An American woman residing in the UK has shed light on several intriguing cultural disparities between the two nations.
Andrea Celeste, hailing originally from Los Angeles, California, has called London her home for the past eight years.
Through her time there, she has noticed and shared through social media the varying ways in which lifestyles, language, and laws diverge between the US and UK.
Tea: A Word with Many Meanings
Andrea, also known as @anndreacelleste on TikTok, boasts a substantial online following of 185,000 people and has received over 26 million likes on her videos.
On June 1, she released a clip as part of her ‘Things that are socially acceptable in England that might confuse Americans’ series.
In this clip, she focused on the manifold uses of the word ‘tea’ in British English.
She explained that in the UK, ‘tea’ doesn’t solely refer to a cup of tea, but also encompasses meanings like dinner or a snack in certain parts of the country.
Additionally, she touched upon British summertime and the scarcity of air conditioning, which leads people to rely on portable air-conditioning units or fans to cope with the heat.
She emphasized that ceiling fans are also less common in the UK compared to the US, making the summer experience quite distinct.
Gambling and Supermarket Hierarchy
Andrea continued by discussing the availability of slot machines, or “fruit machines,” in UK pubs, in contrast to the restrictions on gambling in US casinos.
She drew attention to the fact that some English pubs feature these machines, while gambling options in the US are primarily limited to casinos, barring a few states.
Moving on, she delved into a debate about the perceived hierarchy of supermarket chains in both countries.
She observed that in the UK, where one shops for groceries is sometimes seen as a status symbol, with stores like Waitrose holding a particular reputation.
She questioned if this supermarket hierarchy was also prevalent in the US.
Responses and Reactions
Andrea’s video sparked a range of reactions from TikTok users.
Some debated the use of ‘tea’ to mean ‘dinner,’ while others acknowledged the existence of a supermarket hierarchy in the UK.
The discourse extended to the term ‘high tea’ and its various connotations. Colloquialisms for slot machines were also discussed, with Scottish users noting that they refer to them as ‘puggys.’
In support of Andrea’s observations, users confirmed the order of supermarket hierarchy in the UK, listing stores from poshest to least posh.
In her initial TikTok clip, Andrea also explored how UK cashiers and retail workers are less prone to initiating conversations compared to their American counterparts.
Furthermore, she mentioned that the concept of black pudding tends to surprise her American friends.
Andrea’s insights have provided an engaging glimpse into the intricacies of cultural distinctions between the UK and the US.
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