Funny Things that 'Foreigners' Do -

[David_Old_Jersey]

More Road stuff

In Jersey (small island south of UK and in sight of France and which named the place in the US of A called: "New Jersey" - when one of our local nobs owned it / stole it from the indigenous locals ....hence the use of the word "New" ).......and in the UK the black and white stripes accross a road (aka Zebra Crossings) mean it is safe for pedestrians to cross the road as they have priority and cars will stop. In France the markings are simply something to do with being designated pedestrian crossing ponts - but nothing to do with pedestrians having right of way. nor with cars stopping . Catches visitors out now and again that one.

In Thailand they use the same road markings - as a shortcut to meeting Buddha

Beer drinking

- In Jersey if someone buys you a drink it is polite to acknowledge the drink arriving and to later return the offer - even when part of a larger round and you don't / hardly know the person "Getting the shout in". If not able to respond with a drink, politely saying so will usually generate the response "Don't worry". At least until the 2nd round. Customs abroad vary on that one

- Being able to drink one's own weight in alcohol is the sign of a good night out (or used to be "Back in the day" - before IPODs, Global Warming and cheap "recreationals").

Tipping

- In Jersey saying to the Bar Staff "One for yourself" means they will take 50p (a dollarish) or simply round the cost up. Elsewhere (everywhere else?!) they take the cost of an actual drink

- In Jersey and the UK if someone provides service above what you would normally expect they may get a tip, but not for simply performing their job. ie in a Restaurant the staff are paid to bring the food from the kitchen to the table - so simply managing to perform this task is not reason enough for a tip.

[drew.ward]

Originally Posted by GMac

The one thing I don't understand about all this foreign stuff even after all my travelling is why with all the countries, lands, races and so on on this planet of ours, why is it NZ is the only country where everyone doesn't have an accent. I suppose we must be just lucky

haha. I'm also on a linguistics forum and we just happened to be having a conversation this past week about how the dialects of the upper Midwest (Milwaukee, Chicago, etc) are among the least documented. Our final reasoning was that the reason there is so little research there is because almost every midwesterner seems to believe that he doesn't have an accent, rather everyone else in the entire English speaking world has one!

[canuck1955]

Originally Posted by GMac

The one thing I don't understand about all this foreign stuff even after all my travelling is why with all the countries, lands, races and so on on this planet of ours, why is it NZ is the only country where everyone doesn't have an accent. I suppose we must be just lucky

My parents immigrated to Canada and have a dutch accent. They had a choice of Australia or Canada. I always complained that they picked Canada because now I don't have an accent. It would put them into peals of laughter. I guess since I couldn't have an Aussie accent, a NZ one would be my next choice, they I could talk like my music teacher, it was almost English but not quite! ! !

Flashing headlights at oncoming traffic-radar ahead.
Flashing lights when a truck is trying to change lanes going in the same direction means I will let him in and he has clearance in front of me. Often they will flash their backup lights to say "Thanks"

Since JErsey is now in the UK, is New York there too. I just found out that Surrey, a city across the river from me has been re-located to the UK too. Why do they keep taking our cities.

Speaking of the weird English in England, I understand that "knock me up" doesn't me pregnant. My doctors wife found that out when they first came to canada. She asked the 20 year old clerk to knock her up at 6 in the morning and the poor guy was mortified. And to be so blatantly open about it asking right in front of her husband.

At least here in Canada, MG owners and TR owners all flashed lights at each other. recognition of our wonderful 'sports' cars not some american lead sled. Of course I think driving an Austin Healey 3000 they all recognized that I had the best car and they were honored that I would acknowledge them.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by canuck1955

I guess since I couldn't have an Aussie accent, a NZ one would be my next choice,

Accent? What Accent?.................. Ay

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by canuck1955

My parents immigrated to Canada and have a dutch accent. They had a choice of Australia or Canada. I always complained that they picked Canada because now I don't have an accent.

Many years ago, I worked on a three-week long commercial shoot for Mazda automobiles with James Garner as the on-camera talent. Every scene that had him saying Mazda for the American market (first syllable sounds like the first syllable in "Molly") had to be shot twice.

Why? So that Garner could do the line for the Canadian market, saying Mazda the Canadian way (first syllable sounds like the first syllable in "Madam").

