Is there an AMA American thread?

[upskilledotter]

I have so many (probably really boring) questions to ask of Americans (USA) but don’t know if a suitable thread exists.

Bathrooms -
Shower inside the bath is common.
Males filling out the FAFSA and hoping to get govt backed loans for college must register for selective service (the draft). One road to a free college education is the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) where you do armed forces training while in college, graduate with a commission (First Lieut) and then serve wherever your branch sends you afterwards, then you can keep going or enter the reserves and commit to regular weekend trainings. The GI Bill was an enormously efficient vehicle for social mobility. The armed forces also have recruitment offices in poorer areas of cities and suburbs and rural counties.
You can be fined for not picking up your dog poop here. The vast majority of people use little dog poop bags.
Abraham Lincoln/ infamous gangsters/ infamous past governors/ corn and soybeans / tourism and conventions.

Driving tests - here kids do drivers ed in PE for either the first or second semester in sophomore year. The semester you get depends on when you turn 16. The high school has a fleet of drivers ed cars, all automatic. PE teachers do the training, both in-car with three teens and in the driving simulator lab. The programme is run on very strict lines. Kids get kicked out for missing more than one in-car session, for not turning in homework, and for any kind of messing around. There is no appeal.

The school handles the DMV paperwork. Parents pay the DMV fees via the school. You can add a teen to your insurance for very little during the learning period. Once they pass the premium goes up significantly. It goes down again after age 25.

Once a teen passes the school test (some don't) and does 50 hours of supervised driving on all sorts of roads, night and day, and fills out a log of that, they make an appointment at the DMV and bring their school certificate plus documentation of identity and residency. At the DMV their driving can be spot checked. There are usually three numbers between 1 and 31 posted and if your birth date is one of those numbers you will automatically be required to take a road test with a DMV officer. This happened to one of my DCs.

If you pass or if they accept the school certification, you get a provisional license that expires at age 18. After 18 you get another that expires at 21 (iirc). There are restrictions on newly licensed drivers - number of others in the car, a driving curfew, and your license can be revoked for infractions up to age 21. If this happens you have to reapply for a license, do lessons, take a road test, etc.

I want a coke float now...

My son is circumcised, as is my husband. It’s very common in the US, although getting less so.

Canada is being insulted and treated very shabbily. We have great hope for the midterms. And the Cheeto in Chief cannot leave office soon enough. For me, he embarrasses and enrages me every single day.

One of the US Senators is saying that the US provides security to Canada. The only country Canada is at threat from is the US. Time to switch off electric to Northern States and major cities!

I can well imagine how furious Canadians are feeling right now. But also, most of those northern states and major cities are actively anti Trump. Turning off the electricity to all those blue states and cities would just delight Trump, don’t you think?

Interesting learning how this works in other parts of the US. Here it all happens separate from school via private companies. They are required to do 75 hours of supervised driving. Similar restrictions on new drivers for the first year.

It would primarily impact the price. Potash would be the best product to restrict - the American farming sector would collapse and huge impact on food production

One road to a free college education is the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) where you do armed forces training while in college, graduate with a commission (First Lieut) and then serve wherever your branch sends you afterward. Then you can keep going or enter the reserves and commit to regular weekend training.

A couple of fine points on this. When a cadet graduates from ROTC, they are commissioned as a Second Lieutenant (2LT). The promotion to 1LT usually comes a year later. You may also go directly into the reserves if the Army doesn't need you on active duty at that point.

Another road to a free college education is to attend one of the service academies - West Point for the Army, Annapolis for the Navy, etc.

There is some truth to this. The U.S. provides most of the funding and forces for NORAD, which protects both countries from a Russian attack.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD

Russia has shown no interest in Canada (or Greenland) - it’s only the US openly threatening them

Canada absolutely perceives a threat from Russia in the Arctic especially
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/06/canada-arctic-military-russia

Though I agree the US is undermining Canadian security in this regard

Then why does Canada contribute to NORAD and plan to defend against Russian aggression? Every country needs to defend its airspace.

So back on track

Without hopefully dismissing either side on Canada/USA stuff - which is truly fascinating (and scary).

A few more AMAs re America:

1. what is a potluck? I think I know but wonder what people would bring? Is it a fancy dish or something more homely?
2. what would you be frowned upon bringing to a potluck/dinner party?
3. Do most Americans watch tv with adverts or do they stream programmes they want to watch?
4. When do Halloween decorations go up (there are some near me now!)?
5. What one habit from non-Americans gives you the ick?

Potluck - every guest/family brings a dish. It's organized in advance, these days by app or website so you don't end up with 12 lasagnas! Normally homecooking, and there'll be a loose theme: we're doing a pizza night, bring a salad or sides; it's a pre-Thanksgiving, please bring a pie or a couple of sides etc.

Frowned upon - anything too small, anything shop bought (maybe that's my circles) except a fancy dessert, anything that hasn't had at least a bit of effort put into it, basically.

Adverts - I don't think you can generalize. It's INSANE how much a package of good streaming channels can cost, even if you're not into sports. If you are, you're easily looking at $300+ a month if you include netflix and prime and Hulu and HBO and Disney etc.

Halloween decs - round us, middle of a massive city, around the beginning of October. I think in the suburbs they might go up earlier, September ish. People spend a lot of time and money on them (lots of space to fill!), so try to get use out of them.

Ick - how superior Brits tend to be around Americans....and I am one! So stupid generalizing about 350m people!

I attend a lovely Friday evening potluck four or five times a year. We sign up in advance for broad categories: main dish, vegetable/salad, dessert. One family almost always brings poached salmon and another family usually brings a vegan main dish such as rice and dal. I have a few go-to recipes that I use: Greek salad with endive, curried carrot and lentil salad, watermelon gazpacho. Dishes should generally be homemade. Bringing shop-bought items is frowned upon unless they're something special. Twentysomethings have looser rules; potlucks get more ambitious as people get more settled in life.

