Overheard on Facebook

[No-stache]

Person vacationing in FL. She jumped into the pool with her phone on her because her son needed help. (Legitimate.)

Trying to fix the phone:

"It was in rice for a couple of days and nothing. ... I really can't afford to replace my phone after this vacation either. I had to buy a camera just so I could take pictures."

She works two jobs. Not sure about her husband. They have two kids. She's always complaining about money, etc.

If you can't afford to replace your phone, you don't need to be on a vacation in FL. Take a small day trip or overnight trip somewhere close and make do.

I make bad decisions too but geeeeeez.

[mm1970]

My friend just posted this on FB:

Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward.

I'm sorry for your loss. ;-)  I used to work with someone who loved that stuff, I never dared look at how much it cost to buy one. She was a hardcore spender in general, although I think shopping started turning into therapy/addiction as she had some really bad-luck stuff to deal with in her life (actual bad luck, not poor choices).

When he was super big I really liked his stuff. Never bought a print, but enjoyed postcards, some jigsaw puzzles (these were a challenge), and did a cross stitch once - that one was pretty fun.

I fear looking it up, how much do you reckon his prints cost?

Also, is anyone on here knowledable about art? I like art and am willing to buy original art, but at a strict limit. I see "limited edition" prints at galleries and other places that are marked for a ton of money...do they ever make sense to even consider purchasing? I realize that the quality of the print is likely a lot better than something from allposters.com, but I wonder if anyone actually makes money buying them and having them appreciate.

I like to buy original art if I ever see a piece I like that is not expensive (ie, under $150), but it rarely happens. I bought two paintings by an artist I liked before she moved and sold her works at a discount as she was somewhat in a hurry.

Looks like $200 to $5000 on the website, maybe even higher.

I have a super small house and not much wall space.  I'm also not knowledgeable about art.  Here's what we have on our walls:
1. quilts (mine and ones that friends/family have made for me)
2. family photos (this is brand new! Finally got photos taken)
3. A photograph on canvas from a local artist.  It spoke to me.  Actually we have two, one spoke to my husband.
4. A painting that I bought for $20 from a store called Ames in NoVA on Wilson Blvd, back in 1992, when I first got out of college and wanted to put something on my wall.  The frame was $80.
5. A Monet print, framed, that my husband owned.
6. A couple of framed photos (in the bathroom) from a local photographer. (around $25)
7. A few unframed canvasses from my "mom's nights out" at a local place where you drink wine and paint.  Cost: $40 each including the wine.
8. A cute little sewn hanging thing that my MIL made for my husband when he was a baby and she kept, so we have it now.  It's felt on burlap with a baby carriage, an airplane, a car, etc.

[dragoncar]

You can get some good stuff on Ebay.  Only problem is discerning the real originals from the mass-produced crap.  It's not going to appreciate, but if you like it, why not?  I only buy true "original" art these days, even if it's just $20 for an amateurish oil from a fledgling art student.  I used to get cheap reproductions painted in India, but didn't seem worth it.  Won't do prints (mostly because you end up paying almost what "real" art would cost, especially if you are framing the print)

[Malaysia41]

My friend just posted this on FB:

Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward.

I'm sorry for your loss. ;-)  I used to work with someone who loved that stuff, I never dared look at how much it cost to buy one. She was a hardcore spender in general, although I think shopping started turning into therapy/addiction as she had some really bad-luck stuff to deal with in her life (actual bad luck, not poor choices).

When he was super big I really liked his stuff. Never bought a print, but enjoyed postcards, some jigsaw puzzles (these were a challenge), and did a cross stitch once - that one was pretty fun.

I fear looking it up, how much do you reckon his prints cost?

Our friendship is merely threatened by the Thomas Kincade price-tag.  It's over due to lack of taste. 

[AlanStache]

My friend just posted this on FB:

Just bought this awesome Thomas Kincaid print!  ....  Im so excited!!!

I don't see much hope for our friendship going forward.

