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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Heaven: What's strange about the British?
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The Undiscovered Country
Shipmate
# 4811
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
quote:
Originally posted by Ronist:
Most of my relatives are British by heritage so most of this is old hat, but I have never heard the word pants used like Baby Bear does.
quote:
Kenwritez, they are talking a pile of pants.
Truly it is a different language.
The first thing I learned when I joined the ship was never say pants, always trousers.
Moo
Quite right. "Pants" in UK english is short for "underpants".
I once saw John Bevere preaching on the God Channel, talking about things that go wrong in churches, and as an example talked about 'leaders who forbid women in their church from wearing pants'. To UK viewers this sounded even more sinister than was intended!
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The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable man adapts the world to himself. Therefore all hope of progress rests with the unreasonable man.
Posts: 1216 | From: Belfast | Registered: Aug 2003
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
Still wondering about the pub quiz thing. Do the pubs sponsor quizzes and give prizes, or is this an informal thing where some patron just stands up and says, "Right. Time for the quiz. We'll start with any easy one: how many of his wives did Henry VIII kill?"
A bit of both. But there are organised leagues. Also people who put on pub quizzess for a living.
Pubs are the locus of all indoor sports. Pubs have darts teams (our local has 2 teams taking part in 2 leagues), pool teams & so forth. People play dominoes in pubs. And even cards (for small stakes only ![[Biased]](wink.gif) )
Outdoor games too. Lots of pubs organise football or cricket matches. Usually with random numbers of participants and unfeasible quantities of beer.
Down in the real south-east of England - that is south of the Thames and east of the Solent - almost the last vestige of traditional folk culture is local ball-games like bat-and-trap (different rules in Kent and Sussex) or stoolball.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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Alaric the Goth
Shipmate
# 511
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Posted
My mother's relatives were nearer West Auckland than Bishop A.* In a village called Evenwood, IIRC.
(*Incidentally, as a child, and before I'd seen it written down, I went for ages thinking the place was 'Bisha Borkland!!! ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif) ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posts: 3322 | From: West Thriding | Registered: Jun 2001
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Eigon:
we said "ginnel", with a hard "g" in Lancashire. Where does jennel come from?
In other places it can be "runnel", "alley", "lane", "passage" & so on.
Where I'm from it's "twitten".
Our one dialect word. If you don't count just about being able to use "coombe" and "down" as common nouns rather than place-name elements - you can just about get away with "down there in the coombe" and people might know what you meant.
To Those who Know I have just located my birth-place within a strip of land about 5 miles north-to-south by 20 east-to-west.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
West Riding Yorkshire seems to compromise on the jennel, ginnel as the said passage is a gennel ( Hard G, followed by a 'e' not an 'i'). I was once a speaker myself but the Manky kids bashed it out of me, though I refuse point blank to speak Mancunian. A matter of pride you know!
Jengie
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GeordieDownSouth
Shipmate
# 4100
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
quote:
Originally posted by Ferinjen:
South West of Bishop takes you to Barnard Castle, doesn't it?
I've never heard it called that before.
"Auckland", leaving off the episcopal part, yes. But not "Bishop". The place is called Auckland. Which Auckland? No, not the one in New Zealand - the one where the Bishop lives.
Simple really.
The denizens... sorry, residents of "Spenny" used to call it "Bish"
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No longer down south.
Posts: 689 | From: Birmingham | Registered: Feb 2003
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Schroedinger's cat
Ship's cool cat
# 64
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Posted
Coming far too late to this discussion ...
"Loo" - is unisex. Toilet is what I would use in a restaurant, but loo is what I would use at a friends house. Bog would not be acceptable, IMO, except in a student house.
One important thing to remember is that, despite being very small, the UK has a very wide spread of culture. While there are huge differences between the North and the South, there can also be major differences between places 20 miles apart. It is generally wise to consider the UK to be as large as the states in terms of cultural differences.
The British are generally understated. If you come from a culture that is always very up front about things, you will find it very very hard. And these non-verbal signals vary from area to area.
