Spending our ‘Best Of British’ week in New York has got me all patriotic and UK-proud all of a sudden. America is great, but there are some things that Britain will always do better.
Here are some things I miss ……
British sense of humour
I miss sarcasm, the real British sarcasm that we all take so much for granted in the UK.
TV
Commercial breaks are not meant to last longer than TV programmes and in the USA that’s how it feels. Additionally, the majority of TV freely accessible is dominated by Keeping Up With The Karashians, The Bachelor and Real Housewives Of somewhere or other. I miss British television, like late night showings of Rude Tube and The Inbetweeners. I’m craving Sherlock, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, BBC News and This Morning. Nobody does good TV like Britain.
Being asked for a “Cuppa”
Ok so maybe I don’t like English breakfast tea but I’m still a fan of the idea that a good cuppa (herbal for me), can make your problems seem far away, even if only for a few minutes! A cup of tea seems to be the standard British solution to everything. If ever in doubt over how to make a situation better, stick the kettle on!
Marks and Spencer
I miss food that is “not just any food”. I LOVE M&S and America fall short in that department. They have Wholefoods, Trader Joes, Fairways….but none of these equate to the legend that is Marks and Spencer.
Countryside
New York is the flattest place I’ve ever been. For someone who lives in the countryside and goes to university in hilly Durham, it’s far removed from what I’m used to. Is a little steep gradient too much to ask for?! I miss good old British countryside with livestock grazing away – the only animals I see here are dogs, rats and cockroaches. No cows, sheep, horses…I’m missing animal diversity. The one green part of New York is Central Park but there’s always so many people there that it doesn’t quite serve as the escape that British countryside does, for someone in need of peace and quiet.