S/O Cultural Differences

[Osmosis Mom]

Well there are all kinds of things I could name but one of the first things I noticed is

 

lack of hot water

 

None of the bathroom sinks have hot water (my dh had to learn shave with cold water)

 

The kitchen sinks do not have hot water (we have to wash dishes with cold water or heat it on the stove first)

 

The washing machine does not have hot water ( your clothes do net get as clean)

 

The showers have this little gadget that you have to turn on about 20 minutes BEFORE you shower if you want ANY hot water and even then, you better shower FAST! The good news is, it is so hot here that I don't even WANT a hot shower. :D

 

Same situation when we were in Japan. However, we had a small water heater for the kitchen sink. For the bath then we once had a tub that you kept full (half full) with water and then you'd hea thtis water. We had a small portable shower and pump that we stuck into this and thus had a hot shower. We later moved to an aprtment with regular bath, but I still think we had to heat the bath water. We also enver used hot water there and I used to heat water and dump it into the machine. Now here in the States I only use cold water for my laundry..

[Deb in NZ]

Growing up in the States the attitude I remember most is "bigger is better." Bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger everything. My mother asked for a toaster oven one year for Christmas & the one she received was big enough to bake a 9x11 cake. She wanted a wooden rack to air dry a few t-shirts & my dad bought her one...6ft x 4 ft!

 

When I first moved overseas in '90 to the Marshall Islands I had running water for 3 hours every other day. The pressure was so low that it would fill a garbage bin at a trickle. I would shower with a cup. And it wasn't hot water. We would boil water on the stove to wash dishes, but clothing was washed in cold water. Phones were luxuries & we didn't have one at home. I would use the phone at work if I wanted to call home.

 

We moved to Fiji in '94 & had the luxury of a house with 24 hour running water. We even had a small electric hot water heater (about 3 foot high). We would turn on the hot water heater for 30 minutes a day. Clothes were washed in a twintub washing machine & hung out to dry. We did have flush toilets on both islands. Fridges were a lot smaller than what I was used to. We shopped every couple of days & most meals were made from scratch as convienience foods were not available. We did have a home phone & 1 TV channel, but that was one more channel than we had in Majuro.

 

Moving to NZ meant more choice, but we choose to live simply. We choose not to use disposable products (but we DO use toilet paper :)) We recycle when possible, compost our veg. waste, & collect our other food waste (bones, etc.) & give it to my m-i-l for her dog. Our family of 5 produces the equivilant of a medium kitchen bag of rubbish a week (or 5-7 small plastic grocery bags). We wash our clothes in cold water. Our hot water is heated partly by a solar panel on the roof & in the winter our wood stove. This is important as during high power usage times the power companies can turn off all the hot water heaters in New Zealand to save on power. WE do have a dishwasher, but only because the house came with one. If dh had his way we wouldn't have one. We have a drier, but only use it to finish off drying clothes on really wet days. We choose not to have cable TV or xbox/nitendo/etc. Here in NZ we get 4 free channels on TV & find that is more than enough as we only have 1 old TV in the house. In contrast my parents have 100+ channels in their house with 5 TVs! I grew up being given "things," my dh & I have chosen to give our dc "experiences."

 

Blessings,

[Kate in Arabia]

Originally Posted by Heather in NC:

Well there are all kinds of things I could name but one of the first things I noticed is lack of hot water...

 

Originally Posted by Osmosis Mom:

Same situation when we were in Japan.

It was the same when I was living in Egypt. The bathroom had a small gas-powered water heater you had to light with a match when you wanted a shower. (The kitchen had nothing.) You had to be quick, and you had to contend with the possibility of your gas tank running out in the middle of your shower. I remember every morning the gas man shouting in the street, you had to grab him if you needed a refill.

 

I also didn't have a clothes washer; for most things it was ok, but washing towels and bed linens in the bathtub was quite a workout for the upper body, lol. It took me a while to get the hang of hanging up my laundry outside my 5th-floor windows as well -- I met nearly all the neighbors living underneath, since in the beginning I frequently had to go down and ask them to retrieve things that I had accidentally dropped that got caught on their lines.

