Pls explain some of your food to an ignorant foreigner :o)

[HydroGuy]

We do Hydroguy. We have packets of chips (your crisps) or hot chips (your fries)

One thing I have noticed is that you guys seem to use chips (crisps) as a side dish. That is something we do not do here, they are a snack, not a meal.

We do not use the term "crisps".

Chips can actually be much broader than pure potato chips which I showed in my picture. There are also "tortilla chips" which are associated with Mexican food and often eaten with salsa of some kind. These are referred to as chips as well.

Bottom line is "chips" are a kind of snack sometimes eaten purely as a snack (while watching football for example with no other dish) or as a side (while eating something from a barbeque for example).

 

[marvel]

Ask for a soft drink like we did years ago!! It's soda. You will also find it very interesting when you get the salad first and then your meal. we are used to having salad with our meals, but it is good having it first.

 

[tink2dw]

And to further confuse, there is a New Pretzel Cracker that are just additive!! They come with a butter cracker or cheese cracker back and a pretzel front.

These snacks are good just plain, but great to add toppings to, cream cheese, rasin tomatoe, or cheese and ham.

 

[keptwoman]

Ask for a soft drink like we did years ago!! It's soda. You will also find it very interesting when you get the salad first and then your meal. we are used to having salad with our meals, but it is good having it first.

LOL or from NZ you would call it fizzy drink. Can you imagine the perplexed look on US faces when you ask for that??

As for biscuits..... as far as I can work out they are talking about scones.

 

[rossip]

A breakfast biscuit will have eggs, bacon and cheese in the middle, like a sandwich. Or sometimes sausage is used instead of bacon.
QUOTE]

Haha there you go again Your sausage is our hambuger patty is it not ?

 

[LavenderPeach]

Ask for a soft drink like we did years ago!! It's soda. You will also find it very interesting when you get the salad first and then your meal. we are used to having salad with our meals, but it is good having it first.

There are lots of names for soda. I think different regions use different names. I usually call it soft drink or soda. Other people might call it pop or coke (even if they mean a drink other than coke) and in a fast food restaurant it might be called a fountain drink to specify that you don't want one in a can or bottle, you want it from the fountain.

LOL or from NZ you would call it fizzy drink. Can you imagine the perplexed look on US faces when you ask for that??

As for biscuits..... as far as I can work out they are talking about scones.

I've only had sweet scones (not sure if there are others that aren't sweet?) but biscuits generally aren't sweet, at least around here they aren't. Some people like to put honey on them though. I guess I did have some at a restaurant one time that had some sugar baked onto the top but usually they are just plain.

 

[keptwoman]

I've only had sweet scones (not sure if there are others that aren't sweet?) but biscuits generally aren't sweet, at least around here they aren't. Some people like to put honey on them though. I guess I did have some at a restaurant one time that had some sugar baked onto the top but usually they are just plain.

Yes but what you call scones we call something else again I think. It's too late for my brain to work properly to work out what.

 

[jlmarr]

A breakfast biscuit will have eggs, bacon and cheese in the middle, like a sandwich. Or sometimes sausage is used instead of bacon.

Haha there you go again Your sausage is our hambuger patty is it not ?

The sausage used in a breakfast sandwich would be flat like a hamburger patty, but still a bit spicy like a sausage link. If you order sausage with your breakfast in a sit-down restaurant it will generally be a sausage link (tube-shaped) but sometimes you'll have the option of having a sausage patty.

 

[HydroGuy]

There are lots of names for soda. I think different regions use different names. I usually call it soft drink or soda. Other people might call it pop or coke (even if they mean a drink other than coke) and in a fast food restaurant it might be called a fountain drink to specify that you don't want one in a can or bottle, you want it from the fountain.

During my first job after I worked with young people from around the country and we compared notes. This is my understanding of the regional names for carbonated "soft" drinks (like Coke) in the US.

In the Western US it is called "soda". Maybe "soda pop" on occasion. And people do call it a "soft drink" too. I am a Westerner myself and this is what I am accustomed to.

In the Midwest and North it is called "pop".

