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Differences between the USA and the UK


Captain Slog

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On 12/02/2021 at 19:07, jonesy said:

 

One thing I noticed was that educated Americans are generally more intelligent than educated Brits.

 

 

 

I found the opposite. Hired and managed quite a lot of folk in the US with MBAs etc (that had often cost them six figures) and interviewed scores more - I was frequently dumbfounded at just how stupid some of them were. 

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Just now, Barack said:

It's called Harvester, in the UK.

 

:lol:

 

 

🤣     Alan Partridge & his big plate ? 

 

 

Do they still exist ? 

 

I'm a bit more discerning these days. 

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4 hours ago, NANOJAMBO said:

Americans order a bowl of salad and eat the whole lot before the "entree". First time I got this was when my "server" apologised when she tried to take it away and said "I forgot you English eat it with your entree". 

When you order  a meal but it also includes a salad (see above) or soup & bread. What is that all about ? 

This is highly dependent on region in the US. I grew up with northern parents and salad was a before entree meal, but I've known several people from around different regions that have their salad along with their entree. We tend to have pretty strong reactions to it being down the other way than what we're used to. Not angry, just find it really strange as it's something we've never seen done the other way before.

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9 hours ago, Auld Reekin' said:

 

It is, or certainly was, the same here if you're self-employed and running your own Limited Company. When I was doing this as an IT contractor, I was paying NI twice - as an employer and employee - even though I was a one-man band. I usually paid more in NI every month than I did in income-tax and I was playing plenty of that too...   

 

:muggy:

 

Shan on either side of the pond!

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On 13/02/2021 at 13:28, SpruceBringsteen said:

Was going to give a daft answer, but I'll break habits and give a serious one. Main difference for me here is the absolute lack of physical cash. As in literally the only time I use it is when I'm getting a haircut or a pint - and even a pint it's 50/50. Been here just over 3 years and couldn't begin to tell you which coin is which because I never use or see them!

I'm the same over here tbh. Only pub and barbers that I'll take cash out for, but even most of them have a chip and pin these days. You can even pay contactless on LRT these days!

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13 hours ago, Captain Slog said:

I just has some of the gold star chippie sauce on some haddock and chips - its amazing, thanks jambos for pointing it out.

 

I also picked up gold star pickled onions in Morrisons, they fair blow your head off too.  I'm beginning to think that most of the British fish and chip shop experience is down to condiments and picked onions, not because they cook fish better.

 

Next question, should i let @dorothy experience Javits or the Jubilee first, or be posh and order from further afield?

Is the Jubilee still open? I haven't been down that way in ages but I read a year or 2 ago that it was shutting for good. I assume it's just different ownership but still in name?

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A Boy Named Crow
8 minutes ago, Locky said:

I'm the same over here tbh. Only pub and barbers that I'll take cash out for, but even most of them have a chip and pin these days. You can even pay contactless on LRT these days!

Everything is contless here, to the extent there's talk of beggers getting wearable tech that allows folk to tap and go their "spare change". **** knows how that works with bank accounts etc 

Edited by A Boy Named Crow
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The Real Maroonblood
14 minutes ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

Everything is contless here, to the extent there's talk of beggers getting wearable tech that allows folk to tap and go their "spare change". **** knows how that works with bank accounts etc 

Can't remember if it was thread but someone pointed out that in London buskers have contactless machines. 

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John Findlay
10 hours ago, Peebo said:

I found the opposite. Hired and managed quite a lot of folk in the US with MBAs etc (that had often cost them six figures) and interviewed scores more - I was frequently dumbfounded at just how stupid some of them were. 

I am in this camp.

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Captain Slog
29 minutes ago, Locky said:

Is the Jubilee still open? I haven't been down that way in ages but I read a year or 2 ago that it was shutting for good. I assume it's just different ownership but still in name?

I think the original owner took it back, it had went downhill at that time, but its certainly open.

 

Doesn't seem to do a fraction of the trade that Javits does though.

 

Maybe this next bit should be in the seethe thread, but one of my biggest gripes is the fleet of Javits delivery drivers, in their little two seater cars, who think the section of pavement in front of the chippy is their own personal Brands Hatch or Silverstone. Mark my words, a pensioner or kid will be knocked down by one soon, you take your life in your hands walking by them.  I've even seen them mob together and attack a little Chinese delivery driver for the temerity of parking in 'their' parking space when the other side of the road was full.

