melody32

Does anyone else get asked why there are no ice cubes in England?

Yesterday was a curious day when the guys I work with asked about the lack of ice cubes. Granted my inlaws purchased an ice tray for the sole purpose when I visit; but, I didn't realize other USC's had this "fascination" as well.

Silly thread, perhaps; but, laughter is good for the soul. Right?

Tracym

I remember years ago, when my friend and I were traveling around Europe - we wanted ice cubes to put in a cooler, to keep our lunch cold. We easily found a cooler - but never did find any ice cubes - we finally used (and sacrificed) frozen french fries.

Ice cubes are just such a basic thing here (I'm a yank) - everyone has them in their freezer, you can buy a bag everywhere. Most people I know like their drinks quite cold - I'd generally have ice in a drink. Actually, water or some drink that wasn't cold would generally be quite unappetizing to me.

So we're just sort of astonished if they aren't available.

sime303

When my USC wife first visited me in England she was astonished at the lack of ice cube action going on in the whole country. I said we don't have free refills so nobody wants ice in their drinks if they go somewhere as they think they are getting screwed out of what they paid for somehow by filling it with ice first.

She did find 5 lbs bags of ice in the local co-op on a trip back home and nearly pissed herself with excitement. I myself could take it or leave it but she is an ice fiend like most USCs.

fatbrit

Bud is certainly less appetizing if it is not cold enough to numb your taste buds.

Tracym

I wouldn't drink Bud if I was dying of dehydration in the desert. Surely there'd be some camel piss lying around, which would be taste far better.

fatbrit

Bud light was #1 for 2007 with $1.3 billion in sales. So somebody's drinking it!

Juswus

it's true there's a difference between how we serve drinks. But when I order a voddie I dont want a ton of ice. A friend of mine freaks with the 3 cubes I put in her glass, and always gets up and fills up her glass with ice

Tracym

I'm sure someone is. Apparently lots of someones.

But most certainly not me!

chicagojlo

When I left London in 1999 you could get bags of ice. Even when I worked up North in the mid-90s we would get people coming in to the pub I worked at asking for buckets of ice. Strange...
We always had ice-trays in the freezer at my house. Guess that's why people thought we were weird...

fatbrit

LOL!

Me neither.

Folinskyinla

Hi:

My first guess turned out to be right. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator

Appliances make the difference.

Home refrigerators are a fairly recent thing -- but they caught on in the US decades before they did in the US. In reflecting on this -- any housing I've ever lived in that pre-dated 1930 had vented vegetable coolers in the kitchen or pantry and the refrigerator placement and plug was an afterthought. Anything after 1930 did not have the vegetable coolers but did have a space and circuit for the refrigerator.

Bottom line -- the US got in the habit of readily available ice early on. The UK did not. Also, the climate is quite different. BTW, there is comment somewhere about the reason for the economic advance of the American South in the 20th Century -- air conditioning.

elfman

I was reading something a couple of months ago in which the (American) author described a trip to Britain he made with with his parents when he was a kid in the early 80s. When he asked for ice cubes in a London restaurant they brought some to him in a plastic container labelled "The Yank Bucket".

Anyhoo, I remember we always had ice cube trays in our freezer when I was a kid, so they weren't completely unknown.

TruBrit

noooo you are kidding me....you had ice cubes what, where.... not in the uk ..now that's unheard of, next you are going to tell me you had hot running water

another bloody yank

We don't use a lot of ice, especially in winter. The ice maker broke a couple years ago, trays are a PITA, we don't drink soda and our water is cold enough from the tap. I'll probably end up replacing the ice maker this summer as my wife is an iced tea addict and the kids like lemonade.

TruBrit

i like iced tea but it has to have loads of ice....can't stand the lukewarm that is often served up around here with two maybe three cubes in it