We’re Americans who lived in the UK for six months – these are the 11 things we miss the most about Britain
An American couple who lived in Britain for six months reveal the 11 ‘unique’ things about the country they miss most.
And one or two of the entries may surprise some Brits.
Cara Atwell and Jeremy Davis – currently in Portland, Oregon – posted a video on their ‘Magic Geekdom’ YouTube channel looking back at the things they miss about Britain after spending six months there.
It has racked up over 100,000 views and hundreds of comments.
The list is in no particular order, but they did reveal to MailOnline Travel what they miss most, revealed here at the end.
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Fossil hunt
Cara fondly remembers fossil hunting in Dorset, where they explored the ‘beautiful and amazing’ Jurassic Coast.
While they were there, she reveals that they had a lot of fun looking for fossils – and found what they thought was a fossilized sea urchin. Cara adds, “(Fossil hunting) is just so cool.
Cara Atwell and Jeremy Davis (above) – currently in Portland, Oregon – posted a video to their ‘Magic Geekdom’ YouTube channel looking back at the things they miss about Britain after spending six months there
Cara fondly remembers fossil hunting in Dorset, where they explored the ‘beautiful and amazing’ Jurassic Coast
‘You can do it in so many places.’
Pub culture
“We have pubs here (in the US), but it’s not quite the same,” says Jeremy.
‘(In Britain) people socialize, hang out and eat food – you can meet really cool people. I feel like this is not what is happening in the US. There’s not the same sense of friendliness here.”
Fish and chips
Cara laments that fish and chips in America “aren’t real fish and chips.” Above – ‘real’ British fish and chips
“We have fish and chips in the US,” says Cara.
‘But it’s not real fish and chips. It’s just not that. We don’t take that nice big fish fillet and put it on those nice thick fries.’
British food in general
Cara misses British food in general and chooses Cornish pasties, scones and clotted cream as some of the things she enjoyed in Britain
The couple also reveal how they miss British scones, clotted cream and Cornish pasties.
Quality of food
“The quality of the food is so much better in Britain,” says Cara, and Jeremy adds: “I feel like when you go to a restaurant in the US, especially a chain restaurant, you can see that it’s not is really fresh, that they are boiled in a bag, such a sad thing.’ In Britain, he says, it is easier to find “home-cooked food”.
‘Picky bits’
British ‘fussy bits’, Cara and Jeremy explain, are hordeuvres, including cheeses, crackers and biscuits, with Cara adding that other favorites in this category include Spanish tortilla (omelette) and baked camembert. The latter, says Cara, “changed my life.”
Sheep – and the countryside
Cara says: ‘When I close my eyes and think of a peaceful, beautiful place, I imagine the English, Welsh and Scottish countryside (they haven’t reached Northern Ireland yet)’
“We have sheep in the US, but you don’t drive down a country road and see sheep,” says Cara. “You might see some cows, some horses, maybe a goat – but when was the last time you drove down a country road in the US and saw a field of sheep? It may seem strange to people in Britain, but we just don’t have that (sheep).” They are also fans of the English countryside.
Cara adds: “When I close my eyes and think of a peaceful, beautiful place, I imagine the English, Welsh and Scottish countryside (they haven’t reached Northern Ireland yet).” And Jeremy notes that older buildings in Britain found in rural areas are ‘given more respect’.
More pet friendly
The couple noted that traveling with their dog Carly was “so easy.”
Cara noted that “everything was so easy” when they traveled around with their dog Carly. “Traveling with her was easy, and overall I felt like there were not only places that were more open to having dogs, but that there were often people who were much more interactive with her.”
Markets
“London has so many,” says Cara. ‘There are so many beautiful markets in Britain. I feel like it’s so underrated.”
British slang
Cara reveals that she prefers ‘parking’ to ‘parking lot’ and ‘elevator’ to elevator, while Jeremy admits he misses ‘putting things in the trunk’ (instead of in the trunk).
Cara adds: ‘I love that we all speak English, yet our English is so different.’
However, what the couple misses most is the people.
They explain, “We both agree that what we miss most are the people, including the daily interactions that are harder to meet in the US.
‘For example, in Britain we went to the supermarket almost every day, talking to people as we walked there, next to the people we met in the store.
‘In the US it is much more common to drive to the supermarket and shop only once a week, probably because we tend to have larger refrigerators and use more preservatives in our food.
“Once we got back to the US, we realized how many fewer interactions we have with people on a regular basis and it was one of the more difficult adjustments.”
Cara and Jeremy post on social media as The Magic Geekdom. They can be found at www.instagram.com/themagicgeekdom; twitter.com/magicgeekdom; www.tiktok.com/@themagicgeekdom; www.youtube.com/@TheMagicGeekdom And www.facebook.com/themagicgeekdom.