to wonder what American-isms people actually like?

[DragonWithAGirlTattoo]

just been watching the forum, and noticed that a lot of people dont like 'prom' (even though i think its just a leavers disco with a different name)

or baby showers (totally agree here!)
or halloween ( )

what about gifts for teachers? is that an american import? i'm pretty sure when i was in school in the 70/80s we didnt do that....

Dash spent some time over there last year and whatsapped me pretty much every meal he ate
I'll nominate on his behalf: steak and eggs for breakfast, Wendy's, manners, service and a particular supper club in Las Vegas which looks really good and he's promised to take me there one day

DH. Not Dash..

Service with a smile, definitely.

The service is only really good because of their 'tipping laws' - when the Americans go abroad on holiday they dont tip that well! Hate the things that have come over such as proms, baby showers etc. the fast food thing was a real treat for us 70s kids, but even that is now a menace!

Customer service is brilliant - I love loads of things America, have lived there for a couple of years and would love to emigrate - have tried but very, very hard to get in.

I don't mind 'proms' or Halloween

I like baby showers - I have never been to one organised BY the mum to be - they have always been thrown by friends who WANT to be there - maybe that's the difference

Pepsi

Subway

Elvis

I really dislike 'black Friday' - what a lot of consumerist grabby shit that is

I love all of it!

Peanut butter everything

'you all set?'

Legal Seafood

Wondrous drugstores the size of Wales

Coffee, buns, coffee, buns

Jamba Juice

Shaking hands and giving your full name to fellow eg bus travellers (I would hate that in real life)

All my fave books from Ramona and Harriet the Spy to Tales of the City and Bill Bryson

(Morris Zapp is an American character in an English book :) )

I love it.
I'm cooking a big meal for 4th July just because I can.

zazathe cat Nashville - the series AND Nashville the place! If you haven't been, then you MUST GO!!!

I actually really like baby showers when they are done properly. It's not a grabby thing, it's just a different tradition. Firstly they are not supposed to be thrown by the mother-to-be, they are supposed to be thrown by her friends and/or family. Secondly, it's not two lots of presents, it's just that in the US the custom is to get presents before the baby is born, not after. I've been to a few and they are fun celebrations.

I actually find it really sad that so many people are saying that they like the customer service in the US. Especially for food staff. The only reason they are so OTT polite is because they literally aren't paid a living wage and depend on the whims of customers to make up their wages. I've always found it pretty depressing.

Americanisms I like.....

er.....

Probably the music. They've produced consistently good music for decades.

I like pretty much all of it - Halloween, baby showers, proms, pretty much everything.

Except Pepsi, wish they'd kept that. And "awesome"

I like "gotten". And "You're welcome".

I love it.

I've never been invited to a baby shower

Where would we be without Dawson's Creek, Buffy, Friends..? In the ruddy doldrums, that's where matey.

Manners, positivity, optimism, openness, supportiveness ...

I did a couple of years at a summer camp as a counsellor, and had the pleasure of getting to know some of the nicest kids I have ever met, and some really cool co-counsellors.

summer camp - I wish we had that in our culture. But the ones over here just aren't the same. We really could protect our children from the world for a summer at camp. If there was a bad news story, we just didn't let the kids find out. For the kids it was just all about friendship and developing your character...

I'm evangelical about camp...!!

BBQ - the Americans do it right. It's July 4th and we doing Memphis, baby backs and beef ribs with corn on the cob, BBQ veg and bean salad for sides. We have 2 pies, Apple and blueberry for afters. Drinks are PBR beer along with fresh lemonade and peach ice tea (old way of no sugar in it). Trying to convince DH to do a Mac & cheese as well.

Have to admit I don't like the word Butt. Unlike my DC's...
Or Hershey's kisses.
However Kool Aid makes bloody good ice pops and DS adores root beer!
There is or was a great American Sweet shop in St Anne's Square in Manchester, not sure if it's still there or not but they did a big range of iced teas in cans I was making my way through.

I like all the positive, can-do shite. I learned how to send things back politely from Americans.

I love Americanisms in America but don't think they travel well, they lose glamour once they are in frequent use here. Probably the same happens with our usages.

I like the way Americans have started saying 'pissed off' just as we adopt 'pissed'

There is a business sharkishness I don't like, I prefer the more maverick, muddled British way, there is something gentler underlying it.

Positivity and the lack of begrudery. Even though I find this things wearing, because I'm British and the opposite is ingrained, I wish I didn't!!

I love American service. It's the best. You tip, you get served properly. Works for me.

Huge pots of coffee, really cheaply.

Drive thru's everywhere.

Very polite, love it, especially in the South.

Breakfasts in restaurants. Cheap, bottomless coffee, good quality food.

Stuff I hate:

Acronyms. For everything.
American chocolate, it's the pits.
Over-enthusiastic about everything. Where's the subtlety?

Hi Morris! How's Desiree?

I don't like the limo/ball gown aspect of proms. Other than that, love most American things.

I like a lot of the TV shows they have. I watch more American programs than UK ones.

Like a Maccy D's

Love Coke

Im not fussed about baby showers or proms though. We never had a leavers disco, we went to Alton Towers for the day.

I like being told 'great job!'. Positive feedback is a good thing. I find that only the negative gets comments.

Also Americans see you getting a camera out and instantly sya 'would you like me to take a picture of the pair of you?' which I have now adopted becasue it's a really nice and not very difficult or time consuming thing to do.

And YY to summer camp! Team spirit, cheering, sportsmanship...

'Going to the bathroom' grew on me. Going to the toilet sounds crass, so now I go to the loo

We recently returned from 2 weeks in California and what struck me is how proud Americans are of their country. They fly the flag outside their houses and DH had to wait until the national anthem had finished playing before he could buy a burger at a baseball match in San Francisco. The people we met went out of their way to help and enable us to have a great holiday.

Liked Walgreens stores, Gap and MAC prices (half the cost over there) and the breakfasts particularly breakfats potatoes.

General goodnatured conviviality however false makes life more bearable and easier to rub along with one another. Sick of British disdain, passive aggressive cool manners. I speak as a British person.