Questions to you foreign people

As in to people not from your country.

Ukers:
How's the Cellphone service? I mean you're just an island/s. I would figure it wouldn't be hard to get a good network. Merely due to the size and lack of needing to cover vast spaces. Am I being optimistic? I know the US has crud service in the more rural middle states. So that's why I ask.

Non-N. and S. American people:
Do you guys not have tacos? Like... Burritos and Tacos? Is it a thing? What do you do with yourselves?


If you have a question, ask! If you have an answer, well share!

In Canada we do have burritos and Tacos. Also what I do with my down time is:

Summer down time
Take a tube down the river while having a beer with good friends
Swimming
reading outside
camping outside
go for walks

wimter down time:
go skating
play video games
lots to f beers at the pub.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

A
Non-N. and S. American people:
Do you guys not have tacos? Like... Burritos and Tacos? Is it a thing? What do you do with yourselves?

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We... totally do? Why wouldn't we? What the hell?

I just figured you didn't have much mexican food cause you're so far from it. :gator:

Non Americas again (so not canada sorry little brother hat people):
Is our music really that big over there? I never hear much of native whomever singers. I have to actively search for kpop to hear about any of it. But do we dominate YOUR music too?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

I just figured you didn't have much mexican food cause you're so far from it. :gator:

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Then I guess it's safe to assmue you guys don't have Chinese food cause you're so far from it :gator:

And yep, US music is everywhere. Same with movie blockbusters. You have no idea how big a role you guys have in shaping world culture.

I never seen a burrito irl

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Originally Posted by Galuf

I never seen a burrito irl

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Seriously?! They're like the best thing!

SEE FYNN, HE HASN'T YOU JUST HAVE PRIVILEGE CAUSE YOUR WIFE SPEAKS SPANISH. (it's spanish right?)

It is Spanish, yes

But on my way to work alone there's like three burrito places! And they sell tortillas in every supermarket! So maybe Poland is just better than Scotland in that regard, I don't know!

I mean, according to google researching, 98% of Mexicans emigrate to the US. So I just figured, they didn't go over there so you didn't get their food wonders?

Global village, Freya. Global village.

I would assume other countries have a vast choice for ethnic food, with certain cultures ravaged by war and inept governments being the exception of course. I would be more curious about quality, cause I can say for a fact that the quality of ethnic cuisine varies from state to state in the U.S. Which, while not a foreign country, what the hell breadbasket states! Where's the spicy food?

Mexican food isn't the biggest thing in the UK, but it's common enough - and becoming more common as we go on. And our mobile coverage is fine for the most part?

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

I would assume other countries have a vast choice for ethnic food, with certain cultures ravaged by war and inept governments being the exception of course. I would be more curious about quality, cause I can say for a fact that the quality of ethnic cuisine varies from state to state in the U.S. Which, while not a foreign country, what the hell breadbasket states! Where's the spicy food?

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Here, it depends on the place. There's themed bistros (Arabic stuff is particularly popular) where you get cheap food but it's not always the best quality, while restaurants usually have much better ingredients.

The availability also really depends on where you live. If it's a small town or village, you're probably stuck with traditional Polish food, but in cities you can really choose from a variety of foods. So yes, in Poznań we have a ton of places that serve tacos and burritos.

I have only had Indian food once, and it was with Shorty and Del and Miriel in San Francisco. I'm smack dab in the middle of the states though, you don't meet many Indians here. Just the Native American, indians.

WHAT EVEN IS POLISH FOOD?!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

I have only had Indian food once, and it was with Shorty and Del and Miriel in San Francisco. I'm smack dab in the middle of the states though, you don't meet many Indians here. Just the Native American, indians.

WHAT EVEN IS POLISH FOOD?!

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Stuff like chlodnik, and it's delicious.

http://blog.ruszamysie.pl/wp-content...z11880037Q.jpg

http://www.kuchniaplus.pl/img_files/...nemniejsze.jpg

https://www.makro.pl/-/media/PL-Makr...-d-940-377.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._koperkiem.jpg

http://nowekulinaria.tesco.pl/upload...-grzybami.jpeg

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

I have only had Indian food once, and it was with Shorty and Del and Miriel in San Francisco. I'm smack dab in the middle of the states though, you don't meet many Indians here. Just the Native American, indians.

WHAT EVEN IS POLISH FOOD?!

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Stuff like chlodnik, and it's delicious.

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That is actually the Lithuanian version! The Polish version is white and is made with more cucumbers and garlic and no beetroot. Both are really good, though.

Oh right! We also pickle everything. We put everything in jars and most of it is awesome. Our traditional pickles are actually a bit different than normal ones, though. you don't put the cucumber in vinegar or anything. Instead it's a mixture of water, salt, horseraddish, parsley, cherry leaves, dill, and whatever other stuff you want. Leave it for some time and voila! You get delicious old and wet cucumbers!

That stuff looks.. okay. Tacos look better tho

Meh. In general it's just salty and greasy and that's it.

I worked with a guy from Warsaw who once a week used to cook us polish food. It was good.

