Funny Things that 'Foreigners' Do -

[David_Old_Jersey]

Given that this forum is full of folk spread all around the world, (some have even travelled by boat ) perhaps "Foreigner" is not the the best word, but...........

Following on from the recent thread on USA folk installing their electrical switches upside down (Up for on???!!) it kinda reminded me that when abroad it is sometimes the mundane differences that come as a surprise.

Of course I am sure most of us are aware when travelling foreign of the old saying :"The Road to Hell is paved with Assumptions" but IME the odd thing crops up now and again which one had never even thought about and even if never a matter of life is kinda interesting to find out about..........or puzzle over.

My thread, so I start

1) In Jersey (and at least parts of the UK) if a car flashes it's lights at you it means "'I've seen you and it's ok to cross the road - by foot or by car - and I will slow down and could even stop if needed". In Thailand if a vehicle does the same it means "I am coming through. as fast as I can. Stopping?? Hahaha! Buddha is me mate". A couple of spots in Bangkok where it is fun to watch the Tourists learn this

2) In Jersey an Orange is orange coloured. all of them. the clue is in the name. Orange. In Thailand some Oranges are Green (on the outside - but the usual orange on the inside. and tasty ). No great problem unless one is looking in a market for an orange when lingo would make asking too much hassle. It's a fruit and veg market, how long can it take to find a stall that sells oranges? about 6 weeks and that's only because someone told me. I could still be there looking...........

[fareweather]

Jersey is in the UK?? I knew it was east of here but not that far:-)

[SkiprJohn]

Good thread. Flashing one's lights in Germany means you want to pass in the left lane of the autobahn (used to mean that anyway). Here in the US (Hawaii is part of the US) it means that there is a policeman lying in wait. (speed trap). At sea it can mean distress. Of course headlights at sea are in the head.
I always thought Japanese tourists to be odd about taking photos in very odd places and how the photographer will crouch down or stand at odd angles when all they have to do is move a bit.
After doing some traveling and living in other countries I became embarrased by the way some Americans acted while touring. I can see why they've gotten and "Ugly American" stigma especially when they start raising their voices when speaking English as if it were going to help them be understood in a language other than English.
Happy sailing,
JohnL

[Cheechako]

"In Jersey (and at least parts of the UK) if a car flashes it's lights...." In the US it means your lights are not on OR Watch out! Radar cop ahead....

In Mexico, on a bus at night, on a curvy mountain road, the lights may not be on at all, the driver told me "that's so we can see any other traffic coming up hill"

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

...
2) In Jersey an Orange is orange coloured. all of them. the clue is in the name. Orange. In Thailand some Oranges are Green (on the outside - but the usual orange on the inside. and tasty ). No great problem unless one is looking in a market for an orange when lingo would make asking too much hassle. It's a fruit and veg market, how long can it take to find a stall that sells oranges? about 6 weeks and that's only because someone told me. I could still be there looking...........

The main complaint that I have with foreign countries, is the number of foreigners there.

Ripe Valencia oranges may occasionally "re-green" in warm weather. When the fruit ripens on the tree, it turns a bright orange colour, as usual. But seasonably warm temperatures may make the skin reabsorb chlorophyll, as it hangs on the tree, causing a ripe orange to look partly green.
Many oranges, as sold in northern grocery stores, have been gassed, dyed, and waxed.

In the United States, Federal regulations, and the individual state Department of Agriculture and state Citrus Commissions, control the stage of maturity at which the fruits may be picked, and the grading of the fruits for marketing and shipping.

* Orange growers normally pick oranges green to extend their shelf life, and later will use a gas to ripen them somewhat, just before sending them to the market for sale.
Oranges can be stored for 3 months at 52º F (11.11º C); up to 5 months at 36º to 39º F (2.22º-3.89º C). Deterioration in market quality is primarily due to transpiration-loss of moisture in the peel and pulp. After 2 months of storage at 68º F (20º C) and, relative humidity of 60 to 80 %, 'Valencia' oranges have been found to have lost 9.5% of the moisture in the peel but only 2.1% of that in the pulp. The peel becomes 50% thinner, the pulp 10%. Later, the peel is very thin, dry and brittle while the pulp is still juicy. Coating the fruits with a polyethylene/wax emulsion doubles the storage life.

