Hey, Yankee Anglophiles! (Or Anglo Yankophiles, For That Matter...)

[the_gneech]

tr_wolf asks...

Gneech, my boyfriend and I are going to Florida on holiday/vacation next October, and Im trying to find a guide to American customs etc that UK Tourists might want to know before visiting etc, any ideas where I could find one? Or any advice yourself? :)

You can see my answer below, but if anyone else out there has input, feel free to jump in!

My first suggestion on where to find a guide would be W.H. Smith's, or amazon.co.uk. ;) Does Britain have public libraries? (Something I've never heard, actually ... does it?)

For my own tips, let's see...

First, don't get anywhere near Miami. (Actually, I would suggest avoiding Florida all together; there are lots of much nicer places to go in the U.S. But I'm probably biased. I've been there many times when I didn't have a choice -- now that I have a choice, I'm not going back again.)

Hmm, what else?

For the most part, Yanks love Brits, and even any faux pas you make will be seen as adorable. Especially in the south ... the cliché is that every woman in the south believes herself to be secretly descended from Mary, Queen of Scots. All you need to do is speak poetic nonsense at most people and they'll be eating out of your hand.

However, there are the occasional yahoos who think anyone who speaks with a British accent (even if it's one that would be "dead common" back home) is some kind of snob, and will get all huffy about you putting on airs. Alas, there's nothing that can be done about said yahoos, except to avoid them if at all possible.

Yanks who are not anglophiles don't know the subtleties of "British" vs. "English" vs. "the U.K." so don't get stroppy about them. (I don't know if you would, but I've met a few who did.) FWIW, in Florida, you might get similar grief about "Yank" vs. "American," although that's a lot less common than it used to be. (In the south, "yankee" referred to Union types during the Civil War, and there are extremely small pockets in the south where they're still trying to fight it.)

Drive on the right side of the road. ;) Watch speed limits -- they tend to be slower here than they are there, and they can be vigorously enforced. Also, if you're renting a car, you'll probably get an automatic rather than a stick unless you specifically ask for one.

Remember that everything in the U.S. is Very Far Away from everything else in the U.S. You won't be making any day trips to see the Grand Canyon, for instance. ;)

Don't snigger when somebody asks you if you like their pants. ;)

You'll have a tough time finding any decent tea, but if you can cultivate a taste for iced tea with sugar and lemon, you'll be in great shape.

Keep your eyes open and ask lots of questions, particularly of hotel concierges and restaurant managers. If you have any local friends, pump them for information. :) If you get what seems like a condescending tone in response, don't take it personally -- when explaining the everyday business of life, most people revert to "teach a child" mode out of habit. They don't think you're stupid, they're just trying to keep things simple.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head, but if you have any more specific questions, I'll be glad to answer 'em as best I can!

-The Gneech

Comments

[furloph.livejournal.com]

If your in any state that borders with Mexico, say Muy Piquito Espanole, se habla engles? if anybody who speaks spanish walks up to you. If your further interested I can give you a list of words that you are not to say, but I'll hold off on that.

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Tipping.

I'm not sure it's a custom in the UK, but it is one here and it can be considered an insult not to leave a tip.

More as I think of them, if they come to mind.

[jamesb]

A good place to start would be Bill Bryson's book, Notes from a Big Country (retitled I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away for the US Market).

Bill Bryson moved to the UK in the late 70's, and the book is a collection of humorous newspaper articles he wrote between October 1996 and May 1998 after he (and his English wife and children) moved back to the US.

[the-lizard-rat.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't know what to say, except that if you ever decide to come to the Northeast US (say, to visit Gneech=san), prepare yourself for the cold. GODS it's cold here in the winter, more so than down there in sunny Florida.

(I personally have a tough time seperating Aussie and Brit accents, myself)

[/sleep deprevation]

the_lizard_rat out.
Random in New Haven CT

England does have public libraries...

[mammallamadevil.livejournal.com]

and if it's October, Florida wouldn't be so bad/crowded/humid...(grin)...and, generally they don't look too badly on fumbling tourists...I happen to like South Beach myself...(grin)...

You can't get a stick for a rental--don't even try to ask unless you're willing to give some specialty shop a kidney. Believe me, I've TRIED...

MLD

Here is a fairly extensive list of handy information...

