daredevilkink | Discussion/Off-Topic Post #1

Same anon as above: A few more things that just came to me.

1) Pubs:
When you go to a pub, you need to order at the bar. No matter if it's food or drink. Even if the pub has tables and you sit down (you don't usually have to be seated, you just pick a vacant table and claim it), you're still expected to get up and order at the bar. They don't have waiters who will come and take your order.

When you get a drink at the bar, you order it and wait until they give it to you. You also pay for it right away. Like I said, there usually isn't any waiter service. If you order multiple drinks, take a friend along so you can carry all your stuff back to your table.

If you order food (also at the bar, obviously), they will bring that to your table when it's ready. Sometimes they give you a sign of some kind with a number that you put on your table, so that they know which table to bring it to. Or sometimes the tables have numbers and you need to tell them which one you chose when you order.

2) Restaurants/Cafés:
From my previous trips to the US, I have made the experience that eating out is a lot more rushed than it is over here (and I mean most of Europe). So in the US the patterns is usually that you wait to be seated, a waiter comes almost right away, takes your order, maybe tells you their name and that they're happy to serve you tonight, and by the way, the specials of the day are carrot soup with a hint of ginger and they can also really recommend the spare ribs because they taste fantastic. :-) You get your food fairly quickly, you eat, you're asked at least twice if everything is okay and if you want anything else, and quite soon after you finish, the waiter comes with the check and you're supposed to pay and leave.

This is a lot more relaxed over here. The waiters might be more gruff, they don't usually tell you their name, and some don't particularly go out of their way to make you feel like the customer is king. Also, it's not unusual if you have to wait for quite some time until someone even notices you and comes to serve you.

Then you order, eat, maybe get asked once if everything is okay, and then you just.... do whatever you want to do. The waiters will not usually bring you the check (it's called bill in the UK) unless you tell them to. And even after you've paid, you're free to stay for quite some time.

At least that's been my experience, so I hope that's helpful for you. I'll post more if can think of anything else.

3) Restroom/bathroom:
If you have a certain urge, you don't ask for the restroom. You ask either for the toilet or, more informally, the loo. This applies to both public places and people's houses/apartments (the latter of which is called flat).

4) Chips with vinegar
The Brits have a thing for vinegar. Fries (which are called chips) are usually consumed with vinegar sprinkled over it. It either comes in sachets or bottles on the table/counter. An acquired taste, probably, although I actually quite like it.

5) What the Americans call chips (you know, the crunchy, deep fried things) are called crisps in the UK.

6) Pedestrian zones in the city center are sometimes called precinct. Although in the city I usually visit, they call the small city centre mall the precinct.

7) While Starbucks also has a strong presence in the UK, there are two well-known, local Starbucks-type coffee shop chains. One is called Costa Coffee, the other Café Nero (the best espresso this side of Milan). They're both comparable to Starbucks in terms of choice of drinks, prices and quality.

8) The biggest drugstore chain is called Boots, big supermarket chains are Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons. The bigger stores are usually outside the city centre, but they usually have 7/11-type smaller, 24h ones in the centre. Often they're called "Express" (as in Tesco Express).

9) Don't know if you're gonna have them drive a car (well, not Matt, obviously), but petrol is sold by the litre (not by the gallon). It's a *lot* more expensive over here. Diesel is more expensive than unleaded (other way round in Germany).

OP - wow thank you so much!! I'm from the UK (should have clarified that oops) so I know what life's like over here but all of this is definitely helpful. Especially the stuff about tubes/money/restaurants. Walking and driving on the left is another big one I hadn't thought of. Seriously thanks so much *screenshots all of this*

SAYRT: Haha, so I've been explaining your own country to you. *facepalm* I hope I got it right, or at least mostly right. I'll let you know if I can think of anything else since I've been to both the UK and the US lots of times.

And also... Deep-fried Mars bars. I don't think they exist anywhere other than in the UK. It would be fun to have Foggy try one. (I've always wanted to but never got around to it.)

If anything, you just told the OP what Americans would find different about the UK.

Oh, and also.... ROUNDABOUTS! They don't really have them much in the US, and certainly not the kind where you need to pick a lane prior to driving in, depending on where you want to turn.

Another thing: aircon. That's standard in the US, and rare in normal homes in thethe UK. I think both would suffer a lot during one of those heat waves without aircon.

totally off-topic, anon, but: i thought the EU was switching over to biodiesel nowadays? y'all still on regular diesel?

How would I know, I drive unleaded... ;-) Honestly, I'm not sure. But we've switched to something called Super E10 in Germany, which is unleaded with a higher bio-fuel ratio. Not all motors can handle that, though, so you get both normal and E10 unleaded at German fueling stations.

Discussion/Off-Topic Post #1

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