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    Different words for the same things depending on which country you're in.

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    • Posts: 26,102 Member
      Did we talk about this already ...

      icing vs frosting


      I grew up calling the sweet stuff on top of cakes "icing". And it is really sweet.

      Here in Australia, most cakes don't seem to be topped with icing. They're topped with a kind of sticky cream. However, if there is actually a sweet topping, I think Australians call it "icing" too. But I could be mistaken.

      From what I understand, Americans call it "frosting".
    • Posts: 11,750 Member
      Machka9 wrote: »
      Did we talk about this already ...

      icing vs frosting


      I grew up calling the sweet stuff on top of cakes "icing". And it is really sweet.

      Here in Australia, most cakes don't seem to be topped with icing. They're topped with a kind of sticky cream. However, if there is actually a sweet topping, I think Australians call it "icing" too. But I could be mistaken.

      From what I understand, Americans call it "frosting".

      From an Australian perspective, I ice cakes, cupcakes, biscuits etc. Icing can be a thin, runny consistency that kind of runs over the Cake and sets a bit, or thick pipeable buttercream type icing (different varieties) . I sometimes use the word frosting for the thick stuff, but that might be something I've picked up from TV shows.
      There's also royal icing, and fondant (different to chocolate fondant which is the gooey centred, warm, cakey dessert), and ganache
    • Posts: 11,750 Member
      edited January 2017
      Just went for a picnic and took our Esky

      Which I think Americans may call a "cooler", English people an "ice box", and a "chillybin" in new Zealand...
    • Posts: 26,102 Member
      livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      From an Australian perspective, I ice cakes, cupcakes, biscuits etc. Icing can be a thin, runny consistency that kind of runs over the Cake and sets a bit, or thick pipeable buttercream type icing (different varieties) . I sometimes use the word frosting for the thick stuff, but that might be something I've picked up from TV shows.
      There's also royal icing, and fondant (different to chocolate fondant which is the gooey centred, warm, cakey dessert), and ganache

      When I think of icing, I think of icing sugar with a blob of butter and a splash of milk all whipped together. Very, very, very sweet. :)
    • Posts: 30,886 Member
      Machka9 wrote: »
      Did we talk about this already ...

      icing vs frosting


      I grew up calling the sweet stuff on top of cakes "icing". And it is really sweet.

      Here in Australia, most cakes don't seem to be topped with icing. They're topped with a kind of sticky cream. However, if there is actually a sweet topping, I think Australians call it "icing" too. But I could be mistaken.

      From what I understand, Americans call it "frosting".

      No, it depends where in the US you are. It was one of the "what regional dialect do you have" quiz (US specific) that was posted upthread. I use them interchangeably, but probably frosting more. Icing sounds perfectly normal and standard American English to me too, though.
    • Posts: 26,102 Member
      lemurcat12 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      No, it depends where in the US you are. It was one of the "what regional dialect do you have" quiz (US specific) that was posted upthread. I use them interchangeably, but probably frosting more. Icing sounds perfectly normal and standard American English to me too, though.

      I missed that quiz!
    • Posts: 30,886 Member
      Cybertone posted it. Here are my results: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/38632334/#Comment_38632334 (I love that it gives you a map.)

      Here it is again: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html?_r=1&
    • Posts: 5,132 Member
      lemurcat12 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      No, it depends where in the US you are. It was one of the "what regional dialect do you have" quiz (US specific) that was posted upthread. I use them interchangeably, but probably frosting more. Icing sounds perfectly normal and standard American English to me too, though.

      I agree but I'm the opposite. I always say icing but don't flinch when someone else says frosting.
    • Posts: 30,886 Member
      Carlos_421 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      I agree but I'm the opposite. I always say icing but don't flinch when someone else says frosting.

      You should take the short version of the US dialect quiz and post your results like I did. I want to see what others get!
    • Posts: 5,297 Member
      I'm not sure how to post my results, but my results were spot on.

      http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html?_r=2&
    • Posts: 5,132 Member
      lemurcat12 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      You should take the short version of the US dialect quiz and post your results like I did. I want to see what others get!

      Looks like I'm pretty mainstream. lol
      https://nyti.ms/2jR0Z7i

      I do wish it would let you choose more than one answer for some of them. I say both "you guys" and "y'all."
      I also say "crawdad" if I find one in the creek but will say "crawfish" at a seafood restaurant and "crayfish" on an aquarium forum.
    • Posts: 6,644 Member
      lemurcat12 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      You should take the short version of the US dialect quiz and post your results like I did. I want to see what others get!

      I got NY, Boston and Yonkers... Spot on

      https://nyti.ms/2kk4lwo
    • Posts: 1,802 Member
      lemurcat12 wrote: »
      Cybertone posted it. Here are my results: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/38632334/#Comment_38632334 (I love that it gives you a map.)

      Here it is again: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html?_r=1&

      This seems very accurate. It pegged my dialect as closest to Washington, D.C. I grew up about a mile outside of the city. Now I live in southern WV and there are many differences in what I call things versus what locals call them.

      I say / they say

      cart/buggy
      soda/pop
      you guys/y'all
      going to/fixin' to
      dinner/supper
      crawfish/crawdads


      I was visiting a cousin in northern Ohio and encountered some confusion on a restaurant menu over "hot sauce" being listed as a side. I was trying to figure out why a condiment was counting as one of your side dishes. Turns out it's a dish consisting of spicy rice and tomatoes.

      WV is just starting to get some Tim Horton's but honestly I prefer Dunkin. I drink my body weight in dark roast iced coffee there daily. I don't know about the donuts because I'm gluten free. My husband prefers Krispy Kreme when the light is on and they are fresh.




