Kiwiprincess

kids (as in high schoolers) definitely give up their seats on the train for people here. I notice it most days on the way to work. I love it because i often get a seat.

I am also happy to have a teenager give up their seat but tend to agree regarding smaller children. They should keep their seat if it is safer to do so.

Oddly enough when I used the buses in London almost without exception people gave up their seat for elderly or infirm people. The bus would stop and if it looked like someone may need the front seats then that younger/fitter person almost invariably moved. I remember when my younger brother came to visit me and he noted how polite people were!! Seemed quite a bit different to what he was expecting. On the tube tho - no way was anyone giving up their seat! Though I was on the tube once and a school group (12 yr olds?) was on it. The teacher actually said to the class that she did not want to see one of her students sitting if there was an adult standing!! It was fantastic to watch. The whole class kept jumping up every time someone got on

Ted Logan

I offered my seat to people on the bus up to when I left to the UK. This was mainly to people my mum and dads age.

Now days I don't on the understanding that I'm an old git. Saying that I did give my seat up to a mother with two little ones quite recently as I couldn't have them standing.

It's just a polite thing to do, don't know where it started. It's like throwing things in the bin as opposed to the floor.

brussels_sprout

In NZ it is an official rule that schoolkids must give up their seats to an adult, well at least on Wellington trains , i suppose it is the same throughout the country

Dustybin

the thing about all these articles about the french, well in my experience (i'm allowed as my wife, and now half of my family are french) is that they are the worst dressed, and most hap hazard of people. But that could just be the ones I know! Still I love them all for it, even if they do think that you should boil veg to death and really only be allowed to eat green beans, but these should be with every meal.

Still at least when they are peeved about something they do something more direct than writing witty letters to points of view!

Maz

Thanks for correcting me. I didn't spend very much time in Spain when I did visit, but when I was there, I was more interested in snorkeling than sweets.

NZ food is far fresher than England, France and the US. Also, happy can attest to this, but if you compared the "prepared frozen meals" section of any supermarket, you'd get a shock when seeing just how many prepared meals there are available in the US, and how cheap they are!

We had Mexican at San Fran airport. It was delish, and probably some of the last Mexican food I'll have for a long time. It took me ages to get used to it, though, when I first got to the US.

:curse:

Yeah right!

I can feel Kerry's relief from here.

Did you ever have liver pan-fried in vinegar?... I did, several times. Foie gras was popular where I lived, too. The Saturday morning markets would make you want to throw up. There was a hall devoted to duck raised for foie gras. They were all laid out on trestle tables with their abdomens cut open. *vomit* I must say, I did a little dance and cheered when I saw the only horse-butcher in town was going out of business.

Dustybin

Never had horse, but then again never been offered it either. I do like foie gras tho, but I'm fully aware where it comes from. Liver in vinegar sounds interesting tho. I suppose in the defence of the french at least they know what their food is and where it comes from. More than most of the english people I know do. I probably the wrong bloke to ask though, not many things I wouldn't have a go at, well except incest or morris dancing.

brussels_sprout

Vomit too ! Yuk !
There's a new Foie Gras from Spain that is supposed to be "cruelty free",
i guess it is called "higado gordo" maybe ?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...18/wfoie18.xml

I like just about all the fruit and veg in NZ, and homemade sausages from butchers, soft licorice
French are are a bit up themselves when food is concerned

ned

I dunno

ned

Morris Dancing looks fun

Maz

Not sure that's possible, to be honest... the birds have funnels stuffed down their throats and grain is poured down the funnels. That's how they get the "fatty liver" meaning "foie gras".

Ick... OK now I feel a tad nauseous....

Maz

I have another musing... NO-ONE here says "bless you" or "gesundheit" when someone else sneezes.

brussels_sprout

Yes, i never realised that, but yes, it's true, My ex wife used to say, "a tes amours, nombreuses et courtes"

Maz

ooer I'd always heard "a tes souhets" in France.

happynz

They say thanks before you even hand over the money.
'That'll be $7.30, thanks.'