Moving to a new country brings plenty of funny misunderstandings, but for one American woman living in the UK, the curious questions from friends and family in the US are often downright bizarre.
Lisa Dollan, originally from Georgia but has since settled in West Yorkshire with her British husband and their children, spilled the beans on some of the most ridiculous queries she often receives about life across the pond.
The mother, who goes by Yorkshire Peach on social media, uploaded a video to Facebook in 2022, sharing misconceptions about British life communicated by loved ones – such as whether or not all Brits have a ‘posh’ accent.
One of the most common questions Lisa gets is about London, as she explained: ‘”How are things in London?” Don’t know, don’t live there. I live in Leeds, it’s up north.’
Next, Lisa shared a common query that seems almost too stereotypical to be real: ‘Oh my god, have you met the Queen?’
After pausing for effect, Lisa responded dryly: ‘Er, no. I have not met her or any of the Royal Family for that matter.’
The content creator also revealed her American friends appear to have a strong belief that all Brits talk with a ‘posh’ accent.
She mused: ‘Oddly, there are about 623 different accents in the UK – and that’s just in the north. Americans still think it’s just the one accent.’
Perhaps the most peculiar query Lisa has received is, ‘Do Brits wear deodorant?’ as she reacted, ‘What the f**k, what? No! Where have you even got this nonsense?’
Incredibly, the bizarre questions don’t end there, as Lisa revealed she’s also been asked whether she takes part in the quintessentially British tradition of Afternoon Tea at specifically 3pm every day.
The mother further shared that she’d been asked whether or not her neighbourhood in Leeds is ‘just like Notting Hill, the film,’ as she quipped: ‘No, and I haven’t run into Hugh Grant either.’
Finally, the last of the questions from her fellow Americans unsurprisingly revolves around Brits’ dental health: ‘Do Brits have bad teeth?’
Lisa candidly answered: ‘Now, I do think people in America wear braces more often… but the dental hygiene is just as good here.’
The content creator’s unfiltered responses has since left dozens of viewers in stitches, with many sharing their own similar experiences of cultural confusion between Brits and Americans.
One American viewer shared: ‘My dad when I first moved here 13 yrs ago. Every time, “How’s London?” Fine I guess. I don’t know, as I don’t live there LOL.’
Agreeing, one Brit wrote: ‘The “London” thing drove me nuts when I lived in the states. Someone there once asked where I was from I said Wales she said is that in or London?’
A fellow Brit shared, ‘An American once asked why did they build Windsor Castle so close to Heathrow Airport?’ as another added, ‘It’s the way everything thinks we talk posh I’m convinced they don’t exist I’ve never met a posh person to the day.’
Another commented: ‘When in LA, 26 years ago, I lost count of the number of people who asked if I’d met Princess Diana.
‘We also had a lady speak to us, who was coming to the UK in the near future, and wanted to know could she tour the whole of the UK in a day.’
Finally, one bewildered viewer recalled: ‘I used to live in Edinburgh and took my son out in his pram at around 3 months old.
‘The rain was torrential so I had the rain cover over the pram and an American lady asked me if the baby would be OK with the plastic on.
‘I was like eh yeah and she goes but how will he breathe wrapped in plastic? Do Americans not have rain covers for their prams?’