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[Piggus]

As a dutch guy i find tipping really strange.
Giving someone a bonus because they write down my food order and bring it ??

Some (stupid) states allow restaurants to pay employees less than minimum wage (which is already low in most of said states) if they earn tips that equal or exceed the minimum wage. There are many people who essentualy survive on tips. So if you come here and refuse to tip (even if the service is good) think about the kind of living situation your server might be in and how crucial tips may be to them. It's part of the culture to be generous to these people who are doing a job that you probably don't ever want to do. I enjoy tipping someone who went out of their way to provide great service because I know it helps make their a job a little more tolerable and ultimately helps improve the quality of their life.

So yeah. Tipping isn't a bad thing unless for some reason you hate the idea of generosity.

 

[Acorn]

Only thing for me is calling fries chips.

See, chippy chips are chips (odd sentence). But I call mcdonalds or any fast food chips fries. They're different.

 

[Dice]

Thinking back, all the asians I know are privy to microwaving a mug of water for a single hot drink. I'll grant that maybe some of them learned it here, but plenty of others were exchange students who were completely new to everything.

 

[Arjen]

One thing is loved about the states, is right on red and the lack of roundabouts. Made driving so much better.

 

[Rubbish King]

This is a fun thread.

Only things I find genuinely shit about the US:
Guns
Healthcare

The rest are all just harmless, sometimes baffling little differences.

and greed


GREEEED

 

[Amalthea]

Mistaking anarchy with freedom.

 

[Acorn]

and greed


GREEEED

Yup, our connections helped destroy any chance of the UK being social democratic.

 

[dragonelite]

We are free people, not heathens.

Christmas was suppose to be about getting drunk,naked and have massive orgies.
//Someone tell me i didn't misread that.
Then you Americans made it about some fat guy with a beard and giving people presents.

Heathens version of christmass sounds way better.

 

[Piggus]

Christmas was suppose to be about getting drunk,naked and have massive orgies.
//Someone tell me i didn't misread that.
Then you Americans made it about some fat guy with a beard and giving people presents.

Heathens version of christmass sounds way better.

It's your own fault for going with our version

 

[alazz]

Why can't you guys turn on red lights? And why do you love to pluralize collective nouns?

KFC chips are probably the best chips from any fast food place. KFC is shit in America compared to the UK, although you cant go wrong with the USA buffets (all you can eat KFC is mindblowing)

Yeah, I'll be sure to lose sleep over our KFC's.
You ought to try some real soul food. It's inimitable! And dammit, now I could really go for some chicken fried steak, grits, okra, and pecan pie. It's really Saturday morning ambrosia.

 

[Acorn]

It's your own fault for going with our version

I blame those awesome Coca Cola Christmas adverts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogetBqMgau0
^That

 

[dragonelite]

It's your own fault for going with our version

If you follow gaf we have our own fucked version for the rest of the world.
I call it the yearly zwarte piet gate. When every non dutch gaffer is against us.

 

[RuinerPrime]

This is sort of relevant.

Lol I read this in a very stereotypical voice

 

[Zeliard]

It's 'maths'.

This is the one word where there should be general agreement that the American version is superior. "Maths" is aesthetically hideous to say out loud, and Mathematics is a collective noun.

Look deep within yourselves; you know it to be true.

 

[WJD]

Oh, and the obsession with their constitution in certain areas is pretty weird to me, especially in modern times.

 

[Acorn]

Another stupid thing that bothers me is American companies bringing over their states adverts with British voice overs for american actors.

I KNOW ITS A DUB YOU CHEAP BASTARDS, YOU WANNA SELL ME SOMETHING MAKE A BRITISH ADVERT.

Yup first world problems etc.

 

[Rich!]

Another stupid thing that bothers me is American companies bringing over their states adverts with British voice overs for american actors.

I KNOW ITS A DUB YOU CHEAP BASTARDS, YOU WANNA SELL ME SOMETHING MAKE A BRITISH ADVERT.

Yup first world problems etc.

LENOR

THESE SHEETS ARE TWENTY YEARS OLD

OH MY GAAAWWD..

GIMMIE...GIMMIE...


oh and the febreeze ones too. Fuck

 

[Bladenic]

See, chippy chips are chips (odd sentence). But I call mcdonalds or any fast food chips fries. They're different.

That makes sense then.

 

[Acorn]

LENOR

THESE SHEETS ARE TWENTY YEARS OLD

OH MY GAAAWWD..

GIMMIE...GIMMIE...


oh and the febreeze ones too. Fuck

Precisely, it annoys me to hell and back for some reason.

 

[Rich!]

