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Scottish woman rented an apartment after 2 Americans. What they left behind boggled her mind.

“Is everything on the floor in Scotland?”

Photo credit: Canva

A woman shocked at what she sees on the wall of her new apartment

Cultural differences can be incredibly subtle. There has been a lot of fun chatter online about how Americans are different from Europeans in many ways. The most often cited differences are that Americans are incredibly friendly (to everyone), love to carry massive bottles of water with them everywhere, and have very loud voices. There are also differences when it comes to their homes. Americans love having large refrigerators, stocking up on groceries, and buying in bulk. Europeans tend to favor regular trips to the store and have a small fridge.

Author Willow Heath of Scotland recently added another thing to the list in her viral TikTok. She explains the confusion she experienced when moving into an apartment where an American couple previously lived.

“Question for all the Americans out there. I have just moved into a new place here in Scotland, and previously, this flat was lived in by an American couple,” Health said. “I showed my friend who now lives in L.A. a curious thing about this flat, and they said, ‘Oh yeah, yeah, it's an American thing.' And the thing I'm talking about is hooks.”

Heath then shared all of the hooks she found in the apartment that were not removed after the couple left.

@willowtalksbooks
Do Americans love hooks? #usa #uk

Heath also noted there was a lazy Susan in the refrigerator that she had never seen before. “I've never seen this before. It's actually really cool,” she said, playing with the rotating plastic tray… “It turns around so you can get at things that are at the back so you don't have to reach all the way to the back … my friend said this is also an American thing,” she added.

Some Americans returned fire at Heath by asking why people in the UK don’t have hooks throughout their homes. “Is everything on the floor in Scotland?” one asked. “That couple was so nice to leave all their hooks for you,” another added. One American stood strong on their hook use: “American living in England, their lack of home organizing is astounding to me.”

Another American referenced the current UK versus U.S. realization that Robbie Williams, the subject of the critically acclaimed movie Better Man about a rockstar chimp, is massively popular across the pond and virtually unknown in America. “Are British people spending so much time listening to Robbie Williams they don’t know what hooks are?” a commenter joked.

One commenter, most likely in the UK, blamed the excessive number of hooks on American consumer culture. “We don't buy random stuff, so no need to hang everything, Americans hoard everything,” they noted.

It might be worth noting that even though Americans have a fervent love of wall hooks, they can't exactly take credit for the idea. That honor, as with so many timeless innovations, belongs to the ancient Egyptians. Then during the Industrial Revolution, the rise of urban cities and middle class families demand more home furnishing that nailed both form and function. Luckily that demand was able to be made with the mass production of various metal items. And now, hooks are a home staple that also reflects certain cultural aesthetics—from the minimalist design of Japanese hooks to ornate, colorful Mediterranean renditions. Scotland must have just missed the memo.

scotland, wall hooks, living in america, home decor, cultural differences, culture A rustic style of wall hooksPhoto credit: Canva

At the end of the video, Heath shared that she wasn’t putting Americans down; she just never realized how much they like hanging things from hooks. “I'm not saying they're not useful, and I spent time in the States. I lived in upstate New York for a few months,” Heath said. “I like the U.S., I like Americans, I'm not attacking you … I just think this is an interesting cultural difference, hooks everywhere.” The good news for Heath is that nobody took the hooks down, so she may learn why Americans love them so much. As for Robbie Williams, not so much.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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Culture

Our ancestors ate foods most of us will never taste. Scientists are trying to bring them back.

You haven't lived until you've tried a woolly mammoth steak.

Public Domain, Poul Steffensen/Public Domain

Hundreds and thousands of years ago people ate foods that are now extinct. But they might not be for long.

The history of food is absolutely fascinating. Human beings have come up with some pretty weird stuff, like turning rotten milk into cheese, drinking old grape juice because it makes us feel warm and fuzzy, and following the lead of giddy goats that were buzzing after eating coffee beans.

Our diets have changed drastically over the centuries. Simply put, the ancient Roman mind could not have comprehended the concept of Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

However, a lot of the crops and animals we used to eat have gone extinct, or nearly so. Some fell out of favor, but some were beloved and simply lost to history, over-farming, disease, or random chance.

In some cases, food scientists and researchers are actively trying to bring them back. Maybe we'll be able to taste a few of these delicacies again one day.

Almota apples (and dozens of others)

almota apples, apples, foods, humans, nature Artist's rendering of the Taliaferro appleBy Taliaferro1776 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Think there are a lot of different kinds of apples at the grocery store? While there are quite a few—about 20 kinds that make up most apple sales—there used to be hundreds of unique, interesting types of apples available for people to eat.

