# The British and their odd ways **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 18, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390 "2014-04-18T03:45:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/162 "2014-05-08T09:09:27Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Brie, Roquefort, Pol le Veq, Port Salut, Savoy Aire, Saint Paulin, Carrier de lest, Bres Bleu, Bruson…? No. No. No. No. No… . . . . Ah - yes, we do have Camembert sir. It’s…ah,…it’s a bit runny… ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/163 "2014-05-08T12:49:06Z")
Yeah. I’m starting to think that the greatest contribution the UK had made to world cuisine is The Cheese Shop Sketch. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/164 "2014-05-09T03:17:27Z")
Not altogether. There is a reason that, despite the tears of the Académie, the French word for “roast beef” is “le rosbif”. ---
**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/165 "2014-05-09T12:54:30Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Washing up involved a sink full of hot water and a dash of Fairy Liquid. Once washed plates were dipped in a bowl of cold water to remove residue. Once the wet work was done everything was immediately tried with a tea towel. I don’t know why this is going on and on like this. The _correct_ procedure for handwashing dishes is quite simple and straightforward: Step 1: Wash dishes using a germicidall detergent. Step 2: Rinse with tap water of largely unknown provenance and history. Step 3: Dry with a days-old sour dishrag. Any questions? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/166 "2014-05-09T13:37:39Z")
Rinse? Rinse?! What perfidy is this? Plates drain on their very own - its according to the rules they are given in the plate factory. I mean I ask you - do you take two showers? Hmm…?? No. Didn’t think so. My case rest M’lud. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/167 "2014-05-09T13:40:51Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Yeah. > > I’m starting to think that the greatest contribution the UK had made to world cuisine is The Cheese Shop Sketch. Customer: Oh, I like it runny. Owner: Well,… It’s very runny, actually, sir. Customer: No matter. Fetch hither the fromage de la Belle France! Mmmwah! Owner: I…think it’s a bit runnier than you’ll like it, sir. Customer: I don’t care how fucking runny it is. Hand it over with all speed. Owner: Oooooooooohhh…! (pause) Customer: What now? Owner: The cat’s eaten it. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2014, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/168 "2014-05-19T11:51:05Z")
Warm beer is something I’ve only ever heard about. Even bitters aren’t warm. Not freezing cold, but not even lukewarm. The not rinsing dishes thing has been gone over and over and over and over on this board. And how are we not know for our cheese and chocolate? France is better know for its cheese, but Britain comes in a good second (and cheddar is not orange). Chocolate as we know it was invented at about the same time in England, Switzerland and the US, and the they’re all still doing pretty well. Maybe some people just don’t recognise some of the brand names. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/169 "2014-05-19T16:36:03Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > … > Customer: What now? > > Owner: The cat’s eaten it. Has he. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/170 "2014-05-19T18:34:30Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Warm beer is something I’ve only ever heard about. Even bitters aren’t warm. Not freezing cold, but not even lukewarm. > > The not rinsing dishes thing has been gone over and over and over and over on this board. > > And how are we not know for our cheese and chocolate? France is better know for its cheese, but Britain comes in a good second (and cheddar is not orange). Chocolate as we know it was invented at about the same time in England, Switzerland and the US, and the they’re all still doing pretty well. Maybe some people just don’t recognise some of the brand names. I don’t know why anyone would imagine Britain should be known for its chocolate. We had a dispute in the EU around 10 years ago because some other members didn’t consider our chocolate to even be real chocolate. We have to have a special rule for labels as some of our “milk chocolate” doesn’t even meet the minimum requirements that apply to the rest of the EU. Even if _we_ like it, what is there to export? Dairy Milk? I can’t imagine why anyone would buy that unless they’ve developed a taste for it, like Americans have with their “cheese”. That doesn’t mean anyone _else_ wants American cheese or British chocolate. On the other hand, we certainly have a lot of great cheeses, but we don’t really do PR for such things that well. Everyone knows about French cheese and I think it eclipses our offerings a little in international perception. The “warm beer” complaint irritates me a little, because it’s based on ignorance on more than one level. It’s like being so used to chardonnay that you assume that’s all there is to wine and smirk at the fools drinking their “warm” reds. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/171 "2014-05-19T19:30:45Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > The “warm beer” complaint irritates me a little, because it’s based on ignorance on more than one level. Why the heck are you guys arguing about warm beer? I’m from the USA, and I’ve drunk warm beer. I assure you that after the first five or six, you don’t notice it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/172 "2014-05-19T19:42:31Z")
