An American woman living in the UK has boldly claimed that the quality of British food is far superior to that of her home country, stating that the US has “basically zero food standards.”
Olivia Carney, who relocated from North Carolina to Manchester with her husband Dane last year, took to social media platform TikTok to share her observations on the cultural differences between the UK and the US with her 13,000 followers.
In response to a query about her preference for the UK, she expressed that the flavours of UK food are more pronounced, which she found “crazy”.
She also noted that food seems to play a larger role in US culture than it does in the UK.
Olivia said: “UK food quality is way better. There’s just no debate in that. The US has basically zero standards for food. They can just do whatever they want and it’s disgusting. Coming here and tasting actual ingredients like ketchup is just crazy.”
“Here it’s literally tomatoes, and in the US it’s full of sugar. There’s like 20 ingredients in ketchup in America, whereas here, I think there’s like three. Food quality is just – you just can’t match that.”
Olivia, who has experienced life on both sides of the pond, is convinced that the UK trumps the US when it comes to both food quality and cost.
She shared her insights: “Overall food quality here is way better. It’s also way cheaper. In the US I would do a very similar food shop to what I do here.
“I was paying $200 a month a week on food for the same shop. Here it’s $150 to $200, depending on what we needed that week. So yeah, food quality, food price, way better here.”
Despite the perks, Olivia does long for the “options” available back in the States. She expressed her cravings: “I’m missing Mexican food, I definitely miss Chick-fil-A, I miss Chipotle.
“I know there’s Chipotle in London, but I’m in Manchester, so it’s not feasible for me to get to. I miss my Trader Joe’s, like snack staples and things like that. I miss Target.”
Yet, she firmly believes that the UK offers superior overall quality and taste in its food offerings. Olivia also touched upon the stark contrast in healthcare systems between the two nations, highlighting the benefits of living in the UK.
She pointed out: “Everyone should know by now that the US healthcare is insane. I had a really good job in the US and had health insurance through my job, but that cost me $600 a month for my healthcare.
“That also just didn’t cover everything that I went to the doctor for. So I still got healthcare bills even though I was paying $600 a month for that.”
She clarified her position on the NHS, saying: “I will say being here using the NHS, I did pay a healthcare surcharge to be able to get in, and I do pay taxes. I understand.
“I’ve not paid into it my whole entire life like all of the other English people or UK citizens, but I’m not using it for free. I have paid for it. But I still don’t have a bill every time I go.”