 

Now I know they are probably on the gig economy, and time will be precious when they don't earn much, but I really think Javits should be cutting a deal with Lidl to utilise the massive empty car park for their drivers and make the stretch of pavement outside their chippy safer.

 

And don't get me started about the gangs of teenagers and Poles menacingly hanging around that stretch of street either, if its intimidating for a male in their prime like me, must be hellish for grannies who need to shop.

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1 hour ago, Captain Slog said:

I think the original owner took it back, it had went downhill at that time, but its certainly open.

 

Doesn't seem to do a fraction of the trade that Javits does though.

 

Maybe this next bit should be in the seethe thread, but one of my biggest gripes is the fleet of Javits delivery drivers, in their little two seater cars, who think the section of pavement in front of the chippy is their own personal Brands Hatch or Silverstone. Mark my words, a pensioner or kid will be knocked down by one soon, you take your life in your hands walking by them.  I've even seen them mob together and attack a little Chinese delivery driver for the temerity of parking in 'their' parking space when the other side of the road was full.

 

Now I know they are probably on the gig economy, and time will be precious when they don't earn much, but I really think Javits should be cutting a deal with Lidl to utilise the massive empty car park for their drivers and make the stretch of pavement outside their chippy safer.

 

And don't get me started about the gangs of teenagers and Poles menacingly hanging around that stretch of street either, if its intimidating for a male in their prime like me, must be hellish for grannies who need to shop.

Haven't been to either for years but I recall Javit's being pretty average despite it's perception of being the best chippy around. My Uncle stayed in Wardieburn when I was growing up, and I only remember the Jubilee being there. That was the go to place for us and was a cracking wee chippy back in the day. I can't remember what was in place of Javit's? Has it always been a chippy?

 

That wee area has always had it's problems with yobs hanging around. Made worse when the wee newsagent knocked the wall through to make his off-licence section bigger.

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highlandjambo3

Not sure is mentioned as I haven’t read the whole post................

 

The Sherman tanks chop up their food with a knife and fork (fork in left hand), once the food is chopped up enough they then drop the knife and transfer the fork to the right hand to eat............strange, anyone else noticed this?

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Peakybunnet

I think the size of the country is hard to take in for some.

 

We think its a long drive up to Inverness.  But I once drove from Denver to Cody Wyoming, then onto Yellowstone. It was only across one state (slightly in Colorado) and we had to s top halfway up at a place called Douglas to split the journey up as was over 500 miles. 

 

Not only big but amazing scenery. We drove through the Pawnee Prairie for about 3 hours. Nothing but long grass. 

 

Hit the foothills of the Rockies, up to Yellowstone, then back down via Jackson Hole and the Teton Mountains. 

 then down through to the desert to Laramie. 

 

The size is vast but only 500k people live in Wyoming. Well worth a visit. 

 

 

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24 minutes ago, highlandjambo3 said:

Not sure is mentioned as I haven’t read the whole post................

 

The Sherman tanks chop up their food with a knife and fork (fork in left hand), once the food is chopped up enough they then drop the knife and transfer the fork to the right hand to eat............strange, anyone else noticed this?

 

I'm also looked at with a raised eyebrow when I forgo the knife entirely, and use my fork as a cutting implement, on food that doesn't need a blade to be cut, e.g. a burger patty.

 

Getting myself to eat with knife and fork for the sake of polite appearances has been one of many challenges for me.

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jack D and coke
1 hour ago, Peakybunnet said:

I think the size of the country is hard to take in for some.

 

We think its a long drive up to Inverness.  But I once drove from Denver to Cody Wyoming, then onto Yellowstone. It was only across one state (slightly in Colorado) and we had to s top halfway up at a place called Douglas to split the journey up as was over 500 miles. 

 

Not only big but amazing scenery. We drove through the Pawnee Prairie for about 3 hours. Nothing but long grass. 

 

Hit the foothills of the Rockies, up to Yellowstone, then back down via Jackson Hole and the Teton Mountains. 

 then down through to the desert to Laramie. 

