9 Weird British Things I AVOID
Vložit
- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
- Many things in Britain are different from the US. Lots of those things I think are better (see my video from last week)… but some things I prefer the American way. That’s what this video is about…. Things in Britain that mystify or bug me. Let me know YOUR thoughts!
Last week’s video on British Things I Recommend you TRY: • 9 Weird British Things...
To see my recommendations on Weird British FOODS to TRY: • Weird British Foods Yo...
And my thoughts on Weird British Foods to AVOID: • Weird British Foods Yo...
To watch my Full English Breakfast video: • English Breakfast: Br...
To see a tour of our Flat in Cheltenham: • A Tour of my Flat in E...
#weirdbritishthings #uniquebritishthings #crazybritishthings - Zábava
If you haven't seen last week's video... please watch, so you know I LIKE lots of Britishisms as well!!! ❤❤❤ czcams.com/video/jNUiwkhdu_4/video.html
Will do.
It is called a 'toast rack' and is the best thing since sliced bread! As for initials, in the UK people would never use a person's first name on first meeting. I was completely stunned when I was greeted on a domestic flight in Australia, by the cabin crew using my first name! The Red Phone Box was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Do look him up, he has a very interesting life story and family history.
Ha ha, yes I begin my marmite and Vegemite video by apologizing about the whole toast rack thing 🤣. As for Giles Gilbert Scott, I didn't realize he had designed the red phone box when I did my video about the Liverpool Cathedral. He was an impressive man! And it was very fun to be in Liverpool and get to visit both of those very unique cathedrals.
We have separate washer/dryers at home, but my wife always dries our washing outside weather permitting, it’s fresher and much cheaper.
Yes, cheaper and better for the environment! I wish more Americans were in the habit of drying clothes on the line. I really need to get a clothesline myself! I think the combo washer/dryers are most often found in tiny flats, and often holiday lets that tourists might stay in ;-)
It is a toast rack - not tray and in sinks with two taps there is usually a plug so you fill the basin to wash your hands and pull the plug afterwards, Cheers
Haha, yes I had to set the record straight in my subsequent Marmite video... I got the whole toast "rack" thing wrong and had to apologise! czcams.com/video/hX8I4Etixic/video.html
The 1st initial thing helps to avoid over familiarity in formal situations.
First names are used when you are friends or family.
A complete stranger using my first name, on first introduction, is a bit presumptuous and makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.
Because I live in DALLAS... I'm going to call you JR! haha
@@MagentaOtterTravels
I prefer - Mr Russell. 😉
@@jacketrussell let me know when we are good enough friends that I can call you JR 🤠
@@MagentaOtterTravels
Just don't call me Sue-Ellen!
@@Poliss95
I used to at school.
We don't usually say "Are you alright?"... This is is a question..... We usually say " Alright" or "Alright mate" (in the west country). This just means "Hi".
Thanks for the comment! Yes, I've heard that from a couple folks. I think it's because we tend to shorten things. Like instead of saying "Good morning!" we might just say "Mornin'!" Among Brits, you know that if you say Alright, the other person responds by saying "Alright" in return, yes?
But I have DEFINITELY been asked on countless occasions "Are you alright?" or "Are you OK?" And because I'm such a NERD I totally notice these things. Of course, the folks asking me were strangers or business colleagues, so it was a more formal setting then the one you describe.
I want to just stick to "Hiya"... much more straight forward ;-) Thanks again, Kieron! OR should I say "K Halliday"? haha
Magenta Otter Travels Yes in a store Are you alright? Is short for Are you alright or do you need any help? No one thinks they are asking about your health LOL.
Bonglecat haha... I don’t think I’m the only American who has been confused by this 😂
@Capo di tutti capi that’s a new one for me!
@Capo di tutti capi that story about the police is hilarious! I guess this is all similar to the “my booty” / my beauty phrase in Cornwall, right?
2. Separate hot and cold taps are very common in the UK especially with slightly older properties or for those wanting a period look to their bathroom. I was always told it stems from the risk of mixing hot and cold water associated Legionnaires disease. It's not hard, test the water temperature with your hand in the basin/plug in, rather than under the tap. I do not like mixer taps as you often end of with a glass of warm water from when the tap was last used! xxx
True, you do have to let the water run a bit so you don't get the wrong temperature water. But here in North Texas, our tap water is DREADFUL... so nobody can drink it straight from the tap anyway! :-(
@@MagentaOtterTravels Wow! How awful. Water is safe to drink in the UK pretty much everywhere, particularly if you don't use a mixer tap! The village I grew up in South Wales actually had its own 'treated' spring water which meant that in one hot summer in the 1980s where everyone else was put on water restrictions, we still had full water. This is very, very very rare in the UK to be put on such restrictions, although we do have hose pipe bans every couple of years. xxx
Not the mixer tap debate again🤦♀️
@@susansmiles2242 I know, it's like so 3 years ago! x
@@oz25 In Switzerland the water in public street fountains is safe to drink ,unless there is a notice saying otherwise .
It`s glacial ,of course.
"Are you alright?" Is almost always used literally but "alright?" is usually delivered with a totally different intonation and is just another way of saying "Hi".
Yes, these are important nuances to learn... 😉
5. Return addresses is common with business mail and when sending parcels but uncommon on hand written letters. Our post code system is very specific to an average of 15 houses per code so it normally gets where it is intended. Royal Mail will open letters if they need to, to return, but very very rare and there will be special stickers attached. I have seen news stories where letters reached the intended person with just a first name, a town and a brief description of the person! xxx
THAT my friend, is the key difference. Our postal service is quite unreliable, I'm afraid! :-(
@@MagentaOtterTravels When I was a child in was two deliveries a day Monday to Fri for letters and once Saturday morning and I lived in a small village. Now we only get once a day Mon to Sat xxx
All you really need for a return address in the UK is your house/flat number, street and postcode eg:
24 Sorrel Ave
TW12 3EA
I heard of a postcard addressed, pre postcode days, to someone at an address in a place called Arijaba. As you can imagine the PO sorting office didn't really know where to send it so tried Africa first of all. It came back undelivered. Over many months, maybe years, the card travelled the world and always ended up at the original sorting office. Eventually someone worked out that the intended destination was actually Harwich Harbour!
Also, I have started greeting people, even here at home, with “Hiya!” Because this was said constantly to me in British shops during a 3 week trip ... I started saying it back and now I love it. Quick and to the point and cheerful. Hiya, Dara!
Hiya, Rachel! Yes, I love a good "Hiya!" And I also love a good "Ta!" for Thank you!
But what I really need to know is... "Are you OK?" Hoping the hurricane avoided you...
Magenta Otter Travels I’m a’right! No problems for us from Isaias. 👍🏼
Britain on a Budget what a relief!
`Hiya` in it`s right place is good but not from behind the counter in a Bank ,as I was once greeted by a cashier.
Sorry Dara but I have to challenge a few of these... Credit cards using initials being a security risk is somewhat odd when I watch so many American TV shows where the parent sends their teenager shopping with THE PARENTS credit card.
Weight in stones - when we diet we will still lose a pound or we will want to lose ten pounds. It isn't difficult to understand what a stone is.
Temperature - strange that you think Fahrenheit is more precise. What can be more precise than water freezes at 0 and boils at 100?
Greetings - once you understand it there is no issue. No worse than a fake 'have a nice day' at the end of a conversation.
Toast and taps I'll agree with you!
