Everyday traditions and habits of the British, which are not at all clear to Russians

The life of any person consists of little things and special rules. This is what distinguishes one people from another. There is even a proverb: “Habit is second nature!” — and its meaning can be felt by looking at the life of other people who live far from us Russians.

Take the British, for example. At first glance, they do not stand out from other people at all. Even if you carefully monitor them, you won’t notice any differences either - it will be very difficult to detect any oddities in behavior. But it’s a completely different matter to get into their homes, because it is there that any Englishman becomes himself and gives free rein to his habits and character. Therefore, you can only fully recognize a resident of Great Britain when you come to visit him. But what should you be prepared for? What awaits an ordinary Russian person at home with an Englishman? Let's see.

Separate supply of hot and cold water

This is the first thing that may surprise you a little. The concept of “mixer” does not exist for the British. They have two taps in both the bathroom and the kitchen - separately for hot and cold water.

Moreover, it seems that the inhabitants of the country experience some kind of wild fear of flowing water. It is not customary here, as it is here, to stand under a shower head from which life-giving moisture flows.There they even wash their hands according to some blasphemous scheme: close the sink with a stopper, fill it with hot water, dilute it with cold water, wash your hands, drain the soapy liquid, draw clean water (using the same principle), and rinse your hands.

What kind of strange feature this is - separate taps - is completely unclear. After all, in fact, it is almost impossible to wash the dishes or your own body properly without nerves - boiling water flows from one tap, ice water from another. But somehow the British have already gotten used to this and, perhaps, it is our mixers that will seem strange to them.

By the way, UK residents don’t even rinse their dishes properly. Sometimes they send her to dry in foam, just as they don’t wash off the shower gel after taking a bath.

No central heating

Even in the 21st century, about a third of homes do not have central heating. Moreover, their owners are not even eager to acquire this very blessing of civilization. They are quite happy with heaters powered by electricity. And in some apartments you can even find gas appliances, which is especially sad, because these terrible appliances produce a terribly unpleasant odor, and are also not particularly safe in terms of fire.

In general, heating in Britain is very expensive, and saving is almost a national hobby.

If the room does have central heating, then the British use it very sparingly: in some houses it only works for 2-3 hours, and is completely turned off at night.

Perhaps there is some logic here, because this significantly saves the family budget. But if you are going to visit an Englishman, then take a warm jacket with you. True, the people of Great Britain are quite hospitable and will probably turn on the fireplace especially for you.

Windows and doors

Another reason why the British are always cold at home is that you can rarely see a mark above 18°C ​​on the thermometer. And in winter it even drops lower.

An “English window” is an ordinary square or rectangular opening, but... with one glass. Even in winter, the British do not particularly care about installing a second frame in order to at least slightly insulate the room and keep the heat inside. The same goes for doors. It is difficult to imagine a heated house where the front door has a huge gap at the bottom. However, UK residents are not bothered by this. They believe that winter is a short season, and therefore inconveniences can be tolerated.

By the way, in many films we can see that the windows of the British have the same design as ours - on side hinges. However, windows that rise vertically upward are more common there, moving on special wheels according to the guillotine principle.

Ventilation? No, we haven't heard

For us Russians, properly thought-out ventilation in the house is almost an obligation and an important component of both the bathroom and the kitchen. We even install special grilles that provide forced ventilation when natural ventilation does not work very well.

But in England this moment is not only not provided for, they are not even thought about. In the UK, the usual hood is replaced very simply - with an open window. It is for this reason that in most English houses the most common problem is mold, since the rooms are not ventilated at all, which is where dampness comes from - fungus’s best friend.

The most popular product in London hypermarkets is anti-mold products.

Fireplace, fireplace and more fireplace

The British are very fond of fireplaces. They can sit in front of it for hours and think about something of their own.True, if you remember that houses are often very cold and damp, then the prospect of being warm on the one hand, and numb from the icy air on the other, seems like a so-so idea...

Sometimes you can find up to 5-6 fireplaces in houses. True, they are often installed on the outside, which does not affect the heating of the house at all - this is such a strange feature. Considering all of the above with heating, for some reason the British still haven’t thought about the fact that a fireplace can also warm up a room a little.

Carpets

English style in the interior often involves the presence of beautiful textiles. Perhaps this trend has a direct bearing on the Victorian era. This also applies to gender. Carpet is everywhere here - in the kitchen, living room, hallway and even the pantry.

True, such a love for this type of covering does not always look pretty, because the carpet lies on the floor not just for years, but sometimes for decades. Naturally, the British are not pigs, and they are used to cleaning up their home, where cleaning also includes carpet cleaning. But you must admit: over time, any coating will lose its appearance, even if you take very good care of it. But residents of the country do not choose more durable materials (tiles, natural stone), but prefer carpet. It could even be in the bathroom. Moreover, if you see a hole in the coating and it confuses you, then the British do not attach any importance to this state of affairs.

These are the kind of everyday oddities you can find in UK homes. Judge the British? By no means, because we are all different and it is from such little things (even if incomprehensible to us) that our character and mentality are formed.