Compared to the US, the UK definitely doesn't have as much of a Mexican presence. I've never had a taco in my life. I've never actually been to a Mexican as well, come to think of it. There's... one Mexican in Winchester. It's not very well known, though, and it's a restaurant so it's not the sort of thing I can just have.

Americans: Taco Bell. Apparently the food is terrible, but you guys go there all the time. Why?

my polish pal used to bring in a chocolate called princessa. ooft it was good i had wan after the HORRIFYING bike ride.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Formalhaut

Compared to the US, the UK definitely doesn't have as much of a Mexican presence. I've never had a taco in my life. I've never actually been to a Mexican as well, come to think of it. There's... one Mexican in Winchester. It's not very well known, though, and it's a restaurant so it's not the sort of thing I can just have.

Americans: Taco Bell. Apparently the food is terrible, but you guys go there all the time. Why?

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Cheap and it's more of an in-joke that it's bad. It honestly isn't that bad. Usually when it's bad it's cause of location and not cause of taco bell.

I mean it isn't the best thing ever but it's not super bad like people say it is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Galuf

my polish pal used to bring in a chocolate called princessa. ooft it was good i had wan after the HORRIFYING bike ride.

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Princessa's good and all but Prince Polo is where it's really at!

Yeah, that reminds me. We have really good candy and chocolates and stuff like that.


Also, US guys - do you always buy pumpkin in a can for pumpkin pie? Because I try to make that every year, and yet we don't have those cans so whenever I look for an American pumpkin pie recipe I have to dig really deep to find one made with actual pumpkin.

Do you just buy a pumpkin instead?

I can send you cans of Pumpkin Puree if you want.

question to any country with armadillos:

1: Do you believe i saw a wild ones tail in england.

2: ARE THE EEVEN COOLER IRL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

Do you just buy a pumpkin instead?

I can send you cans of Pumpkin Puree if you want.

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I do! And I like making pumpkin puree from scratch and it's pretty easy so I was wondering why I can never find recipes for pumpkin pie with actual pumpkin puree instead of the canned stuff.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

Cheap and it's more of an in-joke that it's bad. It honestly isn't that bad. Usually when it's bad it's cause of location and not cause of taco bell.

I mean it isn't the best thing ever but it's not super bad like people say it is.

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I dunno. I had Taco Bell in California and it was pretty bad. That was 2002, though. Maybe I'll try it again someday. It probably doesn't help that I prefer hard shell to soft shell.

I had more Mexican food in NZ than I have had in the UK, but it's still pretty common over here. I get Mexican stuff from Sainsburys pretty much every week because their enchiladas are pretty great.

Phone coverage is fine. Depends on the phone and the provider, just like any other place.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Galuf

question to any country with armadillos:

1: Do you believe i saw a wild ones tail in england.

2: ARE THE EEVEN COOLER IRL

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They're gross and literally carry Leprosy here in the Southern US. :colbert:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Galuf

question to any country with armadillos:

1: Do you believe i saw a wild ones tail in england.

2: ARE THE EEVEN COOLER IRL

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They're gross and literally carry Leprosy here in the Southern US. :colbert:

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WAAAAAA



whats leprosy

It's a Nerve and skin damaging disease that used to not be "curable" and disfigured many in ages past. I think the bible even mentions it.

Basically what i'm telling you is we kill them a lot around here hahaha

I don't. I can't kill things. But I know lots who do. They don't want their livestock or whatever to get sick.

Taco Bell - It is pretty bad but it's ridiculously cheap, so college kids and high school kids love the crap out of it. We also like Chipotle and Qdoba though I prefer Chipotle because it actually has flavor. Course even that fast food has issues since a 1500 calorie burrito is not really healthy at all not to mention the company has a bad rep for food born illness outbreaks every few months or so. Course all of the above is better than the food at Casa Bonita.

Armadillos - They are cute, but as Freya said, they carry diseases so people tend to avoid them.

Pumpkins - It's just more convenient to go with can goods. Not many people make their own food completely from scratch over here and those who do, usually whine about how expensive it is. It doesn't help that most pumpkins you do see in stores are purely for decorations in Halloween, so they were bred to be big and bright orange, but their flavor leaves much to be desired. You would probably have to go to a specialty store to purchase pumpkins raised for food, or you can just buy the can/pie itself.

Also, yes, the best chocolates I've ever had was always European. Our chocolate is okay, but doesn't really compare to what you can get in the Old World.

Oh yeah our chocolate is trash compared to Europe.

back home as of late Cougars have been destroying livestock and people have been shooting them to keep them away. Wolves are also a big issue up there. They are just brutal killers too. Wolves bite in the back of the ankle to make it so their prey can't run, then they eat the young to silence it. Then start eating the thing alive. I have seen it a few times and it is just nasty.

awww



i always liked armadilllos. dont tell me RHINOS are bad too

Europe - Do you ever have to deal with Tornadoes?

I think you're good with rhinos.

The cell phone service in the UK is problematic in places, depending on the service provider. Distance is rarely the issue it's more a case of: Say EE own all the masts in your area and no planning permission is going to be given for more masts. Well you had better use EE if you want signal at home because O2 for example, may not be willing to pay for rental on those masts depending on customer numbers. However, you could work somewhere where you get trout signal or regularly go places where you get trout signal on EE but your buddy on O2 has perfect signal because of the same thing. And that's inner city, not even going rural at this point.

