Ask the Brit a stupid question

[Risso]

We have a toast rack. The missus occasionally uses it for the reason mentioned - keeping the toast crisp. But I hate cold toast. I have to butter and eat my toast while it's still hot, so the butter partially melts.

 

Exactly Mike.  Straight out of the toaster, on to the plate, and buttered.  No need to have it sat round in a rack whatsoever.

[Stevo985]

 

We have a toast rack. The missus occasionally uses it for the reason mentioned - keeping the toast crisp. But I hate cold toast. I have to butter and eat my toast while it's still hot, so the butter partially melts.

 

Exactly Mike.  Straight out of the toaster, on to the plate, and buttered.  No need to have it sat round in a rack whatsoever.

 

It's more for communal toast isn't it?

My mom gets it out when she is making breakfast for everyone. Means you can make a load of toast and stick it in the rack. You can pass it round as well.

 

If she makes a couple of slices for herself then obviously it doesn't come out.

[MakemineVanilla]

 

 

We have a toast rack. The missus occasionally uses it for the reason mentioned - keeping the toast crisp. But I hate cold toast. I have to butter and eat my toast while it's still hot, so the butter partially melts.

 

Exactly Mike.  Straight out of the toaster, on to the plate, and buttered.  No need to have it sat round in a rack whatsoever.

 

It's more for communal toast isn't it?

My mom gets it out when she is making breakfast for everyone. Means you can make a load of toast and stick it in the rack. You can pass it round as well.

 

If she makes a couple of slices for herself then obviously it doesn't come out.

 

 

The toast rack definitely has some association with traditional domestic arrangements, in that it suggests that someone is making toast for other people.

[snowychap]

Oh and it's "realise", not "realize"! 

 

Oh no it isn't.

 

[Ponky]

In country motels in Australia toast comes in little individual bags through a little hutch beside the room door. Or at least it used to.

[Risso]

 

 

We have a toast rack. The missus occasionally uses it for the reason mentioned - keeping the toast crisp. But I hate cold toast. I have to butter and eat my toast while it's still hot, so the butter partially melts.

 

Exactly Mike.  Straight out of the toaster, on to the plate, and buttered.  No need to have it sat round in a rack whatsoever.

 

It's more for communal toast isn't it?

My mom gets it out when she is making breakfast for everyone. Means you can make a load of toast and stick it in the rack. You can pass it round as well.

 

If she makes a couple of slices for herself then obviously it doesn't come out.

 

 

That's the intention, but everybody just ends up with cold, brittle toast.  Far better to do just toast it, and pass it to people as it's done in my opinion.  And I am truly the king of cooking for large, family breakfasts.

[mjmooney]

The toast rack always used to be the cheapskate option right at the bottom of the wedding present list.

[Marka Ragnos]

Damn, wrote two long responses and browser jumped pages and lost them! Will respond a lttle later! 

[Marka Ragnos]

So many great replies I exhausted my "Like This" quota.

 

I want to ask an American something.

 

Why, when many of you have never even been to the places, do a lot of you call yourselves (or make a point of stating) where your heritage comes from?

 

I.e. "Yea, I'm Mike from NYC, but I'm half Irish, Quarter Italian & Quarter Spanish".

 

When I was honeymooning in Toronto (Ok, not America, but bear with me), a tour guide asked if any one was from Europe, me and my wife stuck our hands up and then 2 women from Kansas stuck their hands up and said "We're Irish".

 

The guide asked them when they moved over to the States and they said "We've never been to Ireland, but we're Irish".

 

I was like WTFLMAO >->

 

Could write a thesis on this! Your assessment is "bang on," as you English say. Because many of us first and second generation Americans have so few familial connections here -- that's one big reason. Another reason: the immigrant communities form vibrant sub-cultures here that possess power and cultural influence and people want to be part of that.

