American Living in UK Has 'Culture Shock' Over Festive Food Favorite

Since moving from Texas to the U.K., one woman has learned plenty about British culture, but there is one thing in particular that has blown her mind. It isn't the accents, and it certainly isn't the Great British weather, but what's really left her speechless is one particular festive dish.

After moving from Dallas to Oxford in 2023, Helene Sula was expecting some culture shocks to happen, but the one she hadn't counted on was the contrast between how Americans view pies, and how the Brits do.

"I really enjoy seeing the different cultural differences and different food," Sula told Newsweek. She explained that Americans typically eat pies as a sweet dish—think pumpkin, apple, key lime—but when it comes to the U.K., pies are more often the main course, rather than dessert.

She continued: "In the U.S.A., we typically eat pies as dessert. I adore the British meat pies, but was so shocked by the mincemeat pie, I assumed it was meat when really, it's sweet. I think people often think of British food as not being tasty, and I highly disagree. Especially when it comes to pies, both savory and sweet."

While the Texan admits that pumpkin pie will forever be her "all-time favorite" pie, since moving to the U.K. she has discovered a new love for shepherd's pie, and chicken and mushroom pie. But one particular culture shock she experienced was the mince pie at Christmas, as she had no idea what's really inside.

Sula may have been taken aback by the thought of swapping fruit for meat in a pie, but in turns out that it's a popular part of British cuisine. A YouGov U.K. survey in 2019 revealed that cottage pie and shepherd's pie both ranked in the top tier for food preferences, with between 70 to 79 percent approval.

Lower down, but still a firm favorite, pork pies and steak and kidney pies were liked by 50 to 59 percent of the population. But it's not just the savory pies that Brits specialize in, because 60 to 69 percent of respondents also loved a mince pie.

Sula regularly shares videos on her Instagram account (@heleneinbetween) to highlight the cultural differences she's noticed since relocating to Oxford. While she's covered everything from the plug sockets, water pressure, and even some remarkable similarities to the Harry Potter franchise, her take on British food has captured the most attention.

In just a matter of days, the post about British mince pies has already been viewed more than 4.7 million times and received over 107,000 likes on Instagram, leaving many social media users in shock. Sula explained that they don't contain meat, as the name might suggest, as "it's fruit, sugar, and spices" instead.

"It's been a mostly positive response," Sula told Newsweek. "I think some people were surprised, some knew these traditions but many seem to like mince pies.

"There are definitely a lot of differences in the food compared to the U.S.A. First and foremost, the preservatives. There are far more preservatives in the food in the U.S.A. Sometimes food does go bad faster here, but I do appreciate that there are less chemicals."

Among the 900 comments on the viral post, people from both sides of the pond were quick to share their take on her discovery. One comment reads: "You'll have to do a traditional Christmas dinner too, all the trimmings. Trust me, you will never go back."

Another person responded: "I was today years old when I found out there's no actual meat in mincemeat pies."

"As an American, we have them for Christmas and thanksgiving," one TikToker user commented.

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