Kit Harington Was Shocked By This Common American Coffee Shop Behavior

Kit Harington has been living his best life since "Game of Thrones" ended, spending his time off in the U.K. in a massive Suffolk farmhouse that he shares with his wife. But as an actor, he's in the U.S. often. Despite his familiarity with both places, he's experienced some controversial cultural differences — namely at American cafes.

While on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Harington admitted he has some communication issues when he's stateside, and "the coffee shop thing" is his best example. "When I go into a coffee shop, I go, 'Hello. How are you?'" he said. He takes his time ordering, asking questions about availability and menu items before deciding. "They're looking at you, like, 'get on with it!' When the Americans come to London, they go, like, 'coffee, black,'" he said in a terse tone, "and the guy in the coffee shop in London is like, 'I'm sorry, where are all the words?'"

Americans have an international reputation for being rude. For instance, Americans are said to have poor etiquette and table manners. On the flip side, British people are generalized by some as cold and emotionless with a "stiff upper lip," which conflicts with London-born Harington's warm approach. The actor's interview garnered mixed reviews, some doubling down on the American way, like this X user: "If you don't know what you want, don't be in line, simple."

Fans had mixed feelings about Kit Harington's cafe takeaway. "I'm a Brit who visited New York ... I was surprised because I'd always heard American customer service is amazing, but the lady at the counter was so fed up with us and we'd only been at the till for three seconds," one defender shared on an X post of the interview. There were naysayers, too, with another X user commenting, "I love how Brits act like they're so much better behaved than Americans. My first time in London, I heard a man call a worker the C-word because they didn't have Earl Grey." (Apparently, one ingredient makes Earl Grey different than traditional English tea.)

Harington's favorite cafes are unknown. He prefers tea to coffee, but likely drinks both. In fact, coffee is even more popular than tea in the U.K., having just recently become the go-to drink. Whatever he orders, Harington is right in saying that cafe etiquette differs between Brits and Americans.

For instance, Brits are more laidback about coffee than tea, as the latter is a centuries-old tradition. American customers are more likely to work in cafes, while British folks go to chat. Brits use real mugs rather than disposable cups, which are standard in America for their portability. The whole affair is more relaxed for Brits, while Americans' rushed nature may make them seem rude or tense, which could explain the impatience on either side of a U.S. cafe counter.