David Benscoter, founder of the Lost Apple Project, recently discovered seven apple breeds that were once thought extinct, including delicious options like the Almota apple, the Ivanhoe, the Eper, and the Iowa Flat. The Lost Apple Project is dedicated to regrowing these lost fruits.

The Taliaferro apple, in fact, was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, who called it the best apple for making cyder due to its intense juiciness.

The Ansault Pear

ansault pear, pear, fruit, extinct foods, nature An illustration of the ansault pear.Public Domain

The Ansault pear was described in the 1921 book The Pears of New York as having a rich, buttery flavor. "Flesh tinged with yellow, granular at the center, melting and tender, buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic," author U. P. Hedrick observed. He also noted that the tree was not well-suited to commercial orchards, which gives a good clue as to why it ultimately did not survive into the 20th century.

Too bad, because it sounds delicious.

The auroch

Aurochs were an ancient breed of giant cattle, first used by humans over 10,000 years ago for their meat, milk, hides, and bones, according to the Natural History Museum. The domestication of these beasts was central to the development of modern agriculture.

The auroch went extinct around 1627 after disease, habitat destruction, and over-hunting took its toll.

However, some scientists think the aurochs are a keystone species that can positively affect biodiversity, and are trying to bring them back. For science, of course, and not for delicious burgers. Modern Farmer notes that the auroch was leaner and produced less meat than modern cows, and that “their meat almost has a wild taste: It is marbled, tender and juicy and full of omega 3 and 6, vitamins like B12 and E, and iron.”

auroch, auroch cow, extinction, nature, extinct foods Artist's rendering of an aurochBy Jochen Ackermann - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Mammoths

You probably already know that the great woolly mammoth is long-since extinct. You might not know that early humans actually ate these gigantic animals on the regular. They were a great source of protein!

Thirteen thousand years ago during the Ice Age, humans didn't just eat mammoths here and there—the hairy beasts were actually a staple of the human diet.

If you've ever wondered what woolly mammoth tasted like, some explorers in 1901 came across a frozen mammoth so well-preserved that they prepared it into a feast. The mammoth steaks were a hit—"which all the learned guests declared was agreeable to the taste, and not much tougher than some of the sirloin furnished by butchers of today," noted The Atlantic.

Scientists have been working on "de-extincting" the woolly mammoth for a long time now. The best we've got so far is an Asian elephant with lots of hair due to gene editing. Even if we do resurrect the mammoths, you probably won't get to eat one, but it's fun to imagine a gigantic mammoth steak.

Silphium

siphium, plant, seasoning, extinct food, nature, aphrodisiac Silphium, part seasoning, part aphrodisiacPublic Domain

To the ancient Greeks and Romans, silphium was a pantry staple just like garlic, salt, and pepper are for us. The stalks could be cooked and eaten like broccoli, while the rest of it was turned into a delectable seasoning. They put that stuff on everything!

The Greek botanist Theophrastus described silphium as being closely related to fennel, which many of us are familiar with in the modern world. But unlike fennel, silphium was said to have medicinal, spiritual, and even sexual properties. It was said to be a powerful aphrodisiac and, weirdly, even a contraceptive.

Unfortunately, silphium only grew in one specific part of Northern Africa and was not suitable to wider farming. It went extinct thousands of years ago, but that hasn't stopped scientists from looking for ways to revive or recreate it.

Judean date palm

judean date palm, plant, plants, extinct, trees, ancient trees This date palm tree was grown from a 2,000 year old seed.By DASonnenfeld - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Another delectable fruit lost to history, the Judean date palm was extremely popular in biblical times. Not only was it well-regarded for its delicious tastes all throughout Israel and the surrounding region, the date palm, like silphium, was said to have medicinal properties and to be a powerful aphrodisiac.

Amazingly, scientists were able to revive the Judean date palm in 2005 thanks to modern agriculture techniques and a preserved, 2000-year-old seed. One of the lead scientists on the project was lucky enough to taste one of the fruits and described it as, "Not as sweet as the Medjool date, not sticky at all, and with a pleasant honey aftertaste."

A lack of biodiversity in modern farming, along with climate change, habitat destruction, over-farming, and more, means many more crops are in danger of disappearing forever.

Certain varieties of bananas, dragon fruits, and mangos are considered critically endangered. Even our beloved avocados are at risk as the climate crisis worsens.

Seed sharing and supporting small, local farmers are two simple ways to support better biodiversity—especially when it comes to fruits and veggies. It's also important that we continue to fund and support the sciences, both in their efforts to ward off climate change and in exciting experiments to "un-extinct" fascinating crops and animals from our history.

