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

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Replies

  • pogoandpanda
    pogoandpanda Posts: 4 Member
    In Australia we say ta a lot which is the shortened version of thanks or thank you and use the term fortnight often to refer to two weeks time.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,706 Member
    edited January 2017
    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.


    To me, what Australians call a "roll" (and I'm starting to call it that too) is a "bun".

    And I don't call lettuce, tomato etc. in a bun "salad" ... that's just random toppings of some kind.

    I grew up in Alberta, Canada and there vegetables aren't mentioned in a meal. A meal is meat or possibly something like eggs or cheese. For example ...

    "What are we having for dinner?"
    "Roast beef"

    What? Is that it? No veggies? Well, of course there will be some, but they're not important.

    So ... a bun with a few random veggies and cheese ... would be a cheese sandwich or perhaps a cheese bun. :)

    Here, however, veggies actually do get a mention! :grin:
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    The dating system is different in aus - we put the date first, then month, then year. (UKis the same)

    We count differently too
    101 = one hundred AND one
    120 = one hundred AND twenty
    (pretty sure Americans miss out the AND)
  • MelanieBinnall
    MelanieBinnall Posts: 31 Member
    Hi,

    After watching a marathon day of "The British Baking Show" on PBS - I wonder what "castor sugar" is.........is it granulated sugar?

    Thanks,
    Melanie
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    edited January 2017
    Hi,

    After watching a marathon day of "The British Baking Show" on PBS - I wonder what "castor sugar" is.........is it granulated sugar?

    Thanks,
    Melanie

    Yes - but slightly finer. We have sugar, which you'd put in coffee, castor sugar, which is slightly finer, dissolving better for baking, and icing sugar (confectioners sugar, super fine)

    Unless.... Your Confectioners sugar is our castor sugar, and our icing sugar is your powdered sugar.... That makes more sense!?
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    Hi,

    After watching a marathon day of "The British Baking Show" on PBS - I wonder what "castor sugar" is.........is it granulated sugar?

    Thanks,
    Melanie

    Yes - but slightly finer. We have sugar, which you'd put in coffee, castor sugar, which is slightly finer, dissolving better for baking, and icing sugar (confectioners sugar, super fine)

    Unless.... Your Confectioners sugar is our castor sugar, and our icing sugar is your powdered sugar.... That makes more sense!?

    We have super fine granulated sugar that is called ... super fine sugar. Then icing sugar is called powdered sugar or confectioners sugar. That's different and it has a bit of cornstarch in it.

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    Hi,

    After watching a marathon day of "The British Baking Show" on PBS - I wonder what "castor sugar" is.........is it granulated sugar?

    Thanks,
    Melanie

    Yes - but slightly finer. We have sugar, which you'd put in coffee, castor sugar, which is slightly finer, dissolving better for baking, and icing sugar (confectioners sugar, super fine)

    Unless.... Your Confectioners sugar is our castor sugar, and our icing sugar is your powdered sugar.... That makes more sense!?

    We have super fine granulated sugar that is called ... super fine sugar. Then icing sugar is called powdered sugar or confectioners sugar. That's different and it has a bit of cornstarch in it.

    So castor sugar is your super fine sugar.
    Our icing sugar can be "pure icing sugar", or "icing mixture" which has cornstarch.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    By the way, the Sub sandwich did not originate with the Subway food chain. Sub, which is short for Submarine, has been around a lot longer than the food chain (~1910).

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_sandwich
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    By the way, the Sub sandwich did not originate with the Subway food chain. Sub, which is short for Submarine, has been around a lot longer than the food chain (~1910).

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_sandwich

    Never crossed my mind that anyone would think that.

    This is another regional thing within the US: sub, hoagie, grinder, hero, etc.

    http://www.thekitchn.com/hoagies-heroes-subs-and-grinders-whats-the-deal-with-these-sandwich-names-222944

    I grew up with sub (pre Subway) and then when I was in college in MA people kept talking about grinders and I was initially puzzled (but figured it out).
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    I'd call a roll/sandwich with cheese and salad a cheese salad roll/sandwich.

    A US gyro is a UK doner kebab.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I'd call a roll/sandwich with cheese and salad a cheese salad roll/sandwich.

    A US gyro is a UK doner kebab.

