The U.S. Culture(s) thread

The big, slightly crispy and browned omelettes typically folded in half? That's American style. Fillings vary.

Disgusted, but not surprised

In other words: a normal, bog standard, everyday omelette. /Brit

It's pancakes you guys do weird things to. And, scones. And, biscuits. Also, you have no clue what a crumpet actually is.

edited 20th Apr '17 8:02:57 AM by Euodiachloris

We'll admit to that last one. I never even hear of crumpets unless I'm watching something old timey and British.

...I confess I had to look up the differences between crumpets and English muffins when I read that post. I have never eaten an actual crumpet.

edited 20th Apr '17 8:16:02 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised

What, I protest! I do so know what a crumpet is. Why, it is a crumpet!
And for weirdness don't forget waffles and the ever-ubiquitous king of meats—BACON. It may well be a scientific fact that bacon can go on anything.

edited 20th Apr '17 8:52:01 AM by CenturyEye

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives

Yeah... your weirdly glass-like, over-sugared "bacon" what makes truly awful bacon butties. And, BBQ sauce is not proper brown sauce, American Consulate, Geneva! Still haven't forgiven you that!

Decent grits, though. Mieliepap by another name and a bit yellow, but more like it than polenta is. By a long chalk.

edited 20th Apr '17 1:45:49 PM by Euodiachloris

Or bacon ice cream. The British may have come up with the idea as a gag on The Two Ronnies, but we're the ones who made it reality.

edited 20th Apr '17 9:45:37 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised

Just a thought... about mixing sweet with savoury and meat: curried lamb and apricot sosaties with sambals and slaai (salad) and babotie with blatjang (apricot chutney, usually), yellow rice and sambals...

If any of you guys haven't looked into what the South African and Zimbabwean diaspora has imported to the US of A yet. Well, you might need to.

Oh, and curried pickled fish, vetkoek (sweet and savoury donut-like things), koeksisters (very sweet braided donut-like things), rusks (your idea of biscuits actually baked twice, pretty much — the buttermilk and aniseed flavours in particular), melktert (a form of custard tart, but way better than Nando's: must include enough cinnamon and nutmeg to make you think about sneezing), brandy/ tipsy tart (contains enough brandy and dates to make a bull elephant happy) and other evils out to get your waistlines.

Southerners and Penselvanian Dutch might recognise a few things wearing different spices.

edited 20th Apr '17 2:07:52 PM by Euodiachloris

And it's only a matter of time before some of those dishes end up as hot pockets or as frozen dinners.

All night at the computer, cuz people ain't that great. I keep to myself so I won't be on The First 48

A third of US millennials still live at home, census report finds

I would say this is a "you are not alone" piece, but it certainly doesn't make me feel better.

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives

Yeah, people still make out like living with your parents is something to be ashamed of...when rent is sky high and salaries have actually decreased in terms of spending power over the last couple decades.

The only reason I can live in a house I own is because A) I live in a town that isn't on anyone's list of desirable places to live (mostly because it's in between Hamilton and Niagara Falls, both cities with way bigger reputations) despite actually being pretty nice, so the cost of living is pretty low by Ontario standards, B) aside from this one street, the rest of the neighborhood looks like complete garbage (it's one of the older neighborhoods in town, completely safe, just not nice looking) which drives the value down and C) my parents hold the mortgage and I have to at least try to pay them back once I get a stable job. And I'm extremely lucky to be able to do this, and I'll be paying my parents back for, possibly, decades. And I'll probably have to open up to renting at some point. (I'm not right now because it takes me ages to settle in somewhere.)

So, you live with your parents and you're at least trying? Good for you! Don't let anyone shame you for being pragmatic and not wanting to be crippled with debt for the rest of your life.

edited 21st Apr '17 8:19:30 PM by Zendervai

Not Three Laws compliant.

It wouldn't surprise me if the stigma against not living on your own or owning your own home played a part in the mortgage crisis.

Disgusted, but not surprised

So you're saying that I could end up being in my mid-thirties and still not have a steady fucking job?

I hate my life.

edited 21st Apr '17 10:35:16 PM by kkhohoho

More like not have a job that completely covers the cost of living on your own, actually. Even if it is steady. Fast food doesn't exactly want to pay you more than it has to.

Honestly I kinda like the fact that society is changing to not expect everyone to be out of their parents' house by 18, because it means there's less of a rush to move out.

I do plan on having my own apartment one day, though.

Same here. I just have no clue when I'll actually be getting one. Maybe in the next few years if I'm lucky?

A lot of the jobs 18 year olds would get to move out of their parents house are gone: blue colar manufacturing jobs were hit hard in the past 20 years.

And with a lot of people having 4 year degrees, it's an employer's market - experience is needed to stand out.

Now all is not lost, sometimes you have to take a crap job or live with the parents before you can spread your wings.

The Basement-Dweller and slacker stereotype does have a basic in fact (see r/cringe on Reddit or Imgur - warning Not Safe for Sanity). However those who complain the loudest are those who did move out of their parents house when the economy was good.

All night at the computer, cuz people ain't that great. I keep to myself so I won't be on The First 48

In a lot of countries it is absolutely normal to stay with your parents at least until you marry (and that applies to both genders). And if the house is big enough, even after it, so that you can look after your aging parents. In a way the whole "leave home as fast as possible" thing is as abnormal as the basement dweller. The more "natural" state of things is having a home in which multiple generations are living together.

I still think the whole "move out of the house ASAP into a house of your own" thing is an artifact of a time when that was actually not terribly difficult to do. And possibly the influence of the real estate industry.

Disgusted, but not surprised

And the fact that, you know, people generally dont like living with their parents.

That's not true at all though. For most of human history you stayed with your parents until you either inherited their house or moved in with your spouse's parents. There's currently a cultural stigma against living with your parents, but that's no more universal than jeans and t-shirts.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

People like independence when given the chance.

Only from oppresors and exploiters.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

I think most people want to gain a measure of independence and control over their lives - plus take on more adult responsibilities - as they reach their late teens and twenties. Physically moving yourself out of the house is one fairly definitive way of doing that, but it's not the only way.

I mean, I wanted to move out for good after I got my degree and a job, because I felt that staying in my parents house was locking me into the role of 'child'. If I had stayed, I would have had to find other ways of breaking out of the habits of 20 years that kept me in that role, or it would not have been healthy.

Be not afraid...