No, we probably won't be seeing mammoth burgers on restaurant menus in our lifetime, but it may be possible to sink your teeth into a new kind of apple you've never heard of before, or taste a honey-sweet date from biblical times. That kind of cultural connection to our ancestors is really exciting to think about.

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Culture

Woman reveals take-home pay from $95k salary and it explains why everything is broken

It sounds like a lot, but viewers couldn't believe how fast her paycheck disappeared.

Canva Photos

A woman breaks down her $95k paychecks and people are surprised by what's left.

More money, more problems? Maybe not, but definitely some problems. Big ones. Making six figures ($100,000 per year or more) used to really mean something in America. It was a big milestone in someone's life and career, signaling, at least from the outside, that they had made it. They were officially a success. Six figures never necessarily meant that you were rich, but it definitely set you up for a very comfortable life. You could afford a home, a couple of kids, yearly vacations, the works.

My, how things have changed.

One woman recently took to social media to share exactly how far her near-six-figure salary goes, and it's not nearly as far as it used to be.

Kait Alayna, who posts on TikTok about personal finance, budgeting, and all things money, shared a video recently breaking down her $95,500 annual salary. (It's not six figures, but it's pretty close.)

"[My net paycheck] can seem kind of low for my salary," she says in the video, responding to a commenter. "So here's the breakdown of gross to net so you can see where all the funds are going."

In captions on the video, she shows that her gross paycheck is $3,979. $399.91 goes to her 401k contribution. Seventy-five dollars go to a health savings account, and she pays another $68.88 per pay period for health, dental, and vision insurance. A chunky $882.30 is taken out of her paychecks for taxes.

That leaves her with just $2,553 in her pocket per pay period. That's about $5,000 in monthly take-home pay.

For Alayna's next trick, we get to watch it all disappear!

@kaitalayna
Replying to @Faith Hainey my semi-monthly gross paycheck -> net paycheck breakdown #paytransparency #salarytransparency #paycheckbreakdown #PersonalFinance

Five thousand dollars per month is nothing to sneeze at, of course! By all accounts, Alayna is doing great in her life and career.

But it vanishes from bank accounts faster than ever in the year 2025. In another video, she breaks down her monthly budget, which she shares with her fiancé:

Rent is $1780, and the total of all of their "essential" costs like groceries, gas, car insurance, cell phones, etc. is a whopping $4600 per month. Again, some of these costs are shared between two people, but that's nearly all of Alayna's paycheck swallowed up right off the bat!

Crucially, they're spending an extra $700 per month on paying off debt like student loans, on top of the $550 mandatory payments. Together, they own over $60,000 in student loan and other debts. We don't know the terms of their loans, but it often takes people decades (or even a lifetime) to pay down balances like that.

Commenters could relate to Alayna's situation:

"I have the same salary, nearly the same deductions, and I take home $2200. We are in such a hard spot" one user wrote.

"I made $100k a year and only being home like $2400. FSA, 403b, retirement pension, taxes, college savings. Sometimes I’m like where is my money?!" one added.

"I make $145k and my take home after insurance, taxes, 401k, etc is $3800 bi monthly, I cry when I think about it" someone wrote.

"Mine is about the same. Once rent and car payment is taken out, just enough for groceries and like one night out," a commenter said.

"My salary is $95,481 and my net is super close to yours. It just doesn’t go as far as it used to!" added another.

"Money doesn’t buy what it used to. All of the necessities are priced up," someone summed up.

@kaitalayna
new month new budget 🫶 #budget #payday #salarytransparency #monthlybudget #financialliteracy #personalfinance

Making nearly six figures per year puts people like Alayna in a comfortable and enviable position. But the hype still doesn't match the reality in 2025.

Though it's enough for a comfortable life, it's still very difficult at that salary level to save for a house, travel regularly, retire early, or even have a family—you know, the fundamental promises America was built on. Alayna and her fiancé have to be extremely disciplined with putting money aside to ensure they can withstand emergency costs and go on the occasional vacation.

Fortune writes that, "A six-figure salary used to be considered wealthy—but now, most of these earners are struggling to stay afloat amid raging living costs and salary deflation. That’s because households making $100,000 annually are still considered 'middle-class' in every U.S. state."

Even earning $200,000 per year isn't considered upper-class in many places. Fortune adds that over half of Americans earning a six figure salary still described themselves as living paycheck to paycheck, and that number is growing every year.

Why? It's because this whole time that we've been thinking people who make six figures are "rich," the cost of living has been accelerating upward at breakneck speed. Groceries are about 25% more expensive than they were just a few years ago. In the last 10 years, the median home price has gone by over $131,000. The average cell phone bill, with smartphones now being a near-necessity to be a participant in modern society, is now about $141 per month. The federal minimum wage has not changed in that time, nor has it since 2009.