Currently, the best phone provider in the UK in terms of signal is definitely EE, though they know it and tend to be the most gouging of the providers. This is simply because they have all the old Orange and the old T-Mobile masts (they merged to form EE) I recognize that other providers are improving as a whole but damn, you'd have thought that a country what loves to mandate things to be better (the old BT Open Reach mandate for faster internet access for the whole country comes to mind) they're pretty slow at forcing signal improvements on all networks across the UK.

As for Tacos and Burritos, sure we got them, we get places like Chipotle same as you guys. Though Tortilla is a better place in the UK, don't know if you Americans get that particular chain but that's my go to for a Burrito

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Europe - Do you ever have to deal with Tornadoes?

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OOO yeah, I'm in tornado alley, it's fun. Tell me you guys have fun like this.


Are.. that's so british... are masts... Cellphone towers? Cause you say Mast and I think a ship.

i seen a half formed 'nado from the hills. but no full on beast. i heard poland gets em

Where I live in Canada now we get funnel clouds but not many touch down. I think two have this year but nowhere close to the city.

Natural disasters in the UK are pretty much restricted to floods and the odd hurricane. It's pretty basic in that area. Haven't seen a tornado in my life. Dad once saw a mini tornado in Auckland, or so he told me when I was a kid. Said it moved a car around or something. That's... that's about it.

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Originally Posted by Fynn

Then I guess it's safe to assmue you guys don't have Chinese food cause you're so far from it :gator:

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Everyone knows chinese-americans invented chinese food here in the US :monster:

GALE FORCE WINDS STEAL WHEELIE BIN is probably about as extreme as our weather gets

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Loony BoB

Natural disasters in the UK are pretty much restricted to floods and the odd hurricane. It's pretty basic in that area. Haven't seen a tornado in my life. Dad once saw a mini tornado in Auckland, or so he told me when I was a kid. Said it moved a car around or something. That's... that's about it.

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Earthquakes? Do you get those? I had one of those last weekend 5.8

Nah, not really.

You guys get a lot of rain there right? So do you have mudslides?

They can happen, I believe, but I've never experienced one.

not really? does that mean weve had an EQ before?

Technically yes there have been earthquakes in the UK.

I mean, yeah, but they've never been anything to write home about really.

wow i never knew...

The biggest one was in 1931 and was a 6.1 on the scale, apparently. Which people from most countries will scoff at. Apparently it caused minor damage to coastal buildings (it was centered off the coast).

These days the biggest 'earthquakes' you'll get in the UK tend to be around 3 or 4 on the Richter scale.

Actually, Tornadoes in the UK aren't such a rare occurrence. I've seen one or two (one being a funnel cloud which if I recall doesn't actually count) in my lifetime, though none from quite up close enough to be at serious risk from them (sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...nado_outbreaks) I actually find it ironic that the UK Press makes such a huge deal of them because from some of the sources I just checked, Britain seems to get more Tornadoes on a single country basis than anywhere else (outside of the USA).

Earthquakes are much more rare for the UK as we don't have an active fault line these days (one historically ran right by Mr Lonny BoB's home here, after all Edinburgh Castle is built on the remnants of the volcanic plug of a very big volcano). Mud/rock slides are actually fairly common though we've become pretty clever at not building roads or homes right up against high risk areas. This is because there used to be a lot of "Slag Heaps" from our heavy industry days (slag as in, industrial waste/spoil and unsurprisingly the origin of the insult) and there were some truly awful incidents where after heavy rain slag heaps would collapse and bury people alive, perhaps the most infamous incident was the Aberfan one (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberfan_disaster).

Yes, mast is a term for cell phone towers and I do believe it comes from our maritime heritage. You can use mast in conjunction with radio as well, tough they'll commonly be called "Aerials" even if that technically is not correct (the mast is the tower, the aerial is the receiver/transmitters on the top of the mast).

i was very young when that happened

No tornadoes here, but we do get the occasional hurricane. Those are very rare, though.

We had one earthquake back in the early 2000s. But that was most likely a result Kaliningrad-run nuclear experiment in the Baltic. At least, that's what the conspiracy theorists say. We don't really have any tectonic plates meeting nearby so there's just no way for tornadoes to naturally occur.

So is it true you guys don't really use trains that much in the US?

It's a shame because the train I took up the coast of California was really nice, and gave incredible views. Awful customer service though... I attempted to get on only to be told to get on at a later carriage by the two staff at the door there. No worries, off I go to the next carriage and... off the train goes immediately. Wut. Thankfully I got on at a later stop thanks to a lovely taxi driver who I paid through the roof to get there.

what dicks. thats so random lol

We got burritos and tacos in Newcastle a few years ago. I swear down they're the best ones I've ever had and I've taken a few EoFFers there!

In Aus we have a burrito place that is walking distance from my house and I swear to god the level of complete disappointment I got from that place shattered my entire being and I'm never gonna be the same.

