Written by Mark Neville
No matter where we move to, whether it’s from the suburbs of New York to the Big Apple, from Chicago to Boston, or from San Francisco to Singapore, there are always going to be a few misconceptions out there that will, at best, get you tagged as a tourist and, at worst, lead to you offend the entire country. Here are the myths you need to dispel before moving to the UK.
Top 5 Myths About Living In The UK:
- The UK is just England and Scotland, right? Wrong, the UK includes England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and–the one most Americans commonly forget–Wales.
- There is only one “accent” in England. Wrong again. Just as people from the Bronx have a different accent than, say, Long Island or Atlanta, Georgia, so too are the accents of England different. Most accents have to do with class and location and can change significantly over the course of a 45 minute drive: see The Beatles trademark Liverpool accents as compared to Steve Coogan’s Manchester lilt.
- Everyone loves Fish and Chips. While many do love the popular pub food Americans have associated as possibly the one and only dish served in England, the most popular food in the UK is actually curry. The penchant for the exotic flavor has to do with the country’s former imperial relationship with India.
- No ice for your cocktail! This myth has thankfully faded away for many gin and tonic drinkers out there. You can now expect most of your cocktails to come with ice–though you should know that your beer will be a litter warmer than the ice cold taste of the Rockies. The good news is that it will have more flavor as the home of the Extra Special Bitter, Brown ale and IPA!
- All rain all the time. While England is certainly a rainy place (most islands usually are) not every day is a gloomy, Seattle-soaked day. Many days the rain will come in a brief afternoon shower offsetting a gorgeous sunny day.