I'm sorry for your loss. ;-)  I used to work with someone who loved that stuff, I never dared look at how much it cost to buy one. She was a hardcore spender in general, although I think shopping started turning into therapy/addiction as she had some really bad-luck stuff to deal with in her life (actual bad luck, not poor choices).

When he was super big I really liked his stuff. Never bought a print, but enjoyed postcards, some jigsaw puzzles (these were a challenge), and did a cross stitch once - that one was pretty fun.

I fear looking it up, how much do you reckon his prints cost?

Our friendship is merely threatened by the Thomas Kincade price-tag.  It's over due to lack of taste.

Sorry but had to look, according to thomaskinkade.com (no I wont link it!!!)  they have something for any budget, small stuff for 25$ on up to over 6k$ "limited edition" prints.  I had not seen his stuff probably during my adult life but I guess it is ok if you are decorating a dentists office.  I might even prefer some of his stuff over the current trend to print inspiring quotes on a canvas.  fuck if I see one more "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away" poster, call for backup, because its going down.

[justajane]

Well, I have some cloth shopping bags inherited from my mother, who was using them as long ago as the 1960s.  So I think they've met their 131-use targets and then some.  With the number of cloth bags being given out as freebies at events and conventions all over the place, I'm perplexed as to why most people don't just have their own supply which means that using plastic is even more pointless.

Exactly. I was going to say the same thing. I've probably only paid for one or two reusable bags in 20 years. The rest I have acquired from various places. We mostly shop at Costco, Sam's and Aldi where we use no paper or plastic, and somehow we still manage to acquire more plastic bags than we could ever use. And we have a cat and a baby, for both of which we use bags for their poop. I can't imagine how overflowing our plastic bag supply would be if we didn't use reusable.

[Dollar Slice]

I only buy true "original" art these days, even if it's just $20 for an amateurish oil from a fledgling art student.  I used to get cheap reproductions painted in India, but didn't seem worth it.  Won't do prints (mostly because you end up paying almost what "real" art would cost, especially if you are framing the print)

To each his own, but I happen to really like the silkscreen prints I own. These are not reproductions of paintings, they are designed as prints from the get-go (printmaking is an ancient art-form). And they are much better value for the art quality you get. I have one in a limited edition of 250, price to me was $40. In other words, the artist is good enough that he can make $10,000 off of one picture. It's really beautiful. Although Thomas Kinkade would probably think it is too dark ;-)

[dragoncar]

I only buy true "original" art these days, even if it's just $20 for an amateurish oil from a fledgling art student.  I used to get cheap reproductions painted in India, but didn't seem worth it.  Won't do prints (mostly because you end up paying almost what "real" art would cost, especially if you are framing the print)

To each his own, but I happen to really like the silkscreen prints I own. These are not reproductions of paintings, they are designed as prints from the get-go (printmaking is an ancient art-form). And they are much better value for the art quality you get. I have one in a limited edition of 250, price to me was $40. In other words, the artist is good enough that he can make $10,000 off of one picture. It's really beautiful. Although Thomas Kinkade would probably think it is too dark ;-)

Oh yeah, definitely get what you like.  I don't like mass prints, although I wouldn't say no to a cheap print designed as such (vs a print of Picasso)

[Sibley]

Also, is anyone on here knowledable about art? I like art and am willing to buy original art, but at a strict limit. I see "limited edition" prints at galleries and other places that are marked for a ton of money...do they ever make sense to even consider purchasing? I realize that the quality of the print is likely a lot better than something from allposters.com, but I wonder if anyone actually makes money buying them and having them appreciate.

I like to buy original art if I ever see a piece I like that is not expensive (ie, under $150), but it rarely happens. I bought two paintings by an artist I liked before she moved and sold her works at a discount as she was somewhat in a hurry.

I'm not knowledgeable and am likely never going to be in that field, but my view is unless you're going to go down that path, just buy reasonably priced (whatever that means to you) art that you like. Don't buy something just because you think it'll be expensive someday, unless you happen to love it.

