I’m a Canadian living in the UK – these are the nine weird things British people do that they think are completely normal
A Canadian woman who has lived in Britain for the past seven years has revealed nine things British people do that are considered normal but she finds strange.
YouTuber Alana, who is in her 30s and known on the platform as Adventures and Naps, invited others to share their thoughts before jumping straight to her list.
According to Alana, number one on her list is the prevalence of caterpillar cakes.
She said in her video, “IIt is completely reasonable to buy a caterpillar cake – and everyone knows who it is…
‘I just think it’s so cute, funny and crazy that we as a population all know who the caterpillar is.
She added: “Everyone knows he’s just part of the family until you eat him. Naturally.
YouTuber Alana, known on the platform as Adventures and Naps, invited others to share their thoughts before jumping straight into her list
Continuing, she said: ‘Number two, something strange that Brits do and think is normal is consuming some of the most creative sandwiches I’ve ever seen.
‘Can I interest you in a French fry? Yes, that’s a sandwich with chips on the inside, as the name suggests. Now I have to say again that I made one of those… and I understand it.”
She added: “There’s something absurd about a chip butty. I think we can all agree, but we can also agree that they are fantastic. You can also eat a Pot Noodle sandwich.
‘Or how about a fish fingers sandwich. The British just have an incredible amount of sandwiches… I just think it’s fantastic that you can put whatever you want between two slices of bread and it’s done.’
According to Alana, number three on her list gets “cow names from strangers.”
She said: ‘I remember very vividly when I first moved to Britain. I think I even talked about it in a video where I felt very uncomfortable when strangers called me love or sweetheart or something like that because I inherently saw that as condescending.
According to Alana, the strangest thing about British culture is the prevalence of caterpillar cakes
Another unusual British custom for the YouTuber is the chip butty – she suggested she was a fan of the sandwich, but it was unknown to her
‘When you hear that in North America, it sometimes comes across that way. But of course that’s not what this is about. So it’s not unusual to hear a slew of pet names from complete strangers and often from people you’ll never see again.
‘Love. Wonderful, darling… for a while I was a bit turned off by it… now I’m completely in love with it. I think it’s very sweet.’
Then Alana said she first encountered number four when she went to (her) very first beer festival.”
It was in a video she shared online, asking viewers what the activity of the people in the video was.
Alana said: “Everyone in the comments said, it’s clearly Morris dancing. So I had a bit of a Googling…and it is described as a form of Anglo-English folk dance. Fascinating.
It was in a video she shared online, asking viewers what the activity of the people in the video was
‘It goes without saying that I have never seen that in Canada or America. I’ve just never seen it. But I say that even though I’ve seen it several times here in Britain. especially at festivals, events or those kinds of trips. And even though it’s a little weird… I really appreciate that people are still doing it.”
Moving on to her next point, Alana said, “Number five is what I simply call ‘sun-kissed shirts off.’
‘So here in Britain…how can I describe this?
“Well, quite simply: when the sun shines, men take off their shirts whether they want to or not.”
She concluded: ‘There is a section of the British population that takes part in the sun, the shirt comes off as soon as the sun shines, the moment it is even remotely nice outside, men take off a shirt – and they often look like Town Centre.’
Number six was less controversial. As Alana explained, she has so many friends who do it that she started doing it herself.
She said, “When you’re ready to go, when you’re ready to leave an event, or a friend’s house or whatever, you clap on your knees and say, ‘Okay, we can just better leave.”
‘Either you clap your knees and say, ‘You better go,’ or you clap your knees and say, ‘Wow, is this the moment we should move on?’
“There’s something about a knocked knee that’s like that integral part of British culture. And I know so many people do it without thinking. I now do it without thinking and to be honest, it’s a really great visual cue.’
Her seventh was one she described as “very confusing.”
Alana explained, “Let me explain. Sometimes you will find that when a British person is very polite to someone, he or she hates that person.
‘On the other hand, if you hear a Brit calling someone every name under the sun, it means he or she loves him or her.
“The chatter in this country is unbelievable. And this banter among friends can be very confusing.
Number eight on our list was simpler, and simply that in Britain, when it’s someone’s birthday, they often bring cakes and treats.
At home she was used to people getting together and bringing something tasty for the birthday boy or girl.
The ninth and last on the list was one that may seem familiar to many.
According to Alana: ‘Number nine…it’s basically the way (Brits) say goodbye – “Okay. It was so nice talking to you. Goodbye. Goodbye, goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.” Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.”
She added, “I love how long the goodbyes last…I love it. How often do you say goodbye when you’re trying to end a conversation?’