No apologies needed... glad to hear your thoughts! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Here is a tangent about credit card security... we are TERRRIBLE with that here in the states! Most of the time (like 98%) when I buy things at the store, I stick my card in a machine and there is no signature, no PIN number, nothing. And NOBODY EVER checks my signature or anything. Yes, you can give your card to someone and they can shop away. And if your card is stolen, you have about 5 minutes to call the bank and cancel it before someone is on a shopping spree!
There really isn't a problem with "Alright?" or "OK?" greetings... I mostly just think it is an interesting observation about our differences on both sides of the pond in saying things we don't mean as a way of politeness :-) With that being said, HAVE A GREAT DAY! Sincerely though... I mean that! ❤
What I find really weird, and sad, in the US is their use of genetically modified ingredients. That is really not good.
I hear you. We have a lot of funky stuff in our food…
I'm a Londoner and agree with you on that one. Red phone boxes in London should be permanently locked so they're just minor tourist attractions and can't be used as urinals!
Yeah, it's pretty gross! I agree... let's just let tourists pose next to them for photos ;-)
Your perspective is so funny! I think Celsius is just as accurate and 0 degrees is freezing and 100 degrees is boiling point just makes sense! Also we in the British Isles don't understand why Americans use the dryer so much when you have an economically friendly solution of hanging your clothes outside! Etaoin aka babyinacorner
ladyneroli hello E! You are correct... I am very silly! Just an old dog that does not want to learn Celsius! Drying clothes on the line is much more eco friendly. We just have relatively big homes with lower power costs... and we are lazy! 🙄
@Capo di tutti capi haha, I don’t want to experience that temp! ❄️
@@MagentaOtterTravelsand don't care about your carbon footprint as much
If an office door has an initial such as 'A Bloggs', people who are not on informal terms with the occupant are expected to address him/her formally, eg Mr Bloggs or Ms Bloggs.
Thanks for your comment! I think that is just a cultural difference here in the US. Virtually every CEO I've ever known wanted to be addressed by his (or her) first name. Even when you just meet someone, they will look at you a bit funny if you address them as "Mr."... unless you are a child addressing an adult. And to further complicate the matter, calling a woman the wrong thing Miss/Mrs/Ms is just problematic these days. So most people address folks in a work situation by their first name, even if they have just met. I don't think one way is better or worse, it's just a difference.
Very few countries now use the Fahrenheit scale, most use Centigrade as the official temperature scale or freely switch between the two. Only America seems to want to cling on to this archaic means of defining temperature.
A Lane Less Travelled I agree that it is archaic. And certainly less logical! I’m just an old dog...
It is cultural relic inherited from our former colonial masters.
@@rooooooby indeed
The toast rack, is great! If there is any toast left after having your hot breakfast, you can have it nice and cold with non melted butter and Maramalade. Just the best.
I had no idea so many people liked cold toast! Very enlightening 💡
Cold toast is best with the butter (lots of it) melted into it first and, perhaps, some unmelted on top. Goes well with Cheddar cheese. A coronary in every slice.
@@naajohnnorthcott8267 soggy cold toast? How revolting! Are from the working class? No of course, you’d have spread it with lard.
@@rickb.4168 Are you a snob?
@@naajohnnorthcott8267 naturally. 😅
I have friends from the US and they say they are amazed by our history, our old architecture etc.
But you have to realise there's consequences to history as well as positives.
Yes old architecture is lovely, but it means we have a lot of old housing stock which makes it very difficult to do certain things.
Such as US visitors moan how narrow our roads are and kerb parking. But you have to understand that a lot of houses here were built before cars were invented or cars were widely financially viable for people, particularly working classes. Hence a lot of older houses have no driveways so today's owners have to kerb park and the roads are just the old cart tracks that have been tarmac over and because of hedgerows and verges and ditches it's impossible to widen the road.
It is a legacy that previous generations left us along with the old architecture, the monuments etc.
I agree completely! The old buildings are a wonderful slice of history, and the old architecture is lovely to enjoy! However, there are definitely some aspects which are inconvenient in our modern age.
I was just discussing with another subscriber this morning the fact that these beautiful tiny English villages never have enough parking to accommodate all the visitors! They are just too ancient to have been built with GIANT car parks like we have here in the states!
I always tell them that in the past you wasn't allowed to cross fields so had to go around the edges hence the twists plus most ended up as drovers roads and the large straight roads are Roman
I can never understand why Americans find Celsius so difficult. It makes much more sense than Fahrenheit. Water freezes at zero and boils at 100. Body temperature is 37. Comfortable room temperature is 21. 30 in summer is hot. Wash clothes at 40. Simple.
It definitely makes more sense logically. But when you've grown up your whole life knowing what 75° feels like versus 55 or 35... it's hard to remember how to translate those into Celsius. People keep telling me that the conversion is simple but it's not for me!
The customary response to "You alright?" is "No, I'm half left" or "Not three bad". Eventually it irritates people so much they stop asking....
Haha that does sound like it would confuse people 😂
This greeting "Are you Alright?" has only really been used for around 20 years. Most of my life nobody said that silly greeting. So much in Britain has changed in the last 50 years. I preferred it 50 years ago. Just a small observation regarding word usage by Americans. We do not use the word 'bunch' when referring to a group of people. We only use the word 'bunch' when referring to flowers or a bunch of grapes, which makes sense to me.
That is a very interesting observation! Yes, I think we use the word bunch for all sorts of things! Both countries have words we like so much we use them all the time. But they are different... thanks for your comment ❤️
I remember the term 'you alright' being in use over 50 years ago.
It's said that for decades the upper class in England didn't know toast was supposed to be warm, it was always cold by the time it got to the dinning room.
Haha, I would agree! Perhaps the kitchen maids had the best toast ... consumed soon after toasting "downstairs" ;-)
9. Red phone boxes are becoming increasingly rare in the UK and are now often becoming Listed structures that are protected by law. Pissing in phone boxes is a city thing and I have only ever seen escort services advertised in central London phone boxes - as it is the tourists that use these services! xxx
Yes, I think you are right. The most touristy places have the nastiest phone boxes. Which is why I thought I should warn my American friends (who, of course are SO anxious to travel to the UK once again when the pandemic is calmed down). Thankfully, many of the boxes are being well preserved and are quite lovely in the countryside. In one of my husband's ancestral villages there is a perfect phone box next to a perfect red post box... making for a perfect photo! ❤
Nice sis your explaining style really good I like it thank you so much for sharing sis
Tasty Amlas thanks for watching and commenting ❤️
I love your videos and you get better and better with each one. Some really eye-openings things on here.
Thanks so much for watching! That is really kind of you to say ❤! I hope my eye-opening comments don't offend our upset too many people... ;-)
Saying 'You all right?' has to be said in the correct tone of voice. Saying it with a furrowed brow and a concerned, level then rising tone of voice is not a greeting. The greeting is said in a quick, rising tone - it makes ALL the difference
I agree completely! It's all in the delivery ;-)
I totally agree about the combo washer/dryer although while in Amsterdam I learned to dry everything on the radiator and I now dry everything by hanging - I think clothes last longer. I have to disagree on Celsius. I love that 0 is freezing and 100 is boiling. So much simpler. And I like the first initials - in professional life, it came across more formal and respectful.
