American man shares wholesome reaction to British custom of sharing torn-open bag of crisps with pals in the pub
14 June 2023, 13:33 | Updated: 14 June 2023, 13:36
An American man who lives in the UK has expressed his adoration of a British custom in pubs as he delights at Brits’ generous convention.
David Escobedo is a PhD student in Chester, who moved to the UK from Los Angeles to complete his doctorate five years ago.
Mr Escobedo launched a long-running TikTok series documenting his ‘time in the UK’, with his reactions to some of the UK’s best and quirkiest customs that don’t typically appear in the States.
But in a recent video, the PhD student appears particularly delighted as he discusses a tradition that may perhaps go unnoticed by those well-versed in British customs: the convention of tearing open a bag of crisps in the pub to share it with pals.
Opening his video, he said: “I have another one, here we go. When I’ve been to pubs it’s pretty common for everyone to grab a drink and sit around a table.
“And if they’re a little munchy they get a bag of crisps and tear open the crisps like a little plate, and they invite everyone to have crisps."
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Mr Escobedo then goes on to explain why this small gesture is so charming to him: “Now in the United States, at least in Los Angeles, it’s pretty uncommon to eat in bars in general, unless it’s a bar and restaurant.
“But something I think is interesting is, kinda like the community action of ripping open the bag of crisps, there is usually not very many crisps, and sharing it with everyone.
“So to me it’s a really kind gesture, 'cause its like 'I don't have a lot, I am munchy, but I'm going to share what I have with everyone here.
“So this gesture of sharing a torn open bag of crisps, which we would call chips in the United States, is really interesting to me and very communal.
“It's very like – what I have is yours, which I really like, it's just very different.”
Brits were taken in by David’s wholesome delight, as they replied to the PhD student: “As a Brit, it’s these little things that we do but don’t notice that I love!!”
Another said: “Thank you for reminding British people that they do very sweet things and don’t even notice.”
While one joked: “Crips – pub salad.”
Mr Escobedo's series, a man who proudly professes he’s “in love with Chester”, gives a heart-warming insight into some British customs that sometimes go forgotten.