 

Great way to learn a foreign language, though, having to deal with the utilities and the neighbors!

[stripe]

And I think that Americans genuinely can't conceive of most of this, especially that even in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and most of Europe, people don't live just like us. (Try to find an American hotel that doesn't have an attached bath -- common elsewhere in the world.) It makes it hard, I think, for us to understand how other people live, that many people don't have a toilet or running water, much less an easy way to cook and store food, or the money to buy it.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I imagine that some of the things mentioned are not the case any longer or applied lots of places 25 years ago. (I certainly had few electronics and no airbags or air conditioning 25 years ago.)

 

But I did find there was a better general food culture in Europe than what I was used to in the US. By this I mean that people cooked more at home. Convience food was available but you had a definite mark up (this was about 3 years ago). So something like a just add meat bag of veggies and sauce wasn't available or was expensive. But I could by pasta, condensed sauce and fresh bread at great prices. In fact the bread was incredible.

 

And I loved the metal roller shades that many buildings had. You could do a lot to control the temp in the house by selectively closing and opening them. The houses used a lot of cement block and pored cement, so if they would hold cool temps in the summer or warm temps in the winter.

 

I always wondered by the roller shades (Rolladen in German) weren't more popular in the US. I thought they would be great in areas with hurricanes.

[keptwoman]

And I think that Americans genuinely can't conceive of most of this, especially that even in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and most of Europe, people don't live just like us. (Try to find an American hotel that doesn't have an attached bath -- common elsewhere in the world.) It makes it hard, I think, for us to understand how other people live, that many people don't have a toilet or running water, much less an easy way to cook and store food, or the money to buy it.

I wouldn't go quite that far. I'd say that Australia and New Zealand and most of Europe does indeed have hotels with attached baths. As well as hot running water, convenience appliances etc.

 

From our recent visit to the US, I'd say our lives and homes are very similar, but our attitudes to consumption are different.

 

Sebastian, a lot of people here have the roller blinds too, it allows you to keep the heat from a home without resorting to air conditioning, which has an environmental price, particularly here where much of the power is gained by burning coal :thumbdown:

[stripe]

I wouldn't go quite that far. I'd say that Australia and New Zealand and most of Europe does indeed have hotels with attached baths. As well as hot running water, convenience appliances etc.

 

I didn't say NO Europeans hotels had attached baths. I said

(Try to find an American hotel that doesn't have an attached bath -- common elsewhere in the world.)

In other words, one can find them elsewhere but not here.

 

I know people in Australia who have had rain collecting barrels on their roofs for 15+ years. It's the new trendy thing here. We don't "do" much water rationing here, and when it comes, it's rarely very extreme, although it can happen.

[keptwoman]

Well we stayed at the Y in NY which doesn't have attached baths :) I think you do have them in the US in B&Bs and the like. But most people stay at chains which are very homogenous. I'd say in NZ and Australia they would be as rare as in the US, Europe though they are more common I believe.

 

Actually, really, does the fact that Europeans are willing to stay at a hotel without a private bath say the most. It's that whole "have it all" (or not) thing again.

 

Yes, the rain thing is through necessity. Although having said that, 10 years ago in Melbourne it was illegal to collect rainwater, which borders on the ludicrous given the current situation. Nowadays, if we want to water our garden we have to have water tanks. I guess if you don't have a water shortage, there is no need to conserve. Certainly we made the most of long showers while we were travelling in the US!! Here a 4 minute shower is the norm.

Edited October 26, 2009 by keptwoman

[Deb in NZ]

My m-i-l has her washing machine water collected in a tank & uses that to water her garden. Her motto is "waste not, want not." By living simply, she has been able to travel around the world, even though her only income is a gov't pension (like social security).

[keptwoman]

Deb we water the garden with the washing machine water too :) It's not at all common in NZ though is it.

And you know the craziest thing; our water bill in Auckland was much higher per cubic whatever than it is in Melbourne. You'd think they'd charge a bit more here when it's so precious!