Yes, Celsius does have beauty and logic to it. I’m just too lazy to learn it! LOL
And you are the only American I know who has been drying their clothes on the line for years! #Goals
@@MagentaOtterTravels you can use a clothes horse / radiator to dry everything but towels will feel like cardboard so pop them into a dryer for a quick go ( 5mins at least ) with tumble dryer sheets and they will soften up nicely
@@lawrenceglaister4364 yes, I learned the radiator trick years ago whilst staying with my mother-in-law. 😉
Did you know that the idea of an “airing cupboard” is very foreign to Americans? But now that we have one in our Flat in Cheltenham, I am very taken with the idea!👍 thanks very much for your comment! I really appreciate it. Cheers XX Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels good to hear you have an airing cupboard now., I assume you've seen the racks that used to hang off ceilings in kitchens when they had the old open fire range and operated by rope and pulleys but these days pots and pans are usually hung off them .
The problem with Celsius for everyday practical use is one degree is about twice as big as one degree Fahrenheit and that’s a big difference in comfort level. So it’s a big trade off between convenience and precision whether to round to a degree or use fractions.
Centigrade is so easy to use - 0-10, wear a coat and jumper, 10-20, wear a coat or jumper, 20-30, wear normal clothes, 30-40, dress to keep cool.
I've never heard that, but sounds like a very good rule of thumb! Of course in Texas the final category would be "over 40°, stay inside in your air-conditioned house!"
When I left school I became an apprentice for the Post Office, the phone and mail government organisation. Eventually I became a Technician with a South Wales mining valley to look after. Phone boxes (Kiosks) was one of the items I looked after. The things I found inside cannot be discussed on a family channel. What we used to do was use a pre-decimal penny (yes, I'm that old!) about an inch in diameter and wedge the door open for fresh air. We used to suffer from vandalism so a lot of my time was spent removing broken glass to make it safe. The really old mechanisms in the boxes used old pennies, tanners (six-pence) and shillings (12 pence). Four pennies for local calls, any thing else dial 0 for the Operator, they would tell you how much and to put the money in. Press button A when the caller answered, or button B to disconnect and get your money back. Red was the traditional colour because the Post Office looked after both Mail & Phones. Very few are different, some phone boxes are other colours. Mail boxes are always red except some painted gold to commemorate ones used by gold medal winners after the 2012 London Olympiad.
Peter Symonds thanks so much for the history lesson! That is all so fascinating! What’s awesome is that I had a comment from a new subscriber yesterday who is also a postal worker! How fun to get real live “mailmen” and phone box workers chiming in with info on my silly videos! 😊
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
@Capo di tutti capi I remember when long-distance phone calls were crazy expensive! It was very precious to talk to someone overseas. You would have a super quick phone conversation and feel guilty about it the whole time! Now we have the incredible ability to do video chats with people for hours on end on the other side of the world for free! It’s wonderful!
Ian grew up in California having to talk to his family members in England and Wales very rarely.
@Capo di tutti capi And yes, spending more than a month’s wages for a phone is ridiculous! Although, with the new iPhones these days, probably a lot of people are doing the same thing... 😉
@Capo di tutti capi My Dad had the first residential phone line on our estate in the mid 1950's. I can vaguely remember the gang of 4 men putting up two poles at the back of the garden, attaching wall brackets to the corners and erecting 70lb/mile blue insulted copper wires, connecting a lead in wire to a lightning protector on the door frame and fitting a black 232 telephone in the hall-way. A bell-set screwed to the wall. As my dad was a business user and he was taking over his father-in-laws line we only had to wait until an underground cable, distribution pole and a kiosk was fitted a street away. Telephone Exchanges were much smaller then. In 1967 when I became an apprentice telephone engineer the local exchange had a capacity of 400 lines. Two similarly sized adjacent exchanges. with my local one, were combined and replaced with a 10,000 line unit with STD in the early 1980's, international direct dialling came in the the early 1990's when I transferred there as a maintenance technician. We still had party-lines then.
Zero C is water freezing
10 degrees is cold
20 degrees is warm
30 degrees is hot
Blood temperature is around 37 degrees C
Water boils at 100degrees C.
Your oven will have the temperature on the dial.
What else do you need temp for?
To me 20 C would not be warm 😉.
In Texas it is nearly 40° C all summer long ... I do know that is too hot!!🥵
People in the uk don’t dry their clothes on the line because it’s takes so long in the combo washer/dryer… we dry our clothes on the line whenever possible because… why on Earth not? I did it weird that most folk in the us don’t hang their clothes out to dry.. it’s crazy not to, for all sorts of reasons that don’t take much thought to figure out
I hear you. I know that pretty much all over the world people dry their clothes on the line rather than in a tumble dryer. It seems surprising that for a country with so much space we all dry our clothes in tumble dryers, but that is the cultural phenomenon. I'm trying to do it less, because I know it's better for the environment as well as my clothes!
Absolutely the latest tech - dried by a combination of wind and solar 😁@@MagentaOtterTravels
I’m British, and with you on toast racks. I think that it is an archaic class thing. Large houses with staff had toast racks, because it was a long walk from the kitchen.
Hotels and BB just carried on with this.
I like my toast so hot, I start consuming it while still standing in front of the toaster! Lol
Toast rack. When bread is toasted it produces water. Breakdown of carbohydrates. The water will make the toast soggy. The toast rack allows the steam to escape so toast will be crisp. You like hot soggy buttered toast. English like crisp toast
I confess I do like hot toast drenched in melting butter! Ha ha
But since publishing this video I have learned that a lot of people prefer cold toast. They don't like their butter to melt on it!
Hi Dara & Ian! Loved this episode!
I still can’t get used to separate cold and hot water faucets in older British homes...🚰🚰
fortunately all the newer buildings got tap mixers
Family Pop TV thanks for watching! Yes I am glad for the newer construction... that’s how we choose what places to stay - their taps! 😂
Seems to only be a problem with Americans..I have no issues.. 🤷♀️
In my neck of the woods most of us just use the greeting is”ALRIGHT!”
You're right the toast rack helps to keep the toast crispy but it should never be served cold
Yeah, I'm not a fan of cold toast ;-)
About stones and pounds:
If I tell you I'm 12st 3lb, how is that less accurate than saying I'm 171lbs?
You stopped using stones in the USA, but think about this: Imagine you'd stopped using feet, and instead only used inches.
Now I tell you I'm 6'3", and you have no idea how tall I am, until I say I'm 75 inches.
That would be weird, right? Can you not see that is exactly what Americans have done with weight?
As it is, without doing math, you have no immediate visualisation of how tall 75 inches is, but you know exactly what 6'3" looks like.
British people have no idea of a person's build if you say they're 171lbs, but if you say they are 12st 3, we'll know exactly how heavy they are.
You are right. It's all just what we are used to.
As a Brit, I agree with the washer dryer combo! I live in a 2-bed flat so there is no space for a laundry room or a separate dryer. I can never count on them to fully dry a load so I end up hanging it out anyway! Also laundry rooms in apartment buildings are super rare/basically nonexistent, so unless you go to a laundrette (again, not that common at all) you kind of have no choice. 😟 The initials thing is also odd and we used to have the same experience. My mum and brother have the same initials so there's been a lot of accidental letter openings of important stuff like bank statements and HMRC letters. 😅 I have to say that I've watched a few of your videos so far and they are great. It is so refreshing to see different content (not just driving on the left and kettles!) about your experiences as a visitor/now resident. 🙂
Thank you so much! You are my new best friend, so I hope you subscribe and stick around! I so appreciate you admitting that the initial thing is odd and impractical! Most Britons just defend the practice and tell me you don't need to know people's first names, LOL! I think that just highlights the difference that Americans are MUCH more informal. I worked for many large American companies and we always called the CEO by their first name. As you know the whole "class" thing is not as present in the states. Thanks again for your comments.
