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
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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.
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
I eat Indian dishes weekly in the US. No idea what's going on here.
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You never had curry in the U.S.? That's honestly weird. I don't know a single American who's never had curry.
I am really curious where this woman is from in the United States. I don't want to sound cruel, but she sounds a little sheltered based on some of the things she has only just started to experience during her time in the UK. I've been to the U.S. and have most certainly eaten curry there.
The Tikka Masala was created for British tastes and is now one of our national dishes. Manchester has a Curry Mile. Every town has at least one Indian takeaway or restaurant.
There is a fantastic curry houses in Edinburgh, Scotland called Kismot. They are renown for having one of the hottest curries in the world, aptly named the "Kismot Killer". The infamous curry made the BBC news back in 2011 when it reportedly sent two people to the hospital during a curry eating charity contest.
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Some of the best Indian cuisine on Earth to be had is actually in London. I learned a lot from my work there. I don't admire colonialism at all, but this was a hell of a benefit to the UK - food!
I have curry pretty frequently in Florida. Either home-made or out to eat and I live in a smaller town.
Try this. Fry some onions until soft, add tomato puree. Beat up six eggs with a teaspoon of chilli powder and a little salt, add some butter to the onions and puree, then add the eggs and turn up the heat and scramble up with a wooden spatula - curried scrambled eggs! Delicious if you get it right, you may want to use more or less chilli powder or puree. I use about half a tube and half a large onion.
To be fair, we literally have any kind of food in America. However, if all you ever shop for groceries at is WalMart then all you'll ever eat is chicken nuggets, box mac & cheese and hot dogs.
We eat a lot of curry here in Pennsylvania. Maybe your parents just weren't into curry so you didn't have any?
I’m American and eat curry. I actually have some in the cabinet so I can cook it myself. I love curry
Haven't had a curry in two years. Miss it but I don't really... remember to miss it (?) until it comes up.
Sounds like maybe she came from the south or midwest US, maybe a small town?
There’s plenty of curry in the south—there are lots of Indian immigrants in southern states.
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I thought for sure the OP was from California, but no curry? WTH? Utah? Sorry Utahns if you've got plenty of curry; I'm just trying to think of places where maybe they hide indoor from the rain and don't have curry... but then I know you sit outside in coats, so...?
Yeah its Indian in origin. But curry has been in the UK for over 200 years, is amazingly popular (I really can't over emphasise that) and has developed into it's own thing. Obviously that's not taking anything away from India but they developed such delicious dishes how could you not love it. The Japanese have curry as do the Chinese, all of which have their roots from India but have developed into their own thing (it's akin to Tex-Mex). The same is true for British curry but to an even greater extent. We love it in Britain to an almost religious extent (we even hold an annual curry awards). I would go as far to say that British curry is second only to India itself.
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You have to 'train' your guts, though. Or grow up with it. If you just jump in, you'll regret it!
To be fair I don't think a national dish necessarily has to originate in said country. I mean take America for example, you think of burgers, pizza, fries, etc but none of these things originated there. Not even apple pie.
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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.
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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?
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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*
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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
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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.
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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.
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