You might think England is just plain old England, but this American tourist's Facebook post will make you see it in a whole new way. Mainly a very hilarious way.
66-year-old Scott Waters came over on holiday this summer and when he got back to Florida, he decided to share some of what he'd learnt with his friends and family.
The list has now been shared over 50k times and features all sorts of LOL observations on things like food, culture and the law. Oh and of course money: "Their cash makes ours look like Monopoly money."
Scott also nails some key historical facts. "5,000 year ago, someone arranged a lot of rocks all over, but no one is sure why." I mean… it's true. He adds: "Everything is generally older, smaller and shorter" and "Many doorknobs, buildings and tools are older than America."
Some of the things he noticed are so random (but correct), we can kind of understand why Americans think we're weird. "Instead of turning the heat up, you put on a jumper." Yep.
He's also provided some handy translations:
- Cake is is pudding, ice cream is pudding, anything served for desert is pudding, even pudding
- Pants are called "trousers", underwear are "pants" and sweaters are "jumpers"
- "Fanny" is a naughty word, as is "shag"
- Cookies are "biscuits" and potato chips are "crisps"
- The universal greeting is 'Cheers' (pronounced 'cheeahz' unless you are from Cornwall, then it's 'chairz')
LOLs aside though, it's hard not to read this without feeling pretty proud of our country and some of the things we often take for granted.
- The trains work: a three minute delay is regrettable
- There are a lot of healthy old folks around participating in life instead of hiding at home watching TV
- It's not unusual to see people dressed different and speaking different languages
- If you're over 60, you get free TV and bus and rail passes
- Their healthcare works, but they still bitch about it
- There are no guns
- People don't seem to be afraid of their neighbours or the government
- Beer comes in large, completely filled, actual pint glasses
Scott, whose great-grandfather emigrated from Cornwall to Michigan in the ate 1800s, travelled around Cornwall, Leicestershire and Oxford. "This was my fourth visit," he told BuzzFeed. "Last time I stayed for three months. It was also my girlfriend's first time outside of London so I wanted her to really see the country up close."
He clearly got to know England very well, because he has successfully identified the most important point of all: "Cake is one of the major food groups." Damn right.
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