What stereotypes of Britain do you come across, and what particularly winds you up?!! For me it was the "bad food / bad restaurants" one, as that has really improved over the years.

I hear them all from my brother in law here in Canada..a true die in the wool Canadian..so much so that in all honesty he would rather live in Myrtle Beach....

His stereotypes:

monarchy loving stiff upper lip people who wear bowler hats
bad teeth
dreary tv, depressing soap operas
dreary weather..constant rain
obsession with sports he can't relate to: football, cricket, darts (he doesn't consider that a sport), billiards (also not a sport)
pompous people
bland food
warm beer
tiny houses, tiny roads, tiny cars
dull, flat landscape (this is rich considering he has lived his whole life in flat areas of southern ontario)
people travelling to work via public transit (his idea of hell)..

I'm familiar with all the above but he should give darts a try (just tell him players are expected to drink beer while playing), and you don't all live in tiny houses - some of you live in castles.
Edit: Also absent were the punks yobs fascists hooligans and all the assorted regional hillbillys.

I believe the phrase you're looking for is dyed in the wool.

Yep..I forgot about the football 'ooligans and general scotes of the underbelly of british society. Another stereotype by Canadians is the feeling that british people eat a huge amount of lamb..which they seem very suspicious about.

As well, I meant 'dyed in the wool'. Thanks for noticing that.

Is that enough for you to argue about?

I can probably come up with more.

Your BIL has nailed it! (By that I mean come up with a typical stereotype list.) We can close the thread now. Actually, some truth in some of his assertions (TV, teeth) but he can hardly fault the weather or landscape. Or beer !!

No blander landscape than Southern Ontario.

The food thing when North American's bring it up is easy to shoot down. In the UK we are criticized for our unhealthy stodgy food by our healthy eating counterparts in the Mediterranean and continental Europe.

The North American's try and jump on the band wagon here but when you point out the obesity levels and the fact that they gave McDonald's, Denny's, Burger King, Tim Hortons and Starbucks and other bland contributions to the world they quickly shut up. Not to mention the lack of product range in their supermarkets.

Then you throw in the various celebrity chefs that they watch on the TV.....all British!!

The only other thing I'll point out is that if you study the way English is spoken the lip is much stiffer when American's speak it.

Anachronisms, some of them - the bowler may come back but I doubt it, unfortunate National Health teeth vastly improved, brussel sprouts boiled to death "they just don't like food' remedied by waves of immigration from places with sexy food. You can say die in the wool when discussing eating lamb in the same post.

No blander landscape than southern Ontario? Try driving from Montreal to Quebec on the South Shore. That is bland on steroids.

I beg to differ, I had clients from Winnipeg. I picked her up in Burlington and drove her to Cambridge, she was very excited by the hills

Ok. Well I've not seen much blander is what I should have said!

When I grew up in Canada, the other stereotype was dubious personal hygiene. Mind you, that was because the sole English lad we knew was a prime example.

Other stereotypes from expats over here are the tiny washing machines and the weak showers.

greg

Pardon?

It's not quite selling coals to Newcastle, but...

British food winning over the French | World news | The Guardian