Pub culture
Any discussion about British culture starts and ends with the pub. As one Canadian friend explained, in the UK, "Starting to drink at the pub on Saturday or Sunday at lunch right through until late night is socially acceptable."
Another said: "Canadians are very serious about Sundays and preparing for the week, but here people are much more willing to take advantage of another day off, go out, and have fun."
Pub visits are certainly not limited to the weekends, though — visit any pub in London after work and you'll find it packed with people enjoying a pint or two (or more) with colleagues or just while catching up with friends.
Wearing shoes inside the house
Growing up in Canada to two British parents, it was considered more rude to be barefoot in the house than to have some sort of shoe or slipper on.
This is the case for a lot of Brits, who actually think it's kind of weird to take your shoes off when you go inside someone's house.
As Great British Mag says, "It’s all a bit odd because the unpredictable British weather means there’s a good chance we’ll have dirty shoes. But if someone asks Brits to take off their shoes at the front door, we consider it a little bit eccentric and slightly rude. Unless we’re entering a yoga studio or…well that’s about it, really."
Washing machines in kitchens
Flats in the UK — particularly in big cities like London — can be extremely small, and space is of the essence.
In most, you'll find the washing machine in the kitchen, which means no separate laundry room (and a lot of noise in your living space when you're running a cycle).
Dryers not actually drying your clothes
Clothes on a drying rack.
On that note, a lot of washing machines are a two-in-one washer/dryer — but the dryer doesn't seem to do anything, and clothes seem to leave it just as damp as before you run the cycle.
"Most people don't even have a dryer because of the cost of electricity, so they hang dry everything and are screwed when it's cold," one Canadian friend explained. "It takes forever to dry things."
Lack of air conditioning
Most Canadians are used to sweltering heat in the summer, and air conditioning in the house is incredibly common.
However, despite the fact that British summers can really heat up these days, AC is super rare.
According to UK government figures cited by Time, "One in six homes in England date from before 1900, while 46% were built between 1930 and 1982" — periods where air conditioning either wasn't available or wasn't common.
While some newer builds have it, of the six properties I've lived in since moving to London in 2013, only one of them had air conditioning, and my situation is certainly not unique.
During the hot summer months, fans become your best friend.
Paying council tax
When you sign a lease on a flat in the UK, you have to pay council tax on top of your rent and utility bills — and it can be a shock to the system when you realize how much it is.
The money goes towards the services provided by your local council, such as maintenance or rubbish collection.
The amount you pay depends on the valuation of your home and how much your local council charges, according to the UK government — which is largely impacted by the neighbourhood you live in.
I currently pay £118.47 (about $200 CAD) in council tax alone — and that's with a discount for living solo.
Prawn cocktail crisps (and prawn sandwiches)
Brits love things that are prawn-flavored, such as prawn cocktail crisps (potato chips that are quite literally coated in Marie Rose sauce flavor) or even prawn sandwiches, which are pretty popular.
A lot of my Canadian friends find this pretty gross — and I have to say I'm not a fan.
I'll take a cheese and onion crisp or sandwich (another British favorite) any day, though.
No coffee creamer
Coffee creamer is a staple part of North American culture. Whether it's Silk Almond (the best) or Coffee-Mate (drinkable), a lot of Canadians are used to having a splash of the sugary goodness in their morning cup of java.
It simply does not exist in the UK, though — and is something I always buy and cart back every time I'm in Canada.
Eggs stored in the cupboard
On the topic of weird foodstuff, it's surprising the first time you see eggs stored on a shelf and not in a fridge at the grocery store, whereas, in Canada, they'd always be found in the chilled section.
"The difference is linked to the way that eggs are farmed and processed in the US compared with in the UK and other European nations," according to Business Insider.
Still, I choose to keep mine in the fridge when I get them home, just out of habit.
The tiny roads
One of London's colourful — and narrow — roads.
Ali Millington | Narcity
British roads are incredibly narrow, and adjusting to driving on them — or even being a passenger when a car is trying to navigate a tight space — can take some time.
"There are no large lanes anywhere," one friend noticed.
No plugs in bathrooms
In most UK bathrooms, you're unlikely to find an actual power outlet, which makes using a hairdryer or straightener in front of a mirror pretty tricky. There are usually shaver-supply units, though, which can feel a bit bizarre.
However, apparently, it all comes down to electrical safety. According to sparksdirect.co.uk, "Electrical installations in bathrooms must comply with special requirements that are explained in Part P of the UK Building Regulations."
