Spin-off: American and British/Irish culture Q&A thread.

[Jangles]

Do many young American adults take gap years and go travelling/backpacking? Where do they go?

 

[john7994]

Yes, except Eton is single sex and the boarding houses aren’t all on a campus, but rather spread out nearby. And they don’t play quidditch, but they do play ‘fives’ which is almost as brutal.

Now I have something else to look up!

 

[Buzz Rules]

Do many young American adults take gap years and go travelling/backpacking? Where do they go?

It depends on finances. If the college can hold your place or your grades are good enough to apply again the next year, it’s more likely. Most gap year people travel to Europe or try to do something like the peace core.

 

[Jangles]

I’m curious, do you guys enjoy the American pavilion/Hall of Presidents/American Experience show? Or do you normally skip it?

I enjoy it and Carousel of Progress. The one I cannot fathom is Country Bear Jamboree. I look around and wonder what you are all laughing at. It’s a mystery to me.

It took me years to walk completely around Epcot.The heat and humidity in Florida in summer is something Brits struggle to adjust to. I love visiting in October and at Christmas time.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I enjoy it and Carousel of Progress. The one I cannot fathom is Country Bear Jamboree. I look around and wonder what you are all laughing at. It’s a mystery to me.

It took me years to walk completely around Epcot.The heat and humidity in Florida in summer is something Brits struggle to adjust to. I love visiting in October and at Christmas time.

This I can answer, I’m pretty sure. People in the North often poke fun at people in the South. It really got bad during the Civil War era. Post CW, some of the stereotype jokes persist. I believe the Country Bear Jamboree is supposed to playing on that. To me it’s just a bad show that people go to just to temporarily get out of the heat. The way Disney is getting sensitive about rides and American culture shifts, the ride will probably be changed by 2030. The hillbilly jokes are out dated anyway.

 

[Jangles]

When people visit the U.K., they often visit Stonehenge and even today celebrations are held there on midsummers eve/the summer solstice.
BUT did you know that Wales has many Neolithic sites and unlike Stonehenge, they are free to visit and not fenced off?
There are two that I walk to most days, and of course magical things happen on midsummers eve.

http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/stlythans.htm

http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/tinkinswood.htm

 

[NotUrsula]

As to Irish history/politics in the US, it largely depends on where you are. If you grow up in a place like Southie (Boston), or Breezy Point (NYC), or Mount Greenwood (Chicago), or the Channel (New Orleans) you're going to know more than the average American bear, because those communities still attract Irish immigrants, and you don't get quite so lost in that nostalgic Irish-American fantasy bubble. Proximity matters. It was also my experience that if you went to Parochial school where there were Irish clergy serving, a dash of Irish history and politics did tend to make it into the curriculum. Generally just the major events, but more than just the Famine.

In my family, you might say it was a home-school situation; Dad's side have deep Fianna Fáil connections, and of 9, only my Dad had come to the US (though my mother had 3 sisters here as well), so we kept up; actually we were probably deeper into Irish politics than American, though JFK was right there next to Jesus on the dining-room wall. (Having become US citizens, they relegated de Valera to the sideboard.) My dad subscribed to the Echo, and it was expected that we would all read it. Old habits die hard, and I still keep up; I read the Irish Times online every day (and the Guardian, too, fwiw.) Having living family in Ireland and the UK that one regularly communicates with makes a big difference, IME.

My DH is Anglo-Irish on his mother's side, they came in the 1880's. However, on his Dad's side he's eastern European; 2nd generation. His knowledge of Irish politics is essentially non-existent, but he's pretty good on the internecine conflicts of eastern Europe.

 

[john7994]

I enjoy it and Carousel of Progress. The one I cannot fathom is Country Bear Jamboree. I look around and wonder what you are all laughing at. It’s a mystery to me.

It took me years to walk completely around Epcot.The heat and humidity in Florida in summer is something Brits struggle to adjust to. I love visiting in October and at Christmas time.