[Dollar Slice]

Oh yeah, definitely get what you like.  I don't like mass prints, although I wouldn't say no to a cheap print designed as such (vs a print of Picasso)

A so-called "fine art print" of, say, Guernica is what I would call a reproduction (or maybe a "fancy poster" ;-) ).  That doesn't appeal to me either. I might have SOME interest in a limited edition reproduction of a living artist that I really like if their paintings are way out of my price range. At least that way you are giving $$ to the actual artist who did the work and not their kids/estate/some random company. But actual original prints (woodcuts, etchings, silkscreens etc.) I think are pretty cool. If you're into modern/pop art there is a lot of neat stuff. Not so much if you want landscapes or traditional portraits as those don't really lend themselves to print-making.

[gimp]

I think I'm gonna buy a print or two of my own photos, for like $100-200 per print. Prints themselves ain't cheap when done in high quality and printed large (2-3 feet).

[Hunny156]

Many years ago I worked in a gift shop, and my boss carried a handful of Kincaid paintings.  Gaudy frames, but as a college kid, I thought the artwork itself was pretty.  Lamplight Village was one of the ones I liked best, I think b/c it looked like a magical community, that looked nothing like reality.

So that was nearly 20 years ago, and the list prices were $2-3K.  We sold a few, but eventually, my boss clearanced them out at 50%, and the cheapest one sold around $650.

I could care less about them now, especially since I understand how commercial they are and how little value they truly hold.  Serious art collectors would prefer the starving artists stuff that comes around at the local Marriott over the Kincaid, and that's not saying much, since the starving artists stuff is mass produced too.

[hernandz]

Student group on Facebook.  Pretty sure this "paycheck" is student loan disbursement, commonly referred to as a refund, although it's just funds that aren't paying tuition or books directly.  On the bright side, rent/bills, and "necessaries" coming before "play/fun".  On the dim side, well, you know, everything.

==
Woo hoo check is in! Half already gone to my mom for rent and bill coverage.....next step is activating smartphone, then donating to a campaign fund, making a few purchases for things I need, and the rest is mine. Love "payday"! LOL
==

[Nudelkopf]

Looks like $200 to $5000 on the website, maybe even higher.

I have a super small house and not much wall space.  I'm also not knowledgeable about art.  Here's what we have on our walls:
1. quilts (mine and ones that friends/family have made for me)
2. family photos (this is brand new! Finally got photos taken)
3. A photograph on canvas from a local artist.  It spoke to me.  Actually we have two, one spoke to my husband.
4. A painting that I bought for $20 from a store called Ames in NoVA on Wilson Blvd, back in 1992, when I first got out of college and wanted to put something on my wall.  The frame was $80.
5. A Monet print, framed, that my husband owned.
6. A couple of framed photos (in the bathroom) from a local photographer. (around $25)
7. A few unframed canvasses from my "mom's nights out" at a local place where you drink wine and paint.  Cost: $40 each including the wine.
8. A cute little sewn hanging thing that my MIL made for my husband when he was a baby and she kept, so we have it now.  It's felt on burlap with a baby carriage, an airplane, a car, etc.

I like to have purely blank, white walls. I hate the look of stuff on walls. Maybe my house isn't fancy enough to have a massive blank "feature wall" or what-not, so that might change my mind.

And I find the idea of displaying photographs to be really tacky - one or two on a bookshelf, maybe, but not hanging on a wall!

[mm1970]

Looks like $200 to $5000 on the website, maybe even higher.

I have a super small house and not much wall space.  I'm also not knowledgeable about art.  Here's what we have on our walls:
1. quilts (mine and ones that friends/family have made for me)
2. family photos (this is brand new! Finally got photos taken)
3. A photograph on canvas from a local artist.  It spoke to me.  Actually we have two, one spoke to my husband.
4. A painting that I bought for $20 from a store called Ames in NoVA on Wilson Blvd, back in 1992, when I first got out of college and wanted to put something on my wall.  The frame was $80.
5. A Monet print, framed, that my husband owned.
6. A couple of framed photos (in the bathroom) from a local photographer. (around $25)
7. A few unframed canvasses from my "mom's nights out" at a local place where you drink wine and paint.  Cost: $40 each including the wine.
8. A cute little sewn hanging thing that my MIL made for my husband when he was a baby and she kept, so we have it now.  It's felt on burlap with a baby carriage, an airplane, a car, etc.