Cheers
XX
Dara
Nice video! I love the fact that some red phone boxes are turned into little libraries. So cute!
Yes, I love that too! Also, I've seen a few become ATM's (cash points as they call them in the UK). Are you familiar with the term ATM?
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes, I am! :)
#1 Combo washer/dryer are not very common here, as many houses have a special laundry room or a basement. The reason why many people use the drying line is: a) it's a lot cheaper and b) it's better for your clothes. #2 Separate H & C has been very common here until the 1960s, but now we have combined taps #3 Here in Luxembourg kitchen and the dinning area are separated and my mother uses a toast tray every day for my dad's toasts. Here most houses don't have open kitchen, because most people don't want to see their messy kitchen while eating and the don't want to smell the kitchen odours everywhere. #4 Regarding the initials: well here in Luxembourg you are not supposed to call somebody, who you don't know, with his/her christian name, you are supposed to say "Hello Mr/Mrs/Miss....". We rarely put return addresses on our letters either. #6 The universal measurement here in Europe is "KG". #7 Celsius team here too 🙋♀️, like everywhere here in Europe. Thanks for this entertaining video 🥰
I do think drying clothes on a line is better... definitely better for the environment! It's funny... I have heard many people say they don't like showing a messy kitchen to the living area. But here we are obsessed with "open plan". In fact, in the house we are renovating now, I"m TEARING DOWN TWO WALLS so that it can be open to the living area! haha
NO RETURN ADDRESSES?!?! I am tempted to say you are uncivilised... but you probably just have a really RELIABLE postal service (we do NOT!)... so you probably don't need it! In Luxembourg, everyone knows each other anyway... you can just walk the misdirected post over to the correct house! LOL
My family haven't had a dryer in about 30 years. We just use wire airers that hook over the radiators. Apart from my parents bedroom. My dad is convinced the clothes suck all the heat out of the room like a black hole. XD
Don't blame the toast rack. Blame the architect for designing homes where the dining room and the kitchen are at polar opposites of a house. Our current home was exactly how you described and we noticed it straight away when we moved in, calling out the architect for designing it that way.
The initials is mainly formal. In school we HAD to call all our teachers Mr 'This' or 'That' I still remember first going into college the first rule was NOT to call the lecturer by his second name. When he said to call him 'Clive' I remember a few gasping at the audacity of doing that.
I'm a bit creative with the initial thing though. When ordering Birthday or Christmas presents online I use the initial of my middle name as a 'code' at checkout to let myself know when it arrives that it's not something I should open in front of family.
At work greetings are kept short and simple or you risk facing the bingo player's wrath if they miss a called number. And believe me it's a scary sight. Even when our fire alarm was tripped one time from someone smoking outside our back door, one customer had to drag her friend out who was playing linked game. She won too. "Woo! I won!" with her friend responding: "Yeah, burning for £100 is SOOOO worth it!"
PS: Sorry for the long comment
Thanks so much for your comment! I loved your stories! And I do admire your family for not using a tumble dryer!👍 Dara
A washer/dryer or home laundry machine will take the same length of time as two seperate machines and you don't have the inconvenience of having to move the stuff from one machine to another. It is possible that some machines don't have such a hot tumble drying action but many are as hot as a stand-alone tumble dryer. People use washing lines because it's the most hygienic way to dry clothes and the U/V light in sunlight also has a sterilising effect!
Can't stand soggy toast, whether it's from being put on a cold plate or from being soaked in butter.
It's impolite to address a stranger by their first name. My bank cards all carry my first name. Mail should carry initials because that is formal.
We don't have too much of a problem with our postal service because we use more precise postal codes.
Nothing wrong with °C. The precision associated with Farenheit is fine from a specific measurment point of view but I shouldn't think there are many people who can physically tell the difference down to even 2°F.
The use of the words 'what's up' as a greeting came from America.
When I hear "what's up" I think of Bugs Bunny ;-)
Thanks for your comment! I appreciate you watching my video and taking the time to share your thoughts! Cheers! Dara
I'm an old fart and out of habit tend to use Fahrenheit for the temp on a summers day but Centigrade for cold temps. Centigrade makes more sense as 0° is the freezing point of water and 100° is the boiling pont of water. This seems more logical than -32° and 212°.
Yes, I have heard that from several older British people and I think it's so hilarious that Celsius is used for cold temperatures but when it's really hot you like to think about the temperature in Fahrenheit. It does sound hotter that way! Lol
Metric in general is more sensible, and definitely Celsius is more logical. But it's a difficult adjustment for sure for me and other Americans! 😆
I don’t know any one who has a washer dryer they are notorious for being crap to put it bluntly. I deliberately had separate taps on my sinks in the bathrooms when renovating last years as I prefer the look here in the UK it is more traditional. Although the bath has a bath filler with shower attachment but with a hot and cold fixtures. Downstairs loo, kitchen and utility have mixer taps. As for the toast sometimes I deliberately wait for my toast to be cold before I butter it depends what mood I’m in! Open living has been popular in the UK on and off for decades, our homes are usually so small it doesn’t make much of a difference, and most people had a table in the kitchen. Putting initials instead of the actual name some how makes it seem more professional and classy. In the UK you would never go up to someone you didn’t know and call them their first name especially in a business setting unless they agreed to it! I don’t get the weight issue maybe I’m being a bit dim? We usually say Alright? We can decipher whether it needs a one word answer back or if the other person is up for a natter.
The whole thing of not saying someone's first name until you get to know them well is definitely a British thing. Americans are more informal. I know most Britons do not have combination washer dryers. They are mostly seen in Airbnb type places or holiday lets. Which is why I felt the need to warn Americans! Lol
The UK "Y'alright?" is the same as the American "wassup?" / "What's up?" If someone asked me that, I'd think they thought something was the matter.
Exactly!! That's what is so funny. It takes time for us to figure out each other's cultural nuances. Now I know how to respond to someone asking "are you alright?" or "y'alright?" ... just like as a teenager I had to learn to just say "fine" when someone asked me "How are you?" when they saw me. They DO NOT WANT TO KNOW! haha
Totally agree about cold toast. My trick is to have that toast almost burnt and when it goes coldnits crispy and nice with loads of butter and jam
Loads of butter is always key! LOL! Thanks for all your comments, Yemi!
The original reason for two taps was safety, hot water before the advent of combi boilers was heated and stored, and the regulations did not allow stored water to come into contact with fresh water outlets. Nowadays most taps (faucets) are mixer taps as the water heaters are also fresh water outlets, no stored water. Hope you can understand my ramblings.
1. In the UK, big houses tend to have utility rooms with washing machines and sometimes tumble dryers. Small houses and flats tend to have washing machines only in the kitchen due to space. Tumble dryers are less common in the UK partly due to space but also because we use gas/oil fired central heating to radiators in most homes and these are on for a significant part of the day for most of the year and are perfect for drying clothes - my mum hangs hers next to the boiler when it is on for hot water only in wet weather in the summer. I have never needed a tumble dryer. Hanging clothes in the garden is the norm in the summer. I have only come across a combo washer-dryer in a flat when I was a student once and would suggest there are most common in flats due to lack of garden, small space and where heating systems are more likely to be electric. From my limited experience of washer-dryers, I agree these are very bad at drying clothes. What I find odd, is American films/TV shows that show apartment blocks with shared laundry room facilities in the basement. You would never see this in the UK. xxx
Thanks for your comment! I wonder if you are thinking of Big Bang Theory? That show is on the telly in England CONSTANTLY! Haha, great show! Yes, communal laundry facilities are very common in dorms at college/uni and also many apartments. I wonder if that is uncommon in Britain because the old buildings would be too old for that and the new buildings are nice enough to have laundry in each unit. Honestly, drying clothes on the line is DEFINITELY better for the environment. And I hear it is better for your clothes. It's just something that we are not used to in the US. But everywhere else I have been in the world considers it common practice!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes, did think of Bing Bang, but have seen communal laundry rooms on other tv shows/films as well. Garbage disposal is another thing that seems to be the norm in the US, going by films/telly but I have only known one UK person to have it! xxx
Oz That’s a shame! Garbage disposals are wonderfully handy things!
