Crushing sterotypes

[Lm_Rich]

Im from america and i would to vist the uk basically cause of the music scene. But before i go i want to know some english stereotypes that are not true so i dont make a complete arse out of myself . I know the whole posh accent isnt true anything else?

[LovesToDoIt]

bad teeth, always drinking tea. untrue

[Olivia2125]

well not everything is cute and old in england but it kinda depends which part of the uk yu want to visit x

[lovelykatie]

The bad teeth is kinda true, thanks to some terrible dentistry and healthcare a couple of decades ago, but it's far better now
Though we don't have the crazy unnaturally white teeth some Americans do!
Yeah the drinking tea thing.
We don't all live in big country houses, our houses are tiny.
We dont all play cricket.
We don't all know each other just because the country is fairly small in size.


A few random tips -
Be careful which pub you go in, some are fine, some are "locals"
From my trips to the US I'd say stuff is a bit more expensive over here, but you generally don't need to tip. The only time we tip are generally round up the taxi fare or a few quid for a waiter/waitress in a restaurant. You don't need to tip anyone else. Tipping confused the hell out of me in the US!
People are generally a bit more shy/reserved here initially so may seem a bit rude but if you ask someone politely they're generally more than happy to help with anything.
You can cross the road wherever you want but we have plenty of crossing points so don't expect the traffic (especially in cities) to stop for you if you decide to cross when the little green man isn't on!

Whereabouts are you going?

[Lm_Rich]

London and oxford upon oxfordshire

[XlobX]

Bring an umbrella

And don't swear in front of the Queen.

[bicurious-bipolar]

Oxford is beautiful. It's a university city so there's great music and comedy and everything (the stereotypes of British comedy being purile toilet gags / jokingly gay / veeeeeeery dry and overly intellectual are based in fact ), but it's also dead interesting to look through the old stuff about.
Never been to London but the city is huge (by UK standards) so depends where abouts u are in it. Plenty to do.)

True stereotypes:
people do tend to like tea though coffee is popular too. You dont need to ask for "English Breakfast Tea" or wahtever it's called elsewhere, it's just "tea", coming, as it does, from the tea plant.
tipping is different here, there is less focus on customer service because the very smiley polite type is blatantly insincere and not tolerated by the customers.
people do tend to be a bit more left wing. The NHS and BBC are things we love moaning about but you'd have to prize them from our necrotic hands

not true stereotypes:
The Irish are stupid, the Scottish are stingy, the Welsh are prone to a bit of casual bestiality and the English are all bastards.
Everyone loves the Queen. ('mon eh republic ! )
Anyone not certifiable gave a thundering fuck about the royal wedding (vis. the people who went to street parties, The Kelvingrove Riot, and the desperate efforts of the media to sell the idea that people cared to an audience that didnt)