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

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Replies

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,974 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:
    Chips = us fries
    Chips = uk crisps

    There's rarely any confusion over them - it's usually context that will give it away, though we also do sometimes distinguish hot chips vs potato chips.
    However just about every aussie who visits the US has at least one instance of being disappointed when offered chips with something and getting potato chips. You guys do eat potato chips with weird things (hotdogs, subs, burgers, etc.)

    For that matter, all of the classic bun + meat items that are sold in mcdonalds in australia are "burgers" even the chicken offerings . A "sandwich" is generally a much healthier item, cheese/cold meat such as ham etc/egg with salad in two pieces of bread, such as what's taken to school.
    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    Speaking of this ... one that confused me when I first moved to Australia was "salad roll". As in, "I think I'll just have a salad roll for lunch."

    I was envisioning some sort of salad. Nope!

    A salad roll - ie a bread roll filled with things like lettuce ,tomato, cucumber,cheese - what would you call it in other places?

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    What about tipping. It seems in America tipping is a common practice, I've never seen it done here.

    We tip here in Australia on occasion. Only in restaurants, of course ... and only when the service is exceptionally good.

    In Canada, tipping is only a food-related thing (restaurant, cafe, pizza delivery), and again, only if you think the service was good or maybe if you had a bit of extra change in your pocket.

    I need to start frequenting more high class establishments. The local pub and Chinese take away are about as classy as i get :blush:

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:
    Chips = us fries
    Chips = uk crisps

    There's rarely any confusion over them - it's usually context that will give it away, though we also do sometimes distinguish hot chips vs potato chips.
    However just about every aussie who visits the US has at least one instance of being disappointed when offered chips with something and getting potato chips. You guys do eat potato chips with weird things (hotdogs, subs, burgers, etc.)

    For that matter, all of the classic bun + meat items that are sold in mcdonalds in australia are "burgers" even the chicken offerings . A "sandwich" is generally a much healthier item, cheese/cold meat such as ham etc/egg with salad in two pieces of bread, such as what's taken to school.
    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    Speaking of this ... one that confused me when I first moved to Australia was "salad roll". As in, "I think I'll just have a salad roll for lunch."

    I was envisioning some sort of salad. Nope!

    A salad roll - ie a bread roll filled with things like lettuce ,tomato, cucumber,cheese - what would you call it in other places?

    A cheese sandwich (USA/Michigan), with fixin's.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,804 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    What about tipping. It seems in America tipping is a common practice, I've never seen it done here.

    We tip here in Australia on occasion. Only in restaurants, of course ... and only when the service is exceptionally good.

    In Canada, tipping is only a food-related thing (restaurant, cafe, pizza delivery), and again, only if you think the service was good or maybe if you had a bit of extra change in your pocket.

    I think that's changed now. I don't know when you were last back in Canada but tipping in Canada is now more along the lines of tipping in America.

    I was last there about 18 months ago. :)
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,804 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:
    Chips = us fries
    Chips = uk crisps

    There's rarely any confusion over them - it's usually context that will give it away, though we also do sometimes distinguish hot chips vs potato chips.
    However just about every aussie who visits the US has at least one instance of being disappointed when offered chips with something and getting potato chips. You guys do eat potato chips with weird things (hotdogs, subs, burgers, etc.)

    For that matter, all of the classic bun + meat items that are sold in mcdonalds in australia are "burgers" even the chicken offerings . A "sandwich" is generally a much healthier item, cheese/cold meat such as ham etc/egg with salad in two pieces of bread, such as what's taken to school.
    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    Speaking of this ... one that confused me when I first moved to Australia was "salad roll". As in, "I think I'll just have a salad roll for lunch."

    I was envisioning some sort of salad. Nope!

    A salad roll - ie a bread roll filled with things like lettuce ,tomato, cucumber,cheese - what would you call it in other places?

    A cheese sandwich.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,804 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    What about tipping. It seems in America tipping is a common practice, I've never seen it done here.

    We tip here in Australia on occasion. Only in restaurants, of course ... and only when the service is exceptionally good.

    In Canada, tipping is only a food-related thing (restaurant, cafe, pizza delivery), and again, only if you think the service was good or maybe if you had a bit of extra change in your pocket.

    I need to start frequenting more high class establishments. The local pub and Chinese take away are about as classy as i get :blush:

    Maybe once or twice a year we'll go out somewhere special ... and if the service is really good, we'll tip. But that's about it.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    What about tipping. It seems in America tipping is a common practice, I've never seen it done here.

    In the US, the wait staff are paid less than minimum wage, and the rest is made up by tips. It is expected. It used to be 15 percent, but I think it is now at least 18 to 20 percent. It depends on location some times.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited January 2017
    Dnarules wrote: »
    What about tipping. It seems in America tipping is a common practice, I've never seen it done here.

    In the US, the wait staff are paid less than minimum wage, and the rest is made up by tips. It is expected. It used to be 15 percent, but I think it is now at least 18 to 20 percent. It depends on location some times.

