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Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish too for that matter)


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Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish too ... - 2/21/2017 5:00:11 PM   
jlf1961


Posts: 14840
Joined: 6/10/2008
From: Somewhere Texas
Status: offline 		I have been fortunate to have spent some time on those two lovely isles (for some reason it rained 14 out of the 16 days I was there on one trip) and found the country lanes to be relaxing, the old houses and classic home design to be a welcome change from the cookie cutter homes so prevalent here in the states.

However, there were some things I noticed that made me scratch my head in pure confusion.

So, for the sake of my personal education, there are some things I wanted to ask.

1) Great Britain is famous for their Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles. While I am no longer sure if the same standards applies since they were both bought by a German firm, I still have to say they are as close to a work of art that a car can be.

However, those country lanes begs a question.

How in the hell do you people manage to drive a car that is about a half meter longer than the average American land yacht on those freaking narrow roads?

Seriously, I rented a small car for my stay and I found some of those narrow lanes lined with rock walls to be challenging. I noticed a few of those extremely long cars parked in places that I could not imagine how they arrived at those locations without being dropped by a helicopter.

2) I also enjoyed staying at a few of your quaint country inns. however I do believe those places were built for people who may be, shall we say, vertically challenged.

My question.

Why in the hell do you have doorways that are clearly meant for people under 5'6 tall opening into halls that have ceilings that are a good 7 feet above the floor?

Do you folks get some enjoyment out of 6' tall people giving themselves concussions because the forgot to duck?

3) During one stay, I was invited to a hunting party. I was given the use of an over and under shotgun.

Now, how in the hell can you call it a hunting party when you basically stand in one spot and a bunch of guys start walking through the fields and brush scaring the crap out of the birds?

Hunting implies that you go and search for your quarry.

4) Loo, or Bog.

Its a freaking bathroom, rest room etc. where in the hell do those two names come from? Well, I have a clue as to the bog, considering the outhouse type settings prior to indoor plumbing, but a 'loo?'

5) Names of Pubs, and drink orders.

Seriously, The Red Lion? When the hell was there lions in the UK? Or the 'Old Green Tree' were two of those I visited, and only because I was told that they were famous and should be a part of any fan of British alcoholic beverages.

Then there was one, "The Lambs Crossing" and in one little village, a place called "The Vicar's Rest."

What he hell is a Vicar?

Then there is the famous pint. You people are on the metric system, so why is some things still measured in pints?

What the hell is a 'snifter?'

Finally, what the hell is the problem with ordering a whisky with ice? Jeez in one place you would have thought I had just shot the Queen or something.

Sorry but with the exception of some good Blue Ridge home made sippin whiskey, Americans tend to put ice in everything.

And finally, I am sorry, but 'spotted dick' still sounds like a freaking sexually transmitted disease.

6) Okay, in the states, many restaurants have lunch and dinner menus. However in a few places I noticed different menus for various 'teas.' What the hell is a high tea anyway, tea laced with a narcotic?

Personally, there were times when I was quite positive I was being punished for being the descendant of a couple of men who left England and Ireland due to the simple fact that they may have taken part in activities that might have pissed off the sovereign at the time.

My reasoning is that some of the things that were served in lieu of bread were so bland I had to wonder if they were just flour and water, like something you would feed a condemned man.

7) Finally, why do some of you folks still insist on calling the United States 'the Colonies?' and for the record, Texas was not ever one of the British colonies, so referring to me as a colonial was a bit insulting. As for the constant 'Yank' I have one minor suggestion, start a mandatory class in your schools explaining the difference between a Yank, a Reb or Rebel, and a Texan.

Then you would understand why some Americans find the term an insult.

8) Part of my reason for one visit was to take a tour of East Anglia. I had a grandfather as well as a great uncle who flew bombers in the 8th Air Force. I was not surprised that all of the bases were not marked, but equally surprised that there were more of the paved areas that still remained, and a few of the old towers.

It was strange to see cows grazing where Liberators and Forts took off for missions over Europe.

I would have thought most of that would have been destroyed. Its not like those runways were built to last a thousand years.

I am surprised to still see them on google earth.

So, why keep the old USAAF bases around? You folks expecting us back or something?

_____________________________

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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/21/2017 6:15:55 PM   
Dvr22999874


Posts: 2849
Joined: 9/11/2008
Status: offline 		Oh boy, have you opened a can of worms there Jeff !!!

I'll try and explain a few of them, point by point, even though yes, they are basically unexplainable to somebody who wasn't dragged up in one of the crappiest towns in the world ( Luton) and the East End of London................a town which originated the expression 'As mad as a hatter' because it was the centre of the hat making industry back in the dim and distant. The water table there is still polluted with the mercury that was used in that industry. Anyways ....

1/ I dunno..............got me baffled too. Maybe the bloody things fly like that DeLorean in Back to the Future 2 ?