Edited October 26, 2009 by keptwoman

[Deb in NZ]

It's common among the older, retired NZers I know & those out in rural areas, but not those who live in town. Water is expensive. Dh blows a fuse everytime the water bill comes. He's threatened to put a 5 minute timer on the showers when we do the renovations :glare: I'm just glad that we have 24 hour water, not like when we lived in the Pacific Islands. You really learn to appreciate things when you don't have them. ;)

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Yes!

 

We've just come back from holiday there and I couldn't get over the disposable EVERYTHING. A friend that we stayed with was greener than most and still her garbage amount was quite something to behold.

 

It's a very strong consumer culture. Much more so than here. Both in goods, and in energy: power and gas. Those huge cars!!

 

Dryers are not generally used, even when it's cold and damp a lot. We don't own one because they are bad for the environment. I can however understand that if it snows for part of the year, you need something to dry your clothes! We don't get snow.

 

I found Los Angeles freeways dirty, litter all along the road, blech!

 

People use sprinklers for their lawns there, our lawn is dead all summer. Oh the luxury of no water restrictions! I'd have the BEST vege garden!!

 

You know, after 8 years here I start to wonder .. am I remembering correctly? .. because the culture starts to wear on you and you do get numbed to a bit so I'm so thankful to have my memory validated by someone else who knows what I'm talking about. :lol:

[Kate in Arabia]

I'm just glad that we have 24 hour water, not like when we lived in the Pacific Islands.

The city where I'm living runs the water main in the mornings only, we have huge water storage tanks on our property that fill up each morning and that's all the water we get for the day. I've never checked, but I can't imagine that we would ever use all the water that we store in one day, we've never "run out". Oh, and we don't drink the tap water, if that makes a difference.

 

I remember when I stayed with a host family in Austria, the size of their fridge was like the little dorm one I had at univ; they had a cellar where they kept their fruits/veg, and cool drinks, the fridge just held dairy products in the main and a few other items. Also their daily amount of garbage to be taken out was the size of maybe a gallon-size ziplock bag? They recycled nearly everything, all that was left was this tiny (to me) amount.

[Anne Rittenhouse]

No air conditioning, very small refrigerator, and most locals deem a dryer to be too expensive to operate. They wash, line dry, and iron. I do have a dryer because we have pollen allergies...it is very expensive and electric and I end up ironing everything! Our kitchen does have a dishwasher because the landlord wants the property to appeal to the expat population....therefore higher rent. I'd rather had another plain cupboard for storage.

 

I must plan ahead for nearly all shops are closed on Sunday and all church holidays. (If your not Catholic...you learn quickly what those Church holy days are because nothing is open.) The small refrig limits the amount of fresh food. There are few convient foods, everything is made from scratch. (The original "Julia Child's cookbooks are my friends.) There are very few imported foods available outside the expat communities because there exists a food snobbery against anything deemed "immigrant".

 

Shower stalls are so narrow you can't bend down to shave your legs....hence the "European" look.

Utilities are super expensive...short showers, cool water....and a lower setting on the thermostat are a must.

Given the expense of gas and electric...you would think programmable set-back thermostats for the heating systems would be standard and inexpensive....no way! You'd think they were made of solid gold. So people deal with a lower temp all the time or use their fireplaces to supplement the heating. This make airpollution in the city hazardous for folks with breathing difficulties. I now wear long underwear everyday. My underthings have taken on the look of the past century. ;)

 

Locals won't pay a dime for gas and electricity, but pay huge bills for mobil phone and digital TV service. WiFi is everywhere. You won't get far by chosing not to pay for mobil, digital, and Wifi. This expense is standard, expensive and apparently more important than heating and lighting.

 

Toothpaste and dental floss are comparitively expensive here. Some are just not available. An electric toothbrush can cost hundreds of Euros. Some brands are available only behind the counter at the pharmacy. Imagine having to ask for Sensodyne toothpaste each and every time. Oh and it is 10Euros for 4oz. Standard toothpaste flavor is licorice, not mint. Mint is the "new" flavor. If the tube does not have "NEW FRESH MINT" all over the box, assume it is licorice.

 

The most shocking....the racism....like you haven't seen since before the civil rights movement. A favorite Christmas icon is the black-faced elf that is Santa's side kick, delivering switches for a naughty child's beating. This character is exhalted and everywhere.