 

England is a special case. My dad's from Bewdley and very English, and most of my English relatives still live there, but I don't call myself English because it just confuses people -- there's not really much of a British subculture here any more. There used to, in the late 50s and early 60s, with the last big wave of UK immigration. But if anyone asks me my nationality, I always always always say dual-national. I am totally unEnglish culturally but for better or worse seem to love England more than most English people (there are a lot of us crazed Anglophiles in the US), from what I can tell lol. 

 

 

[Marka Ragnos]

 

Why do British people put toast on little toast holders at breakfast and tea?

 

Why not just place the toast on the plate and let it await the marmalade or yeast extract or whatever you people spread on the toast?

 

They don't.  The only place I've seen them used is in hotels, and that includes the Trump Hotel in Vegas that we stayed in a couple of weeks ago. 

 

Talking of which, we were over there for a family wedding, and when we were at the reception waiting for the main meal, the Yanks were amazed that everybody sat politely not eating their food until everybody on their table had been given their meal.  I take it that that's not a thing in the States then?  It just seems like basic manners to me.

 

 

 

 

We've got some horrible table manners here. No question.

[Marka Ragnos]

Do British people want their empire back?

[lapal_fan]

 

So many great replies I exhausted my "Like This" quota.

 

I want to ask an American something.

 

Why, when many of you have never even been to the places, do a lot of you call yourselves (or make a point of stating) where your heritage comes from?

 

I.e. "Yea, I'm Mike from NYC, but I'm half Irish, Quarter Italian & Quarter Spanish".

 

When I was honeymooning in Toronto (Ok, not America, but bear with me), a tour guide asked if any one was from Europe, me and my wife stuck our hands up and then 2 women from Kansas stuck their hands up and said "We're Irish".

 

The guide asked them when they moved over to the States and they said "We've never been to Ireland, but we're Irish".

 

I was like WTFLMAO >->

 

Could write a thesis on this! Your assessment is "bang on," as you English say. Because many of us first and second generation Americans have so few familial connections here -- that's one big reason. Another reason: the immigrant communities form vibrant sub-cultures here that possess power and cultural influence and people want to be part of that.

 

England is a special case. My dad's from Bewdley and very English, and most of my English relatives still live there, but I don't call myself English because it just confuses people -- there's not really much of a British subculture here any more. There used to, in the late 50s and early 60s, with the last big wave of UK immigration. But if anyone asks me my nationality, I always always always say dual-national. I am totally unEnglish culturally but for better or worse seem to love England more than most English people (there are a lot of us crazed Anglophiles in the US), from what I can tell lol. 

 

 

 

Thought it may be something to do with a lack of history (sorry if that's considered offensive), but the power part is interesting.

 

For what it's worth, the UK is very much the older, if somewhat little brother of the US, we mostly watch the same TV as you, we mostly eat the same as you, we've started to copy (younger generations certainly) your colloquialisms but where I think we differ most is religion and this "freedom" which Americans like to talk about so much. 

 

And, like you, we have lots of Americaphiles here, me being one of them, I could spend years dotting around your country, but I don't think I'd live in the US over Canada, the other way round in my personal opinion, because of the reasons stated (religions/gun laws etc).  I'd feel more at home in Canada.

[lapal_fan]

Do British people want their empire back?

 

If it made travelling easier/cheaper then yea, but apart from that, and using our history to give other countries a bit of stick, I don't think anyone cares

 

In fact a lot of posters on here are against the Royal Family because of what they stand for etc, I don't mind them, they bring in money and people all around the world seem to dig them.

 

Rude American story number 1;  I was in London when I think William and Kate were due at Buckingham Palace, we went at the very last minute, just to see if we could see anything/anyone.  We met an American family from California (Portland maybe?) man, woman and 3 teenage girls.  The man was quite chilled out, the kids weren't interested in standing around waiting to see a car surrounded by police but the woman, jesus christ, was pushing and asking people to move out of her way so she could get to the front of the queue.. Literally pushing people

 

Her husband just looked at us and said "I know, typical Yanks right?"

[Stevo985]

 

 

 

We have a toast rack. The missus occasionally uses it for the reason mentioned - keeping the toast crisp. But I hate cold toast. I have to butter and eat my toast while it's still hot, so the butter partially melts.

