Mundane but Significant Differences Between Countries

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
81

[QUOTE=Malacandra]

On bathrooms and so on, my sister’s house has the bathroom light switch outside the door, but I think that may be something to do with the very low ceiling - there are building regulations that divide bathrooms into “zones” for the purposes of what kind of fittings may be there, and there may be no “zone” in her bathroom that’s valid for any kind of light switch.
[/QUOTE]

I think the general idea is that a socket or switch should not be placed where it is reachable by somone who is using the bath or shower.

Eta: And with that I’ve remembered a flat with a light switch outside - a very tiny bathroom.

82

Taxes not included in the displayed price in the US is a big one for me.

Similarly, in New Zealand you can buy alcohol in the supermarket. Not so in Australia, although in NSW and VIC they have bottle shops in the supermarket, which is close enough.

Paying bills etc at the Post Office is apparently a very British/New Zealand/Australian thing. I’m told the Post Office in the US is purely for sending and receiving mail, not renewing your car registration, applying for a passport, doing (some of) your banking, buying stationery, or paying your phone bill.

I had a lot of trouble finding actual milk in restaurants in the US- the idea of using “Creamer” in your coffee as anything except a last resort (such as when you open the fridge for your morning caffeination and discover the milk’s off, and must resort to Coffee Whitener instead) is somewhat odd to most people in this part of the world.

A “Pie”, as any good Aussie, Kiwi, or Brit will tell you, is a pastry dish filled with meat and gravy. Not fruit. Even vegies* are a bit suss to the true Pie Connoisseur.

The legal blood alcohol limit in the US and other places seems dangerously high- .008 would basically let you knock back a six-pack of full-strength beer in about two hours before driving, by my reckoning.

Whenever you’re visiting a country that drives on the other side of the road, it takes a bit of mentally reminding yourself to look on the opposite direction first before you cross the road. :wink:

Burger King is called “Hungry Jack’s” here in Australia. It tastes awful.

Possums are a huge pest in New Zealand. They’re protected in Australia.

The various laws pertaining to the sale of alcohol in the US seem almost Byzantine in their complexity. In most other places I’ve been, alcohol is available for sale 7 days a week during normal business hours.

*Except onion, potato, or mushy peas

83

[QUOTE=Usram]
(Brussels Sprouts = Christmas food, in case youre still puzzled).
[/QUOTE]
Brussels sprouts = Christmas food? I do not understand.

Here in Ontario, Brussels sprouts are simply a less-common Brassica that goes into the roatation at the caf alongside the cauliflower and borccoli.

84

[QUOTE=Struan]
I think the general idea is that a socket or switch should not be placed where it is reachable by somone who is using the bath or shower.

Eta: And with that I’ve remembered a flat with a light switch outside - a very tiny bathroom.
[/QUOTE]

I’m in the US, in Chicago, and my apartment has the bathroom light switch outside. This apartment (and the other 5 flats that share the building) are the only ones I’ve ever seen that do. While the bathrooms are not inordinately small (they’re actually rather large for Chicago apartments), you’ve hit it on the head. There’s nowhere you could put a switch that wouldn’t be reachable from the tub or while using the sink. I don’t think there’s an actual regulation about it here - plenty of other bathrooms have their switch near the sink by the outlet, but it seems a good idea, and apparently whoever put the bathrooms in thought of it. Or was a Brit.

It’s kind of funny - when I have parties, I put a note up on the door: “Light switch is outside the bathroom, to your left.” and I’ll even shout it out to whomever is headed towards the room. They all say, “Oh, okay…” sort of vaguely, go in without turning on the lights, close the door and fumble around for a bit before coming back out looking confused!

85

[QUOTE=Sunspace]
Brussels sprouts = Christmas food? I do not understand.

Here in Ontario, Brussels sprouts are simply a less-common Brassica that goes into the roatation at the caf alongside the cauliflower and borccoli.
[/QUOTE]

For some reason, they are an essential part of the traditional British Christmas Dinner, along with roast turkey and sausages wrapped in bacon. Not eaten much otherwise, although personally I love them and will quite happily eat them in July.

86

[QUOTE=Sunspace]
One thing I notice when going to the States: the sheer wordiness of the road signs. It seems that it is much more common for the US to use words where Canada would use a symbol: BUMP, PAVEMENT ENDS, NO RIGHT TURN ON RED, etc, instead of the appropriate symbols. Not that wordy signs are unknown here; they’re just less common.
[/QUOTE]
I… actually have no idea what the symbols would be for those things. I don’t think that they exist in the US at all. I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not planning to be driving in Canada sometime soon?

