US view of us

[Beest]

I've never grasped how the detail of how the Canadian system works, but a concept that's too alien for most Americans to conceive, you never recieve a bill for medical care.

also.
Pet Shops, I only remember pet shops in the UK as a small single person owned business. In the US they are a big store in any mall selling reptiles, birds, fish and maybe cats on the premises, don't see dogs in ours unlkess the local shelter is havoing an adoption day. One of the weird little things for me is that supermarkets, like Sainsburys or Tesco, sell Tropical Fish, no other live animals, except of course live lobsters on the fish counter.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by the article

People jump to conclusions about Brits being unfriendly but this is simply an American reaction to the British cultural norm of avoiding relationships that are superficial.

I could do with more of this. It's not the same all over the US, to be sure, but in the Southern states, people maintain meaningless chat everywhere. Elevators, bathrooms, medical waiting rooms... I am expected to have a real get-to-know-you conversation with my grocery store checker every single time, despite the fact that it is almost never the same person, and when it is, they often don't remember me from last time anyway.

[Griff]

I'd say monster is way more American than most Americans. I hung laundry out this weekend even if I do have a washer and dryer in my small house's unfinished basement. I'll check back in in a few minutes since I have shirts to iron.

[monster]

does that mean I can get citizenship for free?

I don't necessarily agree with all the generalizations, I'm just trying to show where they come from

[Undertoad]

I lived in the north when I was there two generations ago, and all I can say is it was cold.

It wasn't cold outside, it was cold inside. A sort of we-build-our-houses-out-of-stone-not-wood type of cold, where the standard insulation level of any house was pretty much R0. It could be above freezing outside and you'd still be bone chilled inside.

It was the type of cold where you would invent, and then be terribly scalded by, heated towel racks. Because even though you were putting a searing hot rail right next to your tub -- where you would inevitably touch it, and burn yourself -- you needed your towels to be warm and dry, because you were forever cold and damp.

It was the type of cold where having a searing hot gas fire in the living room was considered a good idea. (Fuck fake logs, by the way - you want the flame to hit you directly.) Such a fire will immediately destroy fabrics, skin, or really, anything that gets near it. But if there is a searing hot gas fire in the living room, logic says certainly you can convince yourself you're warm. (It's not really true, because anywhere inside five feet of the fire is unbearably hot, while anywhere outside five feet is unbearably cold, and finding a middle ground is impossible.)

It's the type of cold where Brits just leave their eggs out on the counter. You don't need a big refrigerator, because during fall, winter, and spring, the kitchen IS the refrigerator.

[Griff]

Stone houses can be brutal. I think that's why the Quakers didn't stick in my neck of the woods. They built cold houses in an even colder environment. The Yankees showed up and built wood construction that you could heat a little bit. btw: If you have fertile eggs you can leave them on the counter in a warm house. The more you know.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

It's the type of cold where Brits just leave their eggs out on the counter. You don't need a big refrigerator, because during fall, winter, and spring, the kitchen IS the refrigerator.

that's about Salmonella and Americans, not temperatures.

This is the first article I found, there are other, better ones out there but I can't be arsed.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/do-eggs-...erature-256872

[glatt]

I've read that it has to do with the nasty chicken houses in the US that are so filthy. The eggs are power washed to remove contaminants. This also removes a protective coating on the eggs, making them more porous, and more susceptible to bacterial contamination after the fact.

So you've got two things going on. More sick mama hens in the US because they aren't universally vaccinated. So eggs come out with some contamination. And also shells that don't protect against contamination because they have been washed.

here.

and here.
and so on.

[Undertoad]

One egg batch was kept at room temperature, generally between 68°F and 77°F, and the other was kept at typical fridge temperature at approximately 43°F.

These studies were probably done in the South. Northern kitchens are closer to 43°F (6°C) most of the year, and only barely reach 68°F (20°C) in summer. I can prove this logically.

[limey]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

These studies were probably done in the South. Northern kitchens are closer to 43°F (6°C) most of the year, and only barely reach 68°F (20°C) in summer. I can prove this logically.

The studies were done in the UK ... Must have been a while ago, we can't afford to heat our houses that much anymore ...

[Sundae]

Our eggs are out on the counter every day all year round. Then again the kitchen is at the chilly back of the house, underneath this room (my original bedroom). Gosh, in the days before central heating and double glazed windows life was DAMN cold. I agree with what Monster says about climate (Bill Bryson writes about it eloquently too) but also what Toad says about the horror of the inside of houses back in the 70s.

Mum and I are baffled at the people who come on TV now and talk about having to choose between eating or heating this year. Yes, utility prices are a big reason I still live in this house, but people don't seem to see warmth as luxury the way we used to.

My generation and older lived in one room all Winter, where the gas fire was, and that was strictly monitored. Electric heaters were on for 10 minutes in the morning to change by. When you got out of the bath (two baths did for the whole family) Mum or Dad would be there with a towel to dry you immediately- your teeth would chatter nevertheless. Thermal pyjamas on, nighty over the top, hot water bottle and staright to a bed piled high with blankets and towels. Dressing gowns, socks and hats in the real winter.

Hair was only ever washed over the kitchen sink when some cooking/ baking had warmed the room. The idea of washing hair before bed was a crazy proposition.

Everyone I know wore layers of clothes inside, those of us on the estate put on clothes to wipe the ice off the inside of our bedroom windows. The butter dish was put under the grill if we were having toast because it froze in the cupboard. The slightly better off old people were trapped in fuel misery because their non-council houses were larger and draughtier. They'd go and sit in the reading library during the day or buy an all-day ticket for the bus.

No wonder we used to make dishes from scratch - a good suet pudinng sat in the pressure cooker and filled the kitchen with meaty moisture and filled a family's belly until porridge and Weetabix the next morning.

No I'm not claiming we used to drink for a passing Turk's slipper. But just typing this has made me cold again. Going to make myself a cup of tea and snuggle into bed with Diz.
Gosh, lastest I've been up all week! Then again, I did have an afternoon nap.

[Gravdigr]

Do any of the houses in England have walk-in basements upstairs?

[Big Sarge]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Do any of the houses in England have walk-in basements upstairs?

I think they have them in Australia, since they are at the bottom of the world.

[monster]

By all accounts, The Cellar is usually upstairs at Sundae's house.

[Sundae]

i carry the Cellar with me (i carry it in my heart)