22 “Culture Shocks” This Brit Experienced After Moving To The USA
Interview With Author
Meet Brenden Guy, a British man living in Pennsylvania who’s been gaining popularity on social media for his fun and light-hearted culture shock videos. On his TikTok channel @brendenandellie, where he’s followed by 121.9k followers and counting, Brenden shares videos of himself in various American scenarios that surprised him the most.
From free refills to tipping, and being asked how he’d like to get his eggs done while ordering at a restaurant, these are some of the things that felt very different compared with how things go back home in England. So let’s see Brenden’s funny culture shocks right below, and if there are any British expats living in America reading this post right now, be sure to share your own experience in the comment section below!
After you’re done, I highly recommend checking out our previous post with more entertaining cultural shocks from another viral TikTok creator Kacie Burns, who has created a similar series about things she found unusual when moving to live in Italy from the US.
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Oh gods, please don't! If I walk into a store and immediately some staff member comes up to me being all pushy, in my face, wanting to make a sale, I would be out of there in about 2 seconds and would never ever return. I'm not a degenerate, I can read signs avout a sale, I know what I need better than you do, leave me the f**k alone unless I ask you something Nasty, nasty habit. I'm so glad that's a US only thing and normal people in the rest of the world don't do this
This is one of the things that I hated about the US and Canada. I once stayed at a hotel that didn't want to tell me how much the total for the room was after tax, even though I explained to them that my debit card has a safety limit and therefore I needed to know how much it cost in total, to make sure that it's below the limit. Surprise surprise, the card was rejected because there was 26% more tax and they thought that I as a foreigner should know how much the tax was and calculate it in my head...
Bored Panda reached out to Brenden Guy, a British TikToker living in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA with his wife and daughter. Brenden’s fun and light-hearted videos of culture shocks he found after moving here from England have been going viral and he has now amassed a solid audience of 122k followers on his channel, @brendenandellie.
“I got into TikTok at the start of the pandemic initially to learn more about how the platform works and how it might relate to my career as a marketing and public relations consultant,” he recounted. “The more I made content, the more I realized how much fun it was and it soon became what my wife refers to as my pandemic passion project.”
Brenden believes that “It's a wonderful creative outlet and I'm having fun creating all sorts of content, from life as a dad and husband to these culture shock videos.”
Honestly, Americans need to know how little Brits care about this. Any reference to throwing tea into water, even those who understand the joke, really, really don't care.
Like when Americans call Australians convicts. We don't care bro. Actually we secretly like it.
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We really don't give a single s**t, it's true, the 4th of July is just another day here.
My dad used to work for an American in London. Boss man always went off on a rant around July 4th, about how America "won" and Britain "lost". After a few years of this Dad had had enough and said, "look mate, it's like when your annoying teenagers grow up but won't leave the house. We got you to leave so in fact WE won". hehehe
To be honest, British people think the same about the Armada Invencible and the Spanish. We don't really care but for them it seems to be a big deal 😂
Lol, they don't learn about it because they lost. All joking aside though, I would imagine it's not really a big deal to the average Brit because it was over 200 years ago.
It's not enough significative when you have to study a long period of history with a huge amount of wars, colonies, changes of lands, and other things that are more important, as culture, art and anything that may help to understand other people, learn from other actions or decisions and open minds.
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They dont learn it in school just like the US doesnt learn about wars they lost
TBF American History is shallow compared to them. They glaze over Native American history too, it's like a blurb in school history books. Of course it gets toted out near Thanksgiving, at least that was my experience. I do wonder if there was more emphasis on reservation curriculum though. Our schools do suck on history now that I'm reflecting upon it.
The first time I was aware that US Independence was a big thing was the first July 4th I spent in the USA. I was baffled, since as this meme says, I learned nothing about it in school, because in the inglorious history of British colonization, this was just another page in the book.
Americans don't say that. We don't care who 'lost the war'. The 4th of July to us is beer, barbecue and firecrackers.
the thing is if Briton wanted America back then the Mericans would be drinking tea with their pinky finger out
I thought we spelled it Britain? And the thing is, we don’t. And the Mexicans wouldn’t be siping tea, they’d be drinking whatever they bloody wanted to.