As for Tea - it represents, I think, the reality that sitting down with a calming drink will usually help. And if not, life goes on. And if it doesn't, then it doesn't. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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Cartmel Veteran
Shipmate
# 7049
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Posted
I think the British reserve, the stiff upper lip etc. doesn't really sit well with me as a Mancunian. People are straightforward and upfront here in my experience and don't have that reserve that seems to be stereotyped in so many "British" performances in American Books/Movies/TV Shows. Even the Simpson, an otherwise wonderfully observed show, can't seem to get Brits right - and continues with the reserved Londoner as representative of the nation.
Posts: 1041 | From: Dorset | Registered: May 2004
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LesleyW
Yorkshire Lass
# 4445
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Posted
I'm far too late coming to this thread, but am wading through it with great pleasure.
Much earlier, Ronist said:
[QUOTE] We had been aprised of this strange ....[QUOTE]
This is the first time in years I have seen someone use the word apprised in correct context. It is lovely to see it! Thank you!
I even forgive you for mis-typing it .
Lesley
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Me. Myself. I.
Posts: 476 | From: Round the bend and over the hill. (UK) | Registered: Apr 2003
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
Question for our British cousins:
I have gathered from context that "posh" is Not A Good Thing™, but could someone tell me just what it means and WHY it is Not A Good Thing™?
Pub Quiz question: What was the name of the play Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated?
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
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QLib
Bad Example
# 43
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Posted
It's to do with our pernicious class system. When someone (George Mikes, I think) said, "An Englishman only has to open his mouth for another Englishman to despise him", he was referring as much, if not more, to class origins as to regional differences. Foreginers are exempt, which is another reason why we will talk to you. (But I agree with what's been said about people up North being friendlier in general.)
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Tradition is the handing down of the flame, not the worship of the ashes Gustav Mahler.
Posts: 8913 | From: Page 28 | Registered: May 2001
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Chapelhead*
Ship’s Photographer
# 1143
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Posted
I’m reminded of that ‘Not the Nine O’clock News’ sketch where two walkers are attracted to a country pub from which can be heard lots of merry talking, laughter and general jollity. As soon as they step over the threshold, however, the entire place falls deathly silent as every face, grim and foreboding, turns towards the strangers. The landlord, in the best northern accent Mel Smith could manage, glowered at the incomers and said…
quote:
If there’s one thing we don’t like round ‘ere, it’s unfriendly southerners.
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Benedikt Gott Geschickt!
Posts: 7082 | From: Turbolift Control. | Registered: Aug 2001
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Amos
Shipmate
# 44
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Posted
Campbellite: the word 'posh' is considered rather vulgar, and nobody uses it about themselves or their families except in jest. If the upper classes in this country have a word to describe themselves (which I doubt--I think they just do the social equivalent of sniffing each other's rear ends, which actually involves finding out which relatives you have in common and whether you made it into Alan Clark's memoirs) it might be 'grand,' again, used jokingly and never of oneself.
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At the end of the day we face our Maker alongside Jesus--ken
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Sarkycow
La belle Dame sans merci
# 1012
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Campbellite:
Question for our British cousins:
I have gathered from context that "posh" is Not A Good Thing™, but could someone tell me just what it means and WHY it is Not A Good Thing™?
Well, it sorta depends.
See, posh can be:- Stuck up, nose-in-the-air, don't deign to notice lesser mortals (those with less money).
- Public school educated, comes from one of the Home Counties, so has cut glass accent.
- Moneyed, but not the very top bracket of money.
#1 type people are bad.
#2 and 3 type people can be bad, or can be thoroughly nice. It depends on character and stuff.
So posh isn't always bad.
Hope this helps
Sarkycow
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“Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.”
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
I was under the impression that "posh" was a near equivalent to "highfalutin'", thinking too highly of oneself. Is that not too far off the mark? I was not aware that it was vulgar, but it certainly seems to be perjorative.
Any takers on the Lincoln question?
[ 07. June 2004, 17:52: Message edited by: Campbellite ]
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
Posts: 12001 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Aug 2001
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
Crossposted with Sarky.