 

The size is vast but only 500k people live in Wyoming. Well worth a visit. 

 

 

I’d love to tour the states properly. Drive across it. Sounds amazing mate. 

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Peakybunnet
1 minute ago, jack D and coke said:

I’d love to tour the states properly. Drive across it. Sounds amazing mate. 

 

We were camping in Cody but most people there had RV trailers. We spoke to people from Florida who didn't think twice about hiring the RV for a month and going on vacation. Something like 2000 miles each way. If I went back thats what I would do, 

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highlandjambo3
1 hour ago, Justin Z said:

 

I'm also looked at with a raised eyebrow when I forgo the knife entirely, and use my fork as a cutting implement, on food that doesn't need a blade to be cut, e.g. a burger patty.

 

Getting myself to eat with knife and fork for the sake of polite appearances has been one of many challenges for me.

Liberton......nuf said 😄

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jack D and coke
12 minutes ago, Peakybunnet said:

 

We were camping in Cody but most people there had RV trailers. We spoke to people from Florida who didn't think twice about hiring the RV for a month and going on vacation. Something like 2000 miles each way. If I went back thats what I would do, 

One day maybe...😄

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Governor Tarkin
17 minutes ago, jack D and coke said:

One day maybe...😄

 

I've done a couple of road trips around California, Nevada, and Arizona.

We were mostly camping, but treated ourselves to the odd cabin and hot tub.

Stunning scenery and great people.

You meet some interesting folk on the road. :)

Would highly recommend.

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jack D and coke
3 minutes ago, Governor Tarkin said:

 

I've done a couple of road trips around California, Nevada, and Arizona.

We were mostly camping, but treated ourselves to the odd cabin and hot tub.

Stunning scenery and great people.

You meet some interesting folk on the road. :)

Would highly recommend.

I’ve been across the pond 6 times now but it’s generally been NY pish ups and golfing and getting pished 🤪😂

I really need to try see some of the place next time😬
 

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Agree with an earlier comment about how rare it is to meet a rude American. I play the ‘dumb Brit’ in restaurants and when seated say to the ‘server’ that we’re British and don’t understand the tipping thing - would you prefer cash or put it on the card.  Seems to guarantee super-good service (and they always take cash!)

TBF in my experience Americans find the tipping culture and state/city tax thing confusing and frustrating too.

 

Most of us know the usual vocabulary differences - ground floor / first floor, petrol / gas etc.  The one I don’t understand at all is “bangs” for a fringe (in your hair).  Where’d that come from?

And (with the rest of the world) they think our electrical plugs are crazy-big.  While we can’t get used to them having sockets in the bathroom...

Edited by FWJ
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1 hour ago, highlandjambo3 said:

Liberton......nuf said 😄

 

Oh piss off you snobby teuchter! EGDmCdR.gif

 

7 minutes ago, FWJ said:

While we can’t get used to them having sockets in the bathroom...

 

That's one I'll rant about till the day I die. Any modern UK home electrical system has all the circuit protection (RCBO and the like) to make it effectively impossible to even harm yourself using electrics in the bathroom, much less kill yourself, and yet the best you can get installed is a bloody 110v shaver socket :veryangry: If even THAT'S permitted! And always with the  stupid pull cord light switches!

:raging:

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3 minutes ago, jonesy said:

My bairns do this. Perhaps this action is representative of the mental age of most Amercians... ;)

 

:muggy:

 

...You're only as old as you feel? :ninja:

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26 minutes ago, Justin Z said:

 

Oh piss off you snobby teuchter! EGDmCdR.gif

 

 

That's one I'll rant about till the day I die. Any modern UK home electrical system has all the circuit protection (RCBO and the like) to make it effectively impossible to even harm yourself using electrics in the bathroom, much less kill yourself, and yet the best you can get installed is a bloody 110v shaver socket :veryangry: If even THAT'S permitted! And always with the  stupid pull cord light switches!

:raging:

North American electrics are a pain in the arse. I’ve taken a lot of work to the US and Canada and it always involves electrical equipment, fine with computers as they are normally dual voltage but a lot of the time I end up having to pay to hire or buy transformers or try and find the same equipment online before I get there and having to pay a pretty penny in hire charges. I also get the same pain in the arse with things coming to us from the US. 

