‘What is totally normal in the UK but eye-opening for everyone else?’ 19 peculiarly British traits

Over on Reddit people have been sharing things that feel totally normal in the UK but are a bit of an eye-opener – occasionally a jaw-dropper we tell you – for everyone else after Brilliant_Coat_8636 asked this.

‘What’s something you think is totally normal in the UK but surprises people not from the country because it’s mainly a UK thingy?’

And after reading all the answers we’ve never felt like we live on an island more than we do now.

1.

‘I love having carpet, I have never understood this whole thing that popped up in the early 2000s of removing every fibre from a floor ensuring that it’s noisy, easy to scratch and expensive to replace. Plus carpet feels warm, acts as a sound deadener and is easy to take care of.

‘Don’t get me wrong, carpet in a Kitchen is a no, same with a bathroom.’
geeksandlies

2.

‘Washing up bowls. I’ve seen Americans lose their minds over them.’
Curious_Reference408

3.

‘A bit dark, but the length of time before the funeral when someone dies.

‘In Spain and many other countries, the funeral will be the day after death. Here (especially since covid) it could be a couple of weeks or more easily.’
rmc1211

4.

’48 year old married father of two here – having worked/lived abroad (continental Europe/USA) one of the biggest things in the UK is pedestrians and road use.

‘In the UK there is no concept/crime of Jaywalking. Other than motorways, pedestrians have right of way – they’re protected by pedestrian crossings etc, but onus is on drivers to watch out for pedestrians. In the US, you can be arrested for crossing a road “incorrectly” as a pedestrian ie Jaywalking.

‘It’s come as a surprise to colleagues from the US when I’ve started to cross a road at a point where it’s not designated for crossing.’
yearsofpractice

5.

‘The fact that we will put almost anything on bread and make sandwiches out of it.

‘Pies, Crisps, Chips, Super Noodles/Pot Noodles etc

‘I once witnessed a friend of mine reheat some lasagna and slap it between 2 slices of buttered bread

‘I also know a girl that makes toasted cheese sandwiches and adds the leftover meat from a Spaghetti Bolognese.’
NightT0Remember

6.

‘Lack of closet space.’
shadowed_siren

7.

‘Walking in shorts 24/7, even if it is fucking freezing cold outside.’
kosminis_karatistas

8.

‘Saying “alright” as a greeting.

‘Say it to an Australian and they think there’s something wrong with them and you’re asking them if they’re alright. Did it a few times when I moved there and had to explain it was a greeting.’
BenathonWrigley

9.

‘Caterpillar cakes! I never thought it was weird until I realised other countries don’t have it, thinking about it it does feel quite random to have
themadkrivo