Normal things treated like "weird american things"

Absolutely drained today so up for less banter than usual (juts trying to stay awake). I didn't have a coffee this morning as usual because we only had a tiny bit of coffee left and I let my husband have it. We bought some new type of squash that's an apple and cinnamon "winter warmer" and you make it with warm squash. We bought it to try it and it's absolutely lovely! Husband and I enjoy it and it's nice to have in the evening when it's cold out. I decided to have that for breakfast instead of the coffee but now I'm absolutely crashing.

The only thing in my locker at work was nescafe Salted Caramel Mocha sachets. I made one right before my call and one of the ladies that is always quick with backhanded compliments or sly/cheeky comments that can sound really rude said something like "is that coffee?" and then another guy next to me joined in and said "is it? what is that?". I explained and she went "Oh that's like one of those meal in a mug more than coffee!". The guy then said "how many coffees do you have on the go!?" and I said well one is a bottle of water, one is a winter warmer and there's my coffee." He asked what a winter warmer was and I explained it's a squash you make with hot water and got the response from a third person of "THAT'S SO AMERICAN!"

All I could respond with was "Squash isn't American! This is literally made and sold IN THE UK! TO A UK TARGET AUDIENCE!" The second guy had then said "why would I want to drink a winter warmer? Why would I want warm squash?!" and I said Why would you drink mulled wine? Why would you drink mulled cider?? They then started banging on about the coffee and I said "It literally comes from a sachet! I didn't just go in and make this coffee myself! It's instant coffee! The same as what you'd have of a different flavour!"



Sorry for the long rant above but - honestly - does anybody else get this kind of sh*t? Does anybody else get comments about how things that are 100% made and consumed in the UK to British consumers are "so American"?! Am i going crazy here?! If I were a British person drinking these things, people wouldn't even bat an eyelid.

I hope it's just light hearted teasing because they are fond of you... because it comes off a bit like bullying on the page?

I hope it's just light hearted teasing because they are fond of you... because it comes off a bit like bullying on the page?

I think that two of them are going for light hearted teasing but this one woman just always makes comments like this (not just to me either, she always has a way of phrasing things in a condescending and borderline "rude "joking" way, but with me it's always centered around being American). Like I was saying somebody was acting like a drama queen and she was like "OH! It's weird hearing an American call somebody else a drama queen!"....(the dude was literally talking about England losing the world cup and that he was going for lunch and if he wasn't back it's because he'd drowned himself in the pond because of how down he was...he was being MEGA dramatic lol). When I told my husband, he even said it just sounded rude. The other two we light-heartedly tease each other all the time about stuff but this instance just made me think of how often it is that people will think what I'm eating or drinking is weird when it's something that is either legitimately English and not American at all OR is an American equivalent of something that I know for a fact Brits enjoy...of when they make comments about stuff being "so full of sugar that it's SUPER american" while they're mowing down on Moams lol. it's not even just in the work place. I just find it super frustrating sometimes.

I know several Brits who love a warm Ribena.  So definitely not American.

But I'm in Manchester today and the agenda even includes a trip to Taco Bell because we were told it is very close by.  Turns out it's 25 minutes away.  Bye bye Taco Bell!   

At my current job I've learned a lot of the phrases I use are American.  I do love a good "tail wagging the dog" type of comment.   

I know several Brits who love a warm Ribena.  So definitely not American.

But I'm in Manchester today and the agenda even includes a trip to Taco Bell because we were told it is very close by.  Turns out it's 25 minutes away.  Bye bye Taco Bell!   

At my current job I've learned a lot of the phrases I use are American.  I do love a good "tail wagging the dog" type of comment.   

hahaha I'm sorry but I can't even work out by context clues what that means!

OH NO! So sad about the trip to Taco Bell Are you staying the night up in Manchester I hope?! That's a LONG commute! I think you came home last time didn't you?

hahaha I'm sorry but I can't even work out by context clues what that means!

OH NO! So sad about the trip to Taco Bell Are you staying the night up in Manchester I hope?! That's a LONG commute! I think you came home last time didn't you?

Tail wagging the dog is like the cart before the horse. 

I love those comments.  People are always looking at me like I have 3 heads.  I'm cool with it.

Last time I stayed the night but this time I took the 6:30 train out of Reading and will get home about 21:30.  Ugh.  I'm over today.

My husband has to come to Manchester tomorrow and Friday.  We should have just moved the family up here for the week.

KoD,  you know, there are just some people in the world who are...obnoxious. If she's one of them, no matter what nationality/cultural identity you were, she'd find a way to pick at you. 

I think that two of them are going for light hearted teasing but this one woman just always makes comments like this (not just to me either, she always has a way of phrasing things in a condescending and borderline "rude "joking" way, but with me it's always centered around being American). Like I was saying somebody was acting like a drama queen and she was like "OH! It's weird hearing an American call somebody else a drama queen!"....(the dude was literally talking about England losing the world cup and that he was going for lunch and if he wasn't back it's because he'd drowned himself in the pond because of how down he was...he was being MEGA dramatic lol). When I told my husband, he even said it just sounded rude. The other two we light-heartedly tease each other all the time about stuff but this instance just made me think of how often it is that people will think what I'm eating or drinking is weird when it's something that is either legitimately English and not American at all OR is an American equivalent of something that I know for a fact Brits enjoy...of when they make comments about stuff being "so full of sugar that it's SUPER american" while they're mowing down on Moams lol. it's not even just in the work place. I just find it super frustrating sometimes.

When I read about behaviour like that I'm sure that it's related to envy.  She's feeling inferior to you because you are the cool as anything American  so she picks on you for it instead. 

I know several Brits who love a warm Ribena.  So definitely not American.