2 The low doorways were firstly to strengthen the walls somehow ( I'm a chef, NOT a builder, so don't ask !!) and secondly to keep as much warmth as possible inside the place because the heating in the days when they were built was shite. And yes, the Brits are sadists as well as masochists and enjoy tall people trying to become a part of the doorway, closely followed by a visit to the floor and the local hospital. then the floor.

3/ Hunting in England takes two forms...........'the yearly massacre' and the fox-hunt............'The unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible. Both again proof that the Brits are sadists and enjoy killing things.

4/ Loo is from the French l'eau. When the houses overhung the streets in Old London, the maids used to empty the contents of the night's chamber pot out of the window into the street below. The would shout "Gardez L'eau" either just before , or a little after they threw it, thus warning pedestrians below what was coming, ( or not if they had that English sense of fun). Maybe it's somehow derived from that, I really don't know.

5/ Many pubs were named after local events, local gentry or other semi-famous people or particularly after the coats of arms on different sides of the Brit Civil War.............Hence pubs like The Swan, The Swan and Crown, The Brown Bear, The Royal Standard of England ( only pub of it's name and right at the end of one of your favourite lanes about 5 kms long !!), The kings head and various other peoples heads etc. I'm sure you get the idea.
A vicar is vaguely what you Texans would call a parson I think. And oh boy, have I met some vague ones !!!
The pint is because Brits don't like all those 'furrin' ways and they don't really like the idea of being dragged into the 20th, let alone the 21st, century.
I think 'snifter' was either RAF or Army slang from way back when. I have no idea why..........it may be derived from some obscure Indian word like 'sofa' or something like that.
Spotted Dick was invented as a belly-filler and was invented by merchant navy cooks when they were known as 'Belly-Robbers' . I think they invented it as a joke ( Like the scots did the bagpipes) but nobody has found out what the punchline is yet.

6/ Apart from explaining the bread i9s bland because bakers aren't taught to make it in their apprenticeships any more. It's all done by machine mostly, I can't tell you any other reasons why it has the consistency of pound cake and the flavour of dry-wall.
The Brits all have long memories. I was once approached by some drunk in a Glasgow pub ( Unusual I know) and he said in a loud voice "Ye're a sassenach aren't ye ? D'ye remember the rebellion of '67 ?" . I admitted I didn't and I cudgelled my brain to think of what had happened in 1967. It wasn't until he stumbled away that the landlord clarified that he meant 1767.But no, I still didn't remember it.

7/ Like I said, a lot of Brits still live in the past and they still regard America as a wayward colony that will return to the british fold someday. With Trump there, who knows what may happen ? But as far as they are concerned, All Americans from Alaska to Texas are yanks. They don't differentiate. Most have no idea how bloody big either America or Australia are. ( we have had deaths of tourists here as they tried to walk across that big beach they call The Simpson Desert.)

8/ A lot of the old airfields are still used by flying clubs and car enthusiasts to test speeds etc ( as well as people and drug smugglers) but why they haven't been converted back to usable farmland, I have no idea . If you DO ever go back there with the Forts and Libs though, be sure and give me a shout. I will be there with bells on to see them come in and I'll be the one waving the Bonnie Blue Flag as the first one touches that runway !!!

I hope I managed to explain some of the weirdnesses that are Britain and the Brits. Try Australia sometime; it is built on weirdness !!!

(in reply to jlf1961)
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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/21/2017 6:55:54 PM   
freedomdwarf1


Posts: 6845
Joined: 10/23/2012
Status: offline 		I'll try to answer some of those for you Jeff.
I haven't looked up or researched anything, this is straight off the top of my head....

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

I have been fortunate to have spent some time on those two lovely isles (for some reason it rained 14 out of the 16 days I was there on one trip) and found the country lanes to be relaxing, the old houses and classic home design to be a welcome change from the cookie cutter homes so prevalent here in the states.

However, there were some things I noticed that made me scratch my head in pure confusion.

So, for the sake of my personal education, there are some things I wanted to ask.

1) Great Britain is famous for their Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles. While I am no longer sure if the same standards applies since they were both bought by a German firm, I still have to say they are as close to a work of art that a car can be.

However, those country lanes begs a question.

How in the hell do you people manage to drive a car that is about a half meter longer than the average American land yacht on those freaking narrow roads?

Seriously, I rented a small car for my stay and I found some of those narrow lanes lined with rock walls to be challenging. I noticed a few of those extremely long cars parked in places that I could not imagine how they arrived at those locations without being dropped by a helicopter.

We are used to things being "compact".
And our driving test is waay waay more sophisticated and involved than what I've witnessed in the US.
So, in essence, our drivers (generally) are taught better to handle cramped conditions; narrow roads, tight corners, tiny parking spots etc.
While I lived in the US, I thought the standard of driving was attrocious to be honest.

Also, it depends what you call a 'small' car.

