Over the years, many Americans have come forward and listed what they find weird about our dear island.
Yes it rains all the time, there are no guns, we drive on the left, gravy goes on just about everything (if you're from northern England), and we have about 700 different ways of saying 'hello' - but you'll struggle to find anyone who'll lie down and concede that Old Blighty isn't the greatest place on earth. It might be a shithole, but it's our shithole.
An American named Ivy Lee answers a question that was posted on Quora, which asked: What do the British do better than the Americans?
Advert
Ivy listed 23 things, and each one was pretty spot on. Straight off the bat, she points out that we call them beef burgers, instead of hamburgers, because why on earth would we call it something that it's not?
Credit: Quora
Going back to her comment about football, and not soccer, she's completely right. Their version of football involves helmets, a leather egg and about 10 percent use of the feet, confirming that someone did a fat line of the Bolivian marching powder before jumping on a table and shouting 'RIGHT - Football, that's what we'll call it'.
Credit: Quora
Advert
While producing Coldplay and The Darkness isn't exactly the thing that fuels that 'proud to be British' feeling, we are very proud of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. As for her comments about our free health care, while it is amazing and the best in the world, it's currently on a slippery slope.
Her most important point, though, is 20. "They make better and greater varieties of chocolates, cheeses, cakes, alcoholic beverages and dishes." Too right. The fact that some bloke somewhere is just putting different things into chocolate just to see how it turns out is a testament to how much we value it. And as for cheese, well it goes on everything - maybe even chocolate as well.
The point she raises about alcoholic beverages is also true. Someone, somewhere along the line, was obviously torn between buying lager and cider. In order to end his troubles, he then decided that he'd fuse the two together and call it a Snakebite. Genius.
Credit: Quora
Advert
The final three entries on the list are arguably the most important. Across the UK, it's common knowledge that if you don't get sarcasm or struggle to use it yourself, then you more than likely have no friends. Our self-deprecating humour is also something that's become a stamp of authority in our country, because if you're willing to admit to yourself that your entire life is a car crash and that the majority of the time the highlight of the day is rigorous masturbation, then you can take anything anyone else says with a pinch of salt.
The fact she has also pointed out how our politeness and profanity works in equal measures is great. We're the pioneers of making: 'Nice one mate, you fucking beautiful dickhead!', a genuine form of thankfulness.
Point 23 can easily be argued about for hours on end, as up and down the country there are odd accents. For example, the Brummie accent tips the scales in the direction of being unattractive, but some soft Welsh dialects help to balance that out.
Featured image credit: PA
Featured Image Credit: