BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » National Stereotypes

Mattlocked · September 3, 2012 7:06 pm

Viele viele bunte Smarties!!

Last edited by Mattlocked (September 3, 2012 7:12 pm)

ancientsgate · September 3, 2012 10:25 pm

hepzibah wrote:
The whole chip/crisps/fries thing is so confusing. What Americans call fries, Aussie call chips. And what the English call crisps, we call chips as well. In fact, if it involves a potato and oil, whether hot from a deep fryer or thin and in a package, it is a chip. Or these guys. End of discussion. Not really!

OMG, where did you find that picture of the CHiPs guys? California Highway Patrol-- uniformed hunks on motorcycles. lololol I remember that show so well.

Interesting that everything deep fried potato-ish is a crisp in Australia-- confusing much?

Deep fried potato pieces (usually long skinny things, but sometimes thicker/larger) are french fries (or just "fries") in the US. Crispy, highly salted and sometimes flavored things in a bag are potato chips. That reminds me of Sherlock's offer of "lunch" for Molly, proffering two yellow bags of potato chips (crisps) out of the pockets of his coat. lol

ancientsgate · September 3, 2012 10:30 pm

Davina wrote:
'Cowboys' is a term used for builders and other tradesmen who do very poor or shoddy work, or some times none of the work they are paid for. Such people can work here without all the formal training and qualifications you would need to have in Germany.

I have heard such people called gypsies here in the US. I'm not certain but am pretty sure that might be a racial slur, though.... obviously they aren't all of Eastern European (Romanian, I think?) heritage. We do have a big problem with undocumented/illegal workers here in the States though, and some of them, desperate to make money under the table and away from the prying eyes of Uncle Sam's income tax and social security laws, offer to work cheap.... and many homeowners, thinking they're getting a bargain, end up with absolutely nothing but a hole in their wallets where their money used to be.

ancientsgate · September 3, 2012 10:36 pm

Banbha wrote:
. Jerry Springer makes me ashamed to be American.

Jerry Springer makes me ashamed to be a human being.

Is that show still on? I didn't think it was. And good riddance.

Not all Americans are stupid slobs. Some are, not all.

I'd wager that stupid slobs come from all countries and speak all languages. To a certain extent, stupid slob is synonymous for most of the ordinary human beings in the world.... not all of us can be perfect, tall, blond, athletic, sexy as hell and forever-25. Just sayin'. The fat dumb old folks of the world have as much right to be here as anyone else, American or otherwise. Just sayin' again. Since when do any of us have the right to look down on anyone else?

ancientsgate · September 3, 2012 10:40 pm

Banbha wrote:
The *real* potato discussion involves what you put with your fries/chips. Ketchup? Mayo? Both (like me)? Vinegar? Mustard? Sriracha??

Ketchup. Although dipping them in a cold chocolate milkshake at McDonald's isn't half bad either. *oooo, there goes that American fast food stereotype....*

ancientsgate · September 3, 2012 10:47 pm

hepzibah wrote:
NO MARS BARS????? I couldn't live in a country that didn't have Mars Bars (or Vegemite, for that matter)

We might not have Mars bars anymore, but we have Three Musketeers and Milky Way bars, and they're very similar.

Vegemite, I believe, is something you'd have to grow up with to appreciate. 'Nuff said.

Chips need salt, then dip them in gravy. Yum yum.

You mean like meat gravy? Beef gravy? Interesting.

In eastern Canada, they eat something called poutine, which is french fries drenched in hot cheese curd sauce and brown gravy. A heart attack on a plate, but yummo.

ancientsgate · September 3, 2012 10:50 pm

Davina wrote:
At fast food places, we use the phrase too, you can eat in or have a takeaway. Do you say take-out at all?

I call it take-out. Never takeaway, which is a Brit expression (to me). Sometimes we ask for things "to go."

221B Baker Street · September 3, 2012 11:10 pm

ancientsgate wrote:
221B Baker Street wrote:
I thought these words were synonyms, no?
Sorry, I was just being a wise ass. Um, yes, crisps and potato chips are the same thing, but in the US, we would never call them crisps. Crisps is a UK thing, and Australia, too, I presume. There's no reason why you should have known that, of course.