It's time to reset our expectations of what a living wage really is, and even who we consider to be rich. If someone who makes the coveted $100,000 per year is still living paycheck to paycheck, living and dying by the budget spreadsheet, and devoting a huge chunk of salary to paying off debts, what hope does anyone else have?

Alayna writes that she's thankful for her job, and she's making it her mission to help others with smart budgeting and money decisions. But until a carton of eggs becomes affordable again, almost everyone's going to have a tough time getting ahead.

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Culture

Gen Xers and Boomers share outrageous behaviors that used to be considered 'normal'

"All my parents' friends used to give me a spanking for each year on my birthday."

Photo by lil artsy/Pexels

Older people are sharing memories of wild behaviors and norms that would be considered "boundary crossing" today

How many times have you looked back to things you thought were "normal" from your childhood and thought "Huh, that was actually kinda weird in hindsight"? Times change, and what's considered "normal and acceptable" change with them. That's not automatically good or bad, necessarily, but hopefully humanity is evolving such that we learn from our mistakes and recognize room for improvement.

Culture, social progress, and technology all play a role in how our behaviors evolve. We hope our behavior changes for the better, and sometimes it does, but some folks might disagree and think things were better back in simpler times.

In that vein, someone asked Gen Xers and Boomers on Reddit, "What are some things that would be considered rude or boundary crossing today but were perfectly normal and acceptable when you were growing up?" and the answers reveal how much has shifted in the past handful of decades.

If you're over 40, enjoy this slightly disturbing trip down memory lane. If you're under 40, yes, all of these things really happened on a regular basis.

Scolding other people's kids (even strangers)

Raising a child was seen as more of a community effort than it is today, which resulted in perfect strangers doling out discipline.

"Scolding someone else's child. I remember getting corrected by strangers."

gen x, boomers, millennials, gen alpha, gen z, generations, generational differences, culture, etiquette Reprimanding other people's kids in public. Giphy

"Those were the lessons that stuck the most too for me. When a family friend or stranger corrected me I knew without doubt I done f'd up. I didn't like the trend during the late 80's into 90's of everyone telling each other to mind their own business and not correct a child that wasn't theirs ~ horrible logic that I feel totally contributed to where we are at today with nobody considering other peoples opinions on things."

"OMG yes! in my neighborhood, whoever's house you were at, if you acted up, their mom was expected to let you know, and even send you home! it's just how things were."

"Kids were basically community property."

People are split on whether this development is ultimately good or bad.

Showing up or dropping by unannounced

Before cell phones, people didn't always call or text before going to someone's house. Company could just show up at any time. People had snacks on hand specifically for unexpected guests. It was a thing.

"Possibly stopping in at a friend’s house unannounced. That used to be fairly common when everyone didn’t have a phone in his or her pocket."

"You never knew who, or how many, would show up at our house on a Friday night for a game of penny ante poker or Yahtzee in the 60's and 70's."

gen x, boomers, millennials, gen alpha, gen z, generations, generational differences, culture, etiquette Showing up to someone's house unannounced. Giphy

"I do miss that. We always had extra snacks for guests available because we never knew when someone might just show up."

"We always had a Pepperidge Farms Coconut cake in the freezer. My mother would take it out to thaw as soon as company showed up."

"A corollary of this was that you were also expected to have your clothes on and be somewhat presentable while you were at home, since you never know who would be dropping by."

"Hell, me and my friends would just walk into each other's house like we lived there. None of the parents seemed to mind either. I often ended up eating meals at their homes and them at mine."

People still show up out of nowhere in movies and TV shows, though. Probably because texting isn't quite as cinematic!

Birthday spankings

Okay, yeah, this one is weird. It was a tradition to get a spanking for every year of your life on your birthday, and it wasn't even just parents who did this. Teachers, your parents' friends, etc.

"All my parents' friends used to give me a spanking for each year on my birthday. Does anyone else remember this? Birthday spankings? So weird."

"And a pinch to grow an inch."

"My 4th grade teacher did this to all of us in front of the whole class. She ended it with a "pinch to grow on" and literally pinched our butts. This was around 2001 in Indianapolis. I don't recall anyone ever having an issue with it at the time, but looking back it was definitely odd. She was a great teacher and I have nothing bad to say about her at all. It was just a different time."

gen x, boomers, millennials, gen alpha, gen z, generations, generational differences, culture, etiquette Birthday spankings and punches. Giphy

"Yessssss! I'm in MD and was in elementary school in the 80's. If it was our birthday we would pick another kid to spank us in front of the whole grade, so if turning 9 you would get 9 smacks on your butt and all the kids would shout "ONE! TWO!..." 😂😂😂😂 I can't imagine that happening now!"

