BBC (America)

[Ladywriter 7,783]

they posted an article on faceplant this morning that got me laughing. It was fun picking out the psychology and sociology behind the habits.

 

BBC America

 

10 American habits British people will never understand: http://bit.ly/10R61wj

 

 

1. We are taught beginning in elementary school to brush and floss twice a day. Dental work is expensive esp if you have shitty or no dental insurance. We have a for profit health care system. Doing what we gotta do to stay outtta the dentist's chair is our best option. Most of us will still end up with fillings, braces, extractions, Rx for pain after $$$ it teaches us that healthy teeth are an investment.

 

2. I bake apple stuff October/November and cookies for the fam November/December. I like to use the oven when it's cold. I like the science of cooking and the yummy smell in my house ~aromatherapy~  When it warms up outside I don't bake much.

 

3. I don't do cards. My mom and her sisters were always big on cards, a card for everything. It made me not like them. Works for me, atheists don't send xmas cards.

 

4. I will talk to someone if it looks like they need help, esp if they're elderly. If I saw someone wearing a Walking Dead shirt I might be like "Hey nice shirt" but otherwise....nahhhhh

 

5. Whooooo! and Yeaaaaaah! are the war cry of civilized society. Just as a battle cry or Charge! gets the endorphins going, a person pumped up in a similar fashion will vocally express their excitement. lmfao

 

6. I like my three feet of personal space....

 

7. What the hell would you have with cookies and pastries besides milk?

 

8. Can't do this either... unless its a drink and we're going to be in the car for a while.

 

9. My fur babies always want to know what mom ate

 

10. Breakfast is whatever when I get time. I'll cook breakfast food for dinner sometimes.

 

 

[Myk JL 1,731]

1. Flossing
I use to do it a lot more when the local drug stores sold Crest Floss Tape. A shame they no longer do. But then again my overall dental hygiene has been bad over the years.... Now I'm starting to wonder if those stereotypes about British teeth are true....

 

2. Compulsive baking
I don't.... Most of the food I eat is either on my electric grill or doesn't need to be cooked. Maybe this doesn't count but next Thanksgiving I'm making myself a Turkey with BBQ sauce.

 

3. Sending personalized holiday cards
I hate Santa Clause to much to ever celebrate such a contradictive holiday. Not to mention "The Birth Of Christ" is around the start of Winter. Fuck its cold. Then the end of Winter is "Christ's Death & Resurrection". Thank FSM that Guy is dead! Now we can focus on the life that Spring brings for 9 months before Winter again.

 

4. Talking to strangers unprompted
Small talk among strangers it doesn't last long. But I find it more comforting than talking to people who remind me of my past.

 

5. Whooping
But.... you have Soccer Football Hooligans.... That was just a stereotype?.... But.... It was my favorite about you.... As for me I don't Whoop or have any reason to.

 

6. Compulsive sentimentality
Aside from holding a door open for someone I don't do anything of the sort. And I steer clear of feelings due to past issues.

 

7. Drinking milk
I thought Brit was short for British.... Not Brittle Bones.

 

8. Ordering super size portions
I swear its mostly stress eating & I can quit whenever I want.... BACK OFF ITS MINE!

 

9. Taking home leftovers
Why order food if you're not going to eat it? Seems like a waste of money. Not to mention there are people without food who would beg for your left overs that you wasted money on that you weren't going to eat anyway.

 

10. Eating breakfast together
I don't remember such things unless Breakfast in the High School Cafeteria counts.

[Sledgstone 8,672]

http://www.bbcamerica.com/mind-the-gap/2013/04/09/10-american-habits-brits-will-never-understand/

 

1. Flossing
Digging sharp string between your teeth everyday is standard oral hygiene procedure in America. We know we’re supposed to do this too, but it hurts and it’s boring. Most Brits probably own a tub of floss, but only dust it off before a date or dental appointment.

 

 

I floss every night. I have bad teeth and have had a lot of cavities over the years. I drank way too much soda as a kid and it destroyed my enamel. But as long as I floss every evening, I get better checkups. Flossing doesn't hurt either.. At first it used to, but my gums have completely gotten used to it. I recommend plackers twin line floss, way easy than using regular dental floss.