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Captain Slog

My dad must have had ideas above his station in 1970's Uphall. and taught me to eat spag bol with a spoon instead of a knife, so you could twist the fork against it and roll up the spaghetti.

 

I still dine that way to this day, wonder if 1970's West Lothian Haute Couture will come as a shock to her. 

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1 minute ago, Captain Slog said:

My dad must have had ideas above his station in 1970's Uphall. and taught me to eat spag bol with a spoon instead of a knife, so you could twist the fork against it and roll up the spaghetti.

 

I still dine that way to this day, wonder if 1970's West Lothian Haute Couture will come as a shock to her. 

Er, that’s the proper way to eat it. 

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4 minutes ago, Tazio said:

Er, that’s the proper way to eat it. 

it sounds like the captain wanted to cut it up and eat it like it was the spaghetti you buy in a tin

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16 hours ago, NANOJAMBO said:

Americans order a bowl of salad and eat the whole lot before the "entree". First time I got this was when my "server" apologised when she tried to take it away and said "I forgot you English eat it with your entree". 

When you order  a meal but it also includes a salad (see above) or soup & bread. What is that all about ? 

 

Hold on a second...over there the 'entrée' is the main course?

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Just now, Tazio said:

Yep. Confusing isn’t it.

 

Bloody right! What, then, do they call the entrée?

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40 minutes ago, Captain Slog said:

My dad must have had ideas above his station in 1970's Uphall. and taught me to eat spag bol with a spoon instead of a knife, so you could twist the fork against it and roll up the spaghetti.

 

I still dine that way to this day, wonder if 1970's West Lothian Haute Couture will come as a shock to her. 

Eating pasta with a knife here would get you stared at like a mad person, so I think we're good there.

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My other half is an American. Been over here for about 6 years now. 

 

Anything food wise, is relatively easy to source. The American sections in supermarkets tend to be pretty much gatorade and fluff marshmallows, which I've never actually seen eaten by any American but there's a few specialist stores as well (Lupe Pintos at Tollcross) where you can get a few things (Root beer, Monterrey Jack, Mexican ingredients etc). 

 

There's also a growing number of online sites, which while expensive should mean you're able to get anything she's really missing. 

 

For me, I miss Chick-fil-a and pepperjack cheese. Have got a homemade recipe for Chick-fil-a which we do semi-regular but no hack for pepperjack just yet. 

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47 minutes ago, Tazio said:

North American electrics are a pain in the arse. I’ve taken a lot of work to the US and Canada and it always involves electrical equipment, fine with computers as they are normally dual voltage but a lot of the time I end up having to pay to hire or buy transformers or try and find the same equipment online before I get there and having to pay a pretty penny in hire charges. I also get the same pain in the arse with things coming to us from the US. 

I know someone who used to live in Dunoon.  Apparently, locals used to raid the council tip for electrical goods the yank servicemen at the Holy Loch dumped. They'd find stuff that needed a transformer, obviously brought over, and UK compliant stuff, probably dumped when they were heading back to the states.

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4 hours ago, highlandjambo3 said:

Not sure is mentioned as I haven’t read the whole post................

 

The Sherman tanks chop up their food with a knife and fork (fork in left hand), once the food is chopped up enough they then drop the knife and transfer the fork to the right hand to eat............strange, anyone else noticed this?

 

Is there any other way?  :wink:

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1 hour ago, Boof said:

Bloody right! What, then, do they call the entrée?

 

:lol: What I often heard referred to as a "starter" here, we would call an "appetizer".

 

Tbf it never made sense to me that something you ate second (at minimum!) was called the entrée.

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1 hour ago, Tazio said:

North American electrics are a pain in the arse. I’ve taken a lot of work to the US and Canada and it always involves electrical equipment, fine with computers as they are normally dual voltage but a lot of the time I end up having to pay to hire or buy transformers or try and find the same equipment online before I get there and having to pay a pretty penny in hire charges. I also get the same pain in the arse with things coming to us from the US. 

 

That's really interesting to me, because basically everything I own is dual, and I've theorised that it's actually become simpler in the modern day for the manufacturer to just design one circuit that uses a switching power supply, than it is to design multiple circuits per region.