ETA:As for Bentley and Rolls Royce, I do believe they still employ hand-picked craftsmen to build their cars and a lot is still done by hand to the highest standard.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961
2) I also enjoyed staying at a few of your quaint country inns. however I do believe those places were built for people who may be, shall we say, vertically challenged.

My question.

Why in the hell do you have doorways that are clearly meant for people under 5'6 tall opening into halls that have ceilings that are a good 7 feet above the floor?

Do you folks get some enjoyment out of 6' tall people giving themselves concussions because the forgot to duck?

The average Anglo Saxon and Celt that lived here eons ago were much shorter than today's average person.
I think the average was less than 5ft tall.
So a 5ft6" doorway was more than adequate for the average citizen here.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961
3) During one stay, I was invited to a hunting party. I was given the use of an over and under shotgun.

Now, how in the hell can you call it a hunting party when you basically stand in one spot and a bunch of guys start walking through the fields and brush scaring the crap out of the birds?

Hunting implies that you go and search for your quarry.

In the US and Africa, yes.
We are a lazy bunch of asshats and until recently, hunting was only granted to the privileged few and the landed gentry (unless you were a poacher).
And being the lazy aristocracy they were, they got the plebs to flush out the prey for them while they took pot-shots and drank the local tipple.
They don't even go get what they shot!
They get the plebs and trained dogs to go fetch.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961
4) Loo, or Bog.

Its a freaking bathroom, rest room etc. where in the hell do those two names come from? Well, I have a clue as to the bog, considering the outhouse type settings prior to indoor plumbing, but a 'loo?'

Most of our WC's (toilets) in the old days did not have baths (or even a sink) and were certainly not a place to 'rest'.
So the terms 'restroom' and 'bathroom' were inappropriate.

The British word for the toilet, “loo”, derives from the French “guardez l'eau”, meaning “watch out for the water”. This comes from the fact that, in medieval Europe, people simply threw the contents of their chamber pots out the window onto the streets.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961
5) Names of Pubs, and drink orders.

Seriously, The Red Lion? When the hell was there lions in the UK? Or the 'Old Green Tree' were two of those I visited, and only because I was told that they were famous and should be a part of any fan of British alcoholic beverages.

Then there was one, "The Lambs Crossing" and in one little village, a place called "The Vicar's Rest."

What he hell is a Vicar?

A priest/pardre of the protestant faith; although I think it applies more specifically to those lower clergy of the Church of England.

The names of pubs are often a source of interest for many people - including us Brits and historians.
There are some that derived their name from the names of the land owners, or the place where royalty stayed, or sometimes folklore or famous people.
The rest is pretty much a mystery as to the root of their names and long lost in the mists of time.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

Then there is the famous pint. You people are on the metric system, so why is some things still measured in pints?

Some decent things are still measured in pints and gills (for drinks).
Our distances on the roads are still measured in miles with warnings in yards.
Horse races are still measures in miles and furlongs.
Cricket pitches are still measured in chains.

So.... not all metric (yet).

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

What the hell is a 'snifter?'

A taster; a small sample of something (usually a drink).

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

Finally, what the hell is the problem with ordering a whisky with ice? Jeez in one place you would have thought I had just shot the Queen or something.

Sorry but with the exception of some good Blue Ridge home made sippin whiskey, Americans tend to put ice in everything.

For those that partake of various brews of the worlds finest malt whiskeys (brewed long before the US was discovered), to spoil such a pleasure with ice is considered a sacrilege of the most heinous order and worthy of beheading.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

And finally, I am sorry, but 'spotted dick' still sounds like a freaking sexually transmitted disease.

Yeah... but it's scrumptious with custard!!

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

6) Okay, in the states, many restaurants have lunch and dinner menus. However in a few places I noticed different menus for various 'teas.' What the hell is a high tea anyway, tea laced with a narcotic?

High tea was usually a snack in the mid-afternoon.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

Personally, there were times when I was quite positive I was being punished for being the descendant of a couple of men who left England and Ireland due to the simple fact that they may have taken part in activities that might have pissed off the sovereign at the time.

My reasoning is that some of the things that were served in lieu of bread were so bland I had to wonder if they were just flour and water, like something you would feed a condemned man.

Examples???

Our average commercial (usually pre-sliced) loaf is nothing as tasty as home made bread.
Most of it is very bland and instead of being oven baked, is steamed in steam ovens.
Personally, I didn't like most of the American bread.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

7) Finally, why do some of you folks still insist on calling the United States 'the Colonies?' and for the record, Texas was not ever one of the British colonies, so referring to me as a colonial was a bit insulting. As for the constant 'Yank' I have one minor suggestion, start a mandatory class in your schools explaining the difference between a Yank, a Reb or Rebel, and a Texan.

Then you would understand why some Americans find the term an insult.

I don't know of anyone that calls the USA 'the colonies' except Americans saying that we Brits do.

As for 'Yanks', it's the same sort of nickname we have for the average 'American' in the same vein you refer to us as 'limeys' or 'Brits'.

