16 People On Things They Couldn’t Believe About America Until They Moved Here

[Library Dragon]

Regarding butter on movie popcorn,  at some US theaters, they will ask you whether or not you want butter and if you do they put it on before they give you the bag.   They usually  fill the bag half full of popcorn then put some butter on, then put the rest of the popcorn in the bag, then put some more butter on.  Other places let you put on your own butter. Each method has its advantage.  The half bag method provides a more even butter distribution but putting your own butter on ensures that you get just the right amount of butter overall. 

I don't think it's ever really butter but rather some kind of yellow ooze. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
 

DH likes the ooze I don't.  We have to ask that they don't do the two sections. He eats the top half and I eat the bottom.

[Anniissa]

The thing that I guess surprised me most about America when I first went was how insistent the servers were in restaurants that any uneaten food be boxed up to take away. Obviously, staying in hotels there was nowhere suitable to store the food and nowhere to reheat it even if we had wanted to eat it later. But even after politely declining, we kept being asked if we were sure or sometimes just had the boxed up food brought out to us and left on the table. It felt like we were offending the restaurant by not wanting to take the food away. Sometimes we were directly asked if there was something wrong with the food that we didnt want it.

That's interesting.  We didn't experience that (though I'm sure if we had asked they would have).  Maybe we were in different areas of the country.

Maybe - this was at least 10 or 12 years ago in New York. I suspect it varies according to restaurant. The portions were pretty huge so I can see why they'd assume people would want to take it away with them. We had to explain that it was absolutely not because the food was bad that we didn't want to take it away!

Most hotels have some rooms with a little fridge and a microwave for the same price.  I always asked for them ahead of time.  Back when I was traveling for work, I was sooo over restaurants that relaxing microwaved leftovers were preferred over the original restaurant meal.  I used to order just a little extra to be able to make a full meal for the next day.  Like there was this taqueria in Hayward that served Super Nachos so loaded with stuff, that you ran out of chips first.  I would order some flour tortillas on the side and fill them with leftover nacho stuff the next day.

I think it's just that I'm not a big fan of leftovers - I never book the rooms with the fridges/microwaves as if I'm on holiday I definitely don't want to be thinking about cooking and if I'm travelling with work if I'm really exhausted and want to crash out in my room I'd rather get room service or pick up something from outside and have a picnic. A decent sized fridge does come in handy for chilling wine though... Guess everyone is different - there are probably lots of people who do like the provision of a microwave so they're probably quite popular rooms. I'm happy to let others go for it - I just want the room with a large bath to soak in!

[lowspark]

One of the things that makes movie theatre popcorn taste like movie theatre popcorn is that they pop it (or used to anyway!) in coconut oil. Now, in the past they used some kind of coconut oil that was terribly bad for you (hydrogenated?? I dunno) and coconut oil got a bad rap. But you can now buy coconut oil that isn't horribly bad for you and pop your own popcorn at home.

I know, I know, no one's ever heard of popping your own and just buys microwave popcorn. But really, most MW popcorn is so overly greasy I just can't eat it.

I buy the (cheap!!) 2 lb. bags of unpopped corn (cost about $2) and pop my own* every time using coconut oil I buy at Trader Joe's (I'm sure other places have it too). You can also add your own butter after it pops, and regulate how it gets buttered and how much you use. Just make sure to have the butter melted and pour it on immediately while the popcorn is hot.

I used to love that yellow ooze at the movies way back when. Especially if they let you put your own on. I'd lay it on thick. But man, talk about bad for you! But it tasted so good!!

*As a footnote, when I make my own popcorn I do not shake the pot as it pops. I have no idea why people do this. All my kernels pop (or let's say, I usually have fewer than a dozen which didn't). What is the point of shaking, anyway?

[lady_disdain]

To avoid the bottom kernels scorching while the rest of them pop.

[camlan]

I pop my popcorn in a saucepan on top of the stove. If, and it's a big if, you get the temperature correct, you really don't need to shake the pan. Every time I move, there's a month or so of experimentation, and some burnt popcorn, until I figure out the settings required for the new stove. Once I have that figured out, I put in three kernels as a "test pop." When they pop, I pour in the rest, cover the pan and just let it pop without shaking.

