
The American asked what was special about the 5th of November?"
He responded, "Exactly."
This friend told me this because he knew that I could "Remember remember the 5th of November."
I've had this asked me about the 4th of July I immedatly went into Bill Engvall mode "no in England it goes from the 3rd to the 5th, here's your sign"
@@bigdaddigaming That's not the weirdest thing though. In Canada they *DO* have Thanksgiving, but it happens *BEFORE* Halloween in October! And it's on a Monday (the Second Monday in October) *AND* it's French,.
@@erictaylor5462 oh yes I know, I have friends up in Quebec so I've heard all about it, Canada's an odd county, they have our queen as a figure head, and they all sound either an unusual form of American or french, talk about a mish mash
I am English and July 4th is very special to me, it's my birthday.
@@sirtarquin7288 Mine is 5 days after Christmas. Wish it was the 5th of November. There is a cool poem about the 5th of November.
I wonder if old John Milton would be surprised, or pleased that here we are, nearly 400 years later and still, we Remember, Remember the 5th of November.
Even in a country that didn't even exist at the time.
As somebody who's been watching for many years, it makes me genuinely happy to hear you say that you feel like you fit in :)
The date format is not specific to Great Britain, it's pretty much the standard format across the globe although some countries are beginning to confuse the issue by adopting the UTC date, i.e. year/month/day!
UTC is actually a better format for a lot of jobs as it makes things easier to file in date order.
@@gordonlawrence1448 I was thinking that too - though the important thing is to start at one end and go to the other (large to small, small to large) and not go medium, small, large!
I prefer the 29-Aug-22 format, because it's far less likely to be misinterpreted.
Ray you have raised an Interesting point. The ISO preferred format of yyyymmddhhmiss is how all dates are saved in computers worldwide. Programmers then have to convert this to local country format or just to add punctuation e.g. yyyy-mm-dd (as I understand is used in Japan?). Even though I am a Brit who has only ever lived in the UK I can see the advantage of this e.g. when sorting a list in date format, so have begin to use it myself in recent years, much to my wife's chargrin!
@@Richard-tf5cf Not really. A lot of dates are stored as epoch millis and then converted for presentation purposes
You’re not old, it’s that we can have lots of different weather all in one morning. A lot of popular British food is because it’s comforting
if you don't like the weather give it an hour. we can have 4-5 types of weather all in one day
Here in Scotland it rains or hails for the school runs morning and afternoon in spring and autumn but you can also get gloriously crazy days where (this is true, happened to me the other day) you can be in a t-shirt enjoyibg warm sunshine but looking at black lowering cloud raining just a half mile away and then get caught in hailstones. In May. No wonder we talk about it its so dramatic
You don't have to apologise for being wrong, you're Canadian, we expect nothing less! 🤣It's all part of your immense charm.😉
Canada's charm is that it is in the same area as America, has similar gun controls as America but is a superb example of how a country can have guns without daily mass murders simply by being populated by nicer people.
@@michaeldavison9808 Canada is near empty and their gun laws are not like America's.
@@michaeldavison9808 the uk has guns too
Great fun video, very pleased you consider England "home" and that you've come to realise things weren't just thrown together here! There's a reason for everything!
Thanks so much for watching!
You've grown accustomed to our country 😉 and we're delighted you're here 👍
Thanks so much!
You weren't wrong about any of those things. All that's happened is, after being in England for several years now, you've become accustomed to these things. Same with when you grew up in Canada. The North American customs you cite aren't "wrong" per se, but they were what you were familiar with. You can tell you've become "Britishized" to some extent, since you said "air con", in contrast to "A/C", which is the common term used in the US and Canada.
In the UK a/c is usually taken to mean alternating current.
@@williamjackson2089 not really. Most people know what AC is and contextual relevance makes it clear whether they're referring to alternating current.
@@idiotbuster8662 Are you saying that a/c is not really usually taken to mean alternating current in the UK?
When my father wasxwith the RAF in the middle east, we referred to,air conditioning as A/C
Alanna, another brilliant video, good presentation. As you spend more time here in England you are slowly adapting to English life. The sign of that is that you are consuming more tea. A lot of British food was created when it was normal to earn a living by doing a lot of Physical work, such as Coal mine, Tin mine, Steel foundry for example when people did not have central heating etc, and if the house was cold they needed plenty of hot filling and cheap food, such as Beef Hotpot, Stews, Toad in the hole for example.