"Oh god! In a school club we would all line up and the birthday girl to crawl between all our legs as we spanked her on birthdays. What a crazy tradition!"

"The spanking machine! Kids would line up in a row, legs open, and you would crawl through, while kids slapped your butt. Sometimes singing 'today is spankin’ day!'"

Later, the birthday spankings evolved in birthday arm punches — again, one for every year. It's really hard to imagine anyone getting away with this in 2025.

Actual spankings. With a paddle. At school.

School principals, vice principals and sometimes teachers kept a paddle at their desk, which would be used to whack kids who misbehaved. Corporal punishment was the gold standard for behavior modification. Hacking, whacking, paddling—so many names for this woefully outdated practice.

"The big paddle that one of the teachers would possess that would be used on your hind quarters at their whim. No parent permission needed."

"The (completely backward) school I attended in 7th grade in 1999-2000 still spanked kids. My math teacher spanked a kid in class at least once a week. This was the deep south and very different from other schools I went to, it was quite the culture shock."

"I would get the paddle or else my desk kicked over while I was in it, my head would hit that floor HARD! I don’t know which was worse."

gen x, boomers, millennials, gen alpha, gen z, generations, generational differences, culture, etiquette Corporal punishment in schools. Giphy

"In 1987 my mom walked me into the school office and told everyone including the principle that under NO circumstances is anyone to paddle or spank me for discipline and if I misbehaved they were to simply call her about it. Their jaws dropped. That would not have happened anyways because I was a very well behaved and respectful child."

"I definitely got the big paddle in the vice principal's office."

Shockingly, "corporal punishment" as it's called is still legal in many states and regularly practiced in some private schools.

Smoking indoors everywhere

It's impossible to explain to young people today how ubiquitous smoking used to be. Like, it was considered rude not to have ashtrays in your home. High schools had smoking areas. Restaurants, airplanes, waiting rooms—people smoked everywhere.

"I can recall the nurses at the triage in the hospital in my home town, smoking away while working. The 80s man, crazy time."

"I was born in 82, there’s a picture of my mother holding me shortly after I was born, laying in a hospital bed, and on her bedside table is a pack of reds and an ashtray."

"And on airplanes and trains. I remember riding the L in Chicago with people smoking on the cars."

"Smoking in class at college."

gen x, boomers, millennials, gen alpha, gen z, generations, generational differences, culture, etiquette Smoking indoors. Giphy

"Smoking in grocery stores and putting out butts on the floor.

Teachers with ash trays on their desks smoking during class."

"My parents didn't smoke, but they (1970s) kept a guest ashtray in the house in case a visitor wanted to light up. Complained endlessly about the smoke smell once the person was gone, but it would have been rude to tell them to take it outside or wait."

The first question a restaurant hostess used to ask you was "Smoking or non-smoking?" if you can believe it.

Sexual harassment

Not that this was ever normal or acceptable, but it was tolerated to a disturbing level.

"Until Anita Hill, I had never even heard the term Sexual Harassment. I literally had no idea it was a thing. You were female, you were employed, men could make insistent advances with zero repercussions. One of my co-workers finally slept with the boss just to try to get him to leave her alone. This was NORMAL. We expected it to happen and accepted that it would, we just had to deal with it."

gen x, boomers, millennials, gen alpha, gen z, generations, generational differences, culture, etiquette Rampant sexual harassment. Giphy

"I was told to lighten up because it was a compliment."

" I got my first job in 1973 when I was 15. I worked in the restaurant business and waited tables all through college. It was pervasive and customers (men) would say many unwanted things as well. My first adult job was selling pharmaceuticals in 1984 and the first thing my regional manager told me during orientation was if a doctor did or said anything inappropriate handle it anyway you saw fit and then call and tell me about. He made it clear we didn’t have to put up with any BS and were free to slap anyone if we needed to. By the nineties sexual harassment wasn’t gone but was getting called out in a big way. Until there was a name for sexual harassment we knew we were uncomfortable but didn’t really have a way to express it in a meaningful and united manner."

"My friends and I were grabbed constantly in middle school by boys in early 90s. It never occurred to us to tell anyone and I honestly don’t think they would have cared. We just shared our shame amongst ourselves."

"Men would randomly grab and touch women all the time when I was growing up. Boomers were the worst about it, but I’m GenX and even we had it somewhat normalized. We’d gotten a clue that it wasn’t great, but we hadn’t yet realized it was actually sexual assault when someone would fondle your butt or breasts unbidden. Or when someone would grab you and kiss you. If you complained you were told to lighten up."

