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?

So you wouldn't just take a child to a GP for a normal childhood illness you would go to the Paediatrician? My son does have a Paediatrician but that's because he has disabilities ,but tbh I contact her if he needs anything as she has far more understanding of his needs than our GP .

@Pinkdelight3

US biscuits are the weirdest thing. They are not biscuits. At all.

Why is it weird that another country has something that is different. Just because it is not what you think of as a biscuit really doesn't make it weird. I find it really rude when people call other countries weird for having different words for things, different ways of doing things and cultures from their own.

@x2boys

So you wouldn't just take a child to a GP for a normal childhood illness you would go to the Paediatrician? My son does have a Paediatrician but that's because he has disabilities ,but tbh I contact her if he needs anything as she has far more understanding of his needs than our GP .

No you wouldn't take a child to a GO or what we call Primary Care providers They are for adults. Pediatricians are for children.

@MarieIVanArkleStinks

I always wanted two things common to American houses which are rarely ever seen in homes in the UK. One is a proper US-style front porch. The other: a laundry chute! I so want a laundry chute.

A widow's walk would also be awesome. And I so miss the sound of loons wailing in the dusk, or great horned owls hooting in the woods.

You would cry with envy at my house. I have a wrap.around front porch on the first floor and a half-wrap.around on the second floor. I also have a laundry room on the first floor and one on the second floor

I don't get the medical system.

If you lost your job lose (and health insurance) then get a cough and temperature (suspected coronovirus), how much does seeing a doctor cost? What if you get very ill and need to go to hospital?

Is cost of medical care a factor in the rising covid-19 cases?

@tobee

I watched a documentary iirc about ice (and refrigeration.) It said that front porches came about because it was so hot (not surprisingly). You would get a delivery of ice that you could store and use to cool things. However, when air con became standard, houses stopped building porches/verandas and a great social activity, talking to neighbours on porches, died out.

I dream of having a porch/veranda running around my house. Not something I'm likely to have on my London terrace! 😞

Very much correct. The large American style porches originated in the South where it gets hot as balls (over a 100 throughout the summer) and after A.C. came along they did reduce but now everyone is back to large porches in the front and large decks in the back to entertain. Front porches are more for decoration than anything now

@x2boys if you're insured you go to the specialist you deem fit. So gynae problems you go to yiur Ob/gyn; you take your child to their paediatrician (think of it as a GP for kids); skin problems go to your dermatologist. If unsure or it's something g run of the mill you go to your general practitioner.
I confess I have no clue how it works if you're uninsured. It is frightening.

@FATEdestiny

I don't get the medical system.

If you lost your job lose (and health insurance) then get a cough and temperature (suspected coronovirus), how much does seeing a doctor cost? What if you get very ill and need to go to hospital?

Is cost of medical care a factor in the rising covid-19 cases?

If you lose your job you have the option of COBRA insurance which is extremely expensive. TBF all health insurance is expensive. If you get a cough and temperature you sit at home and wait it out. If you are hospitalised in public hospitals you will.still be seen and be placed on a payment plan. As far as medication goes your best bet is to use an app we have here called GoodRx

Another thing I have always wondered about is American washing machines,with the top loader they look a lot bigger than front loaders ,are they? In the 90,s American Diners were a thing here in the UK ,does the US have an English equivalent 😂?

Yes the no insurance must be frightening for those that don't have it ,I'm on various Facebook groups as my child has a rare chromosome disorder the groups are world wide and a lot of people from America talk about insurance and ask if insurance will cover blood tests etc ,something we thankfully don't have to think about in the UK.

My daughter has just joined a sorority (although she says it's a fraternity). It's music-based, and she was already friends with most of the members through being in various bands.

It's about $150 a year in dues, and in return she gets to live in the fraternity house until she graduates, as well as being part of their choir, and taking part in various community things.

They certainly don't all wear the same clothes or anything like that. There's no hazing. They welcomed her by putting some decorations up in her room and taking her out for breakfast.

She was told she'd have to rush but she wasn't feeling well that day so she just let them know she was interested but she wouldn't be turning up, and that was that.

She holds most frat boys in utter contempt but she likes her lot, which always makes me laugh.

The frat/sorority thing is also rather regional. Very important in some places, not at all in others. At my university (east coast city) they were seen as pretty lame.