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Out of context.......the Indo-Pak war 1971 which india won, got to know sometimes back that in Pakistan's text book they teach them that they won it.......
My dad is a military man and calls 4th of July, Traitors Day (I'm from the UK)!! To be honest I've no idea what it's all about. Used to live by an American camp in the UK and used to enjoy the festivities when I was younger, without actually knowing why there was a fun fair, BBQs, fireworks etc, I just enjoyed the day!!!
Wait, what?? How can they NOT learn about the American Independence War in school??! In Hungary we do very much learn about it and we had nothing to do with it, how can Brits not learn about it??
It's not part of the curriculum in schools. History lessons never cover a lot of historical events other than the changes in monarchy and religion in the UK. We might come across that we don't care simply because we can't comment on something we don't know or understand. It's the same about languages. At school you are introduced to French and German but we aren't pushed to learn anything more than the basics of those two languages.
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Well if they schools taught about every time one of their colonies gained independence, they probably wouldn't have time for much else.
Lol did we? Sorry, too busy owning most of the world to notice 💅 (jokes haha honestly war is bad when will we learn, we’re not 5 years old ppl, who gives a s**t who “won”. Everyone loses in war.)
It's like that in Britain when the world Cup comes around. We won it waaaay back in 1966 and have't won it since yet the football pundits and every football fan won't stop going on about. It drives everyone else mad. We won against the Germans and they don't care either way about that particular match, And why should they. They have redeemed themselves by winning the World Cup 3 times since (1974, 1990, 2014)
WE. SHOULD. LEARN. ABOUT. THE. AMERICAN. REVOLUTION. IN. SCHOOL. ALL MY INFO IF COMING FROM HAMILTON
Genuinely the only way I learnt about this as a Brit was through watching US TV programmes. If you asked the majority of people in the UK they would not have a clue what you were on about.
surprised it isn't at least covered in history class as george III took it kind of hard....or it may have been his illness that made it look like it was a hard pill to swallow. not a big deal, just surprised
Sadly, they kind of did. Ireland stays divided between North and South. They’re not a whole country because they are divided.
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I love the way people say USA v Britain.... It was Britain v Britain. We have given all our Empire back and still remained friends with everyone. The commonwealth games (The second biggest sporting event after the Olympics) is in Birmingham next year - over 70 countries will take part. We honestly don't care about Boston...
Well, if you cared it wouldn't be an appropriate joke. And while the Boston Tea Party is not particularly important, that the US was a British colony is. I remember very little of my history, but I took a full year of Modern (1450+) European History. (In addition to the history of non-European countries) So it's hard to believe that in countries that are more aware of things beyond their borders (which is truly excellent), this wasn't at least a paragraph somewhere.
Ok we may have laughed about how Americans still give a s**t.
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They lost it twice, that's why it's not taught in their schools. (See: War of 1812.) :-D (My in-laws are UK. They insist losing the colonies was just spiffy. Fine. Great. Wonderful. Never noticed it. Really? Odd, then, how they sent armies to stop it... Hmm...)
I guess that’s kinda true, LOL. I don’t recall having much American history being taught when I went to school & I definitely don’t recall the part where all that tea was thrown overboard. Such a shame, because I think I would’ve paid more attention in history class. I always hated having to focus on the history of only European countries. Being fully disabled, I now learn new things in my own way & on my own time (I’m currently watching a Netflix series about US death row inmates & why they were sentenced to death). Also, being a part of Ireland (even if it’s Northern); I know there’s a history of many Irish people immigrating to the US, to escape famine & other such troubles ... including THE “Troubles”, which we all knew about in our history classes. Speaking of which, my uncle Roy was murdered by the “Irish Republican Army (IRA)”, before I was even born. But his name wasn’t made public, for our family’s sake & because he was an officer... 😔💔🤷♀️
US signed the declaration of independence from the British Empire, not sure that being separated was a bad outcome for either party
Strange to be in denial about losing that war. At the time of the Revolution, 1/3 of Brits lived in America, and America controlled the majority of the British economy. I know the British downplay it so an American would think it would be like America losing Puerto Rico, or maybe even the Philippines, but it was much more like America losing everything West of the Mississippi River.
