Bizarre English Things I Can’t Get Used To

I just don’t get it. 

So, I’m originally from New York City and I’m currently living in the beautiful coastal town of Falmouth in the south western part of England for university. Ever since I first got here on the 2nd of October in 2015, I’ve encountered some pretty bizarre stuff while being here. Eating beans for breakfast, not putting my eggs in the fridge, and calling crêpes ‘pancakes’ are just some of the things that I can’t get used to. 

Beans on toast. 

I’m sorry, we all know this is weird. Because of my Latin American heritage, beans are only eaten for lunch and dinner— not for breakfast. English people can’t seem to get enough of baked beans and I don’t understand the love for it over on soggy toast. A full English breakfast is really delicious but hold the beans please. 

Driving on the wrong side of the road. 

Driving on the left is just weird and wrong and everytime I go back to the U.S., trying to remember which side cars are coming from gets really annoying and is really dangerous. While I’m on a bus here in Falmouth or anywhere in Cornwall, it literally feels like we’re going to crash since I’m so used to being on the right side of the road. We Americans also literally drive on the right side. 

Sinks with two separate faucets. 

In every English home I’ve ever been in, there has always been two separate faucets for hot water and cold water (with the exception of some kitchens). While washing my hands, I usually have to use the cold water and risk having numb joints and fingers because the hot water that comes out of the other faucet is connected to Satan’s water main in Hell. It’s just too hot. It seriously makes no sense to have a double faucet and it’s weird to me that both hot and cold water won’t be combined into one. 

Calling crêpes ‘pancakes’.

CRÊPES. ARE. NOT. PANCAKES. Once Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday rolls around, advertisements of crêpes labled as ‘pancakes’ make me die a little bit inside. 

There are tons of other weird things about England that I don’t understand so there will probably be a part two to this feature. Anyway, I love living in such a pretty place like Falmouth and I can really appreciate the way of life back home in N.Y.C.

• britain
• british
• english
• food
• u.k
• weird