What was the transition like?

[Laura+Tom 2]

I can't believe we're having a fight about duvets and Allan hasn't been here to participate. I think we should move to the next conrtoversial houseware item - ELECTRIC KETTLES!

Thanks for the Macy's tip Krikit - that's the best thing I've hear all day (though not for my non-USC husband, who now will accompany me to all future Macy's shopping trips)

I have a lovely electric kettle down on my gift list.

[Rob&Dawn 1]

I can't believe we're having a fight about duvets and Allan hasn't been here to participate. I think we should move to the next conrtoversial houseware item - ELECTRIC KETTLES!

Thanks for the Macy's tip Krikit - that's the best thing I've hear all day (though not for my non-USC husband, who now will accompany me to all future Macy's shopping trips)

poor guy.

electric kettles, i almost bought one of those too yesterday but it was too cold. i've looked for them in walmart before and they haven't had them but now they do! is america coming up to date finally?

great electrical kettles now available...not been the same boiling water for tea in the microwave!

[Stinky Monkey 1]

Ha ha I was banned from boiling water in the micro wave as after when I added the coffee and stired it sort of exploded like a science experiment all over the place ha ha

So when I was there at Christmas he got me a electric kettle from target and it was great it even had a button for keeping the water warm and was not that slow, no where near as bad as hairdryers but I suppose that is the next subject to mona about ha ha

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Yes, the US finally has what Nick would call "a proper tea kettle." You can't make proper tea using the microwave I was informed. We got ours at Target.

I've figured out the speed of heating bit.

US voltage or whatever is 110 and UK is 220. Well Nick would get into a scientific discussion over those numbers, but you get the idea. Lot's more zing in the UK lines. I think that's why the kettle boils faster in the UK. To further back up my blonde, non physics orientation thesis I submit the following--

--I bought hair appliances in the UK and left them there for use when I visited over the last 5 years. They look about the same, but the UK ones would burn the skin off your head in a second if left them on high.

--I have a Tassimo coffee/cappuccino/tea machine in the US that I love. So as a gift, I bought one online from Argos for my UK friends. (Hehe it was kinda so I could have a decent cup of coffee when I went, as they thought instant coffee was coffee.) Anyway the machine looks the same, but the UK one heats and makes that cappuccino waaaay faster.

Edited January 26, 2009 by Nich-Nick

[Hannah+Vito 0]

Forget the baking after over 3 years here i've come to realise not only is the food you can buy limited but its almost impossible to buy the ingredients to make the things your used to in UK so you have to just get used to whats here.

No more

Meat Pies stuff that i'm starting a revolt in LA We want meat pies!! guess this means i am gunna have to learn to cook from scratch if i wanna eat english stuff

Decent Bread or butter

Curry

Chinese food

Chocolate

and many many many other things

Just get used to Ribs, barbecue sauce and Chicken wings and you won't be to dissapointed

Viot actually put an lecy kettle on our wedding registary with target just please me

Edited January 26, 2009 by Hannah+Vito

[Stinky Monkey 1]

Yes, the US finally has what Nick would call "a proper tea kettle." You can't make proper tea using the microwave I was informed. We got ours at Target.

I've figured out the speed of heating bit.

US voltage or whatever is 110 and UK is 220. Well Nick would get into a scientific discussion over those numbers, but you get the idea. Lot's more zing in the UK lines. I think that's why the kettle boils faster in the UK. To further back up my blonde, non physics orientation thesis I submit the following--

--I bought hair appliances in the UK and left them there for use when I visited over the last 5 years. They look about the same, but the UK ones would burn the skin off your head in a second if left them on high.

--I have a Tassimo coffee/cappuccino/tea machine in the US that I love. So as a gift, I bought one online from Argos for my UK friends. (Hehe it was kinda so I could have a decent cup of coffee when I went, as they thought instant coffee was coffee.) Anyway the machine looks the same, but the UK one heats and makes that cappuccino waaaay faster.

I just find that the hair dryers are so slow but I suppose it is what you are used to, I moaned so much about Todds that he threw it out the window ha ha he still did not win coz instead of moaning about how slow it was I then moaned coz I had nothing........you just cant win

Well when I am in Texas I make the tea and Todd makes the coffee and it works out fine

Hope you are feeling better today honey been thinking bout you alot today a girl at works 16 year old cat has been missing now for 6 days

xxxx

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

Kettles and duvets and hair appliances...oh, my!

Does this mean that all mine won't work over there? That would be really poopy, because I've got some nice ones I managed to hold onto.

Magpie.

/edit: Is your kitty missing, Nich?

Edited January 26, 2009 by KnightAndMagpie

[Krikit 1,163]

Kettles and duvets and hair appliances...oh, my!

Does this mean that all mine won't work over there? That would be really poopy, because I've got some nice ones I managed to hold onto.

