NationStates Jolt Archive

I just finished washing my dishes, and I was reminded of the time I'd lived in the UK. I remembered that one of the biggest shocks I got when I'd first arrived there was when I watched somebody wash the dishes. They didn't rinse them. They just left the soap on them, and placed them in the rack.

Now, I don't really like drinking out of glasses with dried soap on them, let alone eating off of plates that are like that.

My question is, do the brits do this because they don't know any better, or do they do it because they really believe that Fairy liquid is edible? Is this an endorsement of their faith in the dish-soap manufacturers? I know you don't have double sinks like we do, but that's another "WHY?" in my book.

I could go on, you know, tiny refrigerators, drying clothes on the radiators, "airing cupboards" (!?!) and UHT milk, but I think we can safely leave it at the dish soap issue.

you just made a huge generalisation there...

because whoever didn't rinse there dishes... is a huge schmuck. advertising is misleading - so don't worry... even though you took a big, ignorant step there... i don't hate you because you assumed we all did that, because you saw one person do it.

UHT... well, the only people i know who drink it are the elderly who probably find it more efficient to use.

drying clothes of radiators? urm, if you don't have a tumble dryer... and it's raining outside (like it usually is)... what do expect people to do if they want their clothes dried a little quicker?

and yeah... some of us do have double sinks.

wtf is an airing cupboard?

heh, sounds like where you went, you stayed with an old poor woman up north or in london.

Sounds like you stayed with a north londener. That's just the poor people of the nation, the rest of us do rinse our dishes.

I was married to a cockney in SE London. None of his friends or family ever rinsed the soap off their dishes. I made sure the dishes were rinsed, but otherwise, I had to take my chances.

They had tumble dryers, but they didn't really dry clothes, and my MIL would take our clothes to her house and wash them. Then she had the superstitious habit of putting them in the "airing cupboard", which was really just a shelf above the hot water heater. They'd stay there for upwards of three weeks.

I don't think I ever saw a double sink.

UHT milk...I tried never to use it, but sometimes it would find its way into the shopping. Have you ever seen it when it's gone bad? Ew. There are few things more disgusting than pouring bad UHT milk down the sink.

(I'm just having fun, really. I was bored, and decided to pick on the brits of the forum. Forgive me.)

I just finished washing my dishes, and I was reminded of the time I'd lived in the UK. I remembered that one of the biggest shocks I got when I'd first arrived there was when I watched somebody wash the dishes. They didn't rinse them. They just left the soap on them, and placed them in the rack.

Now, I don't really like drinking out of glasses with dried soap on them, let alone eating off of plates that are like that.

My question is, do the brits do this because they don't know any better, or do they do it because they really believe that Fairy liquid is edible? Is this an endorsement of their faith in the dish-soap manufacturers? I know you don't have double sinks like we do, but that's another "WHY?" in my book.

I could go on, you know, tiny refrigerators, drying clothes on the radiators, "airing cupboards" (!?!) and UHT milk, but I think we can safely leave it at the dish soap issue.
Bit of a genralisation, I don't leave soap on the dishes. We don't have double sinks, because, why do you need them?

Our fridges arn't that small, (Why do americans always call them Refrigerators) well maybe they are in America, but they fit all the food we need in them. Maybe we don't eat so much.

Drying clothes on readiators drys them effectivly and heats them at the same time.

As for aring coubords, I think they basicly dry clothes (Air them) though I don't have one and the only person I know who does has her boiler in it.

UHT milk, most people don't drink it but I balive it lasts far longer than any other type.

heh, sounds like where you went, you stayed with an old poor woman up north or in london.
Are you saying people in the north are poor?

Sounds like you stayed with a north londener. That's just the poor people of the nation, the rest of us do rinse our dishes.

Hey ! North Londoners are not the poor people of the nation, I don't know where your from, but if anywhere is poor it is Manchester.
South London is detiriorating too. I'll admit North London isn't perfect, but it's no worse than anywhere else.

I just finished washing my dishes, and I was reminded of the time I'd lived in the UK. I remembered that one of the biggest shocks I got when I'd first arrived there was when I watched somebody wash the dishes. They didn't rinse them. They just left the soap on them, and placed them in the rack.