I like to have purely blank, white walls. I hate the look of stuff on walls. Maybe my house isn't fancy enough to have a massive blank "feature wall" or what-not, so that might change my mind.

And I find the idea of displaying photographs to be really tacky - one or two on a bookshelf, maybe, but not hanging on a wall!

Funny, I like my walls filled!!  You should see my fridge. Covered with magnets and photos.

I have several friends who have photos on the wall.  We always only had one or two on the shelf. I really liked the look of the photos, so finally decided to do it.  Now I just need to get some family photos (as in, my SIL's family, my sisters' and brothers' family) to add to it.  I don't live on the same coast as my family - I like having photos where I can see them every day and think of our families.

The only photos we have now are of our family, and it makes me smile to see pictures of my kids when they aren't running around like crazy boys!!

[Nudelkopf]

Funny, I like my walls filled!!  You should see my fridge. Covered with magnets and photos.

I have several friends who have photos on the wall.  We always only had one or two on the shelf. I really liked the look of the photos, so finally decided to do it.  Now I just need to get some family photos (as in, my SIL's family, my sisters' and brothers' family) to add to it.  I don't live on the same coast as my family - I like having photos where I can see them every day and think of our families.

The only photos we have now are of our family, and it makes me smile to see pictures of my kids when they aren't running around like crazy boys!!

True, maybe I'll love putting photos up when I have children! I do have a locket... I was going to put a picture of my cat & dog in it, but apparently that was weird. So I put in my parents & 2 brothers. One brother was like, "Geez, that's a bit gay" when I showed him haha.

[Metta]

Under a set of pictures of a cute 6-year old at the hairdresser's:

"Amy gets her first Brazilian blowout!"

And the comments are all along the line of "What a great day for her!"

My unvoiced thoughts are "Seriously? What six year old needs a Brazilian blowout?"

[Clean Shaven]

Some friend of a friend who I don't know posts a proud photo of her daughter who just turned 16, standing with huge smile next to shiny new car holding keys to her birthday present.

The kids I went to high school with who got new cars for a 16th birthday present generally turned out kinda messed up.  Rich spoiled upbringing isn't a recipe for success.

[nobodyspecial]

My unvoiced thoughts are "Seriously? What six year old needs a Brazilian blowout?"

Does "a Brazilian" mean the same in America????

[ms]

A Brazilian blowout is a hair smoothing  treatment. They are not referring to waxing here.

But yes, a Brazilian is a nether region wax.

[theadvicist]

A Brazilian blowout is a hair smoothing  treatment. They are not referring to waxing here.

But yes, a Brazilian is a nether region wax.

I hear many things described by Americans using a location as a descriptor. 'French door' fridges, for example. What's French about them? (Genuinely asking) Every fridge I see in France is tiny and old. Or a Euro sham pillow. If that refers to a European sizing convention, surely it would be in metric, not imperial as I always see? Confused.

Ha ha, just looked up Thomas Kincade, those have mass appeal? It looks like stuff I see from house clearances, it's total Grandma art to me!

[Chris22]

A Brazilian blowout is a hair smoothing  treatment. They are not referring to waxing here.

But yes, a Brazilian is a nether region wax.

I hear many things described by Americans using a location as a descriptor. 'French door' fridges, for example. What's French about them? (Genuinely asking) Every fridge I see in France is tiny and old. Or a Euro sham pillow. If that refers to a European sizing convention, surely it would be in metric, not imperial as I always see? Confused.

The fridge is not French, the doors on the fridge are. 

[dragoncar]

A Brazilian blowout is a hair smoothing  treatment. They are not referring to waxing here.

But yes, a Brazilian is a nether region wax.

I hear many things described by Americans using a location as a descriptor. 'French door' fridges, for example. What's French about them? (Genuinely asking) Every fridge I see in France is tiny and old. Or a Euro sham pillow. If that refers to a European sizing convention, surely it would be in metric, not imperial as I always see? Confused.

