Americans Find These British Home Features Odd, According to TikTok
Despite how much cultural overlap there is between the United States and the U.K., there are also plenty of differences — including what we consider common in our homes.
A few months ago, a British content creator currently living in the States went viral after sharing a video explaining American home items that she said British people find odd, including primary closets, basement living rooms, and garbage disposals.
Well, that cultural confusion goes both ways. In a newer, widely circulated video, TikToker @thebrickhousechronicles shared what elements of British homes she finds odd as an American expat.
First off, she called attention to the prevalence of two-tap sinks.
“One is scolding hot and the other is ice cold, and there’s no in-between,” @thebrickhousechronicles explains. “You just have to wave your hands around like an idiot and hope you can mix the two to get a decent temperature.”
However, she notes that these kinds of sinks “have become a lot less common recently.”
Another home feature she’s never encountered back in the US of A is bathrooms that contain no outlets besides occasional ones for shavers.
As the content creator puts it: “I wanna do my hair in the bathroom and be as happy as [a] stock footage lady!”
Finally, @thebrickhousechronicles points out the infamous well-known fact that British homes rarely come with air conditioning, because they were built to retain heat rather than stay cool. Although she notes, “it didn’t used to be this way” pre-global warming, she urges modern-day England to “accept that it can be a fiery hell here.”
Naturally, plenty of American and British viewers weighed in with their own thoughts.
“I draw the line at no AC,” one TikToker commented. “Well and truly would give up my firstborn for the comforts of AC.”
Another commenter explained the lack of bathroom outlets, writing, “So the no-outlet thing I’m led to believe is because our electricity is spicier (higher voltage) than in the U.S.”
The more you know!