American-British Q&A

[BoredDragon]

Here, I've got a question for all you American types. How many of you actually like Monty Python? I've come across many Brits that constantly start quoting sketches from it at me and it's formed a lot of random friendships for me, however I seem to notice that it doesn't seem as popular over there. My sources aren't exactly accurate per-say (I know about 5-7 Americans and 4 of them despise it) but it's still perplexing.

Are you kidding!?! Everyone loves Monty Python, I just wish I could see some episodes of the Flying Circus.

 

[MikeOfThunder]

The drinking age in Britain is 18 But my friends and I began drinking when we were around 14/15.

My question is to Americans: At what age do you lot (in general- or atleast in your friendship groups) start to drink?

AND

To Southern Americans: Do you get annoyed by the steriotyping? (as in hillbilly) and are there people that actually fit the bill that you know?

AND AND!!

Do you Southerners believe that you have a different culture compared to the rest of the United States? Always wondered.

 

[aashell13]

Probably just couldn't be bothered contending the point with you because you'd argue till you're blue in the face that clouds are made of cotton candy if you'd said it accidentally earlier on.

You mean clouds AREN'T made of sugary deliciousness!?! Heresy! Get the torches and pitchforks!

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Dear England:

Why is your accent so damn sexy?

It really isn't. (Try Birmingham). We tend to be stereotyped by the South Estuary (Below the big river in London) accent. That's posh and overpronounced.

Most Brits find the Celtic or Southern American accent sexier, especially the Louisiana drawl; possibly because it doesn't sharpen pronounciation.

 

[SuccessAndBiscuts]

what's the deal with the whole USA/Canada hatred thing? it's in a lot of shows but i don't know what the US ha against Canada. seems like a nice place

There are Canadians that hate the US too, I've always considered it like a political sports revelry, we make fun of each other a lot but theres only a few crazy jerks with true animosity.

I want to ask to UK, my grandmother went there and came back with a few menus of the places she ate, many of them had pidgin on it. How common pidgin in restaurants?

Well if you mean Pigeon it's not (at least anywhere I've ever been) because they are basically flying rats...

i would beg to differ actually depending what part of country you go to and its not normal pigeons its wild pigeons from the country ones that don't come in contact with people much like wood pigeons and such they are common in resturants you won't find them catching the common pigeon the flying rat one.

That makes a lot of scene, I bow to your superior culinary knowledge.

 

[YuheJi]

why do you Yanks call it football?
i mean common? u kick the ball like a few times in a game?

Direct quote from wikipedia:

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) records that the first written use of the word football used to describe a game was in 1424 in an Act forbidding it. The first written use of the word football to describe the ball was 1486, and that the first use as a verb (hence footballing) was in 1599. For the etymology, the OED just indicates it is a compound of foot and ball.

Although it is widely assumed that the word football, or "foot ball", originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, this may be a false etymology. The historical explanation has it that the word originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot.[3] These sports were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports more often enjoyed by aristocrats. This explanation is supported by the fact that the word football has always implied a wide variety of games played on foot, not just those that revolved around kicking a ball. In some cases, the word has been applied to games which involved carrying a ball and specifically banned kicking.

 

[monstersquad]

I have a question for American's, how many of you have visited the UK?

As a Canadian, I have to say, yuck who would want to?

 

[JDKJ]

SuccessandBiscuits, who claims to be Scottish, got the point and didn't get lost in the irrelevant details. But suit yourself, though.

Probably just couldn't be bothered contending the point with you because you'd argue till you're blue in the face that clouds are made of cotton candy if you'd said it accidentally earlier on.

Or maybe, and unlike you, he didn't see it as a point worth raising. Which, I suspect, is the same conclusion at which anyone with half a fucking brain would have also arrived.

The fact that not everyone's currency is the dollar, isn't just some inconsequential detail.

And before you counter with 'it didn't detract from the joke'. It did.

If someone made the same joke about an American family and replaced 'Dollars' with 'Euros' or 'Francs'. You can bet they'd have been corrected by some disgruntled American making sure everyone understood that they use Dollars.

And with that. I'm out.

Not getting roped further into the pedantry Olympics with you.

For someone who wasn't interested in competing in the 2011 Pedantry Olympics, you sure were eager to latch onto some niggling bullshit point and feel compelled to bring it to my attention. And then, when I pishes and pshawed the point, you kept right on coming back with it. And then you wanna talk about who was trying to rope who into pedantry and who was trying to avoid getting roped? Please.

 

[Deadjim]

Pidgeon or Pidgin is eaten in Britain but mainly in posher restraunts as it is a game bird like pheasant, guineafowl and partridge, but mainly its mostly popular in the "Home Counties" These are the counties that border London but do not include London itself.