Ha ha, just looked up Thomas Kincade, those have mass appeal? It looks like stuff I see from house clearances, it's total Grandma art to me!

It's not the refrigerators that are French, it's the doors.  No idea why they are called that.

I'm guessing it's a euro sham because Americans didn't traditionally use square shams -that's considered a European style

[theadvicist]

A Brazilian blowout is a hair smoothing  treatment. They are not referring to waxing here.

But yes, a Brazilian is a nether region wax.

I hear many things described by Americans using a location as a descriptor. 'French door' fridges, for example. What's French about them? (Genuinely asking) Every fridge I see in France is tiny and old. Or a Euro sham pillow. If that refers to a European sizing convention, surely it would be in metric, not imperial as I always see? Confused.

The fridge is not French, the doors on the fridge are.

Ah ha! I get it now, thank you! It's double doors! In the UK we'd say French windows to describe double doors with lots of glass. Oh language is a strange thing.

[grantmeaname]

The Queen's English never uses locations as a descriptor?

[nobodyspecial]

The Queen's English never uses locations as a descriptor?

You are talking double-dutch.

[secondcor521]

The Queen's English never uses locations as a descriptor?

You are talking double-dutch.

It's all Greek to me.

[DeepEllumStache]

Saw a GoFundMe page that the wife started for $10k for them to go to Paramedic school.

The page says they have 4 kids and want to pursue a higher paying career that meant more to them. Apparently the costs are prohibitive when added to student loan debt, health issues, car repairs, and the required reduced hours at work.

I knew the husband in college. He was an extremely nice guy but was in his senior year before he decided that his inability to pass all the pre-reqs to go into the upper level Aerospace Engineering meant that he should switch majors. He changed to Political Science with the intention of becoming a lawyer. Not surprised by the student loan debt but 10 years later and with a college degree, he's working an hourly security job? Not sure how many times his path has changed since college.

Why can't they send the wife through school first? She has some background as a medical assistant and works babysitting jobs, which sounds more flexible to shift hours around. It would also let them reuse some of the supplies and books. Plus she'd be earning money when it was his turn to go and had to cut back on hours.

[Joggernot]

Sale Ad: "Dryer works just fine. Heats great. We had to buy matching set when washer went out. Not very pretty but it does the job."

I just don't understand this.  Is the laundry room now a place where your friends judge your adequacy?

There have been several more of these out here.  Below is the latest.  Guess you have to have a matched set.

[theadvicist]

The Queen's English never uses locations as a descriptor?

Really really huge fridges are sometimes referred to as 'American Style'. I think we use locations as descriptors less because there is legislation about describing things that way. If you call something 'French cheese' it has to have been MADE in France. You can't call something 'Greek yoghurt' unless it was made in Greece. You have to call it 'Greek Style Yoghurt'. I guess that's the difference.

ETA obviously I'm talking about marketing. I can colloquially refer to something such as 'greek yoghurt' and no-ones going to prosecute me. But I couldn't sell it as greek yoghurt, unless it was, literally, Greek. So I think that's why we use place-descriptors less, because we are used to people saying, 'Really, champagne?' or do you mean 'sparkling wine?' because we are made very aware of these nuances by the way things are labelled and sold.

[grantmeaname]

The Queen's English never uses locations as a descriptor?

Really really huge fridges are sometimes referred to as 'American Style'.

Hah, of course it does. I'm shopping for a flat in about a month - if I want a fridge that doesn't fit under the counter, is that an American Style one? I'd call this a dorm fridge or mini-fridge:

and this is just the size of refrigerator I think of as normal (though I had the other size for my stay last summer):

(both pictures from actual flats in Walthamstow that I can't afford)

I think we use locations as descriptors less because there is legislation about describing things that way. If you call something 'French cheese' it has to have been MADE in France. You can't call something 'Greek yoghurt' unless it was made in Greece. You have to call it 'Greek Style Yoghurt'. I guess that's the difference.

