Really Dumb questions you've been asked about the UK

[Otto 83]

You mean no one asks:

(when handing you a beer) Oh..sorry, it's cold..you guys like it warm right?

or

How come the foods so bland there?

or

Is it hard to drive on the left?

or

Cops really don't have guns? (and follow-up "If its England..how come it's called Scottland Yard?)

or

Have you swam the canal?

or

I've Heard about the Tube..but do you have a subway?

or

Have you been to Stonehenge? (and/or seen crop-circles?)

Just questions I've overheard other people ask.....

You should hear the things people ask about Germany...

[cheeky^Wolf 0]

I got a good one on Saturday night. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt as alcohol was involved..

Me: We don't really celebrate St Patricks Day in the UK, it's not as big as here

Her: Is that because no Irish live there?

Me: I'm not warranting that with a response

I heard on Radio 2 once about a woman who moved to Texas. Her new neighbour came over to introduce themselves. He asked where she was from, she said United Kingdom. He said wow, your english is real good!

[Lizzy 0]

LMAO! some of these are great.

I always get "I want to go to London" too. or "how far is Scotland from where you are" for some weired reason.

[featherB 1]

Oh god... I've just remembered, well, not a 'dumb question', but something someone told me that made me think 'please tell me you didn't really say that?!?'...

Again, in San Diego, on one of those tram things that go down to the border (en route to the, um, very 'delightful' Tijuana), with a friend. A guy heard our accents and started talking to us, telling us that he was in the army, and had been stationed overseas somewhere (Iraq, most likely, but I forget) and met a lot of people in the British army. He told us about some guy from Northern Ireland who had inexplicably taken offence when asked 'oh, so you're in the IRA, right?'... he couldn't understand why that didn't go down so well...

[flutter95 4]

Oh god... I've just remembered, well, not a 'dumb question', but something someone told me that made me think 'please tell me you didn't really say that?!?'...

Again, in San Diego, on one of those tram things that go down to the border (en route to the, um, very 'delightful' Tijuana), with a friend. A guy heard our accents and started talking to us, telling us that he was in the army, and had been stationed overseas somewhere (Iraq, most likely, but I forget) and met a lot of people in the British army. He told us about some guy from Northern Ireland who had inexplicably taken offence when asked 'oh, so you're in the IRA, right?'... he couldn't understand why that didn't go down so well...

oh wow

[msu17 0]

HAHAHAHA, this is SO ridiculous... Paul is always getting asked to speak like Hugh Grant (he's from N. Yorkshire...) like the accent he is using is not his real voice... We get the "where in London do you live" questions a lot (about 4 hours North OR the responce being where in California do you live?) And my family (while I love them, the are VERY not interested in traveling, dont even go out of state...) can't even contemplate WHY I would EVER think of moving there OR of giving our kids dual citizenship.

Me- "I dont know, we might move to the UK"

Them- " Why would you want to move to ENGLAND (streched out, evil sounding...)

Me- "cause paul is from there, the pound is stronger, universal healthcare, cheaper Uni etc."

Them- "They had terrorist attacks there, you;re going to get bombed"

Me- "we had attacks here that were even worse and more people died"

Them- "But that was in NEW YORK... (DUH totally far away from here...)"

Me- "Ya, and we that was in London and we'd be 4 hours away"

Them- "Well its not safe and the food's bad and ... continued for 10 min...

And I dont think its TOO horrible to answer "US" when asked where you're from... People keep thinking I am from New Zealand or S. Africa when I'm there for some reason... Aparently I dont sound "American" enough

Oh god... I've just remembered, well, not a 'dumb question', but something someone told me that made me think 'please tell me you didn't really say that?!?'...

Again, in San Diego, on one of those tram things that go down to the border (en route to the, um, very 'delightful' Tijuana), with a friend. A guy heard our accents and started talking to us, telling us that he was in the army, and had been stationed overseas somewhere (Iraq, most likely, but I forget) and met a lot of people in the British army. He told us about some guy from Northern Ireland who had inexplicably taken offence when asked 'oh, so you're in the IRA, right?'... he couldn't understand why that didn't go down so well...

Edited March 19, 2007 by msu17

[Dr_LHA 3]

Gary has been asked if he knows the Queen ffs

I have been asked that one so many times also. When people ask where i am from and i say the UK, they always say i have always wanted to go to London....They think that the UK only consists of London..........

I can go one better than that. I once had a guy ask me if I lived in Piccadilly Circus. When I told him "no" he got angry and said "I thought you said you were English"!

Other than that I've had the usual, thing:

Told I speak with a Cockney accent (which I don't of course, even though people from Portsmouth are pretty close to Cockney for historic reasons, I don't have a Portsmouth accent).

Asked if we have television in Britain ("No, I had to learn how to use one when I came here.").

Some guy asked me if I lived in a castle.

I've had various angry people telling me to "get the hell out of Ireland!" because their great great great grandfather once drank a pint of Guiness so they have a "100% Irish" tattoo and a green T-shirt (whereas I'm half Irish, so obviously can't compete with that).