There's a Mexican restaurant in my modestly sized town (if I was American I'd call it a city) and there's a whole Mexican aisle in the local supermarket. I tell a lie, actually, it shares its aisle with... AMERICAN FOOD. No word of a lie. You are an international delicacy. It's mostly stuff like Lucky Charms and candy. I can take a picture next time I'm there if anyone is especially curious.

Oh my god. Do they have Oaxaca cheese? If they do you NEED to try it.

I prefer to make my Taco's and burritos myself. They are simple to make and when you make them yourself they can be delicious. Some fresh peppers in with them. A little bit of lettuce and some diced tomatoes. A bit of salsa and it is great.

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Originally Posted by FFNut

I prefer to make my Taco's and burritos myself. They are simple to make and when you make them yourself they can be delicious. Some fresh peppers in with them. A little bit of lettuce and some diced tomatoes. A bit of salsa and it is great.

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Yeah, basically. Most foods are better when made at home, so I tend to make most stuff from scratch instead of going out often.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fynn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FFNut

I prefer to make my Taco's and burritos myself. They are simple to make and when you make them yourself they can be delicious. Some fresh peppers in with them. A little bit of lettuce and some diced tomatoes. A bit of salsa and it is great.

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Yeah, basically. Most foods are better when made at home, so I tend to make most stuff from scratch instead of going out often.

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Yes that is true. Don't know how many times I've been out and see something like Gumbo and go well I haven't had that in forever and... Not great. Make it yourself and it's back to great again.

question for Australians: can you not send us your spiders and spider videos.


will happily take a koala instead

So our car licensing and motorcycle licensing requirements are laughably small.

Someone with a motorcycle learner's permit can just go out and buy a bike that can hit 170mph. 18 years old, been riding for two days, doesn't matter. If they have the money, they can do it.

Just how expensive is owning a car in other places, and how Orwellian are the restrictions on what you can do to it?

In Canada it is expensive. Gas is more than in the US. And add a little bit more money on cars and trucks here then if you were to buy them in the US and convert them over.

Came here to say that there was an earthquake in the UK a number of years ago that I remember woke me up (for about 10 seconds - I sleep like the dead). My then girlfriend crapped her pants and was up for hours afterwards. I remember her sqealing "what was that?!!" and I apparently mumbled "...earthquake?" and went back to sleep.

I remember it feel like someone was stood at the end of the bed shaking it though.

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Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg

Just how expensive is owning a car in other places, and how Orwellian are the restrictions on what you can do to it?

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Cars are pretty expensive but not to the point that most families can't afford one. People usually have one per household. And I'm really not sure what the restrictions are but I don't think they're too restrictive

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

I just figured you didn't have much mexican food cause you're so far from it. :gator:

Non Americas again (so not canada sorry little brother hat people):
Is our music really that big over there? I never hear much of native whomever singers. I have to actively search for kpop to hear about any of it. But do we dominate YOUR music too?

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American music is pretty big, but so is british music i guess? I don't really know or care, as I never listen to the radio or watch TV. If an artist performs in their own language, that's pretty much a guarantee they'll never make in in the US.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Europe - Do you ever have to deal with Tornadoes?

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Almost never. But sometimes we get wind speeds close to what tornadoes have. Not often though, maybe once every decade? The disaster of choice in norway is flooding in the flatter areas of the country, but that's only in the south east, not where I live.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

Earthquakes? Do you get those? I had one of those last weekend 5.8

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Rarely anything stronger than making your cupboard stuff rattle, and even that is very rare.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg

So our car licensing and motorcycle licensing requirements are laughably small.

Someone with a motorcycle learner's permit can just go out and buy a bike that can hit 170mph. 18 years old, been riding for two days, doesn't matter. If they have the money, they can do it.

Just how expensive is owning a car in other places, and how Orwellian are the restrictions on what you can do to it?

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Insanely expensive. I paid 4000 bucks for my driver's license, and that's pretty normal, and a motorcycle license is about the same. You need to be 18 to get a driver's license, but you can start practicing with an adult in the passenger seat from when you're 16. Motorcycles are 18 too, and "heavy" motorcycles require you to have had a normal motorcycle license for two years. You can get a scooter license at 16, but those things are limited to 45 km/h.

I dunno what you mean by restrictions, but you can modify it and trim it and such as long as it remains street safe. You have to report it though, and if you greatly increase the engine output, you might need to re-register it and that's gonna cost a bit.

Cars have taxes based on emissions and power output and they add up to nearly doubling the price of the car compared to what the manufacturer wants for it. The yearly registration fee is 300 bucks, and toll roads are very common. Still, most families have two cars. Electric cars are actually exempt from all sorts of tax, and also don't pay toll road charges so that's why norway has an crazy amount of Tesla model Ses. I wish I could afford one.

And of course we have tacos and burritos. Not as readily available as fast food, though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fynn

So is it true you guys don't really use trains that much in the US?

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Not passenger trains. We have them to move coal and freight but passenger trains are more rare and special.

