American-British Q&A

[Harveypot]

What are grits? Seriously I hear about them all the time in games and stuff but have no idea. And can Americans tell the difference between different English accents? Cos the only American accents I can figure out are normal and deep south.

Also, I don't think I know anyone over the age of 10 who doesn't drink tea.

Alright, this one is right up my alley. Grits are grounded corn porridge. Corn is a big thing here, really, especially in the south. Also, if you are wondering, in my opinion, grits are a tasteless paste... but that is just me.

As far as accents, we can't tell where they are from, but we can tell the difference between what we'd call a heavy British accent, along the lines of cockney, and the accent you hear more on the BBC news, which we'd consider a light accent. Least that's how most people I know see things.

As for tea, that whole Boston tea thing really did limit how many people in America actually like tea. Our tea equivalent in how much we drink and how many drink it is pretty much coffee as far as I have seen, though kids tend to hate it.

Cheers. Cool.

 

[megajon]

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?

I'd say its about the same really on amount maybe little more english metal i'd personally and do we take pride we love it lol the metal scene here is insanlly big bigger then people seem to think it is.
Yes we do quite often get other European bands touring here.

 

[JDKJ]

What are grits? Seriously I hear about them all the time in games and stuff but have no idea. And can Americans tell the difference between different English accents? Cos the only American accents I can figure out are deep south and er... not deep south.

Also, I don't think I know anyone over the age of 10 who doesn't drink tea.

Grit is a cereal made from the kernel found in the middle of an ear of corn. Don't the Brits eat it, too? They call it hominy porridge, as I recall.

nope your wrong lol as far as i know we actually don't eat it and hominy porridge is actually jamican lol.

That's from where I'm recalling hominy porridge. And those Jamaicans with their British accents.

 

[Deadjim]

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?

We do take enormous pride knowing we pioneered Heavy Metal especially about where I live as all the big tours go to Birmingham where Black Sabbath came from. Metal Festivals have a mix of both American and British metal, were also pretty well influenced from eropean metal like In Flames, Opeth, Rammstein and the like.

 

[SuccessAndBiscuts]

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.

I fucking love Rich Hall, and Reginald D Hunter they are easily two of my favourite comedians.

 

[drisky]

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...

That is what I meant, and that is why I asked, I didn't seem sanitary but those menus were treating it like chicken.

 

[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.

I fucking love Rich Hall, and Reginald D Hunter they are easily two of my favourite comedians.

They are both good Comedians and they both thrive of things that this very thread brings up, all the things that make us both different and the same.

 

[JDKJ]

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.

Texas isn't even what comes to my mind when I think of the South. That's more South-West. The South to me is Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia, the Carolinas, etc. The "Deep South."

 

[trooper6]

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

There are multiple cultures in the US. Texas is different from other parts of the south. The Deep South is different than the Piedmont area, different that Appalachia. New England is different than the mid-Atlantic. Midwest is different than the Pacific Northwest, which is different than the Southwest...which is different than California. Heck, I'm from California and Northern California is different than Southern California...with slightly different accents.

I think it is important for our European brothers and sisters to remember that the US is very, very big. It is a continent wide. We have a great deal of culinary, dialect, political, religious, and cultural diversity.

I'm from California where soccer is very popular. Other parts of the country less so. But ice hockey is not that big in my home state.

 

[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?

I'd say its about the same really on amount maybe little more english metal i'd personally and do we take pride we love it lol the metal scene here is insanlly big bigger then people seem to think it is.
Yes we do quite often get other European bands touring here.

Lucky.
In the US there is still the metal scene but its getting smaller and smaller. Most fans are above the age of 30. Infact its so sad that at a Motorhead concert i went with two friends a lady asked us if we were there because we liked metal or if it was the "cool" thing to do because most of our peers dont like that kind of music. Basically we were asked if we were there because we were metalheads or hipsters/non-conformists. And other than english bands most European bands, espically those that dont sing songs in english, seem to have limited touring in the US

 

[Deadjim]

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...

That is what I meant, and that is why I asked, I didn't seem sanitary but those menus were treating it like chicken.

I tried replying to this earlier but I failed so here it is.
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. British chefs like hugh fearnley-whittingstall are trying to get things like wood pidgeon (not the flying rats you get in the cities) back on the british plate

 

[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...

That is what I meant, and that is why I asked, I didn't seem sanitary but those menus were treating it like chicken.

Someone else has given this a better explanation in this thread apparently pigeon is served but its not that kind of pigeon, it threw me cause I'd never seen it served anywhere.

 

[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?

We do take enormous pride knowing we pioneered Heavy Metal especially about where I live as all the big tours go to Birmingham where Black Sabbath came from. Metal Festivals have a mix of both American and British metal, were also pretty well influenced from eropean metal like In Flames, Opeth, Rammstein and the like.

How often does Rammstein tour there? it seems that when they are in the U.S. they are too far from where i live (Boston area) to go to

 

[drisky]

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.

Have you ever had it? Is it any good?

 

[BoredDragon]

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.

hmmm, it would be interesting to learn more about Russian culture... all right, friendship it is and I look forward to the post

 

[Dags90]

What's the deal with Americans and circumcision?

Srsly. I'm American and I still don't get it. I think it's starting to fall out of fashion but really, penis fashion?

 

[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.

Have you ever had it? Is it any good?

No I've never had it nor have I had any thing gamey at all, dunno whwere I would go to get some round where I live. Short of asking a farmer to borrow his shotgun and go shootin for it :S

 

[megajon]

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?

I'd say its about the same really on amount maybe little more english metal i'd personally and do we take pride we love it lol the metal scene here is insanlly big bigger then people seem to think it is.
Yes we do quite often get other European bands touring here.

Lucky.
In the US there is still the metal scene but its getting smaller and smaller. Most fans are above the age of 30. Infact its so sad that at a Motorhead concert i went with two friends a lady asked us if we were there because we liked metal or if it was the "cool" thing to do because most of our peers dont like that kind of music. Basically we were asked if we were there because we were metalheads or hipsters/non-conformists. And other than english bands most European bands, espically those that dont sing songs in english, seem to have limited touring in the US

I think in england its actually getting bigger ive started to notice alot more now adays could be just my area but alot more are appearing in england from what i can tell and most of here are actually really accepting and wouldn't asking something like that like I stick out at a metal concert because i'm black and have an afro so i get ahell of alot attention because most metal heads here are white with long hair, so i guess its because im something different but they don't care they just know im there to enjoy the music and mosh.

 

[Drago-Morph]

Just how big is football (soccer) in America?

Huge. But not in a serious manner. People are always making jokes about it, but no one actually watches it.

 

[Deadjim]

Ok heres a question for t=you Americans.

Why are you so crazy for guns? and why are you so resistant to gun control reforms that might help prevent repeats of the Arizona senetor gettin shot, Virginia tech shootings, or Colombine. I realise that not everyone over there is a gun nut or a member of the NRA (I also know these guys have some serious lobbying muscle). Its just strange to see so much gun crime and such a Laize fair reaction to it

I have been to America and fired a gun, it was great fun! but still just wondered is all.