    • Posts: 30,886 Member
      edited January 2017
      Carlos_421 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Looks like I'm pretty mainstream. lol
      https://nyti.ms/2jR0Z7i

      I do wish it would let you choose more than one answer for some of them. I say both "you guys" and "y'all."
      I also say "crawdad" if I find one in the creek but will say "crawfish" at a seafood restaurant and "crayfish" on an aquarium forum.

      I say "you" and "you all" and (rarely) "you guys," but never "y'all." Mostly just "you," though. And it's a crawfish.

      Mine was right too -- basically the stripe just above (er, to the north!) ;-) of yours.
    • Posts: 5,132 Member
      lemurcat12 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      I say "you" and "you all" and (rarely) "you guys," but never "y'all." Mostly just "you," though. And it's a crawfish.

      Mine was right too -- basically the stripe just above (er, to the north!) ;-) of yours.

      Yeah, mine makes sense in that it's the most red in Kentucky with just a little bit of overlap with the southern Ohio border. I live just north of Cincinnati (still within the red zone) but both sides of my family are from Kentucky (my grandparents were among a large host of people who moved from Kentucky to Southern Ohio in the 60's and 70's to find work).
    • Posts: 30,886 Member
      Carlos_421 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Yeah, mine makes sense in that it's the most red in Kentucky with just a little bit of overlap with the southern Ohio border. I live just north of Cincinnati (still within the red zone) but both sides of my family are from Kentucky (my grandparents were among a large host of people who moved from Kentucky to Southern Ohio in the 60's and 70's to find work).

      I've been in Chicago for ages (which is within the zone I scored in, and I talk pretty much like people around here who don't have a specific city accent -- the place it matched me closest with is Aurora, IL, which is a western semi-suburb (although embarrassingly associated with Wayne's World, of course). My family is partially from here and partially from Iowa and Nebraska, and I moved around a bunch as a kid, so it makes sense.
    • Posts: 237 Member
      I think I stressed out the quiz lol

      I was born in California (0-8 y/o)
      Grew up in New Mexico (south Central USA)
      And now I live in North Carolina (East coast)

      Tried it twice and it timed out calculating.
      Lol will try again later.

    • Posts: 16,049 Member
      kgirlhart wrote: »
      I'm not sure how to post my results, but my results were spot on.

      http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html?_r=2&

      I did the quiz... I was able to answer the majority of them, except 2 that i had to use 'other' for. If i was American i would live in Newark/paterson, Yonkers/Jersey city. I was hoping for Los Angeles :lol: I've seen the real housewives of New Jersey, for the love of god, i do not want to resemble them! :worried:
    • Posts: 30,886 Member
      Maybe you are a Jersey shore type! (Ducks and runs away.)
    • Posts: 18,934 Member
      Oh, have we covered thongs? People go out in their thongs all the time in Australia. People going out in their thongs in the USA are likely to get arrested.

    • Posts: 16,049 Member
      edited January 2017
      lemurcat12 wrote: »
      Maybe you are a Jersey shore type! (Ducks and runs away.)

      hrl3ksrpspv4.jpg




      Oh my Gaaaaawwwwd! Like, you better like duck and run like far away brah :tongue: :tongue:
    • Posts: 16,049 Member
      Alatariel75 wrote: »
      Oh, have we covered thongs? People go out in their thongs all the time in Australia. People going out in their thongs in the USA are likely to get arrested.

      Haha yes we have, and the bum/fanny translation too :smiley:

      9wepxf3y2vt0.jpg


    • Posts: 30,886 Member
      Alatariel75 wrote: »
      Oh, have we covered thongs? People go out in their thongs all the time in Australia. People going out in their thongs in the USA are likely to get arrested.

      Weird thing is that we used to call the flip flops thongs when I was a kid. Now, no.
    • Posts: 5,297 Member
      lemurcat12 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Weird thing is that we used to call the flip flops thongs when I was a kid. Now, no.

      Well used to call them thongs too! I'm not sure when that changed. My Dad still calls flip flops " shower thongs".
    • Posts: 103 Member
      kgirlhart wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Well used to call them thongs too! I'm not sure when that changed. My Dad still calls flip flops " shower thongs".

      Yes this. we definitely show our age if we call flip flops thongs. Lol I remember when the only came in black with the rainbow strap. They were way more comfortable back then too.
    • Posts: 26,102 Member
      lemurcat12 wrote: »
      Cybertone posted it. Here are my results: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/38632334/#Comment_38632334 (I love that it gives you a map.)

      Here it is again: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html?_r=1&

      Oddly enough, I apparently speak like someone from Florida.

      I've been to Florida once.

    • Posts: 9,520 Member
      kgirlhart wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      I have had brown gravy, but it has always been called brown gravy. If it is just gravy then it is always white. Sometimes white gravy is called country gravy. Chicken fried steak with gravy is the best meal I make and it is good. I rarely make it though (even before counting calories). It is very messy and I hate frying stuff.

      If I ever go somewhere that has Bechamel sauce I now know I will like it. This really has been a fun and interesting thread.

      If its white I wouldn't consider it gravy. Seems like some kind of sauce.
    • Posts: 1,782 Member
      CurlyCockney wrote: »
      It took me a while to realise that US 'broil' means 'grill' too.

      I'm not so sure about this. Grill is flame on the bottom; broil is flame on the top.
    • Posts: 1,782 Member
      livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      scones here (US) are basically rich biscuits. Biscuits in general are lean in the US (well, as lean as the US can imagine it, so I suppose it's relative), but scones are more like a thick, dense, not-as-sweet cookie.
    • Posts: 1,782 Member
      jgnatca wrote: »
      In eastern Canada we put our milk in bags.

      the_future_of_dairy_milk_in_a_bag.jpg

      omgosh, that's so strange!
    This discussion has been closed.

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