Rallygirl's Dumb Questions About Regional Differences Thread

[Fitski]

I drink Pop...although when I'm over in Michigan its pronounced Paaap.

[samurainoir]

do folks drink Pop or do they drink Soda?

We only recently got Mr Pibb, and only in those replicator-like pop machines in movie theatres and Hero Burger.

I only found out about the "ice Tea line" in the United States a few years ago. The ice tea I drink is usually canned/bottled and way pre-sweetened.

[samurainoir]

I hate "Twooney" with a passion, almost as much as when people say "I need some Timmies!".

half a decade of road-trips later, this is good information to know!

I think my morning catch-phrase is along the lines of "Hey, stop by Timmies!"

[cjefferys]

Where I am from Portage is pronounced Por-taj (as in Taj Mahal) but in Winnipeg (also in Canada) Portage is pronounced Port-aage.

In Niagara Falls, ON, there is a road called Portage Road. The locals always pronounce it "Port-aige", so if someone comes along using the "proper" French pronounciation when referring to the road, we know they must be a tourist.

[Rallygirl]

The things on ice cream are sprinkles here in West Michigan. Occasionally, you hear the old folks still refer to them as hagelslag, which is the Dutch word for sprinkles. And they eat them on buttered bread, a taste which I have never acquired.

This came up between my husband and I last night while shopping - I call the big thing on wheels a cart. He grew up five miles away from me and calls them baskets. I think they are called trolleys elsewhere.

Another this morning - I was reading on CNN about Burger King testing chicken and waffle sandwiches. From reading the comment section, that concept must be popular in other parts of the country, but it is completely new to me. In all honesty, the idea of chicken served with waffles is almost stomach churning to me, maybe because I am imagining a syrupy waffle with a chuck of chicken plopped on top. Is it actually served like that or is it different? The whole chicken with syrup idea just about does me in.

[ubermanx]

In Canada we have a lot of words influenced by the French.

Clique for me not click, but it is pronounced click.

We spell bank checks as cheques.

Where I am from Portage is pronounced Por-taj (as in Taj Mahal) but in Winnipeg (also in Canada) Portage is pronounced Port-aage.

And for the record it is a hockey sweater not a hockey jersey. This comment will spark debate amongst us Canucks. Its like the toilet paper over or under debate.

I have a couch and go to the bathroom but because of the British influence up here I am familiar with never putting cream in tea, water closets and chesterfields.

Another weird one here in Ontario Canada is having to "hit the bank machine" meaning visit an automated teller machine or ATM. We call them ABM for automated bank machine. Hence the fact that we "hit the bank machine".

But for the record, and I tell my kids this all the time, to know how to properly say something in English you have to ask an Englishman (or Englishwoman) from England. The rest of us Canadians, Americans and Australians are doing it wrong

- Marty

[ubermanx]

Also, I have a question. During the recent cold snap, the spring over my garage door snapped. The spring is used to store torque which assists in raising the otherwise really heavy door. A few friends had the same thing happen, and a news report mentioned that this failure was not unusual. My question is, how are garage doors rigged in colder parts of the US & Canada? Presumably you wouldn't use the same design as mine.

Thanks!

Don't know Brother. My garage has a huge spring along the top as well and its fine up here in Canada. For two weeks it's been around -2° F (lows at night dipping to -20° Celsius).

I have had the cables snap that wind on the pulleys attached to the spring then onto the bottom of the door. But the spring itself hasn't snapped yet.

- Marty

[Duncan]

Just FYI - Otter Pops are usually available at the Rite Aid down the street from Mego Meet.

Also, I have a question. During the recent cold snap, the spring over my garage door snapped. The spring is used to store torque which assists in raising the otherwise really heavy door. A few friends had the same thing happen, and a news report mentioned that this failure was not unusual. My question is, how are garage doors rigged in colder parts of the US & Canada? Presumably you wouldn't use the same design as mine.

Thanks!

[z3zep]

I think people in Central/South NJ and maybe Philly call them Jimmies (brand name of Sprinkles). In my part of NJ we call them sprinkles.

[Tyme2tyme]

I have inlaws from New Jersey and they are the ones that call them Jimmies. They drink their tea hot too... without sugar

[LadyZod]

They are sprinkles.

They are sprinkles here in Florida, and they were sprinkles when I was chasing down the Mr Softee truck up north.

[Tyme2tyme]

Just curious, The little colorful things you can put on top of ice cream are called "sprinkles" in my part of the south but northern friends refer to them as "jimmies" Any other regions have words to describe these?

JOHN

[Earth 2 Chris]

This may have spread out to other regions and may have even become a standard, but I swear it started around here. Distance is measured in time, not miles. How far do you live away from work? Twenty minutes. Not twenty miles. Maybe I'm the only one who finds that strange. Guess it's from our modern society becoming obsessed with time and not having enough hours in the day to get stuff done.

Yeah, I guess that is kind of odd. I tend to think that way myself. I don't pay as much attention to the miles as the time it takes to drive somewhere. For instance I know it takes about 14 hours for me to get to Disneyworld from here, but I couldn't be bothered to remember the mileage.

Chris

[HardyGirl]

^Yeah, it's cool...but thanks for the info. And you're right, it is kinda absurd.

[Brazoo]

Well, it wouldn't be the first time Wikipedia got something wrong!

This isn't a challenge or anything! Just wanted to point out that the Wikipedia entry does site the Food and Drug Administration's code of federal regulations for it's definition. It's not about challenging what you said - I just think it's interesting and kind of mind boggling how deep you can go with these things!

Here's the Wikipedia entry with footnotes that link to the FDA site, and an article from the International Dairy Food Association:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ice

Italian ice, also known as water ice, is a sweetened frozen dessert made with fruit (often from concentrates, juices or purées) or other natural or artificial food flavorings, similar to sorbet.[1][2] Italian ice is not shaved ice that is flavored; rather, it is made by the same process by which ice cream is made: freezing the ingredients while mixing them. Italian ice differs from sherbet in that it does not contain dairy or egg ingredients, though it may contain egg white.[1] Common flavors include blue raspberry, cherry, lemon, mango, orange, strawberry, and watermelon, with numerous other flavors available.

Here's a quote from the FDA's Frozen Desserts, Water Ices sub-section:

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=135.160

PART 135 -- FROZEN DESSERTS

Subpart B--Requirements for Specific Standardized Frozen Desserts:

Sec. 135.160 Water ices.
(a)Description. Water ices are the foods each of which is prepared from the same ingredients and in the same manner prescribed in 135.140 for sherbets, except that the mix need not be pasteurized, and complies with all the provisions of 135.140 (including the requirements for label statement of ingredients), except that no milk or milk-derived ingredient and no egg ingredient, other than egg white, is used.

(b)Nomenclature. The name of the food is "___ ice", the blank being filled in, in the same manner as specified in 135.140(f)(1) (i) and (ii), as appropriate.

On one hand I find it sort of comforting that an official list like this exists - on the other hand it's kind of absurd!