Watching old films and TV shows can be a bit cringeworthy for this exact reason. Inappropriate comments and contact at work was often seen as a joke and "just good fun."

The drastic policing of what women wore under their clothes

Imagine having all the girls line up in gym class while the teacher runs his finger down each girl's back to make sure she was wearing a bra. Imagine it being unheard of to not wear pantyhose and show bare skin on your legs while wearing a skirt. We still police what women and girls wear in some places, but it's not as bad as it used to be.

"I’ve been told that women were expected to wear 'foundation garments' at work, and if they didn’t, then they might get reprimanded. I’m talking about longline bras and girdles."

gen x, boomers, millennials, gen alpha, gen z, generations, generational differences, culture, etiquette Policing of women's underwear. Giphy

"In the 80s, one of my friends got sent to the office for not wearing a bra to high school."

"Until 1999, I was required to wear pantyhose at work. Nuts! And they dictated 'suntan' color!"

"Not sure what I spent more $ on - pantyhose or clear nail polish to stop the runs."

"I remember being a kid in the 90s my mom going from store to store looking for slips to put under my dresses, she had a whole section of her closet devoted to them. I hated them and didn't understand their purpose. Still don't. I'm so glad those are in the past."

People shared other things as well, such as how common it was to touch total strangers or to cut through people's yards to get to where you were going, and it's a wild ride through shifting social norms. Some things are definitely best left in the past, but some lend themselves to a stronger sense of community and might be worth revisiting. It does make you wonder what things from today will show up on a list like this decades from now.

You can see more on the r/AskOldPeople thread here.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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Culture

American woman moves to Australia and discovers embarrassing double-meaning of her name

Devyn introduced herself to a group of people and they immediately bust out laughing.

via Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels and Ethan Brooke/Pexels

A woman is shocked to learn that her name means something totally different in Australia.

When people move abroad, it's normal to experience serious culture shock. Culture shock is a feeling of being disoriented or confused by a different way of life and set or norms than you're used to. You'd think moving from America to another English speaking country wouldn't be so jarring, but you might actually be surprised at how different things can really be even when the bulk of the language and customs overlap nicely.

Devyn Hales, 22, from California, recently moved to Sydney, Australia, on a one-year working visa and quickly found out that she had a lot to learn about her new home.

The first thing that made her feel out of place? Believe it or not, her name. It wasn't going to work Down Under. It all started when a group of men made fun of her on St. Patrick’s Day.

australia, names, americans, living abroad, cultural differences, culture, america, travel, traveling, english language Australia is a lot more than Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin. Giphy

After she introduced herself as Devyn, the men laughed at her. "They burst out laughing, and when I asked them why, they told me devon is processed lunch meat,” she told The Daily Mail. It's similar to baloney, so I introduce myself as Dev now,” she said in a viral TikTok video with over 1.7 million views.

For those who have never been to Australia, Devon is a processed meat product usually cut into slices and served on sandwiches. It is usually made up of pork, basic spices, and a binder. Devon is affordable because people buy it in bulk and it’s often fed to children. Australians also enjoy eating it fried, like spam. It is also known by other names such as fritz, circle meat, Berlina and polony, depending on where one lives on the continent. It's like in America, where people refer to cola as pop, soda, or Coke, depending on where they live in the country.

So, one can easily see why a young woman wouldn’t want to refer to herself as a processed meat product that can be likened to boloney or spam.

"Wow, love that for us," another woman named Devyn wrote in the comments. “Tell me the name thing isn't true,” a woman called Devon added.

For Devyn, it could have been worse, as her name was easily shortened to Dev. She could have been named Sheila, which is a slang term for women or girls that also carries slightly derogatory undertones.

@dhalesss
#fypシ #australia #americaninaustralia #sydney #aussie

Besides changing her name, Dev shared some other differences between living in Australia and her home country.

“So everyone wears slides. I feel like I'm the only one with 'thongs'—flip-flops—that have the little thing in the middle of your big toe. Everyone wears slides,” she said. "Everyone wears shorts that go down to your knees and that's a big thing here.”

Dev also noted that there are a lot of guys in Australia named Lachlan, Felix and Jack. (Noah, Oliver, Leo, and William have officially held the top spots for years.)

She was also thrown off by the sound of the plentiful magpies in Australia. According to Dev, they sound a lot like crying children with throat infections. “The birds threw me off,” she said before making an impression that many people in the comments thought was close to perfect.

"The birds is so spot on," a user named Jess wrote. "The birds, I will truly never get used to it," Marissa added.