Thanks. That helps.
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
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RuthW
liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13
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Posted
Lincoln was watching Our American Cousin.
Posts: 24453 | From: La La Land | Registered: Apr 2001
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Amos
Shipmate
# 44
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Posted
Our American Cousin ?
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At the end of the day we face our Maker alongside Jesus--ken
Posts: 7667 | From: Summerisle | Registered: May 2001
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Sarkycow
La belle Dame sans merci
# 1012
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Posted
Posh can be pejorative, or vulgar, or approving, or a simple adjective. It all depends on the tone of voice, the speaker and listeners' social stara, and their thoughts and opinions.
So, if I described a house as 'posh', it could mean:- The house is in a rich area, and I don't like it.
- The house is over decorated - the owners are showing off how much money they have.
- The house is tastefully done - clearly the owners have money, but it's all nice stuff, and not screaming ŁŁŁŁ at you.
- The house is in a rich as opposed to poor area.
.
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.
Really, it's all about tone
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“Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.”
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Amos
Shipmate
# 44
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Posted
That wasn't a question, that was a cross-post.
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At the end of the day we face our Maker alongside Jesus--ken
Posts: 7667 | From: Summerisle | Registered: May 2001
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Qlib:
I agree with what's been said about people up North being friendlier in general.
I don't. The North-East, Durham and Northumberland, yes. But rural Yorkshire can be a lot colder and stuck-up than anywhere in the South I've been. Sheffield, on the other hand, is the friendliest city in Britain.
Lancashire is more complex - Manchester always seems a friendly place, Liverpool maybe the least friendly I've ever been to.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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Neep
Ship's Meerkat
# 5213
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Campbellite:
Question for our British cousins:
I have gathered from context that "posh" is Not A Good Thing™, but could someone tell me just what it means and WHY it is Not A Good Thing™?
Antisnobbery! In some circles there is a kind of unspoken convention that posh=bad, with similar characteristics to the pompous idea that common=bad, just inverted.
This was vaguely alluded to earlier in the thread, WRT tea. Try going into a caff, not a cafe, and asking for a cup of Earl Grey tea- you'll see what I mean.
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"Your standing days are done," I cried, "You'll rally me no more!
I don't even know which side we fought on, or what for."
Posts: 293 | From: A burrow, in England | Registered: Nov 2003
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QLib
Bad Example
# 43
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Posted
Ken - Well, we're getting very subjective (and tangential)now, aren't we? I've heard the same thing said about Yorkshire, by a Yorkshire man. Conversely, I was brought up near Liverpool (but far enough away to have a 'posh' accent) and I always found it a very friendly place. Gender may play a role here. I've never had any problems in Hereford, for example, but male friends with Welsh accents have had some unpleasant experiences.
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Tradition is the handing down of the flame, not the worship of the ashes Gustav Mahler.
Posts: 8913 | From: Page 28 | Registered: May 2001
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Custard
Shipmate
# 5402
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Posted
The whole chatting on trains thing seems to be very age dependent IMO.
I'm youngish, and I've never had a problem chatting to other young adults (18-30ish, dressed casually) on a train, but I think a lot of them would have been less willing to chat to someone older.
Nor do retired folks seem to have much problem chatting to anyone willing to engage them in converation.
That's what I've found anyway.
Custard
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Schroedinger's cat
Ship's cool cat
# 64
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Posted
Posh is usually pejorative - usually used in comparison. Describing someone/something as "posh" means "better than me/mine", in whatever sense of better is appropriate. But it carries with it the concept of "because they think they are better than us".
Northerners are not necessarily friendlier. It depends what you really mean by friendly - they show it in different ways.
Oh and Northerners in particular can be "blunt", but I still think they tend not to show the real depth of their feelings, unless you know how to read what they say, and how they say it.
