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?

Hanging out washing was much more common when I was growing up but it's not done much anymore. DD is very particular about her laundry and doesn't like to put things through the tumble dryer so we got her a wooden drying rack that she keeps in her room.

And speaking of DD we just found out that the uni she planned to start at in a few weeks has changed their plans and won't be having students on campus after all. I guess the good news is that DH and I won't be empty nesters and we'll save a bit on her room and board charges.

I think Goose used to be traditional in the UK I remember eating it one Xmas ,as in the US people eat different things ,but often is Turkey although I'm not to keen on it myself.

Ham was the meat of choice when I was a kid, but Xmas dinner menu is much less rigid in the US. Thanksgiving though ... features a very traditional menu of New World food 😋

When i watch footage of hurricane devastation I always wonder why so many US houses are made of wood, not brick?

Brick isn't immune to 200mph plus winds with the associated debris.

@FATEdestiny Wood here is plentiful and less expensive from both a material and labour standpoint. From an architectural standpoint it is easier to adapt to terrain where brick isn't always suitable, and it's easier to transport long distances.

We just had a tornado rip through on the back of a tropical storm; a brick house wouldn't have withstood it either.

@FATEdestiny

When i watch footage of hurricane devastation I always wonder why so many US houses are made of wood, not brick?

Because we have abundant land to farm trees commercially here, so construction grade lumber is cheap. A brick house is substantially more expensive to build here.

Brick houses can also be destroyed in a hurricane, particularly if the roof comes off.

We had a tropical storm hit NY on Tuesday. I lost power for a day and half, lots of roads closed with fallen trees and the bloody internet connection is still out, but my wooden house is fine.

Christmas dinner is very family dependent. Thanksgiving is the meal with RULES.

There are only a few days a year where drying laundry outside wouldn’t be awful. It’s too hot to be outside in the summer. The spring and fall bring frequent unexpected storms. In winter the clothes would freeze. Plus, it’s illegal to hang out your laundry, but no one complains because it’s not practical anyway.

A university education is less about studying a specific subject and more about becoming “well-rounded”. So there are lots of general education requirements to meet in addition to a certain number of hours spent on your subject of choice. I studied economics, but still took biology, astronomy, art history, religion, etc. similarly, someone in the hard sciences would still be expected to take classes in Literature and culture.

Timber frame construction would be common in many parts of the US because it is relatively inexpensive and readily available. My experience was that cinderblock construction was very prevalent for houses in South Florida, however, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was similar in other hurricane-prone areas.

And speaking of DD we just found out that the uni she planned to start at in a few weeks has changed their plans and won't be having students on campus after all. I guess the good news is that DH and I won't be empty nesters and we'll save a bit on her room and board charges.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. A lot of universities seem to be making very last minute decisions like this. Is there any sign that they'll let them arrive later this year or early next year?

Thanksgiving is the closest you can get to a culturally cohesive American meal: Turkey, corn, sweet potatoes, cranberries of some kind, gravy, potatoes. It's new world food origins with some old world prep. Christmas is really family heritage dependent. We eat oyster stew, smoked salmon, rice pudding, and chocolates. But I know that other families are quite different. Easter seems to always be a ham.

Can I ask a question about America,s welfare state ? I read somewhere that people are only entitled to five years help is this correct? I have a child with severe disabilities we get Disability benefits for him ,and whilst they are reviewed regularly his needs are such that he will probably always be entitled to them even as an adult ( although the names of the benefits change at 16) what kind of support do children with similar needs get in the USA would they get financial support ?

@HoldMyLobster

And speaking of DD we just found out that the uni she planned to start at in a few weeks has changed their plans and won't be having students on campus after all. I guess the good news is that DH and I won't be empty nesters and we'll save a bit on her room and board charges.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. A lot of universities seem to be making very last minute decisions like this. Is there any sign that they'll let them arrive later this year or early next year?

sorry to hear that too. My two daughters are going back in mid August to colleges in New England states. I won't believe it until we drop them off.

I doubt very much that any colleges that have opted for remote learning will open up again till flu season is over. DDs' colleges have both decided to open early and close to remote learning at Thanksgiving if they last that long to avoid flu season.

Lots of my dd2's friends have opted for a semester off.