@dhalesss
Replying to @j🌿 #greenscreenvideo

One issue that many Americans face when moving to Australia is that it is more expensive than the United States. However, many Americans who move to Australia love the work-life balance. Brooke Laven, a brand strategist in the fitness industry who moved there from the U.S., says that Aussies have the “perfect work-life balance” and that they are “hard-working” but “know where to draw the line.”

Despite the initial cultural shocks, Devyn is embracing her new life in Australia with a positive outlook. In a follow-up video, she mentions she hasn't even had many run-ins with Australia's infamous and dangerous creatures like giant spiders and man-eating sharks. There are other perks to living there, as well.

“The coffee is a lot better in Australia, too,” she added with a smile, inspiring others to see the bright side of cultural differences.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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Pop Culture

'Scottish Sterling K. Brown' shares his amusement at Americans realizing that Black Scots exist

“The love from the US has been crazy”

@starboyfitness/TikTok, Photo credit: Canva

A viral trend turned important cultural exchange

Proving that there is still plenty good to be gleaned from TikTok, one simple video of someone chatting about something as mundane as the weather has unexpectedly brought together two communities that are miles apart, but share common history.

It all started when content creator and fitness influencer Torgi Squire (@starboysobersfitness)—who just so happens to look EXACTLY like actor Sterling K. Brown with locs—posted a video ranting about the weather shift that happens just as school starts (don’t ask me for specifics, I couldn't make anything out save for “this is why Scottish people are so hearty”) in a thick Scottish accent.

Judging from the comments, people were SHOOK to learn that yes, in fact, Black people exist in Scotland. In particular, Black Americans were thrilled and fascinated to learn they had brethren across the pond.

@starboysobersfitness PSA any tourists want guaranteed good Scottish weather book for the second week in August. Thank me later #scottishtiktok #blackscottishtiktok #relatable #scottishweather #sunshineonscotchbeef ♬ original sound - Starboy|Fitness

“I didn’t know we come in Scottish!” one viewer wrote.

Still others could not handle the Sterling K. Brown likeness. “I didn’t know they made Sterling K Brown in Scottish font!” someone quipped.

Regardless, Squire was tickled by the whole thing, as is evident by the follow-up video he made, saying, “Yes, I am Black. Yes, I am Scottish. I am not Sassenach, I am not Irish, I am not Welsh. Forty-three years born and raised in Scotland, 100 percent Scotch beef right here.” Though he did warn folks that he’s never seen Outlander.

@starboysobersfitness Yes, this accent comes in melanin too, welcome to black Scottish Tik Tok. @ABI💫 @Court @BashTheEntertainer #scottishtiktok #blackscottishtiktok #relatable #wecomeinmelanintoo #US ♬ original sound - Starboy|Fitness

Wanting other Black Scottish folks to get some of the love pouring in from the US, Squire listed other content creators like @abiakinn and @ceexcc, and pretty soon #blackscottish TikTok began blowing up.

And yes, there were kilts involved.

@chocolatenjuice I heard they’re asking what’s the swag like 😶🌫️👀 #blackscottishtiktok #blackscottish #scotland #foruyou #foruyou ♬ NOKIA - Drake

@quietjoyclub oh hi americans, finally meeting your black scottish cousins! 🖤 we’ve been here all along, just quietly vibing on the fyp. so glad this trend is shining a light on us. - #GrowingUpBlackInScotland #BlackScottish #BlackCreatorsUK #RepresentationMatters #FYP ♬ original sound - ayoola | joy in abundance

It’s hard to tell which part is more delightful, the genuine excitement at this discovery…or Sterling K Brown’s own excitement alone. According to his wife, Ryan Michelle Bathe’s Threads post, he “has been speaking with a Scottish brogue all day.”

“Send help and a kilt please.”

sterling k brown, tiktok, viral, funny, ryan michelle bath, X Ryan Michelle Bathe's tweet about Sterling K. Brown.@ryanmichelleb/Threads

While Black Scottish people make up less of the country’s population as compared to Black Americans (roughly 1.2% versus 14.4%), their presence has existed since the 15th century.

Yes, slavery played a major part in this, but there was also a surge caused by Black American GI's being stationed in Scotland during WWII, many of whom experienced a much more positive reception there than in the US. This inspired many to set up a home there—Arthur Roberts, for example, spent the rest of his days in Glasgow.

Then there was the Windrush Generation between 1948 and 1971, wherein people in the Caribbean were invited to the UK to help rebuild post-war Britain—which included Scotland.

And for those on the pop culture scene, you might already be familiar with certain Black Scottish celebs, like renowned singer songwriter Emeli Sandé, as well as Sex Education star (and 14th Doctor in Doctor Who!) Ncuti Gatwa.