Or mail as it’s called in Britain. We created the service, so I think we get the right to name it. However we get the post everyday, and in the post is mail.
We would post, mail to someone.
Thanks for clarifying! 👍
@@MagentaOtterTravels no problem. 😀
On the washer/dryer, I saved about 1/3 of my electricity bill when I stopped using the drying cycle and used a clothes horse over my bath to dry stuff!
Oh yes, drying clothes in a tumble dryer is a very bad habit! When I live in England, I try to dry as many things as possible on the clothes horse.
Enjoy your videos however, the toast tray is in fact called a “toast rack” .
Weight is accurate in stones and pounds. If you are on a diet you still use pounds to measure weight loss. More and more people use kilos nowadays.
Temperature is equally as accurate in Celsius and Fahrenheit but easier in Celsius as freezing is zero and boiling is one hundred.
Older properties tended to have two taps (faucets) as cold water came direct from the mains water pipes whereas hot water tended to be heated in a hot water tank and could be sitting in the tank for perhaps a day or two. To avoid mixing drinking water (cold) with water that potentially has sat in a tank for a few days, the two separate tap system was used. Newer properties tend to have mixer taps. Americans seem to have tremendous problems with the two tap system as it’s so complicated to mix water to the right temperature you require. Bless them.
Using just initials and surname is uncommon in the UK. It is far more common to use someone’s title, then initials, then surname ie Mr J P Smith or Mrs A Jones or Dr S Brown. However, with the rise of feminism came a change in using titles for women and the introduction of the title Ms. Further PC pressure is trying to abolish titles altogether and just using initial & surname only or first name and surname. FYI, it is no longer PC to use the term “Christian name” to describe someone’s first name. Rather, the descriptor, “first name” or “fore name” is now preferred by the easily offended classes.
The reason for the use of day, month, year, system is thought to be associated with increasing units of time periods ie a day is shorter than a month which is shorter than a year. It is generally accepted that the USA is the only country that uses Month, Day, Year, system, and therefore it is obvious that the rest of the world is wrong and we apologize most humbly for our delay in changing to the obviously superior version.
The use of return addresses on personal mail/post are generally not required as, up until recently, post was delivered the next day, significantly reducing the chance of the addressee moving or dying within that 24 hour period therefore obviating the need to return mail.
Thanks for watching and your support! I appreciate hearing from you.
I can honestly say that I understand the argument for day first as well as month first in the way dates are stated. I just think it's funny that Americans somehow started doing it opposite everyone else! I guess it's just our rebellious natures LOL.
Unfortunately our postal system is pretty unreliable. And people move frequently. Both of these things necessitate having return addresses so that post can be returned if it doesn't reach the intended recipient.
And YES I heard a lot of grief about calling the toast rack a "tray"... it is an error for which I most humbly apologised in the Marmite Tasting video I later filmed (whilst in quarantine in Cheltenham during the lockdown)... if you haven't seen that funny video, it's here: czcams.com/video/hX8I4Etixic/video.html
Interesting...I told you I'm from RI and I never thought about it but a lot of the homes there are built very British...our dining area was in another room that wasn't necessarily near the kitchen...and the bathrooms had to the two faucet things and we called water fountains...water bubblers (just thought I'd throw that in there).
Fun and Budget with Tinesha Davis yes, I am absolutely noticing a difference in peoples comments. People from New England have a lot more in common with the British way things are done!
I can't bite my tongue any longer! I put up with it in your other video when you talked about the full English breakfast, but I can't take it any longer....it's a toast RACK!!!! Not a tray, a rack!!!!!!!
Ahhhhhh, nice to get that out of my system!
Hmmmm....has an issue with first initials, then cites an example of a family that knowingly gave all the kids the same initials as the parents! Maybe...oh I dunno...maybe if they didn't do that the use of initials wouldn't be a problem? 😂
Well, you should have corrected me on the last video and then I could have said it correctly this time! Toast rack, toast rack, toast rack... I shall practice! Or is it practise?
Yes, true enough. Giving your children all names with the same first letter IS asking for confusion. I think the first initial thing is just a matter of formality. And Americans are known for being VERY casual. In our language, our dress, etc. Interesting tangent... the sale of jeans has dropped dramatically during the pandemic! Now we can't be bothered to even wear denim trousers! We are all wearing sweatpants or pajamas or yoga pants all day!!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels I can't criticise that. At the moment I don't even get dressed unless I'm going out!
Evil Twin yep! That’s life in 2020!
@@MagentaOtterTravels - Hiya. Practice is a noun, practise is a verb. Stay safe. All the best to you.
Andy U interesting!! In the states there is no practise...
Lived all my life in the uk, and never had or lived in a home with a combi washer/dryer, nor do I know anyone who has one tbh. The initial thing is done by personal choice, and to stop people stealing your identity (especially post). Just cos you don't understand measurements does not mean it is less precise, 14 lbs is 1 stone, the same just as precise.
Combo w/d are common in AirBnB’s and rentals that visiting Americans might live in.
I don’t know anybody that has or ever had a combination Washer / dryer.. I have both
Hahah loved this video! However I personally think that having a separate faucet for hot and cold water is cool for some reason. 😂
Well, it's not cool... it's either FREEZING or BOILING. But I'm deferring that whole debate to my upcoming "bathroom video"! LOL
In literature ,many years ago, women writers were not acceptable, so they assumed a male persona . It is still considered ( by men)that a communication from men is taken more seriously and when I had occasion to write to my sons` school I would always sign with an initial and surname .Also ,business letters .
That is a really interesting perspective that I hadn't thought of! Like George Eliot. And J K Rowling and Robert Galbraith.
I usually prefer my toast crisp when I want to eat buttered toast and marmalade so then a toast rack is essential.
On the odd occasion I eat meat pate on toast I prefer hot buttered toast.
By the way, there's nothing more frustrating than trying to dip a soggy soldier into a soft boiled egg yolk.
Fair point. I don't really eat soft boiled eggs or soldiers. And when I butter toast I eat it before it has a chance to get soggy... nom nom nom 🙂
Well.. you are so right on all the facts.. any one who has watched all your videos and have not visited UK.. will definitely feel so confident and comfortable with things around here.. great video..!! :)
Thanks for watching and commenting! Very kind of you to say ❤
7. Fahrenheit being more precise? Celsius/Centigrade is used the world over and for science in the USA. Its just what you are used to. As a kid, I was taught Celsius as school and learning water freezes at 0'c and boils at 100'c makes a lot of sense. What was difficult was growing up in a world where adults still used Fahrenheit. Now, the weather is always broadcast in Celsius only and pretty much everyone in the UK understands it and is the norm xxxx
I know... I need to learn! Old dogs...
