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

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Replies

  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    I don't think the idea of "donations" is meant to put down the employees, more the system that lets employers get away with paying such a minimal wage. My understanding is that even the minimum wage in the US is pretty damn low so tips are needed to make it something even half way decent.
    It does mean that in general I think you get better service in other countries. I don't think Australia has much of a service culture, and although many individuals provide great service, it certainly isn't the same as other parts of the world where tips are more common.

    We definitely have higher menu prices here, but I guess we are used to it. That does vary from place to place in Australia too though, depending on local systems - for example you can usually get a pretty cheap pub meal in Adelaide and east coast pubs because they are subsidised by having pokies (ie. gambling machines) in most pubs, whereas in WA, there are no pokies so you pay higher prices upfront for everything.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    pebble4321 wrote: »
    I don't think the idea of "donations" is meant to put down the employees, more the system that lets employers get away with paying such a minimal wage. My understanding is that even the minimum wage in the US is pretty damn low so tips are needed to make it something even half way decent.
    It does mean that in general I think you get better service in other countries. I don't think Australia has much of a service culture, and although many individuals provide great service, it certainly isn't the same as other parts of the world where tips are more common.

    We definitely have higher menu prices here, but I guess we are used to it. That does vary from place to place in Australia too though, depending on local systems - for example you can usually get a pretty cheap pub meal in Adelaide and east coast pubs because they are subsidised by having pokies (ie. gambling machines) in most pubs, whereas in WA, there are no pokies so you pay higher prices upfront for everything.

    Minimum wage varies by state like most things American.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    pebble4321 wrote: »
    I don't think the idea of "donations" is meant to put down the employees, more the system that lets employers get away with paying such a minimal wage. My understanding is that even the minimum wage in the US is pretty damn low so tips are needed to make it something even half way decent.
    It does mean that in general I think you get better service in other countries. I don't think Australia has much of a service culture, and although many individuals provide great service, it certainly isn't the same as other parts of the world where tips are more common.

    We definitely have higher menu prices here, but I guess we are used to it. That does vary from place to place in Australia too though, depending on local systems - for example you can usually get a pretty cheap pub meal in Adelaide and east coast pubs because they are subsidised by having pokies (ie. gambling machines) in most pubs, whereas in WA, there are no pokies so you pay higher prices upfront for everything.

    Yes, you said it more succinctly than i did. My beef is definitely with the employers, not the employees!

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited January 2017
    Machka9 wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    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

    I agree. The item described above seems more to me like what we'd call a "wrap", assuming it was all rolled up in a flour tortilla.

    A salad roll is in a bun.

    This is a "ham salad roll" ...

    ham-salad-roll-10338934.jpg


    This is a "cheese salad roll" ...

    cheese-salad-bread-roll-10066621.jpg

    We just call those "sandwiches". Ham sandwich and cheese sandwich (although some of my in-laws from Michigan pronounce it "sang-wedge"). Which always makes me think of a sand wedge, which is a golf club. :D
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    edited January 2017
    If you ask for a salad sandwich in Australia you will get one of these, with sliced bread rather than a bread roll:
    nhuntz5n4fgj.jpg

    Usually you will be asked "white or brown?" - meaning what kind of bread. Plus often followed up by questions about whether you want butter, salt and pepper, beetroot etc.

    (This is a tuna salad sandwich but depending on what you want, you would ask for ham and salad, chicken and salad, or just salad). Note that tuna salad here doesn't usually mean a mixture of tuna with mayo and other stuff for flavour.
    In fact, my impression of US "salad" is that it often means "mixed with mayonnaise" rather than a combination of (mostly raw) veggies. Just as "casserole" seems to mean "mixed with canned soup" rather than something like a stew which is what we would more often mean.

    I love the part in the movie Little Miss Sunshine where her family tell the little girl that "a la mode" (pronounced modie) means "served with icecream" :)
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    pebble4321 wrote: »
    If you ask for a salad sandwich in Australia you will get one of these, with sliced bread rather than a bread roll:
    nhuntz5n4fgj.jpg

    Usually you will be asked "white or brown?" - meaning what kind of bread. Plus often followed up by questions about whether you want butter, salt and pepper etc.