ETA obviously I'm talking about marketing. I can colloquially refer to something such as 'greek yoghurt' and no-ones going to prosecute me. But I couldn't sell it as greek yoghurt, unless it was, literally, Greek. So I think that's why we use place-descriptors less, because we are used to people saying, 'Really, champagne?' or do you mean 'sparkling wine?' because we are made very aware of these nuances by the way things are labelled and sold.

I guess I didn't think of this. We do have some geographical indications (the only one I can think of is bourbon but I wouldn't be surprised if saltwater taffy or something has one), but the EU has tons. But here I think people are so used to terms that even if the law protected greek yogurt everyone would mentally erase the "style" when talking about the stuff from upstate New York.

[theadvicist]

I'd call this a dorm fridge or mini-fridge:

I'd call that... a fridge.

and this is just the size of refrigerator I think of as normal (though I had the other size for my stay last summer):

I'd call that a fridge freezer, because I think it's both in one (one above the other). A free-standing fridge that high? I'd call a waste of space!

But the climate here probably means fewer things need to be refrigerated, and it's more common here to shop more often for fresh stuff. Also, packages / bottles are generally smaller quantities here (except Costco).

[theadvicist]

And to add (because I reread your post and realised you are interested because you are looking for something specific):

If you're really looking for a fridge of a specific size I think you'll have to actually view apartments. It's not usually something that's listed specifically, and definitely not with the specifications like you might be used to in listing in the US. You'll have found that already, I'm sure, with our lack of info on sq footage. If the listing evens mentions a fridge, it probably won't have details beyond (maybe) mentioning if it's 'integrated' (ie has a cupboard door to match the rest of the kitchen).

But the bigger question is, living in London, why would you need such a big fridge? Remember you'll likely be travelling on foot most of the time, so little and often is your friend as you have to carry everything.

[AlanStache]

The Queen's English never uses locations as a descriptor?

Really really huge fridges are sometimes referred to as 'American Style'.

Hah, of course it does. I'm shopping for a flat in about a month - if I want a fridge that doesn't fit under the counter, is that an American Style one? I'd call this a dorm fridge or mini-fridge:

and this is just the size of refrigerator I think of as normal (though I had the other size for my stay last summer):

(both pictures from actual flats in Walthamstow that I can't afford)

I think we use locations as descriptors less because there is legislation about describing things that way. If you call something 'French cheese' it has to have been MADE in France. You can't call something 'Greek yoghurt' unless it was made in Greece. You have to call it 'Greek Style Yoghurt'. I guess that's the difference.

FYI, the larger style is properly called a "Freedom Fridge" where the smaller one is "Kenyan Socialist Rot Box".  /sarcasm

In that first pic do you have to move the KSRB to use the clothes washer?

[theadvicist]

In that first pic do you have to move the KSRB to use the clothes washer?

Ha ha! Yeah it does look like a terrible layout. I imagine you can squeeze your washing in with the door not fully open. I'm afraid compromises like that are common in London where rents are really high and landlords can get away with offering relatively poor quality. The showers some of my renter friends have to put up with! Terrible water pressure, fluctuating temperatures, squeezed into alcoves with jutting low ceilings... But, that's what the market can stand.

[grantmeaname]

But the climate here probably means fewer things need to be refrigerated, and it's more common here to shop more often for fresh stuff. Also, packages / bottles are generally smaller quantities here (except Costco).

But the bigger question is, living in London, why would you need such a big fridge? Remember you'll likely be travelling on foot most of the time, so little and often is your friend as you have to carry everything.

Costco and cooking for leftovers are a big part of my plan, as they were the three months I was there last summer. Also, I like cold drinks and ice cube trays alone would take up half of the tiny freezer section of the mini-fridge I had last time. I learned to live with the smaller refrigerator size and a small fridge definitely wouldn't disqualify a flat from consideration - it would just be nice to have a big one if possible.

If you're really looking for a fridge of a specific size I think you'll have to actually view apartments. It's not usually something that's listed specifically, and definitely not with the specifications like you might be used to in listing in the US. You'll have found that already, I'm sure, with our lack of info on sq footage. If the listing evens mentions a fridge, it probably won't have details beyond (maybe) mentioning if it's 'integrated' (ie has a cupboard door to match the rest of the kitchen).