@@MagentaOtterTravels Having a mini heat wave at the moment here in the south of England. Was 34'c in my back garden last week and again over 30'c on Friday. High 20s'c yesterday (Sat) and am expecting 30'c plus today (Sun) when I get up. 00:30am Sunday now - so hello from the future! xxx
Washer/dryers - we don't have a dryer, I suspect that's true for a large number of British homes. We don't have space for a dryer, and why pay the electricity cost when you can just hang clothes on the line in the garden for free?!
Temperature scales, please! Celsius is logical and scientific, Fahrenheit is old fashioned and obsolete 😃!
And as for initials, as others have said, I would find it almost rude to be addressed by my first name by someone I hardly know.
I agree... this is a battle between what is logical and what we are all used to. Cultures change slowly over time... English people start doing the temperature in Celsius and one day maybe Americans will hang their laundry on a clothes line to dry! ;-)
I had a combo washer drier for 7 years. I used the drier about 3 times and I had 3 small children at the time.
Oh my! That's a lot of laundry. You must have been efficient at hanging clothes on the line ;-)
Just to add, Fahrenheit and Celsius are both accurate measures of temperature - just a case of which you are used to really. Fahrenheit still tends to be used to describe hot weather in conjunction with Celsius although we really only use Celsius for cold weather.
I have been coming to Britain long enough that I remember when the weather forecasts on the telly told both F and C temperatures! I have heard from other Britons that younger folks only do C but older generation likes to use F for hot temps. It is much more impressive to moan about 90 degree weather than 32... it sounds much worse! LOL
I wouldn't use a toast rack either for the same reason - the toast gets cold! Asking if you're 'alright' is about politeness too and not a shallow pointless greeting.
I agree that some people are definitely sincere when they ask if you are alright. But not necessarily everybody is.
As for the toast, I was very surprised to learn that some people actually like cold toast! I’ve heard of people who even go as far as putting toast in the freezer to cool it down before they put the butter on! 😳😳
A bit like when Americans say “ have a nice day now” some will mean it but most don’t.. !! 😊
I really enjoyed this! I totally agree with the washing machine, I always see that on hgtv and just couldn’t imagine taking that long! Especially with little kids 🤣. I do however like the first initial names, I think it sounds super fancy and dignified. Lol. When I was 16 I got into a fender bender in a very nice neighborhood in California. I was so upset and freaking out because I was terrified of what my parents would say. I was crying my eyes out when a British man came out of his house and asked me if I was alright and then offered me a cup of tea 😂🤦🏾♀️.
AuthenticallyAmber I love that story so much! Thanks for sharing. Tea really does make everything better, I guess!
I agree with the combo washer/drying machines, they are a waste of space in my opinion. I rented a flat a few years ago with one of those horrible things, and only used the dryer a couple of times. It took hours to wash and (sort of dry) my clothes. I grew up with separate taps so I don't really notice them in houses, although there seem to be more single unit mixer taps in UK homes now. I am accustomed to weights being in stones, my peeve is everything is now in kilos, I couldn't tell you what my weight is in kilo's. It took me a while to get used to celsius when the temperature scale changed here years go. Now I can barely remember how to calculate celsius to fahrenheit (it's something like double the number and add 30). I generally just say "alright" to people as a greeting :-)
I'm so confused! I was certain I had already responded to this comment, but now I don't see my response! Oh well, here goes again:
I agree, combo dryers are a waste! Do you dry your clothes on the line? Americans think it's funny that Brits use clotheslines to dry their clothes because everyone assumes it rains "all the time" :-) I will definitely be discussing "mixer taps" in my upcoming bathroom video. The term itself is very funny and foreign to Americans. The first time I heard it a couple years ago I laughed. Yes, I remember on my first trips to Britain the weather forecast would be shown in both F and C. I was sad when it all converted to Celsius. I've been clueless ever since! LOL
@@MagentaOtterTravels I did notice two comments from me earlier, but when I refreshed the page one of them disappeared, strange. Anyway, hello Dara, I use one of those indoor drying rack things for my clothes as I don't have a line outside. I would like a separate dryer, but I think they are quite expensive. I do find separate taps annoying and prefer the mixer ones.
Hi Dara! Are you all right? love your rants! The washer dryer combo exists in France and Italy as well. We stayed in a flat that had the washer/dryer underneath the bathroom sink. I wonder if they just stick it wherever it will fit!
I’m ALL RIGHT! 👍. Thanks for watching and commenting😉 The bathroom sink does sound like a tight squeeze!😳. But I guess in old buildings in high rent areas, you gotta just do what you can do!
Actually, we Brits use C for cold temperatures and F for hot ones.
Helen Wood interesting! The forecast for tomorrow here in Texas is 105 F and 41 C!!! 🔥
Magenta Otter Travels as a young person (I’m 30, born in 1990) Fahrenheit completely confuses me. Like ... with Celsius, freezing is 0, boiling is 100, easy peasy! Although I do like this little fun fact: minus 40 degrees is the same in both measurements. How cool is that (literally!). And I use kg instead of stone (although I think that’s partly coz of my job - I work in a hospital). Just waiting for when we switch from miles to kilometres, coz although I understand miles more, kilometres makes more sense. At least to me it does.
Catherine Vincent IMHO ... We should in both countries be all metric. It is more consistent globally, and more logical, as you say. But for us old dogs, it is very hard to learn these new systems and make the adjustment! LOL
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!❤️
Magenta Otter Travels that’s OK 😁. Took my parents ages to switch over apparently, and mum especially goes back to Fahrenheit for the higher temperatures. Coz saying it’s 103 Fahrenheit apparently sounds more impressive than ... whatever the Celsius equivalent is 😂
I work in the oil industry and I have to deal with unit conversions all the time, pounds and kilograms, UK gallons and US gallons. The weird ones are weight - metric is tonnes, imperial is tons, the US also has short tons (2000 lbs) because it makes the math(s) easier. Also length - metric is metres, imperial feet inches and sixteenths, the US also has feet inches and tenths which we call metric feet (makes the maths easier)
We have a washer and a separate dryer like most people.
I know most people do, but if you are staying in an Airbnb, or a very small rented flat, you might have a combo unit in the kitchen
Here in the north east we say you alright as a greeting. Just say in return the same. We aren't asking for your life story or your medical history. Some say just morning or other one word greetings. You might hear someone say to you something about the weather like freezing isn't it or it's hot today as you both pass by each other.
I think the reason for this behaviour is we just like being polite or we hate silence.
Lol, I hate silence! I love the Northeast, and we started watching Vera again. I love the sayings that they work into that show! I think I'll have to do a video about that...
"Allright!" It's not a question, I don't want an answer.
haha , I understand! I guess I'm too literal, and don't go along with rhetorical questions properly...
I dont know anyone who asks 'how are you?' as they whizz past on a bike. It's always Hi, hiya, hello...
I remember that happening to me when I cycled around my uni campus in California. Very odd.
Washer dryers are useless I agree with that.
A washer/dryer is an excellent solution for a couple or single person living in a small flat but, as with all appliances, you must read and understand the manual (RTFM)! small washer / dryer may be able to wash 8Kg but only dry 6Kg or less. Typically, they use a condenser system that does not require a vent through an outside wall. If you iron your clothes they are more than adequate.
They do work, they just require a lot of patience for Americans who are used to washing and drying large loads of laundry relatively quickly! LOL
It’s the difference between less than two hours versus six or seven hours…
Hi this is the first video of yours I've watched and I like what I see 👍🏻 the only point I'd like to make is regarding the initials on mail. As a postman/mail carrier I've seen plenty of different ways to address a letter. Mostly here in Britain though it tends to be a mixture of full name with title (Mr/Mrs etc) or title with initials and surname. A return address isn't as common as it should be unfortunately. Of course if you have a superstar postie 😎 who's been on the same round for 13 years then any ambiguously addressed letters do tend to find their actual intended destination. Looking forward to seeing more of your channel in the coming weeks.