    It sucks that they can get away with that! The minimum wage here is around $18 per hour iirc

    My 21 year old son is a trade assistant and he clears $1200 most weeks, the little shite is richer than me!
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:
    Chips = us fries
    Chips = uk crisps

    There's rarely any confusion over them - it's usually context that will give it away, though we also do sometimes distinguish hot chips vs potato chips.
    However just about every aussie who visits the US has at least one instance of being disappointed when offered chips with something and getting potato chips. You guys do eat potato chips with weird things (hotdogs, subs, burgers, etc.)

    For that matter, all of the classic bun + meat items that are sold in mcdonalds in australia are "burgers" even the chicken offerings . A "sandwich" is generally a much healthier item, cheese/cold meat such as ham etc/egg with salad in two pieces of bread, such as what's taken to school.
    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    Speaking of this ... one that confused me when I first moved to Australia was "salad roll". As in, "I think I'll just have a salad roll for lunch."

    I was envisioning some sort of salad. Nope!

    A salad roll - ie a bread roll filled with things like lettuce ,tomato, cucumber,cheese - what would you call it in other places?

    A cheese sandwich.

    If someone asked me for a cheese sandwich, they'd get bread and cheese, and maybe butter if they asked for it. :p
  • HonuNui
    HonuNui Posts: 1,464 Member

    A salad roll - ie a bread roll filled with things like lettuce ,tomato, cucumber,cheese - what would you call it in other places?

    A veggie sub.
    Just to throw a wrench (is that an Americanism?)..... "slippers" (or slippahs) in Hawaii is flip-flops (or, what I called thongs when I grew up in Michigan)
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    HonuNui wrote: »

    A salad roll - ie a bread roll filled with things like lettuce ,tomato, cucumber,cheese - what would you call it in other places?

    A veggie sub.
    Just to throw a wrench (is that an Americanism?)..... "slippers" (or slippahs) in Hawaii is flip-flops (or, what I called thongs when I grew up in Michigan)

    The wrench has been thrown a few pages back.... I'll add "jandals" in for those from New Zealand :)
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited January 2017
    Dnarules wrote: »
    What about tipping. It seems in America tipping is a common practice, I've never seen it done here.

    In the US, the wait staff are paid less than minimum wage, and the rest is made up by tips. It is expected. It used to be 15 percent, but I think it is now at least 18 to 20 percent. It depends on location some times.

    We have a large population of Canadian "winter visitors" (aka "snowbirds") in our town, and they tip very sparsely, if at all. Apparently from what I understand, wages for wait staff are much higher in Canada and they don't understand the custom of (or reasoning behind) tipping in the U.S.

    Wage laws vary from state to state, but in Arizona, if a person works in a position which receives tips they're not even required to be paid minimum wage. State law says they can be paid up to $3/hr less than minimum wage (current minimum for tipped employees is $5.05/hr.)

    Local people in the service industry have a standing joke - "Know what the difference is between a snowbird and a canoe? A canoe will tip once in a while."

    I'm not Mr. Etiquette or anything, but it's my understanding that the customary tip (in the U.S.) is between 15% - 20%. If I get reasonable service I always tip 20%; if it's excellent service I'll tip 25%.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited January 2017
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:

    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    I'm glad someone else doesnt get half and half.
    I have not been to main land America but I have been to Hawaii - nobody (except us Australian tourists) had plain milk in tea/coffee.
    The hotel's breakfast buffet had milk in a jug to go on cereal which we used to put in our tea/coffee.
    The actual tea/coffee section did not have milk on offer.

    I don't get it either. Someone pages back mentioned we do have creamer type things here, but i checked at the supermarket the other day and I didn't see any.

    I've said it before, but the choices here are either black coffee/tea or tea/coffee with milk.

    Weird. I have seen coffeemate type coffee whiteners on shelves in QLD. Liquids (uht, I think) and powders in the coffee section.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,956 Member
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:

    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    I'm glad someone else doesnt get half and half.
    I have not been to main land America but I have been to Hawaii - nobody (except us Australian tourists) had plain milk in tea/coffee.
    The hotel's breakfast buffet had milk in a jug to go on cereal which we used to put in our tea/coffee.
    The actual tea/coffee section did not have milk on offer.

    I don't get it either. Someone pages back mentioned we do have creamer type things here, but i checked at the supermarket the other day and I didn't see any.

    I've said it before, but the choices here are either black coffee/tea or tea/coffee with milk.

    Weird. I have seen coffeemate type coffee whiteners on shelves in QLD. Liquids (uht, I think) and powders in the coffee section.

    Yup, they have it here in Melbourne too - They have the powdered stuff and I found the single serve hazelnut flavoured one, which was very exciting.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:

    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    I'm glad someone else doesnt get half and half.
    I have not been to main land America but I have been to Hawaii - nobody (except us Australian tourists) had plain milk in tea/coffee.
    The hotel's breakfast buffet had milk in a jug to go on cereal which we used to put in our tea/coffee.
    The actual tea/coffee section did not have milk on offer.

