AIBU to ask you some questions about the USA?

[BreakfastInAmerica]

I've been reading lots of US fiction over lockdown, I've never been there.

What's the big deal with joining a fraternity house at College? What is the benefit of it? Why the Greek frat house names?

Is public access television still a thing?

Why do they call savoury muffins English Muffins when I'm more likely to see a blueberry or chocolate muffin when I'm out and about?

How do Americans eat things like thick pancakes with cream for breakfast, even the people who are slim?

What are grits?

Why are Automatic cars so prolific in the US, rather than manual/stick shift?

I'm sure I've got lots more questions and please pitch in with your own questions and answers.

AIBU to ask for your answers and questions about the small differences between the US and the UK?

I have access to CNN so watch it sometimes they seem actively against Trump ,I don't want to get into why people vote a certain way as it's Divisive enough in the UK but do certain channels support one candidate against another ?

@x2boys

And what's the deal with prom Queen and Home coming Queen ? Sorry I read a lot of 80,s high school books 🙄

Popularity contests

A pediatrician is just a GP who specializes in children. The pediatrician does annual checkups, vaccines, and covers colds and such. Then if the child has specific health issues they see a pediatric specialist. So my dd has an allergist, an ent, etc.

There is a huge class system in the US, it just isn’t based on heritage. Your status depends on your career and income. There are little things that come up, like why does almost every child in a certain grade have braces, they can’t all have bad teeth. No, but they don’t have perfect teeth and in our social class perfect teeth are required.

@x2boys

I have access to CNN so watch it sometimes they seem actively against Trump ,I don't want to get into why people vote a certain way as it's Divisive enough in the UK but do certain channels support one candidate against another ?

They aren't suppose too but they actively do. Fox News is very Pro-Trump and his supporters watch that site and CNN is very Anti-Trump

@Proudboomer

Holdmylobster how can you say he is quite good even compared to Trump. This is the man who came out with the classics Poor kids are just as bright and talented as white kids To a group of Asian and Hispanic voters And If you have a problem figuring out if you are for me or trump you ain’t black To an African American radio host.

If trump had come out with just one of those he would have been crucified and yet Biden gets away with it.

He wasn't wrong with any of those statements.

@MissConductUS I genuinely wasn't being snarky, as the tone of your replies seems to suggest. As I said in my original post, in my limited experience of the US I hadn't seen the equivalent of our supermarket chains, so that's why I was asking the question as to where people do their foodshop!

@Purpleartichoke

A pediatrician is just a GP who specializes in children. The pediatrician does annual checkups, vaccines, and covers colds and such. Then if the child has specific health issues they see a pediatric specialist. So my dd has an allergist, an ent, etc.

There is a huge class system in the US, it just isn’t based on heritage. Your status depends on your career and income. There are little things that come up, like why does almost every child in a certain grade have braces, they can’t all have bad teeth. No, but they don’t have perfect teeth and in our social class perfect teeth are required.

And don't forget your race

Interesting about Paediatricians ,my child has one in the UK but he's been referred because of complex disabilities so has had one for years but it isn't the Norm ,having said that she's excellent ,and I phone her as a matter of course before our GP .

I have very limited experience of the US (holiday in Florida!) but there were a lot of people using phones whilst driving. Are there laws about that?

My DD has a friend who was born and grew up in America but to English parents. They have moved back to the UK. She is quite thrilled that my DD likes a nice cup of tea as her parents introduced her to tea but none of her US friends drank it (a lot didn't even have a kettle to make it apparently).

Just wanted to add regarding cream on pancakes. I think you are referring to whipped butter, which looks like whipped cream. It is delicious but hard to replicate at home. The closest I found was a brand called Country Crock which is butter that tastes like the food chain's whipped butter. Yum.

I love Corn Dogs. They are hot dogs dipped in like a corn bread batter and I think deep fried though I'm sure there are some baking recipes out there. It's this nice mix of sweet (corn bread outer) and savoury (hot dog inner)

Don't know much about sororities / fraternities. Or grits for that matter.