    I've seen a few people mention butter on sandwiches. That's something I've very rarely ever seen. The common condiments I usually see/use on a sandwich are mayonnaise, mustard, maybe oil and vinegar (on a sub/hoagie/hero type sandwich), and salt & pepper. Or then you have specific toppings suited for the meat such as BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, cheese sauce, etc.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    pebble4321 wrote: »
    If you ask for a salad sandwich in Australia you will get one of these, with sliced bread rather than a bread roll:
    nhuntz5n4fgj.jpg

    Usually you will be asked "white or brown?" - meaning what kind of bread. Plus often followed up by questions about whether you want butter, salt and pepper etc.


    I've seen a few people mention butter on sandwiches. That's something I've very rarely ever seen. The common condiments I usually see/use on a sandwich are mayonnaise, mustard, maybe oil and vinegar (on a sub/hoagie/hero type sandwich), and salt & pepper. Or then you have specific toppings suited for the meat such as BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, cheese sauce, etc.

    Yes! And to piggy back, butter is usually reserved for breakfast type sandwiches here or bagels and rolls toasted.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    edited January 2017
    Ok not in different countries but...

    Hawaii - slippers
    Mainland - flip flops
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    I think butter used to be the standard (if I think back to my childhood when a day out to the big town meant lunch at the local co-op cafeteria where you would get chicken and salad sandwiches on soft white bread, and I think you would always get butter). Now you would usually get asked if you want butter and most places will offer mayo, avocado etc as an option. I wouldn't expect to see many sauces (bbq etc) on offer for a sandwich, though you might get those on a roll or wrap. Ranch dressing isn't a thing here either, but seems to be ubiquitous in the US. I'm sure we can buy it here now (most things that are popular in the US are in our supermarkets now) but I don't think it's common. Not for me anyway, other Aussies might have a different experience.
  • Eleniala
    Eleniala Posts: 87 Member
    pebble4321 wrote: »
    We definitely have higher menu prices here, but I guess we are used to it. That does vary from place to place in Australia too though, depending on local systems - for example you can usually get a pretty cheap pub meal in Adelaide and east coast pubs because they are subsidised by having pokies (ie. gambling machines) in most pubs, whereas in WA, there are no pokies so you pay higher prices upfront for everything.

    That's another good one! In the US jail is informally referred to as the "pokey". (And no, pubs here don't usually have jail cells in them...although that wouldn't be a bad idea). Gambling machines are usually called "slot machines" and sometimes "one-armed bandits".

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,706 Member
    I'll also just mention ... potato chips.

    In Canada, my favourite flavour is dill pickle. In Australia, I cannot find dill pickle chips. In fact, dill pickles are hard to find ... it's all sweet pickles which are really quite ick.

    In Australia, a common potato chip flavour is chicken. In fact, there's chicken salt that goes on chips (the big, thick fries type of chips), dim sims, deep fried lasagne, battered fish, and whatever else you want to get at the take-away.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I'll also just mention ... potato chips.

    In Canada, my favourite flavour is dill pickle. In Australia, I cannot find dill pickle chips. In fact, dill pickles are hard to find ... it's all sweet pickles which are really quite ick.

    In Australia, a common potato chip flavour is chicken. In fact, there's chicken salt that goes on chips (the big, thick fries type of chips), dim sims, deep fried lasagne, battered fish, and whatever else you want to get at the take-away.

    Chicken salt is awesome! But, deep fried lasagne? Where do you get that? I don't think we have quite the same enthusiasm for frying food in aus compared to the states, although it's becoming more common to fry weird things.

    I'd say salt and vinegar or BBQ would be the most common chip/crisp flavour. I have a Canadian friend who eats lots of pickles, she might make her own though?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Has anyone yried deep fried mars bars from the fish n chip shop? Disgustingly good!
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    Has anyone yried deep fried mars bars from the fish n chip shop? Disgustingly good!