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Blog
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Posts: 18859 | From: At the bottom of a deep dark well. | Registered: May 2001
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Ceesharp
Shipmate
# 3818
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Posted
I don't know why you all think that Americans will understand anything up north - the two ladies who visited the coffee shop where my daughter works couldn't even cope with a midlands/Worcestershire accent. (Fortunately my daughter is southern born and bred.) And they had to be persuaded that British coffee is not always instant - sometimes it's made from real beans ground in the shop's own grinder.
Posts: 629 | From: West Midlands, UK | Registered: Dec 2002
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by cms:
I don't know why you all think that Americans will understand anything up north - the two ladies who visited the coffee shop where my daughter works couldn't even cope with a midlands/Worcestershire accent. (Fortunately my daughter is southern born and bred.) And they had to be persuaded that British coffee is not always instant - sometimes it's made from real beans ground in the shop's own grinder.
Given that American split from United Kingdom English several hundred years ago, why should their comprehension differ in the North to the South, its just different words they will have difficulty understanding. Anywhere a strong accent will be difficult to understand by those not from that area. It does not happen that all northerners can understand what all southerners say.
Yes Sheffield is friendly, it is known as the world's largest village and has all the down sides of living in a village as well. People really do know everyone elses business a lot of the time. You can never assume that the person you are talking to does not know the person you are talking about.
Jengie
Jengie
[ 07. June 2004, 20:42: Message edited by: Jengie ]
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"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge
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Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
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The Machine Elf
Irregular polytope
# 1622
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
I'd say "gents" in a public place, "toilet" or just possibly "lavatory" in someone's house, "bog" with friends of my own age.
And outside the property holding classes, there's
Spade?
As in
We've got spades*.
TME
(* we're tinkers/itinerant workers who dig our own latrines)
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Elves of any kind are strange folk.
Posts: 1298 | From: the edge of the deep green sea | Registered: Oct 2001
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Clint Boggis
Shipmate
# 633
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Posted
I am amazed no-one has really challenged this; standards are slipping. Always "leff-tenant". "loo-tenant" is the US pronounciation. I can't believe the Royal Navy says loo-tenant. It would sound as though they had spent their childhood watching American TV. Though it is the only instance I can think of where the US usage is correct (ie closer to the original French) and we Brits are 'wrong' but I still insist on leff-tenant.
Tea: Preferably made in a warmed teapot but always with boiling water. Sometimes, if in a hurry, I will lower my standards and put a teabag in a mug. In this case the milk has to go in afterwards but it's not really right. Some people put the milk in with a teabag in the hottish water but of course then it isn't even close to boiling. I have sugar, though I am now in a minority
Loo. I don't think I've used the word and didn't realise what was holding me back. It is a girly word but I hadn't thought of it until now. For me to use it would just be wrong. Bog is a little coarse and is not a new term. It comes from very long ago when people might use a bog. Toilet is commonly used is a safe term. I often say 'plumbing', which most people understand though I have never heard anyone else use the term.
Car washing. I don't see the point. It seems so fussy. My next-door neighbour has a Land Rover. He keeps it in a garage and washes it like a car. It seems very odd to me. We live in a semi-rural area and he uses it to tow a horse-box but we have semi-detached houses with integral garage. Why have a 4WD and wash off all that prouldy acquired mud and dirt? I think car washing divides Brits into those who think it's a stupid waste of time and water and those who feel they must do it. To contradict someone's theory, it's not a north-south thing, I'm in the south and I don't see the point.
'Cute' does sound like you're talking down to someone, treating them like an appealing toddler. It will not necessarily be understood to mean anything else. The term 'British accent' should be avoided when travelling here IMO.
Posts: 1505 | From: south coast | Registered: Jun 2001
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Saviour Tortoise
Shipmate
# 4660
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Posted
In answer to the OP, but relating specifically to the English rather than the British.
Cricket.
(Much as I love it and believe it to be the greatest sport ever invented. Any game which involves a break for tea has to count amongst the great civilising forces in the world.)
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Baptised not Lobotomised
Posts: 745 | From: Bath, UK | Registered: Jun 2003
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KenWritez
Shipmate
# 3238
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Posted
So if I'm in a pub or a cafe or restaurant in England, how do I order one of my favorite drinks: Iced tea (sugarless) with saccharine and extra lemon?
