Random US-UK Differences #2

Few more differences between the US and UK!

Cheese

Now, this differences is not based on hard facts, but on opinions. That opinion is: Americans eat only processed, unhealthy cheese. And we eat a lot of it.

Quality of Cheese

Now this opinion isn't wholly unfounded, we do have cheese that is processed and even named for our country. And when you go to get a sandwich most places, what do they usually slap on? American cheese.

Personally, I looove American cheese. When I was a child, it is the only thing I would eat. I know it is isn't necessarily healthy, but it is easy and delicious! And spray cheese? A child's delight.

But as we all know, we do eat other kinds. Cheddar, mozzarella, munster, brie, dubliner.. You name it, you can find it somewhere in the states!

And we are not the only processed cheese eaters! England also has processed cheese slices, and sells these strange tubes of squeeze cheese.

Yeah see, too me, that is just as unhealthy looking as Cheez Whiz!

Amount of Cheese

We do eat a lot of cheese. I realized, in high school, that every meal I ate involved cheese. I am a bit better about it now, but still love cheese and eat it often.

But, Brits eat a lot of cheese as well. Not as much us, but they do. And we aren't the biggest cheese eaters in the world! That would be Greece, which I learned here.

Also, I think that the Brits eat less of a variety of types as us. They have all the different kinds, but the most popular type of cheese here is definitely Cheddar. That is where the variety lies. I have seen between 5 and 10 different types of Cheddar at stores!

Cars

The main difference between the cars in the US and UK is the size.

In the US, we love big cars. Often, the bigger, the better. Sure, we worry about the gas consumption and how things effect the environment. But that often has little effect on our choice of vehicles.

Most cars in the UK are small. The prices of gas (sorry, petrol) are higher, as are the prices of insurance and tax. Also, there is another thing that has a huge impact on what cars people buy- parking. Most houses don't have garages, or even driveways. Often, cars are parked along the street. People prefer small cars, because they are easier to park and drive around cities. Also, the twisty country roads that are carved into the forests are much easier to navigate in a small vehicle.

Now, I think the small car habit makes sense. What I don't get, though, is their habit to get hatchbacks. Seriously. Most cars here are hatchbacks. Personally, I despise them. I think they look like miniature mini-vans. Really, I despise all small cars (It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand :-), but a small car that is a hatchback? Bleh.

Coffee vs. Tea

I bet you think that in the UK, people are constantly drinking tea? Inviting their neighbors over "for a cuppa"? Yeah, well, it's true.

Now, most Brits drink tea (and when I am talking about tea here, I mean black tea). I have met a few that aren't tea drinkers (don't worry, they are ridiculed by their friends and family), but usually, asking someone here if they want a cup of tea brings a brightness to their eyes, and a smile to their lips.

Me? I enjoy tea. Especially in the UK. There is just something about being in England that makes me want tea! 2 sugars, a little milk. Yummm.

Does this mean that coffee is considered the Devil's drink here? No, not at all. It is most definitely not as commonly drank, but everyone has some in their house (usually instant) and offers it as readily as they offer tea. Whereas in the states, we usually ask "Would you like some coffee? Or tea?", here they ask it the other way around.

Around London, you can easily find a Starbucks, or Costa Coffee. In fact, it is easier to find "coffee shops" than it is to find "tea shops". Interesting. Yay globalization.

A bit of advice? Except for going to Starbucks, don't expect very high quality coffee in England. No offense to the Brits, but people usually go for the cheaper stuff (we do the same thing with tea or anything we plan on offering to guests- you don't spend a lot of money on something you don't drink!). Even the McDonalds coffee is nowhere near the level of that in the US (which is very odd to me, a cheeseburger tastes the same, why not the coffee?)!

So when in England, do yourself a favor and enjoy the tea. Take your time, smell the aroma, savor the taste. Sure, it has less caffeine than coffee, but there is nothing nicer than having a relaxing visit with a cup of tea.