We all have preconceived ideas about places, no matter where we are from or where we go. No country has a monopoly on what's best in every circumstance. However, learning to embrace the differences, accepting the positives, is the grown up thing to do, but also recognizing that some things just aren't better.
as someone that's (permanently) moving to the UK from the US in a few months, I found this video so helpful! especially the last part about "never fitting in". i think that's my biggest fear, so I'm relieved to know it won't always be that way 🥰
Please don't worry, when you arrive here people will welcome you and want you to feel at home - and if unfortunately you encounter someone who is less than pleasant, then I'm very sorry. But they're probably unpleasant to everyone, regardless of their nationality, even British. Just be aware that you might experience a 'culture shock' when you arrive. We're not blessed with acres of space and so sizes of things are noticeably smaller here, and that extends to houses etc. But it also extends to most things such as food portions in restaurants etc. I hope you have no regrets and slot right in and wonder what you were worried about.
Things will be fine you will have nothing to worry about.
There will be the odd jerk but there everywhere , people will be more interested where in the US you came from.
Just go with the flow and have fun.
I hope you have a great move!! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
If you are unsure about something, just be friendly and say " sorry but it's all strange to me, could you help please as I'm new to the area". You will usually find middle aged and older folk will be glad you asked, and go out of their way to help you understand our ways. The younger generation may not seem so helpful, but above all else, don't complain and say the dreaded " things are bigger / better in the USA" or you will find people are more defensive and unhelpful. You will soon find out which are the most friendly, and being from South Yorkshire, I have to say we are very straight talking, but very friendly people once you've met them.
You will be fine, just prepare for sarcasm and being willfully insulted when someone regards you as a friend
Loved this video. I can get everything you said. There's plenty wrong with the UK (especially in recent years) but there's so much that I'm grateful for living here.
Thanks for watching!
Remainer Alert!
@@jsmith1561 Fukwit alert!
Having worked in many many countries around the world, for many years, when I come home I think the UK is very good, there may be better climets, larger countries, but unless you have lived anywhere else you will never know how good the UK is. Folk that winge about need to go live elsewhere.
Talking weather is a social lubricant with strangers without getting personal or controversial.
Probably one of the healthiest traditional British dishes would be roast chicken dinner, boiled potatoes and veg including greens, lots of different options cabbage, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, leaks, peas, carrots, parsnips, turnip in multiple varieties.
and next day for brekkie, gods own food "bubble and squeak"
RE: The Air Con issue. Insulation in walls & roofs helps to maintain a moderate temperature in summer as well as in winter. Also there are fewer bugs in built up areas in the UK so sneck/lock the double glazed windows open a crack & draw down the blinds during daylight hours. Honestly it does make life much more tolerable, saves on utility bills & even helps to minimise harm to the planet. n.b. Very few stone cottages have hollow walls & some are not allowed to have double glazed windows. Most stone cottages are located in rural areas. Thoughts on those from any one who knows would be gratefully received - we all have our dreams.
Really great idea for a video. After 44 years of moving to UK I had to revise my opinion on a LOT of things, so I know what you mean. It's great though realizing how we change !! 😄😄
Thanks so much for watching!
i'm a Brit. my preferred date order is Year/ Month/ Day. it helps put photos in correct chronological order on computer. does any nation use that format? i don't know
Astronomers, and maybe Japan
I'm from London originally and therefore supposed to love jellied eels but... na, you're definitely right there Alanna.
I now live in rural north Devon and you are also right to be sceptical about the public transport services 'out in the sticks'. For the most part they are non-existent.
I could only bring myself to move 11 miles, Ray, from the heart of South East London in 1983 and the transport is still good but does not compare with the 33 Bus Routes that were within 2/3 miles of my home in town😀
It's not just out in the sticks. They are not fit for purpose in many cities. EG the city I'm in if you want to do shift work but don't have a car you are stuffed. The hospital had a desperate need for porters but the first bus arrives at 06:27 and that's if it is on time and if you do not have to get a bus into the city center to get that one. It's so bad if you live in many places you cannot even get to the jobs that start at 8AM. It's not just people out in the sticks that are screwed it's everybody.