I wouldn't say in denial, it's just not treated as that big a deal nowadays. Remember it was after losing America that Britain turned its attention East and went on to create a vast global Empire (leaving the Americans to complete the colonisation of N. America, so everyone was happy).
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My British friend wishes all of his American friends Happy Traitor Day on the fourth.
When asked about the biggest culture shock as a Brit living in the US, Brenden said it’s probably the entire restaurant dining-out experience. “You would not think it, but there are actually a lot of differences here including rather large portions, free refills, tipping requirements, leaving cash payment on the table and simply leaving. It goes on!”
“Thankfully, I've dined out enough over the last 13 years to get used to them, but not a day goes by that I don't think about how different the experience is,” he said and added that “Overall, the American dining-out experience is superior.”
After seeing The Gruffalo movie, my kid thought I was saying the wrong words when I read him the book. The movie’s narrator has a British accent and I’m American. My kid was young enough that he thought I was just saying different words, since he didn’t yet know what an accent is.
Brenden said the reception to these culture shock videos has been amazing. “I've been particularly touched to read the comments thanking me for making a positive video highlighting the differences between America and other countries instead of pointing out all the flaws and poking fun. This has always been my intention from the start because I truly love it here and wanted to focus on the fun and lighthearted differences rather than the more controversial and antagonistic ones.”
You can get large jugs of tap water free in most places - just ask.
In our village we have a competition to make the best effigy of a 'guy'
When asked about things he really likes in the US, the TikToker said he loves Thanksgiving. “Naturally, it's a holiday unique to this country and it's a lovely opportunity to get together with friends and family and eat delicious food,” Brenden said.
Apart from that, he likes that Americans have much more space, from bigger cars to wider streets and more spacious homes. “Back home, it can feel a little cramped at times; everything feels so much smaller in comparison,” he added.
In Germany, a big menu is a sure sign that they are going to serve you frozen pre-made food if you take anything other than fast food classics. That doesn't count for restaurants with Indian or Chinese food, though. If they have such a big menu they are probably just swapping the sauce for each dish.
Having said that, there are a lot of British things Brenden misses, “most of all my family. But from my daily life, I miss Cadbury's chocolate the most. It's completely different to the Cadbury's that you can buy in the US which, I believe, is actually made by Hershey's.” Plus, few things compare to British pubs! “I miss having a pint at a British pub, which has a completely different vibe and ambience to American bars,” Brenden told us.
Lol reverse this and substitute cricket for Americans , so I hear ^-^
His facial expressions throughout the whole thing are like a cherry on top of the funny circumstances.
This is why most Americans really love Brits. They're cool and they're funny (and thank you for Monty Python by the way!)
So many people getting so upset about "laughing at America" content. I think these articles are funny. Even within the USA there are so many regional differences that stand out as absurd to other Americans. There's no reason to get all butthurt by silly jabs at the US. I'm a firm believer that if you can't laugh at yourself you probably have a massive stick up your a$$.
I had SO many issues in the beginning. I remember asking for serviettes and the woman had no idea what I was talking about. We eventually got there. I also wanted a dressing gown and went shopping with a new American friend. I told her what I wanted. She took me to the evening gown section. "No, a dressing gown, you know, like you put on in the morning when you get up?" "You mean a housecoat?" she asks. "What's a housecoat?" I ask. We went back and forth. In the end, I told her to take me to the nightwear section. I found a dressing gown. "Oh, a ROBE. You wanted a ROBE." A robe? Like what a monarch wears? So, so confusing.
I'm gonna have to say, I get tired of the "US doesn't use same words as UK" stuff. We know. And? Nobody's better or worse. Just different. And slang varies by region within the UK, and the US, so.... is what it is. The bathroom stall door, thing, however, is utterly weird, no question.