One of my highlights of going to europe was taking a train from Switzerland to paris. It was the coooooolest thing. Should say something that I thought that was an amazing thing. We just don't have passenger trains. I wish we had more. They're neat

Yeah, passenger trains are kind of a huge deal in continental Europe. I mean, on average I travel by train at least once every six months. And at the platform they always announce this huge train that goes from St. Petersburg, I think, all the way to Berlin. So that's a long train ride.

We have some passenger trains but driving and flying are often more convenient. Larger cities will have smaller local train systems but it really depends on the state. My home has both a smaller light rail system as well as a commercial passenger train system but the light rail has only really been active in the last ten years or so, and the train station is pretty much a leftover from the silver mining days of the state.

trains are amazing. im so surprised how rare they are....

The hell? I commute by train on a daily basis, I could hardly imagine being in a place where there's no passenger trains.

Never been in the vicinity of a tornado or affected by an earthquake.

And of course we have tacos and burritos.

Does anyone here live in a country where teachers are actually well-paid and respected by society? Having worked as a teacher myself, and having both my wife and my mom in the profession, I can honestly say teachers are treated like trash here by pretty much anyone, from the government through the students to the parents, and are paid a barely livable wage to the point that every teacher I know has to work at like three schools at least.

And here's a question for UK peeps - what's the deal with the separate taps for cold and hot water? Who thought this was a good idea? Is it like this everywhere?

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Originally Posted by Fynn

Does anyone here live in a country where teachers are actually well-paid and respected by society? Having worked as a teacher myself, and having both my wife and my mom in the profession, I can honestly say teachers are treated like trash here by pretty much anyone, from the government through the students to the parents, and are paid a barely livable wage to the point that every teacher I know has to work at like three schools at least.

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From my not-very-informed perspective, I'd say teachers aren't treated as trash by the general public, but their concerns don't always transmit well. The Government however tends to treat teachers with mild contempt/irritation. Many a news story has been the current education secretary unveiling some new policy that is met with derision by teachers. Suffice to say, the Teacher's Union (NUT) and the Government do not see eye to eye.

I always respected by teachers at school, but I do think supply or cover teachers get the short end of the stick.

Quote:

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And here's a question for UK peeps - what's the deal with the separate taps for cold and hot water? Who thought this was a good idea? Is it like this everywhere?

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I've never really thought about this. There are 'mono-tap' (one spout, two taps) designs that tend to grace kitchens in shiny metal. My current bathroom taps are separate hot and cold (two spouts, two taps). Then again, if the tap heads are to be believed they hail from 1902, so who knows.

Teachers are unfortunately a low-pay, low-prestige jog, which doesn't make much sense considering how necessary they are...

I don't really get it

that tap thing pisses me off with nonconsintecy. Sometimes hot is left cold is right and sometimes its the opposite. what the hell.

I heard that in Germany they are actually very respected and are actually paid a lot to the point that they're basically upper-middle class. I'm also certain it's a respected job in Japan. I just wonder where else is it like this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fynn

And here's a question for UK peeps - what's the deal with the separate taps for cold and hot water? Who thought this was a good idea? Is it like this everywhere?

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Oh, oh, I know this! An excuse to share a Tom Scott video with everyone!



Tldr - In the olden days (like 60 years ago) hot and cold water came from two different sources. The hot source was potentially unsafe to drink so the two systems never met, and you had no mixer taps. In new houses all water comes from the mains and is safe to drink so you can have mixer taps.

My flat uses mixer taps for example, but my mum's house still has the separate taps.

Separate taps are only in old buildings over in Norway, but yeah, they're still around some places.

I didn't know that was a thing whaaat.

Wait- wh-what ? Separate taps are not a normal thing for other countries around the world ? What ?

How does that work ? Can somebody please explain how a non-separate tap works ? Do you just leave it on, till it becomes warmer water ?

Two separate taps beats the one tap and boil method.

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Originally Posted by maybee

Wait- wh-what ? Separate taps are not a normal thing for other countries around the world ? What ?

How does that work ? Can somebody please explain how a non-separate tap works ? Do you just leave it on, till it becomes warmer water ?

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Basically you choose how much hot water you want mixed in with the cold. You usually select this hot/cold ratio with the position of the tap. Turn it all the way in one direction and you get entirely cold water, the other way gives you hot. Depending on your system you might have to leave it short time after turning it on for the boiler to heat up your water, but in most modern systems its pretty instantaneous as you always keep a reserve of hot water.

you're forgetting the pipes between the boiler and the tap, man. The water in the pipes cools down over time when you don't use it. Depending on where you are in a building, it could take like less than 5 seconds or even more than 30.

And i really do have a hard time believing maybee hasn't seen or used a tap with a mixing chamber.

I have seperate taps in my flat and I hate it.

Separate taps is also still a thing a thing because y'know it's a wash basin. You're meant to put the plug in and use the basin to collate a small pool of water for washing in.

Of course, this is pointless in public buildings where the thought of giving you a plug with which a juvenile delinquent could choose to flood the place with is out of the question.

I don't mind mixer taps or single taps though to be honest.

plugging it in? i don't have all day!

Plus, you can still do that if you have a single tap.

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Originally Posted by Steve

Separate taps is also still a thing a thing because y'know it's a wash basin. You're meant to put the plug in and use the basin to collate a small pool of water for washing in.