In the South it is called "Coke". But as LP said here Coke can mean any type of carbonated drink not necessarily Coke (aka Coca-Cola).

So a person in the South might go to a restaurant and say they want a "Coke" and the server would ask what kind of "Coke" and they would then say a "Coke" which means that want the Coke drink (aka Coca-Cola). Or they might say the type of Coke they want is Sprite. That confuses me and I have rarely heard it with my own ears but am assured it happens regularly in the South.

And yes as LP said, sometimes you hear the term "fountain drink" which might be at a fast food place like McDonalds. And it means the same thing as all the above.

I have traveled to Asia, Africa, South America and Europe (never Australia yet - hopefully some day! ) and notice that most countries have a much smaller selection of carbonated drinks than the US. It is common to see only one or two. Coke is everywhere I have ever been and is often your only choice for a carbonated drink. Sometimes you see "Fanta", or a Sprite-type drink.

The selections in the USA for soft drinks must be overwhelming to internationals. Further, the USA has more selections of everything. We really have too much choice but that is another topic.

For carbonated "soft" drinks we have:

Coke
Pepsi (a Coke competitor)
7-Up
Sprite (a 7-Up competitor - I cannot tell the difference)
Mountain Dew (like the previous 2 but with caffeine)
Sierra Mist (another 7-Up competitor)
Root Beer (which is not beer at all and comes in numerous brands - A&W, Barq's and Mug to name just 3)
Dr. Pepper (my favorite by far - no real competition)
Orange Crush (an orange flavored carbonated drink)
Plus MORE

PLUS variants of the above for zero calorie "diet" and zero caffeine. It takes an entire aisle at the grocery store to contain it all, LOL.

 

[21yankees]

During my first job after I worked with young people from around the country and we compared notes. This is my understanding of the regional names for carbonated "soft" drinks (like Coke) in the US.

In the Western US it is called "soda". Maybe "soda pop" on occasion. And people do call it a "soft drink" too. I am a Westerner myself and this is what I am accustomed to.

In the Midwest and North it is called "pop".

In the South it is called "Coke". But as LP said here Coke can mean any type of carbonated drink not necessarily Coke (aka Coca-Cola).

So a person in the South might go to a restaurant and say they want a "Coke" and the server would ask what kind of "Coke" and they would then say a "Coke" which means that want the Coke drink (aka Coca-Cola). Or they might say the type of Coke they want is Sprite. That confuses me and I have rarely heard it with my own ears but am assured it happens regularly in the South.

And yes as LP said, sometimes you hear the term "fountain drink" which might be at a fast food place like McDonalds. And it means the same thing as all the above.

I have traveled to Asia, Africa, South America and Europe (never Australia yet - hopefully some day! ) and notice that most countries have a much smaller selection of carbonated drinks than the US. It is common to see only one or two. Coke is everywhere I have ever been and is often your only choice for a carbonated drink. Sometimes you see "Fanta", or a Sprite-type drink.

The selections in the USA for soft drinks must be overwhelming to internationals. Further, the USA has more selections of everything. We really have too much choice but that is another topic.

For carbonated "soft" drinks we have:

Coke
Pepsi (a Coke competitor)
7-Up
Sprite (a 7-Up competitor - I cannot tell the difference)
Mountain Dew (like the previous 2 but with caffeine)
Sierra Mist (another 7-Up competitor)
Root Beer (which is not beer at all and comes in numerous brands - A&W, Barq's and Mug to name just 3)
Dr. Pepper (my favorite by far - no real competition)
Orange Crush (an orange flavored carbonated drink)
Plus MORE

PLUS variants of the above for zero calorie "diet" and zero caffeine. It takes an entire aisle at the grocery store to contain it all, LOL.

Just had to comment I'm from the North East and it is never Pop. It is just called Soda.

steph

 

[Sherwin]

Well, I never liked candy corns even as a child. They were right down there with those yucky converstion hearts on Valentine's Day and those giant "jelly beans" at Easter. (Not to be confused with a yummy Jelly Belly that actually has flavor! ) 2

I never liked Candy corn either! Yay for the "no to candy corn" club!