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"The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd." --Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction
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Posts: 11102 | From: Left coast of Wonderland, by the rabbit hole | Registered: Aug 2002
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Emma Louise
Storm in a teapot
# 3571
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Posted
ya wont find iced tea very much....
Posts: 12719 | From: Enid Blyton territory. | Registered: Nov 2002
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Go Anne Go
Amazonian Wonder
# 3519
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kenwritez:
So if I'm in a pub or a cafe or restaurant in England, how do I order one of my favorite drinks: Iced tea (sugarless) with saccharine and extra lemon?
Odds are, if you're in a pub, you're not getting tea, iced or not. Except maybe at Sunday lunches, and maybe not even then.
There really isn't iced tea in Britain. It doesn't get hot enough. If you want iced tea with saccarine and lemon, you're going to have to make do with tea, lemon, sacharine (harder to get) and a glass of ice cubes.
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Go Anne Go, you is the bestest shipmate evah - Kelly Alveswww.goannego.com
Posts: 2227 | From: Home of the 2004 World Series Champion Red Sox | Registered: Nov 2002
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Saviour Tortoise
Shipmate
# 4660
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kenwritez:
So if I'm in a pub or a cafe or restaurant in England, how do I order one of my favorite drinks: Iced tea (sugarless) with saccharine and extra lemon?
In most pubs, you'd definitely struggle - in proper traditional pubs you'd struggle to get tea or coffee at all! (Pubs are traditionally places where men go to drink alcohol. Preferably some form of Real Ale and not that gassy, urine coloured stuff that they brew on the continent.)
[cross posted with GAG]
You might find some cafes or restaurants would serve it but it's not something I've ever particularly noticed.
(BTW - why saccharine? That stuff's bad for you! Why not nice, natural sucrose?)
[ 07. June 2004, 21:16: Message edited by: Saviour Tortoise ]
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Baptised not Lobotomised
Posts: 745 | From: Bath, UK | Registered: Jun 2003
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RuthW
liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kenwritez:
So if I'm in a pub or a cafe or restaurant in England, how do I order one of my favorite drinks: Iced tea (sugarless) with saccharine and extra lemon?
Why would you want that in England when you could get cider on tap perhaps (something you don't find everywhere you go in the States), or something else that they're actually going to have readily available there that you don't see every day here at home? ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Posts: 24453 | From: La La Land | Registered: Apr 2001
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Amos
Shipmate
# 44
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Posted
Kenwritez--in the southern part of England you ask for a 'Vimto', as this beverage has been known for the better part of a century. In the North it's much simpler--just ask for a pint of Tetley's with ice. Even out there in California you must know that 'Tetleys' is a large Northern tea company. ![[Two face]](graemlins/scot_twoface.gif)
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At the end of the day we face our Maker alongside Jesus--ken
Posts: 7667 | From: Summerisle | Registered: May 2001
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Pânts*
Ship's underwear
# 4487
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Posted
Exactly Ruth, dont people go abroad to see a different country and experience a different culture?
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Posts: 8380 | From: The Stables | Registered: May 2003
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RuthW
liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13
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Posted
Tetley's exports to the US - you can get their stuff in the grocery stores. ![[Projectile]](graemlins/puke2.gif)
Posts: 24453 | From: La La Land | Registered: Apr 2001
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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Amos:
Kenwritez--in the southern part of England you ask for a 'Vimto', as this beverage has been known for the better part of a century.
Amos, you are evil. ![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
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The Bede's American Successor
Curmudgeon-in-Training
# 5042
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Saviour Tortoise:
BTW - why saccharine? That stuff's bad for you! Why not nice, natural sucrose?
Some of us can't have the stuff (read my posts earlier about becoming "performance art").
If it wasn't for NutraSweet or Splenda, I would have to give up sweetenings altogether. (OK, in the US there would still be saccharine, but I don't like the after taste.)
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This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride of wealth and food in plenty, comfort and ease, and yet she never helped the poor and the wretched.