Names for local variants don't come into it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

8) Part of my reason for one visit was to take a tour of East Anglia. I had a grandfather as well as a great uncle who flew bombers in the 8th Air Force. I was not surprised that all of the bases were not marked, but equally surprised that there were more of the paved areas that still remained, and a few of the old towers.

It was strange to see cows grazing where Liberators and Forts took off for missions over Europe.

I would have thought most of that would have been destroyed. Its not like those runways were built to last a thousand years.

I am surprised to still see them on google earth.

So, why keep the old USAAF bases around? You folks expecting us back or something?

Don't think so Jeff.
More like it was too expensive to rip it up so they just left it abandoned.
East Anglia is, after all, not much more than soggy peat bog land barely above the water level.


< Message edited by freedomdwarf1 -- 2/21/2017 6:58:23 PM >

_____________________________

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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/21/2017 7:07:35 PM   
Dvr22999874


Posts: 2849
Joined: 9/11/2008
Status: offline 		There you go Jeff; just combine those two founts of information and cherry-pick the bits that appeal to you most.................as an aside, if you go back, Try the Royal Standard of England in Forty Green Bucks. It's been licensed for 800 years but was given the present name by King Charles after some battle he lost and is well worth the thrill seeking drive up to it. Also, at Beaconsfield ( not far from the aforementioned) The Saracens Head, a newer pub now but standing on the site of a boozer that was there that was on the Road to the west and the ships that would take ( and hopefully bring back) the fools on the way to the Holy Land for the crusades. The third is built into the wall of Nottingham castle, which proves that soliers haven't changed much since12 something or other..........it goes by the name of The trip to Jerusalem.
Good luck mate

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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/21/2017 9:58:44 PM   
BathBBW94


Posts: 4
Joined: 2/12/2017
Status: offline 		Something I think you need to remember is that Britain is a diverse country, people from different areas are so different to each other. It sounds like you met a lot of a certain type of Brit and are assuming that all Brits are like them, we are not.

1) Not all Brits drive Bentleys and Rolls-Royces. Many people (myself included) would consider them a bit ridiculous, definitely not a practical car to be driving down country lanes.
I agree that loads of our country lanes are very narrow, Brits are used to it so it's generally not a big issue. The reason they're narrow is because in the countryside most of the roads are old, Britain is low on space so i think we just never bothered because of the hassle, cost and further loss of our countryside that widening these roads would mean, especially when, as they're in the countryside - lower population, not that many people would benefit from it.
The people with Bentleys and Rolls-Royces probably got them there with great difficulty, serves them right for buying such a ridiculous car in the first place. I don't think we should tear some of our countryside apart to accommodate them.

2) You mentioned the answer to your second question yourself. A lot of buildings in Britain are old. People used to be shorter so they made the door openings smaller. Often the older the building, the smaller the doorways. These buildings are often protected by laws which mean you can't just make the doorways bigger.

3) Never been hunting so can't comment (except to say eh-hem animal cruelty)

4) Loo - I always thought that was shorthand for the word lavatory but it may be derived from the french as said above.
We say things differently, it's not a big deal, surely you expected that when travelling here? - i could make the point that saying rest room is a bit odd. are you planning to take a nap after your shit?

5) Whiskey has deep, rich flavours that serving it cold could mask - if you're drinking it neat and want to taste what you're drinking you should serve it at room temperature. Also, as the ice melts it would dilute the whiskey. Most Brits know this and therefore wouldn't ask for ice with whiskey, many would frown upon you asking for ice as it would ruin the drink in their eyes. I think the main difference is that Brits actually want to taste what they're drinking. It's an easy mistake to make.

6) I'm not sure where the term high tea came from - possibly something to do with it being the 'peak' of the day, our favourite time of the day as it involved tea :)
most people wouldn't still call it 'high tea', that's the traditional/posh name for it, often still called that in posh/tourist towns like Bath to lure in the American tourists like you.
The bread tasted bland to you because we don't load our bread with sugar like you do. When I've been to America before it's been very hard to find bread that doesn't taste like some sort of cake to me. You're used to bread tasting a certain way so our bread seemed tasteless but it's good if you're used to it.
quote:

Personally, there were times when I was quite positive I was being punished for being the descendant of a couple of men who left England and Ireland due to the simple fact that they may have taken part in activities that might have pissed off the sovereign at the time.

This statement is worrying to me, all I can say that I think/hope it reflects on the people you spent time with and not Brits in general.

7) Lol, from the sounds of things you were hanging out with some upper class twats. Bentleys, hunting, 'being punished for being the descendant of immigrants', "the colonies" ... normal british people are not like this. Anyone who still refers to various countries around the world as "the colonies" is very behind the times, harking back to 'the good old days' when Britain ruled the world - they're elitist (possibly racist) scum. It's politicly incorrect and in cases like Texas just inaccurate to begin with.
As for "Yanks", most people here don't differentiate between people from North or South US - you're all Americans and therefore usually more similar to each other than you are to us. They probably thought they were being cool by calling you a Yank, not realising that it's inaccurate.

