Someone asked about the bits of British life Americans romanticise which are ‘actually a bit rubbish’ – 23 UK stereotypes that don’t live up to the hype

If you’ve ever met an American tourist who is trying to visit London, Edinburgh and the St Ives in one weekend, while also looking to fit in afternoon tea with the King, you’ll know that often their expectations of how life is on this side of the pond don’t quite match the reality.

Over on the AskUK subreddit, a USA native has twigged this might be the case, and posed the following question…

‘What part of British life do Americans romanticise that is actually a bit rubbish?’

American here. We tend to romanticise British pubs, village life, train travel, and the idea that everyone is constantly using dry humour. What aspect of British life looks charming from abroad but is considerably less enjoyable when you actually live there?’

And Brits were only too happy to chip in with the ways in which the things other nations celebrate us for don’t always live up to the hype…

1.

‘”The Cotswolds”

– It’s not a single destination

– Transport is crap

– All the villages are identical

– Everyone there hates you

– It’s expensive

– There’s nothing to actually do

I genuinely don’t get the obsession that some tourists display over it.’
–CrossCityLine

2.

‘Train travel. There’s not much romance involved in the 18.26 departure from London Euston.’
–MTW27

3.

‘Christmas. In movies it always looks like a really romantic and idyllic Dickensian white Christmas but in reality it’s often wet and dreary, and incredibly dark given the short days. Actually quite miserable.’
–amoult20

4.

‘I imagine the American view of pub culture is around the quaint village pub or friendly local, of which there are many, but possibly doesn’t include Wetherspoons on a Saturday night. Or a Saturday morning for that matter.’
–Breaking-Dad-

5.

‘Anything to do with royalty.’
–Fine-State8014

6.

‘From my conversations with Americans over the years, a lot of you seem to have the impression that tea is an elaborate ritual, a ceremony that we perform at fixed times of the day. While it is an important building block of a lot of social interactions and of caffeinating the nation, it’s usually a pretty quick affair.

‘We put the kettle on, make the tea, and offer one to whoever’s with us. Maybe there’s a biscuit. It’s usually consumed at breakfast time, and then various people consume it at various times through the day. There is absolutely no 4:00 afternoon tea ceremony. We have jobs.’
–peppermint_aero

7.

‘Boarding school.’
–Gisschace

8.

‘I have an ex boyfriend who lives in Gargrave. It’s a very idyllic and beautiful village. I moved in with him and it was horrible. The only jobs are in Leeds which is a train ride away and everyone knows each other. Everyone knows everyone’s business. You can’t breathe because Brenda from number 21 knows about it.

‘It has it’s perks but there’s zero privacy. I worked at a primary school there for a bit and I couldn’t go to the pub on a Friday night because at least 20 children’s parents would be in.’
–FunkyYoghurt

9.

‘Red phone boxes. It’s been years and I can still smell the inside even now.’
–Tzunamitom

10.

‘The countryside. I think ‘The Holiday’ has a lot to answer for here.

‘American writers seem to think it’s all wisteria-covered cottages and handsome farmers, and seems to conveniently ignore the fact that there are often no amenities anywhere nearby.’
–Starboard_1982

11.

‘Working for posh people in a manor house.’
–Remarkable-Test6216

12.

‘Some people’s dry humour is just incessantly being negative about everything, complaining, whinging and putting a dampener on everything which can be a bit of a drag if you’re not with someone who can get the balance right.’
–Thin-Citron3385