If two countries speak the same language, that doesn't mean their residents lead the same lives.
Lisa Dollan, known online as Yorkshire Peach, is an American living in the UK. For some time now, she has been creating a TikTok series where the woman lists the differences she has spotted between the two places. Describing everything from parking to eating out, Lisa's videos shed light on everyday nuances many travel bloggers leave out, and her videos are raking in millions of views!
Continue scrolling to check out some of the points she has made.
@yorkshirepeach ♬ Quirky - Oleg Kirilkov
This post may include affiliate links.
Well, I moved here six months pregnant and when I had my baby NOBODY SENT ME A BILL! I had my baby for free! Oh my God!
Because health care is considered to be a basic human right and not a privilege.
Things that taste different in the UK: Sweets, You don't realize it until you've lived in the UK for a while and then you go back and taste an American sweet that you realize you can taste the artificial flavors more.
Come to the rest of Europe then, because what Brits have for sweets is still more artificial and too sweet by other countries' estimation.
As her nickname suggests, Lisa currently lives in Yorkshire, a historic county of Northern England. "I moved here 8 years ago with my British husband," she told Bored Panda.
When she first got there, Lisa went through a culture shock. "I thought everywhere would be like London, like most Americans do, and that's just not true," the woman explained. "Also, I was shocked and thrilled to learn I did not have to pay when I left the doctor's office!"
That things costs EXACTLY what they say they cost. So if something says it's £1 then it's £1. At home there's sales tax on everything so it's $1.26
When I first moved here my husband had to go to his great uncle's funeral. And he was gone for like 7/8 hours and he came back completely wasted. And I had no idea that people drank after funerals! And then we went to a kid's birthday party I mean, the kid was turning like 3? And they had the beer, the wine, I'm like okay, okay. And I'm an alcoholic so I don't drink, I can't drink. And when we lived in the States together, I did kind of wonder, like? Is this man an alcoholic as well? And then we moved over here and I was like nah, he's just BRITISH
Now that she has had time to think about it, Lisa doesn't think that the UK is better than the US or vice versa. "They are simply different," she highlighted. That being said, the TikToker has her personal favorite. "The UK definitely has a much better health care system and much better laws around gun control. I feel safer here so I prefer it."
"I love the British people and their sense of humor," Lisa added. "I feel they are strong resilient people during the hard times and know how to have a laugh during the good ones!"
I'd never walked anywhere. I have, but like very little, d'y'know what I'm saying? Y'all will walk anywhere here, I'm not kidding. Y'ALL WALK!
Contrary to the US the Western European infrastructure has always been more focused on pedestrians and bicyclists than on cars. And in the foreseeable future cars will be banned from all city centers.
Sadly the drivers license requierments in the US is a joke compared to most countries...
Load More Replies...
They lack proper sidewalks unless you are in a city centre. I wanted to go from my hotel (close to the airport) to the centre of Chicago. Aside from the distance, the hotel receptionist told me that some streets were roads without sidewalk. Really not walker friendly.
Load More Replies...
I am Canadian and I have never driven. I live in a big city with good transit or I will just walk to wherever I am going. I lived in Texas for a year and whenever i walked down the street random men in cars would honk at me. Asked my American hubby why. he said because only prostitutes or homeless walk there. at the store asked for double bag for the bilk and said cause i am walking. cashier looked at me like I was clinically insane and loudly said WALKING......it was like 3 blocks.
Yeah, true. I lived in small-town Oklahoma. Only dirt poor people didn't have cars, because the only way to get anywhere of any distance was to walk on a narrow highway without a shoulder. But part of the culture, too, is simply that "exercise is hard." I used to swim in the lake nearby. A quarter to a half mile up and back, but near the shore, so the boats and jet skis wouldn't run over me. And people would look at me so strangely, like, "Lady, what are you doing SWIMMING in that lake? Don't you know it's for boaters?" Occasionally, a family would take their little kids for a splash in the lake, but nobody--nobody--swam longer distances for exercise but me. It's sad; and many have weight problems and unhealthy habits. The culture is so different across the Pond. I went to Ireland and couldn't believe it--everybody walked EVERYwhere!