Now, I don't really like drinking out of glasses with dried soap on them, let alone eating off of plates that are like that.

My question is, do the brits do this because they don't know any better, or do they do it because they really believe that Fairy liquid is edible? Is this an endorsement of their faith in the dish-soap manufacturers? I know you don't have double sinks like we do, but that's another "WHY?" in my book.

I could go on, you know, tiny refrigerators, drying clothes on the radiators, "airing cupboards" (!?!) and UHT milk, but I think we can safely leave it at the dish soap issue.

Erm....where in the UK did you stay?
In our house, and everyone else I know, we rinse the dishes of soap and dry them immediately, we don't leave them sitting in a rack but I can't speak for the majority ;)

The "big is better" philosophy of the US may work in your country which is vast compared to the UK, so we don't see the need to waste energy on huge refidgerators when a smaller one will do, it just means we buy fresher food more often than you maybe do.
UHT milk is only used in resturants or in the tiny wee cartons given out with coffee's in McDonalds or something, some students may use it because it keeps longer than fresh milk, but a lot of us Brits get fresh milk delivered to our doorstep every morning, do you?

Radiators are a great way to dry something quickly without using even more energy on a tumble drier, or if it's too wet to hang your wet clothes out on the line.

Oh, and because we have, on average, smaller houses and smaller kitchens then single sinks are just a space saving thing, there is nothing sinister in it ;)

Sounds like you stayed with a north londener. That's just the poor people of the nation, the rest of us do rinse our dishes.

actually id say anything with the prefix north in britian was poor. North wales North England ect

I have to admit, I miss the food. I miss having milk delivered in glass bottles on the front step, too.

(You know, my neighborhood still even had a rag and bone man?)

Yes, I know, the houses are smaller. I couldn't get over that at first. That's if you can even afford to live in a house, and didn't have to rent a flat, or the definition of "tiny", a bedsit.

actually id say anything with the prefix north in britian was poor. North wales North England ect

And yet we, who stay north of the border in Scotland, look at all you people down south and think "Poor wee mites, imagine having to live in England, it must be awful!" ;)

And yet we, who stay north of the border in Scotland, look at all you people down south and think "Poor wee mites, imagine having to live in England, it must be awful!" ;)
It's not to bad, I just pity those who live south of the Warfe

Are you saying people in the north are poor?

i just don't like northerners :P

Well, it's grim up north. ;)

Personally, if I could choose a place to retire, I think the west country would be a good candidate. The country is beautiful, the people are, at least the ones I met, anyway, fantastic.

I've never washed the dishes, we have a dishwasher

and frankly I'm highly offended at the whole 'everyone in the north of England is poor'

Anyone who dries or keeps clothes in an airing cupboard with resident boiler is just odd................ leave the airing cupboard for towels and bedsheets, fools

And North Wales is the most beautiful place I've ever seen

I've never washed the dishes, we have a dishwasher

and frankly I'm highly offended at the whole 'everyone in the north of England is poor'

I agree, Londoners seem to think the country begins and ends in the South East :P

I have three dishwashers so I never have to do dishes either, they are called kids ;)

Anyone who dries or keeps clothes in an airing cupboard with resident boiler is just odd................ leave the airing cupboard for towels and bedsheets, fools

As I said, she was odd. Oh, and she set up a shrine to Di too. There were many likeable things about her, but the fact that she stockpiled clothes in this mysterious ritual of hers was about the limit.

Well, it's grim up north. ;)

Personally, if I could choose a place to retire, I think the west country would be a good candidate. The country is beautiful, the people are, at least the ones I met, anyway, fantastic.