When you want a bus and look at the calendar instead of your watch 😆
Interesting to compare your experiences to my wife’s. She emigrated from Michigan 3 years ago, and I see her learning similar lessons as you tell.
That's so interesting! Hope she's enjoying the UK!
Canada actually uses the same date format as the UK to comply with the international standard. Some people may use the US standard in writing the date but it's not the case when you type in dates in online forms or official documents.
I'm a tea 🍵 girl , US born and raised. I drink tea all year long, in fact. my stove top kettle is going off. My mom used to say that I'm very British at times due to my tea drinking. I live going to afternoon teas and have some over the years with friends.In my defense though, I'm from Southern California, so even in the winter, it doesn't get cold , the "coldest" it gets in the L.A. area is 65°F . Of course the further east ( Low desert, Mojave Desert/High desert 🏜️) and north ( antelope valley, Northern LA county) you go , it does get very cold. During the summer, I don't run my air conditioner very much, 1), it's not central ac as the unit is a window unit in the living room, 2), I'm home most of the time, 3), I get an ocean breeze since I live about 10-15 min from a Marina and 4), I keep most of my windows open through out the house.
Thanks Alanna! It's nice to know how your perceptions of our culture have changed over the years. BTW, I ❤ the new thumbnails. Nice colour combos 👍
Thank you so much!
i have a water bed in the summer i turn the heating off and sleep on a cool surface, then when its cold i turn it up and its nice and warm, cheep to run too 1p/day
Great video. Brave to admit you've changed your mind. And about some big things too :) Like the new chapter feature too, will be great when rewatching later.
Love that England feels like home, its a great place to live.
Choosing the 8th of August to compare dates is one of the funniest things I've seen all year! I believe "Doh" is appropriate x
Another great video! 'Meat and two veg' used to be a staple part of the UK diet and, if cooked properly and in the right proportions, isn't all that unhealthy. Formed the basis of most of the cooked meals I had growing up. Not a great deal of meat (expensive!) and usually green vegetables in abundance with root veg like carrots and swede, for example. I remember having liver on a regular basis and liver in onion gravy with boiled potatoes and spring greens is still a particular favourite of mine. You should try it . . . 🙂
I grew up in England during the 1970s and had a similar experience. Boiled or mashed potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots were the staple base of most dinners, plus some sort of meat.
When ever people say "meat and two veg" it makes me crack up, One of our main eating habits also has to have a rude meaning as well.
@@deanrolph6912 Yeah, but your mum would never say "It's cock and balls for dinner!"
Mmmmmm, happy memories of liver (aka lambs fry) cooked in bacon fat and served the way you describe. 😋
Now you know why D day was the 6th June, because it is 6/6/44 in both cultures.
Never thought about that! Iol
Cooking with a scale was something I had a tough time with too. A friend of mine put it this way: a cup of flour can vary because it might be packed too full, but the weight measurement is always consistent. that's when the lightbulb went off 😊
I struggle with calendars starting on Monday when I book tickets to the UK!
Thanks for another fun video!
Thank you so much!!
Sunday is and has been since Biblical times the first day of the week, I hate it when calendars use the Monday as the first. Hence the Sabbath being the Saturday and finding a London Taxi on a Saturday almost impossible a few years ago or a Tailors open.
I think you mean when the light bulb went on... (lit up).
Most British food is healthy, so long as you don't each too much. The traditional dish I cook most often is a hotpot, but most countries have something similar. I was given a voucher for a cookery course at a 1 Michelin star restaurant (Northcote), did the pub grub course and that included a delicious sticky toffee pudding.
I live in a village with a quarry so most houses are made of stone, including mine. When it got to 33C outside it was only 27C inside (and when it dropped to 18C the following day it was 24C) With there having been only 2 nights where it was uncomfortably warm this year I can't justify air conditioning. I live in the north so that helps too.
Thanks for the great video Alanna - it's lovely to hear that you feel like you belong here now. I've subscribed to A&N long enough to get a sense of how much of a challenge it probably was early on, even if only in the collection of little things that you talked about back then. It's a great attitude that you have to embrace a different culture and probably a good lesson for other potential ex-pats wherever they are.
Thank you so much!!
Hi Alanna, I found this quite moving. Completely relate as we moved away from our home town last year and I did wonder if I would ever feel at home in the new place, but given time it is true that home is where the heart is.xx
Thank you so much! I hope you're enjoying your new home!