 

so there's my rant on culture shock.

[specialmama]

My hubby and his family are from Greece. They brought me for a month last year and I had a bit of cultureshock. Some of the biggies:

 

• many washrooms in hotels and in family member's homes had a shower head in a very small powder room. :confused: You had to shower in the powder room! Shared floor, drain in the middle. You had to hide the toilet paper and everything in there because it ALL got wet. I hated having to dry everything afterward, for fear of someone slipping.
  
• Ditto on the no paper products down the toilet. It's beyond embarassing when Aunt Flo visits, and you go to the toilet without a little bag.
  
• The country with the largest population of smokers: Greece. Practically everyone over the age of 12 smokes in Greece, and they smoke everywhere. Here in Canada, it's against the law to smoke in a public building. Only outside in designated areas. In Greece, you could see the cook preparing your food with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The bank tellers are all smoking, even the doctors in the clinics are doing examinations while smoking. It's so weird to see!
  
• Saturday night life! Oy! Those Greeks stay up till 6, 7 or 8 am every flippin' Saturday night! They go to the restaurants at 10pm and eat till 1, then go club hopping or to a friend's house. It's crazy! I know there are party-goers in all countries, but this is the whole population. Kids are up till 3 or 4! We're talking normal, respectable people who don't sleep on Saturday night! Can you tell I'm still reeling? :lol:
  
• Prostitutes. Yup. Saw several, just openly flaunting the wares. Was not in a seedy area, was not night. Just walking with a jon through the market around lunch time.
  

Heeey, are we supposed to be talking about conserving/saving/reducing/reusing? I think I blabbed on about... um... not that :lol: It's late, nuh-night!

 

ETA: okay okay, so it was late and I strayed off topic. Please forgive me. But as I lay in bed thinking about it, the thought came to mind that perhaps those prostitutes were open for business during non-peak hours, doing half price matinees and conserving lighting? LMBO!!!

Edited October 26, 2009 by specialmama

[Melissa in Australia]

 

Sebastian, a lot of people here have the roller blinds too, it allows you to keep the heat from a home without resorting to air conditioning, which has an environmental price, particularly here where much of the power is gained by burning coal :thumbdown:

 

I personally would rather have coal generated electricity instead of nuclear.

[keptwoman]

I personally would rather have coal generated electricity instead of nuclear.

Oh me too! But I'd prefer wind or wave or hydro more. We pay more to have "green" energy but really in the end it all comes from the same finite pool of power available. I do it because I figure people doing it shows the govt that people actually care about it.

[Heather in Neverland]

No air conditioning, very small refrigerator, and most locals deem a dryer to be too expensive to operate. They wash, line dry, and iron. I do have a dryer because we have pollen allergies...it is very expensive and electric and I end up ironing everything! Our kitchen does have a dishwasher because the landlord wants the property to appeal to the expat population....therefore higher rent. I'd rather had another plain cupboard for storage.

 

I must plan ahead for nearly all shops are closed on Sunday and all church holidays. (If your not Catholic...you learn quickly what those Church holy days are because nothing is open.) The small refrig limits the amount of fresh food. There are few convient foods, everything is made from scratch. (The original "Julia Child's cookbooks are my friends.) There are very few imported foods available outside the expat communities because there exists a food snobbery against anything deemed "immigrant".

 

Shower stalls are so narrow you can't bend down to shave your legs....hence the "European" look.

Utilities are super expensive...short showers, cool water....and a lower setting on the thermostat are a must.

Given the expense of gas and electric...you would think programmable set-back thermostats for the heating systems would be standard and inexpensive....no way! You'd think they were made of solid gold. So people deal with a lower temp all the time or use their fireplaces to supplement the heating. This make airpollution in the city hazardous for folks with breathing difficulties. I now wear long underwear everyday. My underthings have taken on the look of the past century. ;)

 

Locals won't pay a dime for gas and electricity, but pay huge bills for mobil phone and digital TV service. WiFi is everywhere. You won't get far by chosing not to pay for mobil, digital, and Wifi. This expense is standard, expensive and apparently more important than heating and lighting.

