What parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

[2ndMessiah 184]

I owe some thanks to whoever mentioned that hola plug in for watching UK TV. I installed it a couple of days ago, brilliant, thanks again.

Your welcome.

[Kiwinyc 62]

I'm neither British or American but have lived in the US previously for 8 years and then in London for 12. Have just returned to the US and I have found Christmas Crackers in lots of places here, (Austin, TX) its really surprised me. I get english bangers made on request at the meat counter of my local supermarket. I can't find Heinz baked beans anywhere though, and I really wish I had a local supplier for squash, or high juice. I can find pretty much everything else British but it costs 3 times as much. I am missing Christmas Cake this year, but I never liked mince pies so I don't miss those. We avoid normal bread (it is disgusting) and buy something called 'English toasting bread' from the supermarket bakery at $3 a pop but its decent but I can't wait to replace the bread maker I had to leave behind. I replaced the Nespresso I had in the UK and I bought a lot of tea over with me...

I miss the easy access of the NHS also, but my husband has good healthcare plan(s) available through his work and its not a bad replacement.

If anybody has found a substitute for high juice, squash or ribena please tell me what it is and where to find it!

[Avery Cates 1,141]

I miss how cheap stuff is in the UK, food prices here are horrendous.

This was the first thing I noticed when I came back from UK the first time.

[Kiwinyc 62]

Dairy - milk, cheese, etc is very expensive. But bananas are incredibly cheap! After several months of grocery shopping and feeding a family of 4-6, I think it works out at about the same.

[Anna Grant 169]

After putting up our Christmas tree, I realize I miss Cadbury's Dairy Milk tree decorations. Candy canes are not the same! And tinsel is called garland and lameta (sp) is called icicles.

I have found food shopping a bit cheaper here. Clothes shopping is a lot cheaper since I discovered Goodwill. I love that store. I got a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans for $4.99 (the exact same ones on his site were $65!).

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Dairy - milk, cheese, etc is very expensive. But bananas are incredibly cheap! After several months of grocery shopping and feeding a family of 4-6, I think it works out at about the same.

We were in the UK in September for two weeks and I did quite a bit of grocery shopping. We stayed one week with my husband's brother and I cooked whilst there due to my husband's dietary needs.

I thought that "fresh" was far cheaper in the UK compared to the US. Fresh veg especially.

What I can't work out is how shopping for a family would compare as a percentage of budget. Sure, it's easy to tell that fresh green beans cost less in the UK than the US. But people earn less (generally) over there than here. So if I go shopping over there and my shop costs me £40, how does that relate to a similar shop in the US? How much did that take out of my earnings? I guess you'd have to price it out item by item........

I still have my receipts. I should do that............some cold winter day when I'm bored.

[Big Papa Zone 93]

Interesting read, this topic. I'm English and have been here for 5 years. And I can honestly say I miss very little about the UK. Some things, but not much. Because for everything I miss from home, there's a perfectly adequate (and usually better) substitute here.

Sure, I miss a proper local pub - but I sure as hell don't miss standing 4-deep at the bar trying to get served at last orders. I LOVE the table service at American bars (and the sports bars are just the nuts). I miss fish 'n' chips from a proper chippy - but the proper, hand patted burgers made from freshly ground beef you get here make the skinny, frozen patties on offer at home look pitiful. I miss our football - in the sense of physically being able to go to a game - but we get more games on TV here than you do at home. And I've come to love the American version. And whilst the fans of opposing teams sitting together kinda takes the tribalism out of things, the pre-match tailgating is fantastic - can you imagine tailgating at a West Ham/Chelsea game!!!???? Somebody mentioned butter - Land 'o' Lakes will fill your dairy needs just as well as Lurpak, trust me. And as for Salt 'n' Vinegar crisps, yes, Lays make them. In humongous bags. And they look/taste just like Walkers. I'd also recommend another Lays product - Stax. They're like Pringles except better. And the Salt 'n' Vinegar ones are awesome.

Something else I don't miss about home - motoring expenses. You can shove paying $9-a-gallon where the sun don't shine! I drive a 5.6 litre, V8 pickup truck here - the fuel costs alone would bankrupt me at home. And I get to drive my truck on big, long, wide, (comparatively) empty highways here in the Midwest (as opposed to shitty, windy, little B-roads at home). And somewhere to live? Here (I'm about an hour North of Kansas City, MO) $100,000 (so what, about 60k English?) gets you a detached (oh, how my American friends laugh at that) 3 bed place with a basement in an acre of land. Name me ANYWHERE in the UK where you get that kind of bang for your housing buck!

There are some downsides to living here, of course. Yes, the healthcare is an issue. Not the standard of care you receive (and the promptness with which its delivered) but the deductibles/co-pays. I have insurance through work. It runs me about $70-a-month. But it's an 80/20 policy (which is the norm these days) and the plan only picks up the 80% after I've met the annual deductible of $1,000. And then I'm on the hook for more until annual -of-pocket maximum is reached (about $3,500 in my case).