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I don't understand. You can do this with mixer taps too can't you?

Two of the sinks in my house have separate taps, and I'm in America. It's not a European thing, it's an older house thing.

Maybe it's still more common in Europe because America is like, "It's old, tear that trout down!" and it makes me sad.

I figure you guys got it from the English. Because I'm pretty sure continental Europe doesn't have that. I know for a fact that old homes in Poland don't have that for sure.

I was raised to not drink tap water from mainland Europe (by my mother who was raised in mainland Europe), so maybe that has something to do with it? The fact that the water in the hot water tap was not suitable for drinking, but the cold water tap was?

Just modern plumbing is my best guess.

Whether you can drink tap water or not in Poland is actually a point people argue about a lot. Apparently, here in Western Polandthe water companies do a good job making the water clean and safe for consumption. What goes on with it as it goes through all those old pipes, however, is another issue

Yeah so maybe it has something to do with that. I mean, if neither the hot nor cold water is safe to drink then why bother separating them and spending all that extra money on pipes.

Buzzfeed to the rescue!?

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/h...Jz5#.apkkqvB4a

Yes BoB, Fox linked to that earlier in the thread which is where my own line of thinking has stemmed from. xD

Well then. I'm just an idiot.

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Originally Posted by Freya

It's a Nerve and skin damaging disease that used to not be "curable" and disfigured many in ages past. I think the bible even mentions it.

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Yup Jesus goes to a Leper colony to help them.

Do you guys have Air conditioning? I was told the UK doesn't have much for Air Conditioning once and mine just went out and I can't imagine being without it.

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Originally Posted by Freya

Do you guys have Air conditioning? I was told the UK doesn't have much for Air Conditioning once and mine just went out and I can't imagine being without it.

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We have it everywhere in terms of public buildings/offices, but we don't all have one at home. A lot of people just use electric fans or buy stand alone AC units - I don't go to many flats or houses where they have one built in.

It barely goes above 20C (68F) in the UK in general. Why would we need to make it colder? :p

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Originally Posted by Shauna

It barely goes above 20C (68F) in the UK in general. Why would we need to make it colder? :p

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I hate your temperate climate. That's not fair.

Yeah, we have heat waves in summer, but aside from that, Poland is pretty cold, so we don't have AC at homes usually. Restaurants and stuff always do, though. Well, usually. My workplace doesn't have AC and this summer was hard. Now I have a fan, though, so it's all good.

So which of the European countries (or other areas for other members) have a mandatory public service program for recent high school graduates?

You know, something like military service, or something in the medical field like candy stripers or blue teens (American hospital volunteer programs for younger folks).

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Originally Posted by Freya

Do you guys have Air conditioning? I was told the UK doesn't have much for Air Conditioning once and mine just went out and I can't imagine being without it.

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It seriously doesn't get so hot that you need one for the most time in many countries. A lot of people have heat pumps for heating in the winter now, and those are functionally the same thing as an AC, just in reverse. Many of these can also be used as an AC by the press of a button, or just automatically.

Not mine :p

We used to have compulsory military service but thank God that was not a thing anymore when I turned 18.

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Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg

So which of the European countries (or other areas for other members) have a mandatory public service program for recent high school graduates?

You know, something like military service, or something in the medical field like candy stripers or blue teens (American hospital volunteer programs for younger folks).

---

Norway does. 18 year olds are drafted into the national guard where they serve for a year or so. It's mandatory, but easy to get out of. They don't draft all that many so being out of shape usually makes them pick someone else over you. Or you can smoke weed prior to doing the urine sample and you'd be turned away for sure. It's strictly a defensive force, and draftees are never sent on missions outside of the country. They do get to bring their HK 416s home with them though, without the firing pin.

I didn't serve, but for those who do, there are a few perks. You can get drivers licenses for lorries or whatever, for example, which usually costs like 5000 euro if you want to get it on your own. THey're not handing these out for everyone who serves, of course, but for those who needs it to perform their duties. There are several other types of certifications you can get as well.

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Originally Posted by Freya

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Originally Posted by Shauna

It barely goes above 20C (68F) in the UK in general. Why would we need to make it colder? :p

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I hate your temperate climate. That's not fair.

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I'd like to point out that although it's a mild 24C outside it is currently a thunderstorm.

Whereas the past two weeks here have been 30C with no cloud in sight. Warmest September ever.

It has been really nice this summer overall, we've went beyond the 20C for a number of concurrent days and on multiple occasions. It's crazy.

Austria has compulsory service when you turn 18. Either 6 months in the military or 9 months of civil service. We actually had a vote on whether to keep or abolish it about two years ago, and largely thanks to the older population it was kept in place. Because smurfing of course.

I haven't done my service yet since I'd already started studying by that point, but I'll have to do it eventually.

Oh and Vienna (and Austria in general) has absolutely wonderful tap water. I feel spoiled; every time I go traveling I have to remind myself that the tap water might not be safe to drink directly.

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Originally Posted by Freya

I have only had Indian food once, and it was with Shorty and Del and Miriel in San Francisco. I'm smack dab in the middle of the states though, you don't meet many Indians here. Just the Native American, indians.