Despite reading North American content daily their date format still catches me out occasionally. This summer has definitely made me think about my a/c situation 🥵 I’m happy that you think England feels like home ☺️ Great vid, Alanna!
Thank you so much!!
"9/11" always has me confused - is that September or November?
Hi, so pleased you have become comfortable here.
I think the air con is one of the most difficult and yes air con is nice, but its about being acclimatised to not having it. A cooled bedroom is so good..
It really is!
That was an interesting video, I don't think I have seen one like that before. It was good to see the cracker drop too, one of my all time favourite moments!
Talking of tea, a bar in Leeds has created a cocktail using Yorkshire tea, rhubarb liquer and vodka.
Ahh that's so cool! Gotta try it now!
Your point about politeness is spot on love,, love this video many thanks 😊
Hi Alanna, another great video of your "take" on British life. Gotta say it- you're getting more British everyday! (Not that you'll be less Canadian of course).
The date format can be confusing. A friend of mine had a whole lot of trouble at US Customs and Immigration a few years ago, due to the US officials (mis)reading the dates on his entry & exit documentation. They took a *lot* of persuading (3 hours!) that he wasn't staying as an illegal immigrant.
Aircon would've been useful in the recent heatwave. I haven't got a/c so I dragged a mattress downstairs & slept in the cooler part of the house. Might get a portable air con unit ... we'll see.
Take care of yourself (and Mr Naps if course!) Enjoy your week. Bye!
Your last item in the list is such a big deal, I don't recall how many years I have been subscribed to Adventurous and Naps, but I have never been subscribed to any channel for this amount of time, you keep the content fresh, new, funny, interesting, relevant, lively, useful, informative even serious and a billion more things that no one else can do like you can and for it to be interesting after 6 years, but getting back to the last on your list, that took courage, I know that you miss your home in Canada, but I have seen you get more and more into what your little corner of England has to offer. The times you have gone out with the camera to show us what is close to your home, a short train ride away, you are proud of what there is and how old it is and the history, no you don't go into the history really, but you love where you live and I think that is wonderful for different reasons, I as a Brit see the beauty in someone from another country enjoying what is here is to be celebrated, you really are a wonderful person, for so many reasons, but the best reason is because you don't hold back with what you say, you tell it how you see it, today's video is proof of that, please don't ever feel that you might upset anyone, continue to be as you are please, I just want to say thank you for this video, you didn't have to admit and apologise, but I'm guessing that the inner you wouldn't let you not apologise, bless your heart :)
So glad you feel you've 'fitted in' here more. Even planing on at stone cottage some day. Wow. But are there some days where you still feel like you're on vacation here? Enjoyed it gurl! 😉 👍
Healthiest food is probably fruit (strawberries, apples, raspberries, pears, blackberries, damsons, gooseberries, snozzberries, bananas (if you buy a banana plant and your greenhouse is heated & lit)) and vegetables (carrots, potatoes, parsnips, avocados, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, leeks, cauliflower, basil)
This “I was wrong” thing is going to get you in serious trouble with the sisterhood. But it would sure make you a serious marriage prospect for any man. Not many wives will concede they are wrong. I once had a mate send a message on Facebook saying “Guys I need your advice. I’m in the middle of an argument with my wife and she just said I was right! What the f**k do I do now?” He got lots of helpful advice like “careful! It must be a trap!”
Hmm,.. it took six years though to make that public.
Jesus.. I feel sorry for the straights
The food is because people would spend all day working the land and you need a lot of calories to do that kind of work. Families used to live on farmsteads, youd have the farmer and the farm workers families and its the farmers job to make sure everything runs smoothly so his produce is taken to market to be sold so he can then in turn pay his rents to the landowner, usually some Earl or Baron. There was the land owners and the farmers houses used to house multiple families in out buildings and they barely had any money but what they did have was good food to keep them going, thats why a lot of the dishes are all the stuff people used to grow on farms that was readily available...
Enjoyed the video. I grew up in Canada and then moved to America. Maybe not as much of a cultural difference as moving to the UK, but it was still quite a change. I’m lucky too to have roots in two really great countries. I think I would really like the UK too. My parents are European, so I would feel “at home” with the more European aspect of the UK. Also I’m a huge fan of the Queen and the Royal family. The history and architecture there must be awesome!
