American horrified as she shares 'scary' and 'insane' British staples at supermarket

You might imagine that the UK and US are pretty similar places. We share a language, tonnes of cultural touchstones, a so-called ‘special relationship’ in political terms, and no end of music, film, TV, literature, video games and more.

But for those of us who’ve ventured to either side of the pond to find out more about how the other half lives, you’ve likely had a rude awakening.

For a Brit in the US, the sheer scale of everything will likely come as a shock – from the aisles in a CVS to the standard portions at a restaurant – while for Americans in the UK it can be tough to get to grips with the social nuances of this somewhat emotionally-repressed island.

'You guys don't stock assault rifles in here? What kind of supermarket is this?' (blue sky in my pocket/Getty Images)

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, of course. Another key area where we differ is food, and for one American woman living in the UK it’s been a regular source of confusion and concern.

Paige Wester, who lives in Newcastle since moving from the US in 2024, shares her regular culture shocks to her TikTok followers (@p_west_). The mum-of-two lives with her British partner, and her musings on UK culture have landed her with more than 51,000 followers and counting.

While it’s usually a fun point of difference to see an American experience British life and regale us with how different and weird we are, sometimes a line gets crossed.

Unfortunately for Paige, she crossed that line during a weekly shop at her local Sainsbury’s.

In the clip, Paige is heading down the aisles whilst pointing out various British-specific items that she finds curious or suspicious.

Eggs, for example, being kept on unrefrigerated shelves and coming in much cheaper than what she’d expect in the US were one vanilla shock for the intrepid American.

She also enjoyed discovering that the US’s Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes are known here in the UK as ‘Frosties’.

Then she ventures down the tea aisle, and you might be holding your breath at this point. Does anyone else remember Alex Morgan scoring against England and then celebrating by sipping an imaginary cup of tea, or is just me being kept awake at night by that outrageous gesture?

At any rate, the Americans need to stay in their lane where tea’s concerned. You guys have your constitution, we’ve got our obsession with brown, bitter water. Okay?

Anyway, where was I? Sorry, where is Paige?

“The tea aisle is absolutely insane to me - it is an entire aisle just dedicated to different types of tea,” she said whilst browsing the fine array of dried leaves. “I didn't even know this much tea existed in the world.”

Thankfully she knew to leave it there, instead turning her attention to instant coffee. She hadn’t tried it before moving to the UK, and she hasn’t been impressed. That, by all accounts, is fair enough.

A few aisles later, and the great infraction appeared. After commenting on the number of different pies on offer, Paige encountered black pudding – a controversial ingredient even us natives.

“This is where things get scary... black pudding is a staple in most people's households,” she said. ‘Most’ people might be a pretty major stretch, of course.

“It's pig's blood,” she continued. “People eat it for breakfast. The fact that this packaging says ‘from breakfast to fine dining’ is absolutely absurd to me.'

Now, if you can put your bulldog, brolly, and Brexit down for a moment, she’s got a fair point with that one. It is a bit gross, and it’s more than reasonable if you’d rather not eat it.

However, taking aim at baked beans is beyond the pale. She said she will ‘never get on board’ with beans, and that’s an absolute red card. They’re nutritious, delicious, filling, and they take two minutes to prepare over some toast. What’s not to love?

The video’s 2,000+ comments were rich with opprobrium over Paige’s cultural musings, because of course they were.

“Lol black pudding is not a staple in most British households,” said one, and it’s reassuring to know that some education was dealt out to the TikToker on this front.

Eggs survive just fine outside the fridge (SolStock/Getty Images)

“I only know one person who likes black pudding, and we all mock him for it,” added another. Spare a thought for the poor ‘him’ in this scenario.

“Black pudding isn't a staple food unless on a fry up, beans got us through two world wars and one world cup and tea... babes tea is the king of beverages. and instant coffee because we don't all own a coffeemaker but most own a kettle,” ranted another. Babes, a cafetiere isn’t an expensive piece of kit. Spice up your life and get some ground coffee on the go. Trust.

Topics: UK Food, Social Media