An Americans view of the British

lol
Often times it's faster to use the stairs.

Did you guys talk about guns and how awesome America is?

What do British people talk about? Tea? Crumpets? Downtown Abby? La Cucaracha?

hmmm.......Southern slaves picked the cotton, sold it to Northern mills, who processed it into finished clothing to sell to England. Yep, they are as innocent as the driven snow.

Yeah, I'm not sure where the author is living if he thinks America has a dress code. Some places do, sure, but I imagine some places in England do as well.

And I can't think of a single place I eat on a regular basis where you couldn't show up in the same clothes you wore for an indoor climbing session and fit in just fine.

Are they like the place the main characters in Coupling hang out? Because I would love it if there were more of those here -- places where you can be just as comfortable as you would be in a Starbucks, where you can either be social or sit and get some work done ... but where they also serve alcohol ... but don't feel compelled to play loud music and turn the lights way down.

But Brits don't climb like we do. They generally do it like this:

I've got a few places like that in my neighborhood. They are coffee shops in the morning and transition to harder stuff mid-day, without changing the atmosphere. Definitely preferable to a sports bar or nightclub.

Starbucks is getting into alcohol sales, I heard a few months back.

There's a place downtown that calls itself a wine bar, but really it's like a living room inside. Downside is that it can't seat many people, though.

Most of that also applies to Ireland, although we do tend to have dress codes a bit more...

I thought it was the Scottish who wore dresses.

If you needed a passport to travel between states you would have one also. You have to remember european countries are about the size of many states, or even smaller. Perhaps you are right nd I am an exception in the case of most americans who are so unworldly they do not realize how much different travel is in europe than america.

But will it be Fair Trade alcohol?

It's cute, but most of them things on there only apply to certain places, mostly small town Britain. He even says so himself. It reminds me of where I grew up in Hertfordshire (as it was then). However, I would say that the following are debatable or just plain wrong if you live in a city, especially London. :-

Mostly true, until you use public transport like The Tube.

Ironically, it's outside of London and the big cities that I have experienced a greater risk of average food. In terms of choice, London is leagues beyond anywhere else for quality. We have more good quality restaurants per square mile than anywhere else and in the age of the internet it's extremely easy to find a good place for top of the line food, irrespective of budget.

I can only assume he's been staying in too many old cottages.

Again, very much a small town thing. That said, London does have plenty of places that are like that. Certainly where I am in SW London. But in the touristy areas in the West End they are quite rare now.

He's been eating too many pub lunches!

In contrast to where I grew up, nobody really

Debatable.

Simply not true. There is a subconscious dress code unless you're hanging out on council estates.

I have no idea what he's talking about here.

I was tempted to say bullshit, but then I do live around the corner from Kew Gardens...

Again, this is bullshit. The only thing we don't do with them is tuck them into our collars.

Again, he's been eating too many pub lunches, and having traveled quite a bit in the US I actually think the opposite is true. So clearly he's been somewhat limiting himself on choice of places to eat.

While the latter is true, the former isn't.

Actually, curry probably is. I think people eat it more these days than fish & chips. noyt least because pretty much everywhere you go there's a curry house or five, and that's not true of a good chippie.

I've had very good beer in France.

WTF? I always use my right hand for my fork. So does everyone I know.

Oh really? He hasn't spent much time on the M25 then.

Not bar staff, but someone who doesn't tip a waiter for good service is a cunt.

Cornwall??? I assume this is part of that whole regional "Cornish is an ethnicity and therefore we are a country" bullshit they've been peddling down there for years.

Um?

Americans don't like to laugh? A little unfair this comment.

Highly debatable on both fronts, unless the writer has again been spending all his time having pub lunches.

Because they don't need to be. Yet most Britons that I know of will nonetheless keep them in the fridge.

Again, he's spent too much time in small towns.

Not in the cities you aren't.

They work do they? Tell that to the average Londoner.

They do where I go.

Well, there used to be......

Again, debatable if you live in London.

Ok, this one is clearly true.....

Chav.

I'll just add to this, because I think this is what is confusing them, "tea" is often used as an old style English colloquialism for evening snack or meal. It doesn't just refer to the drink.

I think Dan was illustrating how much of a non-issue it is over here. There are still people who have licensed guns as a hobby and go to gun clubs and firing ranges. But the American attitude towards gun goes waaaaaaaaaaay beyond a hobby. It's why I am always going on about cultural attitudes in the gun threads, because I see the contrast in approach to the subject inside of America to outside. You are far less likely to see it because you have grown up with those cultural attitudes around you so you will inevitably be more used to it and regard it as normal. But from a neutral perspective, it most certainly does look like an obsession, not least because of the huge political issues it generates in the US.

I find that pubs depend often on their location, the quality of the place and their type of clientele. A good quality pub will almost certainly have a "Cheers" element to it.

A passport isn't a pre-requisite for traveling through Europe. You can travel around the entirety of the EEA on a national identity card or photo driving licence if you are a citizen of a member state. What's more, it's a little disingenuous to imply that the vast majority of British travel abroad is done on the continent.

You are not getting what I am saying. In america there really is not much to do about crossing into border states. I can go anywhere in this huge country without a thought about papers and citizenship. It is bluntly obvious that europe is much different in that way. I am not attacking you here. I am just telling you that you have a much different perspective of the world because of your location. I was trying to explain how crossing state borders is not like europe at all. When you cross those borders you are under a different government. Here in the US that is not something we think about because the federal government encapsulate3s the whole country, except for alaska and hawahi.

@Tererun's entire argument falls apart when you look at Canada, which is a larger country but with a significantly higher population of people with passports.

@Captain X's dick comment aside about cross-border shopping, he's correct in that many Canadians frequently travel to the United States. Why wouldn't you, when you have the world's greatest freakshow and entertainment centre just a few hours south of you?

P.S. - You're welcome, Washington and New York States, for Canadian shoppers keeping your economies afloat.

You have not made any argument. Please do give me something to oppose.

Yes, Canadia is the one state for which travel elsewhere in the US requires a passport.

What's Canada anyway? Do they have oil?

You're going to need a passport if you want to watch the AL East Division playoffs, sucka!!!