What I simply can't ###### stand most of all though, is the GLUT of God/Jesus bollocks. Seriously, it's a nightmare. And the rank hypocrisy! I used to think I was conservative, politically speaking, until I moved out here. Now I realize just how ultra-liberal (by American standards) I really am. The conservative (Republican) movement is intrinsically linked to organized religion, specifically Christianity in a bazillion different forms. And you'd better believe you're going to hell in a handcart unless you're A) White B ) Straight C ) Wealthy D) Accepting of Christ and E ) Go to "my" church, mister!!!! Awful!

But I have to say that, all in all, the pros of living stateside far outweigh the cons. I'm happy here, and have every intention of spending the rest of my life here. My advice to any of you embarking on this journey is rather than pine about the things you miss from home, to embrace the culture of your new home. As a guy, I found the easiest way to do that was through sport. Yes, absolutely I took the pi$$ out of baseball and referred to it as "rounders." Now I can't wait for the new season to start. Yes, I derided American football as "rugby for poofs." Now, if The St Louis Rams lose (and they frequently do) I'm genuinely pi$$ed off for the rest of the week!

Life really is what you make it, folks. Especially for people in our situation. Enjoy it!

[Big Papa Zone 93]

For Christmas, I miss the experience of decent football. I miss Boxing Day games at a decent ground like, oh I dunno, St Mary's, rather than the old-fashioned League 2 grounds. Oh, sure, you can play them here, but it's just not the same.

LOL @ Pompey.

[Cam54 84]

Interesting read, this topic. I'm English and have been here for 5 years. And I can honestly say I miss very little about the UK. Some things, but not much. Because for everything I miss from home, there's a perfectly adequate (and usually better) substitute here.

Sure, I miss a proper local pub - but I sure as hell don't miss standing 4-deep at the bar trying to get served at last orders. I LOVE the table service at American bars (and the sports bars are just the nuts). I miss fish 'n' chips from a proper chippy - but the proper, hand patted burgers made from freshly ground beef you get here make the skinny, frozen patties on offer at home look pitiful. I miss our football - in the sense of physically being able to go to a game - but we get more games on TV here than you do at home. And I've come to love the American version. And whilst the fans of opposing teams sitting together kinda takes the tribalism out of things, the pre-match tailgating is fantastic - can you imagine tailgating at a West Ham/Chelsea game!!!???? Somebody mentioned butter - Land 'o' Lakes will fill your dairy needs just as well as Lurpak, trust me. And as for Salt 'n' Vinegar crisps, yes, Lays make them. In humongous bags. And they look/taste just like Walkers. I'd also recommend another Lays product - Stax. They're like Pringles except better. And the Salt 'n' Vinegar ones are awesome.

Something else I don't miss about home - motoring expenses. You can shove paying $9-a-gallon where the sun don't shine! I drive a 5.6 litre, V8 pickup truck here - the fuel costs alone would bankrupt me at home. And I get to drive my truck on big, long, wide, (comparatively) empty highways here in the Midwest (as opposed to shitty, windy, little B-roads at home). And somewhere to live? Here (I'm about an hour North of Kansas City, MO) $100,000 (so what, about 60k English?) gets you a detached (oh, how my American friends laugh at that) 3 bed place with a basement in an acre of land. Name me ANYWHERE in the UK where you get that kind of bang for your housing buck!

There are some downsides to living here, of course. Yes, the healthcare is an issue. Not the standard of care you receive (and the promptness with which its delivered) but the deductibles/co-pays. I have insurance through work. It runs me about $70-a-month. But it's an 80/20 policy (which is the norm these days) and the plan only picks up the 80% after I've met the annual deductible of $1,000. And then I'm on the hook for more until annual -of-pocket maximum is reached (about $3,500 in my case).

What I simply can't ###### stand most of all though, is the GLUT of God/Jesus bollocks. Seriously, it's a nightmare. And the rank hypocrisy! I used to think I was conservative, politically speaking, until I moved out here. Now I realize just how ultra-liberal (by American standards) I really am. The conservative (Republican) movement is intrinsically linked to organized religion, specifically Christianity in a bazillion different forms. And you'd better believe you're going to hell in a handcart unless you're A) White B ) Straight C ) Wealthy D) Accepting of Christ and E ) Go to "my" church, mister!!!! Awful!

But I have to say that, all in all, the pros of living stateside far outweigh the cons. I'm happy here, and have every intention of spending the rest of my life here. My advice to any of you embarking on this journey is rather than pine about the things you miss from home, to embrace the culture of your new home. As a guy, I found the easiest way to do that was through sport. Yes, absolutely I took the pi$$ out of baseball and referred to it as "rounders." Now I can't wait for the new season to start. Yes, I derided American football as "rugby for poofs." Now, if The St Louis Rams lose (and they frequently do) I'm genuinely pi$$ed off for the rest of the week!