Of course. To be clear, I'm not renting a place sight-unseen, I'm just not in London yet to view them in person.

[BlueHouse]

The Queen's English never uses locations as a descriptor?

Location-descriptors used in everyday American English that may have nothing to do with where the product or service was produced:
French manicure
dutch Chocolate
Alabama Slammer
German Measles

I can't think of any more.

[Pooperman]

The Queen's English never uses locations as a descriptor?

Location-descriptors used in everyday American English that may have nothing to do with where the product or service was produced:
French manicure
dutch Chocolate
Alabama Slammer
German Measles

I can't think of any more.

French doors
French vanilla
French fries
Italian ice
Greek yogurt
Belgian waffles
Swedish fish
etc

[frugalnacho]

Cleveland steamer

[grantmeaname]

The Queen's English never uses locations as a descriptor?

Location-descriptors used in everyday American English that may have nothing to do with where the product or service was produced:
French manicure
dutch Chocolate
Alabama Slammer
German Measles

I can't think of any more.

The Dutch process is from the Netherlands; German measles was first described in Germany, and manicures came from Paris. The other one is entirely arbitrary as far as I can tell.

But I wasn't arguing we don't have them in American English - I thought they were a universal feature of languages and was surprised to hear they were rare (or at least rarer) in the UK.

[I'm a red panda]

Swedish fish were first made in Sweden too.
Not all place named things are illogical.

[MgoSam]

French fries came from Belgium...

[CheapskateWife]

Cleveland steamer

Should have known better than to google that at work.

[dragoncar]

Don't forget the (potentially) offensive ones:

Irish car bomb
Chinese fire drill
Irish coffee
Colombian neck tie
California stop

Many others I'm sure

Mexican hot chocolate
Peking duck
California roll
Hamburger

[grantmeaname]

I take it you missed the post with the Cleveland steamer in it.

[frugalnacho]

Cleveland steamer

Should have known better than to google that at work.

Alright, that's it for me!

[dycker1978]

Sale Ad: "Dryer works just fine. Heats great. We had to buy matching set when washer went out. Not very pretty but it does the job."

I just don't understand this.  Is the laundry room now a place where your friends judge your adequacy?

There have been several more of these out here.  Below is the latest.  Guess you have to have a matched set.

LOL I used to own a repair company.  I get these for free quite often and resell them on the local buy and sell.

Dishwashers are huge too.  People "need" stainless and the white or black ones are given away.  I take them and sell them for a minimal mark up of $40 or $50.  I sometimes even get a "tip" for taking the old one off their hands.  People are funny sometimes
 

[bzzzt]

LOL I used to own a repair company.  I get these for free quite often and resell them on the local buy and sell.

Dishwashers are huge too.  People "need" stainless and the white or black ones are given away.  I take them and sell them for a minimal mark up of $40 or $50.  I sometimes even get a "tip" for taking the old one off their hands.  People are funny sometimes

This blows me away. I had a free drier from a friend ready to go in our house when my wife stated that since they weren't in a basement (we don't have one...), they had to match. We ended up finding a matching set on Craigslist but since then two of the control knobs have broke on the drier (from getting hit with laundry baskets...). So far, they aren't settings we use, but I would now love to know why it made a difference that they match since one now looks beat up anyway. *sigh*

[Joggernot]

Sale Ad: "Dryer works just fine. Heats great. We had to buy matching set when washer went out. Not very pretty but it does the job."

I just don't understand this.  Is the laundry room now a place where your friends judge your adequacy?

There have been several more of these out here.  Below is the latest.  Guess you have to have a matched set.

LOL I used to own a repair company.  I get these for free quite often and resell them on the local buy and sell.

Dishwashers are huge too.  People "need" stainless and the white or black ones are given away.  I take them and sell them for a minimal mark up of $40 or $50.  I sometimes even get a "tip" for taking the old one off their hands.  People are funny sometimes

In none of the ads has there been any mention of getting the broken one fixed.  I think $150 for a professional repair is cheaper than $800 for a matched set.

[solon]

Going Dutch.