Load More Replies...
Civilized countries dont make anti pedestrian rules/laws... also they have f*****g sidewalks
Enjoy walking? Visit the Czech republic! We have 42 000km of turistic signed trails! Our borderline is only 2290km. Color marking of these trails started 128years ago, with first Club of Czech turists..
It all depends where you live, trying to drive round london is both expensive and slow yet walking you have to watch out for the idiot cyclist who are incapable of following traffic signs or abiding by them.
I have to walk because I don't drive or have a car. (Shock) So I walk to the shops etc and at the same time get fresh air and free exercise instead of paying to go to the gym.
My city center is divided up into 4 quadrants. To get from 1 quadrant to another you have to exit it, drive the whole way around and then enter the one you want to go to. Most streets are 1 way streets, several are for taxi's and busses only. Hardly anyone drives in the centre, everyone walks or cycles. You can walk or cycle everywhere or take a bus when you need to. Also parking is ridiculously expensive, it can be up to almost 3 eu an hour and most street parking has 30 minute or 1 hour limits. I love how people are discouraged to drive in the city :D
Speaking as an overweight 'murican born in the Midwest this would be really good for me
Except in London when they will get a tube to the next stop cause they have no idea how to walk there.
I remember once when I was in Vegas, my first time there, and my wife and I were staying in the Bellagio. We were standing in the foyer and my wife said she really wanted to go and get a picture with the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. A doorman overheard us and strongly suggested we get a taxi due to the distance. As this was literally our first day there we did as he said. We were in the taxi for a total of 5 minutes (+/ -). I can remember looking at my wife as if to say "this warranted a taxi ride"? I guessed it couldn't have been more than 2 miles in a straight line. When we arrived the driver asked us if we wanted him to wait to take us back. He looked aghast when we said no, we were going to walk it instead (and hit some casinos on the way obviously).
To be fair, it's usually because we're walking to the pub and aren't planning on driving
US is so puritanical about alcohol, most towns don't allow bars to be located in residential areas. I think you'd see far fewer people driving drunk if they'd just allow people to have their neighborhood bar they could stumble home from. They might actually meet their neighbors while they're at it, too.
Load More Replies...
Meals I'd never had until I moved here: The curry. Never had a curry before I moved here. And now if I go 4/5 days without one, I go into curry withdrawal. Absolutely DIVINE meal
Following up on Lisa's comments, we learned that in 2017, US think tank the Commonwealth Fund ranked the UK's NHS the number one health system in a comparison of 11 countries for safety, affordability, and efficiency. It did less well when it came to cancer survival.
The US was ranked last out of the 11 countries.
The American health system came off badly when it came to infant mortality, life expectancy, and preventable deaths, but did relatively better on cancer, heart attack, and stroke survival.
Meanwhile, the gun ownership rate for England and Wales (2007) is 6.2 guns per 100 people. For comparison, the gun ownership rate in the US (2007) is 88.8 guns per 100 people.
Additionally, the gun homicide rate for England and Wales (2012) is 0.7 per 1 million people while in the US (2012) this number is much higher too — 29.7 per 1 million people.
Which of the two countries do you like better? Tell us in the comments.
Things that'd freak Americans out about the UK: Driving in the UK. No chance, okay? The driving test. What you guys have to do to be able to legally drive here is amazing! You guys are all like Nascar drivers. Literally, I took my test in a parking lot in the States.
Things that taste different in the UK: Sour cream. All things creamy. It's just creamier, so much nicer (in the UK)
I do hope that this woman has tried clotted cream and has had a proper cream tea.