    Yes.... Once. Don't think I need another though :p I've also had deep fried Oreo from a restaurant here that serves American style food...
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited January 2017
    Has anyone yried deep fried mars bars from the fish n chip shop? Disgustingly good!

    I've tried deep fried Snickers and deep fried Twinkies. And deep fried ice cream, yum. At one of the fairs (carnivals) last year, they had a deep fried peanut butter & jelly sandwich, dusted with confectioner's sugar and topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Has anyone yried deep fried mars bars from the fish n chip shop? Disgustingly good!

    Yes.... Once. Don't think I need another though :p I've also had deep fried Oreo from a restaurant here that serves American style food...

    Haha i only tried it once too. We have an American food place walking distance from my house, their hotdogs and burgers are awesome, and they do amazing fries with chili and cheese sauce on top! Flippan expensive tho, $11.50 for a hotdog, and not a biggen either, but very tasty!

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Has anyone yried deep fried mars bars from the fish n chip shop? Disgustingly good!

    I've tried deep fried Snickers and deep fried Twinkies. And deep fried ice cream, yum. At one of the fairs (carnivals) last year, they had a deep fried peanut butter & jelly sandwich, dusted with confectioner's sugar and topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

    OMG that all sounds so good. I'd keep all of that to a once a year treat though, for me :smiley:

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Has anyone yried deep fried mars bars from the fish n chip shop? Disgustingly good!

    I've tried deep fried Snickers and deep fried Twinkies. And deep fried ice cream, yum. At one of the fairs (carnivals) last year, they had a deep fried peanut butter & jelly sandwich, dusted with confectioner's sugar and topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

    I would have eaten that.... Yum! I had a smores French toast dessert in the US - two massive slices of brioche with chocolate and marshmallows sandwiched inside, French toasted, and covered in sugar, chocolate sauce and Icecream. I think I ate about 1/4 before giving up!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,706 Member
    edited January 2017
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I'll also just mention ... potato chips.

    In Canada, my favourite flavour is dill pickle. In Australia, I cannot find dill pickle chips. In fact, dill pickles are hard to find ... it's all sweet pickles which are really quite ick.

    In Australia, a common potato chip flavour is chicken. In fact, there's chicken salt that goes on chips (the big, thick fries type of chips), dim sims, deep fried lasagne, battered fish, and whatever else you want to get at the take-away.

    Chicken salt is awesome! But, deep fried lasagne? Where do you get that? I don't think we have quite the same enthusiasm for frying food in aus compared to the states, although it's becoming more common to fry weird things.

    I'd say salt and vinegar or BBQ would be the most common chip/crisp flavour. I have a Canadian friend who eats lots of pickles, she might make her own though?

    I've only ever come across deep fried lasagne here in Australia.

    I found deep fried lasagne quite frequently in take-aways in Queensland when I spent a month cycletouring there in 2004. At first I was horrified ... then, because I was cycling so much and so hungry, they became something of a staple food. Them and Aussie hamburgers.

    And then, out of the blue, I came across one here in Tasmania just recently.


    I can get dill pickles here in Australia ... but they're usually located on the bottom shelf way in the back. You've really got to look for them.

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Has anyone yried deep fried mars bars from the fish n chip shop? Disgustingly good!

    I've tried deep fried Snickers and deep fried Twinkies. And deep fried ice cream, yum. At one of the fairs (carnivals) last year, they had a deep fried peanut butter & jelly sandwich, dusted with confectioner's sugar and topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

    I would have eaten that.... Yum! I had a smores French toast dessert in the US - two massive slices of brioche with chocolate and marshmallows sandwiched inside, French toasted, and covered in sugar, chocolate sauce and Icecream. I think I ate about 1/4 before giving up!

    Desserts are one of my biggest pet peeves in restaurants. I love having a nice little dessert after dinner, but I don't need a 5-pound slab of 9-layer chocolate cake or an ice cream sundae that comes in a trough, and I don't want to pay $10 for something I'm going to eat 1/4 of. Nobody offers reasonably-sized desserts, they're all these mongo things with more calories than the dinner itself. I'd do just fine with one small scoop of ice cream, or some fresh berries with a bit of whipped cream or something of that sort.