Questions you have about other nationalities!

[WatermelonWaveclub]

Just for fun. DD and I were just watching a video where Americans were asking questions about the UK. What are your questions (can be for any nationality from any nationality)? And please feel free to answer other people's questions!

I'll start with some questions for Americans:

Are your grocery bags really those ones without handles? They look really awkward to carry!

Why do you not have electric kettles?

In High school films the English teacher for example always gives them some homework to do by the next day and says 'see you tomorrow' - do you have the same classes every day? We just had English twice a week or something!

It’s legal in Scotland-friends of mine had something about removing spiders in theirs!

Do americans really only get 10 days paid annual leave from work?

What is the maternitiy / paternity allowance?

@Hoolihan
I'd like to know how people feel about the residents of their capital/major cities and whether it's universal to think of them as unfriendly and snobby. I think there is definitely a view in the UK that Londoners are rude, do suburban Germans think the same of Berliners for example?

Growing up in mainland Denmark we refer to the people from Copehagen as " Kobenhawner" (Copenhaganers) and they are seen as snobby and kinda stupid. They in return call mainland Denmark for " Jyderne" and see us as snobby and kinda stupid :).

The Danes and the Swedes HATE each other. However, it works like this.

" they are " our" Swedes to hate the rest of you can't.. (or "our" Danes to hate the rest of you can't")

Theres always one

This made me laugh! Where I am the thought of paying for a British meal wouldn't go down too well I fear!

@KarmaComma GPs are not on the list for approved countersignatories unless you are personally known to them e.g. Employee of friend.

People in Madrid are definitely less friendly than in smaller places. I think it makes sense, as someone explained further up. When you come from a very busy place, you crave personal space.

Spanish here.
I have never slept a ‘siesta’ and don’t know anybody that sleeps after lunch on a regular basis. Maybe the odd day or dozing on the sofa after lunch every now and then, as my dad does. Most people are at work and cannot have the luxury of a long break during working hours. Some people do sleep a siesta while on holiday but it has never been such a common thing… A lot of urban legends about Spanish siestas.

I went to school 9 to 1 and 3 to 5. Lunch at home. School a 5/10 minutes walk. Up by 8am, bedtime was 9pm or 10pm, later in the summer. I remember being 12 and going to bed very angry because I wanted to watch Dallas or Dinasty and was not allowed to because they started at 10:30pm.

I am always surprised when Brit friends complain their children are up by 6am. Well… obviously they will be up by then if you sent them to bed at 6 or 7pm. You sent them to bed, not switched them off for 14 hours. It does not work like that…

Scotland here and have lived in Edinburgh for over 20 years. Originally from the west.
Edinburghers are seen as cold, unfriendly and all 'fur coat and nae knickers'.

Pretty sure you can do this in a non church wedding in England.

The spider thing would definitely be in my vows! Can't ever leave DH whilst he's there to do spider duty!

Russian here.

Question for the English - do you actually give a shit about Scottish Independence? Genuinely. All the would-be Tory leaders seem to be wittering on about it, and I can’t believe anyone south of the border cares - surely there are much more import issues closer to home for you?

Ha ha! Funny foreigners! Why don't you do things like us?

@Purplecatshopaholic Yes, I do. I love Scotland, don’t have much love for england, I think the current system is abhorrent and it’s criminal that Scotland was forced through Brexit. I’d be deeply envious if you won independence but I’d be very happy too.

What a great thread OP! I've really enjoyed reading this one, thanks very much :)

That's a myth.

It's considered a bit rude to have fruit/veg in your front garden, and there might be somewhere where it's not allowed. I think I read a viral story about that? Usually when you hear some story about Americans getting in trouble for their front garden, it's an HOA (homeowners association) that's to blame. But plenty of people have fruit or veg in the back garden.

Re: leave. The problem is that there is no legal entitlement to paid holiday time. So some people get none and some people get weeks. In a salaried job with paid holiday you start at 2-3 weeks and gain more with time. FMLA provides 12 weeks unpaid leave for illness or childbirth but only if your company has at least 50 workers.

In a few states (the ones I know of are CA, NY, and NJ) there is paid maternity leave. It's counted as short term disability.

Laundry in flats: It's considered a privilege, especially in NYC. You either have a communal laundry room or take your laundry to the laundromat. The newer high efficiency machines are front loading.

The meaning of yankee has changed over time. Currently, as others have mentioned, it refers to someone from New England - that has always been true since the term originated there - and more recently implies that they supported the north during the war between the states. As a PP mentioned, it tends to refer to WASPs. I don't think Jewish people in New England call themselves yankees. And 'yank' just sounds horrible. Even if I were a yankee, I'd would not like to be called a yank. Imagine if other countries called people living in the UK 'yukes'.

There isn't an opposite term as such but rather people from other regions of the US are called other things. From Maryland to Florida and across to Texas, including any states east of the Mississippi, plus Arkansas, Missouri and Louisiana, people would call themselves southerners. I include Texans as southerners but if they are truly from Tx, they are Texans first and will tell you this pretty quickly. Many people living in Florida retired there and are not southern. West of the Mississippi are the midwesterners. Beyond that (the 'square' states, as I call them), some of them will have to write in and tell you what they like to be called.

and women from the West coast were seen as "Glesgae keelies" 😂😂

I shed a tear of relief when the results of the referendum were announced. I desperately wanted to the United Kingdom to stay united. But now I'd be cheering on Scottish independence. It used to feel like keeping the family together, now it's more like fleeing an abusive relationship.

Please don’t think that the SNP and their supporters speak for Scotland -most of us DON’T want independence

Totally agree with LaBrujaPiruja.

Sleeping is a massive cultural difference.
Siestas are a very old fashioned thing in Spain. My parents in their late 70s do this. Older generation do it. I don't know anyone our generation doing siestas any more.

Also agree is bonkers sending the kids to bed at 7.30 so they wake up at 6. if they go ro bed at 9 they will wake up at 8, reasonable for everyone. And what it really shocks me the most of UK and Irish parenting culture is that when they are small British/Irish parents are super strict sending children to bed (Aka 7.30pm). And when they turn 13 is nearly a free for all, staying awake at night and waking up at lunch time during school holiday/ breaks (claiming internal clock.studies etc)!!
I think Spanish have a flexible approach with children and when they are teens we recognise the importance of a goof sleeping hygiene/ rutine. Still flexible but not allowed to sleep till lunch time and stay awake at night. That only leads to MH issues in my opinion like depression.
I have one young teen. During the summer she is allowed 11pm the latest. She needs to be up by 9.30 am to enjoy the day.

I love the Aussie/ Kiwi thing of supermarkets putting out empty cardboard boxes near the checkout counters. So, we could just pack our groceries in them and take them to the car.

This was common in the UK until the eighties.

Interesting! The same species as our Cellar Spiders . Daddy Long Legs usually means Crane Flies here, though I have heard Harvestmen also called it.

@Hellocatshome Christmas dinner Australia is cold meats, prawns, salad and very cold beer in glasses that have been kept refrigerated. You use a stubby holder around your glass or beer bottle so you don't get frost bitten hands. Stubby holder is a little cuff made of thick material.
Qualification to reply...married to an Australian, have been for Christmas dinner in 41 degrees.
The older generation do sometimes still insist on roast but that really is dying out. Some folks still barbecue but often later in the evening when the heat breaks. The southerly buster makes it more bearable to turn on the Barbie or fire up the coals.

It’s so you don’t get splash like you do with British toilets!