 

Toothpaste and dental floss are comparitively expensive here. Some are just not available. An electric toothbrush can cost hundreds of Euros. Some brands are available only behind the counter at the pharmacy. Imagine having to ask for Sensodyne toothpaste each and every time. Oh and it is 10Euros for 4oz. Standard toothpaste flavor is licorice, not mint. Mint is the "new" flavor. If the tube does not have "NEW FRESH MINT" all over the box, assume it is licorice.

 

The most shocking....the racism....like you haven't seen since before the civil rights movement. A favorite Christmas icon is the black-faced elf that is Santa's side kick, delivering switches for a naughty child's beating. This character is exhalted and everywhere.

 

so there's my rant on culture shock.

 

Remind me again what country you are in?

[keptwoman]

I thought of something else! Your food comes in massive servings! I have a very healthy appetite and usually clear my plate and I was defeated more than once in the US. And heaps of high fat and high sugar foods. Even your bread is super sweet.

 

I did love Whole Foods though, oh I love Whole Foods, I miss Whole Foods, Whole Foods is my favourite supermarket in the whole wide world (Getting the picture LOL).

And edamame, we don't have those and dayum they are yummy. I'm growing some in my garden this year because I've never ever seen them at the shops.

 

Oh, and we put our shopping trolleys back :rofl: We want our buck back!

[Laura Corin]

 

Shower stalls are so narrow you can't bend down to shave your legs....hence the "European" look.

 

 

When I used to shave I found a way.

 

Laura

[LauraGB]

.

Anne, where are you located?

[LauraGB]

Heeey, are we supposed to be talking about conserving/saving/reducing/reusing?

Not really an set subject! I, for one, am interested in all of it. Thanks for sharing - I would really not have guessed most of that about Greece.

Edited October 26, 2009 by LauraGB

[LaxMom]

It took me 6. :lol: That's so funny. I thought it was just me!

 

 

Major difference I noticed was the assumed right to create as much waste as necessary in the name of convenience and to suggest otherwise was almost a carnal sin so I would be looking at ppl like "what on earth is wrong with you!?" and they would be looking at me like "what on earth is wrong with you!?".

 

I grew up being taught to conserve, to think of the environment - it's in public school, it's on the television - consider the waterways, pick up trash, recycle, take the bus, ride a bike, turn off the water when you brush your teeth .. on and on and on and on from birth ..

 

.. and then I arrive in America and about die of horror. :svengo:

 

ETA. maybe I should be more specific and say I arrived in Texas. :confused:

I was born and raised here and am shocked, daily, by the waste and consumerism. We have a single outdoor trash can, usually with 1 1/2 full bags in it (only then because I grab the kitchen bag and put it out on trash day, unless it's completely empty). Our neighbors are putting out 3, 4, 5(!!) 50 gallon cans, overflowing, and their families are smaller than ours. I cannot imagine how you could produce that much rubbish, even if you tried.

 

I am shocked by the weird obsession with cleanliness - too frequent bathing, too frequent laundering, the amazing amount of cleaners "necessary" in the standard American home. Where on earth did THAT come from?

 

I use my clothes dryer about 3-4 months out of the year, when it's freezing or during extended periods of rain. Our house is 150 years old and, bless those Victorians, they had an uncanny sense of ventilation, so we rarely need to use the "swamp coolers".

 

Maybe I was Australian in a previous life. :D

 

(Oh, and on the dishwasher: we didn't have one for the first five or six years we lived in this house until my husband, inundating me with research, convinced me that the new dishwashers use only about 1/3 - 1/2 of the water as hand washing to clean the same amount of dishes. So now we have one. And I use it. :D)

[katemary63]

I grew up being taught to conserve, to think of the environment - it's in public school, it's on the television - consider the waterways, pick up trash, recycle, take the bus, ride a bike, turn off the water when you brush your teeth .. on and on and on and on from birth ..

 

.. and then I arrive in America and about die of horror. :svengo:

 

ETA. maybe I should be more specific and say I arrived in Texas. :confused:

 

Well, I grew up this way too. We were educated to conserve and not to litter. I would never throw so much as a gum wrapper on the ground. We recycle when we can. We try to be frugal. I was raised in Illinois and Wisconsin. Now I live in Arkansas. Littering is a way of life here. I don't get it. It's just so selfish.