Hi Lee! Glad you introduced yourself! We have another couple Brits named "Lee" in the Magenta Otter Tribe, so I would have assumed you were one of them. I'm so glad to hear from a real live postal carrier! I'm sure you could tell us plenty of stories :-) Americans are just more informal, and so we avoid the titles and opt for first names instead of initials in general.
There is a silly American sitcom that was just here for a season or two and got cancelled (so I'm sure it won't make it to the UK) called Bless This Mess. It was about a New York City couple who moved to a TINY town in the middle of Nebraska farmland. The mail carrier had a habit of reading everybody's mail... so she'd deliver mail to someone and give them a recap of the contents! Worse yet, she would gossip around town regarding everyone's personal business! Very funny... except in real life it would NOT be funny (and is also a federal crime!).
I hope you subscribe and stick around. Would love to hear your thoughts on other videos. What county do you live in?
If you want to see a little video of our flat in Cheltenham (along with the gorgeous red post box, because Americans are enamoured with British post boxes!) the video is here: czcams.com/video/GQRPSunr8To/video.html
@@MagentaOtterTravels thanks for the welcome, I am a new subscriber and I will be working my way through the videos over the next few days and weeks. I have a few stories (some aren't suitable for a family audience 😂). Not heard of that sitcom but sounds fun, opening someone else's mail is a sackable offence and a criminal one here too. I work alongside an American expat and he's fully assimilated into British culture (not sure if that's a good thing or not 🤔) he's a great guy as you would expect, I'm not an American "basher".
I'm English living on the Essex/London borders.
It's good to see another American's honest opinions about things we probably take for granted or never think about, I'm subscribed to a couple of other channels of a similar nature. Looking forward to seeing more over the next few weeks. Cheers.
PS I have to empty the red post boxes as part of my day ☺️
Lee I need to explore Essex more one of these days. Thanks for being open minded about Americans! We can be a bit loud and annoying, but we can also be lovable as well❤️.
I hope you don’t find too many nasty surprises in those red post boxes!😳
@@MagentaOtterTravels I mostly find the odd twig or stone in there but the worst thing I've come across was a used condom!!! What I find a bit of a pity is that some Americans can't see that most of the time we're only teasing them and it's all in jest and not to be taken seriously and therefore in their eyes it's "bashing". Of course there are those that aren't quite so friendly and for those I apologise both sides need to be a bit more open minded I think (just my opinion for what it's worth)
Lee I very much appreciate your opinion! It’s funny, after you said you were a postal worker, someone else commented and said their former job had involved red phone box maintenance! I think he saw countless used condoms...Certainly one of the more unpleasant parts of his job!😳
I actually prefer my toast cold so that the butter sits thinly on the surface.
I have heard other people say that too. I guess it’s just a matter of preference. I like melted butter...yum 😋🧈 ! Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment!
8. The greeting in the UK is "y'a'right" or "alright", and as you say, it is often done in passing and is more of an acknowledgement like Hi, hiya, or hello and to some extent both people are asking and stating that they themselves are okay at the same time as a single word. The response to alright is alright. If people say "Are you all right?" in full and clear words, then they normally mean the question in full and expect a real response about your well being, but again still a greeting and generally expect a positive response which DOES includes 'not bad'. People don't want to hear all your life woes! If they are expressing concern about well being for someone upset or in trouble, the tone of voice will be different xxx
I agree with you. What's funny is how literally Americans take this question until they figure out it is the British version of "How you doing?"
We don't usually say "are you alright"...it's mainly just the one word "alright" 🤣🤣
Yes, that's the shorthand! But to us Americans you have to say the whole phrase... and confuse us! LOL
@@MagentaOtterTravels 🤣🤣🤣👍
Sorry to be pedatic, but it's a toast rack, not tray. Also, if you're toast is getting cold, maybe you're not eating it fast enough ! that said, if you put it on a plate, heat it first. Hot toast, on a hot plate, no condesation, voila.
Jfergs. Thanks for your comment! A few other viewers also pointed out that I had the name wrong. I have been practicing saying toast rack ever saying toast RACK ever since 😉!
My kitchen anf dining room are right next to each other with a serving hatch in the wall between them. There is a bolt on the hatch because my cat sleeps next to it in the kitchen and if it isn't fastened he escapes and comes upstairs to shout through the bedroom door at 2am.
That's funny! Clever kitty 😻
Yeah - Red phone boxes, since mobile phones, are becoming increasingly rare. It's only the phone boxes around Soho that have "postcards". The rural ones tend to be (like you say) defibrillators, mini libraries, and art galleries now. I've even seen a coffee shop running from one. Nice to see them getting re-used tho.
Yes, I love seeing red phone boxes being repurposed and restored! Would love to see the coffee shop one! Do you remember where that was?
@@MagentaOtterTravels I've seen a couple around central London.
@@jca111 Fun!👍 I have a video coming out in an hour which features our trip to Dartmouth and Salcombe in South Devon, if you are interested😉
I totally agree about washer/dryers, they’re useless. We have individual units in a small utility room. Most people under the age of 30 use Kilograms instead of Stone for weight. Celsius is a far better unit of temperature than Fahrenheit! The metric system is just much more useful generally, hence why it’s used by scientists and engineers in the US.
Regarding telephone boxes, if you want to see a truly rare one you’ll have to visit Hull. We have them in cream, instead of red, because British Telecom didn’t operate here. Even today we can’t get BT internet, because the infrastructure is owned by KCOM - Kingston Communications. Fortunately they provide excellent speeds anyway, so it’s not an issue.
Wow, I had never heard about the cream phone boxes! Ian's aunt used to live in Hull, but just moved so we never got to visit.
The washer/dryer combo thing is just SO different then laundry in the states. Here in Texas, I wash a LARGE load of clothes and dry them all in less than 2 hours. My neighbour in Cheltenham (we live in both US and UK, just different times of the year, in case this is confusing!) uses his combo w/d set on Eco mode ... he starts the cycle when he leaves for work in the morning because it takes SEVEN HOURS! That is mind blowing! haha Thanks very much for your comment. I really appreciate it! Please check out my recent vid on things I love about living in the UK if you haven't seen it yet: czcams.com/video/VtoJRkIsOUE/video.html Cheers! XX Dara
Excellent video, highly enjoyable but I must point out that toast is served in a toast rack not a tray.
braces2 thank you! Yes, I have learned the proper name of the toast RACK after uploading this video. LOL... I appreciate getting coaching as I attempt to improve my bilingual status 😉
Came here (a bit late, I know!), to see if anyone else had made the comment. When the title came up I didn't know what was being referred too?
Wouldn't use a dryer ever - we really should take a bit of responsibility for our energy usage.
I agree that we need to wean ourselves off of using dryers. My husband is a big climate activist here in the states. But I'm not sure we have a place to hang clothes outside in our flat in Cheltenham... I don't think it is allowed.
we enjoyed it a lot. Cheers.
Thank you! Cheers!