The site adds, "Socket outlets should not be permitted in bathrooms or shower rooms (apart from shaver-supply units). This is unless they can be fitted a minimum distance of three metres from the bath or shower."
Tiny fridges
Many kitchens in London have tiny fridges.
In the effort of saving space in small apartments, a lot of flats in London also don't have full-sized fridges.
North American culture tends to rely on doing one big grocery shop a week and "stocking up", including plenty of meal prep and freezing leftovers.
This is pretty tricky when you only have a mini fridge and a tiny box freezer to work with, though — so you get used to hitting the grocery store multiple times a week.
British slang
It's easy to assume that Canadian and British English would be pretty much the same, but this assumption would be very wrong.
British slang is in a league of its own, and some phrases outright confuse Canadians living in the UK.
"Particularly people saying 'you alright?' as hello," one Canadian friend shared with me. "The amount of times I’m at my desk being like 'yeah, do I not look okay?'"
How quickly food seems to expire
As one friend shared, "Food in the UK expires quicker than in Canada, but you can also get two bags of groceries for £30 vs $120 in Canada."
While I'm grateful for the cheaper groceries overall, it's true that I often find myself throwing things out that have spoiled before I've had the chance to eat them (an issue made even worse by the lack of freezer space).
While there's no hard evidence to back this up, it seems we're not the only ones who have noticed the issue, according to one Reddit thread, which references more preservatives used in American food.
My friend added that it's possible things have a shorter shelf life because "we're on an island so lots [of food is] imported, and it takes more time logically."
Roll-on or spray deodorant
A deodorant aisle in a UK store.
Artur Szczybylo | Dreamstime.com
Brits love a spray-on or roll-on (note: wet) deodorant, which is a serious adjustment.
While I’ve tried to get on board with both over the years, neither cut it for me and have never felt as effective as the stick deodorant we're used to in North America.
I stock up on Lady Speed Stick every time I’m in Canada, because who doesn’t love smelling like watermelon or strawberries when they sweat?
Lower expectations from hospitality
"With hospitality in Canada we expect more," one friend said. "If the food is cold, we’d send it back, or we’d be more honest about how we liked it. Here, they’d never — they’d just wait for hours and if the food didn't come, they'd never say anything."
Cheap — and fast — travel
An easyJet plane from London to Zakynthos, Greece.
Ali Millington | Narcity
One thing you'll never get over as a Canadian living in the UK? "The fact you can be in Paris in two hours for only £50-70 vs. waiting in two hours of traffic just to get from Hamilton to Toronto," as one friend put it.
While the super-cheap European flights of the past seem to be becoming fewer and far between, it's still possible to get a bargain on a flight "from London to Amsterdam, and you can’t even take a GO train from Toronto to Ajax."
"Another thing is going long distances in a car," another friend added. "I feel like In Canada everywhere is like a two-hour drive whereas here things are just closer. I feel like Canadians are always shocked at how three-hour travel basically gets you to the other side of the country."
How unfriendly Londoners can be
While the Brits may be conflict-averse, the vibe you'll often get from those from bigger cities like London can sometimes verge on unfriendly — which is a major adjustment for Canadians.
"Walking down the street, if someone bumped into you, they don’t even turn around or flinch. As a Canadian, you turn around and apologize and say sorry," one friend shared.
The obsession with Sunday roasts
A Sunday roast in a London pub.
Ali Millington | Narcity
The ritual of cooking or going to the pub for a roast dinner on Sundays never gets old, but it's something many Canadians think is a bit much until they actually get involved in the tradition.
"I'll never get over how good it is," one friend said.
How to send money to someone
In the UK, you send money digitally to friends or family by asking for their account information (account number and sort code).
"Bank sort codes vs. email E-transfer really does seem to confuse everyone," one friend told me.
How massive London actually is
One thing Canadians never get over? "How big London actually is compared to Toronto," one friend said.
London has an estimated population of 9,648,110, according to World Population Review, while Toronto's is estimated at 2,903,456.
"Also, how far you can go on the tube compared to the dreadful TTC," they added.
How hard it is to get football tickets
"You can't buy tickets to football matches unless you’re a supporter," one friend noted, which means unless you know someone with season tickets, you're often out of luck.
It's extremely hard to get Premier League football tickets because there's typically more demand than supply — and club members get first dibs, as noted by seatunique.com.
Breakfast sandwiches, in general
Finally, Brits love a breakfast "bap" — which at its most simple, is usually bacon (and maybe butter) on a bread roll.
However, North American-style breakfast sandwiches are hard to find.
"You can't get egg, bacon, and cheese — you can only get egg and meat, or meat, but not all three," one friend complained.