 

Exactly Mike.  Straight out of the toaster, on to the plate, and buttered.  No need to have it sat round in a rack whatsoever.

 

It's more for communal toast isn't it?

My mom gets it out when she is making breakfast for everyone. Means you can make a load of toast and stick it in the rack. You can pass it round as well.

 

If she makes a couple of slices for herself then obviously it doesn't come out.

 

 

That's the intention, but everybody just ends up with cold, brittle toast.  Far better to do just toast it, and pass it to people as it's done in my opinion.  And I am truly the king of cooking for large, family breakfasts.

 

So do you have to keep getting up from the table to go back and forth to the toaster when everybody is having breakfast?

[maqroll]

I want to ask an American something.

 

Why, when many of you have never even been to the places, do a lot of you call yourselves (or make a point of stating) where your heritage comes from?

 

I.e. "Yea, I'm Mike from NYC, but I'm half Irish, Quarter Italian & Quarter Spanish".

 

When I was honeymooning in Toronto (Ok, not America, but bear with me), a tour guide asked if any one was from Europe, me and my wife stuck our hands up and then 2 women from Kansas stuck their hands up and said "We're Irish".

 

The guide asked them when they moved over to the States and they said "We've never been to Ireland, but we're Irish".

 

I was like WTFLMAO >->

Haha, yeah, that example is pretty extreme, (and stupid).

 

I think what explains the phenomenon is that because The USA has been such a dizzying  ethnic melting pot, immigrants clung to their heritage as a way to keep a semblance of normalcy during a time of upheaval and hardship in their lives. Ethnic bonds were strengthened as a means to gain traction as a group. Just about every European immigrant group succeeded because they were able to establish themselves this way. So whereas one's ethnicity and traditions seemed an afterthought in Europe, in America they became an instrument to get a foothold and gain power. Those ethnic tags stuck, even if one's relationship to Europe became more and more tenuous over time and generations.

 

But it's also been a way to differentiate oneself from other groups. Italians and Jews could be mistaken for each other, Germans and Danes, etc., so loudly and proudly declaring your ethnicity could sometimes save your skin. It's also a pastime here to talk about how your family came here and how they established themselves. The stories can be incredible, and usually are. I think a lot of Americans also feel like they owe it to their immigrant ancestors not to forget where they came from, and we shouldn't. Despite the time and distance, we carry on the same traditions, share the same myths, sing the same songs. So I think its natural if part of us wants to feel a connection with the land where we draw so much of our identity. I'm American, but I'm also Irish, Dutch, English and Italian. Maybe it seems silly to you, but it's fundamental to me. It adds more meaning to my life.

[useless]

When I used to eat toast I'd only ever eat it cold, I think it tastes better that way.

[Risso]

Do British people want their empire back?

 

It mostly all lives over here anyway!

 

We may decide to take the States back at some point though.  For now it suits our purposes to maintain the illusion that you have independence.

[This Could Be Rotterdam]

I always thought the toast rack was used so that there was more room for bacon. There really is nothing better than a full English breakfast!

[Marka Ragnos]

Why do the British often seem to create offensive taxonomic names for lower-class social groups? Examples: Yobs, chavs, neds, oiks (passe). From a BBC article a few years ago ...

 

A new book claims the word "chav" is helping to reignite class war. The journalist Polly Toynbee calls it "the vile word at the heart of fractured Britain". Recently a peer caused a kerfuffle when she tweeted about being stuck in "chav-land". So almost a decade after its emergence, is chav really the most divisive word in Britain, asks Tom de Castella.

For some it has been a satisfying label to pin on Burberry check-wearing louts. But for others, it's a nasty, coded attack on the working class.

And for some commentators the word chav is now at the heart of Britain's obsession with class.

 

[Marka Ragnos]

Why do British people get drunk and then want "a curry"? 

 

It just seems like recipe for disaster. Plus, curries are very messy. Wouldn't you rather have a hamburger or a kebab or chips?