An American woman living in London has revealed the English habits that may surprise Americans, from our lemonade to our unhealthy obsession with panel shows.
Originally from California, Andrea Celeste has amassed around 186,400 followers by broadcasting her 18-part series about the mind-boggling things we Brits do.
Over the course of these videos, she has offered advice to potential American expats on what to expect from British life when venturing across the pond, having lived in Britain herself for eight years.
In her ninth episode, she discussed our strange lemonade habits, an unhealthy obsession with panel shows — and the surprising similarity we share with our American cousins.
In the videowhich now has around 1.3 million views, the TikToker candidly lounges in a bedroom with a Starbucks nearby.
Andrea Celeste (pictured) coaches Americans on the do’s and don’ts of living in England after spending the past eight years here
The Californian looks straight into the camera and plows straight ahead, explaining the first of many strange British customs.
First on the list is lemonade. Andrea explains: ‘If you order lemonade at a restaurant in England, you get a carbonated lemon-flavoured drink.
“In the US you get what the British call cloudy lemonade, a sugary, lemony drink that is not carbonated.”
In Great Britain and Australia, if you order a glass of cold lemonade, you will usually be offered a carbonated soft drink.
But this is not the case for Americans who tend to serve traditional, non-carbonated lemonade at food stands to make some extra money during the summer months.
Americans in the comments were stunned, with one writing, “I would be so disappointed if I asked for lemonade and got lemon seltzer instead.”
Another maintained US supremacy in carbonated drinks, noting: ‘American lemonade is superior and I will die on that hill.’
Another difference the American expat mentioned was Britain’s obsession with chocolate eggs during Easter celebrations.
She told viewers that Americans have a greater affinity for chocolate-shaped bunnies than eggs.
Disappointed that some American treats were still not commonplace, Andrea added: ‘Peeps haven’t made it to England yet either, but I hope they will soon.’
The Californian noted the British’s obsession with panel shows featuring a similar selection of comedians. She also advised Americans on the fact that British lemonade tends to be carbonated, unlike the sweet drink they are used to
However, not everyone was a fan of the American sweet, with one writing: ‘I had peeps for the first time this Easter. It was very clear why they didn’t reach Britain.’
Someone said: ‘My dad used to send me peeps when he lived in the US and they were disgustingly sweet. I had to throw them away.’
But according to the influencer, we don’t just differ in what we eat and drink or how we celebrate religious events, we also vary considerably in our broadcasting habits.
Andrea shared in a video that now has around 127,800 likes that while Americans have panel shows, the obsession is nowhere near that of Brits.
She said: ‘Panel shows are all over TV in England. They usually have a lot of the same comedians on different panel shows, like 8 Out of 10 Cats, QI and Would I Lie to you.”
The Californian also noted an additional TV custom that differs from the other side of the Atlantic: the watershed.
In Britain we have a turning point: material deemed unsuitable for children should not be broadcast between 9pm and 5.30am.
Andrea went on to say about the broadcast line: “If you’re interested in what that means, look up Naked Attraction.”
Some were shocked that the US didn’t have a watershed and said, ‘Wait, the US doesn’t have a watershed?! That’s crazy.’
While another replied: ‘We do it, it’s just more restrictive in what can be broadcast unless you pay for it. There’s just no general term for it.’
The US does not have a watershed, but it does have federal legislation that imposes restrictions and bans on the broadcast of certain content.
Under US federal law, all obscene content may not be broadcast, but profane or indecent content may only be shown between the hours of 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM.
Profane content is described as ‘grossly offensive’ language, while indecent material is defined as depicting ‘sexual or excretory organs or activities in a way that is patently offensive’.
540 people took to the comments to debate the cultural differences between the two countries on opposite sides of the Atlantic, many shocked by the charring of English lemonade, while others wanted to try their hand at a car boot sale
But the US and Britain also have some similarities when it comes to how we get rid of our old tattoo, according to Andrea.
She told viewers: ‘In England instead of garage sales you have car boot sales, it’s the same concept, but in a field you sell things from your car boot or a truck.’
The TikToker explained that while she had both seen similar sales methods in the two countries, car boot sales were more popular in Britain, while garage sales are more common in the land of the free.
One person living in Britain reasoned: ‘That’s only because most houses here don’t have garages.’
While another said: ‘The car boot sale looks fun!’