Brit teacher in LA confuses friends with common UK phrase | Weird | News
Something a British woman said about fruit and vegetables stunned her American friends (stock image) (Image: Getty)
Moving to a foreign country can be one of the most daunting things anyone can do. Differences in culture, language, behavior and a wide variety of other unexpected elements can make adjusting to a new home very challenging. A British woman who moved to the USA encountered an unexpected problem when referencing something every British person could understand; but this took his American friends completely by surprise.
Lucy, who posts on TikTok as lucy_inlalaland, is a teacher from the United Kingdom currently living in Los Angeles, California, and regularly shares her observations on the differences between the two cultures. In a recent video, he talked about a surprising moment when he used a phrase he didn’t realize would be completely foreign to Americans.
READ MORE: Lose weight ‘much faster’ by eating according to the five-a-day rule – diet plan
READ MORE: Eating fruit and vegetables could cut your risk of death by 30% – how much
In her video, she said: “I’m British but I live in America, and last night I said something in front of a group of people that didn’t translate at all to Americans. “I made a salsa for an Oscar viewing party and it had a lot of vegetables in it.
“For this reason [I said] ‘ah ha ha enjoy it, it’s got all your nickels a day’ and everyone said: ‘What?’ ‘Your five a day?’ I thought.
“My husband looked at me and said, ‘I guess this is something that only happens in England.’
“So yeah, your five a day. We all know it’s the British, but the rest of the world doesn’t. But you need your five a day.”
Of course, five portions a day refers to the government and NHS health advice that everyone should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day to ensure they get enough nutrients and vitamins. The advice, originally published by the World Health Organisation, was previously adopted by the UK Government in 2003 and has since moved into daily use.
People in the comments had varying opinions. One of them said: “A Brit living in America and yes, this is completely unknown! However… I’m a bit concerned (read anxious) about the many vegetables in the salsa… So apart from onions, what other vegetables do you put in there?!?”
Another said: “I work for a US company and I constantly say things I worry the US guys won’t know. I’ve had my fingers in so much cake today but thank God they know what I mean.”
But another said: “I’m from New York (New York) and would totally understand this. I think this is a pretty common saying. I thought it was based on the US food pyramid.” Another wrote: “Translates very well… I get it but I would never say it.”
What counts as your five-a-day salary?
By the way to the NHSThe following counts as one serving of your five per day:
- 80g fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables
- 30 g dried fruit
Multiple servings of any of these can be consumed to reach the five-a-day goal. For example, three servings of fresh fruit and two servings of dried fruit count as five servings. These do not need to be eaten alone; They count when included in a meal, such as a casserole, soup, or pasta sauce.
These only count as one serving in a single day, regardless of how many servings you consume:
- 150 ml fruit juice, vegetable juice or smoothie. These only count as one serving due to their high sugar content.
- 80 g beans and legumes. Although they are a good source of fiber, they contain fewer nutrients than fruits and vegetables.
Potatoes don’t count towards your daily five. Although they contain vitamins B and C, fiber and potassium, they are generally used as a source of starch in dishes such as bread, pasta and rice. As a result, they are not included in the five-a-day. Jerusalem artichokes, bananas, and cassava don’t count either, but sweet potatoes, parsnips, rutabagas, and turnips do.