@@MagentaOtterTravels @World Walker my pleasure
Washer/Dryer. No, never had a single one of these, ever. So common to have a washing machine and a separate dryer and a clothes line. Two taps, use a plug to get the water as expected. Toast rack... tastic. I like hot and /or cold toast. Getting older, cold toast to limit the amount of fat from the butter absorbed is better... so boring. Mr KDA thinks, no. Stone is an antiquated measurement that older so and so's still use. My sons measure in Kg's. Celsius, so straight forward. 0 is ice cold. 'You alright?'. I always liked a red phone box, always good for when you need to relieve yourself (ask your husband). Good vid, thanks a lot. Cheers
The washer dryer combination is most typically found in rentals like Airbnb's. They are good for saving space, but just not good at drying clothes!
Yes, it's always a rude awakening for the tourist in London who wants to go pose inside a red phone box so their friend can take a photo. And then they discover it's really a glorified urinal! 😳
"Hi, how are you doing?" haha, I was confused that as an immigrant in the US at the beginning, too. People asked, " Hi, how are you?" I was going to answer then they are gone. I said to myself, " Why did they ask if they are't listen?" Now, you know, I just say, "Hi" if I don't have time to listen. "Are you alright? Are you OKAY?"ah, ha, that's why my friends from UK asked that. I wonder why,,, the funny thing then I will tell you, in Korea we greeting like, "Did you eat?" Morning, "Did you eat breakfast?" Did you eat lunch? Did you dinner? " Wired? right I will tell you too. I love RED PHONE BOX.
I do love a well-preserved (and clean) red phone box. They are lovely :-)
Washer driers are the work of the devil. Here in Scotland we still use an outdoor washing line to dry laundry . Rain permitting!
I agree... the DRYER cycle on the combo units is absolutely worthless! Line drying is definitely a wonderful way to dry clothes... but often a challenge in a rainy country. haha
Time to get out the clothes horse and cover all the radiators with damp clothing ;-)
Did you know in the US we don't have airing cupboards? I only learnt what one was after moving into this flat!
I agree about the washer/dryer combo... ain’t nobody got time for that!
But the real question is... would you hang your clothes out on the line to dry? I think I *may* be too lazy for that! LOL
@@MagentaOtterTravels
I think you will find Washer/dryers are only in rentals, and where there isn't space for seperates.
Kevin Short yes I think you’re right. If someone has space, they wouldn’t choose it 😉
@@MagentaOtterTravels Hanging washing on the line often saves you time ironing and it is free.
We don't say "are your alright", we just say "alright"? That's it.
I've heard it both ways ;-)
Oh I agree reg. the toast racks... they're very cute, but I want my toast as hot as possible, straight from the toaster and onto my side plate! As for the reason we tend to prefer separate kitchens and dining rooms, it's because dining rooms are often mixed together with the living room, and many of us don't want the whole house (and couches!) smelling of cooking. Imagine if you like to serve fish, like the hubby and I do - the whole kitchen smells for days on end, and who wants the living space to smell like that? :D
That is a very valid point about the fish smell. Also some people don't like everyone in the living room to be looking at their dirty dishes! haha
Thanks very much for your comment! Are you new to my channel?
Hi when you tell the time, do you give it as just minutes, or like us bits use Hours and Minutes? We feel that to be easier, more precise, a bit like weights using Stones and Pounds. Stones gives you the ball park, with pounds for the detail.
I see how that makes sense. Like feet and inches. It’s just really hard to learn if you are an old dog who has never grown up thinking that way 😂
Brit replying.
Combo washer/dryer was a big thing a few years ago. Most people realised they were not fit for purpose so very few people get them now.
I know no one who has serperate hot and cold taps. Tourist probably come across them as they stay in places run for profit where the owners don't think its cost effective to change them. But come to think about it in the 85 hotels I stay in last year I can only recall having hot and cold taps twice. So you must be staying in some bad hotels.
I love hotel toast it crisp to the bite and doesn't go soggy when you butter it.
All official letters have a return address although it will usually just be a PO box number and a post code.
It looked on as a bit odd to all have the same initial in one family but most British people have middle names they don't use.
Full names are not shown on letters to prevent identity theft
Older people will use stones but doctors etc and younger people will weigh themselves in kilograms
British people are less formal than Americans imagine where i live the most common greeting are alrit or ayeup saying hello is only ever used in very form occasions
Outside tourist or conservation, where everything has to be keep how it is, you will hardly ever see a red phone box. Long before mobile (cell phones) most of the old traditional phone boxes had been replaced with ones simular to the ones you used to see in America.
If tourists didn't want to see them most red phone boxes would have gone years ago.
When I stay in a big hotel, it always has a mixer tap. But if you stay in quaint little B&Bs, sometimes they are very old or sometimes they have been recently renovated in a vintage style. I was in a bathroom fittings showroom just last month and saw a brand new sink with separate taps! Some crazy people still want them that way! Lol
And I think that when owners fit out Airbnb's, they will try to do a combination washer/dryer because it seems like a good thing to advertise to prospective guests. Because Americans wouldn't realise how useless they are! Lol
No initials in my case, I had a letter from HMRC this morning and they put my full name, including my middle name, into the address. Yes, I looked you up after you replied to my comment elsewhere. I am enjoying this video and will subscribe.
Gerry Mccartney yay! Thanks so much 🙏. I highly recommend my British Cheese Tasting video for you... let me know if you learn anything new. I learned a ton of interesting things when I filmed it! ❤️🧀🇬🇧
weights and measurements in the UK are ridiculous - and im from here - STONE is absolutely dumb , no one knows what they actually weigh because no one knows what 9 x 14 is or 13 x 14 or whatever the case maybe plus the extra pounds - We used to buy fuel in gallons here - no one asks you how many miles to the litre you car does and distance for driving is in miles -- people will send you large measurements in millimeters but if you ask them how tall they are they will answer in feet and inches !!! - now we have to buy groceries in kilos and not lbs like before
It is super confusing! And when you throw into the mix that British gallons and American gallons are not the same, it's even more confusing! 😂
I like hot toast, most people do here, that toast rack is mostly a hotel thing, note an average UK home, I dont know anyone who uses one of them. Also, LOTS of UK homes have 'mixer' taps, not the two hot and cold ones you mentioned, i do.
Steve W thanks for your comment S W!
At home I leave my toast in, or on top of, the toaster so it stays crisp and warm without steaming up the plate and going soggy.
ftumschk good idea!!👍👍
Hull has its own telephone exchange so around Hull / humberside the phone boxes are white not red even more rare
That is so interesting! I’ve never heard of that before
Water boils at 100°C that's a great modern gauge.
Celsius is really very sensible and easy to follow. Just hard for an old lady to learn to adjust thinking after several decades of Fahrenheit! But I was looking at the weather in C yesterday to practise. It is around 35 C all week here in Texas!
I've never heard the breakfast utensil called a toast tray before , always a toast rack and yes I was a partner in a hotel for years ! Odd to alight on the initials instead of names thing , when people who are called by two initials such as JR and TJ is almost wholly American in my view.
Yes, I made a mistake on the toast carrier. It is a toast rack! But some Americans say toast tray because we are not familiar with them 😉.
I agree that using initials as the first name that people actually call you, like JR, is American. But Americans would not use just a first initial on their credit cards or office nameplates or addressing post.
UK measures their weight in stones and pounds if they are older, and kilos if younger.
One of the few ways I act like a young person ;-) haha
When I'm in Britain, I weigh myself in kilos. But I don't often weigh myself there, since I don't own a bathroom scale in England. So that is actually kind of nice!!!
Hot buttered toast is a must! Never seen those trays, but very interesting. And yes I K Sandland is too close to IDK! Lol 😂
Oooooh... that's a good nickname for Ian... IDK!