Scott Waters/FacebookWhen it comes to the UK’s links to America, the phrase ‘special relationship’ gets thrown around a lot. While politicians might make it sound like it’s happy families when it comes to everyday things there are some pretty huge discrepancies.
Thankfully, an observant American tourist took the time to make a list of these differences, which he experienced during a holiday to our fair isles.
Scott Waters, from Florida, was visiting friends and family in Cornwall and also travelled to see other parts of the UK, when he made the helpful list detailing his findings.
PixabaySpeaking to BuzzFeed, Waters said:
This was my fourth visit. Last time I stayed for three months. It was also my girlfriend’s first time outside of London so I wanted her to really see the country up close.
And it seems like seeing the country up close did wonders for Scott, too, as his comprehensive list of English quirks has been making the rounds ever since.
He starts off the list with:
Almost everyone is very polite
The food is generally outstanding
Not one to make sweeping generalisations, it’s nice of Scott to add the caveats of ‘almost’ and ‘generally’. Even if I do say so myself, I am generally outstanding in the kitchen thank you very much.
Scott Waters/FacebookHe goes on:
Pubs close too early
In fact, there are a few points on pubs in the list. The guy obviously knows how to have a holiday.
Scott continues:
Pubs are not bars, they are community living rooms
Every pub has a pet drunk
He’s not wrong, either. Pubs do indeed provide a warm living room-type place for vagrants of all shapes and sizes, and I’m sure he’s not alone in thinking they close too early.
He also address the drinks in the pubs (alright, we get it, you went to a few pubs while you were here…)
Scott says:
Cider (alcoholic) is quite good
Excess cider consumption can be very painful
Welcome to big school.
TheShotGuruTwitterScott helpfully points out on his list is ‘There’s no dress code’. Let’s just let that sink in… Sure, some people have uniforms for work, some don’t, and occasionally some people do come under fire for what they wear, but a dress code for a whole country? I don’t know, but maybe he’s on to something.
Scott told Buzzfeed his favourite things about England were:
Real Cornish Pasties!
Tea with clotted cream on scones
HSD Strong Cornish Ale
Biking the Camel Trail
Waking up in Cornwall
While his least favourite things were:
Birmingham
Arriving at platform 1 then departing from platform 2 which is only accessible by dragging your luggage up stairs and across a bridge and over the tracks
No bars on the concourse at Heathrow
Waking up in America
Check out his full list:
Scott Waters/Facebook
Scott Waters/Facebook
Scott Waters/FacebookWhat do you think he’s missed?
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.