LIST: Things about The UK you wish you had known

Actually, I don't think a stranger giving me a compliment is "weird" at all. In fact, in the past when it's occurred to me it was well-received and made me feel good  I guess it's just a personal preference thing. I wouldn't give a stranger a compliment myself though, because I'm more reserved/quiet. Maybe when I originally commented on this topic, I should have kept my mouth shut and left the stranger bit out! 

Karlee-I see you're in Ohio. Could it be a midwest or a small town  thing?

I never really thought of that, maybe it is. After all, the U.S. is huge and there are differences region by region.

I have been complimented here by complete strangers! 

Once was in a coffee shop, by an old guy who said I had the nicest smile he'd ever seen.  Ok maybe that was creepy/pervy? 

I think I must have received compliments in the US at some point, but not enough for me to remember it as an everyday sort of occurrence.  It might be a regional thing, here or there! 

I'm originally from a tiny village in SW PA and everyone there is ludicrously friendly. When you're in the shops, most women just refer to everyone else as hon or honey. There was a point in my life, esp after I had moved to southern CA, where it creeped me out a bit but now I think it's nice.  

Or maybe my outfits just aren't fabulous enough.

Surely not! 

Afraid I'm another one who thinks the compliments thing is weird, but I guess it's down to where you come from and what you're used to.  I would be suspicious of a random stranger who complimented me, but not with friends and colleagues.

Maybe when I originally commented on this topic, I should have kept my mouth shut and left the stranger bit out! 

Nah, it's all good!    We've just all got our own perspectives.  It seems like every single post on UKY, from every single person can be classed as 'YUMV' (Your UKExperience May Vary!)   I would encourage everyone to keep posting interesting perspectives, I always love to learn how the world sees things in all kinds of way.

Personally, I get complimented all the time from random strangers on the street. Mostly about how amazingly gorgeous my blue- fleece lined wool coat is.  I like it!  

I think back in Philly I did get compliments from strangers (on my hair, clothes, jewellry), Philly is a big city which is really a city of small neighborhoods, so can feel a bit small-town sometimes in a good way.

I've never gotten complimented by a stranger in the UK, but I'm older now and dress less interestingly and no longer have below the waist-length hair so maybe 'cause I'm more boring now that's the reason? 

I will always compliment people, I make a point of it, if you've got something nice in your head about someone, let them know as it will make their day and they may pass that nice feeling along to someone else.

I will always compliment people, I make a point of it, if you've got something nice in your head about someone, let them know as it will make their day and they may pass that nice feeling along to someone else.

I completely agree with this! 

I will always compliment people, I make a point of it, if you've got something nice in your head about someone, let them know as it will make their day and they may pass that nice feeling along to someone else.

This is great!!!

hehe, complimenting people here amuses me.  I don't think it's common as I have told various women I like their shoes and they look at me in surprise and thank me as if they have no idea why I would say that.  But let's face it, if you've got a great pair of shoes on, don't you want everyone to notice? 

If you are moving to London and want a 2 bedroom....don't bring your furniture!!! (or your cat for that matter, but that's another subject). My husband's company was paying for the move, so we decided to bring EVERYTHING! We came from a small NYC apartment, so it's not like we had loads of stuff, but here most landlords furnish the flats and are pretty reluctant when it comes to getting the furniture out. We finally found an unfurnished one after 4 weeks of research and viewings.

...on the egg subject, I love the eggs here! It was weird at first to find them on the shelf and not in the refrigerated section, but they are so good. Your average grocery shop egg is on par with the fresh-from-the-farmers ones I would buy in New York
 

I read through several pages so I hope no one has mentioned this yet.  If you are forgetful when shopping for meals....write a list and check it several times before leaving the shop.  When over the last time I was making dinner....err tea....on Sunday night and had forgotten to get a tomato for the meal.  We drove around for an hour looking for anywhere to be open. Hubby has been living with me for 10 years in the US. All the shops close at 4 on Sundays.  Finally we found a Tesco express that was open.  However we were the only ones in there or on the streets and the clerk was annoyed that we were in there on a Sunday after 4.

Totally agree with the bathroom window above the sink and the incredibly small stove/oven.  When I get over there we are redoing the kitchen to make it American sized

Wow.
There are a lot of things. So far I have only been on extended visits, but as my husband was 'fresh off the boat', as it were, when when I met him here in Atlanta 7 years ago, there was a LOT to get used to, language and culture-wise.

I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes at my future in-laws on my first visit.  As a person with extreme allergies [and the hubs' are even worse than mine!], I was shocked at all the mold, dust and general dirtiness of everyone's house.  Even 'clean' folks never washed their duvets or used mattress or pillow covers.  I'm not a clean freak, but with my allergies I have to, ya know. I suppose my worldview is somewhat skewed on this matter, but Everyone I visited [with the exception of my father in law], had houses so dusty and moldy and dirty that I couldn't bear to be there for too long.

And don't get me started on the dishwashing thing. You rinse the dishes not to make them 'cleaner' but to wash off the toxic SOAP you just put them in. Don't these people realize they're all dying of cancer because they've been eating their food off of chemical covered plates all these years?  I don't mind the dirty teapot At least it doesn't have dishsoap residue in it. [And I only get huffy about this because I've spent years eliminating chemicals from my life and then my MIL got cancer and I got on her about the rinsing thing].

Speech and Language: My husband is from East Yorkshire, so I'll add a few I've had a hard time with...
Dinner is what they call Lunch [MIL: 'At school we had dinner!'], so
Tea is what you eat in the evening.  Although they do say supper if it's late.
But I still do a face when my MIL pesters our kids to 'Eat your Tea!'
As for the Trolley, pram, and other wheeled things, I've managed to get away with using the word Buggy for all of them, which we do here in GA and it's understood.
Other things I've never heard:
Ta for Thanks
Cuppa for an afternoon cup of tea [or even coffee]
Pissed is drunk, of course.
Sick is puking.
Poorly is the word they use for being unwell or what we'd call sick.
So many others.  Just the unintelligible way my hubs says certain words, still, after 7 years in the US.  He's better, but he's still the master of the the non-committal grunt [which my girls have learned],and I still have to regularly ask him to 'spell it' if I don't understand what he's said. 

I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes at my future in-laws on my first visit.

They must love you!