Which brings to mind a question - when watching UK TV like Top Gear, I’ve noticed a lot of thick wavy lines on the road in cities. What do they mean?

87

[QUOTE=Risha]
Which brings to mind a question - when watching UK TV like Top Gear, I’ve noticed a lot of thick wavy lines on the road in cities. What do they mean?
[/QUOTE]

I think what you’re describing is the marking either side of a pedestrian crossing: http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/18.htm They prohibit overtaking and parking, the latter earning a 3-point penalty on your licence, unlike a simple parking fine elsewhere.

And while I’m on the Highway Code site, here’s the UK signs for two of the ones you can’t picture (no right-on-red rule so none for that):
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/sign107.htm
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/sign132.htm

(They won’t always have the worded sign beneath, in many cases it’ll just be the warning triangle)

88

[QUOTE=Risha]
I… actually have no idea what the symbols would be for those things. I don’t think that they exist in the US at all. I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not planning to be driving in Canada sometime soon?

Which brings to mind a question - when watching UK TV like Top Gear, I’ve noticed a lot of thick wavy lines on the road in cities. What do they mean?
[/QUOTE]

If memory serves correctly, it’s the UK equivalent of “NO STOPPING OR PARKING”, and indicates a Pedestrian Crossing area.

Wikipedia seems to agree with this, FWIW.

Additional: What GorillaMan said :wink:

89

[QUOTE=GorillaMan]
I think what you’re describing is the marking either side of a pedestrian crossing: http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/18.htm They prohibit overtaking and parking, the latter earning a 3-point penalty on your licence, unlike a simple parking fine elsewhere.

And while I’m on the Highway Code site, here’s the UK signs for two of the ones you can’t picture (no right-on-red rule so none for that):
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/sign107.htm
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/sign132.htm

(They won’t always have the worded sign beneath, in many cases it’ll just be the warning triangle)
[/QUOTE]
Ahah! Those are them. Thank you!

Poking around that site some more:

This may be the best traffic sign ever - http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/sign055.htm.

I had no idea that they were officially called zebra and pelican crossings. I just thought that they were cute nicknames.

90

[QUOTE=Great Dave]
Perhaps in your experience, but I’ve swiped plenty of debit cards. Probably about 1 in 4 or so, and that might be low for the area, as I work at a specialty shop, where one might buy gifts or a nice bottle of wine that you might not have in the budget.
[/QUOTE]
I’m thinking one of those ‘significant differences’, as per OP title, would be that I did a double-take on reading that, as I thought you said you’d stolen (‘swiped’) one in four of the cards you processed! I apologise for having even *contemplated *such a thing - but if it makes you feel any better, I’m sure the series of expressions on my face as I read it ( :eek: :confused: :dubious: :smack: ) were probably priceless.

91

[QUOTE=ForumBot]
In America, the rooster says “cock-a-doodle-doo”, which most Europeans find hilarious. In Germany the rooster says “kikarakee.”
[/QUOTE]

In France the rooster goes “cocorico!” The turkey goes “glou glou glou”, which once saved my ass in the train station in Vienna. There was a Subway sandwich shop, but the Sandwich Artist (well, as they’re called here - I guess in German they’re Hauptuntersammichtroopers or something) spoke no English and I speak no German. We both spoke a little bit of French, but I couldn’t remember that “turkey” was “dindon” and so I made the turkey noise and he made me a turkey sub.

Came with ketchup, though, which was weird. But essentially good. Particularly since I didn’t have time between trains to go anywhere else and I’d been moving since, like, noon of the day before and just wanted to damned well get to Budapest.

I never thought in high school French that I’d ever, ever find a practical use for that stupid chapter on animal noises. :slight_smile:

92

[QUOTE=Usram]
For some reason, they are an essential part of the traditional British Christmas Dinner, along with roast turkey and sausages wrapped in bacon. Not eaten much otherwise, although personally I love them and will quite happily eat them in July.
[/QUOTE]

The reason sprouts are tradtional at Christmas is that that’s when they’re in season. If you’re eating them in July, then I suspect they must be (sniff) imported.

And who the holy hell’s been putting them on pizzas and frightening the tourists?