Meals I'd never had until I moved here: "beans on toast." Thought it was absolutely disgusting, now I think it's absolutely divine
That you have to pay to park most places. I kinda thought it was a "well, you can pay if you want but you don't really have to"
Things I'd never done until I moved to the UK: I'd never stayed at an outdoor event in the rain, and not gone home
Its worse in my country. Iceland It can snow sun shine 5 minutes later and then a hurricane and we have a saying that the weather changes every 5 minutes and prepare your outdoor activities with summer rain and winter clothes all year round. If we see someone with an umbrella we know he's a tourist because no Icelander uses umbrellas in the wind destroys it always and then you have to carry a useless umbrella every were you go. We just predict storms everyday or you would always be depressed when it hits you the 10th time the same day. But we think that's completely normal. Its hell packing for camping. The car is filled with every clothing in your closet and then we have tiny space for the tent and etc. But the clothes are most important 😂
Umbrellas are useless here
Umbrellas are useless in all countries when there's a strong wind.
Things that'd freak Americans out about the UK: What y'all eat for breakfast. OMG. If they saw: The Mushrooms, The Tomatoes, The Baked Beans. All of this, the "Full English". Absolutely flip out, okay?
That you can drink at 18 here! And also you can drink with your family when you're like 14. I was like whaaat?
There are a few countries where the rules are the same or similar. (NZ, Australia etc)
Things I'd never done until I moved to the UK: Sat outside in the sun with a coat on
Ummm..... We do this in the US. I promise. the OP never got out much, in the US, apparently? ....
What my husband has been doing now I call sun shifting. As the sun shifs he will shift his chair closer and closer until the edges all the way to the corner of the garden
Meals I'd never had until I moved here: I know this is a side dish but it's an absolute gamechanger. Cauliflower & Cheese. Absolutely ELITE
Meals I'd never had until I moved here: Fish & Chips. We don't have fish & chip shops back home. We have something called Captain D's. It's a franchise, like McDonalds, where you drive through.
Things I'd never done until I moved to the UK: Parallel parked. I still struggle, If I'm honest. It's a struggle
Things I'd never done until I moved to the UK: I'd never had sweet popcorn in the cinema
Things that'd freak Americans out about the UK: The queues at McDonalds! I don't know about your McDonalds but my McDonalds stays LIT! And by lit I mean on fire! People wrapped around the building and y'all wait. The Americans would not wait in that queue, do you hear me? They would drive two blocks down to the next McDonalds. There's a McDonalds on every damn corner
But McDonalds can't be that invasive in most European countries because of regulations. "What do you mean I want to open another McDonalds 3 miles apart from the existing one? Ain't going to happen, mate."
Things that taste different in the UK: Pickles. We have the big fat sour pickles. I miss those. Yours guys seem to be sweet.
Bless, I am starting to think that this woman has lived a very, very, very sheltered life or was once the world's pickiest eater. We have all different kinds of pickles in the UK.
This is the extra-sheltered version of Americanness. Never parallel parked, walked, eaten curry??
Agree. Who the he** in the US never had to walk somewhere, park parallel, or ate Indian food? Where did this person live in the US?! I live in a relatively rural area and even here we have Indian food (made by people from India!), we have to parallel park, and we have to walk places. From the US, been to UK, it's nto that shockingly different, folks.
Load More Replies...
This isn't so much "American" as "person who's never left their small town".
What small town doesn't have parallel parking? People who walk? People who sit outside in their coats? People who go to outdoor events in rainy weather? 18-year-olds who drink at funerals? Kettle corn (that's what we call sweet popcorn)? Sweet pickles? Cauliflower and cheese? Sun shifting? Storemade candy?
Load More Replies...
I feel like this person lived a very sheltered life in the United States and didn't travel much. Most of the things they shared are common across the US as well. Heck, most of them are common in just the Northeast alone.
And the mid_Atlantic, Great Lakes, the West Coast.... I've seen thi sin Idaho. No idea where she's from. *shrug*
Load More Replies...
Parallel parking was part of my driving test. I parallel park all the time. Curry? ohfergawdsake, Indian and Pakistani and Thai and Vietnamese and a plethora of other restaurants serving curry. Sweet, sour, dill, you name it, someone, somewhere here in the states has pickled it, preserved it or "stored it."