—Ezekiel 16.49
Posts: 6079 | From: The banks of Possession Sound | Registered: Oct 2003
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The Bede's American Successor
Curmudgeon-in-Training
# 5042
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
Tetley's exports to the US - you can get their stuff in the grocery stores.
The Tetley's sold in Canuckistani grocery stores tastes much better than the stuff (read: shit) sold in US stores. Of course, when I could still drink it, I prefered Canadian Red Rose tea for a "consumer" every-day product. And, yes, I used to buy really good stuff for special occasions.
Alas and alak. While Cdn. decaffinated tea is good, it isn't as good as the "real" stuff. I think I miss good tea more than real ice cream. (You can buy "low carb" ice cream in the US, which means it is sweetened with Splenda or something like that.)
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This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride of wealth and food in plenty, comfort and ease, and yet she never helped the poor and the wretched.
—Ezekiel 16.49
Posts: 6079 | From: The banks of Possession Sound | Registered: Oct 2003
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Saviour Tortoise
Shipmate
# 4660
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by The Bede's American Successor:
quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
Tetley's exports to the US - you can get their stuff in the grocery stores.
The Tetley's sold in Canuckistani grocery stores tastes much better than the stuff (read: shit) sold in US stores. Of course, when I could still drink it, I prefered Canadian Red Rose tea for a "consumer" every-day product. And, yes, I used to buy really good stuff for special occasions.
I'm afraid you chain is being yanked. The Tetley's refered to by Amos is a rather exceptional Bitter brewed in God's Own Country, (or Yorkshire as it is sometimes known.) Exceptional when bought in a pub in Yorkshire, anyway. It does not travel well, IMHO, so when for sale in a pub outside of the environs of that fair county, and particularly when being despensed from one fo those nasty electric pumps, it should not be touched with a ten foot barge pole.
(BTW - My Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather was Josiah Tetley, founder of said brewery.)
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Baptised not Lobotomised
Posts: 745 | From: Bath, UK | Registered: Jun 2003
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KenWritez
Shipmate
# 3238
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
Why would you want that in England when you could get cider on tap perhaps (something you don't find everywhere you go in the States), or something else that they're actually going to have readily available there that you don't see every day here at home?
Cider on tap? Are we talking fermented or unfermented apple juice?
Secondly, I hate the taste of beer or whiskey, ISTM which the two main drinks of the UK (tea running a third?) However, I like gin & tonics and several other mixed drinks, so go figure.
I prefer saccharine in my tea because it dissolves instantly (unlike sugar), there's no leftover sticky residue, and because I've grown up on it, I don't notice the aftertaste. The only way I can get all the sugar to dissolve in cold tea is to pour the sugar first into a teacup, add a bit of hot water, and stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the mix to the iced tea.
From tales I've heard, UK pubs don't understand the concept of adequate amounts of ice in a glass, and they probably wouldn't stock Diet Coke, so iced tea, coffee or water are what I imagine my last resorts to be.
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"The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd." --Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction
My blog: http://oxygenofgrace.blogspot.com
Posts: 11102 | From: Left coast of Wonderland, by the rabbit hole | Registered: Aug 2002
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dorcas
Ship's florist
# 4775
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kenwritez:
So if I'm in a pub or a cafe or restaurant in England, how do I order one of my favorite drinks: Iced tea (sugarless) with saccharine and extra lemon?
If you're in a caff (aka greasy spoon) you'd probably be offered a bottle of Lipton's Iced Tea.
If you're in a posh (aka trendy) cafe/restaurant you might possibly be lucky and get everything except the saccharine.
If you're in a pub (a proper "local" as opposed to trendy city wine bar)and you're male your request will either
a) stop every conversation and everyone will look at you in amazement or
b) make everyone within earshot snigger
(If you're female you'll probaly get the caff response)
In short - if I were you I just wouldn't risk it - far safer to ask for a can of Vimto/bottle of mineral water/orange juice!
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"I love large women - they supply warmth in the winter and shade in the summer!" (With thanks to Gort!)