[katemary63]

A lot of people wash up rather than using the dishwasher, and quite a few people don't have a dishwasher. Our house had one when we bought it but we got rid of it pretty quickly. Water conservation is big here

 

Apparently, a lot of people don't realize this as I've seen evidence in conversations on the boards several times, but...dishwashers are MORE eco-friendly then hand washing, using less water and less electricity, especially if you don't use the dry cycle. There have been several studies. So, use your dishwasher guilt free, just fill it up each time and your good!

[hillfarm]

Sometimes I feel like we are living in the American past. We have a well and a water cistern. We heat only with firewood, we have no furnace. Cell phone signal does not reach our home (nor for about 25 miles around). I don't have a dishwasher or sink disposal. We do not have cable or satellite television. We do not have air conditioning. We are still fully functional if the power or county utilities go out. We are about 40 miles from the nearest hotel and 35 from the nearest fast food.

 

OTOH, we do have 3 vehicles: a decent car, a junker that dh drives daily to work (35 miles each way, no option of public transport or ride-sharing), and a farm truck for hauling firewood, hay, etc. And I do have a washer and dryer. I use the dryer sporadically when the weather is bad outside or when we have guests coming and I can't leave the indoor drying rack in place. We also have a full size refrigerator and also a large chest-type deep freezer. I try to keep a very well stocked pantry. With the fruits and vegetables I can each summer and the meat which is butchered each fall/winter, I usually have several months to a year's supply. I do go to the store each week for milk and any other odds and ends we need. (Which is part of my weekly run to the bank, post office, hardware store, feed store, and any other miscellaneous supplies we need.)

 

There are several homes in my area that do not have phone, county water access, or electricity. So I consider myself to be quite lucky.

 

Believe me, I feel culture shock going to the larger cities just as many international visitors do!

[Jane in NC]

Apparently, a lot of people don't realize this as I've seen evidence in conversations on the boards several times, but...dishwashers are MORE eco-friendly then hand washing, using less water and less electricity, especially if you don't use the dry cycle. There have been several studies. So, use your dishwasher guilt free, just fill it up each time and your good!

 

Interestingly, I once researched this question. It turned out that for most Americans a dishwasher uses less water. But apparently methods of dishwashing by hand are more conservative in other countries. In some places, people who wash dishes by hand use less water.

 

Could it be that most Americans typically fill a sink and then let the water flow for rinsing in a second sink? My sister-in-law who was in the Peace Corps in Africa a number of years ago can wash a sink full of dishes with minimal water.

 

I decided that, for a typical American, a dishwasher was the more efficient choice which is what American research states. Of course, not everyone is "typical"--some may find hand washing to be more efficient. Research on consumption in other countries can be quite interesting--and eye opening--to read.

[kewb]

Not really a cultural difference, just a convenience issue, really. The showers in the UK stink. I lived in Cambridge, London, and Edinbourgh and couldn't find decent water pressure for a shower to save my life.

 

Also, Sandwiches. Couldn't find a decent deli style sandwich in all of the U.K. and Europe. They just don't do the big, multi-layer sandwiches that many NY'ers live on for lunch. One of the first places I visited after returning was the Carnagie Deli. http://www.carnegiedeli.com/

 

When I did a semester in London back in college the first thing I said to my parents was "I can't wait to take a shower and lets stop at the deli on the way home!" Although, we went to Katz's (http://www.katzdeli.com/presentation.html) instead of Carnegie.

[K-FL]

My m-i-l has her washing machine water collected in a tank & uses that to water her garden. (like social security).

 

We used to do that but it is illegal here due to polluting the ground water & run-off into the ocean (I live on a 2x4mile island.)

 

It's funny that many of the conservation things that have been brought up are common to folks who live on boats "on the hook." They have to tote all their water in jugs by dingy unless they do regular marina trips to fill their tanks. BUT the environmentalist here want to move them out due to perceived dumping, etc. The beach-water quality folks here say that birds are the #1 water polluter, not humans. Most live-a-boards are very contentious, I'd guess, since the water is their yard.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Apparently, a lot of people don't realize this as I've seen evidence in conversations on the boards several times, but...dishwashers are MORE eco-friendly then hand washing, using less water and less electricity, especially if you don't use the dry cycle. There have been several studies. So, use your dishwasher guilt free, just fill it up each time and your good!