That makes sense then.

Chips are chunky and usually oven baked (unless they're chip shop or pub ones) fries are not.

Crisps are crispy, which is why they are called as such.

It all makes sense man

 

[zoukka]

By wearing shoes inside you create a matress of dirt. Inside your house.

 

[RedShift]

I'm in a carpeted bathroom right now we hate it but the house is really cheap.

There is a permanent damp patch by the shower

 

[Cindres]

Yeah, big fat chips = chips. The thin cut ones you get at Maccy D's and BK and stuff = fries.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Chips are chunky and usually oven baked (unless they're chip shop or pub ones) fries are not.

Crisps are crispy, which is why they are called as such.

It all makes sense man

We created potato chips. They are chips not crisps. Stop fucking up our language.

 

[Rich!]

We created potato chips. They are chips not crisps. Stop fucking up our language.

We already had something called "chips". Your invention was crispy, so they are called crisps

End of

 

[Magni]

The whole Celsius vs Fahrenheit debate from a few pages back... when I'm in the US I can't function in Celsius, and when I'm in Europe I can't function in Fahrenheit. I have to change my weather app settings as soon as I land on either side of the pond. Am I weird?

I guess it's just from seeing the weather on TV/in newspapers in Fahrenheit in the US and in Celsius in Europe.

 

[mxgt]

Trousers, not pants.

Ground floor, then first floor. Not first floor, then second floor.

 

[Juicy Bob]

This is the one word where there should be general agreement that the American version is superior. "Maths" is aesthetically hideous to say out loud, and Mathematics is a collective noun.

Look deep within yourselves; you know it to be true.

NEVER.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Can someone explain to me why
Centre
Theatre
Metre
Are written RE instead of how one pronounced it ie ER? British English and French say the same thing, but i never understood it though.

 

[lenovox1]

I'm in a carpeted bathroom right now we hate it but the house is really cheap.

There is a permanent damp patch by the shower

Oh, my. Vinyl sheet flooring would be a revelation compared to that, and you could rip up the carpet and install it yourselves.

 

[BGBW]

Serious question:

If British people call this:
http://i.imgur.com/GbvuJrb.jpg
biscuits

Actually we call those chocolate chip cookies. At least post a picture of a bourbon or custard cream.

This is the one word where there should be general agreement that the American version is superior. "Maths" is aesthetically hideous to say out loud, and Mathematics is a collective noun.

Look deep within yourselves; you know it to be true.

"Math" sounds like you have a condition where you can't finish the end of words and we already have enough people doing that with ts as is.

 

[zoukka]

I'm in a carpeted bathroom right now we hate it but the house is really cheap.

There is a permanent damp patch by the shower

*shudder*

 

[AoM]

Can someone explain to me why
Centre
Theatre
Metre
Are written RE instead of how one pronounced it ie ER? British English and French say the same thing, but i never understood it though.

Latin:

theatrum
centrum

Greek:

μέτρον

Not sure where the pronunciation changed.

 

[Vagabundo]

We created potato chips. They are chips not crisps. Stop fucking up our language.

You can thank the Irish for making them taste nice:

The potato chip remained otherwise unseasoned until an innovation by Joe "Spud" Murphy (1923–2001),[11] the owner of an Irish crisp company called Tayto, who developed a technology to add seasoning during manufacture in the 1950s. After some trial and error, Murphy and his employee, Seamus Burke,[12] produced the world's first seasoned crisps: Cheese & Onion; Barbecue; and Salt & Vinegar.

 

[RedShift]

Oh, my. Vinyl sheet flooring would be a revelation compared to that, and you could rip up the carpet and install it yourselves.

Our landlords would probably disagree. It's a student house it's pretty grubby everywhere really.

For what it's worth carpeted bathrooms are really weird in the UK. Everyone who sees we have one is weird out by it.

 

[Log4Girlz]

You can thank the Irish for making them taste nice:

Thank you Ireland for your one major contribution to the world.

 

[Rich!]

Thank you Ireland for your one major contribution to the world.

Guinness. Liam Neeson.

Uh

Leprechauns

 

[Trent Strong]

We created potato chips. They are chips not crisps. Stop fucking up our language.

I call 'em french fried potaters.

 

[hodgy100]

Some (stupid) states allow restaurants to pay employees less than minimum wage (which is already low in most of said states) if they earn tips that equal or exceed the minimum wage. There are many people who essentualy survive on tips. So if you come here and refuse to tip (even if the service is good) think about the kind of living situation your server might be in and how crucial tips may be to them. It's part of the culture to be generous to these people who are doing a job that you probably don't ever want to do. I enjoy tipping someone who went out of their way to provide great service because I know it helps make their a job a little more tolerable and ultimately helps improve the quality of their life.