I drink hot Ribena - both blackcurrant and strawberry.  Got the idea to try it when one of my previous jobs (in Glasgow) had a vending machine that used to dispense hot orange squash.
Sounds like your colleagues are just a bunch of douche-nozzles.

Tail wagging the dog is like the cart before the horse. 

I love those comments.  People are always looking at me like I have 3 heads.  I'm cool with it.

Last time I stayed the night but this time I took the 6:30 train out of Reading and will get home about 21:30.  Ugh.  I'm over today.

My husband has to come to Manchester tomorrow and Friday.  We should have just moved the family up here for the week.

haha might be a regional thing as I would literally be SO confused if you just threw that one out there :p

You totally should've just airbnb'd for the week! Have a safe trip back. Hope it's not too long and awful (and you get a seat)

KoD,  you know, there are just some people in the world who are...obnoxious. If she's one of them, no matter what nationality/cultural identity you were, she'd find a way to pick at you. 

Yeah I'm sure it would happen regardless, it's just irritating when they pick that to focus on and it's not even factually correct!

When I read about behaviour like that I'm sure that it's related to envy.  She's feeling inferior to you because you are the cool as anything American  so she picks on you for it instead. 

haha I can promise you I'm not cool :p But she is the type of person that - for example - always seems the need to prove her worth and to be like "OH! That idea was mine! Wasn't it great?!" She also comes off like somebody that needs to be part of the "in crowd" and sometimes that means picking somebody to be the outsider. I'm not even sure she's doing it intentionally/consciously but thankfully she's only in 2 days a week so it's easy to avoid having to deal with it too much lol

I drink hot Ribena - both blackcurrant and strawberry.  Got the idea to try it when one of my previous jobs (in Glasgow) had a vending machine that used to dispense hot orange squash.
Sounds like your colleagues are just a bunch of douche-nozzles.

I was literally like "how is this American? I can't even personally think of an equivalent to this?". They just tend to treat some - what I and my husband and most of my British friends would consider "normal" stuff and make it sound like some type of weird and foreign thing that is just "so adorable" or bizarre.

You know, to me a sweatshirt with a hood is just that. And has a big pocket in the front!

I drink hot Ribena - both blackcurrant and strawberry.  Got the idea to try it when one of my previous jobs (in Glasgow) had a vending machine that used to dispense hot orange squash.
Sounds like your colleagues are just a bunch of douche-nozzles.

Douche nozzles - lol - love that! I’m stealing that


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My husband's uncle is our landlord, and he was over recently with an electrician mate to switch out the heater in our front room that had crapped out on us. When they came in, I offered them something to drink, rattling off what was available and half-ready to put the kettle on to make them tea. I told them we had caramel lattes and they both looked confused, said they didn't know what that meant, but they both wanted to try it.

I mean, it's just the pods for a Tassimo machine. Nothing too outlandish or fancy! They did seem to enjoy them though.

It's okay, KissofDeath, I was picked on in the American office I worked in for drinking green tea. I think it's just a conversation starter when you're bored at work. Haters gonna hate. 

I have never had anyone say anything like that in the workplace or in every day life from perfect strangers for that matter in the nearly nine years I lived in England or in the yearly visits I have made since 2004. Your work colleague is a jerk!

Now, ask me about my brother-in-law and I’ll tell you he is ALWAYS like that. It’s like he just can’t help himself being a d***head. My husband spent time with him last month and the brother said something regarding my husband’s weight, which is out of order in the first place, and says, ‘Ooh, I see that you’ve had your fair share of cheese in a spray can since EVERYONE is overweight there’. Ugh. The last time I saw him, he mimicked my voice and certain words and always has something negative to say about the US like our language, our expressions, tv, our holidays, food, etc...

Personally, I agree with Albatross, I think it’s jealousy.


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My husband's uncle is our landlord, and he was over recently with an electrician mate to switch out the heater in our front room that had crapped out on us. When they came in, I offered them something to drink, rattling off what was available and half-ready to put the kettle on to make them tea. I told them we had caramel lattes and they both looked confused, said they didn't know what that meant, but they both wanted to try it.

I mean, it's just the pods for a Tassimo machine. Nothing too outlandish or fancy! They did seem to enjoy them though.

It's okay, KissofDeath, I was picked on in the American office I worked in for drinking green tea. I think it's just a conversation starter when you're bored at work. Haters gonna hate. 

If they are older, it might be because they are just used to having plain tea and coffee and they don't even realise there are so many better coffee options out there! hahah At least they were open to trying it! I can't tell you the amount of people that do the "I don't like pumpkin spice/pumpkin flavoured things"....
have you tried it??...
"no...I just know I don't like it!"...
 

I have never had anyone say anything like that in the workplace or in every day life from perfect strangers for that matter in the nearly nine years I lived in England or in the yearly visits I have made since 2004. Your work colleague is a jerk!

Now, ask me about my brother-in-law and I’ll tell you he is ALWAYS like that. It’s like he just can’t help himself being a d***head. My husband spent time with him last month and the brother said something regarding my husband’s weight, which is out of order in the first place, and says, ‘Ooh, I see that you’ve had your fair share of cheese in a spray can since EVERYONE is overweight there’. Ugh. The last time I saw him, he mimicked my voice and certain words and always has something negative to say about the US like our language, our expressions, tv, our holidays, food, etc...

Personally, I agree with Albatross, I think it’s jealousy.


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I feel like I remember reading about your BIL before (unless Im confusing him with somebody else's BIL on here) and he sounds like a BOLD piece of work....I probably would've lost it. The people that constantly make remarks about "Americans are SO fat!" or the like just drive me up a wall because they really aren't that much healthier over here!