@Delphinium20

Thanksgiving is the closest you can get to a culturally cohesive American meal: Turkey, corn, sweet potatoes, cranberries of some kind, gravy, potatoes. It's new world food origins with some old world prep. Christmas is really family heritage dependent. We eat oyster stew, smoked salmon, rice pudding, and chocolates. But I know that other families are quite different. Easter seems to always be a ham.

Agree with this. I love Thanksgiving - it is such an easy holiday. No presents just traditional food and people getting together. Also it is genius to have two big holidays close together like that - solves the question of "who do we spend christmas with" handily.

We usually do beef for Christmas (although I am Irish so turkey is traditional but I couldn't face it twice). I live in a town with a lot of Italian-Americans so many of my friends do the seven fishes on christmas eve as their big celebration.

@x2boys I can’t speak as to what benefits are available but there’s no time limit. Most states have separate temporary and permanent disability programmes; temporary does stop but a lifelong condition wouldn’t be dealt with using it.

@x2boys

Can I ask a question about America,s welfare state ? I read somewhere that people are only entitled to five years help is this correct? I have a child with severe disabilities we get Disability benefits for him ,and whilst they are reviewed regularly his needs are such that he will probably always be entitled to them even as an adult ( although the names of the benefits change at 16) what kind of support do children with similar needs get in the USA would they get financial support ?

We have SSDI here (Social Security Disability Insurance). It's fairly complex, much like the UK system.

Ah probably similar to the UK @gwenneh .

A friend received SSDI for her son, and among other things they periodically paid for respite care so she could get some time off. She said that was a life-saver.

Her son then left home, went into Section 8 housing, held down a part time job, continued to receive SSDI payments and qualified for Medicare. I don't know the details, but it seemed to work out pretty well.

I can imagine @HoldMyLobster not dissimilar to the UK ,what about out of work benefits ,how does that work?

Oh I disagree Thanksgiving is culturally cohesive, sorry! Other than the turkey, I think everything else varies a great deal by region.

I never had sweet potatoes or cranberry sauce or green bean casserole or all sorts of things that other Americans seem to think are standard.

For Christmas, at least in the northeast, a lot depends on your family's ethnic background. Ours was Polish so ham, pierogi, sauerkraut etc.

Re: Houses made of wood, not brick

Do wooden houses get cold due to lack of insulation?

Doesn't timber rot? (What's the lifespan of a timber house)

What about fire risks?

We actually have no public trash pick-up service in our town, so you either pay someone privately to take it away, or you take it to the transfer station yourself. The vast majority do it themselves. The transfer station is quite the social centre. I'm always bumping into friends there.

This thread is great!
When you say there is no public trash pick up service, do mean things like clothes, metal etc aren't collected? Or literally no trash at all is collected? So the contents of your kitchen or bathroom bins/trash cans (perhaps containing food waste, sanitary waste and other non recyclables) aren't collected?

@dreamingbohemian

I kind of beg to differ.

My family are Mexican and we have an American Thanksgiving and all the Mexican-American families I know have traditional Thanksgiving food. My neighbors are Columbian, Italian and German and they do traditionally American too.

Christmas is a different thing entirely. My family has Mexican tamales, salsas and since my husband is English, we have mince pies for dessert. My neighbors do what is traditional for their respective backgrounds.

@FATEdestiny

Re: Houses made of wood, not brick

Do wooden houses get cold due to lack of insulation?

Doesn't timber rot? (What's the lifespan of a timber house)

What about fire risks?

Wood houses don't get cold because they're insulated. Brick isn't a great insulator either - brick houses have added insulation btw.

There are houses in my town that were built in the 1700s and are still in perfectly good condition. Having said that, there are also a LOT of collapsed abandoned houses in my state, so if you don't take care of them they do eventually give up.

I don't know much about fire risk but there have been several house fires in my town since I've lived here, and several have been total losses.

When you say there is no public trash pick up service, do mean things like clothes, metal etc aren't collected? Or literally no trash at all is collected? So the contents of your kitchen or bathroom bins/trash cans (perhaps containing food waste, sanitary waste and other non recyclables) aren't collected?

There is no town-funded pick-up service at all. It is quite unusual. The town decided they preferred to put the money into education.

We do pay a service called Garbage to Garden to take away all our food waste, which they replace with compost. Everything else we take to the dump transfer station ourselves.