 

[disneynerd420]

Just had to comment I'm from the North East and it is never Pop. It is just called Soda.

steph

I'm from Massachusetts originally and I clearly remember it being called Pop.

 

[21yankees]

I'm from Massachusetts originally and I clearly remember it being called Pop.

I should have clarified that I'm NJ. Maybe it's a state thing?

steph

 

[wickywinn]

Just wanted to point out biscuits aren't really scones. I'm from Texas and we eat them alot. They're flaky and soft and moist, thick and airy on the inside, all at once. They're not as hard as scones. I know scones aren't hard really but, well, they are compared to a good biscuit (unless you're unfortunate to get one that's not so fresh and has been sitting out for awhile). Let's just say you could practically eat them without teeth. Lots of times you can also get them with cream gravy. They're really yummy though. And a breakfast biscuit doesn't mean you're going to end up with anything on it. A side biscuit that comes with meals or ahead of the meal will be plain. If you order it as a breakfast option then you'll have a variety to choose from like ham and cheese biscuit, bacon egg and cheese, egg and cheese, sausage or sausage egg and cheese are common. It's just that that's generally when you have them although some home cooking places(slang for "like mom used to make type food"...mash potatoes, corn, meatloaf, fried chicken...American comfort food if you will) serve biscuits (and/or corn bread) with meals.

Candy corn is just nasty in my opinion.

Pretzels are good but you have to get them at the right place (soft ones that is). Vending stands they're just eh, ok. Find a Wetzel Pretzel (try the wetzel bitz) or, as someone else mentioned, Auntie Anne's. ahhhh, now that's heaven...

And I'm definitely in the South yet I don't hear people asking for coke unless they want coca-cola. My dh would never in a million years ask for a coke. The horror. He asks for a dp (dr pepper). Then again everyone thinks we're all wearing cowboy boots, listening to country music in our big trucks riding our horses on our oil land herding the cattle. Sorry to disappoint but Texas hasn't seen those days in a LONG time...I've never owned a pair of boots and the closest I get to cattle is on a plate, medium-rare. Oh, and most of us in North Texas say "you guys" not "y'all". Now that will come as a shock to alot of Americans!!!

 

[MelYur]

Okay, so I am an Aussie living in the US and think I can clear up the whole biscuit/scone issue
A biscuit is similar to what we call a scone in Australia. It is the same shape and texture, but we would never eat it smothered in gravy! Pretty much just something you eat with jam and cream.
A scone in the US is nothing like a scone in Oz. An American scone is what I knew as a rock-cake growing up. A triangle of hard cake usually with icing on the top (well that's what they have here in Washington State!)
After a few years of living here in the US I still get caught out asking for the wrong thing when we go out to eat

 

[SarahDISer]

It's funny how different our cultures can be even though we all speak the same language.

For example:
An entree in the states is your main but in other countries it is the starter.

Take-away food is called take-out. We got some funny looks asking for take-aways LOL.

Scones are called biscuits and are eaten with gravy

Biscuits are called cookies.

I went into Wendy's on Sunset and asked for a bottle of water. I was there for a good fifteen minutes trying to explain what it was that I wanted lol. You Aussie's can imagine a Kiwi asking for 'worta' when I should have been saying 'waaarrterrr'

On another occation my DH was in a place on Mainstreet trying to order iced cafe 'moka' (mocha). It took a few goes and was absolutely classic

BTW I love America but man do they have some freaky giant food.

 

[teatime]

in montana we say.........coke..... and we call it pop , never heard anyone in my town or state call it soda

 

[HydroGuy]

And I'm definitely in the South yet I don't hear people asking for coke unless they want coca-cola. My dh would never in a million years ask for a coke. The horror. He asks for a dp (dr pepper). Then again everyone thinks we're all wearing cowboy boots, listening to country music in our big trucks riding our horses on our oil land herding the cattle. Sorry to disappoint but Texas hasn't seen those days in a LONG time...I've never owned a pair of boots and the closest I get to cattle is on a plate, medium-rare. Oh, and most of us in North Texas say "you guys" not "y'all". Now that will come as a shock to alot of Americans!!!