 

The newer ones may but mine does not. I've noted the substantial difference in my power bill during the months I hand wash dishes over using the dishwasher. Also, I can wash dishes with very little water because I learned from necessity at one point.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

I thought of something else! Your food comes in massive servings! I have a very healthy appetite and usually clear my plate and I was defeated more than once in the US.

 

 

 

You reminded me ... I was taken to The Outback resturant not long after moving here. What a gimmick ... anyway ... the first thing I noted upon receiving food was that there was so much of it - on a huge plate - with over sized utensils. :lol:

[Jean in Newcastle]

Related to dishwashing - my Filipino MIL washes her dishes with a stone. I do not understand how it works although I have asked. Perhaps it is a special stone? (She has good English but even then we have some communication problems at times because she doesn't know all the right words in English and I don't know much Tagalog.)

[Laura Corin]

 

Could it be that most Americans typically fill a sink and then let the water flow for rinsing in a second sink?

 

 

When I wash dishes by hand, I fill one basin with soapy water and wash the dishes, stacking them nearby (or in a second sink, if I have one) until I have finished. Then I put the soapy dishes into the sink and run water over them all together, which is very quick and doesn't use much water.

 

Laura

[keptwoman]

I have lived without a dishwasher when we have rented houses without, but goodness I hate not having one! I'm a confirmed dishwasher fan!!

[IsabelC]

Apparently, a lot of people don't realize this as I've seen evidence in conversations on the boards several times, but...dishwashers are MORE eco-friendly then hand washing, using less water and less electricity, especially if you don't use the dry cycle. There have been several studies. So, use your dishwasher guilt free, just fill it up each time and your good!

I dunno about that. I have this suspicion that these studies might be funded by manufacturers of dishwashers, you know like the disposable diaper ones. Even assuming the studies are kosher, they would probably be assuming that you load the dw, run it and unload it. Whereas many people I know of either run it half full, or only half empty it and then put more dirty stuff in so half the things get washed twice. Also, I don't know whether this is just one weird person I know, or the norm, but this particular person seems to hand wash at least half of her things before putting them in the dw, so you wouldn't be getting a water saving there.

[Peela]

I am Australian and I have been to the U.S. twice. Once when I was 7, and once when I was 13 :)

I dont remember much about the visit when I was 7, except that my cousin wouldn't share her shiny climbing thing in the back yard. I also remember sliding down staircases on a pillow with my brother. In Australia, two story houses were much rarer than in Britain or the U.S., and we had never been in one before.

 

At the visit when I was 13 I remember being surprised at how the news stations only told about local news. They didn't give you any international news, wheras in Australia you always got/get world news. I think that has probably changed nowadays but it really struck me then.

 

Another thing I remember is that KFC had chips back in 1980 wheras Australian KFC didn't :) It was a big deal to me! The U.S. has a lot more variety in fast food joints too- I wished they had Taco Bell in Australia!

 

 

I think Australia has most of the trends that the U.S. has- over consumption, obesity, over dependence on oil...just on a smaller and lesser scale.

[keptwoman]

At the visit when I was 13 I remember being surprised at how the news stations only told about local news. They didn't give you any international news, wheras in Australia you always got/get world news. I think that has probably changed nowadays but it really struck me then.

I noticed that the first time I travelled to the US too and I've certainly noticed it with the AFS girls we have had living with us. They are very ignorant of things outside the US. Then there is the time I told a whole US message board that NZ was a dictatorship; I was expecting them to call me on it but they believed me :lol:

 

The funny thing though is that I notice the same about Australia in comparison to New Zealand. It's not as bad as the US but there is definitely a tendancy here in Victoria to focus on what is happening here. Having said that I've since learn that it very much depends on what channels news you watch! ABC and SBS are far better than the rest.