WHAT EVEN IS POLISH FOOD?!

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Did we have Indian food? I don't even remember.

I had Korean food in London while I was visiting and it was sooooo bad. And it made me really sad, especially cause I was chatting with the workers there and they were definitely legit Koreans! So I wonder if this is the food they eat at home, or if they tried to adapt it to fit the taste of Londoners?? It was kind of terrible though. But not as bad as the Korean food in Paris. Holy trout was that terrible. After we ate the food, me and my Mom looked up the restaurant on Yelp and found all these people raving about how "authentic" the food was because the chef is Korean! Crazy people.

And I was traveling with my Mom which meant that yes, we had to try Korean food where ever we went in Europe, even knowing it would probably suck. Which it did.

If you ever travel with Koreans, no matter where you go or what other foods are available, they will inevitably insist on trying to find Korean food.

WHAT EVEN IS POLISH FOOD?!

Fynn could answer better I'm sure. Though my impression on most Polish food is pretty simple but hearty meals involving a lot of cabbage and beetroot and in western Poland, in spring when the season is right a lot of white asparagus!

My personal favourite dish from Poland is actually Bigos which makes a lot of people do a double take as it is such a traditionally "Polish" dish that not many outsiders like (well I'm half Polish by birth but raised here so I still see myself as an outsider). It's a stew made from Saurkraut, Cabbage, meat and a few other bits and pieces. It's delicious. Perogi, or Polish Dumplings are probably the most popular dish with foreigners to Poland.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

I have only had Indian food once, and it was with Shorty and Del and Miriel in San Francisco. I'm smack dab in the middle of the states though, you don't meet many Indians here. Just the Native American, indians.

WHAT EVEN IS POLISH FOOD?!

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Check this out: List of Polish dishes (Wikipedia)

Bigos is pretty good. It works best if you use red wine to make it.

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Originally Posted by escobert

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freya

It's a Nerve and skin damaging disease that used to not be "curable" and disfigured many in ages past. I think the bible even mentions it.

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Yup Jesus goes to a Leper colony to help them.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL-3JFornNA

BTW I have a question for everyone - what is the quality of health care like in your respective countries? I'm especially curious about the US - I'm aware it's a private system but I'm interested to know what the quality of health care is like for what you pay for. Here in Canada we have free health care but perhaps it isn't of the greatest quality (long wait times for specialists, low availability of GPs, etc). Also my feeling on health care in general is that is moving towards prescribing a lot of pills and away from empathy for the patient.

I found the quality of healthcare in NZ to be great before I left in 2002, and for the UK, I've never had any real problems. I had to wait about five minutes in agony in the ER room when I got a kidney stone, but that's about it. If I need to be seen the same day, I'll always be seen one way or another. I can't say I've had any real reason to complain.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg

So which of the European countries (or other areas for other members) have a mandatory public service program for recent high school graduates?

You know, something like military service, or something in the medical field like candy stripers or blue teens (American hospital volunteer programs for younger folks).

---

Norway does. 18 year olds are drafted into the national guard where they serve for a year or so. It's mandatory, but easy to get out of. They don't draft all that many so being out of shape usually makes them pick someone else over you. Or you can smoke weed prior to doing the urine sample and you'd be turned away for sure. It's strictly a defensive force, and draftees are never sent on missions outside of the country. They do get to bring their HK 416s home with them though, without the firing pin.

I didn't serve, but for those who do, there are a few perks. You can get drivers licenses for lorries or whatever, for example, which usually costs like 5000 euro if you want to get it on your own. THey're not handing these out for everyone who serves, of course, but for those who needs it to perform their duties. There are several other types of certifications you can get as well.

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I actually kind of wish they did that here.

In america, healthcare is ridiculously expensive even with insurance. I'm still paying off my wisdom teeth removal from May and have along way to go. ugh. And my allergy test was still $660 out of pocket after insurance. And my immunotherapy for said allergies that I get the shots each week is $163 per 6 weeks of vials. Having had 5 surgeries on my nose too, ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

They bill you every which way they can. Gotta have an xray? Well you'll pay the hospital, then separately pay the technician, then also a 3rd party company that "reviews" things too. Your surgery? You pay the hospital, the doctor, and the anesthesiologist all separately.

On wait times it depends on what you need done so how special are the specialist you need, where you live of course if you can get to one, and what your insurance will cover. So if your insurance wants to be a butt, you could be waiting a long while. Since the cost is so high, you can't really do without insurance to get anything done. Even a normal doctor visit could be a few hundred without it.

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Originally Posted by Freya

In america, healthcare is ridiculously expensive even with insurance. I'm still paying off my wisdom teeth removal from May and have along way to go. ugh. And my allergy test was still $660 out of pocket after insurance. And my immunotherapy for said allergies that I get the shots each week is $163 per 6 weeks of vials. Having had 5 surgeries on my nose too, ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

They bill you every which way they can. Gotta have an xray? Well you'll pay the hospital, then separately pay the technician, then also a 3rd party company that "reviews" things too. Your surgery? You pay the hospital, the doctor, and the anesthesiologist all separately.

