BS: British-American cultural differences 2

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: Bert
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 06:54 PM

A savaloy is a red coloured, small spiced sausage with a distinctive flavour. Absolutely nothing like it here in the States. It is sold fully cooked and usually eaten cold.

Bert.

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: catspaw49
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 06:49 PM

I think the "Britcom" thread mentiones above showed that a lot of us in the US are familiar now far more than we used to be. I get a kick out of ribbing my cross-pond brethren though about the crackers/cookies/biscuits/scones differences we share, but most of the things listed exist somewhere here now more than they used to, thanks to TV and the internet.

We're still probably the only family in this county who has Toad in the Hole on a regular basis though.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: celticblues5
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 06:38 PM

Just got done reading the first thread & had to laugh at the reference to so many American regional differences - especially when the Texans weighed in (and the person who mentioned mushy peas). When I moved from the Midwest to go to North Texas State, I made the mistake of asking the surly cafeteria worker for a serving of peas. She fixed me with a steely stare and asked, "ENGLISH peas?" (guess my Midwestern accent gave me away) Huh? What the hell are English peas? She meant "regular" green peas, of course, but to her "peas" meant black-eyed peas, something I had seen and probably would have eaten politely had they been put in front of me, but would never have crossed my mind to order DELIBERATELY. After a few months of always having to clarify my order, they finally got me conditioned to order it "correctly" the first time. lol

Yeah, grits - don't go there.

Responses to some of the comments on February's thread -

Blackvelvet - The differences in English regional speech are really striking to Americans. A few years ago, PBS had a series on the origins of the English language, and during the course of it they interviewed people in various parts of the country. It was interesting to listen to people who were technically English, but who lived in the north & who sounded, to the American ear, more like Scots. And I have a friend in Norfolk who used to do some reading for the BBC - she had to use a particular voice/accent instead of her normal one for them to use her!

Bert - what IS a savaloy? I've wondered that ever since seeing "Oliver!"

Jim - kippered herring is readily available in the Midwest - comes in a flat tin - King Oscar is the main brand I see around here - but it's not terribly smoke-flavored.

MMario - some bars started offering free munchies when they cracked down on drink discounts in order to try to stem over-imbibing. Just another come-on.

McGrath - yup, it's true how they torture cats - it's like removing the first section of human's fingers, & of course they can't defend themselves as well afterwards. Lots of people are lobbying against that.
Also - we do have gigantic signs that go on top of the cars being driven by student drivers, to warn one and all! Tee hee. Unfortunately, they are only on the driving school cars - wouldn't hurt to make 'em put the signs on their private cars as well. But the student drivers could probably get the ACLU to defend them against such personal insult.

White cheddar isn't a separate variety, as far as I understand - it just hasn't had artificial color added, as they have done to the yellow cheeses. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Steve - Somehow, we just can't work up much sympathy for those poor, blonde, Nordic women who are so grieviously discriminated against. I'll try to work on that character flaw. :-)

Forget who commented - I have seen a few roundabouts in the Midwest - there was at least one moderately-sized one in Kansas City, but they changed it and smoothed out the circle some years ago after a few too many accidents - and that was before cell phone popularity really took off. I'd shudder to imagine all the exec types trying to navigate the circle at a fair clip while yakking on the phone.

Metchosin - I agree fewer & more judiciously-placed f's would enhance conversation these days. They just lose their impact when they come out every other word. Where, oh where is the wit of Mencken & Bierce?

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: Bert
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 05:34 PM

Marymac! what are you doing posting to this thread? you should be on your way to Mudcat Radio by now.

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: Marymac90
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 05:33 PM

No Christmas Crackers, or Bon-Bons, no Christmas pudding, and mince pie is at the bottom of the list, as far as pies go. You could probably get one right on Christmas day, because many more are made by bakeries than are bought, whereas it's hard to get a pumpkin pie at the last minute. Apple is a perennial favorite pie. The British meaning of pudding, as an accompaniment to roast beef, is virtually unknown. Pudding means dessert-usually chocolate, vanilla, or butterscotch. Silly paper hats are possible on New Year's Eve, but less and less likely. What are Christmas pantos? What is Christmas number one? I know Europeans celebrate holidays like Christmas and Easter on more than one day, as in Easter Monday, which US'ers do not.

In 1978, a friend of mine from Britain came here with her two school aged children. One was known to have said "This is America! You can get anything you want!" However, they found it difficult to come by Marmite and Wheetabix-the latter are more common now.

The Brits say "pissed' when we'd say drunk. Sometimes I say "s__t-faced drunk", when I mean VERY inebriated. Then the Brits say "brassed off" (as in the movie about colliery bands), when US'ers would say pissed off.

Perhaps orange squash is something like orange crush, or perhaps like Orangina?

I know the Indian references like nan and chapatis. There are many Indian restaurants and groceries in university areas. These may be less well known than tacos and burritos, perhaps, especially in suburbs and working class neighborhoods.

Marymac

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: The Shambles
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 05:29 PM

The last train to Harrow and Wealdstone, does not sound too good....

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 05:19 PM

Bits of things you can eat in saucers on the bar - peanuts, cheese, biscuits, even small crustaceans - are quite common in pubs in England, at least on a Sunday morning.