You can pop corn by just heating the pan to "high." But if you don't shake that pan, some of the popcorn will burn. If the heat's too low, it won't pop. Lowspark, sounds to me as if you have found the sweet spot where the kernels pop but don't burn.  That makes you a popcorn popping master!

[lowspark]

LOL! Yeah, I don't think I've ever had popcorn burn except when I've gotten distracted and neglected to turn it off at the right time.

I used to do the three kernels test -- that's how my mom taught me to do it. Somewhere along the line, though, I got lazy and just put in the oil and the corn and turned on the stove. It worked just fine so I never looked back.

I agree that you do have to have the heat on the right temperature. High enough that it pops but not too high that it burns.

But you know what makes a real popcorn popping master? Knowing the exact right amount of salt to shake on. Yeah, I don't always get that exactly right, unfortunately. About 5% of the time I end up putting too much.   

Yes! I do love me some popcorn? Why'd you ask? 

[katycoo]

I have an air popper at home.  No oil or other additives required.

[lowspark]

I had an air popper once, a loooong time ago. I hated it. Since I didn't need to add any oil the popcorn was dry and the salt wouldn't stick to it. I ended up having to add butter to the popcorn which defeated the (no fat) purpose of the air popper. I got rid of it.

[C0mputerGeek]

Pyjamas - (Controversial here, I know) People on this site insisting that it's OK to walk around in public, attend university lectures etc in pyjamas. I have never in my life seen anyone walking around in public in their pyjamas, and certainly never at something like a university lecture, or on an aeroplane.

To be fair, I have never seen this either and I am American.

1. "Quality of Chocolates": I'd urge anyone NOT to buy Hershey chocolate. Yes, we have great chocolate here. It's just usually sold at chocolate/candy stores, and is usually quite expensive. *resists urge to go down to the local chocolate store and buy a pound of fudge*

Yes, I regularly purchase chocolate for my dad. It's not Hershey chocolate but the higher end brands. Hershey's is both inexpensive...and cheap.

Scotcat, is that why in the UK you can see carpet in bathrooms?

Carpet in bathrooms?  But, one toilet overflow and.. eep...

I've got Lino in mine but carpet is very common.

I've never seen a fully carpeted bathroom. I have throw rug and I've seen those. Is that what people are referring to?

Not half as odd as it seems to me the other way around! I can't imagine using anything electrical in a room where there's steam and water, it seems terribly dangerous to me, although I'm sure your stuff must be wired differently somehow to make it safe.

The only reason why I know this is because it came up when I was prepping my father's house for sale. The electrical outlets in USA homes (or, at least the ones in California) are required to be built so that a sudden surge will cut power to the electrical device (fault protection). When I sold his home, I had to upgrade the outlets in kitchen and all the bathrooms

[MommyPenguin]

Pyjamas - (Controversial here, I know) People on this site insisting that it's OK to walk around in public, attend university lectures etc in pyjamas. I have never in my life seen anyone walking around in public in their pyjamas, and certainly never at something like a university lecture, or on an aeroplane.

To be fair, I have never seen this either and I am American.

I have occasionally seen this at the gas station.  I also used to see it when I lived on campus.  However, when I went to college (12 years ago or so), you didn't really see it during the day, like to classes and stuff (even night classes).  When you'd see it would be in the dorms, or at "late night" at the dining hall.  The dining hall, which was in the middle of the group of dorms, would switch after dinnertime to something called "late night," where they'd have different food, more snacky type of stuff, like breaded cheese sticks and hot pretzels.  It closed at midnight or 1am, so it was pretty much for people up late studying.  You'd see a lot of people, especially girls, wearing shirts with pajama bottoms or yoga pants.  However, since it was sort of the campus equivalent of heading to the kitchen for a snack while studying, it was socially acceptable.

Not sure if things have gotten more extreme nowadays, though.  As I mentioned, I've seen people at the gas station pumping gas in pj bottoms.  Personally I hate having to step out my front door to get a package in pj bottoms, but other people don't seem to mind.

