Originally Posted by DDL

Just a quick note. Tony got a partial paycheck today from the Council.

By way of information for those curious about deductions, on £1764.02 net pay:

He paid NI deduction of £120.10
Employer paid an NI deduction of £115.09.

He paid Pension deduction of £109.03
Employer paid Pension deduction of £273.42.

He paid £205.60 in tax.

Originally Posted by islandwoman120

I used to volunteer at a Living History Museum in West Chicago, run by the museum in Chicago. I was a docent for the Summer Kitchen, where I had to tell people about the cutlery/lack of cutlery. In wagon train days, knives were a premium item, and each wagon had only one. There was a shortage of forks, too, but enough spoons. So I am guessing that from those days people learned to eat in (what we in the UK regard as) a peculiar way, and (DDL can interject here if she cares to) it has stayed that way. I have shared meals with Americans in the north (WI and MN) who have alternately licked their bowls (!), pushed food onto the fork with their fingers instead of using the knife, and - best of all - picked their teeth with the point of the knife (steak knife preferred). In public, or at home - made no difference. Top that!

Originally Posted by DDL

Rosie, do you mean "West Chicago" as in the town "West Chicago" ... or do you mean the western boundaries of the city of Chicago? If you mean "West Chicago" the town, I lived/worked there once, in fact, my first husband was from there. We were married in Wheaton. I was born in the western 'burbs of Chicago.

Now, about the way we Americans eat, well, it's just the way it is. Doesn't mean we're wrong and doesn't mean the way they eat here in the UK is right. People in some countries eat with their hands. Are they doing it wrong? Nope, they're doing it the way their country does it and there is always a history behind it.

We had Blancmange the other night for afters and Mum set a spoon and a fork out to use when eating it. Explain that one to me. The fork just didn't make sense to me with a pudding of that texture. But if that's the way it's done over here, that's the way it's done. I for one would certainly never dream of calling it "wrong".

Originally Posted by Gabgoeshome

I love the way you are picking up so many Brit expressions ..."afters" I haven't heard that for years

A spoon and folk ,I would aslo have been

I think I would eat that with a teaspoon .(wrong I know )

Originally Posted by cheers

Mommy, Do nurses make a very good wage in the UK?

Cheers

Originally Posted by Mummy in the foothills

Me?
The nurses I know make decent money. RN's anyway. Theres a band system to work out what they earn in the NHS, But it seems to be a normal nurse about $20,000 (band 5) a year and as they move up the bands it gets higher Plus more in London,( London weighting or something.)

Originally Posted by cheers

I read this on another forum. What do you think?
A young male Brit wants to relocate to the US and he has no idea what he is in for. Maybe he is like us 50 years ago. Maybe he is foot loose and fancy free.
One of the first thing he faces is he can't legally live in the US (thank you Mr President John Kennedy)

Take a look. Again maybe we were that nieve and adventurous years ago. I was a little annoyed when I read it that someone would be so immature.
Quote:
OK so from my User name, you properly guessed I'm not American but here me out.....pretty please. And from the Topic name, which is tied to "The grass is always greener on the otherside of the fence" is why I am here.

I am fed up of this country and many of the people, I have decided that maybe, a new start is in order, or just a few years living else where, and by else where I don't mean over the road or "oop Norf", relating back to my grass always greener comment, my fence is the Atlantic Ocean.

Now in England, we have a common redundancy when it comes to knowing anything about anything that is not England or English related (not everyone mind you, I am very open minded but the majority are not) so I thought it was best to ask a Yankee born and bread for the help I need (I hope Yankee is not derogatory in any way, if so I do apologize). So I asked my questions to a bunch of places over here and well sod all helped.

What I would like to do is:

Move to America, No Idea where, preferably somewhere welcoming and yet not welcoming so I get the feeling of not being at my normal home and yet i don't get lynched. Somewhere big, like washington or new york, but this lead to more problems.

How do I find a job before going, how do I find somewhere to live before going, how do I get a Visa to work when I could get one but not find a job thus waisting my time and money getting a visa.......

Originally Posted by GagainPEI

Hi Rosie

Try a little cat litter in a container at the bottom of the wardrobe.

Valerie

Originally Posted by jasper123

In America I hated any kind of soap, in England however even though they are a little more natural and like everyday living then the superficial type of American day time soap where all the female stars look like a barbe doll with all the makeup & all plastered on, and all the males looking like a young Roger Moore in the Saint without a single strand of hair out of place,
Interesting though that all the soaps in US come on in the day time and all the soaps in UK come on in the night time,
But Im afraid most of the stars in the UK soaps wouldn't be able to get a Job on an American soap unless they had plastic surgery first, Ohhhhhh that was a terrible thing for me to say
But I read in the paper that Emerdale gets 17 million viewers every night so they must be doing something right, but I really do feel that most of the people over here who watch there soaps every night religously are addicted to them, you should see my Mum if she forgets the time and turns on the TV 5 minutes after the program has started she gets really irritable.

Originally Posted by sallysimmons

Oh my God. How heartbreaking.

I've seen barely a mention of it here. As usual American news is all about America and nothing else.

Originally Posted by Beedubya

Ha Ha Rodney, and you have hit the nail on the head why I love Corrie, they are REAL people short, tall, fat, thin, good looking and very ordinary looking. If you get into Corrie you will see that it has humour, and that's what for me makes it stand out above the others IMHO.

My family all went to my nephews place for Christmas Day and on the photos they sent the TV is on and they are all watching Corrie, kids and all LOL!! He has one of those big plasma's on the wall and it looks like Ken and Deirdre are in the living room with them.

Originally Posted by Beedubya

Yes I have always thought the American way of using cutlery is exhausting, I wonder why they don't keep it simple like us?

Edited to add:

Just read Rosie's explanation about the wagon trains, very interesting and logical. So are Americans the only nation that use cutlery in this way? I have never even thought about this subject before LOL!!

Originally Posted by ldyinlv

When I first came to this country my ex husband, said he was embarrased by the way I ate with a knife and fork..said I looked like a heathen. I should learn to eat the "Amercian way" . Now maybe you can begin to see why I am divorced..lol

Originally Posted by islandwoman120

I used to volunteer at a Living History Museum in West Chicago, run by the museum in Chicago. I was a docent for the Summer Kitchen, where I had to tell people about the cutlery/lack of cutlery. In wagon train days, knives were a premium item, and each wagon had only one. There was a shortage of forks, too, but enough spoons. So I am guessing that from those days people learned to eat in (what we in the UK regard as) a peculiar way, and (DDL can interject here if she cares to) it has stayed that way. I have shared meals with Americans in the north (WI and MN) who have alternately licked their bowls (!), pushed food onto the fork with their fingers instead of using the knife, and - best of all - picked their teeth with the point of the knife (steak knife preferred). In public, or at home - made no difference. Top that!