My visit to Derby - Page 8

monster · 06-29-2014, 08:07 PM

Grating previously baked/jacket potatoes works very nicely and is less likely to end up soggy if you're inattentive while cooking

Undertoad · 06-29-2014, 08:38 PM

Various finishes:

A Starbucks Coffee Venti Latte is exactly the same at Heathrow as it is at the one down the street, and no matter what you think of it, that's a pretty amazing thing.

I would happily slip right back into my South Yorks. accent as a 14-year-old if I lived there for six straight weeks. I almost had to remember to be American because that was what was expected of me.

England is fun for an American to visit because everything is just slightly different. The brands are different. The fonts are different. The birds are different. The voltage is different. The switches are different.

Most things are slightly more expensive. People tip less. Portions are smaller, except when they aren't. The cars drive on the other side. The people are slightly friendlier. The business is slightly less cutthroat. The pedestrian is liked. The dogs are trusted.

We must all drink and we insist you will drink with us and we assume completely that you will want to drink with us to the point of needing a cab and it will be funny and there is absolutely zero concern for whether you may or may not be alcoholic or have any reason to avoid alcohol in any way.

DanaC · 06-30-2014, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

We must all drink and we insist you will drink with us and we assume completely that you will want to drink with us to the point of needing a cab and it will be funny and there is absolutely zero concern for whether you may or may not be alcoholic or have any reason to avoid alcohol in any way.

So it's true that our culture is more full on with the alcohol then?

monster · 06-29-2014, 09:19 PM

and I'm an import (and hash brown convert now I've discovered what they're supposed to be like....)

I always shove a few extra potatoes in the oven when I'm baking them

Undertoad · 06-30-2014, 07:38 AM

It's a slightly different attitude. I think we manage to drink as much, but there's a layer of uptight about it.

J, who has previously worked for a Brit company, told me that I would be taken out and gotten drunk. My host narrowly avoided it on the last day with some nearly-forgotten spousal duty.

It was like making sure that some plan was made to entertain the hotel-bound traveler, and that was just normal, but it had to involve drinking. Going to the cricket was not an option, although I had indicated an interest in it. It had to be the pub, even though that was 10 miles away, and I had to wake up at 5 the next morning to leave for home.

Here, if it was a big company, that would be frowned upon (unless the person involved was in sales and then I think the rules differ). There is a certain amount of walking on eggshells. The visitor may be Asian (half of eastern Asians can't really drink much at all, it's biological), or religious (religions we can't identify are a problem), or alcoholic (where the culture is we assume you can't drink at all, and just mentioning it could be a horrible pitfall).

And then there's lack of public transport, combined with the .08 DUI rules which will truly fuck someone over (I don't even know what they do with foreigners who fail to appear in court). We are in this weird middle place on that, where drinking out is becoming simply not possible, and drinking at home means you're automatically an alcoholic.

And, of course, this will differ regionally. Much of the silly valley has started having beer in the office, in case it's something top software talent wants. And like a foosball table, it's less expensive than 10% more salary. Failure to have a "fun" office in the Silicon Valley can be the death knell for your company. (Where "fun" means you can drink at work, not that you don't have bosses who don't know how to manage people, and stuff.)

Clodfobble · 06-30-2014, 08:31 AM

Yeah, Mr. Clod's company has foreign visitors fairly regularly, and the celebrations are always of the "going out to dinner" variety. Some get drinks with dinner, others don't, but no one goes beyond tipsy and no one mentions anyone else's consumption, or lack thereof.

Undertoad · 07-10-2014, 06:31 PM

One last thing, the soap dispenser in the hotel was terrible. It only dripped a wee little bit of soap out. But I fixed that.

lumberjim · 07-11-2014, 07:24 AM

Lol, mook.

06-29-2014, 08:07 PM	#1
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	Grating previously baked/jacket potatoes works very nicely and is less likely to end up soggy if you're inattentive while cooking __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

06-29-2014, 09:19 PM	#4
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	and I'm an import (and hash brown convert now I've discovered what they're supposed to be like....) I always shove a few extra potatoes in the oven when I'm baking them __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

06-30-2014, 08:31 AM	#6
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	Yeah, Mr. Clod's company has foreign visitors fairly regularly, and the celebrations are always of the "going out to dinner" variety. Some get drinks with dinner, others don't, but no one goes beyond tipsy and no one mentions anyone else's consumption, or lack thereof. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

07-11-2014, 07:24 AM	#8
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	Lol, mook. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

06-29-2014, 08:38 PM	#2
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Various finishes: A Starbucks Coffee Venti Latte is exactly the same at Heathrow as it is at the one down the street, and no matter what you think of it, that's a pretty amazing thing. I would happily slip right back into my South Yorks. accent as a 14-year-old if I lived there for six straight weeks. I almost had to remember to be American because that was what was expected of me. England is fun for an American to visit because everything is just slightly different. The brands are different. The fonts are different. The birds are different. The voltage is different. The switches are different. Most things are slightly more expensive. People tip less. Portions are smaller, except when they aren't. The cars drive on the other side. The people are slightly friendlier. The business is slightly less cutthroat. The pedestrian is liked. The dogs are trusted. We must all drink and we insist you will drink with us and we assume completely that you will want to drink with us to the point of needing a cab and it will be funny and there is absolutely zero concern for whether you may or may not be alcoholic or have any reason to avoid alcohol in any way.

06-30-2014, 07:38 AM	#5
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	It's a slightly different attitude. I think we manage to drink as much, but there's a layer of uptight about it. J, who has previously worked for a Brit company, told me that I would be taken out and gotten drunk. My host narrowly avoided it on the last day with some nearly-forgotten spousal duty. It was like making sure that some plan was made to entertain the hotel-bound traveler, and that was just normal, but it had to involve drinking. Going to the cricket was not an option, although I had indicated an interest in it. It had to be the pub, even though that was 10 miles away, and I had to wake up at 5 the next morning to leave for home. Here, if it was a big company, that would be frowned upon (unless the person involved was in sales and then I think the rules differ). There is a certain amount of walking on eggshells. The visitor may be Asian (half of eastern Asians can't really drink much at all, it's biological), or religious (religions we can't identify are a problem), or alcoholic (where the culture is we assume you can't drink at all, and just mentioning it could be a horrible pitfall). And then there's lack of public transport, combined with the .08 DUI rules which will truly fuck someone over (I don't even know what they do with foreigners who fail to appear in court). We are in this weird middle place on that, where drinking out is becoming simply not possible, and drinking at home means you're automatically an alcoholic. And, of course, this will differ regionally. Much of the silly valley has started having beer in the office, in case it's something top software talent wants. And like a foosball table, it's less expensive than 10% more salary. Failure to have a "fun" office in the Silicon Valley can be the death knell for your company. (Where "fun" means you can drink at work, not that you don't have bosses who don't know how to manage people, and stuff.)

07-10-2014, 06:31 PM	#7
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	One last thing, the soap dispenser in the hotel was terrible. It only dripped a wee little bit of soap out. But I fixed that.

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