As I have noticed little things here and there that are culturally surprising or different to me I've decided to start a list of my cultural findings.
2. Porridge is a cute way of saying oatmeal and they like to add jam in theirs instead of fruit pieces
3. Instead of finding McDonald's and Starbucks on every corner here you find sandwich shops like Pret A Manger and EAT
4. Instead of celebrating Fat Tuesday the Brits celebrate Pancake Day
5. A box of Lucky Charms costs 9 Pounds that equals 12 American dollars!
6. The Brits say flatmates instead of roommates which sounds a lot cuter to me
7. They pronounce their Ts as CH so when they say tuna it sounds like chuna or tube sounds like chube
8. They really do use the slang word Yanks for Americans
9. The flavor combination of orange and chocolate is popular...I still don't get it
10. There is actually a big gap between the train and the platform at some spots so you really must mind it
11. There are hot dog stands and 7-Elevens everywhere in Stockholm
12. The wooden horses from Sweden are an old craft used to make money during the winter
13. Most credit cards in the UK and Europe have chips that you insert into the credit card machine instead of swiping the card
14. In the U.K. mothers are called mum instead of mom
15. Mother's Day falls on March 18th here this year
16. You can't buy dvds here and expect them to work on your American laptop or dvd player (sad I know)
17. It is against the law for (most) stores to be open more than 6 hours on Sunday
18. The Midlands is known for a different kind of Indian style cuisine called Balti
19. The Midlands is a very industrial part of England. You can even find the pipe museum there.
20. Cadbury World is located in Birmingham...which I sadly missed seeing when I was there
21. Roundabouts are everywhere here. It's really rare to come across a stop sign.
22. Most people still drive stick shift cars
23. The U.S. Olympic team is staying in Birmingham (about 2 hours north of London)
24. Pop / soda is called a "fizzy drink" here
25. You can find an American food section at a store called Selfridges. You can find a box of Lucky Charms that will set you back $12 or a box of pop-tarts will cost about $8.
26. People really do drink tea all day everyday
27. The popular "Where's Waldo" character is called Wally here
28. They pronounce the letter Z as "Zed"
29. They don't have a prom dance
30. It is rare that a school will have cheerleaders
31. The tube will close down entire lines on the weekend for upgrades
32. You are required to pay about $150 licensing fee a year for having a television. The money goes to BBC which is basically an AMAZING PBS
33. Every time I say I'm from Chicago most people like to comment on the fact that I'm from "Obama country"
34. Good Friday and Easter Monday are Bank Holidays here...lucky them!
35. Hot Cross Buns are actually popular here for Easter...I didn't even know they were a real thing
36. White asparagus is quite popular at fruit and vegetable stands in Munich
37. Wiener schnitzel from Vienna is typically made with pork
38. Apparently they trust people in Munich, Vienna and Athens to pay for their public transit tickets as you can walk on the train or bus with no questions asked
39. They take an afternoon siesta in Greece and Italy
40. There are stray cats and dogs everywhere in Greece
41. The streets and train cars are filled with graffiti in Athens
42. April 21 is a holiday in Rome for the founding of the city. They have a parade of gladiators march through the city and have reenactments of gladiator fights
43. Florence is famous for their gelato and pizza
44. GROM is the best gelato shop in Italy (that may be a biased opinion)
45. 54,000 tennis balls are used every year during the Wimbeldon tournament
46. To be a ball boy / girl for Wimbeldon you have to train for half a year every Saturday from early in the morning till 8 at night ...and this is all for free
47. It is a standing tradition to eat strawberries at Wimbeldon...who knew
48. The Westfield Mall at Stratford is the biggest mall in Europe
49. The English version of the MTV show The Hills is called Made in Chelsea
50. It isn't customary to tip when you get a haircut in London
51. Instead of saying movie theater, it is called the cinema in the U.K.
52. Forever 21 is way more expensive here but H&M is cheaper
53. Instead of standing in a line here you stand in the "que"
54. Most people start off getting about 20 paid vacation days a year plus bank holidays
55. While we check our "calendars" in the U.S they check their "diaries" here
56. The period of a sentence is called a fast stop
57. If you ask where the restroom is some people will assume you are just looking for a place to rest...instead you should just ask for the toilet
58. As most Americans say "How's it going?" when you see someone, people here say "Are you alright?"
59. They don't eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
60. Instead of saying that you made fun of someone you would say "taking a piss" at someone
61. You don't go on vacation you go on holiday
62. A normal slice of bread here is about double the size of a slice in America
63. TGIFridays is expensive here according to my flatmates
64. Pizza Hut in the U.K. has run out of the newly released crust that is stuffed with a hot dog
65. You have to pay a toll everytime you drive your car into the city of London
66. There is a different price for riding the tube depending if you are riding it "on peak" or "off peak"
67. The Jubilee line is the most used tube line
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