Top 7+ reasons why most of Europe can’t understand the British
Beans on toast, tea drinking, queuing... Brexit. Just a few things unique to the UK that many Europeans just don't understand the fuss around. Factor in a few other cultural, economic, social, political and historical factors, and perhaps it makes sense that Brits feel less European than anywhere in the EU, according to research. So let's thumb through a few of the reasons why our neighbours might give the English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish the side eye, shall we? But before we dive in, a quick disclaimer: I’m British myself. And while these aren't necessarily fair or universal criticisms of all Brits, they're all things I've picked up along the way. Ready? Let's begin... (Picture: Getty Images)
Brexit
Let's begin with the obvious. We've already touched on it. It's 'Brexit', or the United Kingdom's somewhat controversial referendum that led to a decision to pull out of the European Union back in 2016. Meanwhile, the rest of the EU were left surprised and a little offended, with 58% of people surveyed in EU countries believing it was the wrong decision for the EU, and 55% thinking it was the wrong decision for Britain, according to an Ipsos poll. But a recent YouGov poll suggested that if Brits were to return, they'd be welcomed back into the EU with open arms. At least half of the publics across the largest EU nations (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) support allowing the UK back in, just not if we were allowed to rejoin under the same terms we held when we left (Picture: Getty Images)
The approach to cuisine
Many countries are world-renowned for their exquisite cuisines and contribution to global gastronomy. The United Kingdom is not one of those countries. While it's true that Britain's restaurant scene has improved immeasurably over the past four or five decades, British food has a reputation for being pretty bland. And many Brits have a tendency to eschew quality European dishes in favour of something more recognisable to them (something with chips, generally). In a YouGov survey, British voters rated their own cuisine highly, with 48% placing it in their top three cuisines. However, the rest of Europe disagrees, with several countries deeming British cuisine to be the worst of all, including France (25%), Sweden (24%), Spain (19%), and Germany (19%) (Picture: Getty Images)
The obsession with queuing
Most people around the world are familiar with some of the broader stereotypes associated with the British. We're all tea-sipping Royalists with buck teeth and secret gin habits, for example. And chief among the Brit tropes that non-Brits love to laugh at is the preoccupation with standing in a line behind each other. Ask any Brit and they'll be proud of their politeness and patience. It really is something of a national pastime, verging on obsession, with a 2022 poll finding that 63% of those asked believe Britons are better at queuing than other nations (Picture: Getty Images)
Stag and hen party weekends
Hey, look - they're a lot of fun when you're on them. With your pals, a little worse for wear, having a laugh and joke and being silly in a new foreign city, with all its incredible bars and nightlife. But not so much for those hosting endless gaggles of boozed-up Brits larking about dressed as Smurfs. In fact, for Europeans living at the other end of a cheap EasyJet or Ryanair flight from the UK, Brit stag and hen parties can be a nuisance. So much so that some cities are clamping down on them, with beer bikes - a popular stag do pastime - banned in the centres of Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest and Munich. Prague has also banned organised pub crawls, and in 2023 Amsterdam launched an advertising campaign discouraging young British men from visiting the city (Picture: Getty Images)
The approach to drinking
Whether it's a stag/hen, friends' trip away, family holiday, honeymoon or solo trip, a Brit abroad will 'enjoy' one or ten drinks of an evening. And night. And afternoon, really. Morning too, if there's time at Gatwick to nip in for three quick pints at the Wetherspoon. Us drunk Brits can be tiresome for people abroad. But the same's true when those people visit the UK and see that a lot of us UK types drink exactly the same way at home too. Binge drinking's a genuine public health concern in the UK, and when asked back in 2022, 17% of English adults reported binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks in one day) in the past week. That's according to Drinkaware, the UK's leading alcohol charity (Picture: Getty Images)
Football fans
There are certain nationalities that are renowned for football hooliganism, both domestically and internationally. The United Kingdom, sadly, is among them. Anyone familiar with British football culture will know that the idea of hordes of footy fans chucking bottles and bricks is well and truly a thing of the past. But people don't forget how bad it used to be. For instance, during the 1987-88 football season, British police recorded 6,147 arrests at football matches in England and Wales alone. Just in one season. And for many, the odd flashes of plastic chair chucking from tourists in England shirts during more recent European Championships and World Cups only serves to remind the continent - and world - of a dark chapter of British modern history (Picture: Getty Images)
Never speaking the lingo
Go to almost any holiday hotspot on Earth and you'll likely find someone familiar with the King's English, at least to some extent. As such, us native English speakers don't really need to be able to speak French, Spanish, Italian or Estonian. So we don't. Euronews reports that around 65% of Europe's population can speak at least one language other than their native tongue, compared to the UK's 34%, earning it the worst score on the continent. Most of us don't even learn to say 'hello' or 'thank you' in any other language. Or, if we do, we mumble it once quietly, get embarrassed and then revert back to using our native tongue. JUST A LITTLE BIT LOUDER (Picture: Getty Images)
