Page 33 | Things you didn't know weren't normal

Applescruffle · 2023-08-08T17:43:07+00:00

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

PipinwasAuntieMabelsdog · 09/08/2023 19:44

A colleague told me they were going away on holiday and I thought they had told me something really personal and almost rude. My DF would never let us tell anyone because we would most definitely be burgled! The daft thing is he runs a market stall, so people obviously knew where he was when he had a friend cover his stall for 2 weeks. I have autism dx in childhood, so follow rules very rigidly. I told DH who is NT about rude, personal colleague and he choked on his coffee laughing. (Not in a mean ableist way btw. he is the best man in the world and has given me so much confidence and happiness)

Jenasaurus · 09/08/2023 19:46

i also used to eat raw cake mixture straight from the bowl despite raw egg being in the mix and lived to tell the tale

Konfetka · 09/08/2023 19:47

Switcher · 08/08/2023 19:18

At children's parties in Australia, it was traditional to serve white bread with the crusts cut off, liberally spread to the edges with butter, and covered in 100s and 1000s. It was one of the things I was most excited about at my kids 5th birthday and not only did nobody eat them, all the parents were absolutely horrified and looked at me like I was a heathen!! Oh well.

Aww, I would have loved to eat your fairy bread.

whumpthereitis · 09/08/2023 19:48

Greengeranium · 09/08/2023 19:38

A chopped up raw onion on a slice of brown bread as a cure for when I had a cold.

Reminds me of my grandmother’s homemade onion juice nose drops. Tbf they worked quite well, but still.

butterpuffed · 09/08/2023 19:50

MrsB74 · 09/08/2023 19:29

I think smells have colours…

Synesthesia

Original poster

Applescruffle · 09/08/2023 19:50

OhMerseyMe · 09/08/2023 19:11

But you dry “everything” when getting out of the shower, so….. How would you know your sibling didn’t dry his @$$, etc with the same spot you are drying your face? This is the most weird one so far for me. No one shares a towel in our house, and we only use it once before they are washed. We are in the U.S. though and have clothes dryers, which makes doing laundry a lot easier.

All of these posts are so interesting to me ❤️. I have had to google lots of things because I have no idea what some of these items are that people keep mentioning. Very educational!

We have clothes driers in the UK too 😄 it's just not the cultural norm to use them so much. They are expensive and bad for the environment. The norm is to hang clothes outside in the summer. Using a tumble drier in the summer is soo wierd to me.
I was SHOOK to hear that some of the things I thought were perfectly normal were only normal in Britain. I can't imagine Christmas without Christmas crackers (the pulling kind) or advent calenders, and I just can't believe that a nation that loves pancakes so much does not do pancake day. WTF??

OP posts:

IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos · 09/08/2023 19:55

This thread has made me so hungry. Off to make Yorkshire puds and toast with butter and peanut butter on! I also have white bread, butter and hundreds & thousands so might try fairy bread.

I'll leave the mushrooms though, peeled or unpeeled those things are vile. And bananas, ends or no.

Boxofsockss · 09/08/2023 19:59

Pot noodle sandwiches (white bread and lots of butter). So many people I know find this weird but it’s so tasty!

AlwaysReadyForABlether · 09/08/2023 19:59

Savoury pancakes - there used to be a restaurant called The Pancake Place (I’m sure it was a chain) and they had savoury pancakes for mains and then sweet ones for pudding.
The only savoury one I can remember is ham and cheese in a white sauce.
Thought it was amazing the few times we were taken there as children

Stravaig · 09/08/2023 20:05

This thread has made me so hungry.

Me too! I dreamt of saba bananas last night, and woke with sleepy impressions of bare feet scampering across grass towards the smell of bananas frying. It's been decades ...

Pineapplemonkey · 09/08/2023 20:05

I was in my late twenties when I discovered that one of the ingredients of scrambled eggs was not cheddar cheese.

My family have never made it any other way so I didn't know any different. I tried it once without cheese and it's rubbish, doesn't taste of much!

This only goes to prove my point that all food can be immeasurably improved by the addition of cheese, butter or bacon (all three ideally)

Bertiesmum3 · 09/08/2023 20:08

letshaveachangeshallwe · 08/08/2023 22:34

I can't get over how brave those of you are who think the ends of bananas are poisonous but eat them anyway ... what it you nibbled a tiny bit too far?

As for shared towels, DH dries himself so hard that 3 layers of skin come off, I don't want his dead skin cells on my clean body!

We’ve always used separate towel and then put them in the wash, after every use, never have we used the same towel twice, lol

BooneyBeautiful · 09/08/2023 20:10

SpanielsMatter · 08/08/2023 19:02

Culture shock

Beetroot on burgers (horrible)
Sausage rolls that contains watery frozen style vegetables ( kiwis do not understand decent sausage rolls)
’Bring a plate’ had to be explained that you also bring food on the plate to a social gathering 🤭
Beef/ Pork ‘flavoured’ sausages with painted on lines and made from … well we won’t go into that one - wouldn’t feed them to the dogs.