    I don't get it either. Someone pages back mentioned we do have creamer type things here, but i checked at the supermarket the other day and I didn't see any.

    I've said it before, but the choices here are either black coffee/tea or tea/coffee with milk.

    Weird. I have seen coffeemate type coffee whiteners on shelves in QLD. Liquids (uht, I think) and powders in the coffee section.

    Adelaide. .. The forgotten state.

    The store i went to was a smaller woolies. Coles have a larger selection, I'll check next time i go there.

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,974 Member
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:

    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    I'm glad someone else doesnt get half and half.
    I have not been to main land America but I have been to Hawaii - nobody (except us Australian tourists) had plain milk in tea/coffee.
    The hotel's breakfast buffet had milk in a jug to go on cereal which we used to put in our tea/coffee.
    The actual tea/coffee section did not have milk on offer.

    I don't get it either. Someone pages back mentioned we do have creamer type things here, but i checked at the supermarket the other day and I didn't see any.

    I've said it before, but the choices here are either black coffee/tea or tea/coffee with milk.

    Weird. I have seen coffeemate type coffee whiteners on shelves in QLD. Liquids (uht, I think) and powders in the coffee section.

    I dont dispute that they exist or are available in some places here - but they are certainly not the norm and most people would not ever use them

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,956 Member
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:

    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    I'm glad someone else doesnt get half and half.
    I have not been to main land America but I have been to Hawaii - nobody (except us Australian tourists) had plain milk in tea/coffee.
    The hotel's breakfast buffet had milk in a jug to go on cereal which we used to put in our tea/coffee.
    The actual tea/coffee section did not have milk on offer.

    I don't get it either. Someone pages back mentioned we do have creamer type things here, but i checked at the supermarket the other day and I didn't see any.

    I've said it before, but the choices here are either black coffee/tea or tea/coffee with milk.

    Weird. I have seen coffeemate type coffee whiteners on shelves in QLD. Liquids (uht, I think) and powders in the coffee section.

    I dont dispute that they exist or are available in some places here - but they are certainly not the norm and most people would not ever use them

    Oh, agreed. I flipped out a little when I saw them.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,974 Member
    HonuNui wrote: »

    A salad roll - ie a bread roll filled with things like lettuce ,tomato, cucumber,cheese - what would you call it in other places?

    A veggie sub.
    Just to throw a wrench (is that an Americanism?)..... "slippers" (or slippahs) in Hawaii is flip-flops (or, what I called thongs when I grew up in Michigan)

    Ok.

    Ive never heard anyone hear refer to a salad roll as a veggie sub here - sub is only used for subway (the food chain) , not as a general term.

    Someone said they would call it a cheese sandwich - a cheese sandwich would be just cheese here (and probably butter/marg) - if it has lettuce tomato cucumber etc it would be a salad sandwich - a sandwich meaning between 2 pieces of bread. As distinct from a salad roll, meaning same fillings in a roll.


  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    HonuNui wrote: »

    A salad roll - ie a bread roll filled with things like lettuce ,tomato, cucumber,cheese - what would you call it in other places?

    A veggie sub.
    Just to throw a wrench (is that an Americanism?)..... "slippers" (or slippahs) in Hawaii is flip-flops (or, what I called thongs when I grew up in Michigan)

    Ok.

    Ive never heard anyone hear refer to a salad roll as a veggie sub here - sub is only used for subway (the food chain) , not as a general term.

    Someone said they would call it a cheese sandwich - a cheese sandwich would be just cheese here (and probably butter/marg) - if it has lettuce tomato cucumber etc it would be a salad sandwich - a sandwich meaning between 2 pieces of bread. As distinct from a salad roll, meaning same fillings in a roll.

    See a salad roll to me sounded like a veggie wrap until I see you mentioned it was on bread. And here in NYC, we call that a Hero sandwich. And since cheese is the main ingredient, its called a Cheese Hero.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    :p
    HonuNui wrote: »

    A salad roll - ie a bread roll filled with things like lettuce ,tomato, cucumber,cheese - what would you call it in other places?

    A veggie sub.
    Just to throw a wrench (is that an Americanism?)..... "slippers" (or slippahs) in Hawaii is flip-flops (or, what I called thongs when I grew up in Michigan)

    Ok.

    Ive never heard anyone hear refer to a salad roll as a veggie sub here - sub is only used for subway (the food chain) , not as a general term.

    Someone said they would call it a cheese sandwich - a cheese sandwich would be just cheese here (and probably butter/marg) - if it has lettuce tomato cucumber etc it would be a salad sandwich - a sandwich meaning between 2 pieces of bread. As distinct from a salad roll, meaning same fillings in a roll.

    See a salad roll to me sounded like a veggie wrap until I see you mentioned it was on bread. And here in NYC, we call that a Hero sandwich. And since cheese is the main ingredient, its called a Cheese Hero.

    A salad in a wrap would be a salad wrap :p
    We call the individual serve bread things rolls/baps/baguette or French stick/buns