93

[QUOTE=Risha]
I had no idea that they were officially called zebra and pelican crossings. I just thought that they were cute nicknames.
[/QUOTE]

Nope, they’re real, and there’s twisted logic behind them (had to check the acronyms on Wikipedia):

  • Zebra, obvious, black & white
  • Pelican, properly ‘pelicon’, PEdestrian LIght CONtrolled
  • Toucan, a cringeworthy pun for a crossing with dual provision for pedestrians and cyclists
  • Puffin, ‘Pedestrian User-Friendly INtelligent’, but I think they were trying a bit hard here
  • Pegasus, for a bridleway or other place where provision is made for horse riders

(Brits, look out for the last one on the link road from the M25 anticlockwise to the M1 south)

(Edit: also lifted from Wikipedia, the historic Panda crossing, and a dubious article about a supposed Tiger crossing)

94

[QUOTE=Risha]
I… actually have no idea what the symbols would be for those things. I don’t think that they exist in the US at all. I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not planning to be driving in Canada sometime soon?
[/QUOTE]
The BUMP and PAVEMENT ENDS signs can be found on this Ontario Ministry of Transportation page, along with many others. The NO RIGHT TURN ON RED sign is on this page. Note that many signs on these pages are still wordy.

Incidentally, highway signs are a provincial responsibility, at most (many are maintained municipally). This is why the signs are significantly different in Quebec than Ontario, for example, even though both places use sign designs based ultimately on the US Manual of Uniform Traffic-Control Devices.

95

[QUOTE=GorillaMan]
I had to look up a reference for this to believe it, but it’s true. I don’t know why I am surprised, but I am.
[/QUOTE]

I don’t know why you’re surprised, either. Most cemeteries are full up, there’s little room left for burials.

A few years ago I went to the burial of an aunt, with at least fifty people present. Not one of them had ever attended a burial before. Just cremations.

96

I suppose it’s just from personal experience, of the funerals I’ve been to, most were burials.

97

[QUOTE=Sunspace]
Incidentally, highway signs are a provincial responsibility, at most (many are maintained municipally). This is why the signs are significantly different in Quebec than Ontario, for example, even though both places use sign designs based ultimately on the US Manual of Uniform Traffic-Control Devices.
[/QUOTE]
I seem to recall that Ontario went all-out for symbol road signs in the early 90s, after a decision was made to make signs as “non-English” as possible. If words absolutely had to be used, they were to be French and English: “Exit/Sortie 369,” “401 East/Est.” Thus, they would not only benefit Ontario’s huge non-English-speaking immigrant population, but would be inclusive of Ontario’s Francophones.

But such things are, as you note, a provincial responsibility. Here in Alberta (and I can include Saskatchewan after a recent car trip to that province), road signs are still wordy, with such things as “Ramp Speed 50,” “Right Lane Must Exit,” and “Dangerous Goods Route,” among many others, still rendered in English. Some symbol signs are in use–“Pavement Narrows,” and “No Right Turn on Red” are common enough–but there are nowhere near the amount of symbol signs that are used in Ontario.

98

The one thing I’ve never understood is the lack of shower curtains on the mainland in Europe. Not every where is like this, but I’ve seen it in Germany and Russia. I’ve never understood how one can take a shower and not get water everywhere.

I also got caught after taking the Chunnel to France and not having any Euros. I needed to take a leak and didn’t have the change to use the bathroom. I can’t believe they charge you to go, and have someone waiting there to take your money!

99

matt_mcl and some others in the UK we have what the US would consider drug stores - Superdrug and Boots. They have everything from high end cosmetics to eye exams to pharmacy to photo development to baby food (depending on the store size)

I miss them…Walgreens and the like are not the same

100

Here in BG, showers are usually not seperate from the rest of the bathroom. You just turn on the shower and everything gets wet. I have never seen a bathtub here (except in a home supplies store), although I’ve heard rumors that they do exist. We also have boilers to heat your water before using it. If I’m getting up at 7, I set my alarm clock for 6, when I get up, turn my boiler on, reset the clock for seven, and go back to sleep for an hour. When I wake up for reals, I have lots of nice hot water for my shower. I have a seperate small boiler for my kitchen that I leave on all the time, so I can wash my dishes whenever.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it is both hugely mundane and very significant: Bulgarians nod their heads the opposite way of everyone else. They nod for no and shake their heads for yes. I found the head-shaking thing to be significantly easier to pick up than nodding for no. I pretty much shake my head for both yes AND no now, unless I’m particularly alert and can remember to nod for no in time.