I grew up in California and been in so many cars - all automatic. Only one person I knew drove a manual ("stick shift"). Never knew why though. I learned to drive in the UK in a manual and the driving instructor said that "manual car driving is real driving". Though I had never heard anyone in the US say that "automatic driving is real driving" so I did wonder if car enthusiasts felt more strongly about one way of driving above another?

Leaannb How about in Delaware the largest growth in population is Indian Americans moving from India. You cannot go into a 7/11 or dunkin donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I am not joking.

The man is a closet racist but no one wants to be the one to acknowledge it.

This is a really interesting thread.
Thank you BreakfastinAmerica.
I loved the IHOP pancakes with cream ( from a can )

I think and I could be wrong ( as. I have never actually passed a test) but manual driving is seen as proper driving In the UK because most people pass their test in a manual car and can then drive in both Manuel and automatic whereas those who pass their test in an automatic car can only drive automatic cars and manual seem to be the norm in the UK ?

Interesting about Paediatricians ,my child has one in the UK but he's been referred because of complex disabilities so has had one for years but it isn't the Norm ,having said that she's excellent ,and I phone her as a matter of course before our GP.

Yes, when we lived in the UK and my daughter had severe allergies we were referred to a hospital paediatrician who was very helpful - so much better informed than her GP (not surprisingly).

When we moved to the US she saw a paediatrician for her first-line care, and for her allergies she was referred to an Allergist who treats both adults and children, and who was even more knowledgeable than the UK paediatrician. I actually see the same specialist for my allergies.

x2boys yes, that's right

I'd like to teach my children to drive a manual - my problem is finding one to teach them in. DH and I both have automatics. We can both drive manuals but have no desire to.

@Proudboomer

Leaannb How about in Delaware the largest growth in population is Indian Americans moving from India. You cannot go into a 7/11 or dunkin donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I am not joking.

The man is a closet racist but no one wants to be the one to acknowledge it.

Biden? No not a closet racist. He has done a lot for POC and for the poverty stricken. He said poor people were just as smart white people. That is definitely true. POC are more likely to be poorer than white people in the US. They are stuck in generational poverty and squashed by systemic racisim. He has been very open about the changes needed to help POC and help those. Including Baltimore's decency explosion of Indian Immigrants. Without Biden and his continued support for the dreamers act these people are screwed.

He wasn't wrong with any of those statements

He was not only wrong but quite inflammatory. But they didn’t call him Joe the Gaffer for nothing

Video of him making that commet

@HoldMyLobster

I'd like to teach my children to drive a manual - my problem is finding one to teach them in. DH and I both have automatics. We can both drive manuals but have no desire to.

Most manuals in the States are sports cars but even those you can pay extra for auto

is the jock and cheerleader stereotype as true in real life

Not sure what the stereotypes are? I guess they tend to be more popular as other students know who they are. Lots of school life revolves around sports and many of them would attend the home games ( though maybe out of lack of other things to do ...)

Or how about him putting on an Indian accent when talking about call centres

One action on its own is a gaffe but the number of times over his career he has done similar shows a racial element that no one want to acknowledge.

How do visually impaired Americans cope with banknotes that are the same size and colour for every denomination?

[quote otterbaby]@Hingeandbracket "Americans don't see the point in doing anything they don't have to do" not sure your point stands there...I didn't bother learning how to drive a manual, because by the time I moved to England, I had been driving an automatic for 10+ years. I suppose I could've paid for driving lessons when I moved here, but it seemed wholly unnecessary considering I already knew how to drive. Most Americans drive automatic because most cars on the market are automatic. It's that simple. Suppose that wouldn't support your lazy American narrative though!

[/quote]
I don't think this was aimed at me but I don't have a lazy American narrative, not at all.

I may have this wrong but I was under the impression that US work hours are long, holiday entitlement is shorter as is maternity leave and employees have fewer rights. All of which gives me the impression that moderate to very successful North Americans are far from lazy. Unless they are born into wealth but that's the same the world over.