A three-week commercial probably sounds like a short project, but it was actually the longest commercial shoot I ever worked on in a 25+ year career. Of course (without offering any explanation), three weeks working with James Garner was a lot longer than three weeks working with, well, anyone else.

TaoJones

[anjou]

Without even venturing into the rest of the world, the language differences between UK and USA make me laugh

Last year i was sitting at a dining table with an American girl who joined us late and the waiteress asked for her order. Without looking at the menu, my guest replied

"Can I get a Pizza"?
No Madam, its not self service, I will take your order and serve you at the table.

I explained that a "Please may I have" was by far the most polite way of asking.

After that, it seemed that everything my guest said irritated me.

A few years ago I went to visit my Aunt in NS, and mum gave me some tips and advice before I left. Dont wear perfume as the locals dont like it and dont drink alcohol in the mid day, even though your on holiday as locals will find this most vulgar.

Who needs booze when canning lobster is so cheap and everywhere serves fantastic chowder?

Whats the obsession with ice though? I checked into a motel and the receptionist told me where the nearest ice machine was even before she gave me the room key.
Maybe they dont get enough of it in the winter?

[babykinz]

Originally Posted by 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.

When I lived in Germany people walked and rode bikes everywhere..at all ages there are great and safe side roads to accommodate them as well. I rode my bike the 10 miles to work everyday ( except in winter) and walked my dog in the most magical trails every night.
When I moved back to the states I continued to walk to the market and work...and was surprised at all the people, both men and women who would stop and ask if I needed a ride. They were genuinely concerned about why I would be out walking in my business attire down the road. I guess they couldn't grasp the concept.

[Cheechako]

"At least here in Canada, MG owners and TR owners all flashed lights at each other. recognition of our wonderful 'sports' cars not some american lead sled. Of course I think driving an Austin Healey 3000 they all recognized that I had the best car and they were honored that I would acknowledge them." You definitely had the cream of the crop with that Healey, not that it could be relied upon to run, drive, or especially have the electrical system work! But then again, it cant get out of it's own way compared to to 300 hp 327 Camaro "lead sled"! Hi Hi

[TexSail]

Perhaps the the MG, TR and Healey owners flash their lights due to defects in the Lucas electrical systems.

[SkiprJohn]

Thanks to the UK,

For all afficienados of British sportscars of years gone by. Lucas electrical system headlamp switches have off, dim and flicker thanks to Lucas, "Prince of darkness."

UK is not the leading producer of computers because they couldn't figure out how to get them to leak oil.

Just a little fun.

JohnL

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

UK is not the leading producer of computers because they couldn't figure out how to get them to leak oil.

Ooooh . . . you've brought up a painful memory from the past, John. I once owned an Austin Cooper S, '67 vintage, 1275cc engine bored out to 1293cc that leaked oil almost as bad as a Harley, maybe, or a Sears lawnmower. And here I had thought those wounds had completely healed.

TaoJones

[anjou]

Lucas coils and distributors were the worst of the worst.
Even a misty morning was enough damp to cause tracking round the distributor cap and stop the car starting. Then, if you ran through the smallest of puddles, you left it on the side of the road and walked.

I had a Mini Clubman 850cc that was worse than useless.

Ahhhhh nostalgia, ...........you know the trouble with nostalgia?......its not what it used to be.

Just like history, ..........its just one thing after another !!

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by anjou

A few years ago I went to visit my Aunt in NS, and mum gave me some tips and advice before I left. Dont wear perfume as the locals dont like it and dont drink alcohol in the mid day, even though your on holiday as locals will find this most vulgar.

Who needs booze when canning lobster is so cheap and everywhere serves fantastic chowder?

Whats the obsession with ice though? I checked into a motel and the receptionist told me where the nearest ice machine was even before she gave me the room key.
Maybe they dont get enough of it in the winter?

Does NS = Nova Scotia? If so, I can assure you the locals do not find midday drinking vulgur - the ice machines are to put ice in your drinks.

[TexSail]

My brother in law put a 180 HP Honda engine in a '63 Mini - it runs like a scalded dog.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by TexSail

My brother in law put a 180 HP Honda engine in a '63 Mini - it runs like a scalded dog.

Paul Newman had a VW Bug that wasn't so much a VW with a Porsche engine, as a Porsche with a VW body! He had a lot of fun blowing the doors off the local smart-asses with their "hot" cars.

TaoJones