Almost every breakfast I had while I was in England had beans. Not usually very warm. What I hated the most was the bacon. I felt I was going to get some disease eating almost raw pork. The cold toast was kinda disappointing. Eggs were always sunny-side up. I stayed at many unique 'B&Bs". I did indulge in Wheatabix...soggy mess and coffee was always instant. Brittany is not really known for haute cuisine. I came back home 30 lbs lighter from not really eating and walking every where in my 5 week journey. But I LOVED everywhere I went and everything I ate, even if it sounded gross. Clotted cream was the best!!
Now see, I despise the posts that hate on America. I can hate on us. You can't. See? But this one? This was funny! YAY! (I do indeed have a sense of humor!)
He's English. British covers 3 countries and not even Northern English people are like southerners like him.
Potion sizes in the US are so big because leftovers are a part of our culture-- especially dine-in. Hosts send their guests home with food, so there has to be too much food to eat in one sitting. Most places that have lunch servings sizes are only enough to eat while you're there because you aren't expected to carry your food with you when you're not going home.
No, portion sizes are large because of agricultural subsidies that make bad food too cheap, and bad food is market to the point where 3 in 5 Americans are either overweight or obese.
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You must be new here. They're normally a lot worse and get pretty tiresome after a while. This one was at least funny and pretty light hearted. I liked it, actually. Lol.
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Seems we had totally different experiences on this one. I was actually happy to see some of the weird stuff from Britain being put alongside the odd things about America. I had some delightful NEs with the language differences too.
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His facial expressions throughout the whole thing are like a cherry on top of the funny circumstances.
This is why most Americans really love Brits. They're cool and they're funny (and thank you for Monty Python by the way!)
So many people getting so upset about "laughing at America" content. I think these articles are funny. Even within the USA there are so many regional differences that stand out as absurd to other Americans. There's no reason to get all butthurt by silly jabs at the US. I'm a firm believer that if you can't laugh at yourself you probably have a massive stick up your a$$.
I had SO many issues in the beginning. I remember asking for serviettes and the woman had no idea what I was talking about. We eventually got there. I also wanted a dressing gown and went shopping with a new American friend. I told her what I wanted. She took me to the evening gown section. "No, a dressing gown, you know, like you put on in the morning when you get up?" "You mean a housecoat?" she asks. "What's a housecoat?" I ask. We went back and forth. In the end, I told her to take me to the nightwear section. I found a dressing gown. "Oh, a ROBE. You wanted a ROBE." A robe? Like what a monarch wears? So, so confusing.
I'm gonna have to say, I get tired of the "US doesn't use same words as UK" stuff. We know. And? Nobody's better or worse. Just different. And slang varies by region within the UK, and the US, so.... is what it is. The bathroom stall door, thing, however, is utterly weird, no question.
Almost every breakfast I had while I was in England had beans. Not usually very warm. What I hated the most was the bacon. I felt I was going to get some disease eating almost raw pork. The cold toast was kinda disappointing. Eggs were always sunny-side up. I stayed at many unique 'B&Bs". I did indulge in Wheatabix...soggy mess and coffee was always instant. Brittany is not really known for haute cuisine. I came back home 30 lbs lighter from not really eating and walking every where in my 5 week journey. But I LOVED everywhere I went and everything I ate, even if it sounded gross. Clotted cream was the best!!
Now see, I despise the posts that hate on America. I can hate on us. You can't. See? But this one? This was funny! YAY! (I do indeed have a sense of humor!)
He's English. British covers 3 countries and not even Northern English people are like southerners like him.
Potion sizes in the US are so big because leftovers are a part of our culture-- especially dine-in. Hosts send their guests home with food, so there has to be too much food to eat in one sitting. Most places that have lunch servings sizes are only enough to eat while you're there because you aren't expected to carry your food with you when you're not going home.
No, portion sizes are large because of agricultural subsidies that make bad food too cheap, and bad food is market to the point where 3 in 5 Americans are either overweight or obese.
Load More Replies... You must be new here. They're normally a lot worse and get pretty tiresome after a while. This one was at least funny and pretty light hearted. I liked it, actually. Lol.
Load More Replies... Seems we had totally different experiences on this one. I was actually happy to see some of the weird stuff from Britain being put alongside the odd things about America. I had some delightful NEs with the language differences too.
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