@brendenandellie/TikTok
- British TikToker Brenden Guy, who moved to the US 13 years ago, shared the biggest differences between the UK and the US.
- He shares some of those surprising cultural distinctions on his TikTok account @brendenandellie.
- From sporting events to vegetable names, here are some shocking differences he's noticed.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
British TikToker Brenden Guy moved to the US from Bournemouth, England, 13 years ago. Today, he lives in Havertown, Pennsylvania, where he often spots differences between life in the UK compared to the US.
After seeing another TikTok creator @kacierose4 document her move from the US to Italy, Guy, who goes by @brendenandellie on the app, decided to create a similar video series about the biggest differences he's noticed between the US and UK.
Speaking with Insider, Guy recalled some of the "culture shocks" he says he had when he first moved to America – from customer service to wedding traditions.
Guy was confused at how people buy food in the stands at a sporting event
@brendenandellie/TikTok
Sporting games in the US are teeming with surprising differences in comparison to the UK, Guy told Insider.
Guy said he was amazed to learn that stadium workers walk around with coolers of beer and long poles of cotton candy.
"I always find it's very, very strange to pass my money along the line of complete strangers. And then in return, they pass my food back to me," Guy said.
Beyond how food is sold, he's shocked by the vast array of options, which includes alcohol. You won't find fans drinking beer at a soccer game in England, Guy added.
Guy shared other elements of US baseball games that he found shocking in a TikTok video.
Clothes shopping was also different in the US compared to the UK, he said
@brendenandellie/TikTok
Guy found enough surprises inside clothing stores to create an entire TikTok video about the experience. At the heart of the difference is the importance America places on customer service, Guy said.
"The US's whole food culture and service culture is different to the UK," he said. "You can get some decent service in the UK, but I'd say on the whole America does it fantastically."
He said he was shocked to learn how eager and excited workers are to help him find and purchase clothes.
Guy added that while his videos encompass a "Brit's experience," people's experiences can vary from region to region.
"It's not that Brits aren't friendly or not outgoing. It's just comparatively," Guy told Insider.
Another shock Guy faced was just how affordable and cheap clothing is in the US, he told Insider. Guy said he knows plenty of Brits who go on vacation to the US and stock up on the country's cheaper clothing.
Guy said grocery shopping in the US took some getting used to
@brendenandellie/TikTok
Guy said learning the new words, like that zucchinis in the US are called courgettes in the UK, and differentiating between coins and bills were two major learning curves.
"You can go a store and spend ages trying to find the right notes and then ended up giving them a $100 bill instead of a $5 bill or something," he said. "It feels like Monopoly money."
Guy told Insider that even his own wedding day had some surprises
One of Guy's favorite, and most surprising memories, from his wedding day in the US was when his wife's family had a flash mob on the dance floor.
Guy told Insider that it was "unexpected, yet somehow very American in its grand display," and that it isn't a popular tradition in the UK.