You think the UK being in Europe makes Brits Europeans, I think not!
I'm actually from the US, and you sound way more American than I thought you would as a Canadian. I assumed Canadians used British date format, drank a lot of tea, and were more polite/reserved like British people, etc. I knew Canada had issues with mass transit because everything is so spread out there, but I thought culturally they were closer to Britain than to the US. You just sound SUPER American in this video... like, even compared to people I know that are literally from the US.
As someone who has lived and travelled right across the UK, the whole "Northerners are more approachable" thing is a total myth. Of course Northerners think that as they will feel more comfortable amongst fellow northerners, but I have found people down in the south just as friendly often. Sometimes it is just personal experience - I have had some very friendly experiences up North, I've had plenty less so, and vice versa down South. I just basically think that the more rural you go British people tend to be friendlier in general because there is more of a community feeling, some communities have co-existed for decades and so they all know each other, and so long as you are also friendly, any newcomers are welcomed warmly. However, the more urban areas are less friendly and that is the same all over the UK. When I got mugged up in Manchester it wasn't as if they were particularly friendly and chatty, in fact they were all really horrible, however I have also been mugged down in London and he put his arm around me and asked me how I was doing ... before he head-butted me and stop £3.50 out my wallet 🤣. Maybe it is simply that urban areas are generally smaller in the North, and the South (mainly the South-East) is more densely populated, I don't know. However, in my opinion generally being friendly, smiling at others and small talk happens whether you are in the North or the South and, in terms of striking up full length conversations with total strangers - I feel like that is kind of a bit weird wherever you are in the UK. Also, the example people always seem to bring up is "being on the Tube in London" ... I mean, its so ridiculous. First off, the Tube is so noisy you struggle to talk to your friend next to you, rather than a total stranger. If you have to go through so much effort just to be heard by someone you don't even know, that comes across as odd behaviour. Also, you don't even know if your fellow passengers speak English in London as so many are either tourists or immigrants, not that that matters by why would you even bother starting a conversation with a stranger if you not only will struggle to be heard but you don't even know if they'll understand you anyway, lol. Lastly the dullest times on the Tube tend to be either the early morning or early evening commutes, when people are usually still waking up and (not) looking forward to a full day's work ahead of them, or they're knackered after a full day's work. Starting conversations with strangers who can't hear you and may not understand you is the furthest thing from anyone's mind, best to just keep yourself to yourself. However, I've been on the Tube plenty of times, travelling with fellow footy fans, or on a good night out, and people are happy to joke around with each other and other people they don't know. It's weird - I grew up in London and its never bothered me, but I moved up to the West Midlands in my Teens and all my friends were from around there, Wales or up North. They ALL said they HATED London because nobody was friendly and nobody talked to each other down there. I had no clue why they thought that as, growing up in London, that was not my experience at all. Funnily enough though, when I moved back to London they ALL wanted to come and stay with me and, for the last 20 years, every single one of them has moved down South to the London environs. And that brings me to my final point - London is such a melting pot that whilst half the people you meet are genuine southerners, the other half ARE Northerners, Scots, Irish, Europeans or people from many other corners of the world, so unless you know where the stranger you are not speaking to is actually from, how can you know it is because they're a Southerner that they're not being friendly?
@MATTHEW WALKER I'm a friendly northerner so F U.
Completely agree. Sick of North/south Division - I've had northerners flat out dislike me from just the accent I have. Like that's the friendly north I know 😂
@Mark Hepworth but typing doesn’t generally leave me short of breath, peasant
I dislike Americans, not just southerners. How many years did you Americans KNOWINGLY fund IRA t*rrorism? 40 at my last count.
More rural = more friendly? Really? Ever walked into a pub in a village or small country town? Yes, they have a sense of community, but if you're a stranger, you aren't part of that community!
Talking about the weather (specifically when it's really bad) is just a way of giving a brief verbal hug. When you're having a terrible day, struggling through driving wind and rain in the middle of winter, just to share your 'fed-up-ness' with someone else helps.
Agree about public transport - I haven't owned a car for over 25 years; most of my adult life.
Made me laugh when you said "cup of tea" you sounded so British. Great video thanks 👍
It's amazing how time changes perspective. I've found that myself. You're almost never the same person at the end, as the one you were in the beginning. Enjoyed the introspection.
