US expat Kalyn has lived in Britain for almost 10 years (Image: Girl Gone London/YouTube)
An American expat has revealed a list of US habits that Brits might find offensive, including unexpected dining etiquette.
Kalyn, who has been residing in the UK for nearly a decade, operates the Girl Gone London YouTube channel. She uses the platform to share her experiences living in Britain and posts videos on a variety of topics, from US vs UK comparisons to food.
In one of her recent videos, Kalyn highlighted seven American customs that could be seen as impolite in the UK, ranging from giving house tours to being overly loud and openly discussing religion.
1. House tours
Kalyn stated: “So, in the States, it’s not considered weird; Americans love giving a house tour. A visitor comes over to your house and you want to show them around your house.
“And I know that the British people in the audience are initially going to think, ‘Well, it’s because Americans want to show off their house, and we don’t do that here. We don’t brag about things like Americans do’.”
Kalyn said Americans love giving a house tour (Image: Getty Images)
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“And in some ways, that could be true; you could be proud of your house or things that you’ve done to it and maybe you do want to show it to somebody for some appreciation.”
However, Kalyn clarified that there is “another element” to this custom, suggesting that socialising outside of the home is more prevalent in the UK than in the US.
She further explained that Americans view their homes as a place to “have people over for longer periods of time”, something Kalyn believes “reflects back” on their fondness for the house tour.
2. Restaurant bills
Kalyn revealed that in the US, it’s a “general rule” for restaurant staff to present the bill around the same time as serving the food. However, she noted that this practice would be deemed “extremely weird” in the UK.
She further explained that this could give the impression that the server is “trying to get rid of you”. But in America, this is somewhat true as wait staff rely on tips and their wages depend on them being able to serve new customers quickly.
Kalyn said religion is a more personal thing in the UK (Image: Girl Gone London/YouTube)
3. Cutlery
According to Kalyn, the “polite thing” to do when dining is to place your utensils together on your plate once you’ve finished eating.
She added: “And this is not really done in the US. So, there is no official signal for, ‘I have finished my food or I am done with my meal’, and you kind of just leave your utensils wherever you want to leave them.”
She pointed out that your knife and fork could be left anywhere on or off the plate, arranged in “any weird old way”, and people simply “throw” their utensils down, indicating that they’re “done”.
4. Being loud
Kalyn admitted that Americans can be loud but insisted they aren’t “trying to be rude”, attributing it to Americans being “culturally” loud.
She argued that people in the States need to speak louder to be heard over others, so it doesn’t seem like they’re being loud when they’re in their home country.
Kalyn said that your knife and fork could be left on or off the plate (Image: Getty Images)
5. Please and thank you
Kalyn pointed out that in the US, common courtesies such as “please”, “thank you” and “excuse me” are not as frequently used as they are in the UK. She illustrated this with an example of asking for flour in a shop, stating that Americans would typically ask “Where’s the flour? ” without using these polite terms.
However, she clarified that this could still be considered a “nice way” to ask in the States, attributing it to the “American style of direct communication”.
6. Talking openly about religion
Discussing religion openly is another cultural difference Kalyn highlighted. She explained that in the UK, religion is seen as a more personal matter and people don’t generally expect others to inquire about it.
In contrast, she described the US as “much more religious” where it’s deemed acceptable to ask a stranger about their church attendance.
7. Waiting your turn
Finally, Kalyn touched on the concept of waiting one’s turn. She referred to this as the “art of queueing” in the UK and our “sense of order when it comes to who gets what next”.
She suggested that in the US, there is a tendency towards “pushing to the front of things” or “taking things before you wait your turn”.
She lamented that in America, it’s “kind of everyone for yourself” and criticised their queuing etiquette as “very bad at lining up”. She likened the situation to a chaotic scene from ‘Jingle All the Way’, where desperate parents stampede over each other to grab a coveted Christmas toy.