 

[Deadjim]

Pidgeon or Pidgin is eaten in Britain but mainly in posher restraunts as it is a game bird like pheasant, guineafowl and partridge, but mainly its mostly popular in the "Home Counties" These are the counties that border London but do not include London itself.

 

[aashell13]

The drinking age in Britain is 18 But my friends and I began drinking when we were around 14/15.

My question is to Americans: At what age do you lot (in general- or atleast in your friendship groups) start to drink?

AND

To Southern Americans: Do you get annoyed by the steriotyping? (as in hillbilly) and are there people that actually fit the bill that you know?

AND AND!!

Do you Southerners believe that you have a different culture compared to the rest of the United States? Always wondered.

Well, I'm from Texas, so I'll answer the question, even if we only let the rest of the South mooch off our awesomeness on account of taking their side back in '61..

Drinking age here is 21. It's a state-by-state thing if i'm not mistaken, but they all copy each other, so for most purposes the legal drinking age in the U.S. is 21. Specific people start drinking at different times, but 14/15 is probably a bit earlier than average.

Annoyed by the steriotyping? The 'southern people are all idiot hillbillies' is annoying, yes. Yes, I have personally known people who fit the bill. Most of them are proud of it, except for the ignorant part.

Yes, there is a distinct southern culture, but it isn't like the rest of the States are all homogeneous and we're outliers. There's an overall American culture, and each region has its own flavor to add to that. For example, here in Texas we've got a curious blend of your basic American plus Southern and Western subcultures, with significant Mexican influence.

 

[megajon]

what's the deal with the whole USA/Canada hatred thing? it's in a lot of shows but i don't know what the US ha against Canada. seems like a nice place

There are Canadians that hate the US too, I've always considered it like a political sports revelry, we make fun of each other a lot but theres only a few crazy jerks with true animosity.

I want to ask to UK, my grandmother went there and came back with a few menus of the places she ate, many of them had pidgin on it. How common pidgin in restaurants?

Well if you mean Pigeon it's not (at least anywhere I've ever been) because they are basically flying rats...

i would beg to differ actually depending what part of country you go to and its not normal pigeons its wild pigeons from the country ones that don't come in contact with people much like wood pigeons and such they are common in resturants you won't find them catching the common pigeon the flying rat one.

That makes a lot of scene, I bow to your superior culinary knowledge.

Just watch way to many cooking programs then i have to look everything up there using if i have no idea what it is lol.

 

[open trap]

For the Metal Heads in England, overall do you listen to more American Metal Bands or Engish Metal Bands. Also hows the metal scene? Do you take pride in knowing that England poineered the genre of Heavy Metal? Do you get bands from other European Nations touring in England often?

 

[dragonflygirl]

cockney is just a term to refer to people having a certain accent, mainly found in the east London.
People should not confuse all Londoners having this accent, even when it is done (mostly of the time Very Badly) in All US films/tv.

 

[Harveypot]

EDIT: Double post. Shite.

 

[Deadjim]

An American Comedian called Rich Hall did a really good TV documentary for the BBC trying to dispel some of the myths surrounding the coninual perpetuation of the thick southern hillbilly stereotype which was really good kinda changed my outlook on US southerners.

 

[SuccessAndBiscuts]

what's the deal with the whole USA/Canada hatred thing? it's in a lot of shows but i don't know what the US ha against Canada. seems like a nice place

There are Canadians that hate the US too, I've always considered it like a political sports revelry, we make fun of each other a lot but theres only a few crazy jerks with true animosity.

I want to ask to UK, my grandmother went there and came back with a few menus of the places she ate, many of them had pidgin on it. How common pidgin in restaurants?

Well if you mean Pigeon it's not (at least anywhere I've ever been) because they are basically flying rats...

i would beg to differ actually depending what part of country you go to and its not normal pigeons its wild pigeons from the country ones that don't come in contact with people much like wood pigeons and such they are common in resturants you won't find them catching the common pigeon the flying rat one.

That makes a lot of scene, I bow to your superior culinary knowledge.

Just watch way to many cooking programs then i have to look everything up there using if i have no idea what it is lol.

Still more than I've got, cooking is not a skill I excel at. #massiveunderstatement

 

[Shirokurou]

Maybe I should start an American-Russian Q&A then...

you bastard

Why?
Was it your idea, comrade?

No, this is my thread and if you want to copy it you shall have to face me in mortal kombat

OBJECTION!
I AM Russian, so it would be more of a "Ask a Russian" than "explain this to me"...
So...
FRIENDSHIP.