Every place you travel will have new things you love, some things that are different, and some things you will crave and miss from your home country ~
Besides the obvious of missing family and friends, let’s take look at other things I miss ~
Driving on the “right” side of the road — this is a tough one, even as a passenger. When my son and a friend visited, they had anxiety too. As a passenger, the cars are passing you on the “wrong” side. It appears that you’ll be hit head on when turning at an intersection. And the ever present rotaries (roundabouts) are always a challenge. I can’t count how many times I’ve gone to get in the car and positioned myself at the wrong side of the car! I’ve taken some driving lessons, passed my written test (theory test), and have an appointment in mid-May for my on the road exam. The pass rate is about 53% for first time test takers! I’ll let you know how that goes!!
Automatic drive vehicles — a majority of the vehicles in Brit country are manual transmissions, the ever challenging “stick shift”. The gas mileage is better and because the roads are narrow and congested, smaller vehicles are the norm. Manual transmissions give more “get up and go” for these smaller vehicles. When I booked my driving lessons, it was difficult to find an instructor who taught on an automatic car! Now, I have driven manual transmissions in the past (I even taught my sister-on-law back in Yank country how to drive a “stick shift”), but I thought I had enough on my plate learning to drive on the left side of the road and didn’t need the added distraction of shifting! An important note though, the Brit drivers license is specific as to an automatic or manual vehicle. When I take my test on an automatic vehicle (and pass of course!), I will be issued a “Class B” license, which only allows me to drive automatic cars!
24-hour stores — okay, so you’re a Yank, it’s Wednesday, 7:30 P.M., and you feel like a little retail therapy. Or maybe your fridge is empty, and you have some energy to do a little grocery shopping and cater to your impulse appetite. You head to the closest grocery store, Kohl’s, Target, Walmart or T.J. Maxx. By the time you get there, you’ll probably have about 2 hours or so of shopping time! You may even have a Super Walmart open 24 hours a day that has both retail and grocery items! In Brit country, your retail and grocery shops will most likely close around 5 P.M. Maybe 8:00 if you’re really lucky. You could find an “express” shop with limited food items that will stay open until 11 P.M.
Restaurants open late — Feel like popping in for a bite at 9 P.M., maybe after your retail therapy? And having a full menu available? And serving all day long? Not so much in Brit country. In Yank country most restaurants open at 11:00 A.M. and if they serve lunch and dinner, the kitchen may remain open until 10 or 11 P.M. In Brit country, some restaurants only serve breakfast and maybe a light lunch and close at 1 or 2 P.M. Some full service restaurants may open at 11 A.M. and serve lunch, but will close from maybe 3-6 P.M. when they will re-open with a dinner menu and the kitchen may close at 8:30 or 9 P.M. When my youngest son was here for a visit, he was surprised we had to plan our meal times and couldn’t just get something to eat whenever the urge hit!
Mozzarella sticks — Fried cheese! This delight is on almost EVERY Yank restaurant menu as a starter, usually served with a marinara dipping sauce. Mozzarella cheese, breaded and deep fat fried! Sounds healthy right?
Bread with meals — Restaurants in Yank country almost ALWAYS serve bread and butter prior to serving your entree. It is complimentary and sometimes even served warm and fresh from the oven! I noticed in Brit country bread is usually on the menu as a “nibbler”, a pre-starter! However, hubby and I had a lunch last weekend at a cafe in Lyme Regis, and they DID bring out a basket of bread and butter before the meal! WOOHOO!! Very unusual though.
Free refills — in Yank country many restaurants offer free refills for soft drinks (soda, lemonade, iced tea, etc.). I have yet to see that happen here in Brit country.
Bottomless fries — OK, so this isn’t a “norm” in Yank restaurants, but some do offer “bottomless fries”. One of my husbands fave places to grab a burger is Red Robin. This is a chain restaurant, specializing in all kinds of burgers. And yes, meals come with French Fries (chips), and you get free basket refills!
BACON — yes, we have bacon her in Brit country. But it is more like a Canadian bacon in my eyes. Thicker, not as much “fat”, more like a thin slice of ham. Some restaurants and grocery stores do have the Yank version. and if you can find it here in Brit country, it is called “streaky” bacon.
Just a few things mentioned that I miss! Any other Yanks reading this post living in )or traveled to) another country–pop me an email, leave me a comment, and let me know what you miss!!
I have a few other posts noted below that go into more detail on some of the topics above. Take a look:
https://yankeebrit.blog/2023/01/16/shoppinggroceries-clothing-diy/
https://yankeebrit.blog/2023/01/15/yummy-yank-food-items-not-found-in-england/
https://yankeebrit.blog/2023/02/01/rotaries-roundabouts-traffic-circles/
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