March 29, 2024

    Jason Proch – Things Brits Can’t Get Used to in the USA

    My business partner Jason Proch and I have a business in both the United Kingdom and the United States of America. For many years we were more focused on the UK in terms of the business but in recent years that is a trend which has shifted a great deal. So much so in fact that just over a year and a half ago Jason Proch decided to move to US on a permanent basis and headed to Pittsburgh where we see each other once a week in New York. I love your weekly chats and it is fascinating to watch a Brit like Jason Pooch adapt to living in our country. As much as he loves here, there are some things which he says that he simply cannot get used to.

    Exuberance

    Something which I can totally agree with in terms of how Jason sees us is the exuberance which we show towards just about everything. We deal in extremes here in the US and everything is either awesome or ‘literally the worst ever’ very few things are average, fair or not bad, here it is all about the best, the greatest and the most incredible, there is nothing in-between.

    Employment Situation

    Given the fact that Jason Proch and I run a business, his other concerns are also something which bothers me and that is the at-will employment situation. Here in the US we can fire someone with a minute’s notice and staff can also quit with the same level of notice. In the UK things are very different, firing is more complex and leaving usually requires a month’s notice.

    Politics

    Jason says that whilst politics is something which is discussed in the UK, it is here in the US that we get right into it, with anyone, at any time. In the US we love to talk politics and most people have very strong political views. What shocked Jason the most was the speed with which we get into it politically, which is usually just after a greeting of ‘good morning’.

    Portion Sizes

    Going back to those extremes that we spoke about before we can easily discuss weight within this argument, most Americans are either very fat or very slim. Much of the obesity issues in the country are down to the ridiculously high sugar content in most things along with the enormous portions which people love to put on our plates. Again, this is something which Jason Proch simply cannot get used to and he tells me that more often than not he will ask for a kid’s portion, as he believes that it is more representative of the size that an adult needs. To be fair, you only need to look at the level of obesity in this country to realize that huge portions probably aren’t that good.

    Don’t get me wrong, Jason loves it here, but he does struggle with these issues.

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