I've been trying to follow american recipes with cups etc but those and other american measurements are not the same as British versions so it all gets very complicated. Kgs and gms are standard throughout the world and make the process so much easier. I wonder if the youtube cooks realise they are limiting their audience to the Americas.
Google cup measurements, they give measurements on the cups. Just use them instead 👍
@@iriscollins7583 Doesn't really work the same - cups are a _volume_ measure, so you'll get a different weight for every different thing you measaure. AND a different weight depending on how you fit that thing into the cup.
Weight measures are 100% unambiguous. Doesn't matter if you use metric or imperial either.
Even works for liquids, since 1ml of water = 1g of weight. And most liquids you find in a kitchen are close enough to that for the difference to not make any meanigful difference.
Scales > Cups. Always.
I do not know how long ago you got it Alanna and I have been watching from near the start and I am sure that you must be on your third home by now since I have been watching, but I have only just noticed your TH-cam award in the background.
15:43 Not all the UK fried - the North-West Highlands of Scotland were a very pleasant 18-20C. It was also possible to get there without going through an airport or getting involved in the railway anarchy.
I'm on the Ayrshire coast - we got to a balmy 24 degrees.
Nice, but the bugs make it a no go area for me, between May and September, sadly
While looking for you at the earlier slot I was fed your yorkie pudds video which I had seen before but watched again while waiting. Still the best yorkies on you tube without doubt! Pudd hole still makes me cry!
Ahhh thank you so much!! Haven't made them in ages, should do it again!
the 'heavy' very filling food goes with the cold/wet/dank/dark climate - and we've survived several thousand years of the climate by eating the food! And I've just heard you ask what is the 'healthiest' food: answer to me is 'milk' . Good luck.
i cant imagine what made you think you wouldn't enjoy a warm toffee cake with toffee sauce?! LOL This video made me laugh. glad you've changed your mind on the date 🙂
Haven't seen the full video yet but just wanted to say I love the 5pm posting time, I work from home so I get to finish work and immediately watch your newest video. Very happy!
Ahh so glad to hear it!!! I was so nervous about changing the time 😅
Food: much of the reasons for local foods in Britain is that it's the trad way to keep or preserve food.
Jellied eels are eels (which used to be farmed in ponds all over the country), gutted, cut into short sections, then boiled in a mix that sets when cold as a seal that won't let the eels 'go off'.
So: good, nourishing, hard-to-preserve fish available any time.
Pies, pasties, pastries, all so that cooked meat and veg can be preserved for a time.
Lol you're right about the brown/beige food thing. There's something satisfying and wholesome (if not always heakthy!) about it too tho, and sometimes that's just what you want. I remember being confronted by an unspecified vegetarian version of the available menu in the Czech Republic once which was a bright purple mush with lumpy bits, it was very alarming! ;)
I don’t think our food could possibly be called beige anymore.
Hi! If you know the "standard" Canadian date format, that's more than this Canadian does. Overwhelmed as we are by US culture, I've long understood (or been told) that we use different formats, but never know which is which. Which is why, unless a form specifies it, I write out Aug, Sept, whatever. Enjoyed your little side remark "I'm sweating right now". Yes: yes, you were glistening!
Here in the UK we also write the date as "July 4th, 2022" if you're writing the month out in words. You can do either if it's words: so also "4th July 2022". But if it's just numbers it has to be "04/08/2022"
Thank you for showing us the spilled crackers bit again. You always know how to make us laugh! With you, not at you 🙂
😂 thank you!!
@@AdventuresAndNaps You're welcome!
Healthy British dish... maybe summer pudding. It's mostly berries, which are good for you, though recipes usually include sugar, which is not so good.
"Maybe I'm just getting old?!" - or maybe you're just getting British! 😂🇬🇧
😂
Hi Alanna,
I’ve always been told that the reason we (North Americans) write out the date the way we do is because it is numerically the smallest number set to the largest. The month (01-12), the day (01-31) and the year (00-99). It makes sense to me, but that’s because it’s what I’m used to. I imagine that if I lived in the UK, I would eventually adjust to their way of doing things as well.
The one thing I couldn’t adapt to would be the lack of air conditioning. I like to keep the thermostat at a constant 65*F (18.33*C) or I get too warm.
In the UK we do also write the date as "July 4th, 2022" if the month is being written out in words. But not if it's just numbers.