[goodluckfox.livejournal.com]

http://us2uk.tripod.com/

It's fun to read these. I *still* don't understand what exactly the UK meaning of "fanny" is; I get the impression it's worse than "ass" on the not-socially-acceptable-in-public meter... bodering on obscene. :/

Loxley

[the-mcp.livejournal.com]

mammallamadevil's pretty much correct -- the only way you might obtain a stick-shift rental vehicle is if you're willing to rent a truck (that's "lorry" to you Brits :) ). A disconcertingly large proportion of the U.S. populace, particularly those younger than, say, 40 years of age, has never learned how to drive a manual-transmission vehicle -- many of them may not even have seen one! -- and so the car-rental outfits like Enterprise, Hertz, etc. simply don't keep any in the rental pool.

re: tipping -- I'd always been under the impression that it was Australia, not the U.K., where tipping is not expected...

But yes, tipping customs are probably somewhat different here than over there, so here's some basic rules of thumb to get you by:

Dining: In most full-service restaraunts, a 15% tip is considered the standard. A gratuity of 20% or more is a good way to express thanks for exceptionally fine service, while leaving 10% or less indicates that you found the service below par. (If the place is really bad, leave a single coin such as a nickel or a penny on the table to express your displeasure, or they may just assume you forgot to tip them at all.) Note that if you're dining with a large party, the restaraunt may automatically add that 15% to your bill -- this sort of practice is usually mentioned on the menu somewhere, so check to make sure.

Baggage handling: Hotel bellhops and airport baggage handlers ("skycaps") are generally tipped $1 per bag for helping you with your luggage, although if you have a lot of bags or your luggage is exceptionally heavy you might consider adding a couple of dollars on top of that.

Taxicab drivers: 15% of the total fare is generally considered standard.

Hotel housekeeping staff: Opinions vary on this; some people suggest $1 - $2 per person staying in the room, per day, for the length of your stay, others say a flat $5/day, some prefer to leave each day's tips somewhere visible, others say you should leave it on the last day of your stay.

I, personally, prefer the daily method, especially when staying at a hotel over a furry-convention weekend, just because I'm not sure you can always count on the same person coming by the room each morning and I'd hate for one staff member to end up collecting the fruits of someone else's work. :) Since housekeeping staff sometimes be a bit wary of simply assuming that any unattended money found in the room is meant for them (and understandably so), I suggest putting the tip in a highly visible place where it would be unlikely for money to have been left by accident, such as on top of the coffee-maker or on the little tray full of hotel-provided soaps and shampoos.

Hotel concierge: Depends on the nature of the service provided. If you just ask him for the name of a good restaraunt nearby, a tip really isn't necessary unless you're feeling generous (or unless his recommedation turns out to be really, extraordinarily first-rate, in which case you might slip him a dollar or two the next time you see him) -- but if he manages to get you front-section concert or theater tickets to a "hot" show and a table reservation for you at a first-class restaraunt afterwards, $20 or more wouldn't be out of line.

One rather annoying practice that seems to be on the rise here is the presence of "tip jars" next to the cash registers at self-serve buffets and fast-food establishments. Do not let the presence of such jars fool you into thinking that a tip is required of you. I, personally, am of the opinion that if I have to order my own food, pick it up at the counter and take it to the table myself, get my own drink refills from the soda fountain, then clear away my own trash when I'm finished, and all you've done is punch buttons on a cash register and hand me my change, then you really haven't done anything tip-worthy for me...

[the-mcp.livejournal.com]

Let's see, what else. Oh -- I'm not sure if you do it the same way in the U.K. or not, but this always trips up an Aussie friend of mine when he comes up, so it's probably worth mentioning. Here in the U.S., when you go to the shops the various state and local sales taxes are not -- I repeat, not -- included in the price given on the shelf tags. In other words, that $4.99 picture frame is really going to cost you $5.39 if the local sales-tax rate is 8%. Note that sales taxes vary from state to state, local jurisdictions can often add their own fractions of a percent on top of that -- plus, some items (especially food items) are exempt from taxation -- so the best rule I can give you is to just assume 10% while you're doing your shopping, and let the chips fall where they may when you get to the register. :)

Also, local taxes are rarely included in the rate quotes for hotel rooms, cars, etc. These taxes differ wildly depending on the state and local laws, so when making arrangements for hotels or rental cars be very sure to ask what the final rate with taxes included is, or you might be in for an unpleasant surprise at check-out time!

Dialect differences that might trip you up:

Don't ask for "biscuits" to go with your tea over here -- you won't get what you want. :) To us, a "biscuit" is what you call a "scone" (or close to it, anyway); your sort of biscuits are called "cookies" or "crackers" over here. (Cookies are "sweet biscuits", while crackers are generally "savoury biscuits".)

"Buns" are not always sweet over here; the word more often applies to a soft bread roll. If you want your sort of bun, you probably want a "sweet roll" or a "cinnamon roll".