I watch shows mainly on Netflix, amazon, and the PBS website, but some of the shows still have ads, because I pay for only the basic Netflix subscription. The only people I know who watch regular TV frequently are elderly.

The prevalence of smoking in continental Europe sometimes gives me the ick.

Here's a word difference: what you call "homely" we call "homey." "Homely" means unattractive in the US.

I’m going to a potluck on Friday to welcome us to the HOA - I’m bringing sausage rolls. Several American guests have expressed their excitement.

I can’t think of anything that would be frowned on, but the Americans I know are not at all uptight. I’ve had some memorable dishes at potlucks such as broccoli salad with Cheetos sprinkled over it (it was amazing).

Most of my friends no longer get their TV via cable.

Some Halloween decs are already up, but TBF I think they might have been up all year.

I’m going to say it. Some of the teeth I see when I’m back in the UK do more than give me the ick.

We still have cable, but we also subscribe to several streaming services. I watch Britbox and Acorn more than any of the cable shows. DH has to have all the sports channels. We also both watch a lot of YouTube content, mainly fishing and boating for DH and public affairs podcasts for me.

We have a lot of family potlucks. Whoever is hosting sends out the assignments of what to bring. I am not much of a cook, but DH is and his four cheese macaroni and cheese is in high demand. My specialty is to buy a Chantilly cake from the Publix bakery. Publix is a grocery store mostly located in the southeastern United States known for their baked goods, among other things.

I haven't seen any Halloween decorations in the stores yet. Around here decorations tend to go up around the first of October. We have some very creative people in our neighborhood, and it's always fun to see what they come up with year to year.

Potluck:
A gathering to which you bring a dish. My book club meets about six times a year and we all bring a dish or bottle of plonk. The hostess usually serves the entree and everyone else brings a salad, side dish, bread, or dessert, and/ or wine.
My block's block parties always involve potluck meals out on the street. Block parties vary greatly even from block to block here, but neighbours on my block interested in contributing food sign up to bring whatever they feel like bringing for breakfast/ brunch and the evening meal.
You would not bring something clearly just decanted from a can and warmed up. It's OK to gussy something up though.
TV/ Streaming:
I watch PBS on broadcast TV and also via the PBS app. I subscribe to Netflix, Britbox, and Peacock (started for the Olympics and kept going, but we really don't watch it apart from special events).
The ick:
So much smoking, vaping, and swearing. Also, clearly so much spitting of gum onto the pavement.

Hallowe'en decorations:
They have been in the shops for weeks, beginning just after school clothing and school.supplies appeared in July. The full blown Hallowe'en stuff - costumes, big bags of candy, etc - is still ahead of us. But there are decor items for sale now. Nobody near here has any decorations up. That will happen around the 1st October and continue up to the day itself.

British but dual citizen from birth and have lived here for 16 years and a couple of items:

1. you actually don’t need a prescription for basic insulin BUT it is only 70/30 or NPH. All the modern insulins (lantus etc) require a prescription and can be pricey. It is a concern for everyone who doesn’t have insurance. (I am diabetic but not insulin dependent). However you need a prescription for the syringes!

2. we have midwives. They are nurses with a master’s degree in nurse-midwifery and can do obstetric and gynecological primary care and deliveries. I see one for regular visits and contraception (my practice is both doctors and midwives, I needed a doctor for delivery as I am higher risk and needed C-sections. Was consultant led in the UK too.)

BTW, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics are all considered primary care. There are family doctors who see adults and children. These are also the main type of GP in Canada. In rural areas especially, family doctors do the bulk of primary care alongside PAs (physician assistants) and NPs (nurse-practitioners, who have a masters degree)

Commute for me to drive 12 miles to work took an hour minimum. H leaves about 6am and is home by 3pm-ish just to miss the traffic, he’ll then work a few hours from home. I work from home now and only go in occasionally.

no public transport to speak of in our town apart from a park and ride into the city. It makes it difficult for kids to get around to do things and see friends. Which I suspect is why we are now overrun by mini electric motorbikes and e-bikes suddenly.

High school is just like the movies. It’s feels quite surreal. My kids are in marching band so we’re at the football games as they play to support the team and do a half time show. There are the cheerleaders and a dance team as well. The band from the opposing school likes to play one of our tunes to wind us up, but the kids just dance back at them while they play it. Plenty of nice cars in the student parking lot too, mostly juniors and seniors will drive to school.

school lunch in our district is $2.75. Free meals for under certain income level. Some schools that are in highly impoverished areas will have a reduced rate, when we first moved here it was 40c a day. Buses are provided if you live more than a mile from the school. They squeeze three to a seat, sometimes get lost, breakdown, or have a crash. We have an app that shows us where the bus is on the route and when our kid has got on the bus and off at school - they swipe a tag for each ride. Last year ours was continually late, we found out they were driving miles away to pick up a student with special circumstances then coming back to our neighbourhood. They don’t get a ‘tardy’ if the bus is late but will give them one if the parent at the bus stop has waited an hour and decide to drive them in to school. It’s a tough job and they do their best but there has been a shortage of drivers for years. They offer $5 daycare for the drivers.

Yes, because it’s open carry where I am so they can be visible. I said hi to a grandpa dropping his GDs off to a dance camp one time with a gun on his hip.

it’s always in the back of my mind re schools. I worry about the kids and check exits and run scenarios through my head for exiting when I’m in the school. It’s always there and I don’t realise how tense I am here until I get to leave on vacation and feel so much lighter.

Waahing machines
Here in the uk we generally use front loading washing macchines
The top loading ones look huge
Can you get a lot more washing in them ?
How long is average cycle?