[Library Dragon]

One of the things that makes movie theatre popcorn taste like movie theatre popcorn is that they pop it (or used to anyway!) in coconut oil. Now, in the past they used some kind of coconut oil that was terribly bad for you (hydrogenated?? I dunno) and coconut oil got a bad rap. But you can now buy coconut oil that isn't horribly bad for you and pop your own popcorn at home.

I know, I know, no one's ever heard of popping your own and just buys microwave popcorn. But really, most MW popcorn is so overly greasy I just can't eat it.

I buy the (cheap!!) 2 lb. bags of unpopped corn (cost about $2) and pop my own* every time using coconut oil I buy at Trader Joe's (I'm sure other places have it too). You can also add your own butter after it pops, and regulate how it gets buttered and how much you use. Just make sure to have the butter melted and pour it on immediately while the popcorn is hot.

I used to love that yellow ooze at the movies way back when. Especially if they let you put your own on. I'd lay it on thick. But man, talk about bad for you! But it tasted so good!!

*As a footnote, when I make my own popcorn I do not shake the pot as it pops. I have no idea why people do this. All my kernels pop (or let's say, I usually have fewer than a dozen which didn't). What is the point of shaking, anyway?

I too pop my own corn. I use this popper:
http://www.amazon.com/Presto-05201-Orville-Redenbachers-Stirring/dp/B003R5ODOE/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1392170818&sr=8-14&keywords=popcorn+orville+redenbacher

The melting butter during popping gives an even dispersment.

[Vall]

I've seen pajama bottoms worn many times in public.  I live in a medium-sized city in the mid-west.  Five to ten years ago, it was mostly young people doing it.  I saw it at grocery stores, walking downtown, at festivals, and at the community college.  Lately, I've noticed older people doing it (maybe 50 and over) more often.

I have also seen women in flannel nightgowns and fuzzy slippers in the grocery at night.

I don't think that the majority of people dress like this or even like to see people dressed like this.  But I see it enough that it isn't uncommon.

[katycoo]

I had an air popper once, a loooong time ago. I hated it. Since I didn't need to add any oil the popcorn was dry and the salt wouldn't stick to it. I ended up having to add butter to the popcorn which defeated the (no fat) purpose of the air popper. I got rid of it.

I find that if salt is wanted, a spritz of spray oil is enough to get it to stick.

[Margo]

Quote from: RingTailedLemur on November 25, 2013, 11:13:23 AM
Quote from: Diane AKA Traska on November 25, 2013, 11:04:02 AM
Quote from: Katana_Geldar on November 25, 2013, 08:34:39 AM
Scotcat, is that why in the UK you can see carpet in bathrooms?

Carpet in bathrooms?  But, one toilet overflow and.. eep...

I've got Lino in mine but carpet is very common.
I've never seen a fully carpeted bathroom. I have throw rug and I've seen those. Is that what people are referring to?

No, actual full carpet throughout the bathroom. In extreme cases the side of the bath is carpeted as well. I think it was a late-70s / early 80s thing. Yhe bathroom in my house had carpet on the floor when I moved in.

[Corvid]

Just saw this series of photos about lighthouses on the Great Lakes in Michigan that have been completely frozen over from winter storms.  It's gorgeous and kind of amazing.  Everybody is talking over here about the "polar vortex" that is bringing so much cold weather (though my understanding is, this is no worse than we get every 10-20 years or so, not a game-changing event).

However, the astonishing thing, to me, is that this photographer goes out and shoots these same two lighthouses every year.  It's not the extreme weather this year - this happens every winter.  Yikes!  Glad I live 18 hours' drive South.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2534548/Michigan-lighthouse-transformed-giant-icicle-freezing-storm.html

Oh, thanks for that link!  I live near that area.  I have a picture of the South Haven lighthouse on my dining room wall - it was taken during a storm and has a wave crashing way over the top.

As for pajamas in public, I'm sure it happens but I live in a university town - we've got more than one - and I haven't seen it yet, and my job involves driving around all day.  Maybe the local students are keeping it on the campuses.  At any rate, it's definitely not common around here.