Firstly I'll just answer your first point in saying although I dont rinse my dishes I do dry them straight away which gets rid of the bubbles...

and secondly I couldnt help noticing you said you liked the westcountry which is where I live (Devon). Yes it is very nice down here and we have fresh cows milk no need for stinking UHT.Also we have Ambrosia custard which Devon knows how we make it so creamy. ;)

i wouldn't say i suggested people in london or up north are poor... in fact, i said 'poor old woman'... and you can't tell me the population of either consists of just one old poor woman... blame television. all the soaps and shows that sound remotely like what Sheilanagig described are situated in those areas... coronation street, emerdale, two pints of lager and a packet of crisps, byker grove, eastenders etc. hell, lister from red dwarf sums it all up =D

Well, it's grim up north. ;)

Personally, if I could choose a place to retire, I think the west country would be a good candidate. The country is beautiful, the people are, at least the ones I met, anyway, fantastic.
It really bugs me when people say that it's grim up north, have you ever been to the Lake District? imho it happens to be one of the most beautiful places in the country and IT'S IN THE NORTH!!!

I've never washed the dishes, we have a dishwasher

and frankly I'm highly offended at the whole 'everyone in the north of England is poor'

If anyone in this nation is poor it's the Scousers and the Brummies. Any further north and it's not too bad with obvious the exception of Newcastle, where it's too rough for anyone but the geordies themselves.

Firstly I'll just answer your first point in saying although I dont rinse my dishes I do dry them straight away which gets rid of the bubbles...

and secondly I couldnt help noticing you said you liked the westcountry which is where I live (Devon). Yes it is very nice down here and we have fresh cows milk no need for stinking UHT.Also we have Ambrosia custard which Devon knows how we make it so creamy. ;)

Clotted cream is yummy. So is good scrumpy. Not that that's all there is in the west country. I remember going to Watersmeet, and thinking that if there were any place that I could sit down and enjoy forever, it was there. I have to admit, I liked Cornwall better, though. (I'm sorry, ok? I just did. The cliffs in Boscastle were stunning, and the people all treated you as if you'd been born there.)

It really bugs me when people say that it's grim up north, have you ever been to the Lake District? imho it happens to be one of the most beautiful places in the country and IT'S IN THE NORTH!!!

I was bloody joking.

No, I've never been to the Lake District. I always wanted to see the north. I was more referring to the industrial cities up there. Parts of Wales are much worse, I'll say that much.

Here's a heretical thought. If you dry your clothes on the radiator, it probably is worth slinging them in the airing cupboard for a while. Let some air get to them, allow the fibres to recover - that sort of thing. Not that I'd do it myself, our airing cupboard is much too full of swiimming stuff and towels.

Small refridgerators? Cool climate, daily milk deliveries - stuff like that could be factors. But people are buying larger these days, and larders are getting turned into utility/computer rooms. The world moves on.

And UHT milk? Spawn of the devil. Should have been banned long ago.

bloody southerners maybe before you start slaggin places off you should go up to them. Tbh id much rather live in Manchester than London and i have been all round the country.

I just moved to london 6 weeks ago, most places here are shit, the others are plain expensive.

bloody southerners maybe before you start slaggin places off you should go up to them. Tbh id much rather live in Manchester than London and i have been all round the country.

I have spent lots of time in the North of England recently and, being from the South and having seen much of the country, myself, I don't think it's fair to say any particular areas are poor. there are misconceptions though: In the South, there are more higher-paying jobs and there are more people there, therefore, the council tax is higher. Lower Council Tax and fewer high-qualification jobs do attract more less-well-off people to the North. That's not to say that everyone in the north is poor - far from it - I'm at university in Carlisle and i see loads of people with cars less than 4 years old. My father lives in the South and his car is several years older and he has a very high ranking job. One of my best friends is from Newcastle and ger family is quite well off, too. It is, however, true that EVERY city has it's rough areas and some have larger areas than others. Half of Carlisle city is a very nasty area, yet the other half is very well-off and the outlying villages that also count as being in the city (large city area) are even nicer

