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-   -   Table manners (https://britishexpats.com/forum/italy-77/table-manners-538774/)

Lorna at Vicenza May 28th 2008 8:36 am

Re: Table manners
 

Originally Posted by LivingHere (Post 6406375)
I have to make my own. Coffee on tap though.
Do I get a kiss next time?

a kiss ? depends if you are really Italianised and can wait 10 minutes for a mokka cup of coffe in the mornings or if you still use a british kettle and a spoonfull of nesacafé ?????

LivingHere May 28th 2008 8:39 am

Re: Table manners
 
Can't use a british kettle, not enough electricity. Don't mind waiting if someone else is making

Patty May 28th 2008 8:42 am

Re: Table manners
 
was chatting to my american colleague today and she didnt know what a kettle was :confused: spent an amusing few minutes then explaining that while most of us have a lovely shiny new kettle in the cupboard - we dont actually use it cos it 'blows' the whole house :frown:

Lorna at Vicenza May 28th 2008 8:50 am

Re: Table manners
 

Originally Posted by LivingHere (Post 6406454)
Can't use a british kettle, not enough electricity. Don't mind waiting if someone else is making

Oh come on - I'm only on basic house power but kettle works fine: Kettle and dishwasher or kettle and washing machine make the trip switch go into overdrive but kettle works.
If I had to wait these days for a tiny jug type metal saucepan to boil a few drops of water for my early morning tea I think I'd start going stir crazy.
Maybe all you folks should get in touch with your Enel or whichever electricity company to raise your watts a bit

Patty May 28th 2008 9:04 am

Re: Table manners
 
Could think of better ways to raise my 'watts' a bit hee hee :D
sorry - there I go lowering the tone again ....:ohmy:
Maybe it depends on the kettle - I have an english one and its 3kw - which is our allowance for the house - whereas the ones they sell at LIDL are only 1.7kw therefore alot better. Can't be bothered though - have bought a lovely little singing kettle which annoys the hell out of everyone else in the house !

Andys2k May 28th 2008 7:57 pm

Re: Table manners
 

Originally Posted by Lorna at Vicenza (Post 6406440)
a kiss ? depends if you are really Italianised and can wait 10 minutes for a mokka cup of coffe in the mornings or if you still use a british kettle and a spoonfull of nesacafé ?????

You can get electric plug in Mokka machines now!! I almost got one last week but ended up getting a real one;)

Oh & my wife is Scottish, which kind of has the same effect on certain words like the Irish i.e Fork 'N' Knife:)

LivingHere May 28th 2008 9:10 pm

Re: Table manners
 

Originally Posted by Lorna at Vicenza (Post 6406505)
Oh come on - I'm only on basic house power but kettle works fine: Kettle and dishwasher or kettle and washing machine make the trip switch go into overdrive but kettle works.

We have 4.5W, but find it easier to wait for the stove kettle than trot to the basement to reset the trip switch. Still not in the mind set of counting Watts. My mum sent us a deep fat fryer for Christmas so we can have fish and chips, but not on wash day

TestaRossa May 28th 2008 9:18 pm

Re: Table manners
 
I won't tell you how many watts I have, but I still have a singing kettle! I grew up with one and I prefer them to the electric ones! To make my dryer work in the shed I had to have the fuse on the plug upgraded as it kept shorting the lights in the shed!

Lorna at Vicenza May 31st 2008 8:03 pm

Re: Table manners
 

Originally Posted by TestaRossa (Post 6408206)
I won't tell you how many watts I have, but I still have a singing kettle! I grew up with one and I prefer them to the electric ones! To make my dryer work in the shed I had to have the fuse on the plug upgraded as it kept shorting the lights in the shed!

Italian plugs don't have fuses.

LivingHere May 31st 2008 10:36 pm

Re: Table manners
 
Didn't know that about fuses. And why are there always "normal" sockets in the bathroom?

TestaRossa Jun 1st 2008 12:48 am

Re: Table manners
 

Originally Posted by Lorna at Vicenza (Post 6421199)
Italian plugs don't have fuses.


Okay smarty pants:p! I meant the breaker fuse had to be upgraded for that particular plug to stop the breaker tripping - that technical enough for ya!:D

The plug sockets themselves are protected in some way, so I have been told, unlike UK sockets where the protection is in the appliance plug - why we have to use surge protectors in the UK, but here it is built in, I think?

Lorna at Vicenza Jun 2nd 2008 6:20 pm

Re: Table manners
 

Originally Posted by TestaRossa (Post 6422046)
Okay smarty pants:p! I meant the breaker fuse had to be upgraded for that particular plug to stop the breaker tripping - that technical enough for ya!:D

The plug sockets themselves are protected in some way, so I have been told, unlike UK sockets where the protection is in the appliance plug - why we have to use surge protectors in the UK, but here it is built in, I think?

houses and blocks of flats are all earthed which is why there is no earth wire inside the plugs.
I still remember being taught how to change a plug in physics ....
brown to the right - blue to the left, green and yellow in the middle.

Lorna at Vicenza Jun 2nd 2008 6:32 pm

Re: Table manners
 

Originally Posted by LivingHere (Post 6421633)
Didn't know that about fuses. And why are there always "normal" sockets in the bathroom?

for electric rasors and hair appliances - they are usually fairly high up on the wall but are still next to the sink - which has to be a little bit dangerous.
I wonder what the statistics are on electrocuted Italians ?

TestaRossa Jun 3rd 2008 12:54 am

Re: Table manners
 
As far as I know, and from my small experience of other countries, the UK is the odd one out not putting plugs in bathrooms. It makes drying hair so much easier if I can do it in the bathroom. Again though I think it goes back to the fact that the UK doesn't earth the mains as such only the appliance - it's to do with ring mains and parallel or some such, I think!!


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