You aren't alone on Country Bear... or related to the heat either for that matter

 

[john7994]

When people visit the U.K., they often visit Stonehenge and even today celebrations are held there on midsummers eve/the summer solstice.
BUT did you know that Wales has many Neolithic sites and unlike Stonehenge, they are free to visit and not fenced off?
There are two that I walk to most days, and of course magical things happen on midsummers eve.

http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/stlythans.htm

http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/tinkinswood.htm

Like non-muggle stuff?

 

[tetera]

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[tetera]

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[john7994]

View attachment 674505

what is that .. no ... that can't be happening. What is going on????
love the "Ye old Oak" branding - wassup with that?

 

[Buzz Rules]

View attachment 674505

That is a disgrace to the American hot dog. I feel sorry for the UK if that’s your American hot dog experience. At World Cup 2026 or LA 2028 come and enjoy the real thing.

 

[Jangles]

That is a disgrace to the American hot dog. I feel sorry for the UK if that’s your American hot dog experience. At World Cup 2026 or LA 2028 come and enjoy the real thing.

Hot dogs are processed bits and pieces of animal that can’t be used for anything else, aren’t they?
But do you have British type sausages? Or black pudding? Haggis?
Carnivores may be disappointed if they order a Welsh ‘Glamorgan sausage’. Be warned.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Oh and just to let you Brits and Irish know, every state has its own version and toppings.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Hot dogs are processed bits and pieces of animal that can’t be used for anything else, aren’t they?
But do you have British type sausages? Or black pudding? Haggis?
Carnivores may be disappointed if they order a Welsh ‘Glamorgan sausage’. Be warned.

No haggis, but all types of sausages are sold at your local German-American deli. Actually hot dogs at my local one are made fresh with no preservatives. They are a mix of pork and beef and are healthier than their cheaper counterparts or whatever are in those jarred ones.

 

[john7994]

Hot dogs are processed bits and pieces of animal that can’t be used for anything else, aren’t they?
But do you have British type sausages? Or black pudding? Haggis?
Carnivores may be disappointed if they order a Welsh ‘Glamorgan sausage’. Be warned.

Not entirely with all Hot Dogs, but the other uses for them may not be similarly palatable
No idea what a British Sausage is, without thinking of an off-color joke. The idea of a "black" pudding sounds like something served at Halloween, and Haggis speaks for itself
I am becoming more convinced that you are not a muggle

 

[Buzz Rules]

Not entirely with all Hot Dogs, but the other uses for them may not be similarly palatable
No idea what a British Sausage is, without thinking of an off-color joke. The idea of a "black" pudding sounds like something served at Halloween, and Haggis speaks for itself
I am becoming more convinced that you are not a muggle

I think black pudding is a blood sausage if I’m not mistaken.

 

[holden]

I have a question for the Brits. Is Mounted Games a popular sport there? Our DD15 plays but it’s not super popular here. Our MGAA (Mounted Games Across America) is volunteer run (mostly by the parents). It’s a ton of fun and they have competitions monthly from May-November.

Since the sport was inspired by Prince Philip, I was curious about its popularity in the UK.

 

[NotUrsula]

I think black pudding is a blood sausage if I’m not mistaken.

You're not mistaken. My mother grew up on an Irish farm, and she made it from scratch.

English sausages are ... I'm sorry, but really not very tasty. They are bland pork sausages that have a lot of cereal filler. (A legacy from the World Wars, when meat was scarce. The closest equivalent I can think of are Armour Brown n' Serve.) When I'm in the UK and in the mood for sausage, I try to buy a European variety at a proper butcher shop.

I suspect that the reason for putting hot dogs in a jar or can also has to do with shortages after WW2. The US sent a lot of meats, including hot dogs ("frankfurter" was kind of a dirty word at the time) over to Europe, but with no freezing capability on the cargo ships, they preserved them in a way that did not require that. I think that UK mfrs later just stuck with the same packaging because it had become familiar.
(BTW, here is an interesting photo essay on C.A.R.E. packages sent from the US after WW2. There is a lot of canned meat in the photos. https://www.theguardian.com/artandd...e-internationals-postwar-packages-in-pictures