Dvr22999874 - I find a lot of your post very offensive, you have a lot of really inaccurate views on Brits. You shouldn't assume an entire country is a certain way by generalizing from the actions of a few. Trump would never get elected here, as a country we would never vote for someone that orange, misogynistic, racist, infantile and unhinged. He would get laughed out of Westmister, I don't think we'd even give him the time of day.

< Message edited by BathBBW94 -- 2/21/2017 10:58:13 PM >

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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/21/2017 10:48:10 PM   
DesFIP


Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline 		A snifter is a glass designed for drinking brandy in. It concentrates the fumes so you can breathe them in.

Hunting around here is usually done by sitting in tree stands and waiting for the deer to walk beneath you. It's harder than you would imagine to remain perfectly still for hours on end and then be able to control your muscles and drop the animal. But the hunting you refer to is a social activity, not a search for meat, so of course the rules are different.

I find that bread in Europe lacks salt, not sugar. I don't put more than a pinch of sugar in my bread and that's to feed the yeast when you bloom it. But I put salt in to give it flavor. Commercial sandwich breads are sweet.

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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/21/2017 11:02:47 PM   
Dvr22999874


Posts: 2849
Joined: 9/11/2008
Status: offline 		BathBBW94..........you can find it as offensive as you wish. I really don't give a fiddlers bitch. Much of it was said in jest, some of it was informative and few bits were to see who would rise to the bait. See if you can find out which are which huh ? you are telling me you don't have racists in UK now who don't believe Trump is the greatest thing since ( American) sliced bread. Why do I doubt that ?

As a matter of interest too, my comments were directed at and towards Jeff, who I know has a sense of humour, so as I said, go ahead and find them as offensive as you please. In the meantime, check your shoes when you need sex.

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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/22/2017 5:14:25 AM   
WhoreMods


Posts: 10691
Joined: 5/6/2016
Status: offline 		Most of this has already been covered, but to fill in some of the gaps:
1) The British are better drivers than Americans, and can handle a big car in a narrow country lane. Think about it, we can handle roundabouts, whereas you people have these huge wide highways with six lanes and drive on them like old ladies.
2) As everybody else has already said, people were much shorter back in the day. The bulk of the quaint country inns were built during the regency (though many are older still), when the British aristocracy were so short that the guys wore heels, and wandered around looking like a bunch of albino Prince tribute acts.
3) I think it's technically a shooting party, not a hunting one.
4) I don't do toilet humour, and have nothing to add to this one.
5) The British are big on lions. They're all over the heraldry, and were at one point a popular pet. There's a suspicion among paleontologists that lions were originally native to the British Isles and were wiped out with most of the other large carnivores (most notably bears and wolves). Certainly you weren't a proper aristo during the regency if you didn't have one in your menagerie. Pub names in general or an interesting field that draws on history, folklore, crap puns, the Bible and christ knows what else. The stuff about putting ice in whisky (it's a good job you only did that down south: they'll stab you if you do that in Scotland) and measurements have been covered.
8) As for the airfields, I think the MOD still own a lot of them, even if they're not being used, so they haven't been turned back into farmland. Myself, I think they'd make nice concert venues. There's several in Sommerset, for instance, and they have plumbing, solid foundations that won't sink to put a stage on, and easy access from the roads, all of which put them one up on that snotty shitehawk Michael Eavis' rain-sodden cattle farm.

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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/22/2017 6:59:31 AM   
freedomdwarf1


Posts: 6845
Joined: 10/23/2012
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: DesFIP

A snifter is a glass designed for drinking brandy in. It concentrates the fumes so you can breathe them in.

I thought I'd look this up (just in case I was wrong) -
snifter
ˈsnɪftə/
noun
noun: snifter; plural noun: snifters

1.
British informal
a small quantity of an alcoholic drink.
"care to join me for a snifter?"
2.
North American
a balloon glass for brandy.
"he drained the bottle into a snifter"

So we were both correct.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesFIP
I find that bread in Europe lacks salt, not sugar. I don't put more than a pinch of sugar in my bread and that's to feed the yeast when you bloom it. But I put salt in to give it flavor. Commercial sandwich breads are sweet.

The commercial breads in the US being 'sweet' was the thing I didn't like about them.
Just like bagels and other 'American style' baked goods always taste like they've gone off and a bit 'yeasty' smelling


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George Orwell, 1903-1950


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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/22/2017 12:15:27 PM   
jlf1961


Posts: 14840
Joined: 6/10/2008
From: Somewhere Texas
Status: offline 		Well, they still dont serve biscuits and sausage gravy or grits in the UK!

_____________________________

Boy, it sure would be nice if we had some grenades, don't you think?

