Culture Shock???

You've been to Shanghai eh Sue?

Ben.

 

Civilians and city slickers!

Latrines, "cat holes" quickly dug with an entrenching tool (shovel), outhouses with corn cobs and Sears catalogs, the backside of convenient trees, and "paths," are some of the "facilities" I've been privileged to use.

 

Some of our recent laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, have had the unintended consequence of businesses closing their restrooms to the public because they cannot or are unwilling to go to the expense of outfitting their restrooms to meet the standards for handicapped people. And, some businesses will not allow non-customers to use the restrooms in their stores.

 

The Law of Unintended Consequences flows from the simple facts that

(1) most people don't thoroughly think out the implications of what they are about to do,

(2) we are not omniscient,

(3) some people are idiots all the time, and all people are idiots some of the time and

(4) sometimes, stuff just happens.

Examples

(1) Charging that fortified position seemed like a good idea to Napoleon at Waterloo, Lee at Gettysburg, and the generals on both sides in WWI--bad idea.

(2) Putting Stalin in charge of organizing the party bureaucracy seemed like a good idea to the politburo in 1921--they probably realized just how bad it was when their executioners cocked the pistol behind them in the 30s.

(3) Training, equipping, and supporting Manuel Noriega to be our spy, Saddam Hussein to fight Iran, and Osama Bin Ladin to fight the Russians, all seemed like good ideas at the time...

I could go on, but you get the point.

 

They are generally not as clean as English toilets. Or as available.
I truly loved going to the 20 pence Super Loo in the U.K.
Sometimes there would be digital timers telling the minutes since the loo was serviced, and how long till it would be again.

When I have been in England, I was surprised that people did not use napkins (no, I don't mean diapers) to the extent in the U.S. A number of times I was served refreshments that were sticky, and everyone present just licked their fingers.
American missionaries I know in the U.K. are routinely teased for putting out napkins when they host a dinner.

Also, at least in this part of the U.S., when you use your credit card, the clerk swipes it and immediately hands it back without looking at it. They ALWAYS looked at it in the U.K. and carefully compared my signature with that on the back of the card and ALWAYS asked me to "check the details".

Karen </font>[/QUOTE]

 

I LOVE English breakfast - rashers, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, beans, grilled tomato, pudding (in some parts), potato bread, soda farls, tea and toast...Yum Yum

On the serviettes (napkins) I guess we have adapted. Whenever we have American visitors they have to remind us to put them out. Some do so more politely than others.