My drivers Ed teacher was my gym teacher and he taught it begrudgingly. He hated doing it and we hated having him. My class started out with 6 of his and he yelled and screamed so much all the other kids dropped out of class. He was terrifying and distracting I learned to yell back so he liked me for my spunk. Lol. I was the only student left and some days he was too lazy to take me out onto the street so he would stand and talk with his asst. while I parallel parked over and over. I can parallel park in my sleep now.
Load More Replies... Don’t know where this person lived in the US. Requirement for license, parallel park, Curry-love it, fish &chip shops-East & West Coasts. Outside concerts in the rain, walking-all the time.
The annoying thing about posts like these is that the people who write them clearly needed to move or travel in order to try anything new.
Kimmy Schmidt? Is that you? Did you really end up in London instead of NY?
She has no idea what she's talking about and clearly never left her hometown of 10 people, nor went to a store, nor out to eat.
I’m wondering now if it was an arranged marriage lol. Picked her up from her house, to chapel, to plane.
Load More Replies...
Holy crap, I don't know where the hell this person lived, but they must've had a pretty sheltered life. Fish and Chips is called a “Fish Fry” in Buffalo, NY and is as common as a hot dog. So is sun chasing, taking a driving test on an actual road, and outdoor events in the rain (have you never been to a football game or a concert?). Since we wear coats 85% of year here it’s damn near impossible to not ever sit in the sun with a coat on. Parallel parking is done daily in just about every city in America and was part of my road test. I’ve never been downtown in any city and NOT had to pay to park, and cauliflower with cheese is not uncommon. Also, plenty of people, including my wife, have had babies for free (if you have good insurance). Due to the overwhelming use of the word “y’all” I’m thinking this person must’ve lived in the sticks in the deep south. Does BP just literally post anything and everything they can get their hands on now??
Well, IDK where in the US you can have a baby for free -- even with good insurance, it's going to cost you. But everything else you said, I agree with.
Load More Replies...
I am an American living in the UK, and I resonated with every single one of these. This isn’t a sheltered life, but a west coast life, specifically, Phoenix/LA/LV. Big roads, big cars. Never walked. Never parallel parked. Easy driving test. Mexican food only. Never had Indian or fish and chips in 30 years.until I moved to the Uk. Not sheltered. Just the southwest/California living style ✌️
Actually, a cousin of mine down by Atlanta Georgia says this is typical for *her*, so.... it may be a state of mind, not geography?
Load More Replies...
I was surprised by the topless 16- and 17-year-old girls pictured in certain newspapers.
All these comments "I do such and such all the time in america omg"... like she's not saying that all of the USA is like this. Just that *she* never did it before moving to the UK. smh
I'm an american(former jersey girl) married to a Brit, living in the US. I think this woman was a bit sheltered wherever she is from. I am assuming the south somewhere with her use of "y'all." How did she not know how to parallel park? How did she not walk anywhere? How has she never sat outdoors in chilly weather(with coat)? How has she never seen fish and chips in a restaurant-only at some crap fast food place? Did she live under a rock??
There are indeed lots of irritating US-bashing articles on BP, but I don't think this is one. People are just surprised that this person hasn't experienced what they believe to be common activities, etc., in the US and is stating that she found them only in the UK. I guess it's a regional-differences sort of thing.
Load More Replies...
The OP is a sheltered southerner who probably shouldn't go to Asia. As in the entire continent should be off limits. It would absolutely blow her mind. Might cause an episode of sorts. Yikes.
I don't want to sound cruel, but this young woman sounds incredibly sheltered. How the bloody hell have you never tried curry or fish and chips. Does she live under a rock?
I've met reclusive people who have more life experiences than this person.
All seems to revolve around food. UK also has drinkable safe tap water. We haven't quite yet sunk low enough to vote a far-right, racist, narcissist conman into the highest office. Oh wait, sorry, we did that too. 🤦🏻♂️
I assume she never left her house ever...pretty sure I have done a lot of these...
I get the distinct impression that before moving to the UK, this woman never left her rural Appalachian town, population 250.