I've known it , but I prefer to use British variants to American ones. I studied British English and it will be always a standard to me.

ancientsgate wrote:
One thing I've seen clearly from this thread is that almost all of the preconceived notions about Americans come directly from our movies and TV shows, which are exported all around the world. As you can imagine, that made-up, make-believe world is hardly indicative of real life here. The whole idea of what people think we are, do, think, say, etc, coming from those images frankly makes me cringe. Again, not your fault-- I'm just saying.

It's quite natural that for most of the people TV shows and films are the essential ways to get to know about another country's culture. The point is that one shouldn't take it in all good faith .

ancientsgate · September 4, 2012 2:23 am

221B Baker Street wrote:
It's quite natural that for most of the people TV shows and films are the essential ways to get to know about another country's culture. The point is that one shouldn't take it in all good faith.

You're right. I understand why foreigners would watch our TV and movies and take what they see as gospel, but hopefully most folks realize that they're seeing entertainment, not real life.

We Americans don't have an in-pouring of movies and TV from other countries-- we get a tiny bit from Britain, but that's all. There are some foreign films released here, with subtitles or voice overs, but not many. So we don't get to "see" people from other countries, except as I say a bit from Britain, the way you guys get to see us in entertainment vehicles. I wish we could.

Banbha · September 4, 2012 2:44 am

Mattlocked wrote:
Viele viele bunte Smarties!!

SMARTIES! I really think I am going to have to plan a weekend in Canada next month.

Banbha · September 4, 2012 2:52 am

ancientsgate wrote:
Davina wrote:
'Cowboys' is a term used for builders and other tradesmen who do very poor or shoddy work, or some times none of the work they are paid for. Such people can work here without all the formal training and qualifications you would need to have in Germany.
I have heard such people called gypsies here in the US. I'm not certain but am pretty sure that might be a racial slur, though.... obviously they aren't all of Eastern European (Romanian, I think?) heritage. We do have a big problem with undocumented/illegal workers here in the States though, and some of them, desperate to make money under the table and away from the prying eyes of Uncle Sam's income tax and social security laws, offer to work cheap.... and many homeowners, thinking they're getting a bargain, end up with absolutely nothing but a hole in their wallets where their money used to be.

The immigration topic is a hot-button topic so I usually stay away from it. However, just my two cents: A few years ago, I'd heard that my part of Michigan had the second highest influx of immigrants of Hispanic origin in the country, second only to Miami, FL. There are quite a few produce farms here, and many undocumented work on those farms (for, I hear, as little as $1.25/hr) and do a great job. I hate the fact that they break their backs picking the tomatoes I eat and earn so little, but undocumented, what are they to do? I know that there are many sides to this, and I understand why Americans want tougher immigration laws. But I try to remember that, just two generations ago, my people immigrated from Scotland through Ellis Island. My other great grandparents brought my grandmother and her sisters here from Poland. They didn't have anything, and no one wanted them here, but I'm glad that at least some one gave them a chance or I may not have been born.

Sorry, I'm way off topic. That's the last I'll say of politics...outside of its assigned place.

Banbha · September 4, 2012 2:54 am

ancientsgate wrote:
Banbha wrote:
The *real* potato discussion involves what you put with your fries/chips. Ketchup? Mayo? Both (like me)? Vinegar? Mustard? Sriracha??
Ketchup. Although dipping them in a cold chocolate milkshake at McDonald's isn't half bad either. *oooo, there goes that American fast food stereotype....*

Ohhhh I used to dip them in Shamrock Shakes from McD's. Of course, I was on medical leave from work for two months and gained 20 lbs, but still...they were good. I don't eat that way anymore, of course.

Banbha · September 4, 2012 2:59 am

ancientsgate wrote:
221B Baker Street wrote:
It's quite natural that for most of the people TV shows and films are the essential ways to get to know about another country's culture. The point is that one shouldn't take it in all good faith.
You're right. I understand why foreigners would watch our TV and movies and take what they see as gospel, but hopefully most folks realize that they're seeing entertainment, not real life.

