Are you a breakfast person?
In today’s episode, Lindsay’s guest Anna Tyrie from English Like A Native tells us how breakfast in the UK has changed over the last 50 years.
They will also talk about the emerging boozy brunch culture in the U.S.
Listen in and learn the breakfast differences between the U.S. and the UK.
Breakfast Person
Lindsay introduces Anna Tyrie who is an English teacher, entrepreneur, and content creator.
She is also the owner of English Like A Native which also has a YouTube channel with 800,000 subscribers.
Lindsay asks Anna if she is a breakfast person.
Anna shared that she used to be a breakfast person and she has started to move away from breakfast because she is doing intermittent fasting.
She loves breakfast so it’s quite hard for her to skip it but she is keen to start looking after her health.
Anna shares that her intermittent fasting has given her more energy and less brain fog.
Lindsay is intrigued and reckons she can’t do intermittent fasting.
She is a big breakfast person and if she doesn’t get to eat within the first hour upon waking up, she gets “angry.”
Hangry is slang for being angry because you are hungry.
Breakfast 50 Years Ago
Anna is originally from the north of England around Manchester.
Now she is residing in the south of England closer to London.
Lindsay wants to know how UK breakfast has changed over the last 50 years.
Anna shares that she wasn’t around at that time but she does know that during that time they had just come out of a war and they were rationing food.
Staples at that time were egg, toast and meat.
Breakfasts were really plain. It was usually egg on toast or cereal and it was paired with tea.
Tea is the only part of the English breakfast that has never changed.
People didn’t have money at that time to indulge in food.
Lindsay then shares the U.S. breakfast in the 1950s for comparison.
Back then, the diner was very famous in the States.
This was invented in New Jersey which is the northeast of the U.S.
Diners are historically located in spaces that look like a traditional railway dining car.
They usually serve bad bottomless coffee and greasy food.
It is mostly basic food which is similar to what Anna shared.
Anna is familiar with this and mentions that they have a lot of places that are inspired by American culture.
She asks Lindsay if there are still roller diners in the U.S.
Lindsay answers and says it’s more of a drive-by diner where the waiters would rollerskate to the car and serve the guests.
If you go out into the countryside, you will see diner-themed restaurants serving food in the United States.
Breakfast Culture
Over the decades, there have been different shifts in breakfast in the UK.
In the 1980s, continental breakfast was all the rage.
This was mostly a croissant, cheese, and ham for breakfast.
Then the culture moved to a more American type of breakfast in the 1990s where they started having bagels, waffles and pancakes.
Now in the 2000’s, there is the introduction of a healthier breakfast meal with granola and fruit.
Anna also mentions the full English breakfast can be consumed at a restaurant called a “greasy spoon.”
They call it that because the food at these establishments tastes good but it is very unhealthy and heavily fried.
Lindsay then asks if British people are moving away from the standard UK food.
Anna says it’s a bit of a mix.
The Brits are open to taking on every type of food but are more conscious of healthier options.
Lindsay shares that avocado toast is what’s trending in the US right now.
It is also served in the UK so Anna is aware of it.
Avocado is very healthy and can be served in a lot of different ways.
Similar to the UK, Americans are being more conscious of what they eat.
Lindsay also shares the brunch culture in the US where people have late Sunday morning breakfast with Mimosas or other alcoholic drinks.
This is a big scene right now.
More expensive food is being served and people dress up and line up for this.
Anna says that food has become more and more an event nowadays. It has become a social thing gathered around food.
Takeaway
Breakfast is common around the world and you can start a conversation about it just like Lindsay and Anna did in today’s episode.
It’s a great way to learn about the culture of a friend or colleague just by talking about the type of food they eat or don’t eat in the morning.
You can visit Anna Tyrie’s website www.englishlikeanative.co.uk and get more helpful resources in speaking more and more like an English native.
What do you usually eat for breakfast?
Share it in the comments below and let’s see if you have similarities with other All Ears English listeners out there.
Anna’s Bio:
Anna Tyrie is the head teacher at English Like A Native. She has enjoyed teaching English for over 15 years, and specialises in British pronunciation and speaking confidence. With a background in the performing arts, she always brings a little bit of drama and theatrical flair into the classroom. Don’t forget to visit Anna’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/englishlikeanative