I feel like seriously writing the BP staff writer on this one. BP has just profiled a cloistered and frankly, annoyingly sheltered, woman who is claiming knowledge of things that say more about her than the US. We just lost precious time we could be in the sun or eating curry!
I would totally eat any of the food listed and would be in heaven to have the sheer varieties of curries available that they do over there. The English have a long history with curries and are very well known for the enormous varieties of them, as well as them being scrumptious. We do have the beans that are used to make beans on toast but we don't call them baked beans, because our baked beans often have onions, bacon, brown sugar, and sometimes diced green peppers and assorted other add ins. Where as your baked beans have a light mild tomato sauce out of the can, which are still good and we also have a canned food made with them and little cut up weenies, called beanie weenies and they are good. Life without dill pickles would be tragic. Most other things I can make due.
the ENGLISH are known for curries? i'd say any south asian country is known for curries lol
Load More Replies...
She must have been so drunk back in the day that she missed out on a lot of things. The shrimp and chips? We callem shrimp and fries and you can find them on every other corner here in Saint Louis MO at most soul food places.
Congrats on your baby, but the birth wasn't free. It was paid for by taxpayers under rule of law. US healthcare is a mess, agreed. But I am suspect of anyone who says another countries healthcare is "free".
I think everyone understands that "free" means no-out-of-pocket cost.
Load More Replies...
This is the extra-sheltered version of Americanness. Never parallel parked, walked, eaten curry??
Agree. Who the he** in the US never had to walk somewhere, park parallel, or ate Indian food? Where did this person live in the US?! I live in a relatively rural area and even here we have Indian food (made by people from India!), we have to parallel park, and we have to walk places. From the US, been to UK, it's nto that shockingly different, folks.
Load More Replies... This isn't so much "American" as "person who's never left their small town".
What small town doesn't have parallel parking? People who walk? People who sit outside in their coats? People who go to outdoor events in rainy weather? 18-year-olds who drink at funerals? Kettle corn (that's what we call sweet popcorn)? Sweet pickles? Cauliflower and cheese? Sun shifting? Storemade candy?
Load More Replies... I feel like this person lived a very sheltered life in the United States and didn't travel much. Most of the things they shared are common across the US as well. Heck, most of them are common in just the Northeast alone.
And the mid_Atlantic, Great Lakes, the West Coast.... I've seen thi sin Idaho. No idea where she's from. *shrug*
Load More Replies... Parallel parking was part of my driving test. I parallel park all the time. Curry? ohfergawdsake, Indian and Pakistani and Thai and Vietnamese and a plethora of other restaurants serving curry. Sweet, sour, dill, you name it, someone, somewhere here in the states has pickled it, preserved it or "stored it."
My drivers Ed teacher was my gym teacher and he taught it begrudgingly. He hated doing it and we hated having him. My class started out with 6 of his and he yelled and screamed so much all the other kids dropped out of class. He was terrifying and distracting I learned to yell back so he liked me for my spunk. Lol. I was the only student left and some days he was too lazy to take me out onto the street so he would stand and talk with his asst. while I parallel parked over and over. I can parallel park in my sleep now.
Load More Replies... Don’t know where this person lived in the US. Requirement for license, parallel park, Curry-love it, fish &chip shops-East & West Coasts. Outside concerts in the rain, walking-all the time.
The annoying thing about posts like these is that the people who write them clearly needed to move or travel in order to try anything new.
Kimmy Schmidt? Is that you? Did you really end up in London instead of NY?
She has no idea what she's talking about and clearly never left her hometown of 10 people, nor went to a store, nor out to eat.
I’m wondering now if it was an arranged marriage lol. Picked her up from her house, to chapel, to plane.
