An American woman living in the UK has shared the British quirks that she thinks about so often that they ‘sometimes keep her awake at night’.

Maxine Berry, known on TikTok as @yorkshireyank, has lived in the UK for the past 23 years but there are still some British-isms she finds funny, strange or both.

Among the ‘wild’ things that have left her baffled are the British postcode system, the fact that swans are legally protected – not to mention some of the UK’s more unusual food combinations.

In a video shared to her channel this week, Maxine, who lives in York but is originally from South Dakota, said: ‘As an American living in the UK, I thought I’d got used to the quirks living here.

‘But these sometimes keep me awake at night. Sometimes not but sometimes they do.’

Firstly, she declared that she was ‘pretty sure the NHS is using shows like Homes Under The Hammer and Come Dine With Me as medicine’.

She said she’d come to this conclusion as these two particular shows are always on TVs in hospital waiting rooms.

‘It doesn’t matter which hospital you go to, the waiting room always has this tuned in. You know it’s true,’ she insisted.

The content creator also believed that Britons have ‘an utter obsession with carpets’.

‘What’s wrong with some nice tiles on your floor? It would be so much easier,’ she said, before admitting that ‘it’s cold’ in the UK.

‘But honestly, some nice tiles, some nice hardwood floors would look real good,’ Maxine added.

Continuing her list, Maxine took aim at some ‘centuries-old laws’ that are still in place – and enforceable – in the UK.

As an example, she cited the historical law around the protection of swans in the UK.

Since the 1300s, it has been decreed that all swans in the country belong to The Crown and subsequent wildlife preservation laws prohibit anyone from disturbing or harming swans, including their eggs.

Maxine found this to be baffling and said: ‘I mean, I’m not technically allowed to eat a swan because it belongs to the King, but who’d want to do that anyways? I mean, does the King eat swans? I’m just asking.’

It is indeed illegal to kill, eat or keep swans in the UK. Until 1998, it was an act of treason to kill a swan, and they remain a protected species.

Other British quirks Maxine listed included the postcode system, which she described as ‘pretty cool’.

‘It literally finds a front door, can pinpoint you with satellite accuracy,’ she said.

However, when the system does occasionally fail, Royal Mail’s response is what leaves Maxine baffled.

‘The Royal Mail will send you a card and say, ‘Sorry we can’t find you, the nearest depot is 45 miles away’,’ she said.

Finally, the names of popular pub food dishes also apparently keep Maxine up at night, as she described them as ‘quite wild’.

She cited toad in the hole and bubble and squeak as being particularly quirky.

She said: ‘They all sound like somebody kind of got drunk and said, ‘Right, let’s call it toad in the hole! That sounds fun, right? Yeah let’s do it!’

‘Bubble and squeak? Sounds like a magical thing. And don’t put in a report if somebody says they want a spotted dick,’ she added.

She finished her video by asking fans to share any other odd British-isms they might have found interesting.

Responding to her comment about most British households using carpet instead of tiles, some people pointed out that it can get very cold in the UK and tiles would make a house feel even colder.

‘Tiles are cold, in a cold country why can’t we? Is it a sin to want to be warm?’ one person wrote.

Another added: ‘Tiles are too cold, carpets help keep the heat.’

But not everyone thinks tiles are too cold, as one commenter said they have them in their house. ‘Loads of people have wood floors and I have [tiles] over the majority of my house.

‘I love our quirky names for stuff, it contributes to making us who we are,’ they added.

One TikToker provided a mini history lesson and shared: ‘Many decades ago, tiled floors meant you were poor as only the rich could afford carpet.’

A fourth person also pointed out an old law that ‘prohibits beating your rugs in the street’.

They were referring to a law under the Metropolitan Police Act 1839 that prohibits such activity as a nuisance, with a limited exception for shaking a doormat only before 8am.

The law is still in place, which means it is still illegal to beat or shake rugs on the street in the UK.

Maxine frequently shares the cultural differences she has noticed between the UK and the US.

Earlier this year, she revealed the common US habit she claims would send the average Brit ‘into a coma’.

From getting rid of rubbish to the postage system and even the layouts of houses – it’s clear there are a lot of differences in daily life living abroad.

Maxine was quick to highlight one baffling habit in particular that would cause consternation among Brits – and it’s all to do with American postboxes.

She explained that American mailboxes are usually at the end of the driveway, instead of a letterbox on the front of the house like most properties in the UK.

However, despite it being only ’20 feet’ away from the house, Maxine said that many Americans will in fact drive to get their mail – something she says there’s ‘no excuse’ for.

In another video, she also pointed out that the most notable difference between the two nationalities is the inclination to talk openly about money.

‘One thing that you’ll hear in the States is how much somebody paid for a house, or whatever,’ she began.

‘I remember going around a house tour once and being told, ‘We got this sofa from Ethan Allen and it was $1,500… and here’s our beautiful stove and this is how much it cost.’

‘Brits just don’t talk about differences in money because, honestly, it’s crass and why do I need to know how much your sofa cost? It’s like you’re bragging or something.’

In her view, this difference reflects a broader cultural mindset: ‘I think UK people are more mindful of others… more mindful of how others do not have things, while in the US, it’s more like, ‘Well, I have this and you don’t’.’