An American who moved to the UK has given her verdict on who has better food.
Olivia Carney is originally from North Carolina but moved to Manchester with her husband Dane last year.
Post under your TikTok handle @oliviacarneyxwhere she has more than 13,000 followers, the American periodically makes videos that document the cultural differences she has observed since moving.
In a recent clip, he responded to a viewer who asked him: “Could you make a video about why you prefer the UK?”
The influencer listed all the reasons why she prefers life here to her homeland in the US, but added that there are things she misses that mostly “revolve around food.”
Olivia Carney is originally from North Carolina in the US, but moved to Manchester with her husband Dane last year.
British food is better, but he misses American takeaways.
She explained: ‘The quality of UK food is much better. There is simply no debate on that. The United States has basically zero standards for food.
‘They can do whatever they want and it’s disgusting. cComing here and trying real ingredients like ketchup is just crazy.
‘Here they are literally tomatoes, and in the United States they are full of sugar. There are like 20 ingredients in ketchup in the United States, whereas here I think there are like three.
“The quality of the food is just… you just can’t match that.”
However, he admits that he misses the food “options” there are in the United States, such as the variety of fast food and takeout.
She gushed, “I miss 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 possible for me to get there.
‘I miss my Trader Joe’s, like the basic sandwiches and stuff like that. I miss Target.’
But, despite missing his favorite restaurants in America, he still wouldn’t trade them for the quality and price of the food here in the UK.
The influencer listed all the reasons why she prefers life here to her homeland in the US, but added that there are things she misses that mostly “revolve around food.”
She said: ‘Overall the quality of the food here is much better. It’s also much cheaper.
‘In the United States I would make a food store very similar to the one I make here. i wlike paying $200 a month a week for food for the same store. Here it is between $150 and $200, depending on what we needed that week.
‘So yes, The quality and price of the food are much better here.’
And food isn’t the only thing Olivia prefers about the UK: in the same video she also commented on the differences in healthcare, gun violence, public transport and, of course, the weather.
Healthcare is cheaper in the UK
The TikToker told viewers: ‘Everyone should know by now that US healthcare is crazy.
‘I had a really good job in the US and I had health insurance through my job, but that cost me $600 a month for my health care.
‘That didn’t cover everything I went to the doctor about either. So he still had health care bills even though he paid $600 a month for them.’
She added: “I will say that being here using the NHS, I paid a healthcare surcharge to get in, and l I pay taxes.
‘I understand. I haven’t paid all my life like every other Englishman or UK citizen, but I don’t use it for free. I have paid it. But I still don’t get a bill every time I go.’
The UK is safer
Turning to the issue of gun violence, he stated that in the United States one can “simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time at any time.”
He added: “I definitely understand and appreciate that there is violence here in the UK as well – a lot of knife crime and things like that, but it’s nowhere near the severity that there is in the US with guns.”
“The fact that someone can just decide they want to buy a gun and use it against a crowd of people is just different.”
The UK has better public transport, but driving is complicated
When it comes to public transport, Olivia finds the UK to be more convenient in terms of “being able to get around”.
However, she says driving is a different matter.
The TikToker admitted: ‘Driving here is incredibly difficult. In America, roads, to me personally, make more sense.
“I know it’s because I grew up there, so it’s what I’m used to and it’s where I learned, but for example, the freeways or freeway systems here, if you miss the exit, it can add another 30 minutes to your trip.” .
‘Because they don’t have exits every mile like we have in the United States. So if you miss the exit, you’re out of luck.
The American added: “But I will say that this country is much older, so they had to put the roads where they could fit.”
“They didn’t plan cities and living areas around highways, where most of America is built that way.”
America’s climate is better
Finally, it couldn’t be a UK vs US comparison video without mentioning the weather.
Although the influencer misses the sunny skies of North Carolina, she admires the determination Brits have to get things done, rain or shine.
Olivia said: ‘I obviously miss the US weather. This is the longest time I have gone without being in the sun in aAnd I feel like a ghost.
‘I miss the sun. I will say that this winter was very hard for me. I lived in the south and was in the sun all the time.
“We didn’t see the sun for a month straight and it was just dark. Like, no, the weather in the The United States is obviously better.”
And he added: ‘The last thing I will compare is how many people continue to do things here despite the time.
‘In America, if it’s raining, if it’s snowing, if it’s cold, if it’s wet, whatever, you just won’t leave.
‘If it was going to rain or something on Saturday, we just won’t do anything. If it rains, we won’t go out. We will stay at home all day watching television.
‘It obviously rains here all the time so you can’t let the weather affect what you do, otherwise you’d never do anything.
“So everyone here is still out and about, they’re still doing things, they’re still having a great time and I love that.” “I think it’s a big difference from what I’m used to.”
Both Americans and Brits flocked to the comments to express their own opinions on cultural quirks.
Both Americans and Brits flocked to the comments to express their own opinions on cultural quirks.
An American native wrote: ‘I’m an American expat living in England! I feel the same as you: I’ve been here for nine years!’
Meanwhile, one Brit joked: “I’ve never been to America and I miss the American weather too.”
Another joked: “I’m from the UK and have lived in Washington state for over 10 years.”
“I’m desperate to return to the UK for all your reasons.”
A third Brit added: “I don’t think I’ve ever come across an American who moved to Manchester instead of London – you chose the better city.” I’m glad you’re enjoying it.’
An American chimed in: ‘I moved to Scotland from America last year and I agree with every word he said.
‘We are very happy to be here. Our quality of life has improved enormously. I really miss Trader Joe’s!’
One grateful Brit gushed: “As someone who was born here in the UK, I think we often take for granted what we have here, but I love hearing good stories from people who love having moved here.”
