I think people are overselling it. Typical British tea isn’t amazing and it isn’t trying to be. It’s more like a simple slice of bread and butter when you’re feeling peckish but there’s nothing else to eat. It just hits the spot. Once you’ve acquired the taste, you experience it differently. Spend an hour walking home in the rain, get home and change into your jammies, then curl up on the sofa with a nice cuppa. Then it’s amazing.
The flag patriotism and intense praise of military action was a lot for me. I remember going to a mall, and seeing what would typically be reserved as disabled parking was instead veteran parking?? And then the cinema in the mall loudly advertising its discount for veterans as well. We do have a general discount in my country too, but it’s not so… intense. Like no one else has to know it’s happening because it’s more of a state benefit than it is a form of patriotism.
Neighbourhoods in general are what I found the strangest when I stayed in the States. Flags everywhere as you say, but also just the intense size, and the lack of walkability (the kurb drops felt massive compared to my country). Beyond that I remember walking for around 20 minutes through a suburb and counting upwards of 10 different company logos on rubbish bins. This neighbourhood seemingly had 10 different bin days rather than one centralised service.