[IsabelC]

I noticed that the first time I travelled to the US too and I've certainly noticed it with the AFS girls we have had living with us. They are very ignorant of things outside the US. Then there is the time I told a whole US message board that NZ was a dictatorship; I was expecting them to call me on it but they believed me :lol:

 

The funny thing though is that I notice the same about Australia in comparison to New Zealand. It's not as bad as the US but there is definitely a tendancy here in Victoria to focus on what is happening here. Having said that I've since learn that it very much depends on what channels news you watch! ABC and SBS are far better than the rest.

 

Where's New Zealand again? Oh, is it those cute little islands over there? I thought they were part of Tasmania! :D

[Rosie_0801]

There is definitely a tendancy here in Victoria to focus on what is happening here. Having said that I've since learn that it very much depends on what channels news you watch! ABC and SBS are far better than the rest.

Aren't they? I can't handle what passes for news on the other channels.

 

Where's New Zealand again? Oh, is it those cute little islands over there? I thought they were part of Tasmania! :D

 

:smilielol5:

 

Rosie- directing the above emoticon at Keptwoman ;)

[keptwoman]

Where's New Zealand again? Oh, is it those cute little islands over there? I thought they were part of Tasmania! :D

They are! And just a 20 min helicopter journey from Sydney ;) NZ and Tasmania all one under the Great Ruler. I'm just so thrilled that when he dies (although it hurts to speak of the death of the Great Ruler) his son is of an age now to take over... phew

I don't understand all this talk of democracy. Dictatorship just seems the sensible way to run a place. :D

[justamouse]

Deb we water the garden with the washing machine water too :)

 

I would love to do this but here in New Jersey it's highly illegal to run your greywater anywhere else but the septic.

[Rosie_0801]

They are! And just a 20 min helicopter journey from Sydney ;) NZ and Tasmania all one under the Great Ruler. I'm just so thrilled that when he dies (although it hurts to speak of the death of the Great Ruler) his son is of an age now to take over... phew

I don't understand all this talk of democracy. Dictatorship just seems the sensible way to run a place. :D

 

How weird. I thought Tasmania was part of our great Kingdom of Lochac, currently ruled by King Gabriel and his gracious queen, Constanzia. The chances of our next king and queen being from New Zealand is high, so I suggest you re-think your politics. Our way, you can have a new couple in the top job every 6 months, which means you don't get the attachment issues you describe above; and they are far better dressed than any modern dictator. See? http://www.sca.org.au/royal/15thCrown/index.shtml I bet you can't even provide a picture of your dictator. He probably doesn't even exist! The positive of a dictatorship, of course, is you don't have to take time to go down and vote one Saturday every three years. Well, under our model, you won't have to give up that Saturday. Or you might even find you want to, since the system for choosing our rulers is to have those willing to take the top job take turns in beating each other with sticks. Whoever wins then gets a shiny crown to wear so everyone knows they are the King and Queen. Cool huh?

 

Oh dear. Midweek Madness has struck the southern hemisphere.

Edited October 28, 2009 by Rosie_0801

[IsabelC]

:lol::lol::lol:

[In The Great White North]

Major difference I noticed was the assumed right to create as much waste as necessary in the name of convenience

 

I'm surprised at how many people say they create more waste in the US than Europe. When we're in Switzerland and Germany, everything comes in such small packages that we end up with 5 times as much waste (from grocery packaging) as we do at home. Nothing is available in bulk and very little came in recyclable containers, even when we went to the "big" grocery store.

 

Showers were definitely a problem - my first two apartments in Germany didn't even have one. Some of our friends have dryers, some don't. Only one has a dishwasher. They all have cars, though they don't schlep the kids around at all. The kids weren't riding on the street most of the time either, there were bike paths everywhere (and of course, buses).

[Snickerdoodle]

I'm surprised at how many people say they create more waste in the US than Europe. When we're in Switzerland and Germany, everything comes in such small packages that we end up with 5 times as much waste (from grocery packaging) as we do at home. Nothing is available in bulk and very little came in recyclable containers, even when we went to the "big" grocery store.

 

 

And every fruit and vegetable is wrapped in a huge plastic tub with cellophane. Even the cukes are individually wrapped in plastic.