Had some drunken girls all over me because "I love your accent" - which is not great when the wife is sitting next to me. Actually one of the reasons I'm with my wife is because she decided to initially hate me because of my accent. First impressions don't last I guess.

[Lou Lou 1]

I've only had one incident happen to me.

My dental receptionist is called Sandie and she sounds like a complete dipshit. She speaks really s l o w l y and you'd mistake her for a real hick. Anyway, it's obvious she isn't as she has to deal with health insurance companies, and for that I take my hat off to her. But...

Sandie: "Hiyyaa, it's Sandie from Dr Herbert's surgery"

Me: "Oh hi Sandie"

Sandie: "Just reminding you that you have an appoinment tomorrow"

Me: "Yes, thanks"

Sandie: "Did you have a nice Thanksgiving"

Me: "Yes thanks, did you?"

Sandie: "Yeh, I had a real good time...didya celebrate and see ya family?"

Me: "No, not really seeing as I'm English an all...we don't really do anything"

Sandie: "So you don't have Thanksgiving in the UK?"

Me: "Umm, no"

Sandie: "How come?"

Now I had been waiting to say this all year..

Me: "Well, we celebrate it on 4th July instead"

Sandie: "Really? well that's kinda odd"

Long pause

Sandie: "I can't imagine eatin turkey in July"

True. Every bit of it!

[Mary Lou 681]

Oh god... I've just remembered, well, not a 'dumb question', but something someone told me that made me think 'please tell me you didn't really say that?!?'...

Again, in San Diego, on one of those tram things that go down to the border (en route to the, um, very 'delightful' Tijuana), with a friend. A guy heard our accents and started talking to us, telling us that he was in the army, and had been stationed overseas somewhere (Iraq, most likely, but I forget) and met a lot of people in the British army. He told us about some guy from Northern Ireland who had inexplicably taken offence when asked 'oh, so you're in the IRA, right?'... he couldn't understand why that didn't go down so well...

Oh my

[TimsDaisy 0]

Once when I was over there visiting, some of my fiance's family from Oz were there too. We figured out that to each of us - the Brits, the American, and the Aussies - sounded like the other two. By that I mean, to American ears, Brits and Aussies - while clearly speaking with different accents, have accents that sound similar (more similar to each other than they do to, say, German or French accents). To the Aussies, I sounded more like my Brit fiance. And to my fiance and his family, the Aussies sounded like me.

Along the lines of my friends' dreaded "do we have an accent to you," question, it IS kinda weird to think I might sound as good to someone else as their Brit/Aussie voice sounds to me.

That said I have told my fiance that the accent doesn't work on me anymore. No getting away with anything just 'cause you say it cute!

(oh, and I commend to all that scene at the end of "Love Actually" where the American girls are making the Brit guy say stuff and then cooing over his sexy Brit voice. A few of our Brit friends didn't believe American girls would do that - but c'mon, a lot of them do! That scene cracks me up every time!)

Edited March 19, 2007 by TimsDaisy

[rebeccajo 14]

......He told us about some guy from Northern Ireland who had inexplicably taken offence when asked 'oh, so you're in the IRA, right?'... he couldn't understand why that didn't go down so well...

LOL.....before Wes came over here to meet me face-to-face, I was warned more than once he was probably a member of the IRA and I should have him 'checked out'.

And because he's Irish (Northern albeit) it's automatically assumed he is Catholic. And lazy. And likes to drink...a lot.

I've been asked twice if he speaks English. The temptation is to say 'yes...better than you do'.

And never mind the fact that I bet 95% of Americans don't even realize that Northern Ireland is a part of the UK.

[TimsDaisy 0]

No - but then again, the same percentage don't know that West Virginia isn't western Virginia, so at least we're ignorant equally.

[ladybutterfly 0]

I have been asked that one so many times also. When people ask where i am from and i say the UK, they always say i have always wanted to go to London....They think that the UK only consists of London..........

Yes, why is that?!? I have had the same thing aswell, people think that London IS the UK. I try to explain to them that its like me saying New York was the same as the USA .... duh, I dont think so!

[Dr_LHA 3]

And never mind the fact that I bet 95% of Americans don't even realize that Northern Ireland is a part of the UK.

Or that >50% of the population of NI is Protestant, obviously, if they automatically assume Wes is a Catholic.

Yes, why is that?!? I have had the same thing aswell, people think that London IS the UK. I try to explain to them that its like me saying New York was the same as the USA .... duh, I dont think so!

Probably because most American tourists in the UK don't set foot outside the city.

*cough* thankfully *cough*

[rebeccajo 14]

No - but then again, the same percentage don't know that West Virginia isn't western Virginia, so at least we're ignorant equally.

OMG - tell me about it! I CANNOT tell you the number of times I've had THIS conversation....

Q - Where are you from?

A - West Virginia.

Q - Oh, where in WV? I've been to Roanoke........