SmartLess

Podbit · SmartLess

"Emma Thompson"

Explore episode Jun 29, 2026
Society & Culture
America's Ice Obsession, as Seen by Emma Thompson

"Emma Thompson" · Jun 29, 2026 Society & Culture

When Emma Thompson first arrived in America, she was baffled by the relentless presence of ice — everything came with it, she joked, including chicken Parmesan. Britain's lack of ice, she explained, comes down to smaller fridges and fewer hot days.

Where this was said

London Heatwave and the Great Ice Debate

At 10:32 · chapter starts 9:20

Emma has lived on the same North London street since she was six — over 60 years — and right now that street is suffering through a 35-degree heatwave with no air conditioning and no ice. Jason Bateman seizes on the ice angle, observing that Europe seems to have reached a collective agreement that carbonated drinks don't taste better cold — 'I sound like an ugly American, I apologise.' Emma's response is gleeful: Americans are simply 'obsessed' with ice. When she first arrived, ice appeared without asking — she jokes that chicken Parmesan came with ice, and that visitors were practically dunked in an ice bath on arrival. She explains the practical reality: British fridges are smaller, ice-making mechanisms break within a week, and for most of history three hot days a year didn't require a solution.

News
35°C London heatwave

"Emma Thompson" · Jun 29, 2026

London was experiencing a 35-degree Celsius heatwave during the recording, unusual for a city that typically has only about three hot days per year.

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