I am trying to remember the heritage of the people I have talked to who call any soft drink "Coke". I remember very well one who was from Georgia but living in California. I did personally hear the term "Coke" used once as a generic for soft drink when I was traveling in the South. But I cannot remember which state I was in.

I like your husband's choice soft drink. "DP" is a common term in my household because it is my fave.

 

[HydroGuy]

It's funny how different our cultures can be even though we all speak the same language.

For example:
An entree in the states is your main but in other countries it is the starter.

Take-away food is called take-out. We got some funny looks asking for take-aways LOL.

Scones are called biscuits and are eaten with gravy

Biscuits are called cookies.

I went into Wendy's on Sunset and asked for a bottle of water. I was there for a good fifteen minutes trying to explain what it was that I wanted lol. You Aussie's can imagine a Kiwi asking for 'worta' when I should have been saying 'waaarrterrr'

On another occation my DH was in a place on Mainstreet trying to order iced cafe 'moka' (mocha). It took a few goes and was absolutely classic

BTW I love America but man do they have some freaky giant food.

LOL, when I was in South Africa a couple years ago a guy was telling me about a regional airline there. It was called "Nationwide" but all I could hear was "Nice & Wide". I thought Nice & Wide was an unusual name for an airline but airplanes that are nice and wide worked for me.

Oh, and while most Americans understand "take-out" as you said, even more common is to order food "to go". I first heard the term "take away" on my South Africa trip and then again in England earlier this year when we got "fish & chips".

 

[LavenderPeach]

Then again everyone thinks we're all wearing cowboy boots, listening to country music in our big trucks riding our horses on our oil land herding the cattle. Sorry to disappoint but Texas hasn't seen those days in a LONG time...I've never owned a pair of boots and the closest I get to cattle is on a plate, medium-rare. Oh, and most of us in North Texas say "you guys" not "y'all". Now that will come as a shock to alot of Americans!!!

And not everyone in California surfs! I've lived here my whole life and have never surfed. In fact, I think the water off the coast of California is entirely too cold to do much more than stick your feet in....briefly. Thanks for clearing up the Texas stereotypes! I have to admit that I was surprised to hear you don't say "y'all" since I've heard that from many Texans. We used to live next door to a couple and she was from Texas (Waco) and he was from Alabama. We used to laugh because the guy from Alabama was always "fixin'" to do this or that.

Yes but what you call scones we call something else again I think. It's too late for my brain to work properly to work out what.

Okay, so I am an Aussie living in the US and think I can clear up the whole biscuit/scone issue
A biscuit is similar to what we call a scone in Australia. It is the same shape and texture, but we would never eat it smothered in gravy! Pretty much just something you eat with jam and cream.
A scone in the US is nothing like a scone in Oz. An American scone is what I knew as a rock-cake growing up. A triangle of hard cake usually with icing on the top (well that's what they have here in Washington State!)
After a few years of living here in the US I still get caught out asking for the wrong thing when we go out to eat

Thanks for clearing up the scone vs. biscuit issue. I had no idea that scones could mean something else. I think I've only had round scones though and although they are sweet I haven't had them with icing on top. There are some really good lemon and blueberry scones at Trader Joes, btw!

It's funny how different our cultures can be even though we all speak the same language.

BTW I love America but man do they have some freaky giant food.

Yes, it's funny how we have different words for saying the same thing. It gets confusing! I went to Australia when I was in high school and I stayed a couple of nights with a local family. When I first got there the mother asked me if I wanted any tea. I said no because I was thought she was asking if I wanted a cup of tea but she was really asking me if I wanted any dinner!

And about the soda/pop/soft drink thing. My parents are from Washington state and used to always call it pop which, as a teenager, would drive me crazy! I would always "correct" them and tell them it was called a soft drink or soda. I thought pop was their old fashioned way of saying soda but later I heard other people my own age saying pop and they were all from the North so I figured it must be a Northern thing.