 

 

2. Compulsive baking
This one I like, although I don’t get how people with children and jobs and pets find the time to whip up regular batches of themed, iced and elaborately flavored cupcakes, muffins and brownies. It’s America’s most family friendly superpower.

 

I don't usually bake. But I will compulsively grill during the summer. I will spend hours slow cooking some ribs or a pork shoulder on the grill.

 

 

3. Sending personalized holiday cards
By this, I mean those creepy Christmas cards with a family portrait on the front. The children are wearing elf outfits while the parents grin unnaturally. Inside, there’s a run-down of the family’s year and, more importantly, its achievements. I’ve even heard of people inserting copies of their kids’ report cards.

 

 

My brother does this. hahaha. I have no interest in sending out card tho, especially any family portraits.

 

 

4. Talking to strangers unprompted
This happens most often on public transport. I’ll be on a plane or train in the U.S., minding my own business, when someone I’ve never met will try to start a conversation. Short of pretending to be deaf and/or French, there’s nothing to be done.

 

 

Old people do this all the time. The most I ever say is, "excuse me" or "pardon me" when I walk in front of someone at a store.

 

 

5. Whooping
Americans like to let the world know that they’re having fun — or approve heartily of what’s being said or done in front of them — by contorting their vocal chords into a shape that will allow them to pump out obnoxious mouth hoots, one after another. One word: earplugs.

 

 

I don't 'whoop' I swear. lol. I'd leave work, get in my car, start driving down the road and scream "F*******ck!"

 

 

6. Compulsive sentimentality
Gushing public displays are usually meant well but give Brits the creeps. For instance, my husband and I recently checked out of a B&B after a two-night stay. Instead of bidding us farewell with a firm handshake and a receipt, the owner – a man in his 50s – latched on to me, then my man, for a prolonged hug. Just when we thought it was over, he announced, “I’ll miss you guys!” No, actually. You won’t.

 

 

Ummmm... no. I want my personal space. What really annoys me are other peoples kids. I'll be at a grocery store, in line at the checkout with my cart and all of a sudden a couple toddlers are right next to me, staring into my cart, touching my products. wtf. Don't touch my bag of potato chips.

 

 

7. Drinking milk
Moo juice is meant for putting on cereal, adding to pancake batter and pouring in tea. Americans must have missed the memo because they drink the stuff neat. To me, this is only slightly less absurd than eating a plate of salt and pepper for dinner.

 

 

Milk is like salt? Thats different.. I love a nice small glass of milk and some oreo cookies to dunk into it.

 

 

8. Ordering supersize portions
In American cinemas, patrons load up with pails of soda so vast they require their own seat. They must have bladders the size of hot air balloons. Plates of food, meanwhile, more closely resemble those guilt-inducing, this-is-what-you-eat-in-a-week spreads laid out by TV diet gurus than a single course of a single meal meant for one person.

 

 

I used to get supersize everything. I always thought, its only an extra $0.69 I'll get almost double fries! But no.. I stopped. I don't even like french fries that much any more.

 

 

9. Taking home leftovers
Thanks to the previous point, doggy bags have long been part of American restaurant culture. I can’t quite bring myself to make off with my unfinished fare. It feels… icky. Plus, I’ve usually overeaten, and I’m convinced I’ll never want to look at food again. Naturally, I regret this decision in the morning.

 

 

I take leftovers home all the time if I have some. It seems like a waste not to.

 

 

10. Eating breakfast together
You know in films featuring perfect American families there’s always a scene where an implausibly jolly parent makes the kids pancakes in the shape of dinosaurs, then the entire household sits down to a sumptuous spread. Well, I am reliably informed that this kind of thing actually happens here. Breakfast is something Brits have if they’re hung over or if the hotel they’re staying in provides it. We’d never be so eccentric as to sit down and eat it at the same time — and in the same location — as our loved ones.

 

 

I have never seen perfect family breakfasts.. I only want a couple cups of coffee, everyone else can fend for themselves.

I do love a good breakfast for dinner though. Lady makes some awesome breakfasts.