Posts: 387 | From: The Curry Mile, Manchester | Registered: Jul 2003
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dorcas
Ship's florist
# 4775
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by The Bede's American Successor:
Taking notes from this thread, as there is a chance, still remote at this point--but the recruiter sounded upbeat--that I will be taking new employment that might require me to travel to London this summer.
We're on page 4 now, so I wonder - do you STILL think you want to come and work over here?? ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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"I love large women - they supply warmth in the winter and shade in the summer!" (With thanks to Gort!)
Posts: 387 | From: The Curry Mile, Manchester | Registered: Jul 2003
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Clint Boggis
Shipmate
# 633
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kenwritez:
Cider on tap? Are we talking fermented or unfermented apple juice?
Cider is fermented apples. Mostly, it's clear, golden, fizzy, over-chilled and manufactured in large processing plants. Alternatively, it can be very strong, cloudy, unchilled and almost flat. This is the traditional sort and sometimes called scrumpy.
quote:
Secondly, I hate the taste of beer or whiskey, ISTM which the two main drinks of the UK (tea running a third?)
By volume, I don't believe more whisky (no 'e' for Scotch, with an 'e' for Irish) is consumed than tea. I would be surprised if more beer than tea is consumed. Can't be bothered to find out.
quote:
From tales I've heard, UK pubs don't understand the concept of adequate amounts of ice in a glass, and they probably wouldn't stock Diet Coke..
My experience is that in US-owned businesses here (eg McD) they craftily fill the container with ice first and you have to stop them or you only get the small amount of drink that fills the gaps. Usually in pubs they will stick in 2-4 ice cubes in a mixed drink. You could have as much as you like as they're saving on the volume of whatever you top it up with. Diet Coke is extremely widely available.
Posts: 1505 | From: south coast | Registered: Jun 2001
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dorcas
Ship's florist
# 4775
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Corfe:
quote:
Originally posted by Kenwritez:
Cider on tap? Are we talking fermented or unfermented apple juice?
Cider is fermented apples. Mostly, it's clear, golden, fizzy, over-chilled and manufactured in large processing plants. Alternatively, it can be very strong, cloudy, unchilled and almost flat. This is the traditional sort and sometimes called scrumpy.
Yeah, but it's only REAl scrumpy if there's a dead wasp floating in it ![[Snigger]](graemlins/snigger.gif)
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"I love large women - they supply warmth in the winter and shade in the summer!" (With thanks to Gort!)
Posts: 387 | From: The Curry Mile, Manchester | Registered: Jul 2003
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Amphibalus
Cloak of anonymity
# 5351
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Corfe:
Diet Coke is extremely widely available.
From which, may the good Lord deliver us.
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I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook’s
Going to get a big dish of beef chow mein. (Warren Zevon)
Posts: 1471 | From: Home of Ronnie Radford's boot | Registered: Dec 2003
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The Bede's American Successor
Curmudgeon-in-Training
# 5042
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by dorcas:
quote:
Originally posted by The Bede's American Successor:
Taking notes from this thread, as there is a chance, still remote at this point--but the recruiter sounded upbeat--that I will be taking new employment that might require me to travel to London this summer.
We're on page 4 now, so I wonder - do you STILL think you want to come and work over here??
The time in London wouldn't be forever. It probably would only be for a few weeks, maybe a month at most. In other words, enough time (and enough weekends) to catch mass at Fr. Pyx_e's establishment.
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This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride of wealth and food in plenty, comfort and ease, and yet she never helped the poor and the wretched.
—Ezekiel 16.49
Posts: 6079 | From: The banks of Possession Sound | Registered: Oct 2003
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R.A.M.
Shipmate
# 7390
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Posted
What about the beer, one american visitor to my great embarrasment asked if we should return our pints (Timothy Taylors Landlord) due to their warmth and strange hoppy taste. Deary deary me.
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Formerly Real Ale Methodist
Back after prolonged absence...
Posts: 1584 | From: (Sunshine on) Leith | Registered: Jun 2004
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