So yeah. Tipping isn't a bad thing unless for some reason you hate the idea of generosity.

but really all it is doing is propping up bad employee practices when instead people should be making it so that restaurant workers get minimum wage.

 

[Log4Girlz]

but really all it is doing is propping up bad employee practices when instead people should be making it so that restaurant workers get minimum wage.

Tipping insure kiss-ass service which we Americans demand.

 

[strata8]

In Australia

chips

chips

chips

chips

You and your "crisps" and "French fries"

 

[perfectchaos007]

but really all it is doing is propping up bad employee practices when instead people should be making it so that restaurant workers get minimum wage.

It has gotten pitiful. A waiter's average hourly wage from a restaurant is around $2.00 and it has been stable at that wage for around 30 years. Only difference is the restaurant industry has somehow been able to manipulate the public into believing tip inflation. The "appropriate" % on a tip on a bill has almost doubled. Back in the 70's it was 10%. Last decade it was "double the tax" up to 20%. Now I'm seeing 25% floating around as if that's supposed to be the norm. Gotta hand it to the restaurant industry though, they know how to guilt trip the consumer public into raising their tipping % so they don't have to raise their staff's wages.

In Australia

chips

chips

chips

chips

You and your "crisps" and "French fries"

Here in Murika
1. Fries
2. Steak Fries/potato wedges
3. Ruffles/chips
4. chips

 

[Acorn]

It has gotten pitiful. A waiter's average hourly wage from a restaurant is around $2.00 and it has been stable at that wage for around 30 years. Only difference is the restaurant industry has somehow been able to manipulate the public into believing tip inflation. The "appropriate" % on a tip on a bill has almost doubled. Back in the 70's it was 10%. Last decade it was "double the tax" up to 20%. Now I'm seeing 25% floating around as if that's supposed to be the norm. Gotta hand it to the restaurant industry though, they know how to guilt trip the consumer public into raising their tipping % so they don't have to raise their staff's wages.

Why isn't this illegal? Surely there are enough food industry workers to pressure politicians.

No union I guess.

 

[Richfield]

Also British power outlets have on/off switches on them. Never understood that. You plug in your device and have to push the little switch to get power.

You're crazy. Not having to constantly plug and unplug stuff is a godsend. Need the iron on? Flick a switch. Time to turn it off? Flick a switch.

 

[Bladenic]

25%? Holy shit, I haven't heard anything about that. Where I'm from it's 20% if you were happy, 15% if it wasn't outstanding but you're a decent person, or a low amount or nothing if you're an asshole.

 

[PJV3]

Santa can go fuck himself

Father Christmas or bust.

 

[Orbis]

One thing is loved about the states, is right on red and the lack of roundabouts. Made driving so much better.

Roundabouts are amazing; means you don't have to pointlessly stop when there's no traffic.

 

[strata8]

Roundabouts are amazing; means you don't have to pointlessly stop when there's no traffic.

There are some four way intersections near me that have stop signs on each road. So stupid.

 

[hodgy100]

Tipping insure kiss-ass service which we Americans demand.

Everyone demands kick ass service, and rightfully so, but I don't personally believe that people should be relying on tips to service. if you aren't providing said kick ass service you loose your job and if you provide particually good service you get a tip as a bonus on top of your wage.

you shouldn't need tips to to make your wage liveable on, that's unacceptable.

also on the chips, crisp's fries thing....

Chips

Fries

Crisps

its simple if you ask me...

 

[perfectchaos007]

25%? Holy shit, I haven't heard anything about that. Where I'm from it's 20% if you were happy, 15% if it wasn't outstanding but you're a decent person, or a low amount or nothing if you're an asshole.

It makes sense though. When minimum wage rose to $7.25/hr about 5 years ago, restaurants suddenly had to make sure their employees were making that much money in tips at minimum so they wouldn't have to make up the difference. So, a higher implied normal % tip was pushed on the public. If the minimum wage rises to $10/hr in a couple years, I expect 25%-30% to be the new norm. The restaurant industry is going to attempt anything they can to avoid raising servers wages.

Everyone demands kick ass service, and rightfully so, but I don't personally believe that people should be relying on tips to service. if you aren't providing said kick ass service you loose your job and if you provide particually good service you get a tip as a bonus on top of your wage.

you shouldn't need tips to to make your wage liveable on*, that's unacceptable

* Unless you're a stripper. A full time stripper who's income is 100% from tips is probably doing better financially than most Americans. ( But too many of them blow it on drugs )