@lylamiklos Turns out Ncuti Gatwa, the newest Doctor, was pronouncing his own name wrong for 26 years!?!?! It is actually pronounced “N-Shoo-Tee”. #TheMoreYouKnow ♬ original sound - Lyla Miklos

Yes, this trend brought on some lighthearted entertainment, but what makes it truly special is the celebration of shared roots and the authentic cultural exchange happening. Both parties can connect on what it must feel like to blend two heritages and carve out their own unique identity. These are the types of conversations that make social media a power for good.

And that’s pure dead brilliant, as the Scots say. (Am I saying it right?)

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Celebrity

'You look like Tony Hawk': People keep almost-but-not-quite recognizing the pro skater

People know he looks like Tony Hawk, but they just can't seem to grasp that he is Tony Hawk — and it's endlessly hilarious.

Tony Hawk/Twitter, @srileyvart/Twitter

People not recognizing Tony Hawk as Tony Hawk is the most hilarious and wholesome thing ever

My best friend lives in San Diego. One day a few years ago, her teenage son came home and told her he'd made a new friend at the skate park. He talked about how they had struck up a conversation, the guy had given him some pointers, and they'd chit-chatted about this and that. "He was really cool," her son said. Then he showed her a selfie they'd taken together.

Yeah, his "new friend" was the skateboarding icon Tony Hawk. True story. Tales of Tony Hawk not being recognized as Tony Hawk—even for people who actually know who Tony Hawk is—have become the stuff of legends. The 56-year-old made a name for himself in the skateboarding world decades ago and is credited with bringing the sport into the mainstream. Even in 2020, he was listed among the Top 10 skateboarders of all time, but his fame goes far beyond the confines of his sport. He's had his own video game, cameos in film and television shows, his own clothing line—everything, apparently, but a recognizable face.

tony hawk, skateboarding, skateboarder, athlete, celebrity, meeting celebrities, culture, humor, funny, twitter Tony Hawk hits a big trick at the X Games Giphy

The "people not recognizing Tony Hawk as Tony Hawk" thing is so common it's become a meme of its own. Hawk himself jokes about it all the time, sharing hilarious interactions he has with people on his Twitter account.

This one from a couple of years ago has recently re-gone viral (or gone re-viral?) and sounds almost exactly like my friend's story:

— (@)

Pretty awesome that a kid who's hanging out at the skate park can't recognize the legend!

But wait, it gets better:

— (@)

The teenager, a self-identified skate-head, knows who Tony Hawk is but didn't realize he was speaking to him. Amazing.

It's just one of many similar stories. Hawk told Business Insider that it happens often, but he only shares the interactions that are the funniest.

Now the meme itself results in some funny interactions with people.

People's funny reactions to the meme are becoming their own meme: "I will know Tony Hawk when I see him."

— (@)

Part of what makes the whole thing so delightful is that Tony Hawk himself is so delightful. He's down-to-earth, friendly, doesn't take himself too seriously, does a lot of connecting out in the community, and is just a genuinely likable guy.

One of the funniest parts of these stories is that people know who Tony Hawk is, know what he looks like, and know that the real Tony looks a lot like the stranger in front of them. But they just can't seem to put it all together for some reason. It's endlessly hilarious.

— (@)

And to top it all off, he's still a heck of a skater. Though he retired from the pro circuit in 1999, he still skateboards for fun and charity. In fact, he recently landed a 720—two full 360-degree turns in the air off a ramp—which isn't easy for even a young skater to pull off, and then auctioned the board to raise money to help build more public skateparks. (He did say it might be his last time pulling off that trick, but who knows. Good for him for pushing the age envelope.)

And as if Tony Hawk couldn't get any cooler, his son Riley is married to Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of Kurt Cobain. They have a child together that is, by birthright, the coolest person on the planet.

tony hawk, skateboarding, skateboarder, athlete, celebrity, meeting celebrities, culture, humor, funny, twitter Tony Hawk: Excellent human Giphy

Tony Hawk—skating legend, father of four, grandfather, nice guy to all, supporter of community parks, and man that everyone adores but nobody recognizes—thanks for being such a ray of sunshine in our world. May we know you when we see you, or at least be entertaining enough to make your Twitter account if we don't.

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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culture

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Smoking indoors everywhere

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Devyn introduced herself to a group of people and they immediately bust out laughing.

'Scottish Sterling K. Brown' shares his amusement at Americans realizing that Black Scots exist

“The love from the US has been crazy”

'You look like Tony Hawk': People keep almost-but-not-quite recognizing the pro skater

People know he looks like Tony Hawk, but they just can't seem to grasp that he is Tony Hawk — and it's endlessly hilarious.

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