You cannot control who comes into your life, but you can control which airlock you throw them out of.

Paranoid Paramilitary Gun Loving Conspiracy Theorist AND EQUAL OPPORTUNI

(in reply to freedomdwarf1)
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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/22/2017 12:48:12 PM   
freedomdwarf1


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Status: offline 		I tried grits.

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(in reply to jlf1961)
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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/23/2017 8:48:51 PM   
BathBBW94


Posts: 4
Joined: 2/12/2017
Status: offline 		Dvr22999874... Defending against xenophobic comments is a good thing, I won't apologize for that.
The UK isn't perfect, no country is, of course I don't believe that there are no racists in the UK but they are by far the minority. I was defending the good sides of my country.
If the xenophobic things you said were meant as a joke (which i doubt), i guess that's just not my kind of humour, i still find it offensive. But like you said it's your right to ignore that just as it is my right to completely forget about you and your hateful views after writing this.
You also really can't act like i just butted in on a private conversation. The original message was openly inviting Brits to respond.

(in reply to Dvr22999874)
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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/23/2017 9:12:08 PM   
Dvr22999874


Posts: 2849
Joined: 9/11/2008
Status: offline 		xenophobic ? *LOL*.......................you really should get the thickness of your skin checked and have your humerus looked at. So, it's not your kind of humour. OH dear, oh dear, I guess I will have to change mine then won't I ? Tell me something though ? How do you manage to read text and type with your head stuck so firmly up there ?
Yes, UK has some good places. It has history, it has scenery and it has some great old pubs..................and then there are thin-skinned drop-kicks like you. NOW I remember why I got out of the place at the earliest opportunity. Thank you so much.

(in reply to BathBBW94)
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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/23/2017 9:34:12 PM   
jlf1961


Posts: 14840
Joined: 6/10/2008
From: Somewhere Texas
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: BathBBW94

Dvr22999874... Defending against xenophobic comments is a good thing, I won't apologize for that.
The UK isn't perfect, no country is, of course I don't believe that there are no racists in the UK but they are by far the minority. I was defending the good sides of my country.
If the xenophobic things you said were meant as a joke (which i doubt), i guess that's just not my kind of humour, i still find it offensive. But like you said it's your right to ignore that just as it is my right to completely forget about you and your hateful views after writing this.
You also really can't act like i just butted in on a private conversation. The original message was openly inviting Brits to respond.



Gee, and when Brits condemn Americans for owning guns and other crap, we are supposed to sit back and smile?

Look, I have trained with the SAS in joint exercises, and aside from the fact that (like the Israeli Commandos) I respect them but to be honest, I think they are completely and utterly insane.

Both units carry more gear on a "quiet" op than any other unit I have had the honor of working with.

As for the British people themselves, I have met some that would give a stranger the shirt off their back, a good meal and a lot more help than many, so all in all they are good people.

However, I have had the misfortune of dealing with many who seem to think that the United States, and Americans in general, as little more than something to scrap off their boot. The try to tell us how to run our country, what to do about the fact we can, and many do, keep guns in our homes. To hear the majority of them talk, the British way is the ONLY way a country should be run.

Hell, all you have to do is read any of the topics on gun control, crime or what have you and they boil it down to, "well if you idiots didnt have guns" which is not the central problem at all.

The central problem is that the United States is a nation of immigrants, many of which did not get along in their own country with each other and they see no reason to change when the get here. You have street gangs in the urban areas that were killing each other with switch blade knives before guns, and if their were no guns, they would still be doing it.

It does not help that this country has developed an us against them attitude with everyone, foreign and domestic, and you got news networks that are throwing gasoline on the damn fire for ratings.

Most of my Irish ancestors and relatives left Ireland one jump ahead of the British troops because they didn't want to live under a British boot heel.

The problem that the majority of you cant get through that stubborn British skull is that what worked in the UK, will not work here. The reason is very simple.

We built this country with sweat, blood and the gun. The gun is as much a part of the American psyche as apple pie and a hamburger, and it is not going to go away without a lot of kicking and screaming.

Let you in on another little secret.

You get out in my neck of the country, where police response can take as long as 30 minutes on a 'hot' call, if you don't have a gun, you are fucked. Hell, beginning in mid April, if you dont have a pistol on you walking around the property, you might come across a diamond back sunnin him/herself, and those critters dont like no one surprising them.

You hear that rattle you better be able to either 1) get clear with getting bit or 2) shot the damn thing before you do. Those sneaky bastards will get up in a stack of hay bales, or slither into a barn to get out of the rain, and make themselves right at home.

Then we got a feral hog problem, and those critters will get right up in the crawl space of your house if you aint careful, so you need a gun for that problem.

Then there are the occasional rabid animals, so again, since it can take a while for the sheriff to show up, you kind of need a gun to deal with that issue.