 

The only thing I had to adapt was my Wii, of all things—the power brick was 110v @60Hz only. Everything else, as long as I have a plug adapter, I can use freely either side of the pond. What sort of equipment have you needed transformers for?

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9 minutes ago, Justin Z said:

 

That's really interesting to me, because basically everything I own is dual, and I've theorised that it's actually become simpler in the modern day for the manufacturer to just design one circuit that uses a switching power supply, than it is to design multiple circuits per region.

 

The only thing I had to adapt was my Wii, of all things—the power brick was 110v @60Hz only. Everything else, as long as I have a plug adapter, I can use freely either side of the pond. What sort of equipment have you needed transformers for?

Very specialised lighting, projection, and sound equipment for theatre shows and in the past concerts. Particularly annoying that you hire the exact same piece of equipment but just with different power demands. It used to be that you could just take or buy different voltage lamps (bulbs) to put in them but as the lights have become more complex with the ability to move remotely, change colour and so on that isn’t an option. Not something you want to risk with a transformer that isn’t a very good one either with moving lights costing in the thousands of pounds to buy. Just look in the air at the next gig you’re at and see how big a problem it is.

I had a panicked phone call from a friend who’d arrived in LA and discovered their lighting control desk wasn’t happy with transformers and could I convert the files on it to suit the one in the theatre. Luckily I could as to reprogram the show was several days work. Thankfully they are based around PC architecture now so that is a blessing. 

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1 minute ago, Tazio said:

Very specialised lighting, projection, and sound equipment for theatre shows and in the past concerts. Particularly annoying that you hire the exact same piece of equipment but just with different power demands. It used to be that you could just take or buy different voltage lamps (bulbs) to put in them but as the lights have become more complex with the ability to move remotely, change colour and so on that isn’t an option. Not something you want to risk with a transformer that isn’t a very good one either with moving lights costing in the thousands of pounds to buy. Just look in the air at the next gig you’re at and see how big a problem it is.

I had a panicked phone call from a friend who’d arrived in LA and discovered their lighting control desk wasn’t happy with transformers and could I convert the files on it to suit the one in the theatre. Luckily I could as to reprogram the show was several days work. Thankfully they are based around PC architecture now so that is a blessing. 

 

Ahhh, okay, that is a whole other ball of wax indeed! What a pain.

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5 hours ago, highlandjambo3 said:

Not sure is mentioned as I haven’t read the whole post................

 

The Sherman tanks chop up their food with a knife and fork (fork in left hand), once the food is chopped up enough they then drop the knife and transfer the fork to the right hand to eat............strange, anyone else noticed this?

 I have done this all the time now, have done it for years, I like it.

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2 minutes ago, Justin Z said:

 

Ahhh, okay, that is a whole other ball of wax indeed! What a pain.

And don’t even start me on the unions in American theatres. You can only get your visa to work if the union approves you as a “person of exceptional ability”. If IATSE say you’re not then you can’t even apply for the work visa. Then when you arrive it’s up to the staff whether or not you can actually do anything beyond supervision and physically touch equipment so you spend your first hour in a venue on a charm offensive so they’ll let you do your job. New York theatres also insist you hire a local person whether you need them or not in addition to the crew provided. And the wages on Broadway are huge. 
Of course and then there’s the metric/ imperial mess. We work at 1:25 on all of our plans and drawing, the US is 1:24. Doesn’t sound like much of a difference but it is when you’re working to tight margins. And of course none of your tools are the right size. 
Apart from that I’ve always had a good time working over there. 

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40 minutes ago, Justin Z said:

 

:lol: What I often heard referred to as a "starter" here, we would call an "appetizer".

 

Aaaah, yes - that's the word!

 

I knew I knew it...just not close enough to the tip of my memory bank.

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7 hours ago, Justin Z said:

 

I'm also looked at with a raised eyebrow when I forgo the knife entirely, and use my fork as a cutting implement, on food that doesn't need a blade to be cut, e.g. a burger patty.

 

Getting myself to eat with knife and fork for the sake of polite appearances has been one of many challenges for me.

 

:) Me too. It's very seldom that I use a knife.

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