I'm relieved about Christmas Puddings and Christmas Crackers.

Though these things tend to be identified as British-American differences, lots of them are common to other places as well as Britain, such as Ireland and Australia.

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: MMario
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 05:05 PM

always had a timer on the hot water heater -- crop circles grew up with, marmalade of course comes in any citrus variety, it's my understanding salad cream is the equivilant of miracle whip, christmas crackers and christmas pudding are family traditions, what's wierd about lever door handles?, duvet stolen from the french, ploughman's lunch is common enough, grew up with wooden matches, paper lampshades are normal enough. Where do you get free munchies in bars?

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: Penny S.
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 04:59 PM

On pancakes, the traditional accompaniment is lemon juice and sugar. These are thin pancakes, not as thin as French crepes, nor as big, about nine inches across. As one side is cooked, the pan is flipped to turn them by tossing(unless you're chicken, and use a tool). When the second side is cooked, the pancake is slid onto a plate, the juice and sugar sprinkled on and the pancake rolled up, and more juice and sugar put on.

We have a soft drink called squash, usually orange or lemon, and the name comes from the process, not the vegetable. Its a concentrate, and is diluted before drinking.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 04:55 PM

There's a distinction between the differences which mean thatsomething just isn't there, and the one where it's just that it's got a different name.

For example the USA may not have "bank holidays", but it has got public holidays like Christmas Day and Labor Day and so forth.

Knowing about those kind of name differences is interesting and can avoid confusion - but it's the differences which involve something just not being there which really give a window into the foreignness of cultures we think we know.

I mean, do people in the US really not pull Christmas Crackers (as opposed to calling them something differentlike Bon-Bons) and read out the jokes and put on silly paper hats? What can Christmas dinner be like? What about Christmas puddings? Mince pies?

(On the same lines I've met Americans who were appalled to realise that there really is no equivalent of Thanskgiving at the end of November over here - unless you're like me and your birthday is around that time.)

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: Kim C
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 04:54 PM

I always thought the expression "pissed," meaning "drunk" across the pond was kinda funny. When I was there, I didn't see anyone put squash in a pop, but saw all manner of vegetation in Pimms & Soda.

Subject: RE: BS: British-American cultural differences 2
From: celticblues5
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 04:06 PM

Jim -
This is so interesting! I'll have to check out the first thread.
Just a couple of things on this posting - we DO have duvets here in the US - I think it's a relatively new term here, but the upscale dept. stores & catalogues now all use it.
I'll bet most of the catters know what Christmas crackers and the page 3 girl are - or at least a large portion of them, since what seems to have been a huge percent responded to the thread on the Britcoms.
Anyone in the Midwest knows from crop circles.
Have seen grapefruit marmalade here, and of course orange.
How could we have read any reasonable amount of Britlit/history without knowing Guy F?
Chappatis are Indian - not at all unknown here.
Yes! Please explain whatever doesn't get answered - particularly, what DO they put on their pancakes & - no kidding - squash in pop? eeeeeuuuuuuwwwwwww! (and, honey, i ain't no teen!) I know what wellies are, but what does green signify? Obviously, electric showers CAN'T be as dangerous as they sound *G*

Subject: British-American cultural differences 2
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 03:35 PM

Having just returned to the US from another vacation in England and Ireland, I return to one of my favorite topics (which was begun in this thread) to add some new observations:

BRITISH STUFF UNKNOWN IN AMERICA: Milk floats. Gyro accounts. Question time. Fruiterers. Duvets. Electric showers. Pelican crossings. Zebra crossings. Green wellies. Catteries. The Glaswegian kiss. Colliery bands. Onion bhajis. Balti. Nan. Chappati. Lime pickle. Twiglets. Joffa cakes. McVitie's. Christmas pantos. Christmas crackers. Christmas pudding. Christmas number one. Bank holidays. Timers on water heaters. Hover mowers. Teletext. Ploughman's lunch. Crop circles. "Songs of Praise." The page three girl. Lime marmalade. Grapefruit marmalade. Salad cream. Salads without dressing. Cream teas. Cream crackers. Guy Fawkes day/bonfire night. Packs containing 10 cigarettes (or any quantity other than 20).

AMERICAN STUFF UNKNOWN IN BRITAIN: Cheerleaders. Baton twirlers. High school marching bands. Parade floats. Thanksgiving. Pancakes with syrup. Trick-or-treating on Halloween.

SOME THINGS FAR MORE COMMON IN BRITAIN THAN IN AMERICA: Wardrobes. Lever door handles. Tool bags. Paper lampshades. Prime time soaps. Ghosts, or people who believe in them. Charity shops. Wooden matches. National newspapers. Orange marmalade.

SOME THINGS FAR MORE COMMON IN AMERICA THAN IN BRITAIN: Closets. Doorknobs. Tool boxes. Churchgoers. Free munchies in bars. Paper matches. Local newspapers. Salad dressing.

REMARK ALLEGEDLY MADE BY AN AMERICAN TEENAGER IN BRITAIN: "Eeewww! They put squash in their pop!"

I will attempt to explain any of the above topics if requested, but I want to give others a chance to comment first.