You're slowly turning British 😉
I must say, as a brit, I hate talking about the weather 😆
Never understood why people do it!
I don't think we talk about the weather because we're obsessed by weather or find it fascinating. It's just that the weather is a 'safe' subject if you want to strike up a conversation with a stranger or slight acquaintance. Talking about other things might be too personal or too controversial and you just want a light conversation in order to be friendly and pass the time pleasantly.
@@Sue474 maybe it's because I'm terrible with small talk. If some were to say to me "terrible weather today, isn't it?" my reply is just "yep" and that's the end of that conversation 😂
Hi, I am enjoying watching you blossom in your home in Kent. It reminds me of when I moved to London from the North of England. Thank you.
Thanks so much for watching!
There are a lot of things that North America does that seems strange to me but I can understand why they do it that way but the backwards date is just stupid so I’m glad you’ve come round to that! 😄
We are priviledged to have tou here. All the very best to you and yours - from a Scotsman who'se lived in England for 52 years. All the best. Rab
When you suddenly realised that 08/08 was not a good example in explaining date differences between here and North America, I had to pause for a few minutes while I stopped laughing!! Made my day though.🤣😂
😂😂
If you want to add dates to files on a computer actually yyyymmdd is the best order as if you start the name that way you can easily sort your files into date order :)
I actually don't think there is a problem with writing the date Month/Day/Year, the problem is that it's so often expressed numerically, e.g., 8/2/22 which, depending on your location, could be interpreted as August 2nd or 8th February. It would be less confusing if everyone always used alpha characters to represent the month, i.e., AUG 2 or 2 AUG, then there's no confusion.
Very true about using the buses when you use them for the first time, made me think of when I was in Ottawa many years ago, myself and some Australians I'd met in the youth hostel decided to go somewhere, we went to the bus stop, but didn't think of which side of the road the bus would arrive on, very amusing when it went past on the opposite side of the road !!
On the subject of "British" foods, have you ever thought about having a Curry Taste Test? Chicken Tikka Masala is apparently the most popular dish in this country. So why not try out a wide variety of "curries" - e.g. Rogan Josh, Biriani, Madras, Butter Chicken, BALTI, Dupiazza, Chinese Curry, Thai Red/Green Curry, etc etc... You'd love it.
Sounds like a great night!!
With a few ice cold Cobras, hmmm
@@AdventuresAndNaps ///Sounds like a great night!!///
Yeah, but eat enough of it and eventually you'll need to butter your hips to get through the door. :D
Why would you what to eat something that looks like it came from a. Babys nappie??
That's Hindu food and it smells horrible. I have eaten Currys in England and the Rice is the best I have tasted, but the curry, the after smell in my body and breath is horrible!! :))
34 is not old ! TEA he😊 You are loved here. we do have air conditioning we call it opening a window - not too many beasties that will fly in and eat you!All the best.Rab
England is lucky to have you and your honest views of our country.
Thank you!!
Alanna love the video, you don't look a day over 21. Some experiences may be different each time. ref public transport, what about 'leaves on the line' or 'the wrong kind of snow'?
A lot of British food is heavy is because of the cold weather, and most people did hard manual work. A salad is no good if you are working down a mine or in heavy industry all day.
As an oldy englishman living in Shetland and having previously lived in several different parts of England, I can assure you that it takes just a few years to settle in any new place when you have neither friends or family living locally. I think it takes 4-5 years for you to be trully accepted and settled in a new area, but you certainly seem to have the right attitude to do so.
im so glad you feel that England as your home. i watch alot of people who come here on you tube and none has embraced the culture like you have. id say from year two you could see you get it, so in my opinion you've being english since year two. from the perspective of someone watching you feels like you've come full circle
I thought the last few summers were more intense, in my area, because there was no breeze. This summer has made a difference, but yeah give me air-con 😌
I'm sad the food/drink videos aren't popular on here, those are my favourite of yours to rewatch
I never realised Canada also did the weird date format, for some reason i thought it was just the states
Beans (Hinz) on Brown toast. health and as cheap as it gets
Great video Alanna, it's good that you came to realise that the UK does things "our way", for a reason.
What like driving on the left when hardly any other countries do? Or using both Imperial and metric units? (which is mental).