[Reality Check]

In one of my past Lives as an Engineer... I was traveling with a US Government representative to Switzerland where I was one of a couple of people doing some work for that government. He was some what frugal and did not want to spend money out for each meal so he had me stop our rental car at a large market just outside Lucerne. He wanted Cheeze... approaching a VERY large Cheese display chest with hundreds of cheeses.... he greeted the clerk and asked for a half pound of Swiss Cheese.... at which she said Yes but did nothing. He repeated he wanted half a pound of Swiss cheese and again she simply smiled and said Yes. Rather irritated he said more loudly he wanted some Swiss Cheese and she then said Yes.... these are all Swiss Cheeses which do you want? (it appeared she also knew what a half pound was which I had anticipated more touble/ fun with)

I almost fell over with laugher and he turned about a red as a human can, then pointed at a cheese and she cut him off a chunk.

Later he discovered it was not at all what he wanted... but it was a Swiss Cheese which he asked for.

[Dune]

I thought the road to Hell was paved with good intentions. I really should have stopped to help that sailor in the liferaft.

[Jolly Roger]

I must say, I am impressed with Dave’s unalleviated inspiration? But then, he does hail from Les Illes Anglo-Normande, otherwise called The Channel Islands. But why call it by it’s Froggy name when it’s British? Of course, during the war is was German, so Dave is obviously thoroughly confused, which accounts for a lot.
Flashing your lights in America is now futile, simply because the person you a flashing at is on the phone, and not paying the slightest attention to driving the car.
When I had an MGA a thousand years ago, we used to flash our headlights at other owners, but make rude gestures to people who drove TR's.

I don’t know anything about the colour of oranges, but coming from Leicestershire I do like Stilton………. And if any smart a... starts talking about the King of Cheeses in a derogatory manner I shall be obliged to seek you out and personally open your sea cocks with a very quick twist!

[s/v Jedi]

The strangest things these foreigners (I mean yankees now because I am Dutch) do... they have their power lines strung on masts along streets etc. with even transformers hanging up there and wires going from these rickety wooden posts to the houses that want electricity. They find it strange that they get power outages with trees falling or storms etc. Weird...

I don't exactly know which other countries do that but at least in Holland it's all under ground incl. entry into the homes. Transformers are in little buildings, bolted to concrete foundations etc. Only the primary distribution nets are above ground, 100's of feet sometimes, on huge steel towers.

cheers,
Nick.

[Cheechako]

"......but make rude gestures to people who drove TR's." Oh! that was you I passed in my TR3 while you were peering into the steaming radiator on that MG!

[dacust]

30 or so years ago in the US you flashed you lights to say "danger". You turned your lights off to say come on out. But it's changed, as other people noted. Now there's no way to tell someone to not pull out. You just hit them and tell them afterwards.

[Cheechako]

"....with even transformers hanging up there and wires going from these rickety wooden posts....." Oh but the flash is so pretty when a transformer goes!.... Yea we're not as anal about things as the Dutch and Germans... but then again our taxes are lower... errrr .... were lower! :>) Actually, there are a lot of underground systems here in the states also, but mostly the newer (20years or so) stuff. Pretty expensive to make it all underground with as much spread out territory as we have I 'spose....

[dana-tenacity]

In NZ an oncoming car flashes its lights to warn you of a police speedtrap around the corner.

Cruising in the US I was stopped by a policeman who thought walking anywhere was suspicious. He asked what I had in my backpack. I told him a torch and a map. Apparently he had never heard "torch' instead of "flashlight". Took me two hours to get free and I missed the movie.

[drew.ward]

Dana you are absolutely right. In the US business owners and police are very leery of cyclists and pedestrians. Shopkeepers think anyone with a backpack is there to rob them (because large rucksacks are quite inconspicuous for shoplifting I suppose) yet they generally don't provide a place to store them while you shop.

The police do seem to automatically suspect anyone not in a car. I recently had a two hour Q&A session with two Melbourne Beach, FL police. Apparently the camelback (backpack canteen), $1500 mountain bike, and 20 lbs of sweat wasn't enough to convince these two super troopers that I was indeed out there to get some exercise. Took 2 hours of constant questioning about whether I had ever been arrested to get back on the other half of my bikeride.

I really have to laugh about all the people who yell at me from their vehicles "GET A CAR JERK!!" Sadly at least three of them in the past month have been people driving the base model of my own car...I couldn't help pulling next to one of them at a stop light and calmly pointing out that I had a new nicer version of their Jeep sitting in my driveway. People are weird.

[noreault]

Putting up poles is cheaper installation, but higher lifecycle costs. So the American are being expedient and the Europeans are investing.