American expat in London finds Sunday roast surprisingly similar to Thanksgiving

A American expat living in London tried a Sunday roast for the first time and described the meal as surprisingly similar to a Thanksgiving dinner. Travel writer Erin Deborah Waks reports that K Jordy, who has relocated to the UK capital, filmed his taste test at a British pub and shared his impressions with more than 280,000 followers on TikTok. Jordy’s verdict: the roast is “tasty” and, in his view, relatively straightforward, with chicken chosen as the centerpiece amid a menu of traditional accompaniments.

J Jordy opted for a chicken Sunday roast, a choice he explained in the video by noting that the dish can present a range of options but that the chicken felt like the clearest path to a satisfying plate. He told viewers that he had been in London long enough to finally try the national classic, adding that the experience appeared “super simple, which isn’t a bad thing.” He described the moment the dish arrived as a stare-down with a whole chicken, admitting he had to plan how he would finish the bird. Still, he pressed on and declared the chicken portion “mighty juicy.” The roast came with the familiar lineup of roast potatoes, vegetables, and traditional staples, but Jordy’s reflections also highlighted the contrasts with his American cooking expectations. “I think it’s finally time to try a Sunday roast. I’ve been in London for way too long not to try it. Looking at the menu, there’s a lot of options but I feel like the only right way to go is chicken,” he said, before adding that the dish tasted good overall.

As the meal progressed, Jordy offered candid critiques of the dish’s components. He noted that the cauliflower cheese had potential but did not become a personal favorite, and he described the Yorkshire pudding as not quite hitting the mark. His observations about the condiments stood out as well: he remarked that the accompanying mustard felt unusually strong, joking that British mustard might as well be wasabi. Nevertheless, the potatoes emerged as a highlight for him, with crisp exteriors and a satisfying texture, while the carrots carried a “super, super nice sweetness” that complemented the meat and the starches. In the end, Jordy gave the Sunday roast a seven out of ten and acknowledged that the experience was somewhat expensive for an American dining out in London.

In the video, which Jordy posted for his audience of hundreds of thousands, he framed the roast as a sociocultural lens into British dining habits. The setting—an ordinary pub rather than a formal restaurant—drew attention to how the meal is often consumed in daily life rather than in ceremonial occasions. Jordy’s observation that the dish felt reminiscent of Thanksgiving was echoed by several viewers who weighed in with their own opinions and regional expectations. Some commenters teased the Yorkshire pudding quirk or questioned the absence of specific elements such as stuffing, bread sauce, or red cabbage, while others defended the backyard-roast tradition being most deeply satisfying when prepared at home.

The exchange reflected a broader conversation among viewers about what makes a Sunday roast well worth the time and cost. Several comments suggested that the best roast dinners are those made at home, where families and friends control seasoning, texture, and portion size. One commenter wrote that no pub or restaurant can quite reproduce a home-roast experience, while another offered to host Jordy for a meal that might better align with his American palate. The online dialogue highlighted the cult-like affection surrounding the Sunday roast in Britain and underscored how culinary expectations can vary across cultures.

For context, Sunday roasts have long stood as a cornerstone of British cuisine. The tradition typically features roasted meat—commonly beef or chicken—accompanied by roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, and gravy. While the choice of meat and the exact accompaniments can vary by region and by household, the ritual of gathering a Sunday meal has remained a constant for many Britons, especially in pubs and family homes across the country. Jordy’s experience, captured in a single taste-test video, offers a snapshot of how American transplants might encounter a familiar-feeling holiday-influenced dish while navigating a distinct culinary culture.

The travel note accompanying the video highlighted the social dynamics of sharing meals in the UK, where pub menus often blend comfort-food staples with regional twists. Jordy’s verdict—positive but measured—reflects a growing trend of cross-cultural food experimentation among travelers and expatriates who seek to understand how traditional dishes translate beyond their origins. The episode also maps onto a broader pattern of online food discourse, in which first bites—especially of iconic dishes—generate rapid, often polarized, feedback from audiences with strong regional loyalties.

In London, the Sunday roast remains a popular dining experience for locals and visitors alike, whether enjoyed as a weekly ritual or a chance to explore regional variations in meat, gravies, and sides. Jordy’s experience, from the pub setting to the crisp potatoes and the assertive mustard, underscores the way a single meal can evoke memory, travel, and cultural comparison all at once. For his followers and for fans of British cuisine watching from afar, the video provided a candid, human glimpse into the everyday accessibility of a dish that is as symbolic as it is practical—a reminder that food beyond borders can still feel comfortingly familiar, even as it carries a different set of expectations and flavors.

As the dialogue continues online, Jordy’s roast remains a talking point for those curious about how American eaters adapt to British culinary traditions. Whether the roast proves to be a personal favorite or a modestly successful experiment, the exchange signals the broader appeal and ongoing relevance of the Sunday roast in popular culture and travel storytelling. In the end, the dish served as both a meal and a cultural bridge, offering insight into how food can connect people across nations, even when the first bite falls somewhere between nostalgia and discovery.