@@stephen129 There is far more to it if you look it all up Stephen, around 1/3 of all countries with roads drive on the left. There are also ancient laws dictating horses and coaches kept left on tracks. All to do with how weapons, reins and whips were held. (A side note is also why most staircases in castles etc, spiral clockwise going up. It gives the defenders above the advantage to use weapons right handed) Other motoring reasons are founded in medical and scientific tests, it has proved safer. Most people are right side dominant, with both hand and vision. Steering is more important than gear change, so the right hand dominant keeps better steering control. You can theoretically see oncoming vehicles better, for passing parked vehicles and overtaking. It's also why the accelerator and brake pedals are positioned as standard for right foot use, and the less important clutch for left foot use. Working in the motor industry many years, I remember scientific research showed drivers subconsciously steered to the left when facing an impact situation. That theoretically is avoiding a head on collision, and reducing the combined impact speed of both vehicles. Even at 30 mph, a head on into another vehicle approaching at 30mph would equal the same as a 60 mph impact into a solid object. Those are part of the reason your insurer will ask questions about transmission, and which hand drive your vehicle is, to determine the extra risk factors.
Yes Alanda, it's about time you go back! To your local farmers market... I was impressed with it.
Alanna... You'll know by now that... Resistance is futile... You will be assimilated... We are the Brits... Your taste buds will be enhanced to appreciate then love... Yorkshire Tea... Yorkshire Pudding... Cornish Pasties... Fish & Chips... A Full English Breakfast... A Sunday Roast Dinner... Beans on Toast... Toad in the Hole... Steak & Kidney Pies... Haggis... Black Pudding... Scotch Eggs... Pork Pies... Shepherds Pie... Buttered Smoked Kippers... Chicken Tikka Masala Curry... Banger's & Mash... Bubble & Squeak... Cheese on Toast... Spotted Dick... Treacle Sponge & Custard... Jam Roly-Poly & Custard... Rhubarb Crumble & Custard... Sticky Toffee Pudding... And most importantly... Cider. 😂🍺
I think you would fit in anywhere. I am from London and most people I know don't eat Jellied eels (neither do I) . Now I live in Spain, tea is great to drink when its hot. I love your reports on your life in the UK and its always fun to read the comments. I don't think its important or possible to like everything but it is definitely necessary to have a sense of humour!
Thanks so much!!
I was raised with the DDMMYY format, but actually YYYYMMDD is a fantastic format because it auto sorts into both calendar and date order even between years. If you name a document something like "20220803 Meeting Notes" it will naturally sort itself with all your other meeting notes (or whatever other regular doc system you have to maintain)
NATO standard is ddmmmyyyy or ddmmmyy where mmm is the first three letters of the month. This is to avoid any errors when you have USA forces interacting with European forces.
In Canada all government communication uses YYYYMMDD and I love it. It seems to be slowly creeping into the private sector but I wish it would hurry up.
We're obsessed with the weather because it changes so often in the UK. We've had days where it's gone from bright and sunny, to hail, to raining, then back to sunny in the space of an hour.
And I guess technically the healthiest British food (although not common) is probably something like nettle soup. Stews can be healthy too, depending what you add to them.
The reason a lot of traditional British food often lacks colour is because being an island, we had quite late access to spices, meaning much of the food was instead flavored with herbs, fruit and reductions, which despite common misconceptions don't lack in flavour, but also don't add as much colour as spices. Obviously Britain then got involved big time in the spice trade, but we don't often get credit for that food since despite Britain putting its own spin on it, most of it was based on food and techniques from other nations (eg India, China).
Glad you've managed to settle in and think of Britain as home. It can be a great place to visit and live, but we tend to be pretty bad with promoting the good stuff (we could really learn something from America there) and I think people get a bad preconception due to stereotypes and negative media.
Always makes me laugh that Americans do month, day , year...... Until it's 4th of July 🤣
It's so strange!
That's what I was thinking. There's also Cinco de mayo
@@Richard-Hawkins. That's Mexicans...
Not all Americans do 4th of July that way I'm American and I'll do it July 4th sometimes
The most traditional yet healthiest food that springs to mind is a vintage classic: cucumber sandwiches. Only brown if you use brown/wholemeal bread.
Baked beans pack a lot of nutrients, so you can't really go wrong with those and they're not brown either.
You were never 'wrong', you simply had different life experiences. I know I would be the same if I moved abroad!