What you call "jam", we generally call "jelly." (Though it can also be called "jam" or "preserves", for reasons which escape me, and I live here, so don't feel bad if you can't figure it out either. :) ) What you call "jelly", is what we call "gelatin" or "Jell-O." (The brand name has become a generic term, like "kleenex" for tissue paper or "Xeroxing" for photocopying. :) )

In some areas of the country (primarily the Southeast, although this odd behavior has been noted in some portions of the New England states as well), when someone asks if you want a Coke, they're not necessarily asking if you specifically want a Coca-Cola; they're inquiring if you want any sort of soda or soft drink.

Be very, very wary of any food item described to you as "Rocky Mountain oysters", "Appalachian oysters", or indeed any other sort of oyster if the food item in question is (a) breaded and fried, or otherwise prepared so that the nature of the item is not immediately apparent, and (b) there's no visible evidence of oyster shells anywhere in the vicinity. Just trust me on this. :D

[the-mcp.livejournal.com]

You'll have a tough time finding any decent tea, but if you can cultivate a taste for iced tea with sugar and lemon, you'll be in great shape.

This, unfortunately, is true -- especially in "deep south" states like Florida. (Up in the New England north/northeast, tea is a little more common, though still far from being the daily staple of life that it is in England.) While you can get hot tea in most restaraunts and hotels down in Florida (well, most of the better ones, anyway), rarely will it be anything other than Lipton, which is to tea what Folgers is to coffee -- i.e. a dishwater-like substance of last resort, barely fit for human consumption, which is onlt just barely tolerable if you're absolutely desperate for a cup and nothing better is available within 100 miles of your current location. :)

Other potential pitfalls to be careful of, in terms of customs and such:

* Smoking is subject to a lot of restrictions here, particularly in public places.

* Americans tend to get on a first-name basis with new acquaintances more quickly than you do. We're just friendly that way. :) We also tend not to use titles such as "Sir" or "Madam", for the most part.

* The "default" manner of greeting someone, especially someone you're just meeting in person for the first time, is a handshake -- although if you're a man greeting a woman, it's best to let her offer her hand first. Greetings which involve closer physical contact, such as hugging, are generally reserved for romantically-involved couples or people who have known each other for a long time.

* If you are invited someplace for a meal, particularly to a restaraunt or other public establishment, it is important to arrive on time. For cocktail parties, though, it is usually acceptable to be up to thirty minutes late. (Probably more of a business-etiquette thing, but a lot of Americans like to be punctual. Also, many restaraunts will refuse to seat incomplete parties, and a dining party kept waiting too long by tardy members could lose their table reservation.)

* Another note about restaraunts: in the UK, dining out is a much more leisurely affair than it is here. It's not uncommon for a dining party on your side of the pond to linger for a couple of hours, over coffee and conversation, after the conclusion of a meal (which itself might take an hour or more), and the waiter will be in no hurry to bring the check until you ask for it. Over here, most restaraunts expect to have your main course in front of you within a half-hour of your party being seated, that a dining party will be finished with thier meal and ready to leave within 30 to 45 minutes of the main course's arrival, and the waiter will bring your check as soon as he notices most of the party is done eating. (Unless, of course, you order overpriced desserts or drinks after your meal, in which case they won't expect you to leave for another 15 minutes or so.) There are, of course, exceptions to this, but they tend to be very expensive "black-tie" places. Also note that many restaraunts wish to close up by 10 or 11PM (though on Fridays or Saturdays some may stay open later).

* Generally, one does not sit up front with the cab driver unless you are a party of three or more and can't all fit into the back seat.

* Tipping the bartender by offering to buy him a drink isn't a common practice over here; generally, they take their tips directly in cash, the same as waiters, cab drivers, porters, etc.

* Politics is rarely a safe topic of conversation here, and doubly so if you're not from this country. :) We get a little touchy when people from outside the U.S. start criticizing our politics and politicians -- even if we might happen to agree with your stated opinion that Politician X is an idiot, he or she is still our idiot, damn it. :) Religion is also a topic best avoided, usually.

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

You can find Twinings' teas, but you'll have to search for them. If you ask for tea in Florida, expect to get iced tea with sweetener. You'll have to ask for hot tea, and mostly, you'll get Lipton. Ick.

Have the best

-=TK

[tr-wolf.livejournal.com]

Gneech, thanks for this ^_^ I wonder if Drez had this trouble ;)

[elektron.livejournal.com]

I've never liked British tea (except Earl Grey), but then, any tea which is meant to go with milk isn't real tea (or, for that matter, any tea which develops a film on the surface if you leave the teabag in for too long).

Lipton actually tastes vaguely like what tea is supposed to taste like.

I always thought 10% tips were standard, but maybe that's just me.