Life really is what you make it, folks. Especially for people in our situation. Enjoy it!

You're lucky, il be living in stupidly expensive Southern California $1100 for a studio flat per month no thanks

[lost_at_sea 995]

You're lucky, il be living in stupidly expensive Southern California $1100 for a studio flat per month no thanks

Lol. Have you seen San Francisco rents? There's folks here who'd think that a bargain.

We just bought an apartment in SF, the cost of which would make you wince.

Edited December 12, 2013 by lost_at_sea

[Cam54 84]

Lol. Have you seen San Francisco rents? There's folks here who'd think that a bargain.

We just bought an apartment in SF, the cost of which would make you wince.

Oh my goodness I just checked, how do people afford to live in San Francisco? They aren't remotely reasonable prices

[lost_at_sea 995]

Oh my goodness I just checked, how do people afford to live in San Francisco? They aren't remotely reasonable prices

Welcome to the tech bubble.

[Darnell 8,479]

I'm neither British or American but have lived in the US previously for 8 years and then in London for 12. Have just returned to the US and I have found Christmas Crackers in lots of places here, (Austin, TX) its really surprised me. I get english bangers made on request at the meat counter of my local supermarket. I can't find Heinz baked beans anywhere though, and I really wish I had a local supplier for squash, or high juice. I can find pretty much everything else British but it costs 3 times as much. I am missing Christmas Cake this year, but I never liked mince pies so I don't miss those. We avoid normal bread (it is disgusting) and buy something called 'English toasting bread' from the supermarket bakery at $3 a pop but its decent but I can't wait to replace the bread maker I had to leave behind. I replaced the Nespresso I had in the UK and I bought a lot of tea over with me...

I miss the easy access of the NHS also, but my husband has good healthcare plan(s) available through his work and its not a bad replacement.

If anybody has found a substitute for high juice, squash or ribena please tell me what it is and where to find it!

Yer gonna think I'm an idiot, but

I find the juices and concentrates (and even PG Tips) all for a decent price at the various Indian groceries in Houston. I was shocked the first time I picked up a Ribena concentrate bottle - OMG. That's been 6 years now, and I shop there at least 5 times / year - they have the stuff I crave.

So, drill around some more in Austin, you can find these grocers. and come on - Food Spelunking is so fun !

Here's another handy hint - if you have the SKU number on any product - go into a Fiesta Supermarket, talk with the grocer manager, and he/she will order it for you - takes about a week, and they'll put it in the foreign/UK shelf, but hey ! Not 3 times the price, at all.

[nobbie 105]

Oh my goodness I just checked, how do people afford to live in San Francisco? They aren't remotely reasonable prices

Look at house prices in Annapolis, expensive, very. You will not get anything for the prices you mentioned.

I am going grocery shopping this afternoon and I know it will make my eyes water. Gas is cheaper than the UK but pretty much nothing else. Dont forget to add 20% to every meal or beer out because of tipping, thats one thing I really dislike here bloody tipping everyone for doing their job.

[Jeannie & Al 18]

I'm neither British or American but have lived in the US previously for 8 years and then in London for 12. Have just returned to the US and I have found Christmas Crackers in lots of places here, (Austin, TX) its really surprised me. I get english bangers made on request at the meat counter of my local supermarket. I can't find Heinz baked beans anywhere though, and I really wish I had a local supplier for squash, or high juice. I can find pretty much everything else British but it costs 3 times as much. I am missing Christmas Cake this year, but I never liked mince pies so I don't miss those. We avoid normal bread (it is disgusting) and buy something called 'English toasting bread' from the supermarket bakery at $3 a pop but its decent but I can't wait to replace the bread maker I had to leave behind. I replaced the Nespresso I had in the UK and I bought a lot of tea over with me...

I miss the easy access of the NHS also, but my husband has good healthcare plan(s) available through his work and its not a bad replacement.

If anybody has found a substitute for high juice, squash or ribena please tell me what it is and where to find it!

hi kiwi We used to get Ribena in little Irish stores around here but found that our local supermarket has it (Wegman's). I would caution against buying it online as I did that once and it had expired way before it arrived.

for anyone else who has a Wegman's near, they have an aisle of UK foods which will help with getting some Curly wurly's (sp?) in my hubby's stocking.

Welcome to the tech bubble.

I know it's outrageously expensive but at least you are there. I would never move outside of NJ - close to NY and most family/friends are here but I absolutely love SF - my favorite city outside of the tri-state area and it's not even close.

Your welcome.

I'd like to thank you too - I'm the US citizen but I will pass onto the hubby. One question -would he be able to watch cricket through it? that's the one thing he can't seem to get access to here except a daily game on ESPN but he can't see The Ashes or anything..