The giant open houses you see on TV? Also regional. In cities and older parts of the country, you won't see very many places like that.

I suppose a big difference in housing is that you wouldn't generally have 'semi-detached' houses -- your block is either all rowhouses (terraces) or individual detached houses. I do find it strange in London to see these big million-pound houses inexplicably attached to another giant house. In the US you would have sacrificed a bit of size to have even a small alley between you, it's a psychological thing.

Even if you do have insurance, what you get for it is very variable depending on your plan and you still can end up paying loads - something I definitely worry about as I get older and wondering if I should return to the UK for my golden years. I do, however, have a smashing porch!

Re: DVR. Most British TV providers offer something like that, but perhaps not many people make use of them because we mainly use iPlayer and other catch up services. I used to be with TalkTalk and am now with BT, and for both of them I could control my TV box (including booking recordings) through my phone. I don’t use it much but it’s convenient to record stuff that’s not on one of the mainstream channels, and not to have to worry about something going off iPlayer. It also feels a bit futuristic to be on holiday thousands of miles away in a foreign country, tap a button on my phone, and know that my TV back in England has sprung into action!

Another thing I have always wondered about is American washing machines,with the top loader they look a lot bigger than front loaders ,are they? In the 90,s American Diners were a thing here in the UK ,does the US have an English equivalent 😂?

Yes, the washing machines and dryers are generally larger capacity. :D No equivalent to the US diner, unless you count tea rooms as an export of culture?

To those asking what a doctor's visit costs without insurance -- I see at least one provider who isn't in network and it's $175 per visit. That's about standard.

There’s a lovely English-themed place called Tea and Sympathy in NYC. That’s the closest I can think of.

I guess Irish pubs aren’t too uncommon.

There’s a lovely English-themed place called Tea and Sympathy in NYC. That’s the closest I can think of.

Yes! Right next to A Salt and Battery.

@VeryQuainIrene

I am with you on the idea of returning to the UK for my "twilight" years.

I have insurance and it's absurdly expensive because my husband and I are both self-employed. When he used to have a job, he worked for a small employer and it was still quite high for a family of two adults and three children and partially subsidized by the employer ($980/month). Now, it's $1,300 a month for two adults and two children who are 19 & 22. They'll be on our insurance until 26. Our 22 year old is doing a higher degree so he's still on our insurance and helps us financially but still, $1,300. We still have a co-pay of $100 a visit with a doctor and a $7,500 deductible. It's insane. That doesn't even cover dental, disability or life insurance. Those are all separate! All together, it's more than our house payment!

I have to have a gynecological visit and it turns out that our insurance changed providers, again. My regular doctor who was only a mile away is now 33 miles away and he won't be accepting new patients until October. I'm on her waiting list and it could be early November before I'm seen. I find this all quite ridiculous.

Oh another one,yeah I watch a lot of teen mom and 16 and pregnant 🙄do pregnant women not visit midwives ,is it always the obstetrician you would see and delivers the baby and do they not let you go over your due date? All the cheesy TV I watch seems to suggest mother's to be are often induced ?

x2boys I know that's how it works in Canada, the same doctor sees you all the way through your pregnancy and usually delivers the baby

I know there isn't a class system as such in the US but there does seem to be plenty of money from the "middle of the road" families upwards.

Certainly from tv, a family with the kids could have one parent as a SAHM and one as a Realtor (for example) and they can afford to save for college (x3), pay all the insurances, buy cars for each kid, take plenty of holidays, maybe even have a housekeeper.

The Churchill Tavern is another great British restaurant in NYC

www.thechurchillny.com/

And you can't walk two blocks in most of Manhattan without passing an Irish Pub.

Everyone pays for healthcare. In the US it's partly taxes that fund government programs and partly through private insurance. In the UK it's all through the tax funded NHS. Paying for medical staff, clinics, hospitals, labs, etc. is expensive everywhere.

Why in a country of 330 million people Is joe Biden The best that the democrats can find to run in the 2020 election?
I thought the country wanted to get rid of Trump and yet they come up with Joe as their candidate.

I love that the Churchill Tavern sells full English breakfast ,s and Roast Dinners I would love to see the rest of the menu😂

So you wouldn't just take a child to a GP for a normal childhood illness you would go to the Paediatrician?

The Pediatrician is the children's GP. They run just like GP's but only dc go there. It means dc get a service focused on them.