We Americans don't have an in-pouring of movies and TV from other countries-- we get a tiny bit from Britain, but that's all. There are some foreign films released here, with subtitles or voice overs, but not many. So we don't get to "see" people from other countries, except as I say a bit from Britain, the way you guys get to see us in entertainment vehicles. I wish we could.

I visited Poland ten years ago, and the people I spoke to talked about how much they loved American TV. Some lived in one-room apartments, remnants from their former Communist regime (I visited a small coastal town), and yet most still had a satellite dish. One girl said she and her husband loved the show "Beverly Hills 90210" (the original) because, she said, they loved to see how Americans handled their problems. I thought, "Ooooh my dear. No. That is not even close to reality." But media is powerful, and perception is reality!

ancientsgate · September 4, 2012 3:49 am

Banbha wrote:
But media is powerful, and perception is reality!

You said a mouthful there!

I'm a little strange I think (you're just getting that now?) because sometimes entertainment characters and their actors get blurred in my mind. Obviously I intellectually know that BC is not Sherlock and Sherlock is not BC, but... honest to god, sometimes I have to kick myself to remember that 221b, with Sherlock and John living there, Sherlock running around town solving crimes for Lestrade, Mycroft and his shenanigans, Moriarty and his spider's network... none of that is real. lolololol I imagine this is why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's SH work is as beloved and well-known today as it ever was-- the man was a genius. And this new incarnation of Sherlock just continues the magic.... Media *is* powerful. I agree.

Davina · September 4, 2012 7:29 am

I love Smarties too. The blue ones used to make my son go crazy though (crazier). We have our own version of Jerry Springer called Jeremy Kyle...oh Lordy! We have a lot in common in some respects. Enough said. I try not to ever watch it because it is frankly depressing, deplorable and in some respects frightening. Blarghh! Our nearest big town's High Street is bad enough!

Banbha · September 4, 2012 7:33 am

Oh, we have Jeremy Kyle. I've never watched the show though. We have far to many trash talk shows and "real" life court shows. Although, Andrew Scott said that he appreciated a little Judge Judy after dealing with a heavy Ibsen play all day. Judge Judy doesn't suffer fools.

ancientsgate · September 4, 2012 10:55 am

Banbha wrote:
Oh, we have Jeremy Kyle. I've never watched the show though. We have far to many trash talk shows and "real" life court shows. Although, Andrew Scott said that he appreciated a little Judge Judy after dealing with a heavy Ibsen play all day. Judge Judy doesn't suffer fools.

*smile* I love me some Judge Judy. Did you know that she's is in her 70s? I only watch her show every blue moon, but I think she's a hot ticket. I heard very recently that her show is now the #1 rated show on American daytime TV. I found this highlights video on you tube-- listen to this and tell me she doesn't sound like Sherlock, lolololol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH57MnJIjkc

Davina · September 4, 2012 11:30 am

We don't have any 'real life' court shows except yours which we import (not yours personally, you understand). I find most of these shows cringeworthy. Is you have ever watched Little Britain then I can tell you most of the people on Jeremy Kyle's show seem to be clones of Vicky Pollard and her family. What we would call 'chavs'.

Banbha · September 4, 2012 11:43 am

Davina wrote:
We don't have any 'real life' court shows except yours which we import (not yours personally, you understand). I find most of these shows cringeworthy. Is you have ever watched Little Britain then I can tell you most of the people on Jeremy Kyle's show seem to be clones of Vicky Pollard and her family. What we would call 'chavs'.

They are cringe-worthy. And I know the word "chav." I think I heard it on Misfits. I like that show a lot.

221B Baker Street · September 4, 2012 11:59 pm

ancientsgate wrote:
We Americans don't have an in-pouring of movies and TV from other countries-- we get a tiny bit from Britain, but that's all. There are some foreign films released here, with subtitles or voice overs, but not many. So we don't get to "see" people from other countries, except as I say a bit from Britain, the way you guys get to see us in entertainment vehicles. I wish we could.

I'm a little bit surprised at that, as we have a huge amount of imported films all over the world. Most of the films I watch are produced in Britain and America, sometimes France, as I don't like Russian films that much. Perhaps USA has some kind of 'not-let-foreign-films-in' policy?