There are of course areas in the south that are poor - parts of London are a good example but also, Portsmouth city is really nasty (those of you who know the story, I'm from Southampton - i have a good city to compare it to ;) ) so it's not fair to call any area truly poor, just that some areas have lower land values for whatever reason

pnlrogue1

p.s. My friend is an American and yes, things are larger there - you have more space than us so you don't need to be careful, double sinks are excessive, UHT milk is nasty, not rinsing plates is nasty and Carlisle is, without a doubt, the loveliest city i've ever seen and the 'deep' north (Cumbria and Scotland) are the most beautiful areas in the country, provided you can stand the cold and the dark (in winter, it's dark from 3pm to 10am in carlisle, yet in summer, it's light from 3am to 11pm!) but if you love forests and seaside, Hampshire is brilliant - the beaches aren't superb but the Isle Of White is nearby and Hampshire holds the New Forest which is gorgeous too

p.p.s. airing cupboards are very useful for storage if you're out of room elsewhere in the house and are great in the winter - it's lovely and warm, though 3 weeks is rather crazy!

p.p.p.s. petrol prices in America are crazy - stop complaining about them being $2 per gallon (or whatever - i forget) as we pay about £2 per gallon (VERY rough estimate) and there's about $2 to £1 at the moment so we pay about $3-4 per gallon

I could go on, you know, ... "airing cupboards" (!?!) ... but I think we can safely leave it at the dish soap issue.

In my part of the UK an airing cupboard is more commonly known as a 'hot press' (if it also contains hot water tank), or a 'cold press' if it doesn't.

Clotted cream is yummy. So is good scrumpy. Not that that's all there is in the west country. I remember going to Watersmeet, and thinking that if there were any place that I could sit down and enjoy forever, it was there. I have to admit, I liked Cornwall better, though. (I'm sorry, ok? I just did. The cliffs in Boscastle were stunning, and the people all treated you as if you'd been born there.)


Umm...you do know Boscastle was flooded out during the summer and, it's in the middle of being rebuilt.

Where did you go in Cornwall? I've got relatives down there and let me sum it up "gerr'ff mi laand!!...This is a lo-cal Count'y fer lo-cal people, we don' wan any 'err you 'ere!" :D

I just finished washing my dishes, and I was reminded of the time I'd lived in the UK. I remembered that one of the biggest shocks I got when I'd first arrived there was when I watched somebody wash the dishes. They didn't rinse them. They just left the soap on them, and placed them in the rack.

Now, I don't really like drinking out of glasses with dried soap on them, let alone eating off of plates that are like that.

My question is, do the brits do this because they don't know any better, or do they do it because they really believe that Fairy liquid is edible? Is this an endorsement of their faith in the dish-soap manufacturers? I know you don't have double sinks like we do, but that's another "WHY?" in my book.

I could go on, you know, tiny refrigerators, drying clothes on the radiators, "airing cupboards" (!?!) and UHT milk, but I think we can safely leave it at the dish soap issue.

Hmmm depends upon my mood whether I rinse them or not, sometimes I do sometimes I don't. I always rinse cups/mugs/glasses etc before I drink though. Never really thought about it before.

Actually this is the first time I've known what the double sink was for. *shrugs* I remember just looking at one and going, what the heck?

As for little fridge, heh, I've a little galley kitchen so, no room for a big one. Although I do have a nice big freezer. :)

Drying clothes...if you don't have a tumble dryer (or you have too much to put in) and it's raining outside, where are you going to dry them? :confused:

Airing cupboard. :) I've got one it's also got the boiler in and is used for storing towels, sheets, and other things like that. :) Nothing else. ;)

UHT milk is an abomination and should be destroyed.

Umm...you do know Boscastle was flooded out during the summer and, it's in the middle of being rebuilt.

Where did you go in Cornwall? I've got relatives down there and let me sum it up "gerr'ff mi laand!!...This is a lo-cal Count'y fer lo-cal people, we don' wan any 'err you 'ere!" :D

I went to the Bude/Boscastle area. Yes, I know Boscastle was flooded out, and I saw the wreckage on the news. It broke my heart to see it. It was a beautiful town. That little stream had a bit of a temper tantrum, eh?

Maybe they just liked me. I don't know. We had a guy in the pub in Bude accuse me of being a dyke though, because I went up to collect the pints from the bar, instead of my ex.

Otherwise, it was nice. We even got invited to join a darts game with some locals. That would NEVER happen in London.