Load More Replies... Holy crap, I don't know where the hell this person lived, but they must've had a pretty sheltered life. Fish and Chips is called a “Fish Fry” in Buffalo, NY and is as common as a hot dog. So is sun chasing, taking a driving test on an actual road, and outdoor events in the rain (have you never been to a football game or a concert?). Since we wear coats 85% of year here it’s damn near impossible to not ever sit in the sun with a coat on. Parallel parking is done daily in just about every city in America and was part of my road test. I’ve never been downtown in any city and NOT had to pay to park, and cauliflower with cheese is not uncommon. Also, plenty of people, including my wife, have had babies for free (if you have good insurance). Due to the overwhelming use of the word “y’all” I’m thinking this person must’ve lived in the sticks in the deep south. Does BP just literally post anything and everything they can get their hands on now??
Well, IDK where in the US you can have a baby for free -- even with good insurance, it's going to cost you. But everything else you said, I agree with.
Load More Replies... I am an American living in the UK, and I resonated with every single one of these. This isn’t a sheltered life, but a west coast life, specifically, Phoenix/LA/LV. Big roads, big cars. Never walked. Never parallel parked. Easy driving test. Mexican food only. Never had Indian or fish and chips in 30 years.until I moved to the Uk. Not sheltered. Just the southwest/California living style ✌️
Actually, a cousin of mine down by Atlanta Georgia says this is typical for *her*, so.... it may be a state of mind, not geography?
Load More Replies... I was surprised by the topless 16- and 17-year-old girls pictured in certain newspapers.
All these comments "I do such and such all the time in america omg"... like she's not saying that all of the USA is like this. Just that *she* never did it before moving to the UK. smh
I'm an american(former jersey girl) married to a Brit, living in the US. I think this woman was a bit sheltered wherever she is from. I am assuming the south somewhere with her use of "y'all." How did she not know how to parallel park? How did she not walk anywhere? How has she never sat outdoors in chilly weather(with coat)? How has she never seen fish and chips in a restaurant-only at some crap fast food place? Did she live under a rock??
There are indeed lots of irritating US-bashing articles on BP, but I don't think this is one. People are just surprised that this person hasn't experienced what they believe to be common activities, etc., in the US and is stating that she found them only in the UK. I guess it's a regional-differences sort of thing.
Load More Replies... The OP is a sheltered southerner who probably shouldn't go to Asia. As in the entire continent should be off limits. It would absolutely blow her mind. Might cause an episode of sorts. Yikes.
I don't want to sound cruel, but this young woman sounds incredibly sheltered. How the bloody hell have you never tried curry or fish and chips. Does she live under a rock?
I've met reclusive people who have more life experiences than this person.
All seems to revolve around food. UK also has drinkable safe tap water. We haven't quite yet sunk low enough to vote a far-right, racist, narcissist conman into the highest office. Oh wait, sorry, we did that too. 🤦🏻♂️
I assume she never left her house ever...pretty sure I have done a lot of these...
I get the distinct impression that before moving to the UK, this woman never left her rural Appalachian town, population 250.
I feel like seriously writing the BP staff writer on this one. BP has just profiled a cloistered and frankly, annoyingly sheltered, woman who is claiming knowledge of things that say more about her than the US. We just lost precious time we could be in the sun or eating curry!
I would totally eat any of the food listed and would be in heaven to have the sheer varieties of curries available that they do over there. The English have a long history with curries and are very well known for the enormous varieties of them, as well as them being scrumptious. We do have the beans that are used to make beans on toast but we don't call them baked beans, because our baked beans often have onions, bacon, brown sugar, and sometimes diced green peppers and assorted other add ins. Where as your baked beans have a light mild tomato sauce out of the can, which are still good and we also have a canned food made with them and little cut up weenies, called beanie weenies and they are good. Life without dill pickles would be tragic. Most other things I can make due.
the ENGLISH are known for curries? i'd say any south asian country is known for curries lol
Load More Replies... She must have been so drunk back in the day that she missed out on a lot of things. The shrimp and chips? We callem shrimp and fries and you can find them on every other corner here in Saint Louis MO at most soul food places.
Congrats on your baby, but the birth wasn't free. It was paid for by taxpayers under rule of law. US healthcare is a mess, agreed. But I am suspect of anyone who says another countries healthcare is "free".
I think everyone understands that "free" means no-out-of-pocket cost.
Load More Replies... 