On wait times it depends on what you need done so how special are the specialist you need, where you live of course if you can get to one, and what your insurance will cover. So if your insurance wants to be a butt, you could be waiting a long while. Since the cost is so high, you can't really do without insurance to get anything done. Even a normal doctor visit could be a few hundred without it.

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Wow, that sucks. I had this idea that maybe, since the service is being paid for out of pocket, it would be of better quality, but it doesn't seem like it.

I want to chime in in the "Burrito/Taco/Chinese" thing. Sure, you Euro guys/gals might have a couple spots around town, but I can assure you it is nothing at all (in any way, shape, or form) what it is here in the states. We have greater diversity here, a much larger representation of any given culture (except maybe your "own"). For example, I have probably 1,000 places serving burritos and tacos within 15 minutes of me (literally) and maybe 3 of them are worth eating at. Had sushi at several spots in Europe (blah). One of the most notable sushi chef's in the world had his first job just minutes from my home, he has since purchased that location and added it to his chain.

Anyhow, my point, "yeah, I have that" can be wildly misinterpreted.

Related: "Question to you foreign people...", do you believe Spongebob Squarepants to be represent the typical American, or is Patrick the "model citizen" of the US?

i thought spongebob was a documentary so yeah

But I am pretty sure italy's got a larger and better representation of italian food than the US has

Sometimes I think Patrick represents the US and squidward is the UK. Canada is Gary because they're cool.

On the health care note, in the U.K. it's not perfect but I can't complain. The NHS has patched me up pretty well for the most part.

what needed patching?

My coat, that thing was in tatters.

Seriously though, too many to count. Noteable ones would be cracking my head open, dislocating my jaw and breaking my wrist. I've had a minor surgery too (tonsillectomy) about six years ago. Oh, and I had a childhood case of meningitis.

sounds pretty serious!

It's okay, the coat pulled through.

Question for Americans: do you have normal tea? Whenever I've visited the states, I'll be damned trying to find a proper cup of tea. Don't get me started on the abomination of iced tea. It's like.. syruped water

Isn't tea in America more like Tea in continental Europe, if you want a good old fashioned Yorkshire tea or a similar you're screwed.

there is a difference between english tea and continental tea?

Had English tea once. It's pretty much the same as here. The difference is always based on whether you drink it leafy or from a bag, not where it's from, because really, we all stole it from India and China anyway.

And when it comes to the foods, there's a crapload of ethnic food places to choose from here, with Mexican being one of the most prevalent, with a dozen or so places to choose from (keep in mind our cities are a bit less bloated than US ones). Pretty sure Poznań had some world class sushi chef at one point as well. So really, the difference is much less noticeable than you'd think.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

there is a difference between english tea and continental tea?

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English Tea (or English Breakfast Tea as it tends to be called on the continent) is generally a little stronger to taste and is more commonly served with a bit of milk to make it creamier. Continental tea tends to be a less stronger blend and is often just drank sans milk and sans sweeteners.

Though the reality is there's very little difference between them, just that most people on the continent will think you're weird for putting milk in tea.

(By "continent" I'm mostly referring to main-land Europe)

Funnily, tea with milk is called "Bavarian" tea here. And it used to be more commonly drunk in previous generations, but the practice is definitely not unheard of and not really associated with the U.K.

Also on mainland continental Europe and in Scandinavia for that matter, most places sell fruit/mint teas rather than what an English person will call a "proper brew". Though as Auylanya pointed out "English Breakfast Tea" can be found in places, that's only one type of "English" tea. There's also stuff like Yorkshire Tea which supposedly is stronger still than your usual brew.

Though if I'm going to be honest, I prefer drinking Earl Grey which raises many eyebrows. I'm also no stranger to drinking a proper brew sans milk.

Earl Grey is pretty common in Norway, at least. My mom used to drink it all the time, but now she's switched to coffee for some reason

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Originally Posted by Mirage

Earl Grey is pretty common in Norway, at least. My mom used to drink it all the time, but now she's switched to coffee for some reason

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You mean there is a Norwegian whom doesn't drink coffee or rather didn't drink Coffee? You've got to be troutting me! Yeah Earl Grey is pretty common there, though most Norwegians that I met at least don't know how to make a good cup of it. I think Earl Grey does better than regular Breakfast Tea because it's more akin to the fruit teas that are popular in Scandinavia and Europe as a whole.

Well we are pretty serious about coffee. If only it wasn't for those pesky Finns, we'd have the world's biggest per capita coffee consumption

The most common variant of tea here is black or earl grey. Fruit tea isn't really done that much. Personally, I mainly drink green tea, but that's an exception rather than the rule.

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Originally Posted by Fynn

The most common variant of tea here is black or earl grey. Fruit tea isn't really done that much. Personally, I mainly drink green tea, but that's an exception rather than the rule.

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Funny last time I went Poland, everywhere was all Fruit Tea! I remember distinctly ending up drinking way too much Mint Tea than is healthy because of this. I was in the Poznan region of Poland (between there and the German border)

I am not a foreigner. I am a local resident of EoFF born here in 2005. In EoFF, everything is provided for by Del Murder. :bigsmile: