Things you didn't know weren't normal

[Applescruffle]

What are things you thought every one or every family did until you became an adult or entered a new relationship?

I'll start. I thought that everyone ate the leftover yorkshires after a roast dinner as desert eg: fill them with cream and fruit or custard or something, basically use them like you would a pancake... no?

I thought everyone peeled mushrooms, I didn't know that not only do people not peel mushrooms, lots don't even know they have peel!! 😱

I'll probably think of more.

Nb: I'm not meaning to trigger anyone's childhood or relationship trauma, I just mean lighthearted things x

@StellaAndCrow I once as a teen asked DM how she'd voted, when I started to understand about elections. I got a right bollocking, you NEVER EVER ask people that it's RUDE!

Even now she won't tell me how she voted and I'm 50. Secretly suspect she's a Tory/Brexit voter now and just doesn't want me to know.

DH's family have some unusual 'rules' for going on holiday outside the UK (in their case usually Spain or Greece), and it tool me quite a while to convince him that this was not normal. They include:

1. Never, ever, eat local dishes as 'you don't know what they put in them and it might not agree with English stomachs'.
2. Never eat any fruit, vegetables or salad. Best food options are plain pizza, chips or bread and jam (provided that the jam is in an individually sealed pack).
3. Always take cuppa soups, ritz crackers and digestive biscuits to eat in case you can't find 'proper' food.
4. Always pack ant powder, as everyone knows that 'foreign' hotels/apartments will be overrun with ants so it's totally normal to have to kill them off on arrival before you unpack
5. You must make an agreement with a friend to give each other lifts to/from the airport. Especially if your flight is in the middle of the night. Everyone knows that taxis or airport parking will double the cost of your holiday so are the preserve of the rich. This was the one that blew his mind most when he found out it was untrue!

I'm Scottish and have never heard of either of things!

Although I do remember once on a play date the other Mum had made toast with tomato sauce.

Fortunately had brought our own sandwiches. Sorry but both sound yuck!

Although I've eaten a roll and pie before.

Peeling mushrooms seems to be a thing but my mother always peeled fresh tomatoes before she ate them. 🤔

I thought it was normal to be able to speak several languages, even to just-get-by level, and hear different languages at home.
It still amazes me how mono lingual some UK people are, also the attitudes that can go with it, like eeeeww that's foreign!!

We used to have cinnamon toast but it was toast, butter and golden syrup with cinnamon on top. Still make it very occasionally!

We basically grew up feral fighting over food as stepdad wouldn’t go shopping and controlled the money and my mum didn’t drive and had 4 kids. We would steal off each others plates if someone wasn’t looking.

first time meeting my now husband’s parents and Sunday dinner at their house. My then boyf sat to my left. I was making positive chit chat with his mum. Hubbys fork came over to my plate to steal a roast potato and without even thinking I stabbed the top of his hand with my fork! Not enough to break the skin. More of a warning shot. As my in-laws mouths dropped in horror! I realised this was not normal. I also politely asked for some bread to mop up the gravy. This was not approved of 😆

funny thing is that I have not taught our DS this but a few years ago. He must have been about 8. He sits next to his dad at dining table and I’m over other side. Dad tries to steal something from
his plate and DS stabbed his hand with fork. So there is something in the nature v nurture argument

I only peel mushrooms if they start to get moist. When they are fresh, I just wipe them with a tea towel or paper towel.

did no one in your DH's rather hoity-toity family tell him that it is actually rather bad form to take anything from another's plate ?
he got his just deserts, (not deserving dessert) i think.

It blows my mind the amount of people that won't get public transport to the airport and simply must go in a car. Our usual airport (Gatwick) has its very own train station, straight into the terminal and its a nice, comfortable hour's train journey where you can move around and there's tonnes of luggage space. It takes an hour and a half at least by road, if there's no traffic, and you have to cram all your cases in the boot and worry about parking.
And yet the IT'S were horrified we would even consider a train and tried to persuade us to let them pick us up at 5am! Whhyy??

Sounds like hotpot…?

Although I never realised my mam’s hotpot was weird until I was older - kind of like corned beef hash but the potatoes aren’t mashed and it’s in a gravy. 😂 It’s actually super nice. Especially with 4 slices of white bread and butter.

My mum did this too - I much prefer it without the sauce.

What is theirs “leftover” Yorkshire pudding you speak of? 😂

i stayed overnight unexpectedly with a friend once.
she lived with her father, who was in his 80s.
she said it was too far, too late, to go back, so i must stay.
error number one, i gave in.
worse was error number two, i asked her if it would be ok if i had a bath.
she asked her father, in front of me, and he said,
Why ?
i was a bit flummoxed, couldn't answer.
my friend said, it's her custom.
as if i'd requested to sleep with a saucepan on my head.
i was about 30 at the time. cringe.

@Switcher I totally get this! I made Fairy bread for my son's birthday party (in the UK) and literally no one even tried it!

Ha OP, you've just reminded me that our cupboards were the same. The memory of Tesco value malt loaf randomly popped into my head the other day, think it cost less than 20p. Tesco value short bread biscuits, 10p a pack I think, were the best.

Nowadays I buy a lot of the yellow Asda just essentials stuff, but not out of necessity. It feels like there is less stigma around budget brands now.

@katseyes7
That's made me tear up a bit, my mum never told me she loves me, and now I'm the opposite with my kids, my son will always say it to me on the phone even if hes with his friends, my daughter just says ok 🤣
Your friends mum also sounded lovely.

When I was a child and there was a thunderstorm at night my mother got us all out of bed (5 children at that time, later 2 more). She put us on the couch sitting in a row (sleeping not permitted) and went around the house with a cup of holy water and a branch of palm making signs of the cross and praying holy mary's. I think I was 10 or so when I discovered this was not done in any other family I knew. I started asking around and as a matter of fact nobody did this - although we grew up in a very catholic environment (in Belgium). My father made her stop because he claimed she scared the beejeezes out of the children.

Yes, it's almost trendy to bag a bargain now. I've seen some of my customers in Aldi when I know for sure they are rolling in cash.
You used to get the people who would take waitrose bags to tesco so the neighbours wouldn't see them coming home with tesco bags, but they are rarer now I think

It blows my mind the amount of people that won't get public transport to the airport and simply must go in a car.

In our case the public transport (I'm looking at you Trans Pennine "Express) is so unreliable that we have to either drive or get a taxi over to Manchester airport. There is no viable public transport to get to Leeds Bradford airport from where we live.

Myonlysunshine123
Oh bless you, l used to think l was the only one, but as time's passed it's become very clear that l wasn't.
I don't have children of my own but l have two adult stepsons and we say "I love you" all the time.
My best friend (same one!) and l say it to each other every day. I used to tell my pets l loved them every day.
My friend's mam was so lovely. A proper earth mother. Thank goodness l had her, an auntie, and my dad. My dad was a quiet man, I don't remember him saying he loved me, but l got cuddles and l just KNEW he did. I never felt that with my mam.
Thank goodness we've broken the pattern and gone the opposite way x

Same. He was also horrified by chip butties. I believe he said “why would you want to eat carbs in carbs?!?” The heathen.

StellaAndCrow Exactly what you said. I don't remember my dad saying he loved me, but he played with me when l was little, took me on days out, and I'd get a cuddle or a hair ruffle if l needed it. I never doubted that he loved me.
My mam, on the other hand, was jealous that l was close to my dad (only child). I vividly remember (l was about eight or nine) my dad was going out to fetch something, and asked if l wanted to go with him, which l did.
My mam shouted after us "Go on, then, bugger off, and leave Cinderella here!"
I was a child. I loved my dad. He worked, so l didn't see him as much as l did my mam (she never worked) and it was lovely to spend some time with him.
That was nearly 60 years ago and l still remember it to this day.

I'm the same. The first time I got a takeaway with my friends I was shocked when they just threw the leftovers in the bin. That would be kept in my house for lunch the next day. I cannot stand any form of food waste and feel very guilty if a piece of fruit goes mouldy etc.

I didn’t know that you didn’t have to stand up to listen to the Queen’s speech on Christmas Day. My dad made us do this every year, and it was only when we got to non-gullible age, we realised that he’d been having us on for years…
My dad told me that my maternal grandad used to make everyone in the room stand up for the duration of the national anthem every time it came on the radio (back in the days when it was played at closedown).
He'd been at The Somme, so l imagine it was his military history.