If you rent you don’t pay council tax
insurance not compulsory for vehicles and a LOT cheaper for fully comp
Being able to grow the majority of your vegetables year round
Neighbours talk to you, and are helpful. Strangers say hello on walks
Parking for free on the high street - spent ages looking for a pay and display the first time

And I didn’t know till very late that mushrooms should be peeled ( washed, always peeled, no).

If you rent (in England) you certainly do pay Council Tax on top of your rent and any vehicle on the public highway most definitely has to be insured, even if it is only third party.

Justontherightsideofnormal · 09/08/2023 20:11

I thought it was normal to use a fan heater to dry your deodorant in the morning ........ apparently not!

ThistleTits · 09/08/2023 20:11

SpanielsMatter · 08/08/2023 19:02

Culture shock

Beetroot on burgers (horrible)
Sausage rolls that contains watery frozen style vegetables ( kiwis do not understand decent sausage rolls)
’Bring a plate’ had to be explained that you also bring food on the plate to a social gathering 🤭
Beef/ Pork ‘flavoured’ sausages with painted on lines and made from … well we won’t go into that one - wouldn’t feed them to the dogs.

If you rent you don’t pay council tax
insurance not compulsory for vehicles and a LOT cheaper for fully comp
Being able to grow the majority of your vegetables year round
Neighbours talk to you, and are helpful. Strangers say hello on walks
Parking for free on the high street - spent ages looking for a pay and display the first time

And I didn’t know till very late that mushrooms should be peeled ( washed, always peeled, no).

Surely you are missing a trick making and selling decent sausage rolls.

Jenasaurus · 09/08/2023 20:14

We had a hairy toe towel in the bathroom, or thats what we called it, I think its now known as a bath mat

Jenasaurus · 09/08/2023 20:15

Its weird what makes you feel connected and 'normal' isnt it, I remember feeling like I had a connection with a girl in my class when I was about 10, as we both used to listen to the hairy cornflake on the radio (Dave Lee travers)

Jenasaurus · 09/08/2023 20:17

Another one is I always thought number twos were the same name as Perditas boyfriend in 101 dalmations. I carried on the tradition and they are known as pongos :)

mishmased · 09/08/2023 20:18

Switcher · 08/08/2023 19:18

At children's parties in Australia, it was traditional to serve white bread with the crusts cut off, liberally spread to the edges with butter, and covered in 100s and 1000s. It was one of the things I was most excited about at my kids 5th birthday and not only did nobody eat them, all the parents were absolutely horrified and looked at me like I was a heathen!! Oh well.

Fairy bread! Got introduced to this and I was slightly horrified but my kids loved it 😂

FlipFlop1987 · 09/08/2023 20:19

starfishmummy · 08/08/2023 21:24

Sauces and condiments - a selection was put on the table eg HP sauce, ketchup, vinegar etc but we only had one. Dh will have several on one meal - if he has a mixed grill when we are out he'll have mustard for the steak, (sometimes they have english and french mustards so he has both), ketchup on his chips, mayo on the salad, if there's a lamb chop in the mix he'll have mint sauce too!!

We have a cupboard dedicated to condiments!!

Your DH is absolutely right, there’s a condiment for everything! I have a full cupboard of condiments and entire shelf in the fridge just for condiments

ninetieseyebrows · 09/08/2023 20:19

SweetPotatoAndPeanutStew · 08/08/2023 20:15

I literally came on to say peeling mushrooms before I read your whole OP . My Mum did it and I thought it was normal. Now I realize it's bonkers

Re the peeling mushrooms - anyone seen The Bear (season 2)? Olivia Coleman's character (she plays a top chef) peels her mushrooms and there's a whole scene where she describes why and how she loves to do it.

MrsMiagi · 09/08/2023 20:20

Using a washcloth in the shower/bath. I thought everyone used washcloths and couldn't imagine people were cleaning their nether regions with just their hands! I have loads and they go on a hot wash once the pail is filled.
I have been told this isn't normal but I think its a cultural thing

Honeychickpea · 09/08/2023 20:23

MrsMiagi · 09/08/2023 20:20

Using a washcloth in the shower/bath. I thought everyone used washcloths and couldn't imagine people were cleaning their nether regions with just their hands! I have loads and they go on a hot wash once the pail is filled.
I have been told this isn't normal but I think its a cultural thing

I think it's normal in the US, hotel rooms always have washcloths. It's hot or miss in hotels in the UK and Ireland though, so i always bring a couple with me in case of a lack.

MrTiddlesTheCat · 09/08/2023 20:27

Lucozade isn't medicine! I still struggle to accept the truth.

LylaLee · 09/08/2023 20:27

MrsMiagi · 09/08/2023 20:20

Using a washcloth in the shower/bath. I thought everyone used washcloths and couldn't imagine people were cleaning their nether regions with just their hands! I have loads and they go on a hot wash once the pail is filled.
I have been told this isn't normal but I think its a cultural thing

I use an oil cleanser on my face in the shower. I use a warm washcloth to wipe it off. Then I wash the rest of me with a body puff.

I then put a squirt of bodywash on the washcloth, wash it and wring it out. Before I get out of the shower, I dry myself with it. That way, when I dry myself with a bath towel it is not doing the 'heavy lifting' and it stays fresh all week, while the washcloths are used once then go in the wash.