    Ah, I've wondered what that is occasionally. (I have an unfortunate association in my mind with Donner party, so will stick to gyro!) ;-)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Interesting. A gyro/doner kebab is a Donair in Canada.
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I'd call a roll/sandwich with cheese and salad a cheese salad roll/sandwich.

    A US gyro is a UK doner kebab.

    Ah, I've wondered what that is occasionally. (I have an unfortunate association in my mind with Donner party, so will stick to gyro!) ;-)

    I've eaten a doner and wondered what it is! I mean, what animal is shaped like that?! (I'm kidding, I know it's mushed up stuff).

    US ground beef is UK beef mince.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,706 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I'd call a roll/sandwich with cheese and salad a cheese salad roll/sandwich.

    A US gyro is a UK doner kebab.

    Ah, I've wondered what that is occasionally. (I have an unfortunate association in my mind with Donner party, so will stick to gyro!) ;-)

    I've eaten a doner and wondered what it is! I mean, what animal is shaped like that?! (I'm kidding, I know it's mushed up stuff).

    US ground beef is UK beef mince.

    And that reminds me of the first time I visited Australia.

    The shop had meat pies for sale, and I asked what the meat was.

    "It's meat", said the girl.

    "Yes, but what kind?"

    "Meat. Just meat."

    "Right ... but is it beef or lamb or pork or ... "

    "I don't know, it's just meat."

    And I got that at several places before someone finally told me that it would be beef mince, possibly with a bit of lamb thrown in.
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I'd call a roll/sandwich with cheese and salad a cheese salad roll/sandwich.

    A US gyro is a UK doner kebab.

    Ah, I've wondered what that is occasionally. (I have an unfortunate association in my mind with Donner party, so will stick to gyro!) ;-)

    I've eaten a doner and wondered what it is! I mean, what animal is shaped like that?! (I'm kidding, I know it's mushed up stuff).

    US ground beef is UK beef mince.

    And that reminds me of the first time I visited Australia.

    The shop had meat pies for sale, and I asked what the meat was.

    "It's meat", said the girl.

    "Yes, but what kind?"

    "Meat. Just meat."

    "Right ... but is it beef or lamb or pork or ... "

    "I don't know, it's just meat."

    And I got that at several places before someone finally told me that it would be beef mince, possibly with a bit of lamb thrown in.

    Some curry houses around here sell two types of curry - lamb or "meat" :-/
  • Eleniala
    Eleniala Posts: 87 Member
    We had an exchange student from Australia stay with us (in the US). One day I told her we were having pot pie for dinner, and she first looked confused and then her face lit up. Come dinner time she was disappointed when the pot pies were chicken and veggies with a pastry crust. Apparently she thought it was some sort of pie made with pot (marijuana/cannabis). :o Both my husband and I are police officers, so I'm not sure why that thought even crossed her mind. Hehe. She did enjoy the pot pie though, and she said it's like a flimsy version of the Australian meat pie.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,721 Member
    I'd call a roll/sandwich with cheese and salad a cheese salad roll/sandwich.

    A US gyro is a UK doner kebab.

    I've (US) thought of a gyro as having sliced meat - that's what I usually see here. But I see folks on this thread citing ground meat/mince.

    There's some standard middle-eastern ground-meat-lump thing people here eat, but I can't recall the name of it. (What the heck do I know - I'm a vegetarian. But some of the friends I dine with like gyros. ;) ).
  • harribeau2012
    harribeau2012 Posts: 644 Member
    edited January 2017
    My kids find fannypack the most hilarious one
    In UK that would be bumbag. Or in really posh places travel pack.
    fanny is entirely different here!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    My kids find fannypack the most hilarious one
    In UK that would be bumbag. Or in really posh places travel pack.
    fanny is entirely different here!

    I know, same here lol I can't picture what a "fannypack" could be if used in the Australian/British way :open_mouth: I didnt think people used bumbags/fanny packs anymore??
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited January 2017
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    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%.

    Wait staff in Canada are paid okay. Above minimum wage which is often over $10/hour. Still it is customary to tip about 15%. If the service was poor we tip less, or not at all. If the service was good it is 15% to 25%. About.

    I have to admit I have skipped tipping a few times while travelling in the USA while I rarely do it in Canada. I tend to like Canadian service better.... That just doesn't sound good. Sorry. As a Canadian I'm big into manners and politeness.

    We also tip for hair cuts, cab drivers, door men, bell boys, and sometimes newspaper deliverers or cleaning staff, around holidays.