Hell, I dont think any of your country folk would stay sane with half the crap we put up with on a daily (or nightly basis.) I sit out on my back porch and listen to the coyotes singing. Sometimes they are close, in which case I keep a gun handy, sometimes they are off a ways. We get the occasional Mexican panther wonder up to these parts. That is another animal that dont play by the "leave it alone, it will leave you alone" rule all the time.

So, maybe an AR15 aint a good idea in a town for home defense, a shot gun is better in my opinion, but you get out of town, you got a whole different ball game, and I am tired of a bunch of people who don't live here, who have no clue as to what it is like once you get out of the big cities, telling me that I need to give up my guns.

After that, we get to here about baseball, football etc not being 'proper' sports.

And those are the most common things that get posted on these boards.

Now, I sure as hell don't know half the domestic problems that are going on in the UK, and those I do hear about, I figure you folks have to know more about it than the news over here is telling us.

The British have their own problems, and they can solve em themselves, none of my business telling you how to do it. In fact most Americans feel the same way. We just wish you folks would give us the same respect.

Hell, I cant figure out why the UK leaving the EU is such a big deal over here, but its on the news often enough, half the time it is President Trump mentioning.

Hell, you people have whupped hell out of just about every country in the EU at one time or another, although the last two, we sorta stepped in and gave a hand. I would think the UK would be better off making its own decisions rather than letting other countries tell you folks what to do or how to do it.

But xenophobic, hardly. More like I am getting a bit tired at the majority of British members using these boards telling us how to run our country. I mean, it sure as hell aint too likely that a bunch of south central LA gang bangers are gonna go joy riding around London shooting the place up, is it?

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Paranoid Paramilitary Gun Loving Conspiracy Theorist AND EQUAL OPPORTUNI

(in reply to BathBBW94)
Profile   Post #: 14
RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/23/2017 10:03:01 PM   
Dvr22999874


Posts: 2849
Joined: 9/11/2008
Status: offline 		Jeff, if I came across as xenophobic with you, then I apologise. I have trained with your marines and some other nutcase mob who never said WHO they belonged to. That was in the jungles of French Guyana and your blokes pulled their weight and we all helped each other through it like brothers.
I have sailed with blokes from all over the world and when with the brits, I sailed with every type from the Shetlands to Cornwall and from Cork to Suffolk and if I had been the least bit xenophobic in either or any of those situations, I would had a lonely grave someplace a LONG time ago.
I have nothing at all against the Brits or anybody else on this ball of mud, up to a point...................Bathbun is that point. If he, she or it hasn't got my kind of sense of humour, that's really tough. I am sure as hell not going to change it at this time and like I said Jeff, I'll stand you a drunk any time ( and no, I did NOT spell that wrong. Vive Le Legion *smile*

(in reply to jlf1961)
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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/24/2017 4:34:07 AM   
Greta75


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quote:

ORIGINAL: WhoreMods
when the British aristocracy were so short that the guys wore heels, and wandered around looking like a bunch of albino Prince tribute acts.

I always call Vietnam the Land of Midgets. As all the men are shorter than me. And I'm just 5'3. So they are short!!!

But then, who knew old Britain used to be land of midgets too! And if that was true, wow, how did you guys get so tall? Surely the diet was the same!


(in reply to WhoreMods)
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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/24/2017 4:52:11 AM   
WhoreMods


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Status: offline 		Actually, the diet has changed a lot since the eighteenth century, never mind since the dark ages. Also, so's hygiene, health standards and the like.
Have you never seen an old suit of European armour in a museum? Those were designed for shortarses. If they'd used vintage suits of medieval plate armour in that Python film, they'd have had to fold Cleese and Chapman in half to stuff them into one. However, as Terry Jones was medieval scholar, they used fake chainmail, which is a bit more credible for the dark ages instead. Strange to think the Python film (which was made for ten grand or so) was a lot more carefully researched for its mis en scene than Excalibur (which cost an awful lot more), but such things happen.

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(in reply to Greta75)
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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/24/2017 5:20:03 AM   
Greta75


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quote:

ORIGINAL: WhoreMods

Actually, the diet has changed a lot since the eighteenth century, never mind since the dark ages. Also, so's hygiene, health standards and the like.
Have you never seen an old suit of European armour in a museum? Those were designed for shortarses. If they'd used vintage suits of medieval plate armour in that Python film, they'd have had to fold Cleese and Chapman in half to stuff them into one. However, as Terry Jones was medieval scholar, they used fake chainmail, which is a bit more credible for the dark ages instead. Strange to think the Python film (which was made for ten grand or so) was a lot more carefully researched for its mis en scene than Excalibur (which cost an awful lot more), but such things happen.

What is strange is. I can't imagine these shorter than 5'6 men go into war with all that heavy armour and sword and stuffs! I always imagined them to be big warriors!

Probably why the vikings kick their ass!