Yes, that's right. They won't work over here. If it's just hair appliances you can hang onto them and use them when you visit back home. You can buy an adaptor but they usually burn out a lot quicker that way..... doesn't work as well. Plus, it's a hassle.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Magpie~~

Anything that plugs in pretty much won't work in the US because not only is the shape of the plug different, the whole voltage is different. Unless you have a dual voltage hair appliance where you can switch it to 110. There's converters and such, but things are so cheap in the US, it's just easier to replace them with things designed to work on US electricity. Target and Walmart have good selections. The Chi ones are at specialty stores and cost alot more. Honey, I think things are in general alot more expensive in Alaska and not as available because of it's remoteness. You are going to have to figure alot out on your own because I think it will be waaay different than all the things we are talking about in the rest of the US.

My old kitty Muffin (almost 14 yrs) died Friday and we had a little funeral and buried her. She had been declining for months with liver failure so we knew it was coming, but still sad to have to say good-bye. We are fine and still have crazy Ozzy cat. Since you are a cat lover, you might be interested in seeing my pics in this post http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry2587515

Edited January 26, 2009 by Nich-Nick

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

Magpie~~

Anything that plugs in pretty much won't work in the US because not only is the shape of the plug different, the whole voltage is different. Unless you have a dual voltage hair appliance where you can switch it to 110. There's converters and such, but things are so cheap in the US, it's just easier to replace them with things designed to work on US electricity. Target and Walmart have good selections. The Chi ones are at specialty stores and cost alot more. Honey, I think things are in general alot more expensive in Alaska and not as available because of it's remoteness. You are going to have to figure alot out on your own because I think it will be waaay different than all the things we are talking about in the rest of the US.

My old kitty Muffin (almost 14 yrs) died Friday and we had a little funeral and buried her. She had been declining for months with liver failure so we knew it was coming, but still sad to have to say good-bye. We are fine and still have crazy Ozzy cat. Since you are a cat lover, you might be interested in seeing my pics in this post http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry2587515

You were very lucky to have such a beautiful and loving-looking kitty. I hope she's at peace now, I'd imagine she was struggling for a bit. She was with people who loved her, and that's what matters. My Bean, as I said, was also a rescue kitty who went through two homes unloved. :: Huggles ::

This is my beautiful Bean. He's a lot fluffier now and he's put on a bit of weight (which is good), and grown, since being at the cattery.

I guess I'll give my hair appliances away to my close friends...I know they don't have much cash to throw around either and at least I can give them a parting gift before I head off .

Magpie.

Edited January 26, 2009 by KnightAndMagpie

[rebeccajo 14]

I can't believe we're having a fight about duvets and Allan hasn't been here to participate. I think we should move to the next conrtoversial houseware item - ELECTRIC KETTLES!

LOLOLOL......................

Where is Alan these days anyway?

[rebeccajo 14]

Sorry to hear about your kitty, Nich.

[hxxrmonkey 0]

Anything that plugs in pretty much won't work in the US because not only is the shape of the plug different, the whole voltage is different. Unless you have a dual voltage hair appliance where you can switch it to 110. There's converters and such, but things are so cheap in the US, it's just easier to replace them with things designed to work on US electricity. Target and Walmart have good selections. The Chi ones are at specialty stores and cost alot more. Honey, I think things are in general alot more expensive in Alaska and not as available because of it's remoteness. You are going to have to figure alot out on your own because I think it will be waaay different than all the things we are talking about in the rest of the US.

I bought a hair straightener in Ireland for 40eu and brought it back home. I've been using it for 6+ months on just an outlet converter with no issues whatsoever! It works the same as always, and SO MUCH hotter than American ones cause they have heat limits. I love it.

Re: Hairdryers, you have to look for the ones with higher watt number. The cheaper ones will be weaker, lower wattage. Again I had a great one in IE but I left it there

Edited January 27, 2009 by hxxrmonkey

[StillThePrettiest 3]

we don't have an electric clothes dryer - as if you need one in Texas - so we ran the line that would have gone to it (the only 210 volt line in the house) into the kitchen instead, and attached a four-outlet UK power-board to it

my UK kettle, toaster and iron plug straight in, and I run my Australian sandwich maker and rice cooker by just using an Aus-UK converter plug

everything works so well, I don't know why more people don't do it

(oh, and my husband is a proper electrician, so it's all safe )

[Big Papa Zone 93]

I think the difficulty of the transition may depend on where someone may be moving to in the US. I imagine that culturally the adjustment will be more difficult in parts of the South and small towns than it would be in a big city in the Northeast or West Coast.

Unlike your football score predicting, you're not wrong there. When I was out there from 2004-2006, I came from having lived in London for 10 years to a nowheresville, Southern Illinois, population half-a-dozen. Culture shock or what.

And LOL @ the large part of this thread dedicated to the great duvet/comforter debate!

Can anybody think of another appliance/device that we can piss and moan about not having over there? This could run and run...........