An American got confused by the switches in her British kitchen and there was an occasional helpful response amid all the joyous mockery
Spare a thought, if you will, for Americans coming over to Britain and encountering the peculiar joys of a British kitchen for the first time.
Because apparently there are some specific differences – we have switches where they don’t, for example, and we don’t have switches where they do.
If we’re doing a terrible job of explaining then look no further than @lunar_light3, who was so confused she took to Twitter for help.
Uhh… How do I turn this thing on? Is there a button somewhere? There are no dials. I'm guessing it's a touch screen, but- the buttons I touched aren't working. It's 7 AM here, and I just want to fry an egg. *confused American noises* pic.twitter.com/xFUqrL2DdM
— Luna Stratton (@lunar_light3) March 25, 2026
And it prompted a very British mixture of help …
— Callum (@AkkadSecretary) March 25, 2026
… and abject mockery.
Who dresses you every day?
— DankDaddy (@BeSee903) March 25, 2026
And we were going to say that sounded a bit harsh until the original poster admitted this.
Stove turn on button didn't work until the power outlet switch was turned on first. 😅
— Luna Stratton (@lunar_light3) March 25, 2026
Yeah, that does help too 😅
— 🌌PlutoThevTuber🌌 (@PlutoThevTuber) March 25, 2026
Ooof.
Fair play to @lunar_light3 though, she stuck with it.
Okay, I think I found my problem. Every outlet has an on/off switch and they're all off.
Why? Why is this a thing?
Also, where's the stove one?*more confused American noises* https://t.co/QeuOkFyEfq pic.twitter.com/ZPu0sUex5E
— Luna Stratton (@lunar_light3) March 25, 2026
And the comments carried on rolling in.
All the big appliances, like the stove, will have a switch without a plug socket as the socket is hidden under the counter top somewhere.
Just flip every switch you can see on. pic.twitter.com/e6TlFbCoLg
— Luke Burton 🏴 🇬🇧 (@LukeBurton968) March 25, 2026
Turned out this was the answer!
Thank you.— Luna Stratton (@lunar_light3) March 25, 2026
you've never encountered an on/off switch?
— Jack D 🏳️🌈 (@JackDunc1) March 25, 2026
Not on an outlet.
— Luna Stratton (@lunar_light3) March 25, 2026
We have the safest socket/plug combination in the world. Just don't stand on one 🙂
— Tom (@rm_rf_tom) March 25, 2026
Okay. I'll take your word for it. pic.twitter.com/bmWK5KSTtj
— Luna Stratton (@lunar_light3) March 25, 2026
To save electricity, very expensive here to leave appliances permanently switched on
— Samson (@SH_lotuseater) March 25, 2026
But- but it's a stove. If it's not in use but the circuit is on, how much electricity is it using? Is energy really that expensive?
— Luna Stratton (@lunar_light3) March 25, 2026
It's the most expensive energy in the world lol
— Al Bon Deega (@AlBonDeega) March 25, 2026
First time in the UK? 😀
— Binary Surfer (@BinarySurfer) March 25, 2026
Yes.
This place- OmG…
It feels familiar enough that I feel like I should be getting by easily, but occassionally…— Luna Stratton (@lunar_light3) March 25, 2026
To conclude …
American tourist defeated by the on/off switch https://t.co/yD6C9EOrgd
— Callum (@AkkadSecretary) March 25, 2026
And also.
I will never get tired of the sight of American visitors to the UK being defeated by something as simple as an on/off switch https://t.co/T7Tt1eqMry
— ChrisO_wiki (@ChrisO_wiki) March 25, 2026
We hope she enjoys the rest of her stay! And careful with those on/off switches …
Source @lunar_light3