Warm beer isn’t an accurate term - many real ales and beers are best served at ‘cellar temperature’ - which is cool, but not ice cold - it allows the flavour and aroma to work properly. It’s not about tolerating something that’s wrong, it’s about enjoying something at its best. Many cheeses are better served at cool room temperature too. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/173 "2014-05-20T02:36:54Z")
I’m a Yank, but I quite like Cadbury Flake. And Galaxy Minstrels. I also prefer Scott’s Porage Oats to the ’Murkan alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/174 "2014-05-20T21:56:26Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > And how are we not know for our cheese and chocolate? Well… > [@](#): > > [The public’s love affair with KitKats is continuing](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/kit-kat-break-drives-nestle-sales-in-the-uk-9127509.html) as the company behind the four-fingered chocolate bars revealed sales in the UK were some of the strongest in the world. > [@](#): > > Kit Kat, slender crispy wafer fingers covered with creamy milk chocolate. [In January 2010, Kit Kat, Nestlé’s leading confectionery brand and the UK’s favorite chocolate biscuit bar](http://www.nestle.co.uk/brands/chocolate_and_confectionery/biscuit), was certified by Fairtrade in the UK and Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/175 "2014-05-21T06:57:32Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Has he. She sir, she. ---
**Author:** ![MahFL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbce88/32.png) [@MahFL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MahFL)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/176 "2014-05-21T12:28:41Z")
Yer warm beer is not really warm, I once had to let a bottle of dark beer I was served in the USA to warm up a bit from the almost frozen fridge it was served from, and in a frozen glass too ! The waitress was confused when I told her I’d keep the warmed up glass when I had the second bottle of beer. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/177 "2014-05-21T12:34:48Z")
> [@Virgil\_Tibbs](#): > > British, always rinse and my family always has. Most washing-up liquids contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. I think not rinsing may be a **working class thing** , like wearing shoes in the house. > > Our cheese and beer is some of the best in the world! Our chocolate is pretty crap, but still better than Hershey and Oh Henry bars, etc. Overall, British food is bad, and you can’t claim we have a food culture in the way France, Italy, Turkey, China, Thailand, etc do. Bolding mine. See [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=723481) for why the above may offend 🙂 Fwiw my middle class\* family first heard of rinsing from the working class\*\* family of my brother’s school friend and they were the only people I knew of who did this. \*Teacher dad \*\* I dunno what the dad did, they just were, right. ---
**Author:** ![MahFL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbce88/32.png) [@MahFL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MahFL)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/178 "2014-05-21T12:35:24Z")
> [@Running\_with\_Scissors](#): > > Is water really that expensive that you can’t turn on the cold water tap to rinse dishes lightly after they’ve been scrubbed? One, how to rinse if you only have one sink ? Two, the warm water you washed the dishes in evaporates more quickly so less drying is needed from the tea towel. ---
**Author:** ![MahFL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbce88/32.png) [@MahFL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MahFL)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/179 "2014-05-21T12:38:27Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’m not sure what the difference procedures are. > > Left hand sink has dished, hot water and soap suds. > Right hand of sink is empty. In the UK we only had one sink when I lived there, now living in FL. ---
**Author:** ![MahFL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbce88/32.png) [@MahFL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MahFL)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/180 "2014-05-21T12:43:26Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Meat pies I find gross. Don’t tell anyone but “meat pies” often don’t contain much meat…enjoy ! ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390/181 "2014-05-21T20:37:12Z")
We were in London back in the 1970s, and found the food _interesting_. However, my father did decide he liked the canned steak and kidney pies. To us, the most mysterious of British food was Wheatabix. This is the breakfast food version of Marmite. It came in biscuits sort of like Shredded Wheat, but the comparison stops there. The texture of Wheatabix is sort of like compressed wood, and they would disintegrate as soon as they touched milk. The package said they were great with jelly, so we tried spreading jelly on them. The bits and pieces of Wheatabix came off on the jelly and none of the jelly ever got on the biscuit. In the end, we simply fed them to the ducks in the park, and they weren’t too crazy about them either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-british-and-their-odd-ways/686390.md?page=10)