(in reply to WhoreMods)
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RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/24/2017 6:06:34 AM   
jlf1961


Posts: 14840
Joined: 6/10/2008
From: Somewhere Texas
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Greta75


What is strange is. I can't imagine these shorter than 5'6 men go into war with all that heavy armour and sword and stuffs! I always imagined them to be big warriors!

Probably why the vikings kick their ass!



Jeezuz, do you know anything?

The average human height during the middle ages, INCLUDING VIKINGS was between 5'6 and 5'8. As for the vikings kicking the British ass, it was pretty much an even match. While there were some viking settlements that lasted for a period on the English ground, they sure as hell didn't gain that much ground in the long run.

There are battlefields all over England where the Vikings got their asses handed to them, and when you consider that during the time of the Viking raiders, England had no long time standing army, most of the time it was 'part time English soldiers' that did the fighting.

With all my pointed barbs at the British, there is one thing that I will say with complete and utter honesty, any country or group of people that make the mistake of really pissing off the English as a whole is in for a fight.

I mean after the evacuation at Dunkirk, a German diplomat spoke to the British ambassador to Switzerland, and after informing the Brit that "England stands alone" and they had no chance so they might as well accept the peace terms offered by Hitler, his reply, "You will have to march up to Whitehall and dictate terms there, and even then we wont listen."

Hell the United States had to beat em twice to get them to accept we were not taking shit, once in 1783 and then again in 1812!

Seriously, if you think the Vikings kicked English asses all the time, you better go back and read your history books again.

The Brits are a bunch of stubborn, ego driven people that have no clue as to know when the hell they have been beaten which is why they really have not lost a war in their entire history. In fact, even if they did lose the war, they consider it a battle and come back later to kick ass and take names.

The best example of English or British resolve is King Henry V at Agincourt.

Here is an English army, outnumbered, exhausted, sick and with 11000 against 20000 French, handed the French their collective asses, losing 400 Brits to 6000 French.

There is an old saying, "They breed a hearty sort on that little island."

Move up in time to the Red Devils at Arnhem, they might have lost the battle, but they made the Germans pay dearly to win.

And, to be honest, the only reasons Americans won the revolution were 1) we got some help from the French, and 2) we did not fight by the rules. We cheated. We prided ourselves on fighting dirty.

Hell, why not? We were fighting the best damn army on the planet at the time. We had to cheat.

And we cheated in 1812, for the same damn reason.

You see, the British lined up in those fancy formations, with drummers and such, which was fine. We hid behind anything and everything and shot at them from cover.

I do apologize to the Brits on the boards for our ancestors dirty fighting, but hell, we kind of wanted the right to fuck up our own country, and considering some of the crap we have done since, we broke even with the fuck ups, which gave us Obama and Trump, a tax code that no body understands, with half the world openly pissed off at us....

So, the question is, who really won those two wars?

Greta you might want to read this

< Message edited by jlf1961 -- 2/24/2017 6:09:04 AM >

_____________________________

Boy, it sure would be nice if we had some grenades, don't you think?

You cannot control who comes into your life, but you can control which airlock you throw them out of.

Paranoid Paramilitary Gun Loving Conspiracy Theorist AND EQUAL OPPORTUNI

(in reply to Greta75)
Profile   Post #: 19
RE: Things I always wanted to ask the Brits (and Irish ... - 2/24/2017 6:28:18 AM   
WhoreMods


Posts: 10691
Joined: 5/6/2016
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Greta75

quote:

ORIGINAL: WhoreMods

Actually, the diet has changed a lot since the eighteenth century, never mind since the dark ages. Also, so's hygiene, health standards and the like.
Have you never seen an old suit of European armour in a museum? Those were designed for shortarses. If they'd used vintage suits of medieval plate armour in that Python film, they'd have had to fold Cleese and Chapman in half to stuff them into one. However, as Terry Jones was medieval scholar, they used fake chainmail, which is a bit more credible for the dark ages instead. Strange to think the Python film (which was made for ten grand or so) was a lot more carefully researched for its mis en scene than Excalibur (which cost an awful lot more), but such things happen.

What is strange is. I can't imagine these shorter than 5'6 men go into war with all that heavy armour and sword and stuffs! I always imagined them to be big warriors!


If everybody's shortarsed, nobody has much of a reach advantage, so that doesn't make any difference. Also, most of the armoured troops were fighting from horseback, which made the weight of their arms and armour less of a factor (and was why they had huge swords in the first place: have you any idea how tall the horses they used for medieval cavalry were?). Some infantry (most notably the landschrects, I think) did wear plate armour, but this was a partial suit, which didn't cover the legs in order to make them more mobile and less weighed down. The huge pikes and polearms were designed to be set to allow these guys to deter cavalry charges, rather than being used by the heavy cavalry themselves.
Plate armour of any sort had quite a short lifespan in Europe anyway. It was designed to protect cavalry and infantry from archers, but was less effective against musket fire, so it was already on the way out by the time the renaissance got going.

(Jeff has covered the whole vikings thing, so I don't really need to go there...)

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